YP Address—S. Mizen
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I would like that we should sing another hymn together.
Before we turn to the Word of God. Hymn #24 in the appendix. Nothing but Christ as on we trade the gift on Christ, God's living bread, with staff in hand and feet well shot. Nothing but Christ, the Christ of God #24 in the appendix.
Again this afternoon by singing #43 in the appendix. Hymn #43 in the appendix.
I'm going to ask you to turn with me this afternoon to the book of Ruth.
I would like to read the 1St chapter with you.
But it was my thought to go on a little into the following chapters.
Time, of course, wouldn't permit to go into very great detail.
And I confess I'm not used to speaking to large numbers, but I look at it this way this afternoon.
That I want to feel that I'm just speaking to each dear young one in this room individually. Or rather, not so much that I'm speaking, but the Word of God is speaking.
And I would say in the language, the inspired language of the Apostle Paul.
Close of this meeting consider what I say and the Lord give the understanding in all things.
It's the Lord that can give each one of you, dear young ones, understanding that the theme of our hymn #24.
Maybe your theme this afternoon for the rest of your life as long as the Lord leads us here. Nothing but Christ as on we trade. Can we begin at the first verse of chapter one of the book of Ruth.
Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land.
And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi.
And the name of his two sons, Marlon and Chilean Air procites of Bethlehem, Judah.
And they came into the country of Moab and continued there.
And Elimelech Naomi's husband died, and she was less than her two sons.
And they took them wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was OPA, and the name of the other Ruth.
And they dwelt there about 10 years.
And Marlon and Chilean died also, both of them, and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
And then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab, For she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.
And wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her.
And they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law.
Go return each to her mother's house. The Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that she may find rest each of you in the House of her husband.
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Then she kissed them and they lifted up their voice and wept.
And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters, why will you go with me? Are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husband? Turn again, my daughters, Go your way, when I am too old to have a husband.
If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight and should and should also be a son, would you carry for them till they were grown? Would you stay for them from having husbands?
No, my daughters, for it grieveth me much, for your sake of the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.
And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Opar kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth cleave unto her.
And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law has gone back unto her people, and unto her gods, A return thou after thy sister-in-law.
And Ruth said.
Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee.
Or whether thou goest, I will go.
But where thou lodgest?
I will lodge.
Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
Where thou die will I die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me. And more also if thoughts but death part thee and me.
When she saw that she was Stead busily minded to go with her, then she left, speaking unto her.
Though they too went on until they came to Bethlehem, Judah. And it came to pass when they would come to Bethlehem that all the city was moved about them. And they said, is this my own life?
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty.
Why then call ye lean? Oh my seeing the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me.
So, nay, I am, I returned, and Ruth the Moabites, her daughter-in-law with her, which returned out of the country of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a mighty man of wealth of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.
It may be that this story is a well known story which we have read part of this afternoon.
But it's a story that God has been pleased to record in His blessed Word.
And we love to consider these beautiful stories.
And there are three things that I wanted to particularly bring before the young from this story this afternoon.
And as I said earlier, I would that my appeal might be individually to each one of you, that the Lord may bless His word to you, and that the Lord may be pleased to draw you nearer to himself.
As we think of this.
A story that goes on into 4 chapters.
We have some very wonderful things brought before us.
I have read and re read this story many times.
And it's always a delight to find something fresh as given of the Holy Spirit.
From this story.
We could not, of course, expect to go into great detail this afternoon.
And so the thought came to me that there were three things, the first of which we find in the chapter that we've read together.
And that is Ruth's decision.
The second thing I think comes out more particularly in the second chapter.
And that is her diligence.
And later on as we finish this story.
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You can't help but be struck by the devotion that characterized this.
Person who lived so many years ago.
And in those three things.
If you could remember those three things, I'm sure it would be helpful to each one of you.
Her decision?
Her diligence and her devotion.
And so under those 3 headings, I would like to express a few remarks this afternoon. And if the Lord will turn to other passages of His Word, because that is the way in which we get profit to our souls is by comparing scripture with scripture.
And if you make any notes of those scriptures this afternoon, it would be a good thing, because it's not easy to remember what one says in the space of a few moments together in this way. We're so forgetful, I know.
But I would urge you that when you have a quiet few moments, turn to go into this book.
Read it from beginning to end.
Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and ask the Lord to bless it to you.
And I'm sure that it will be for the profit and blessing of each one of you. Now, I don't know whether there's any in this room this afternoon.
