Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. You will never know the Lord's reward. Until you seek your refuge. Under Is Wait.
Now isn't that the safest place to be? Isn't that a place of warmth, a place of security, a place. of divine protection. sheltering under his wings. That's what Ruth does.
Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. We all want to feel prepared and have a sense of security when things go wrong. And we know it's best to have emergency measures already in place before crisis strikes. But today on the verdict, we're realizing the greatest security we can ever find is in trusting God and knowing that He is our refuge.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe to introduce today's message in the shadow of his wings. Thanks for joining me today as we continue our study. In the Old Testament book of Ruth. Last time from Ruth chapter 2, we saw this young Moabite widow. Ruth.
seeking refuge under the wings of the LORD, the God of Israel. She is discovering the magnificent truth of Psalm 91 verse 1. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High. will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. As she faces life in a strange land, Ruth is living by a radical faith.
Today we will see how the Lord continues to protect her and provide for her as she dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. Feeling vulnerable in these uncertain days, not sure about the future. Where are you seeking refuge? Where are you placing your faith? Let's learn.
from Ruth. Ruth chapter 2 then Verse. One.
Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband. a man of great wealth of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Mobitest said to Naomi. Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favour. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.
So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Balimelech.
Now, behold, Boas came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, May the Lord be with you. And they said to him, May the Lord bless you. Then Boas said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, Whose young woman is this? And the servant in charge of the reapers answered and said, She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. And she said, please let me glean and glean.
gather after the reapers among the sheaves. Then she came and has remained from the morning until now. She has been sitting in the house for a little while. Then Boa said to Ruth, Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field.
Furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you're thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw. Then she fell on her face bowing to the ground and said, Why have I found favour in your sight?
that you should take notice of me since I'm a foreigner. And Boaz answered and said to her, All that you have done for your mother-in-law. After the death of your husband, has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and mother in the land of your birth and came to a people that you did not previously know. May the Lord Reward your work. And your wages be full from the Lord.
the God of Israel. Under whose wings You have come to seek refuge Then she said, I have found favour in your sight, my Lord. For you have comforted me, and indeed have spoken kindly. To your maidservant, though I am not like. One.
of your maid servants. And we see here an example of a woman who is trusting in the Lord. Ruth trusts in the Lord. Here in Bethlehem, she's at the very bottom of the society in which she lives. It would be difficult to think of a less unenviable situation than that of Ruth.
She is poor, she is foreign. She's a widow, she has no children. Her parents and friends are all back in the foreign land of Moab, but Ruth is a remarkable woman, as we've been finding. She is an outstanding example of a young woman who trusts In the Lord. And I noticed that while Ruth works and trust in the Lord.
God is guiding her. And God is protecting her, and God is her provider. You see, do we believe that God is actively at work in our lives? Of course, we do. And although that is true, that God is sovereignly in control over our lives, that does not mean.
that we are passive or have no freedom of choice. The old Heidelberg Catechism. of fifteen sixty three states Question twenty eight. What advantage Is it to us to know that God has created and by His providence does still uphold all things? What's the advantage of knowing that?
Answer? that we may be patient. In adversity, Thankful in prosperity. And that in all things which may hereafter befall us, we place our firm trust. in our faithful God and Father, that nothing shall separate us from his love, since all creatures are so in his hand that without his will they cannot so much as move.
Now there's a good statement for you back written by the Dutch in fifteen sixty Three. Not bad. You see the God who is in control of our lives. gives us real choices and real opportunities. Did you notice this in verse two?
Ruthomoabite says to Naomi, Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favour. And Naomi says to her, Go, my daughter. I like that. Here is this woman, this woman of faith, this young woman, this widow, this mobile desk, in these poor circumstances, she takes the initiative. And she wants to work, do you get it?
She is certainly trusting in the Lord. Ah, but she's not lazy and she's not too proud to work in this menial way. Here is a young woman whose trust is in the Lord. Who seeks her refuge under the shadow of his wings, but is not too proud. to work.
