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Sermons, teachings, and podcasts from First Baptist Church in Powder Springs, Georgia.
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4 Godly Ways Men Must Lead | Ruth 2:1-20
The power of godly male leadership cannot be overstated. In this compelling exploration of Ruth chapter 2, we uncover four essential qualities that transform men into the leaders God designed them to be—and how these qualities dramatically impact families, churches, and communities.
At the heart of this message stands Boaz, a man of extraordinary character living in one of history's most corrupt periods. While everyone around him "did what was right in their own eyes," Boaz remained steadfast in his commitment to God's standards. His example serves as a powerful reminder that regardless of cultural pressures, men can choose the higher path of godliness—a choice that creates ripple effects far beyond their immediate circle.
What makes Boaz's example so relevant today? His approach to Ruth reveals a beautiful balance of strength and tenderness, protection without possession, provision without strings attached, and redemption rooted in integrity. When men prioritize character development, create safe spaces for those they love, provide generously from their best rather than their leftovers, and participate in God's redemptive work, transformation happens.
Research consistently shows that when men love their wives, disciple their children, and immerse themselves in Scripture, families flourish. Yet achieving this isn't about perfection—it's about persistent growth through relationship with Jesus. The only perfect man was Christ himself, who gives us both the model and the means to become the men our families need.
Whether you're a single man preparing for future relationships, a husband seeking to strengthen your marriage, or a woman wanting to recognize godly leadership qualities, this message offers practical wisdom for navigating today's challenging landscape. The journey to becoming a man of character, protection, provision, and redemption begins with a single step toward Jesus, who specializes in blessing our messes.
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God is so good, it is so good to see you here in church this morning. We're so thankful for all that God is doing. And I just want to say we did have, as Pastor James mentioned, we had hundreds of people we don't exactly know how many there were just like ants everywhere for the Great Grill Out. I want to thank you for all of you who served and volunteered during the Great Grill Out some 70 to 80 of you and, the best news of all, because we couldn't count everybody, there was just no way but we do know that we had 87 plus first time guests from our community, that we got to love on them and serve them. So put your hands together. We're so thankful for all that God did, all that God is doing, and maybe you're here from the Great Grill out, maybe that was your first time with us and you came back today. We just want wanna say welcome. We wanna say that we love you and that we just love being a church family together. We wanna be a church where all of the community can come together in unity and worship God as one. If you believe that, say amen, amen. God is so good. We have this. Right after this service. We have our adult leader group leader lunch. So all of our adults who lead a Sunday school class or a group, a small group or maybe a Bible study or whatever it is they might do, from whether it's a couples or maybe women or maybe men or whoever but we are giving them a free lunch today, with some training, and so I just wanna ask you can we put our hands together one more time for all of our adult group leaders? Can we just thank them? Thank God and thank them. We so appreciate you helping us to find community together.
Speaker 1:We are continuing in our series that we are calling Bless this Mess. I'll go to somebody and say bless this mess. We're going through the book of Ruth and we're talking about what God wants to do within your family through the book of Ruth. Last week, preached on this, came home, my wife showed me a Facebook message and I won't tell you who it was, but the Facebook message says this. Just last Sunday afternoon the Facebook message read a mess is the only word that I can come up with. The last week has been, she said I've cried, I've yelled, I've gotten sick, I've prayed really, really hard and had to close a door. I never thought I would close, our life will look a little different. For a while. I've prayed over and over God. Are we doing the right thing Today? We almost didn't make it to church this was last Sunday but we pushed through and we showed up.
Speaker 1:And then our pastor started and popped up on the screen Bless this mess, what God wants to do in your family. And she said I knew right away this is right where we should be. Don't you love it when God puts you where you need to be, so that you can hear what God wants you to hear? And that's what we believe this morning that God's got a word for you in whatever is going on in your life, whatever is going on in your family, whatever God wants to do within you. So let's pray together right now. Can we do that, heavenly Father? God, we just want to acknowledge and proclaim that this is your word and it is your word that transforms and sanctifies our heart to become more like Jesus. God, we are your church and, as your church, what an honor it is to worship you and God. We are on your mission. God, help us not to live our mission, but to live your mission, god, so that your glory can come about. We love you and we pray these things in Jesus' name, and all God's people said amen. You can open your Bibles up to Ruth, chapter two. Ruth, chapter two. We'll be looking at four ways that godly men must lead. Four ways that godly men must lead as Four ways that godly men must lead, as we're talking all about family this month. So, men, we got you today. Ladies, don't worry, you're not left out. We got you. Next Sunday, let's go, and so can't wait for that.