Who have not yet given their hearts to the Lord Jesus.
You know and the Lord knows He sees you as you sit under the sound of His word this afternoon.
And He knows whether you have accepted Him as your own Savior and whether you're seeking to follow Him as your Lord and Master.
And I would urge that upon you this afternoon because I think that.
Taking a simple decision as it is in itself, there may be many a young soul who has decided that they have trusted Christ, they know Him as their Savior. But what I want to stress and ask each one of you this afternoon is, are you going on to follow Him?
Are you really seeking?
That there is nothing safe him.
In all your ways, as we sang in our hymn, Nothing but Christ, the Christ of God, are you seeking to please him?
Or are you living here, careless and indifferent perhaps, as to his claims, while I trust that the Lord may speak to any who may not really have taken the full decision that Ruth took on that day when she returned from the land of Moab and to the land of Israel.
Of course, Elimelech had no business in the land of Moab.
You'll notice in the last verse of the preceding chapter of the 21St of Judges that there was no king in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
And the story opens in the days when the judges ruled in Israel.
And this man, Elimelech.
Left his home and his country.
And he went to sojourn in the country of Moab because there was a famine in the land. You notice it says that every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And the next thing we read of is a famine.
And did you notice in the story of the prodigal son that we've been hearing about, there was the story of a young man who did his own will, wanted to go his own way?
And the famine soon came to the country where he was.
Oh dear young Christian, this afternoon.
I wonder if you're seeking to do your own will, to go your own way.
Or are you seeking to do the will of the Lord?
Well, you know, we read in the Scripture that the Lord Jesus died for us.
That henceforth we should not live unto ourselves, but unto him who died for us and rose again.
Will Eliminate took the wrong step when he went to the land of Moab.
And soon he was in difficulty, in trouble, and trouble came upon that household. Death came in.
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And we find Naomi, left, a widow.
Elimelech's two sons had been disobedient. They had married daughters of the Moabites, that which was forbidden in the law.
And so instead of escaping the troubles and the circumstances of Elimelech and Naomi thought they were escaping by leaving Israel.
They found themselves into more trouble.
And does it not speak to our hearts that if we find difficulties and troubles, we can't escape them by trying to run away from them?
But we want to see Christ from the Lord, that He might help us in those trials and difficulties and circumstances.
To be faithful and to remain, and to seek to do His will.
And you notice.
That the time passes, some 10 years I believe.
And then Naomi returns with her two daughters in law.
Because they heard that God had visited his people in giving them bread. And she goes back.
And on the way, we have this scene that has been before us so many times.
When Naomi puts before them the choice of two countries.
Now each of those young women have the same opportunity and the same choice.
They could have gone on to the land of Israel where God should have been acknowledged.
The land of blessing and a promise.
And each of them had the opportunity to have gone back to the land of Moaz.
We know from this chapter that OPA, she went bitterly, but she went back and we hear no more of Paris. She's lost in the land of Moab, and that's the last we hear of her.
But the story of Ruth lives on. Dear young Christian.
She took a wonderful decision that day.
And she decided she was going to seek a new country.
And she made a full and a clear decision.
If she had wanted to, she might have had an opportunity of to have returned, but her heart was set. You'll notice that in verse 14 it says that Ruth plays unto Naomi. I'm not going to comment on that word clave at the moment. I would rather leave it till later. It's time permits. But I would draw your attention to verse 18 in which you'll notice it says that she was steadfastly minded.
What a good thing it is to be steadfastly minded.
Nothing could or would move her. There was a decision taken and she was fully persuaded.
And she was going on.
And so we hear that lovely speech that she made on that road back to Bethlehem.
As she addresses Naomi, her mother-in-law, let us read the words once again. I think they are lovely and they should speak to each one of our hearts.
She says entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after these.
For whither thou goeth, I will go.
And where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
Where thou die will I die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also.
They fought for death. Heart, thee and me.
We can clearly see that her mind was steadfastly made-up. She was going, as it were, right on to the end. She was not making a half hearted decision, nor was it was it a decision made lightly.
She had it as it were, weighed the consequences. She had thought what it would mean to her.
And no doubt with the faith that was given of God. And remember, Ruth was a Gentile. And that is why this story shines so brightly at the time when the judges ruled in Israel, when every man did that which was right in their own eyes. We see the grace of God coming out and laying hold upon just this one Gentile.