Neither Does she expect Naomi? her older mother-in-law to go out to work. And she stay at home. In today's society we have young, able-bodied people and some not so young who don't like to work, who are quite happy to live at the expense of their parents or of the government. Ruth is prepared to work hard And she takes action.
You remember Proverbs sixteen verse nine? The mind of man plans his way. by the Lord. directs his steps. Isn't that a good principle?
Ruth Amoabite has lands her way. This is what I want to do, Naomi. Is it all right with you? I'm going to go out and go to one of the fields and glean. And Naomi says, Yes, you do that.
My daughter. She plans her way, but the Lord directs her steps. You say, In what way does the Lord director steps. Are we really surprised by verse three That as Ruth trusts the Lord, As she steps out into this foreign community that the Lord guides her. into a field And it just happens To be the field belonging to Boas, who just happens to be of the same family as her father-in-law.
Verse 3.
So she departed. and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Haven't you found that God usually provides for us and guides us in the ordinary routine circumstances of life. God is so great that He can do anything He wants to do, anything that is not inconsistent with His character and attributes and will.
And God, of course, can and often does do the spectacular. And he could do that in your life, and sometimes does in his grace and sovereignty, but more usually, how does God provide for us? How does God protect us? How does God lead us? It is in the ordinary routine, we would say humdrum circumstances of life.
The new American standard that they read from said she happened Just to come to that field. The NIV says, as it turned out, A good literal translation would be she just happened to come upon It was seemingly by chance that she went into Boas's fields. A non-believer would say, well, That was lucky, wasn't it, that she just happened to go to that field? No, that was nothing to do with luck, the Lord. was directing Corcepts.
Do things happen by chance? Chance has no power at all because chance is nothing. Chance is just a word used to describe mathematical possibilities.
Some people talk nowadays of chance as if it were a a power supply or a energy that can influence and change things or create things. No, things don't happen by chance. Things don't happen by blind fate or luck. As followers of Christ, we don't believe in luck. While events may seem unpredictable from our perspective, God is always working out.
his purposes. It is the Lord who sends a famine. Chapter 1, verse 1. is the same Lord who sends the food to Bethlehem in chapter one, verse six. Is now the same Lord who guides Ruth as she takes action, as she trusts God, as she steps out into this alien community.
Can you imagine how frightened the woman must have been? But as she steps out God. is guiding her. And it just happens. that she goes into a field.
Belonging. to Boas, this man that is going to extend the grace of God to this woman. Is he God? is graciously blessing Ruth. And Ruth has an appreciation of grace.
In verses two, ten and thirteen, we have this word translated favour, she says in verse two. After one in whose sight I may find favour. Verse 10, she says to Boaz, Why have I found favour in your sight? Verse thirteen I have found favour in your sight. The old King James translates the Hebrew word accurately with the word grace.
The LXX, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, uses the word karis, the common word in Greek for grace. You see, Ruth understands something very, very important that perhaps we haven't yet understood always. that she is totally undeserving of the kindness of God. She is totally undeserving of the kindness of Boaz. She is a Moabites, she is a Gentile, she has no rights, she has no merits, she has nothing at all except her great need.
And a reliance on the greater grace of God. She's an outsider. totally dependent upon the kindness of others. And Ruth is a wonderful reminder to us. that when it comes to God's salvation, We are totally undeserving.
That's why the Bible over and over again emphasizes that we are saved, that we have a right relationship with God, that our sins are forgiven by grace alone, through faith alone. And that salvation is a gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one should boast. Ruth cannot boast at all in Ruth chapter two. She can boast of anything. It was purely the grace.
of Boas A wonderful picture. of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace, by definition, is unmerited, it is undeserved. Louis Berry Schaefer, the first president of Dallas Seminary, says grace finds its greatest triumph and glory in the sphere of human helplessness. Did you get there?