Speaker 1:I remember. I remember the day that I learned that I kind of came in the understanding that I was not being the man that I should be and that I was not the man that I thought I was. I remember when I really first encountered this, it was when I was 12, 13 years old. It was at that time of my life where, when my dad and I would wrestle like I would start to win a little bit. When he'd go and play basketball in the driveway, I would start to beat him a little bit. So I'm thinking I am becoming the man of the house and there was one day that we, as a family of four me, my dad, my mom, my older sister that we left and we went away for a few hours. We might have even went to church. And we came back that evening and I remember when we came home I was sitting in the backseat of the car, all four of us in the car, and we were driving into the car port at the time and our front door was open. And I remember thinking I'm a man, I'm the man of the house, I'm winning wrestling matches, I'm winning basketball games. What am I going to do? And in the next few seconds I found myself in the floorboard of the car, hiding, screaming for my dad to just turn the car around right, put it in reverse, let's get out of here and just call the police. And I found that day that I was not the man that I thought I was. I was not becoming the man that I wanted to become.
Speaker 1:In the same way, we all have to ask ourself the question, men as men, are we the man that we need to be? Are we becoming the man that God has called us to become? And just to kind of put everybody at ease this morning, no man is who they should be and no man is living exactly how God wants us all to live, because the only perfect one is Jesus. Can I get an amen? You know, the word of God says that as a man, we are called to have character, we're called to be protectors, we're called to be providers and we are called to be redeemers.
Speaker 1:The world says that a man is somebody who's just impulsive. A man is somebody who's a conqueror. They just step over people to get what they want. A man is a taker conqueror. They just step over people to get what they want. A man is a taker. They're not trying to give to others, they're taking for themselves. And a man is a player. A man is just using life for whatever it is that they want to be. But did you know that statistics and research shows us and tells us that when a man loves his wife and disciples his kids and reads his Bible, the family flourishes, the church flourishes and the community, the society, flourishes. But stats also, research, also tells us when men don't read their Bibles, don't love their wife, don't disciple their kids, the family suffers, the church suffers and the community suffers.
Speaker 1:I want you to know. I am so thankful to get to be the pastor here at First Baptist Church, powder Springs because we have so many godly men, so many godly dads who bring their families to church consistently to worship, put their kids in the kids ministry, they're involved in group, they're serving or they might even be teaching. I'm just so thankful that we have so many men who are involved here, because those are the types of churches that God blesses, and I also want you to know that God is doing a special, unique work in men. Today, you realize that revival is starting to pop up in revival. We're seeing these beginning points of revival all over the world, including in our country, and revival today is being led by young men, Men in their 20s and men in their 30s. Those are the ones that God is choosing, that God is saving, that God is pouring his work into, and those are the ones that are leading the way, and we're just so incredibly thankful, so incredibly happy. So here we go four ways that godly men lead.
Speaker 1:By the way, this sermon, this sermon is for single men. If you're not married, you're a single man, and this message is for you, so that you can prepare to be the godly man and you can continue to become the godly man that God has called you to be. It's for married men as well. It's for you, single ladies, so that you can make sure and be able to identify the godly man that the Lord has for you. And it's for you, married ladies, to continue to encourage your man in the ways that he is becoming a godly man. By the way, how many of y'all are married? Raise your hand. You're married. Raise your hand, very good. How many of y'all are not married or single? Raise your hand, good. Meet each other after the service. There we go. All right, let's continue on. Here we go. Number one I'm just here to help people. I'm just here to help. Number one godly character. Everybody say character, godly character. Tim Keller, one of my favorite pastors, he passed away. He said character is both who you are when no one is looking and who you are when everything is falling apart around you.