Giving her faith in her heart to make this decision and blessing her.
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And we know that this story ends with on a happy note full of blessings.
And we know, too, that Ruth has a name in the genealogy of our Lord as we open the.
Gospel of Matthew, Yes, we can say in the language of that little hymn, it was grace that wrote her name in God's eternal book.
I wonder if your name is written in God's book?
I wonder if you have made a decision similar to that which Ruth took as she left the land of Moab that day.
It wasn't a decision made easily.
Or a decision of her own will, shall I say, or she would not have kept on. But as we should see, it ended in blessing for her. And, dear young soul, if you have made such a decision as Ruth made that day, the end will be blessing.
Eternal blessing to your soul.
You're not going to be like all Power who returned to the land of Moab and her name was lost forever and we hear of her no more. How sad indeed.
But what infinite blessing to the soul who trusts in Jesus, And what blessing too, for the soul who makes such a decision that he or she will follow that blessed one.
Who still appeals to your heart? Follow me. How lovely to turn to the gospel. You think of the Gospel of John, for instance. And we read the 1St chapter and we get the greatness of His person brought before us in the opening verses, and then we find Him here as a man among men.
The one who made the world, it says the world was made by him.
He came unto his own.
All things were made by Him. That blessed One who left that glory on high was the Creator and is the Upholder of all things. And we find Him here in lowly grace, walking a path to the glory of God, a path that no other man had ever trodden. And when He was here, He came to bless.
Those who were out of the way, those who were.
Far from God in their sins, He came to heal. And how lovely to read those accounts that we have there of how He called one and another to follow Him. As I said in the first chapter of John, we find Him calling a different one to follow him. We read on and we go through that lovely book and we find the last chapter.
He's still calling.
Some to follow him. You remember how he could say to Peter? Follow.
Thou me.
It's not a decision that's taken easily. There were some, you know, who came to the Lord. You can read about them in the Gospel of Luke. And if you just glance, I don't want to take up too much time on it. But if you glance at the end of the ninth chapter of Luke, you'll find that there were three men.
Who came, as it were, with the confidence of the flesh to the Lord Jesus.
In the 57th verse of the 9th chapter of Luke, we find that a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee with us, however thou goest.
It sounds very much like the language of Ruth, does it not? But what does Jesus say?
Boxes of holes and the birds of the air have nests of the Son of Man as not where delays head. He's saying as it were, to that man who comes to him full of confidence. I will follow thee whithersoever thou goeth.
Says, well, you know, you realize what you're saying, have you counted the cost? He says to another in verse 59, follow me. But that man wants to see to other things first. Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus says to him, let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the Kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.
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I read another verse and I commend it to you, dear young Christian. If you've trusted the Lord Jesus in the 16th chapter of Matthew and verse 24, perhaps you'd like to make a note of these scriptures and meditate upon them.
Later on, the Lord Jesus says in verse 24, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his craft and follow me.
Or we realise.
Was that one who came from the glory?
The Creator and Sustainer of all things was here as a man among men, and we learn from the scriptures that he was rejected.
Does the world want him anymore to die?
No, my brother was telling me they had the preaching on the street last evening.
And during that preaching, the hatred of the world was manifested. The world hasn't changed at all.
And it may cost you something to follow that blessed One. The Lord Jesus says, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
I want you to think seriously about this this afternoon and listen to that call of the Lord Jesus.
When he says follow me.
One other incident you remember the story of blind Bartimaeus, who sat for the highway side, begging.
And when Jesus gave him his sight.
How lovely it was we read there. I think it's in the 10th of Mark, the last verse.
He was blessed with a gift of sight. He didn't go off and enjoy himself and say how wonderful, I'm going to have a good time now I can see I'm happy. It says he followed Jesus in the way. It's lovely, isn't it? His heart was attracted to the one who had blessed him. And I think that was the secret of Ruth. You know, she played to Naomi. Her heart was attracted to her.
And so she says, Where thou goest, I will go.
Thy people should be my people. Thy God should be my God. Remember, Ruth was an idolater, but her heart is completely changed. I wonder if you would be light body mere follow Jesus in the way. In the earlier part of that chapter he speaks of where that way is leading and he speaks of how he is going to be rejected and crucified, and that was the way in which Fatima has followed him.
All let us face the fact, dear young one, that if you follow the Lord Jesus, you follow one who is rejected.
You won't find the smile of this world. You may not find it easy.
