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Last week, Ruth encountered her redeemer. She met Boaz as she “happened” to glean in his field. Boaz is the kinsman-redeemer, and as such, he portrays a picture of Christ, our Ultimate Redeemer. We saw Boaz approach Ruth. He protected, provided, and encouraged Ruth. Her responsibility was to live in faith, grace, and hope. In our passage today, we see Ruth approaching Boaz for redemption. What a beautiful picture of living out faith in God’s grace! I’ve jokingly referred to Ruth as “forward” in going to Boaz, but, in reality, her approach was the epitome of humility. As we unpack our passage, I want you to pay close attention to how Ruth approaches her redeemer—there are many here to the New Testament Christian life.

Last week, we saw Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem from Moab. This was a good thing; returning to God’s place is always a good thing. Moab offered nothing but graves and hopelessness. But even in her repentance (turning back), Naomi was gripped with grief and darkness. She certainly didn’t return with optimism. What we saw, however, is that she returned with Ruth—the faithful-former-Moabitess-turned-believer-in-Yahweh. And we also began to see that God hadn’t brought calamity upon them, rather, He is preparing the stage for their rescue, redemption, and joy. Chapter 1 ends with the barley harvest just beginning. Our passage today opens the door on the drama that is beginning to unfold—although we don’t see the fruition just yet. Ruth has embraced her new life in God’s place and is actively living by faith. Chapter 2 also introduces us to the Christ-figure—Boaz, the kinsman redeemer. As we unpack our passage, notice how Ruth’s life of faith, grace, and hope mirrors the lives of today’s Christ-followers. Also play close attention to how Boaz represented our True Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Last week, we began this journey through the Book of Ruth. We introduced the setting and themes (Gospel elements) and took away a few universal lessons—All mankind needs redemption, God offers it freely to all, but redemption comes only through Jesus Christ. Today, we are getting into the story proper. Remember, this is God’s Word, but it is also great literature! This is a beautiful story with compelling characters, drama, and plot twists. In our passage, we see Naomi decide to return to the Promised Land from Moab. There is a kind of repentance here—she is turning back, but it isn’t a hopeful turn. She is much like the Prodigal Son of Luke 15, "I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.' And he arose and came to his father." Naomi’s return is one of desperation. There is nothing left for her in Moab. Her family’s search for safety and sanctuary away from God’s Promised Land has gone terribly wrong. (Remember, there is no rest apart from God’s will.) Thankfully, this is not where the story ends, this is just the beginning! What opens as a bleak and bitter story about Naomi transforms into a story of faithfulness and hope with Ruth, and ultimately ends as a story of God’s goodness and sovereignty. As we unpack our passage, we will begin by looking into the hearts of Naomi and Ruth, and we’ll finish by seeing God’s loving hand working in the background.

Ruth is one of two Books in the Bible that are named after women. Ruth is a short book, historically connected with the Book of Judges. Ruth’s personal story of struggle and triumph is remarkable enough in its own right, but there is much more than to this book than just an unexpected romance and a happy ending to a difficult beginning. What we see in the Book of Ruth is a partial revelation of God’s character, a picture of the Gospel promise of rescue, and an encouraging reminder of God’s wise sovereignty. Today, we will be an introduction to the book. We will examine its setting and its themes. We will close with three lessons to takeaway as we begin this series. (In future weeks, we will be marching verse-by-verse, and passage-by-passage through the book to glean all we can from God’s Word—pun intended)

This week, we have one of Prairie Baptist's former pastors, Tom Greenslade, filling pulpit while Pastor Muxlow is out of town. Tom came to Prairie in the late 1980's and left in the early 2000's, making him one of Prairie Baptist's longest tenured pastors. Today he will be sharing a challenge from Romans 5.