Where do we see grace in all of its glory and all of its magnificence? In the middle of human might, In the middle of human wealth and power? Not at all. in the midst of human helplessness. Here is a helpless woman.
No rights at all. And she understands.
Something of grace of God's matchless, infinite grace. Is some people Yeah. perhaps sitting here this morning, have bought into the idea That as regards salvation, God helps those who help themselves. Can I tell you that's not in your Bible? God helps those who help themselves.
It's as if God says to us, gives us the Bible, and says, well, here's a self-help book. to help you work out your life and to run your life, believe in yourself. You can do it, but if you have a problem, I'm always there to help you. That's not a gospel. That's not Christianity.
That's not God's way. God's salvation is never to be worked for. But it is always to be received. As a gift. You don't deserve it.
I don't deserve it. Do you think you deserve God's mercy? Do you think you deserve God's grace? Do you think you deserve God to guide you and to provide for you? Of course not.
We have nothing other than our sin. And so the gospel is that we have nothing apart from our sin, but Christ has accomplished everything, and that we're saved not by what we do, but by what He has done perfectly through His redemptive work. And salvation is all of grace. And boas, this man also trusts in the Lord. and shelters in the shadow of his wings, I believe.
We read in verse one, He's a man of great wealth, he's a man of standing. This word wealth means more than material prosperity. Boas is a man of faith, of integrity, of a good reputation. He's highly regarded in the community, not just because of his wealth. but because of his good character.
Did you know this? In verse 4, that he incorporates his faith in his daily life, a good test of our spiritual life. Notice his interaction with the reapers. He says to the reapers, verse 4, May the Lord be with you. And they said to him, May the Lord Bless you.
He doesn't curse. His employees He doesn't shout. at his reaper's He's not the kind of person who goes to church on Sunday, but then on Monday acts and sounds like a pagan. He treats others with kindness, respect. consideration.
and grace. I'm sure Boas had no difficulty in getting people to work for him. Here's a man who creates a godly workplace. We see his kindness and his graciousness towards this young foreigner, Ruth. Let me ask you.
Do you integrate your Christian principles into your workplace where you work. What kind of reputation do you have? Where do you work? What would your employers say of you? What would your colleagues say of you?
What would those who are accountable to you and who report to you, what would they say of you? Are you fair? Honest. generous, guardly, Do people enjoy working for you, with you? Along with you?
What about your speech in your home? I've got many people, particularly men who claim to be followers of Christ. But their speech at home is destructive, angry. Boys is not like this. whether in his home, whether at work His speech is encouraging, edifying.
It's not crude, it's not abusive, it's not destructive or critical. Here's a man of grace. He has learned what it means to trust in the Lord. That when we trust in the Lord, when we shelter in the shadow of His wings, God will guide, God will protect, and God will provide.
Now, will you take that with you and meditate on it this week and allow the Spirit of God to give you peace and comfort. To understand that as you trust in the Lord, as you shelter in the shadow of His wings, God will protect you, God will provide for you, and God will guide you. Before his death, our Lord Jesus, as he looked over Jerusalem, made a remarkable statement. He says, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you.
How often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not. The Lord is saying to people. Again, with this beautiful imagery of a bird gathering her brood under her, is saying, I wanted to do that to you, but you refuse me. I remember from my days in Sunday school, when the teachers used that old flannel graft dove? Wasn't it great when we didn't have PowerPoints and computers?
Old flannel graph. As she put up, I remember one day vividly, she put up a hand on the board. with a little brood of chickens all around her. And then she puts up a fire which is coming. And quickly, the mother hen, sensing the danger of the fire coming, quickly gathers.
Her brood, her little chickens under her wings as the fire comes, and the fire goes over the hen. And when the fire has gone, the farmer comes. and with sadness notice is that the hen has died and he picks up the charred remains of the hen, but to his delight, He sees the little chicks still alive underneath. Perfectly safe and secure. sheltered under their mother's wings.