But if your heart is attracted to the Lord Jesus, that is a wonderful recompense, and there will be a wonderful blessing for you. The Lord Jesus says, If any man honor me, him will my Father honour. And again he said, If any man serve me, let him follow me, that where I am there shall also my servant be this world.
Let us not mistake is going on to judgment.
Are you going back, as it were, into the world, as all parties, or are you on your way to glory? It may be to take up your cross, to deny yourself here. But like Ruth, look on to that country that's ahead. Look on to that one who's now entered into that glory and who's coming again and his promises that if you follow him where he is.
There you will be also. What a prospect, what a decision was Ruth that day as she left the country of Moab. I wonder if you've made a clear.
And a full decision as the Lord appeals to you once more this afternoon. Follow thou me. Shall we look a little at the 2nd chapter?
I think in chapter 2 we get the diligence of Ruth brought out.
Now it's one thing to believe in the Lord Jesus, but I wonder if you're a diligent believer now Ruth had come from the land of Moab.
And we learn from the scriptures.
That from Jeremiah, I think it's chapter 48 and verse 11. You can check me for that. I haven't turned to it, but we find that Moab is a land of ease.
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And that's the line that Ruth had left. She left the land of ease.
A dear young believer. This world is a land of ease, and man is seeking to do everything in it he can to make his life more easy. Here he doesn't think about the future at all. But the scripture says the things that are seen are temporal. The dear young believers are the things that are unseen or eternal, and those are the things that matter. Those are the things that should govern your life.
But Ruth had turned her back upon the land of ease, and we find her in the fields of Bethlehem.
A diligent gleaner. But before we hear about her diligence, we read of this remarkable person.
So as he was a mighty man of wealth, and those words bring to my heart, beloved, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is almighty man of wealth. I think the word mighty is the same word as he's used in the scriptures when it speaks in Isaiah 9/6. That unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and his name should be called Wonderful, the mighty God.
Boaz was a mighty man of wealth, and the greatness of the Lord Jesus is brought out. As I said, in the first verses of the opening chapter of John, and also in many other places, we learn of the greatness of the one who came down to be our Savior.
It says Boaz was a mighty man and thank God that the Lord Jesus left his glory and came here as a man among men. And we find the record of his life spelled out here below in the Gospel, the man Christ Jesus.
All pilots, you remember, brought him forth wearing the crown of thorns, and he said to the assembled multitude, Behold the man.
And we know how they derive it, how they mocked, how they rejected him and cast him out. But all, beloved, we can behold the man as we read God's Word, and our hearts are full of gratitude and praise for that blessed One, the Man Christ Jesus.
The Gospel tells us of that blessed man. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. That's the message of the Gospel. And there's none other name under heaven given among men but that name of Jesus.
That name that was given to him when he was born as a babe there at Bethlehem, the same place where Boris came from. As you will find in the fourth verse, Boaz came from Bethlehem and so did my Savior.
The Man Christ Jesus.
And he was a mighty man of wealth. We were reminded this morning of that verse in the Second of Epistle to the Corinthians.
It tells us of how once he was rich, yet for our sights he became poor, that we through his poverty, and I gather the word is emphatic there, the poverty of such a one, one who was so rich that all things are his.
God has appointed him air of all things, and yet through the poverty of that One who came here in lowly guide, you and I are made rich and rich forever. He was the merchantman who came seeking goodly pearls. When he had found one Pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had to buy that Pearl. It's a picture of our Saviour who gave everything for us. He died for you. Aren't you going to follow Him?
This was the one whose acquaintance Ruth made. Have you made the acquaintance of that blessed one who came from Bethlehem as did Boaz? And you'll notice that Ruth takes the initiative now in verse two. She says to know I might let me go to the field and glean ears of gone after him in whose sight I should find grace and time is going fast. But I want you to just notice that she seeks the place she comes into the field that belongs to Boaz.
And she comes into the sphere where all belongs to him, where he is owned as Lord, And moreover, she abides there. Have you come into that place, dear young believer?
Where Christ is owned as Lord, do you own him as your Savior and Lord? I know you. Are you in that field, as it were, that belongs to Him, that place where he is owned. So many dear young ones I know from experience.
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They look at the Saints, they get disheartened as they see failure and weakness, and they sometimes are turned away. But take a lesson from Ruth. She hadn't got her eyes on the reefers. I may not have been intelligent, I may not have been learned men. But she wasn't concerned so much about the Reaper. She followed them, it's true, because they were reaping the Lord's harvest.
