In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of having a godly heritage and how it can still happen today. Despite the challenges and distractions of the world, the preacher encourages listeners to trust in God and allow Him to work in their lives. The preacher shares personal experiences and examples of how God's plan can lead to something good. The sermon also highlights the significance of prioritizing God and His word in our lives, as demonstrated by the preacher's grandfather who would gather the family to read the Bible together.

This man's heart Lord the heart that is truly after you and as he concludes his message on Ruth today Lord I ask that you would impact us that your mind would be his mind that his mouth would be your mouth and As I've often prayed Lord our ears would be your ears to hear what the Spirit is saying We welcome you father in Jesus name. Amen Thank You pastor Brian and I I Do recommend being a father a few more times in coming years and I'm grateful to God. I did not ever imagine that I would live long enough to be a father to start out with and the grandfather thereafter and It's a powerful thing If you are missing a staff member this morning in duty That's because she's at the hospital with little Corbin who is her two and a half year old grandson and He has been having stomach complaint all week. And so there's some things going on in his little body and Since we're the family of God, I wonder if we might not Do something old-fashioned. They used to have a thing on the service outline called Pastoral prayer and so Let's just join our hearts and pray for this little boy For his mom and dad and for Judy and Jerry as well Father thank you for this morning's time to meet you to worship you to praise you And thank you that you do indeed care for each one of us there is The same love extended to each person in this room It is not love that is based upon our performance. It is not based upon the things that we can do It is based upon the heart of our God who loves us And father this morning. We simply would come to you and We do want to pray for little Corbin. He is regularly Here with us in the service ask that you would touch his body with your healing power and as our hearts are joined we pray for his mom and dad and For his grandparents also Judy and Jerry That you would minister to them as well And father we recognize that There are many and ongoing needs in our midst We need your touch Lord each one of us to encourage to strengthen to bless to guide To challenge us to walk with you And so we surrender these moments to you Lord and ask that you would take your word and just bless it To us in Jesus name we pray Amen Amen Well, it is Father's Day and we're gonna conclude a series From a book that is named after a lady. How is that for a Father's Day message? So we're in Ruth chapter 4 and We'll just read that chapter 22 Verses and we'll comment on it as we look at it together Ruth chapter 4 says now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there and behold the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken Came by so Boaz said come aside friend sit down here So he came aside and sat down. He took ten men of the elders of the city and said sir Sit down here. So they sat down Then he said to the close relative Naomi who has come back from the country of Moab sold a piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech and I thought to inform you saying buy it back in the presence of the Inhabitants and the elders of my people if you will redeem it redeem it But if you will not redeem it then tell me that I may know for there is no one but you to redeem it and I am next after you and he said I will redeem it Boaz said on the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi You must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess the wife of the dead to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance and The close relative said I cannot redeem it for myself Lest I ruin my own inheritance You redeem my right to of redemption for yourself for I cannot redeem it Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging to confirm Anything one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other and this was a confirmation in Israel Therefore the close relative said to Boaz buy it for yourself So he took off his sandal and Boaz said to the elders and all the people You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was a limal axe and all that was Chileans and Malians from the hand of Naomi moreover Ruth the Moabitess the widow of Malhun I Have acquired as my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance That the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren And from his position at the gate you are witnesses this day And all the people who were at the gate and the elders said we are witnesses The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah The two who built the house of Israel and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem May your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar Bore to Judah because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife and when he went in to her the Lord gave her Conception and she bore a son Then the women said to Naomi Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a close relative and may his name be famous in Israel and May he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age For your daughter-in-law who loves you who is better to you than seven sons has born him Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom and became a nurse to him Also, the neighbor women gave him a name saying there is a son born to Naomi and they called his name Obed he is the father of Jesse the father of David Now this is the genealogy of Perez. Perez begot Hezron and Hezron begot Ram and