That's the gospel. The gospel is That God is a holy God. and we deserve his wrath and his judgment. But the fire of God and the judgment of God which we deserve because of our sin fell on our wonderful Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ at the cross at Calvary. And he died on the cross.
He took the fire of God and the judgment of God so that we who trust in him, we who are sheltered under his wings, may be alive eternally. You say one day The judgment of God and the wrath of God will fall on those who do not know Christ. Therefore, today, make sure you're trusting in the Lord. That you are sheltering in his arms, that you're sheltering in the shadow of his wings. He's the only one who can save you and transform you.
Shelter in the shadow of his wings. Trust him. He will guide you. He will protect you. He will bless you.
Always seek your refuge under the shadow of his wings. And remember. that God is at work in your life, as he was in Ruth's Weaving the circumstances of your life, often in ways which are completely hidden to you. Life often seems Like a tapestry. the reverse side of a tapestry You see, this doesn't make sense.
Here are these threads that There is no discernible pattern. That's often like our life, isn't it? Circumstances come into our life and they often don't make sense to us. Disappointments and obstacles. health problems and work problems and family problems and ministry problems.
But to God's perspective, as we turn it round, We see what to us is nonsensical. Which to us is difficult. which to us is a problem Under The master's hand, the master weaver. That God is taking all of the circumstances in our life, both good and bad. and under his sovereign perfect will.
He is working A thing of beauty. of grace and design. Therefore, Trust. In the Lord. God's purposes.
are being worked out in your life Shelter in the shadow of his wings, and as you do that, Remember that God has got your life. In fact, God has got the whole world in His hands. He's got a tiny little baby in His hands, and He's got you and me in His hands. And your life may seem out of control this morning. You may be confused, you may lack direction, you may wonder about your future, but this morning, afresh, trust in the Lord, seek your refuge under his wings, hold on to the promises of God.
because God rewards those who who, in their joys and in their sorrows, seek refuge under His wings. Can I ask you to allow the Spirit of God to take these truths. And apply them, not just intellectually, but to integrate them into your life. Shelter. consciously shelter.
in the shadow of his wings, consciously trust In the Lord, help us this morning. To do that, our Father.
Sometimes this is difficult for us. We want to trust in ourselves. We want to trust in others. We want to work out things. And we fret, and we scheme, and we try to manipulate things.
Help us. The trust. and to find our shelter. and a refuge in the shadow. And in the shelter of your arms in Christ.
Christ now. Amen. This is the verdict with Pastor Jean Monroe. and the final part of a message titled, In the Shadow of His Wings. If you want to revisit today's lesson or find a previous message from our current series in the Book of Ruth, you can do that anytime by going online to theverdict.org.
And to help you go even deeper in our study of Ruth, we'd also like to offer you a custom listening guide just for this series. Full of notes from John and questions for application, this printable workbook will challenge you to personally engage with Scripture so that you can review and apply what you're learning in this study to your day-to-day life. Just go to our website to download your free copy of the Roof Listening Guide. You'll find it on our homepage at theverdict.org. There, you'll also want to sign up for John's monthly email to receive exclusive updates and offers from this ministry.
Here at The Verdict, our work is to share the truth of God's Word and the good news of Jesus Christ with as many listeners as we can. and you can support this gospel work today with a financial gift of any amount. To give right now, visit theverdict.org. And then, as we close, we invite you to join us in person for Sunday worship at Calvary Church, Home of the Verdict. We're located at the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road in South Charlotte.
To plan your visit to Calvary and to find helpful directions and details, just visit our website at theverdict.org. And now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Isn't Ruth's young widow an inspiring example? God guides us. and provides for us in the seemingly routine circumstances of life. He has promised to protect and guide those who shelter under His wings.
Are you trusting God? Whatever the size of your need, God's grace is greater. In Jesus Christ, God has provided for our greatest need. for our sins to be forgiven. Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?
Join me next time as we continue to learn more and more of God's magnificent grace. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
