Ruth 4:8-12. Final chapter – an excellent home, Satan’s attack upon it.

Sunday May 6, 2018

 

 

Title: Ruth 4:8-12. Final chapter - an excellent home, Satan’s attack upon it.

 

Some insight into the means that Satan uses to deceive believers into blindness concerning their current home with Christ comes from the parable of the sower.

 

MAR 4:10 And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.

 

MAR 4:11 And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables,

 

MAR 4:12 in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return [turn towards Christ] and be forgiven." 

 

MAR 4:13 And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?

 

MAR 4:14 "The sower sows the word.

 

MAR 4:15 "And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

 

MAR 4:16 "And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;

 

MAR 4:17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

 

MAR 4:18 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,

 

MAR 4:19 and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

 

Satan discredits the gospel and the truth. He brings persecution and affliction. He dangles the carrot of riches and other lusts. He spreads news designed to cause worry.

 

MAR 4:20 "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

 

The good soil is faith. They hear and accept it, meaning that they believe it.

 

“good soil” - faith meets the word. “bear fruit” - abide in the vine (remain with Christ as a permanent residence).

 

They abide in Christ and so bear fruit (Joh 15). Abide is a word akin to the word for home. It means to remain and not leave. We are to abide in Him, keeping our eyes on Him and His promises to us.

 

What we are to consider from this parable is who we are to be. All the other parables flow from this one. The word of God must be met with faith. The word tells us of our home with Christ. It tells us that we are children of God, adopted, elected, and predestined. It tells us that we are to be made full, that we are complete, and that we are to have perfect peace as we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and so we abide in Him.

 

In contrast to the Tower of Babel where all spoke the same language but were disunified, at Pentecost God spoke all the languages to the people and those who believed became unified.

 

ACT 2:6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.

 

ACT 2:7 And they were amazed and marveled, saying, "Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

 

ACT 2:8 "And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?

 

ACT 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

 

ACT 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

 

The early church survived on this unity. Would we think that these believers’ prior lives were filled with fellowship, prayer, and the breaking of bread with others?

 

Every fallen man builds a house of isolation out of his life. Essentially, no matter how outgoing he may be, he does not have true fellowship with his fellow man. One of Satan’s lies is that he can have this or he does have it, but the truth says that he doesn’t.

 

Something that may outwardly look like the real thing is not the real thing. Paul writes of an outward shell of godliness that lacks all power, i.e. it has nothing within.

 

What makes for true brotherly love and fellowship is unity of mind, love, spirit, and purpose, Php 2:2.

 

Unity of mind: share a common knowledge that is unchangeable and thus eternal.

 

Many have a common knowledge about things that are destined to perish, and that means everything outside of the truth from the mind of Christ. One person may have a colleague in his professional field in which they share a common love or belief, say in science, art, government, culture, etc. but none of it is lasting. It doesn’t make those things necessarily sinful of evil, though they can be used for that purpose, but they cannot make the bond of brotherly love as God, the Creator of it, would will it to be. They might as well be sharing a pizza. It will be devoured and the fellowship is over.