Speaker 1:Ruth, chapter two, 2, verse 1, says Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. Just to catch you up, maybe you weren't here last Sunday. Where are we at? What is the book of Ruth all about? There was a man by the name of Elimelech. His name meant my God is king. He had a wife by the name of Naomi. They had two sons, malon and Kilion. Elimelech moves his family away from the people of God, saying God, I'm going to provide for myself, I'm going to provide for my people. He moves his family away from the people of God to a foreign, to a pagan land that didn't worship God but worshiped a false god by the name of Chemosh. And there Elimelech dies, leaving his wife. They're all by herself with her two sons. Well, time goes by and those two sons marry two Moabite women. And then her sons, naomi's sons, die, malon and Kilion. And so now all you have is Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, ruth and Orpah. The Bible says that Orpah kissed Naomi and she went back to Moab, as Naomi was gonna go back to the people of the Lord, into Bethlehem. And the Bible says that Ruth believed that God, that Naomi's God, the one, the true living God, yahweh. She believed that he was God. So Ruth gets saved and she follows Naomi back to take care of her, and that's where we find herself now.
Speaker 1:Naomi had a relative of her husband, limelech, a worthy man. He was from the clan of Limelech, whose name was Boaz, a worthy man. Everyone say worthy, that word biblically. The Hebrew word is gebor, and gebor means a man of character. The name also means that he's a strong man, he's a man with a high position, that he might have been a wealthy man, but all of those terms that come out of that flow out of his character. In other words, this was during the time of the judges. This is when people were just doing what was right in their own eyes, because there was no king. And Boaz is a reminder of us, no matter what culture we find ourselves in, no matter what situation or circumstance that's around us, that we are called and we are able to live for Jesus no matter what. If you believe that, say amen. So here we go. Look at verse three.
Speaker 1:So Ruth set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. Now just a couple things here. First of all, it says that she just so happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz. That is a little Hebrew humor, it's a little sarcasm that God is placing in the text, meaning nothing just so happens, meaning there's no happenstance, there's no such thing as luck that the Bible talks about over and over again the sovereignty of God, the providence of God. In other words, look at what God is doing in Ruth's life and how he is blessing her mess, in the same way that, whatever mess you find yourself in, god is not absent in your mess we talked about last week. God loves to step. Jesus loves to step into the middle of your mess we talked about last week. God loves to step. Jesus loves to step into the middle of your mess. And so she goes to a field in order to glean wheat, because it's just her and Naomi and they don't have jobs and they don't have anyone to provide for them. So Ruth takes it on herself. Naomi's back at home we talked about last week depressed. So Ruth goes out and she goes and gleans wheat.
Speaker 1:She just so happens, by the providence and sovereignty of God, to find herself in the field of Boaz, and Boaz owned the field. In other words, boaz was a man of character, boaz also was a leader. He was a businessman, boaz was a provider, boaz was someone that owned the field. Look at verse four and behold, boaz came from Bethlehem and he said to the reapers the Lord be with you. And they answered the Lord bless you.
Speaker 1:Now Boaz is the boss, he's the owner of the field. So you would think, when the boss comes on the scene, the boss is gonna the scene. The boss is going to be like hey, get back to work. Hey, you need to be working harder over there. Hey, you're not supposed to be over there. You're supposed to be over there. What is going on right now?
Speaker 1:But no, boaz walks onto the scene and he doesn't see himself as a business leader first. He sees himself first and foremost as a spiritual leader, even with his reapers, with his employees, with those underneath him, and he walks on the scene and he loves them and they love him. And he says the Lord bless you, boaz loves Jesus. Boaz is following the Lord in his life and Boaz is blessing people because he has been blessed by God and so he wants to bless them. Boaz is setting the tone in his business, just like we're called to set the tone in our home as men. The tone in our home should be a tone of worship. The tone in our home should not be you do what I say, but we're going to do what God says. Can I get an amen? The tone of the home is a tone of love, it's a tone of grace, it's a tone of kindness.
Speaker 1:And he goes on to say in verse five and Boaz said to his young men who was in charge of the reaper, whose young woman is this? In other words, who is that over there in the field? Right, he sees Ruth and he notices her. But here's what's interesting is nothing in the Bible talks about Ruth's appearance. Nothing in the Bible speaks of Ruth's beauty.
