OPENING PRAYERS
Praise the Lord word of life. Welcome you to our morning altar of prayer.
Father we thank you for this great day you have given unto us. The day you have made we rejoice and be glad in you. Thank you. Blessed be your name. In Jesus precious name we have prayed. And we all say amen and amen.
REBUILDING ON RIGHT FOUNDATION
There is a an observation I have made in this text of Ruth, Boaz and Naomi. It's a beautiful story. Very much beautiful. We saw a lot of things and you know Haggai two nine talks about the glory of the second house that will be greater than the former one.
May I remind you that the former house was destroyed, the foundations were destroyed and the second one was to be rebuilt. And you know the strength of a building is in the foundation. When the foundation is wrong, the building will be wrong. When the foundation is strong, the building will also be as strong as the foundation. So when we talk about ah the glory, the second glory, we are talking about the right foundation.
Psalm chapter eleven verse three says that when the foundation is destroyed what can the righteous do? Jesus says the two houses were built : one on the sand, the other one on the rock. The one on the sand was destroyed completely but the other one on the rock withstood the storm.
PRAYER IS NOT EVERYTHING
Sometime we wonder. You can see two believers who all know the Lord, are prayerful, go to Church, are praiseful but you can look at their marriages, their relationships, it looks like it has a lot of problems unsolved.
And we can wonder, "But those people they pray. What is really the problem? Why despite that they are praying but it looks like nothing is working in their life".
And I've come to understand that prayer is not everything. Prayer does not fix everything. Prayer in our life is compared to water. Prayer is compared with air. Without air and water, we cannot survive in this world. But if the only thing we have in the world it air and water I don't think it is practical or enough.
So prayer is fundamental for our life. But prayer is not everything for a relationship to work. It is not enough for a woman to be prayerful to be a good wife.
A woman can be very prayerful. But at the same time a very bad wife. And a man can also be very prayerful but a very mannerless and bad husband.
A couple can be a very prayerful couple but a very complicated and dysfunctional couple. To be prayerful is not everything for a relationship to work.
Ruth 2:1, "And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz".
Ruth 2:2 "And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter".
You see? It is amazing to see that Naomi and Ruth were staying in the same house. Probably they were hungry, there was no food, I believe they were praying and at the end of the day they did not have food. If prayer was everything, she could have just stayed there in that house and expect food to come straight home. But food did not come where she was.
She said, "Let me now go to the field". You understand? In fact, when I read the story of Ruth since the beginning until now, I have not seen where Ruth is praying. Please don't misunderstand me. I did not say that Ruth was not prayerful. I believe she was a prayerful woman. But the prayer aspects of Ruth is not displayed anywhere. Even when we talk about Boaz, they don't show Boaz as a prayerful man but he is a Godly man.
I believe they were prayerful. But prayer is not everything. Prayer does not fix everything in a marriage or in a relationship. To be prayerful is fundamental but it is not everything as far as relationship is concerned. It is not everything that can make a man to be a good man or to make a woman to be a good wife.
You know? Listen! Listen! Listen! I compare prayer as the foundation of the building. If in the building you only have a foundation, you won't have a house. So prayer is the foundation upon which other ingredients need to be added for the house to stand. And you know prayer is foundation because prayer is in the closet. Prayer is in the house. Prayer is in the place where nobody sees you.
And I believe that whatever was happening the house nobody saw because abi they were praying they were praying but at some point she had to come out of the house and to go to the field and it is in the field that she found a husband. It's in the field that she got a job. It's in the field that she got food. It's in the field that she solved some some of her problems.
So prayer is the foundation. But a house that has only a foundation will never be a house. In fact it is even not a house. You need more on top of prayer for you to have a successful, thriving, glorious, blessed, happy marriage.
IT IS ALL ABOUT GRACE. EVERYTHING IS IN THE GRACE
Now listen to what Ruth is saying. Ruth says, "Let me go to the field and clean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace".
That is a powerful statement coming from this woman. She talks about going. She talks about the field. She talks about grace.
I have come to understand that for a relationship to be successful to work. Whether marriage, whether ministry, whether our business, anything that we can do, it takes the grace of God. It takes divine grace. And let me tell you something.