We live in a world that has seemingly gone mad, and growing more and more hostile to the Gospel, but this is not unique to our times. The world, in sinful rebellion, has always been mad, and hostile to God’s Word and work. In 1 Peter 4:12 Peter warns Christ-followers, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” God’s people—whether Old Testament Israel or New Testament Christians—have always lived in a mad, hostile world. As we look at some truths from Esther, we will see some parallels to our present world. (Pagan beliefs, hostility, unreliable human authorities, etc.) Esther is unique in Scripture in that God’s name is never mentioned. Throughout the narrative, God’s hand is present and working, but it is unseen. Faith is required, but as the story unfolds, the reader sees that faith is earned and deserved. Our passage comes from about the mid-point of the story, and at “the moment of truth” in Esther’s life. Things have gone well for her in the king’s court, but now she is at a crossroads. Should she act on faith or hide in cowardice? Does her trust in God supersede her fear of the unseen? Each of us will experience this moment. Certainly, the details of the situation will be different, but the core principle will be exactly that same—Do I trust the God I cannot see? As we unpack our passage, we will see 5 truths from the Life of Esther.

Last week, we talked about the sure return of our Lord. Jesus is coming back to gather His people and to judge the wicked. Christians need to live each day in light of His return. Today, we are going unpack Peter’s final words to the Church.

Last week, we talked about scoffers. They mock the hope that the Gospel brings. They mock the very idea that Jesus will return to gather His people and to judge the wicked. But this is exactly what Peter is telling us in our passage today is going to happen. It is a sure truth, and one to be acted upon. As we break down our passage, we will see what the Day of the Lord is, what it will be like, and ultimately, how people—both Christians and non-Christians—should respond to it.

We’ve had a long break from 2 Peter, but today we are resuming our study and beginning to look at the last chapter in Peter’s letter. Peter wrote two letters, and he probably was executed shortly after this letter was sent out. These are the last words this church father had for Christians facing trials. In today’s passage, Peter warns us of coming scoffers—mockers unwilling to seriously contemplate the truth of Scripture. Christians have always had to deal with scoffers. Many of our beliefs defy naturalistic explanation. Living in the 20th-21st Centuries, we know the Bible teaches many things the scientific community completely rejects—special creation, the worldwide flood, the physical resurrection of Jesus, coming judgment, just to name a few. We can choose to jettison doctrine to fit in (as many American churches have), or we can stand confidently on the truth of God’s Word. Remember, God never asks you for blind faith, He gives us sufficient reason to trust Him. We simply need to be willing to search the Scriptures. As we unpack our passage today, we will see what scoffers assume, what they ignore, and finally, why there is still hope.

Judges 16:28-31, Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years. This is the pathetic end of one of the Bible's larger-than-life characters! Samson was a real life superhero! God gave him all the tools he needed to deliver and lead Israel, but this is where we find him—Captured, blinded, mocked, and willing to trade his life for a small measure of revenge. What happened? What went so wrong? How could a man with so much potential fail so spectacularly? And closer to home, if this guy can't succeed, how in the world can we?! No angels announced our births. We received no supernatural abilities. So how can normal folks like us have any hope of spiritual victory? Well, that’s where Romans 12 comes into play. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Make no mistake, the theme of Romans 12 is woven throughout the Old Testament. Samson had no excuse for his behavior) Romans 12:2 lays out the pattern for successful Christian living. You don't need super strength to be a victorious Believer, just faith and obedience to God's Word. As much as we hate to admit it, many times our lives resemble Samson's. Of course, most of us have never slaughtered Philistines or ripped city gates out of the ground, but the self-centeredness and pride that Samson displayed, we can get that way too. For the next few minutes, let's compare and contrast the victorious believer with the life of Samson and in doing so, make some personal applications.

We have spent the last three weeks looking at Immanuel—the God Who is with us. John told us that Jesus is the Incarnate Word, the Eternal God of Life, Light, and Grace. Jesus humbled (humiliated) Himself to provide a way—the only way—for rebel sinners like us to be saved. If that were all, it would be more than enough. Giving me the opportunity to avoid an eternity in Hell would be far and away the greatest gift I could imagine, but this Good God, this Giver of Good Gifts, has so much more in mind for those who place their trust in Jesus! He offers adoption into His own family and a portion in the inheritance—God’s own riches. As we unpack our passage today, pay close attention to the way God doesn’t just meet our needs, but goes far beyond anything we could dare imagine. The Old Testament promised a Messiah, and even revealed Him with surprising accuracy, but every Old Testament believer lived and died without seeing their promised Rescuer. Hebrews 11:39 "And all these (Old Testament saints), though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised..." Old Testament believers were saved by faith, but never got to see the coming of the Deliverer. But now, Jesus has come. The time of childhood under the Law is over and time of adult sonship has begun. As we walk through these verses, we will see Jesus as the God of Adoption—that He offers the source, confirmation, and consummation of adoption into God’s family.