But she had her heart attracted to the one who owned that field. And what lovely words he spoke to her in the eighth verse. Go lot to glean in another field. Go neither from hence, but abide here fast by my maiden. He wanted her to remain there. And you know, if the Lord has put you in a place where he is only the Lord, where his name is owned, He wants you to abide there. He doesn't want you to wander. So many young ones want to.
Go out and about and try different things, but you know the Lord wants us to be faithful just where He has placed us, and He wants us to honor His name. She was to abide fast by his maidens.
That was good company, wasn't it? For they were his, they belonged to Him. And you know you're in good company if you're with those who belong to Jesus.
Oh, how many a young one has been turned astray and aside through bad companions. All shun them, but seek to abide with those and remain with those who belong to him.
She finds food and drink in this place, he says to her.
In verse 9, when thou art a thirst, go into the vessels and drink of that which the young men have drawn. She takes a low place, and she's blessed. But Ruth, I said, what marks are in this chapter? I must hurry on, leaving a few thoughts with you to meditate upon. Is her diligence the servant that was set over the reapers?
Says to Boaz that she had come to glean in verse seven in the field. She came and had continued. She had continued even from the morning until now that she tarried a little in the house. He says she's been here since the morning. She's been gleaning. And you know, I expect it was hard work and the sun was hot. She wasn't reaping great armfuls as perhaps the reapers were. She'd had to gather here a little and there a little.
She'd had to work with bended back. It cost her quite a lot and she hadn't sought her ease. She had left that land of ease behind her. She rested a little in the house, and it's a good thing to rest a little at times, but that is what wasn't. That isn't what occupied her. She wasn't seeking her ease. She wanted to gather what she could while she could, while the daylight lasted. And in verse 17, it says she gleaned in the field until even.
She gleaned all the time, and in the last verse it says she gleaned unto the end of barley harvest.
This was diligence, beloved. She was a diligent soul. The scripture tells us in Proverbs that the diligent soul should be made fast.
And not only did she glean diligently as she continued gleaning from mourning to leaving day after day till the end of barley harvest, but it says in verse 17 that when the evening evenings came, she beat out that we which she had gleaned.
She beat out that which she had gleaned. She didn't go home to Naomi and say, look what I've gleaned today. Can you now see to it? No, She's set to work the moment she got home so that there would be enough to sustain her and also for others. I think the proverbs tells us somewhere that the diligent soul maketh rich.
Not only is your own soul blessed if you're diligent in seeking the Word of God and keeping on in spite of all difficulties and hardships, but you'll be a blessing to others. The diligent soul maketh rich.
And you know, there's one other thing that I would like to touch upon in verse 14. Our time is going very fast. But you'll notice Bois says to her at meal time, come thou hit her and eat of the bread and dip thy mouthful in the vineyard vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers.
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And he, not they, he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left we find her resting. Now the time has come, the rightful time, when she can rest a little. And Boaz reached her parched corn. It seems to suggest that this corn had been parched in the fire. And it brings before our souls, I think, the thought that there is a place where the Lord would have you if you belong to Him.
In his presence.
She sat down with the reapers, but she sat down with Boaz, and he reached her heartcorn. And you know, there's a wonderful scene described for us in the 22nd of Luke, a scene that I know is familiar to you, but I wonder if it's been effectual in your heart. I wonder if there you've seen the blessed Lord who was about to go into death, gathered in the upper room with his own. And he takes the bread. And when he'd given thanks, he'd break it and gave to them.
And said take eat this is my body which is given for you. And likewise the cup after supper saying this cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you.
His desire he went to Calvary's cross was that his own should remember him. It wasn't something just given to the apostles in his day. As we have recently been reminded in New Jersey. This was confirmed by the Lord himself. From glory to the believers, to the Apostle Paul, to the Corinthians, and to all who believe in Jesus.
That same night in which he was betrayed. You know the passage in the 11Th chapter of One Corinthians. Is that your place, dear believer?
Do you remember him in his death in accordance with his desire? That's the place where he would have you, and it's a blessed place to sit down under his shadow with great delight. As the as we read in the Song of Solomon, He brought me to the banquet in house, and his banner over me was love. Ruth could say that, couldn't she, of Boaz? He brought me to the banqueting house, and I know that his banner over her was love as we know the end of this story.
