The Blessing of Sacrifice

11 “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?

12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband.”
- Ruth 1:11-12

8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me.

9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”
- Ruth 1:8-9

15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”  
- Ruth 1:15-17

So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.

21 I went away full, but the Lordhas brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
- Ruth 1:19-21

3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.

4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”

20 “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.”
- Ruth 2:3-4,20

25 If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold.
- Leviticus 25:25

8 If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,”

9 his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.”

10 That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.
- Deuteronomy 25:8-10

8 In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet!

9 “Who are you?” he asked.
“I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”

12 Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I.

13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you.
- Ruth 3:8-9,12-13

1 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.

2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so.  
I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”
“I will redeem it,” he said.

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”

6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”

8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.

9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon.

10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”
- Ruth 4:1-2, 5-6, 8-10

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Mixer

Are you a Pumpkin Spice fan? How deep into “pumpkin stuff” do you go?

‘Neighborly’ - Daily Devotional

To get the Daily Devotionals delivered to you every morning, text ‘dailydevotional’ to 97000.

1. In Pastor Harry’s 10/5 entry, Da Bears, he reminds us “It's way better to go through life as ‘WE’ than as just ‘ME!’’ How has that been true in your life? What about in your spiritual life? What does your Table Group do for you - and what do you do for your Table Group - that moves each of you toward the abundant life in Christ? (John 10:10)
2. In Pastor Ken’s 10/6 entry, This One’s Personal, he shares about his experience at last week’s Worship Night at The Church at RB - he said he needed it. How about you - do you need to worship God? Why do we worship Him? Where do you worship Him? How do you worship Him? Make a list of all the ways and give thanks and glory to Him!

Sermon Questions

Scriptures: Ruth 1:8-9, 11, 15-17, 19-21, Ruth 2:3-5, 20; Ruth 3:8-9, 12-13; Ruth 4:1-2, 8-10; Leviticus 25:25; Deuteronomy 25:810

1. Pastor Jared said that the Scriptures offer a paradox of how blessings come to us. What are you learning about the way God blesses, and the way the world sees blessing?
2. Pastor Jared said that the sacrificial life is the blessed life; the selfish life is the cursed life. Agree or disagree... and why?
3. Do you remember when guest speaker Joel Thomas talked about how Jesus came into the world to right everything by turning the world upside down - remember the “lens”? How does the story of Ruth point to the better way of Jesus?

1. Read Ruth 1:8-18. How did Naomi and Ruth both show sacrificial love? Is the bigger sacrifice the thing you give up, or the thing that you won’t give up?
2. Eventually, Boaz becomes Ruth’s Kinsman Redeemer. How is this a picture of how Messiah Jesus, Kinsman Redeemer of the world, reverses the consequences of poverty and death? What does this mean to you and your faith in Jesus?
3. What did you think about Pastor Jared’s statement that Christianity is exclusive in spirituality, but non-exclusive in our love. What does this look like as you live out your faith?
4. How, as part of a Good Neighbor church, will you be a blessing of sacrifice this week? Is this something you are comfortable with yet?

Go Deeper - with Goodbook

Dr. Mark Strauss and Pastor Ken Ingold
Sermon on the Mount | Session 5 | Authenticity in Worship and Prayer (Matthew 6:1-13)

1. Why is truth, honesty and integrity so important to maintain as believers in Jesus Christ?
2. Why is it important not to practice our righteousness so that others can observe it? What does Jesus mean that, if we do this, we have already received our reward?
3. What does it mean that the “Lord’s prayer” is really the “disciples’ prayer”? In what ways is it a model for us?
4. What does it mean for us that God is our Father?
5. What does “Hallowed be your name” mean?
6. What does it mean to pray, “Your kingdom come; your will be done”?
7. Why is it important for us to forgive others as God has forgiven us? What does forgiveness demonstrate?
8. What does, “Lead us not into temptation” mean? Does God ever tempt us?

For the Zoom link to join the Tuesday Night 7:30pm online Q & A sessions: ken@thechurchrb.org

Serve

Mark your calendars! Serve Day is coming up on November 20th! More info to come!

Pray

Give thanks to God that the Impact Team returned in good shape from Houston, with hearts full from the work and the ministry they were able to do for some families. Blessed to be a blessing.

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