In the last two messages, we saw Jesus as the God of Life and the God of Light. In this passage, John is tying up his introduction to his Gospel by showing Jesus as the God of Grace. Grace is a very misunderstood word in our culture. We often think of someone kind and poised (graceful), and grace does carry this idea, but it also means so much more. Grace is God’s kind disposition toward sinners in providing a way of salvation—giving a gift that isn’t deserved. The entire story of redemption (Gen 3:15-Rev 22:21) is God’s grace on display. As we unpack v14, I pray that we appreciate God’s grace more deeply, and we are compelled to proclaim God’s grace more broadly.

John has already presented Jesus as the God of Life. He is the Eternal God, the Creator God, and the Unequaled God. In Him is life and that life is the light of men. In our passage today, John is expanding on Jesus as light. Remember, Light is life, purity, joy, holiness. Everything good and perfect come from the light. James 1:17 says "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." Jesus is not only the Light and Giver of good gifts, He is the Greatest Gift. He left His place in glory to put on human flesh—to take God’s judgment for sin in our place. What began at Christmas (Advent) culminates at Easter (Crucifixion). Jesus didn’t take on human flesh just for fun, He came to provide the only way of salvation for sinners. Yet humans respond to Him is two different ways—with two different results.

All month, we have been looking forward to this service. A couple weeks ago, we looked at the Old Testament descriptions of the Promised King. Last week we examined the genealogy of Rightful King. Today, we are going to celebrate the Arrival of the King! This King certainly doesn’t look like one. He’s not statuesque. He’s not powerful or rich. He doesn’t have an army or servants to do His bidding. He’s a powerless new-born, and He’s lying in a manger—feeding trough for livestock. The two people responsible for His care are also unlikely. A young, poor couple from Nowheresville. Yet this Baby is the Promised King, He’s the Rightful king. And the young couple charged with raising Him have been specifically chosen by God for this task. For a few moments today, we are going to learn some lessons from and about Mary, Joseph, and the Baby in the manger.

his week we are beginning Jesus’ nativity story. Last week, we looked, in Isaiah, at the promise of Messiah, the One who would fix the mess we have made. Isaiah lived 700 years before Christ was born. And even though there were several prophets who preached and wrote after Isaiah, 400 years of silence passed before the coming of the Lord. Often we don’t appreciate how long that really is. The people had been living with this unfulfilled promise for centuries. It’s easy to understand why many Israelites didn’t believe. One of the requirements for the Messiah was that He would be from the tribe of Judah and in David’s Royal line. Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience, and his point is to establish Jesus as the Rightful King. This is why he begins with this genealogy. Genealogies were vitally important to Israel. In the Conquest of the Promised Land, each tribe was given specific areas as their inheritance. Jews would keep strict records to prove their lineage. (It is interesting that most of the family records were lost when the Romans burned the temple and dispersed the Jews in AD70. Since then, it’s been impossible to trace one’s lineage back to an original tribe.) In giving this family tree, Matthew is establishing Jesus’ legal right to be the Messiah. The rest of his gospel will show Jesus’ divine right to be the Messiah. On the surface, this may just seem to be a list of names, but as we dig in, we are going to see God’s wisdom, mercy, and grace on display. Through this line, God blessed not only Abraham, but the entire human race!

This is the first Sunday in December—Today we begin the Christmas season! My wife has been playing Christmas music since October, so it seems long in coming, but here it is. As we move through the next four Sundays, we are going to examine Christ the King. This week, we will explore the Old Testament prophesies of the Promised King. In the upcoming weeks, we’ll walk through Matthew’s Gospel to meet the Rightful king, see the Arrival of the King, and finally come face-to-face with the Recognized and Unrecognized King. Today we are going all the way back to Isaiah’s writings to meet the Promised King. As you may already be aware, the Rescuer was prophesied all the way back in Genesis. It’s in the Book of Isaiah, however, that we get the most well-formed description of the coming Savior.