Speaker 1:What I believe that Boaz is seeing with Ruth is her character. A servant who was in charge of the reapers answered she is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. Boaz notices her character. Who is working so hard over there. Notice, remember, this was the time of the judges. When everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes, this is the one of the most corrupt, wicked times in human history. In the people of the judges. When everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes, this is one of the most corrupt, wicked times in human history, in the people of God.
Speaker 1:And so when someone has the character of God, when someone is emulating the example of God, then character recognizes character and Boaz says who is that? They told him. Have you heard about the Moabite woman? Because the town was only about 500 people. Bethlehem, it's like a Baptist church Everybody knows everybody, amen, and we know everything about everybody, right. And so it's such a reminder that we are always writing our reputation to others in the way in which that we live our life, to others, in the way in which that we live our life. She's the Moabite woman that you have been hearing about. She's the one that is taking care of her mother-in-law. She's moved back from Moab, she's believed in God and she is here.
Speaker 1:And here's what we see with Boaz's character. It's a reminder for us as men, that nothing is more important in your life to other people as the character that God has given you, and the only way for us to grow in our character is to look to the one who has perfect character, and his name is Jesus. There is something that supernaturally happens in my life and in your life, because my character is not complete and your character is not complete and we're all one decision away from stupid. You know what I'm talking about. And so we got to make sure, man, that we are pouring our lives into Jesus as he is pouring his life into us and we are getting into the word of God, because when you get into the word of God, the Holy Spirit gets into you. When you get on your knees before the Lord, when you read his word, when you slow down, when you're not distracted, when you're not in a hurry and you just say Jesus, speak to me and Jesus mold me and Jesus transform me and Jesus shaped me, it's amazing what Jesus can do in your life. It's crazy to me all of the ways that Jesus has been but still continues to need to work into me. And it all happens from the word of God in your life. Men, how is your time in God's word?
Speaker 1:I heard a story one time about a family that would always invite the pastor over to eat. This is not a hint, but always invited the pastor over to eat. And they said every time that he came over, he always asked are y'all reading the Bible? They would always say, pastor, we are reading our Bibles. But every time he left they noticed they were always missing one, an extra or one more of their silver spoons, and so they brought him over again. Same thing eat together. Are you reading your Bibles? Yes, pastor, we're reading our Bibles and he would leave and another spoon's missing. It would happen every time. Finally they got tired of it and they said you know what? We're gonna invite him over again and we're gonna call him out on it. So they brought the pastor over. They're having a nice meal and he says are you reading your Bible? They said, pastor, we don't even want you to ask us if we're reading our Bible. You, little spoon stealer, you've been taking our spoons. He said I have not. They said then, where are they? He said they're in your Bible. I was checking to see if you've been reading.
Speaker 1:I love that story. Are we reading our Bibles? Are we spending time with Jesus? Because here's the deal and here's what we see that growing in godly character deeply means growing from God's word daily. Sunday mornings are so important that we get together and we hear the word of God. But every day is equally as important as we get into God's word on our own. Not just character, but number two protector. Everyone say protector. Four ways a godly man must lead. Number one in your character. Number two is God's called us to be a protector. Check this out.
Speaker 1:In Ruth 2, verse eight Boaz said to Ruth this is their first conversation together. Now listen, my daughter. And that would be weird today, you know if a man calls a woman his daughter that he's interested in, but back then it would be perfectly appropriate. It was a term of endearment, it was a way of showing kindness, it was a way of showing hey, I'm here and I want your best, I want to protect you. He said do not go and glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Who's he talking about? His employees? He's saying look, I want you to know if you go to another field, then you could be taken advantage of. We live in a time today of corruption. We live in a time today of danger. What is he doing? He's saying I don't want to take advantage of you and I don't want anybody else taking advantage of you. I wanna protect you from others. I even wanna protect you from myself, because every man is a sinner. So here's what he's saying I want you to hang out with all of my younger women, my employees here, so that you are safe.