Ram begot Aminadab and Aminadab begot Nashon and Nashon begot Salmon and Salmon begot Boaz And Boaz begot Obed and Obed begot Jesse and Jesse begot David And if you go to Matthew chapter 1 it skips through some things to say that Jesus is Also of the line of David Boaz Jesse and all of those who are mentioned here now I I don't know about you, but I like a story with a happy ending and And that's one of the great joys of this little book of Ruth It is a story with a happy very happy ending Let me just remind you for a moment of the beginning of this book You remember how it started out with a family backsliding away? Saying we're out of here things are not going so good for the people of God we're going to go over there where things look better and are better and Off they go and then there's death and there's grief and there's struggle and Out of it comes bitterness Naomi in chapter 1 says call me Mara bitter Because so many bad things have happened along life's way There's poverty and there's gleaning It's not that Ruth was a panhandler, but she had to go out there and find what she could on the fields Now look what has happened When you come to chapter 4 and all what a glorious thing it is when you can see the end from a beginning like that an Ending that shows to us so clearly the working of God and the things of God in it So I'll do my whoo-hoo in the beginning of the message today Because that's exactly how I feel when I read this passage But let me make a couple of observations before we look at the sermon this morning the first is did you notice that when Boaz went to the gate and he talked to this kinsman who was closer a closer relative than him and When he thinks he's just gonna acquire the land the man says, oh, yeah, I'm for it I'll gladly take the land But when Boaz says but know that when you acquire the land you also acquire this lady as your wife. Oh That changed everything didn't it and You know, what are we meant to think about here? Could I just Share with you one of the things that I thought about it This kinsman, you know is just a typical example of those who are offered Christ as Redeemer gladly to take the benefit But never to take the responsibility There are so many who would say I believe in Jesus I want to have eternal life I like that old fire insurance policy but when the Responsibility that comes with it. Is there then there's fear of ruining the inheritance He said I can't take her as my wife in case it ruins my own Inheritance and how many people I've talked to over the years who have said I'd love to become a Christian But you know if I did that I'd have to give up this and I'd have to do that different and you know What would ruin my inheritance if I did that? Isn't that often the thing that gets in the way and here it is in the beginning of Ruth chapter 4 he's not going to redeem the land and the lady and so we see that so clearly here and then Let me just share with you three things from this glorious chapter and then we'll be able to Close and rejoice in Father's Day those who didn't get breakfast in bed this morning good things are coming in the afternoon and Those who are long awaiting that long Sought-after prize who knows today might be the day I think I heard my brother whose birthday it is on Tuesday and Al you shall remain nameless never fear Here's the first thing. I think we want to see there's something good When God is involved There's something good the conclusion will always be good Because God is good. There is something good here What is it? Well, let's just break it down a little bit Ruth is married and by the end of the chapter we see her as married and she's a mother Now that's something good, isn't it? For a little girl who grew up far away from the family of God and In her first marriage situation had no children Here is Ruth she's married and she has this little boy No longer an outsider accepted and secure and fulfilled That's good Now if you only had Ruth chapter 1 How many of us would come to the same kind of conclusion as what we see here? Because you know sometimes we think oh Things are just so bad, but Where is there any hope there is always hope in God and Even when she's out there picking up the grain in the field He has a plan and now we're seeing the absolute fulfillment of it. You know what it says to me It says to me don't worry about what the world is saying to you Lay hold of God and let him do his work in your heart and in your life and in your home And it is going to lead to something good. I remember walking down a street in Belfast many years ago and I remember three people running across the street so they wouldn't have to be near me on the sidewalk. I Remember going to church that night and for some reason I've never forgotten the little chorus. It was new to me that night But it just simply said something good is going to happen to you Jesus of Nazareth is passing this way and I thought I had a bummer of a day And I felt lower than a snake's belly coming into this service But something good is gonna happen You see as we obey the Lord and press on with him. There is something good There's something good in the life of Boaz He is much older than Ruth but Although there has never been a wife and a child Look at he has a partner for the rest of his life and this little son to rejoice in and You know, God is just so amazing He has redeemed Ruth just as Jesus redeems his bride you and I and all of this comes about in the goodness of God Sometimes I think about Abraham Just a hundred years old No child of his own and God says to him you're gonna have a child and Sarah Who's just 90? says That's a McGregor paraphrase of the passage Do you see it Look at the hope that is in our God Naomi Call me bitter Sucking on a lemon nothing good ever happened to me Sorry, that was an Irish moment and