Before you find your spouse, it is good to find grace. Before you find your husband, a woman needs to find grace. Before you find your wife, a man needs to find grace. Grace is important. Remember Ruth was not a Jewish woman. She was a Gentile.
According to the law, in Deuteronomy chapter twenty-three verse three, Ruth was not permitted to enter in the congregation of Israel. Now, what qualified Ruth to enter into the congregation of Israel was grace. Remember John 1:16 says, "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace".
So you see here Ruth is saying something powerful. She says ... I want to go to the field ... I want to rely on the grace ... Because according to the law I am disqualified but what qualifies me is grace.
And remember in Ephesians chapter two Bible says clearly ...
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Ephesians 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
So, you see Ruth coming in the field where Boaz the Jew was. It's a sign and a powerful indication of what grace can do.
So grace carries power. For a marriage work it takes grace. For a business to work it takes grace. For a a relationship to work it takes grace. For a parenting to work it takes grace. Everything you need is in the grace. Prayer is not everything but grace is everything. Everything you need is in the grace.
The husband you need, you will find him in the grace. The wife you need is in the grace. The advancement you need is in the grace. Everything you need it is in the grace of God. Paul said by the grace of God I am who I am.
1 Corinthians 15:10 "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me".
Grace is everything. But Prayer is not everything. When I say that grace is everything, please understand that grace is a person. Grace is Christ. I say grace is Christ.
John 1:16 "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace".
That is what we find in Christ.
In Ephesians 1:18-19, Paul talks about ... exceeding grace ...
Where do we find grace? We find grace in God.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
7 THINGS TO PROVOKE GRACE
Grace is everything. But the problem now is this one. How to provoke grace. So prayer is not everything. Grace is everything. But you need to know how to provoke grace so that it can work in your life the way it worked in the life of Ruth and in the life of Boaz.
Now here are the seven things you need to provoke grace.
KEY 1 | TO PROVOKE GRACE, YOU NEED THE PURPOSE
The first thing you need to provoke grace is the purpose. The purpose is very important to provoke grace. What made the encounter of Ruth and Boaz to be powerful was the purpose.
A couple who wants to succeed in their relationship needs the key number one, which is the key of purpose. Purpose is simply the why behind the what. Purpose is the original intention for which God has created things. That is the purpose.
You can be prayerful, but if you are not purposeful you will end up in frustration.
And what I like about that couple of Ruth and Boaz was their purpose-orientation.
Ruth said to the mother-in-law, "Let me now go to the field".
Why did she want to go to the field? To glean ears of corn after him in whose side she will find grace. That is the purpose. She knew why she was going to the field. And when she reached the field, she knew why she was there. And you know?
When the servant was talking about Ruth in verse six and seven, he said, "It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
Listen... Since she came, she had continued even from the morning until now because she knew why she was there on the field. She was there to work not to play around. She came to work not to gossip or to do anything else. Why? Because she knew why she was there.
Now you see how many people are prayerful but when they reach their work place, they do other things than the work. Leave alone when they come to Church.
I see Ruth a purposeful woman who knows what she wants. If someone could have asked her, "Why are you here?". Her answer would be clear, "I am here to work nothing else". Receive the grace to be purposeful in your life.
I was underlining the number of time in the book of Ruth where the word glean is. Let me count for you.
Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
Ruth_2:7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
Ruth_2:8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
Ruth_2:15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
Ruth_2:16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
Rth_2:23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother
Can you see how Ruth was purposeful? focused on her purpose?
Now, my friend, if you do not know your purpose in life, don't ever enter into any relationship. Before God gives you a husband or a wife, you need to ask God to show your purpose.
Write it down. It is impossible to have a happy marriage outside the divine purpose. What will make a marriage to be successful is when the people are purposeful. What will make a relationship like a marriage, a ministry to be successful is when people are purposeful. The reason why people are having a lot of frustration in marriage today is because they don't know their purpose.
What is the purpose of sex? Why should we have sex? You can't have wrong purposes and live happy in life. There are men who get married because they need a maid who can be washing their clothes, who can be cooking for them, who can be cleaning their house.
If at all you get married in quotes, for your wife to be washing your clothes, that is not the purpose of marriage. And some women also get married because they need an ATM, somebody to provide for their needs. That is the purpose.
In John 18:37, Jesus says to Pilate, "... To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice".