And I pass on because the last two chapters bring before us the sort of devotion we read in the first chapter that she clayed to her mother-in-law. But now she's found another center. The heart is attracted to Boaz, this mighty man of wealth, the one who looks upon her in grace and cares for her and watches over her and gives her a portion with his own.
But that's what characterizer she plays. And you know, I wonder if you plead to the Lord with purpose of heart, that's what He wants you to do. While Ruth, we find in Chapter 3, I won't go over it in detail. I can only commend it to you, but we find that it's an inside scene there in Chapter 2. It's been an outside scene.
But in chapter 3, it's an inside scene.
And there we find that.
She's with Boaz.
And we find that she's alone with him.
And she seeks that she might learn more of him. She won't leave him, she cleaves to him. And her desire is that she might become his wife. That seems to be suggested by the 9th verse, as we understand from the customs of those days when she requests that he spread his skirt over his handmaid. For thou art a near kinsman. And then we know how the story goes on to tell us how the day came.
When buyers was able to redeem her. When he was able to take her and she belonged to him.
And Ruth, the Moab by death, who by the law would not have found a place in the congregation of Israel, even as it says unto the 10th generation, is now here blessed, united by marriage to this mighty man of wealth.
And what joy there is in Naomi's heart and in the heart of Ruth, for the day came when she gives birth to this son.
And you notice that they name him.
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It's in the last chapter.
They name him Obed as the 71St of the last chapter.
And obeyed. I understand means worshiper.
And I think that's lovely because the outcome of this wonderful story when Ruth took that decision on the road from Moab to Bethlehem.
The end of that lovely story is joy and blessing and happiness, and we find worship brought before us.
I wonder if you are among those who are like that leper, that when he was cleansed, he turned back and he fell down at the feet of Jesus, giving him thanks. You know the Lord Jesus has done so much for you, gave his life for you, died for you on Calibre's cross. Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor. I wonder if you're in that place.
Where gathered to his precious name.
You are found as a worshiper. I think it's lovely. You know that the Lord Jesus speaks of worship to that.
Then for women by sight as well. One would have thought he was that spoke of worship to Nicodemus, a ruler in Israel.
But now the blessed words of the Lord Jesus, after he had revealed Himself to her heart, after he had attracted her to Him, He says they that worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. Oh, what a joy it is to the heart of the Lord to see those for whom He gave Himself gathered to worship to thank Him.
To anticipate that day when he is coming again, to gather all his own around him in that glory.
And then every heart to give him praise. Then heaven will be full of worship to that One who loved us and gave himself for us. Well, we read of many in the scriptures who were devoted. I could only just turn to one or two or least mention one or two. I won't even turn to them because time forbid. But we do find that.
There's Mary Magdalene.
Out of whom the Lord cast 7 devils. And when his own disciples forsook him and fled, we find us standing by the cross of Jesus. We find her early in the morning, first at that sepulchre. And how blessed that scene was in the 20 or 21St of John. How lovely to see the devotion of Mary Magdalene. Trace her story again for yourself. How lovely too, to think of Mary of of Bethany, the one who sat at his feet and heard His word.
The one who knew his heart of sympathy and love when the day of trial and sorrow came, and we find her bowed at his feet in the 12Th chapter of John as a worshiper. Is that your place?
Do you belong to Jesus?
Well, I trust in leaving these thoughts with you.
That the Lord will bless them to you. And I would ask each one of you if those three things characterize you.
Decisions, diligence and devotion.
I feel you know that I've not said one half of what I would like to have said. I've left you with a beautiful story.
Meditate on these things.
As the apostle, inspired by the Spirit, said to Timothy, meditate on these things, and dear young believer, give thyself holy to them, give thyself holy to them. And so will thy profiting not only be to yourself, and blessing and joy to your own soul, but the prophet will appear to all.
May God bless this word and may you go over it in your own home, Oregon, your own room. Reread this lovely story and I trust that God will speak to each one of you to draw your heart heart out closer to the Lord Jesus, that you may follow Him while He gives you opportunity. For in glory this path will be closed, but now you have the opportunity to follow Him and then where He is.
There, by his grace, will you be also.
Do you think we should close and sing the 256 hymn? And I trust we can sing it with all our hearts this afternoon? Praise the Savior, ye who know Him, who can tell how much we owe Him.
00:55:12
Dear young believer, gladly let us render to him.
All we have and are 256.