here she is a grandmother at last How do you think she must have felt when they took that little boy and put him just into her arms? I Think that all the hurt and the stuff of the ages melted away in the love of God that day See, there's something good It didn't start out so well But in the will and way of God, there is great blessing God touches a family and he renews hope and life and love and Oh what an ending there is to this little booklet And you know there is secondly Something great not just something good There is an enduring legacy that's mentioned here in chapter 4 I so appreciate what Brad said about the legacy that he wants a little and er to have and Here we see an enduring legacy Now, you know Just Let me take the pastoral hat off for a minute and give you a comment just as an ordinary fat old Joe Thanks, Brad. I don't know about you, but I get so tired watching on television advertisements and stuff that show Man as either missing or some kind of an idiot and I don't find that in Scripture at all. I Find that when man walk under the influence and fullness of the Spirit of God There is something that generates such a legacy and Here you see it Boaz has a family he's named Obed and Obed becomes the father of Jesse You remember Jesse? He's a man that God says to Samuel that great prophet go to Jesse's house There is somebody there who has a heart like mine Where did he get that heart? It came in the legacy Down through those days through those ages It wasn't the first one that Samuel looked at Samuel figured boy. Look at him. He's the guy I know it Because we always look on the outside but when God said to Samuel it's little David Because I see on the inside You see there's something great about this Because when you look at Abraham, he is strong in the faith. And when you come to Isaac He's a little bit weaker in the faith. And when you come to Jacob He's a liar and the usurper and not very strong in the faith until He has a personal encounter with the Living God and that's what turns things around and you'll find that many times in Scripture But what I love about this is there's something so great about it There is a continuum where there is a growing in faith until we get to the place where? Israel's greatest King David sits on the throne There is something of a legacy here that I would say it would be a good thing to pray for Oh God You see friends. Our problem is that oftentimes we see Fathers as providing and Protecting and if that's done, that's enough But that's not what the Bible teaches The Bible teaches that there needs to be a connectedness there There needs to be something deeper and stronger there Many of you have read I'm sure from time to time Irma Bombeck the columnist and let me just Read you something that she wrote about her own personal life. It's tiny print So if I move from time to time, I'm just sorting it out One morning my father didn't get up to go to work. He went to the hospital and died the next day. I Hadn't thought much about him before He was just someone Who left and came home seemed glad to see everyone at night He opened the jar of pickles when nobody else could He's the only one in the house that wasn't afraid to go in the basement by himself He cut himself shaving but no one kissed it or Got excited about it. It was understood that when it rained he got the car and brought it around to the door when anyone was sick, he went out to get the prescription and He took lots of pictures, but he was never in them whenever I played house my father doll My mother doll. Sorry had a lot to do I never knew what to do with the daddy doll So I had him say I'm going off to work now and threw him under the bed The funeral was in our living room and a lot of people came They brought all kinds of food and cakes and things We never had so much company before. I Went to my room and felt under the bed for the daddy doll when I found him and Dusted him off put him on my band He never did anything. I didn't know his leaving Would cause so much pain You see dad provided But there is a need for a sense of connectedness that was missing That kind of connectedness is what produces what we see at the end of the book of Ruth That kind of connectedness is what brings about a deep sense of understanding It's what brings Families to that place that we all seek for where things are right, you know Brad already mentioned this But as we prayed this morning, we prayed about it to father's day is not a positive day for everyone because Sometimes father is missing but our father is never missing He is always there so there's something good in this chapter and there's something great in this chapter and lastly, let me just Cause us to think for a few moments That there's something more now. I always warn people when I'm gonna stop preaching and start interfering. And so That's your 60-second warning Keep your finger there in Luke in Ruth chapter 4 and turn with me to Luke chapter 1 for a moment I asked myself earlier this week If this kind of godly heritage can happen and it can because Ruth 4 proves it What do we need to do to see this today? What are the things we need to consider? Because we live in a world that has so many things tossed at us I in the world. Do you keep things in balance? So many issues so many heartaches so many disappointments so many broken things and relationships In Luke chapter 1 in verses 13 to 17 Let me just read them and comment on them briefly But the angel said to him that's to Zacharias Do not be afraid Zacharias for your prayer is heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall call his name John And you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit Even from his mother's womb and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God Look at verse 17 He will also go before him that is before