Speaker 1:What does he see? The value of community? He sees that, as a believer in Jesus Christ, that we are called to be together in community and there are just times that godly women need to be with godly women to become more godly women, and godly men need to be with godly men to become more godly men. That's why we do women's groups and that's why we do men's groups and that's why we do couples groups and that's why we do co-ed groups, because God has called us to be the godly men and women that he's created us to be. And I just, I love how Boaz it's almost like he's the only one in his business, only one living for God at this time. What a reminder that again, no matter what is going on around us, that God can still do a great work in us and God can still do a great work through us.
Speaker 1:Verse nine says Boaz tells Ruth let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? I love that. Boaz is a real leader. Obviously he loves people, but he leads people too. I love that, as men, that we are called to be men of grace and grit. We're called to be men who are tough and tender. We're called to lead and we're called to love. We're called to be strong and there are times we're called to be soft. We can't get that out of balance. We've got to make sure that we are balancing both, as God has called us to be who we're called to be.
Speaker 1:And he says that so go. And he tells all the men you don't touch her, you don't harm her, you don't mistreat her, you take care of her and when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn. Typically, a Moabite or a foreign woman would have to go and draw her own water. The problem is that would put her in a compromising position. And Boaz is saying I'm here to take care of you, I'm here to protect you, I'm here to provide for you. It would be like a man today holding a door for his wife or make sure that, as men, we pay the bill, we pay for the meal or we pump the gas or we drive the car. And here's what he goes on to say in verse 10.
Speaker 1:It says that Ruth fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, since I'm a foreigner? Ladies, there's something about not leading your man to be the man that you think that he needs to be. There's something about that instead of leading him, instead of criticizing him, instead of telling him the type of man he needs to be, that you pray for him, and that when he does things that are godly, that are biblical, those are times that you step in and you just encourage him and you tell him how much you appreciate him doing those things that God has called him to do. And in the same way, I love how Ruth is saying man, how have you taken notice of me and the favor that you've given me? This is our posture before the Lord. So often we think, god, why aren't you doing more for me when Ruth sees God? Thank you for the favor that you have given me, god, thank you for taking notice of me. God, thank you for being in my life, verse 11.
Speaker 1:But Boaz answered her all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me in how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. We are seeing here Ruth's humility. Ruth gave up everything. She left her family, she left her home, she left all of her culture, she left her friends and she left for God and she followed Jesus with her life and she worshiped the one true living God. And Boaz as a man of character. As a man of character, he notices her character. If you want more people of godly character around you, who truly love you, who truly have your best in mind, who truly take care of you, who truly support you, who will truly be there for you, if you want more people of godly character around you, then you be a person of godly character growing in your character because character recognizes character.
Speaker 1:Verse 12, the Lord repay you for what you have done, boaz says. Boaz here is praying for Ruth. What are the most important things that we can do for one another? Husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, parents and children, boyfriend, girlfriend, fiance to fiance, family members, friends in community and group together that we stop and we don't just say I will pray for you, but we stop and we pray for them. We put our hand on their shoulder or we put our arm around them right there and we pray for them in that moment. That is one of the greatest ways that we can see God protecting one another in each other's lives. Boaz prays for her. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. A full reward be given you by the Lord.
Speaker 1:Boaz wants what's best for her. He doesn't woo her and he doesn't trick her and he doesn't deceive her in order to use her. Look at all these things that I can do for you. No, he points her back to the Lord, not to himself. Look at what the Lord can do in your life, how he can repay you. Because why, says the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge?
Speaker 1:Ruth saw herself not as protecting herself or taking her life in her own hands, or saying that I will provide for me, I will take care of me, I will do whatever I need to do in my life in order to be successful. Know what Ruth did. She said I'm going to hide myself under the wings of God, I am going to pursue God and I'm going to allow God's will to come about in my life. And because she allowed God to protect her, god brought a protector into her life because God loves to protect his children. He's a good dad and he loves his kids. Jesus died for you to protect you from sin. Jesus gave you his Holy Spirit to protect you from temptation. Jesus leads you through your life to protect you from going the wrong way and from making the wrong decisions.