Your purpose is that which you were born. The purpose is that which God has given you. So the purpose is the reason behind your existence. The reason why God gives you the marriage. In fact I am asking a question, "Why did you get married to that man?"
People do not have problems in relationship because necessarily partners are wrong. No. It's because the people who are in the marriage are there for a wrong reason, a wrong purpose.
Listen to me. There is fulfillment in purpose. The only place we can find fulfillment, is in the purpose. The purpose is what will get you excited all the time. The purpose is what will make you feel like your heart is burning, you want to see your mate, your soulmate. The purpose is what will make you move forward no matter what is happening.
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all those things shall be added unto you".
So, if you are not yet married, you need to find your purpose first before you find your spouse.
You know what? God gave Boaz the field before he gives him Ruth. Write it down. That is why God gave that is why God gave Adam the garden before he gave him Eve. What is the garden? What is the field? What is your field? Your field is your calling. There is no grace outside your field. The field is what God has called you. The field is where God has engraced you. Now this is my field.
There is a connection between your calling and the grace that God makes available for you.
1 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
There is a grace in what God has called you. That is why if for example you as a woman, you have nothing to do with the calling of a man, leave him alone. You will be a burden and a bother.
So it means that the work, the activity, the calling of a man will be a bother for you while him is excited about it.
Like somebody like for example who is a footballer is so excited in what he's doing and you marry such a man who is a footballer. Him is excited about football but you for you, it will be boring. The passion he will be putting in that thing will be boring for you and you will not be happy at all.
Am I saying you should be a footballer? I don't say so. What I mean is you should understand that God has called you together for a purpose. And you cannot come in the life of somebody whom God has given a clear purpose while you have nothing to do with his purpose.
I'm telling you the truth God is my witness in heaven it will never work. Find your purpose before you find your Boaz. Find your purpose before you find your Ruth. Then, when Ruth will come, she will find you in your field. She will glean and will be part of your field.
Hello am I talking to men who are there? Yes. Know your calling and know the calling of the one you are in relationship. If his calling requires for him to always be on phone, you will not complain that he is always busy or he does not have time for you. It is not that he is busy. The problem is you don't know how to graft yourself in his purpose. If you graft yourself in his purpose, his business will become also your business. So that altogether you will feel fulfilled and live happy. Oh my God.
That's why Proverbs 18:22 says, "He who finds a wife finds a treasure, a blessing from the Lord".
So, Ruth and Boaz were people with the same purpose. But the orientation was different. Ruth had her orientation and Boaz had also his. The two purposes came together in the field.
KEY 2 | TO PROVOKE GRACE, YOU NEED THE PROCESS
What will help you to stay in the process is the purpose. If somebody is purposeful, he will stay in the process. Woe unto you if you find a man and the same same day he wants to go to bed with you. Something is wrong there. I taught you about Amnon. I don't want to go back there. There is a relationship between the purpose and the process.
It is amazing because when Boaz met Ruth, he is giving instruction to his servants saying, "Let her glean even among the sheaves ... Reproach her not". I was expecting Boaz to tell Ruth, "You know what Ruth? I am the boss here. Stop gleaning. Just wait to enjoy the harvest". No. He did not do that. Rather, he encouraged her to work.
Lady, you need a man who knows and understands that you have a purpose and he is pushing you to fulfil your purpose. That is a man you need in your life. He is pushing you and encouraging you. Boaz could have told Ruth, "I am the boss here. Don't work. Just stay home. I will be providing everything for you". Man, what's wrong with you? Boaz did not give to her everything. He encouraged her to continue to glean and stay in the process.
If a man does not want the process, that man is Amnon. Before a man starts touching whatever he want in your life, tell him, "My friend, can you see my mother? Can you see my father?" Amnon did not want all this. He just wanted sex. No.
If you are purposeful that is what provokes grace. If you are purposeful, that is what will encourage you to stay in the process. Because in the process is where we learn patience. In the process is where you will also treasure the product. You know ? What you have not worked for, you will not care for.
KEY 3 | TO PROVOKE GRACE, YOU NEED TO BE PERSONAL
The third thing to provoke grace, is to be personal. I like the way I see Ruth and Boaz. The other day, I talked about Boaz. The following day, I talked about Ruth. Now, I'm talking about the two of them together.