The holiday season is winding down, with New Year’s Day in less than a week—then it’s back to the grind. But we still have one Christmas message left. Today we will be looking at the arrival of the Wise Men after the birth of Jesus. In our passage, we see very different responses to Jesus’ birth. How we respond to Jesus makes all the difference. Do we recognize Him as Lord and Savior, or do we reject Him as a threat to our personal sovereignty? This passage dives deeply into both responses. Regarding the Wise Men, we love the imagery surrounding these people. Songs are sung about them and nativity sets are produced including them, but there isn’t a lot we know about them. We will explore who and what these men were, and more importantly, we will see how they respond to the True King. Before that, however, we are going to examine Herod, the usurper king sitting on the throne in Jerusalem. When he hears of this incredible birth, he doesn’t respond in worship or awe. He doesn’t recognize the King.

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Today, we are beginning our path toward Christmas. On December 19, we will have our Christmas service and we will rejoice at the birth of the Messiah, the Savior. Today and next week, we will be looking at who this Messiah is. Matthew and Luke both give detailed descriptions of Jesus’ birth. John takes a different approach. John is still giving us an introduction to the Messiah, but he starts far before Mary and Joseph. This sermon series is titled “Immanuel,” literally meaning “God with us.” This is who John is describing—the God who came to be with us. Today’s passage will display Jesus as the God of Life. While this isn’t a common Christmas passage, it is one of the most important discourses is all of Scripture. In this introduction, Jesus is shown to be the Eternal God, the Creator God, and the Unequalled God.

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Today, we are beginning our path toward Christmas. On December 19, we will have our Christmas service and we will rejoice at the birth of the Messiah, the Savior. Today and next week, we will be looking at who this Messiah is. Matthew and Luke both give detailed descriptions of Jesus’ birth. John takes a different approach. John is still giving us an introduction to the Messiah, but he starts far before Mary and Joseph. This sermon series is titled “Immanuel,” literally meaning “God with us.” This is who John is describing—the God who came to be with us. Today’s passage will display Jesus as the God of Life. While this isn’t a common Christmas passage, it is one of the most important discourses is all of Scripture. In this introduction, Jesus is shown to be the Eternal God, the Creator God, and the Unequalled God.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with loved ones. It’s now officially Christmas season. 😊 But this month-long (perhaps longer if you got a head start) celebration often leads to a huge let-down in January. January brings cold and bills. It can be very easy to forget the excitement of just a few days earlier. I did a Google search of "Post-Christmas Blues" and came up with 55 million results. Clearly there is an issue here, and as we move beyond the holidays, it is very easy for even Christians to struggle. But Jesus said that He came, not only to give us life, but to give us abundant life. So how do we get it? How do we access the joy-filled life that Paul describes? How do we get up every morning and, despite our circumstances, head of into that spiritual war that Paul so often discusses? First, we will examine what the abundant life is, then we’ll see what doesn't give us the abundant life and then we will look at what Jesus and Paul view as the key to having the abundant Christian life.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with loved ones. It’s now officially Christmas season. 😊 But this month-long (perhaps longer if you got a head start) celebration often leads to a huge let-down in January. January brings cold and bills. It can be very easy to forget the excitement of just a few days earlier. I did a Google search of "Post-Christmas Blues" and came up with 55 million results. Clearly there is an issue here, and as we move beyond the holidays, it is very easy for even Christians to struggle. But Jesus said that He came, not only to give us life, but to give us abundant life. So how do we get it? How do we access the joy-filled life that Paul describes? How do we get up every morning and, despite our circumstances, head of into that spiritual war that Paul so often discusses? First, we will examine what the abundant life is, then we’ll see what doesn't give us the abundant life and then we will look at what Jesus and Paul view as the key to having the abundant Christian life.