Speaker 1:I remember that night when we came home, the door was open and I'm in the floorboard. I remember that night what happened my dad swung open the car door and he ran into the house and he started screaming get out, get out, get out. And I'm so thankful no one was in there, because my dad was an accountant and I don't think he could have taken any of them right, whoever. But nobody was in there. But I remember looking at my dad thinking he's a real man, he's a real protector. I've got a long way to go. In the same way, we need to look to Jesus saying I've got a long way to go. In the same way, we need to look to Jesus saying Jesus is not just the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, he is a man among men and we need to look to him in order to be a protector. Can I get an amen, trusting God to protect you? When you trust God to protect you, that means that then we are protecting others as God would through us. Number three, not just godly character, not just a godly protector, but number three, a godly provider. A godly provider.
Speaker 1:Look at verse 14. It says and at mealtime this is their first date, ladies. At mealtime, boaz said to her come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine. Can I get an amen? So here we see, their first date, and I love that Boaz initiates. He says why don't you come over and sit by me? He's not playing guessing games, right? She's not wondering what's he really thinking. He's putting all of his cards on the table. He's making sure that his intentions are clear. Ruth, I want you to come over here, I want you to sit with me and dip that bread in the wine. He took her to macaroni grill. They got bread, they've got oil, man, they're dipping it in man.
Speaker 1:It's a nice casual public, not weird lunch date. Everybody's happy. So she sat beside the reapers. They're not alone, right, boaz? Men, check it out.
Speaker 1:Boaz is living his life in community. He's living his life in community, as should we. That's why we have men's ministry here. Men's breakfast Can I get an amen? There is something about eating pancakes together that iron sharpens iron. God says men get together If you want to become more of a godly man. Come hang out with godly men and come to different men's ministry events that we got going on. Come to our men's group on Wednesday nights and see what God wants to do in your life.
Speaker 1:He says he passed to her roasted grain. Roasted grain today for us would be like popcorn. So they had dinner and went to a movie. It's a great date night for everybody. Passed to her roasted grain and she ate until she was satisfied. I love that about Ruth. She wasn't like I'll take the salad right. She wasn't picking at her food, she wasn't being all shy on the first date. My girl is man, she's picking out right, she is not holding back and she had some leftover. He gave her some to-go boxes. You can't make this stuff up, man. I love it when she rose and check this out.
Speaker 1:She gets done, she's full and she gets up and she goes to glean and Boaz instructed his young men saying let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her. So here's what's happening in Leviticus 19. It says that when a foreigner, when a sojourner, comes in, always make sure that you're not cleaning up all of your wheat off of the field floor Instead, leave it there. It's a way of being charitable, it's a way of benevolence, so that they can get food for the poor, so that they are hungry too, so they can be fed. And so that's what Ruth was doing. She was going around the outer edges, the corners, and she was gleaning. And Boaz says I want you to allow her to go into the field, I don't want her just to get the outside, I want her to come in and I want her to get the best. And he said I want you to go, I don't want you to reproach her, and I want her to glean from the sheaves. He even takes it one step further and he also pulls out some from the bundles for her and leaves it for her to glean. And he said do not rebuke her. In other words, he is now. They're giving her bundles of wheat. He is not just interested in her, he knows that if he likes her, he he is not just interested in her, he knows that if he likes her, he's gotta impress her mother-in-law too. So he says I want you to take all of this home with you.
Speaker 1:What do we see all of this from Boaz? He is a godly provider. Here's what I see from him. Boaz is not working hard and getting all this stuff for himself and keeping all the best and just giving somebody he cares about the rest. Boaz isn't buying the truck and buying the boat and buying just all the things all around him and just kind of giving the scraps to other people. There's nothing wrong with trucks and boats and different things like that.
Speaker 1:The question is is are we giving other people our best or are we just giving them the rest, especially those that are closest to us? Because here's what the Bible says that God gave you his best, god gave us Jesus, and when God gives us Jesus, then we can give others our best too. Single men in the room not married yet. This is just a principle that I learned before I got married and I'll never forget it, and it's a way that you can provide for others too, because we have to be careful not to get in this mindset of just we make as much as we can and we spend as much as we get.
Speaker 1:Someone taught me back in the day you can write it down it's just three numbers how God to bless your finances 10, 10, 80. The first 10% you make, you give it to the Lord. The next 10% you make you save it for the future. The last 80% you make is you live within your means and you spend it on all of your needs. Those are godly finances, and that gives us the ability, hear me, to provide for others. To provide for others in our family, to provide for others in our church, to provide for others in our community, just like God is calling us to do. Why? Because we see trusting God to provide for you means providing for others, just like God would. In other words, as you recognize that God is providing for you, what it doesn't do is say God, you've given me so much, I'm going to keep it all for myself. No, we say God, because you provided so much for me, I want you to use me so I can help provide for others too. So here we go.