God in the spirit and power of Elijah To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord Dear ones, how will we see? something of this heritage building in our time and homes and families When John was sent to create revival before Jesus arrived on the scene There are some things. I want you just to think with me about First of all, he was sent to turn the hearts of who the fathers To the Children now if the hearts of the fathers need to be turned Where are the hearts of the fathers? They're focused on things That are away from God His message was to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children Because we see when you see what God did in Ruth chapter 4 That's what he longs to do in your life my life your family my family and He is a supernatural God. So what was John given to accomplish this task of turning the hearts? the way they needed to go Notice with me first of all, it says something about this man it says even in the womb he was full of the Holy Spirit a Spirit filled life if we're going to see These kind of things in our day and see victory in homes and hearts and families. It'll be because We are so full of the Holy Spirit. I Love what my friend Gerard de toy says When Christians get in an argument, he asks this question. How can the Holy Spirit in me criticize the Holy Spirit in you? Isn't that a great question? So then if it's going on Who's in charge and who's not more importantly? We need spirit filled life Needs to be a God-centered life and home John is not from his birth interested in the things the Enhancements if you want or the the things that give us a kick in the world Here alcohol is mentioned he is all his life focused on God and following him Once in a while in my travels. I've had the privilege of preaching in Holland There's a move amongst the young people in Holland now more than 7,000 strong in one denomination You know, I'm in four different homes where I stayed It was so exciting to see that when the evening meal was finished one of the teenagers took the book and brought it to dad and Said read to us It's not rocket science stuff. Is it and yet we are so wounded and beaten and defeated could it be that in the midst of all our gadgets and gimmicks and Nonsense that there must come a time when we have to reassert the priorities of the living God I didn't know it at the time But when I was a little boy and I'd go to my grandfather's farm, I'd go because they'd let me play soccer in the yard Even when I broke a window But there never was a Sunday night that I was at his place where he didn't take the book and say to everybody Come here You see it I don't want to labor the point Because the presence of God is very strong here You look at this man John who came with this message. There's a thoughtful purposeful life thoughtful purposeful My dad was shorter than me, in fact, I'm the tallest person in my family But My dad Smarter than me You see he had this giftedness It was almost as if he knew what I was going through and Sometimes when he was taking me to school or sometimes when we were working with his pigeons, he loved pigeons. I remember the discipline of cleaning up after them, but he had this thought process that allowed him just to come alongside of me and say Maybe this is what you're facing and you need to know It was amazing those nuggets that he would slip in there And I've never forgotten And I pray Lord, would you make me a man like that thoughtful purposeful Building a heritage investing in my children and grandchildren The Word of God and prayer very much a part of John's life Did you notice in Ruth chapter 4? That there is prayer at the announcement when Boaz says I will redeem her all the elders prayed May the Lord make your house like that of Rachel and Leah who built the house of Israel Talk about vision Did you notice that the same is true in the marriage and the blessing over that little child? one of the things that I think parents place or don't place into children is a sense of justice what is right and what is wrong and I smile so often because we have all these things About what should be done But I never hear those words what is right and what is wrong But I remember hearing those words from my dad Do what is? right But dad no buts I think that's where I first heard those three amazing words just do it Do what is right? What was it all about it was to prepare a people for Jesus and parents? That's what we're doing in these days as we parent We're preparing a home for Jesus. It's time for John to Cease for this week. And so let me just wrap it up Where do we place the priority? What's the point in having all the things that the world has to offer if at the end of the day? our hearts are broken and Relationships are broken Could it be that? God would say to us walk with me and I'll bring it out. All right and for good but Re-establish the priorities that the Lord has and that's what brings healing may we pray together And I'm just gonna ask our Worship team to lead us in one of those songs over again And then we'll close God, we're so grateful that you are the one Who leads to happy ending? Thank you that as we look at the life of Ruth and Boaz we see your blessing. We see your work God as we look at our world We see such pain and tremendous hurt Wounded father you've laid it out for us and yet often our priorities turn our hearts away from the things of God Father we're praying that just as we come to the conclusion of this worship service That you would enable each one of us to make a decision today a Decision to say I'm gonna set my priority on the living God I'm going to put my trust in my kinsmen Redeemer even Jesus Christ I'm going to believe him to bring something good and Something great and something more into my life and heart and home Lord we ask these mercies in Jesus name