Psalm 117:1-2 ESV "Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!" Thanksgiving often gets compressed between Halloween and Christmas, and that is really too bad. Certainly, we look forward to Turkey Day, and maybe fighting with relatives about politics, but we so easily miss the point of the day—giving thanks. Specifically, giving thanks to God. It is important to show gratitude to friends and family, but the point of this day is to reflect and give thanks to God—the giver of every good gift. Psalm 117 doesn’t use the word thanksgiving, but it is a psalm of thanks all the same. It’s a doxology—giving praise—and part of what is called the Egyptian Hallel. It would be recited by Israelites during Passover as a song of praise and thanksgiving for God’s deliverance. (It’s also the shortest psalm/chapter in the Bible, so that should get us to the chili quicker) As we unpack these short verses, we will see that it breaks down with three questions—What should be done? Who should do it? and Why should it be done? Before we start, I want to read the passage from three other translations to get a better feel for what the psalmist is saying: KJV O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord. NASB Praise the Lord, all nations; Sing His praises, all peoples! For His mercy toward us is great, And the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord! NET Praise the Lord, all you nations. Applaud him, all you foreigners For his loyal love towers over us, and the Lord’s faithfulness endures. Praise the Lord.

Psalm 117:1-2 ESV "Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!" Thanksgiving often gets compressed between Halloween and Christmas, and that is really too bad. Certainly, we look forward to Turkey Day, and maybe fighting with relatives about politics, but we so easily miss the point of the day—giving thanks. Specifically, giving thanks to God. It is important to show gratitude to friends and family, but the point of this day is to reflect and give thanks to God—the giver of every good gift. Psalm 117 doesn’t use the word thanksgiving, but it is a psalm of thanks all the same. It’s a doxology—giving praise—and part of what is called the Egyptian Hallel. It would be recited by Israelites during Passover as a song of praise and thanksgiving for God’s deliverance. (It’s also the shortest psalm/chapter in the Bible, so that should get us to the chili quicker) As we unpack these short verses, we will see that it breaks down with three questions—What should be done? Who should do it? and Why should it be done? Before we start, I want to read the passage from three other translations to get a better feel for what the psalmist is saying: KJV O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord. NASB Praise the Lord, all nations; Sing His praises, all peoples! For His mercy toward us is great, And the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord! NET Praise the Lord, all you nations. Applaud him, all you foreigners For his loyal love towers over us, and the Lord’s faithfulness endures. Praise the Lord.

Last week we examined Righteous Lot. Today, we are getting back to False Teachers. Peter, in this passage, likens them to Balaam, the Gentile prophet we meet in Numbers 22. Although he was a Gentile, God worked through him. Balak, the King of Moab, was threatened by Israel’s advance toward the Promised Land. Rather than helping their distant cousins (Lot’s daughter was Moab’s mother), Moab wanted Israel stopped. Balak sought to hire Balaam to curse Israel. Through Numbers 22-24, we see Balaam try multiple times to do what Balak was asking. Balaam wanted the money and prestige Balak was offering, but God wouldn’t allow Israel to be cursed. In a underhanded way, Balaam counseled Balak that rather than open curses, he should try to seduce Israel with women and idolatry. Balaam caused much trouble for Israel, but ultimately met his end at an Israelite sword during the Conquest of the Promised Land. Peter says False Teachers and their followers have rejected the right way and have gone down the path of Balaam. So, for out time today, we will discuss Three Characteristics of Those on Balaam’s Way

Last week we looked at Peter’s warning to the church about false teachers seeking pervert the Gospel message. As Peter is assuring us that God will judge the wicked, he tosses in this little snippet about Righteous Lot. We breezed by it then, but today we are going to look at in depth. If Peter didn’t specifically describe Lot as righteous THREE times in the passage, none of us would have thought of him as such. Today, I want to address this passage by answering four questions that come to mind when we think of Lot being righteous. Background: First, Let’s get up to speed as to who Lot is. We meet Lot in Genesis 11. He’s the nephew of Abram. In Gen 12, He went with Abram into the Land on Canaan, then to avoid a famine into Egypt. In Gen 13, they come back to Canaan, but they have grown so wealthy they land can’t support them together. In separating, Abram gave Lot his choice of land. Lot takes the well-watered Jordan Valley and ends up drifting all the way south to Sodom. In Gen 14, Lot gets captured in an attack on Sodom and must be rescued by Abram. The next time we see Lot is in Gen 19. God’s messengers have come to count the righteous. Finding less than the negotiated 10, they push Lot and his family out of the city and proceed to destroy it. The last we see of Lot is in the end of Gen 19 where his daughters, thinking everyone is dead, sleep with Lot and have his children/grandchildren. Several descriptions come to mind when thinking about Lot, but “righteous” usually isn’t one of them. So, what gives? How does this all work?