Speaker 1:Number four and finally, is godly redeemer. Everyone say redeemer Not just a godly character, not just a godly protector, not just a godly provider, but a godly redeemer. Check this out Before we get there. Just to kind of catch you up, in the story the Bible says that Ruth brought, got up all of the wheat, the to-go boxes and all the grab-and-goes and all that kind of stuff and literally the wheat itself is 50 pounds and that girl carried it from the fields a mile and a half back home, 50 pounds of wheat, back to Naomi. So here she comes, walking back in to where they were living, and her mother-in-law said to her where did you glean today? Because Ruth is coming in and she's full, but she's dirty from gleaning and but she's got 50 pounds of wheat and these to-go boxes for macaroni grill. And where have you worked? And Naomi said blessed be whoever it was who took notice of you.
Speaker 1:So Ruth told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked. So Naomi said who are you around? Who are you with? Again, naomi's from a small town. She knows this is in Bethlehem, only about 500 people. And Ruth said to her the man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz. And you can just feel Naomi, stop. She turned around and she looks at Ruth and she says what did you just say? Whose name was that say? Whose name was that?
Speaker 1:Naomi said to her daughter oh my God, may Boaz be blessed by the God, the Lord that we serve. God's kindness has not been forsaken, the living or the dead. In other words, last night we left Naomi and Ruth I'm sorry last week in a mess. Limelech had died, malon and Kilion had died, orpah had left. Naomi and Ruth are going back to Bethlehem where they have nothing, no one to provide for them. They don't even know how they're gonna make it, they just know that God is calling them. And Naomi comes back and says call me Marah, because I'm bitter. God has dealt bitterly with me and now we see that God is blessing their mess and God is changing her grief into belief and Naomi now is worshiping. May this man be blessed by the Lord, because God's kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead. In other words, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Speaker 1:Naomi also said to her Ruth, the man you just told me about, he's a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers. Now, not a close relative like we would think about it today, like oh man, he's your cousin, we're from Mississippi, everything's good, right. No, that's not what he's saying. Here's what he's saying. This man is in our family clan, you are actually lawfully able to marry him and he's taken notice of you and he has shown you his favor. In other words, look at the personal, powerful, providential blessing of God that he has in our life. It is a reminder to you, and it's a reminder to me, that no matter what mess you're in the middle of, that, god is right there with you. It's a reminder that God is blessing you, no matter what it is that you are experiencing in your life.
Speaker 1:He's a redeemer. Do you know what redeemer means? Redeemer means restorer. It means that Boaz is the one who is able legally and lawfully to restore Ruth's life, to restore Naomi's life. Hear me, just like Jesus is able to do for you. Are you here today and your life has become a mess? Your family's become a mess. You're not sure how all of this is gonna turn out. You don't know how it's even remotely possible for life to become somewhat normal again.
Speaker 1:I want you to know that God is working all things out for his glory in your good, in your life, and he promised it in Romans, chapter 8, verse 28. He sees your mess, he steps into your mess and the Bible says that Jesus is your redeemer and he loves to take what we messed up or someone messed up for us, and he loves to redeem it, he loves to restore it and all he's asking is that you continue to place your faith in him and you continue to believe and you continue to worship him in the mess and you continue to follow him in the mess and you continue to follow him in the mess and you continue to obey him in the mess and you continue to serve him in the mess and you continue to be with him in the mess and you continue to hear from him in the mess and to chase him and to pursue him in the mess, because Jesus is the only one who can clean it up and make sense of our life. Because Jesus is the only one who can clean it up and make sense of our life. Just this week I learned about another little mess that's going on in our family. I got a phone call that, to be honest, I never thought I'd get or didn't know when I would. So I answered the call, figured I knew who it was, and they said is this Chip Dean? I said yes, it is, and they said hey, chip Dean, and she said her name and it was a doctor from a certain doctor's office and I had just gone to the doctor's office just a few weeks ago, just kind of a routine visit, and it was the dermatologist and they said, hey, there's a spot or whatever. We don't think it's anything, but we're just gonna do a biopsy on it. And so she's kind of walking me through it over the phone, just kind of the findings and everything. And she said so we're gonna bring you back in and we're gonna cut back around it because it's cancer. She said yes, sir. I said, let me just get this straight. You're saying that what you took off of me is cancer. She said yes, sir, it's cancerous. But she said on a scale of zero to four, you're a zero, it hasn't metastasized, it hasn't spread or anything like that. So we're gonna get it, everything's gonna be okay.