I don't see Ruth here with besties. Ruth came to work. No bestie here. No BFF. No. She was personal. After she finished Working, she went home to see her mother-in-law.
Pastor is it bad to have besties? I don't say no. But learn to be personal. It is important. Because you know? I always encourage people to have an individualistic approach of life. There were many in the field but only her was located. Why? Because she was personal. Friend, life is personal. And that is what I see in Ruth.
When the mother-in-law told her, "Go after your sister-in-law", she said, "Don't entreat me to go". You will provoke grace when you are personal in your approach of life, personal, personal faith, personal commitment, personal engagement, personal.
KEY 4 | TO PROVOKE GRACE, YOU NEED TO BE PRACTICAL
You provoke grace by being practical. And I see Ruth a practical woman. Do you see and understand that prayer is not enough? Oh God almighty You are a provider. No problem. But practically what do you do to have bread? That's why Ruth said, "Let me go to glean".
We have prayed. We have worshipped. We have praised. Now it is time to go to work. That is what I call practical faith. And I see also in Boaz a practical man. By the way I don't see any promise of Boaz here. Ah.
James says something very interesting...
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
You see? That is I believe what brought them together. They were practical individuals. Not theoretical.
What can I do to relieve my mother-in-law. Practical people always ask a question, What can I do?
Boaz noticed there was a need. And he provided a need. Immediately on the spot. Ruth noticed there was a need at home. She provided the for that is how you can provoke grace by being practical.
Remember Jesus says ...
Matthew 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Matthew 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
I pray that our faith will become practical faith. So that is why it is very important for a couple to see how practical a partner can be. There are bills to pay. What can we do to pay the bills?
KEY 5 | TO PROVOKE GRACE, YOU NEED TO BE POLITE
Politeness means showing respect. A couple that can provoke grace needs mutual respect not throwing words toward one another. You see Ruth respecting Boaz and Boaz respecting Ruth
Have you heard what Ruth said to Boaz, "You have spoken friendly unto thine handmaid. Please, remember that Boaz was a boss. He had money but he was talking to her politely. That is how we can provoke grace in a marriage.
And you know there are people who are very prayerful, but impolite and very disrespectful, talking anyhow.
KEY 6 | TO PROVOKE GRACE, YOU NEED GOD'S PRESENCE
Boaz was not only quoting the name of God. When he came in the field in verse four, he is greeting his workers, "The Lord be with you...". You provoke grace when God is present.
A couple who wants to provoke grace and live happy must treasure the presence of God. If a couple does so, where will quarrel come from? When you are practically applying the Word, where will quarrel come from ? When you are personal and are taking responsibility without blaming one another, where will quarrel come from? When you are purposeful, where will quarrel come from?
And suddenly Ruth and Boaz met in the field. They just talked generally, but it looked like they have ever met for a long time.
KEY 7 | TO PROVOKE GRACE, YOU NEED PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE
Remember. I told you the barley took seven weeks. So Ruth stayed until the end.
To provoke grace, you need patience. In the book of Hebrews 6:12, the Bible says, "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises".
CONCLUSION
Did you understand that prayer is not everything for a relationship to work? On top of prayer, you need those seven things.
If you follow them I believe and I believe the marriage will work. The ministry will work. The business will work. Everything will work. In Jesus name.
CLOSING PRAYERS
Let's pray. Father thank you for today you have given unto us again this ah amazing word.
Life transforming word. How to provoke grace in our life. Thank you for giving us oh God your word today.
I pray that we help us those who are in couples or those who want to enter in couple those who are dating to understand those seven things oh God on top of prayer. And us to be purposeful. Help us to be patient to be ah follow the process. To be practical.
Father we need your grace today in the name of Jesus and we cry unto you Lord to help us provoke grace in everything we do, grace in our marriage, grace in our relationship, grace in everything we do. Help us to understand to be to have a clear purpose over everything we are doing. I pray that eh somebody maybe you are there you don't know the purpose of your life God can show to you the purpose.
God can enlighten you for you to know the purpose of your life. And I pray that indeed God will reveal to your purpose. And when you know your purpose all those other things will fall into place by themselves. Because God is the God of the second glory.
Please come on Sunday. That is the climax and you will understand many and it will help you to take advantage of the second glory In the name of Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, amen and amen.
Pastor TD KASUKU
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