Speaker 1:I know some of y'all are thinking that's baby cancer, right, and some of y'all are thinking, man, that happens all the time. And it's true, it's true. But God used it as a moment in my life just to stop me and to slow me down and just to remind me that life is so short, life is so fragile, we don't have any control over it, we don't know the number of our days. And I'll be honest with you, like I started praying to the Lord and the first thought to my mind wasn't like man, I wanna go skydiving. I wanna go Rocky Mountain climbing. I wanna go 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu.
Speaker 1:That was not the first thought in my mind. First thought in my mind was God, I just, I just want to be with my wife and I just want to raise our kids. I just want to teach them about Jesus and man. I just want to be a good husband. I want to be a good dad and I just wanna be a good husband. I wanna be a good dad. I wanna be a good pastor. God, I wanna finish the job that you have given me and I just wanna remind you today God has called us here on this earth for a short time, for his mission, not ours. For his purposes, not ours For his purposes, not ours. And men, we are called to be, men of character, protectors, providers, redeemers. Ladies, we'll get to you next week, but the question is how is God speaking to you today and how do you need to live your life for Jesus this week? I wanna ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes. Every head bowed, every eye closed.
Speaker 1:Maybe you're here this morning and maybe you're a man in here and you're just thinking. Man, one of those four just really stuck out to you and you just need to pray through that. I want to invite you to do that right now, that Jesus can work in your life in that area. And one of those four is that maybe you're struggling the most. Maybe you're a married lady in here and you're thinking I really need God to work in my husband's life and one of, or all those areas I want you to pray for him. Maybe you're a single lady. You're thinking I want a man that's like that. I want you to pray for him.
Speaker 1:Maybe you're here this morning and you can't pray any of those prayers because you haven't given your life to the Lord Jesus yet and maybe today is your. I pray that today is your day of salvation. You give your life to him and I'm here to help you do that. Right here, right now, you can just open up your heart to the Lord and he'll save you. He'll come into your life, he'll forgive you of your sin.
Speaker 1:I can't pray it for you, but you can pray a prayer like this from your own words and your own heart and you can just say Jesus, I believe in you, jesus. You can just say Jesus, I believe in you, jesus. I need you and you can tell him. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and I ask you to forgive me of all my sin. And you can tell him Jesus, I believe that you rose from the dead and I don't wanna live for my sin anymore. I wanna turn and I wanna live. I wanna repent and I wanna live for you.
Speaker 1:And the Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So call on Jesus right now. Jesus, be my Lord, be my savior, be my God. Heavenly Father, we thank you for that promise. We thank you for that truth. God, you're so good. We give you all the glory for all that you're doing in our lives, in our church, in our community. In Jesus' name. And all God's people said put your hands together for anybody that gave their life to Jesus this morning. We're so thankful for all that he is doing.
Speaker 1:Our band's gonna come back out right now. I just wanna remind you we now. I just want to remind you. We've got a next step card in front of you Any decision that God is calling you to make anything that we can help you with. I want to encourage you to fill that card out, because we just want to go on this journey with you and help you in every way, spiritually, that we possibly can, as we all follow Jesus together. I want to ask us all to stand up. I'm going to pray for us and we're going just to continue to worship Jesus after we hear from Pastor James. Heavenly Father, we love you and God. We pray in Jesus' name, lord, that you would continue to work, you would continue to move and, god, you would continue to work in our lives. God, continue to raise up godly men so that families and churches and communities can flourish. And, lord, we pray that we would continue to live our lives for Jesus and to give our lives to him. In Jesus' name.