She Planted More Than She Knew | Pastor Emma Mullings

Pain may change your name for a season, but it does not change the assignment that God has on your life. I'm excited to dive in this morning. I feel like, you know, preparing a message, for me, it feels like a labor, and then you finally give birth. And then this particular message was a harder labor. I felt like God had so much to say. So my prayer is that you would just hear whatever God has for you today. We're gonna dive into something new today. I just wanna start before we kick off the message and just say happy Mother's Day. But I also just wanna acknowledge, I know today can be a complicated day for some people. There's people in the room who are, you know, today highlights maybe some layered relationships that you wish looked a little different to the way that they look now. There's some of you in the room who have all the babies in your lap that you prayed for, but you're completely overwhelmed, and that's okay. There's foster mums in the room, there's spiritual mums in the room, there's stepmums in the room who give so much, but aren't always acknowledged today. There's those who are believing for that baby, and I want you to know that God sees you. He's heard your prayers and the promise is coming.

Though it tarry, it's coming. So stay in faith, and just whatever it looks like for you today, I just want you to know that you are honored, you are seen, you are loved, and we honor you today. Your church honors you. Your best placed in God's hands is enough. Your best placed in God's hands is enough. And today, I want you to take notes today. Note takers and history makers, today I want us to dive into a book that in our almost five years of church, we have never preached on. I can't believe it. But today, I wanna dive into the book of Ruth, unpacking the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. And this is a redemption story, but I think it highlights a kingdom principle of planting seeds in every season of our lives. And everyone in the room plants seeds. This is for every person in the room, this message. Fathers plant seeds, husbands plant seeds, friends plant seeds, every conversation, every choice, every act of faithfulness is a seed. So the question is not, am I planting? The question is, what am I planting? Every book in the Old Testament is a shadow of what is to come in the New Testament. And the book of Ruth is what we call an allegory, a story in which people, things, and happenings

have a symbolic significance. They're often morally instructive. And it's the eighth book of the Bible, and eight in scripture represents new beginnings. Noah was the eighth person saved in the flood. Christ taught eight beatitudes. The biblical names and characters in Ruth are filled with prophetic revelation of what is to come. But I don't wanna make this a Bible college class for you, because, but you know I love that. But I want this to be palatable for you. We've got 30 minutes, and we're gonna unpack as much of the story as we can. But I want you to see through the book of Ruth the power of seeds planted, and the desire that God has to restore your story, no matter what it looks like today. I've titled this message, She Planted More Than She Knew. She planted more than she knew, seeds of wisdom from the book of Ruth. So we're gonna kick off in Ruth chapter one, and it opens with a devastating and dramatic scene. We're gonna pick it up in chapter one, verse one. In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion.

They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah, and they went to Moab to live there. So there is a famine in the land where they are from, so they make the trip to where they know there is food. Now, Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. And they lived there about 10 years. Both Mahlon and Kilion also died. By the way, Mahlon means joy, Kilion means song. And Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. So Naomi's story starts with devastation, and you might be thinking, where are we going with this here today, Emma? But I want you to see how the story starts, because some of you walked in here and you feel like your story looks a little bit like this. There is devastation. And I want you to, you need to understand where this story starts, so you understand the significance of where it ends, and what God does. Because God did it. and He can do it today for you, amen? Naomi is left devastated. She's lost her song. She's lost her joy as her son's names mean. And she's left with her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.

She's grieving, she's displaced. Verse six, when Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of His people by providing food for them, because remember they left because there was a famine. So now she's heard that their food has returned. She and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. With her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. Then Naomi said to her 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. May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband. She's saying, you guys are young. Just go back and start again. Then she kissed them goodbye. And they wept aloud and said to her, we'll go back with you to your people. But Naomi said, return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I gonna have any more sons who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters. I'm too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me,

even if I had a husband tonight and gave birth to sons, would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It's more bitter for me than for you because the Lord has turned against me. And just to explain this for those who are visiting with us today and maybe you've never heard this story, according to the Israelite law at the time, a man's brother was supposed to marry the wife, but she didn't have any more sons. That's how the family line was redeemed. She didn't have any more sons. And she's saying, even if I happen to fall pregnant tonight, were you gonna wait till that son grows up? And like, there's no hope. Just go home. Go back to your parents. At this, they wept aloud. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. Look, said Naomi, your sister-in-law's going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her. But Ruth replied, don't urge me to leave you or turn my back on you. Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people.

Your God will be my God. 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. When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. And at this stage of the story, Ruth has a choice. Orpah leaves. Now, Orpah actually means stiff-necked and stubborn, inflexible. And in this scene, Orpah lives up to her name. And often stubbornness will stop us from making the right decision. She had a decision to make. Instead of stepping into the new, Orpah says, I'm going back to the old. And we never hear of her again in Scripture. Church, you're gonna be faced with many choices in life. God has given you free will. And we have to be willing to die to our flesh, to die to our pride, and ask God, God, make me clay. Because when we are dead to our own agenda, when we're dead to, dare I say it, our own dreams, because God has bigger dreams for you, ask Him what the dreams are for your life. They're bigger and greater than you could ever do on your own. But when we are dead to our own flesh,

we can truly have clarity to step into all God has for us. Orpah could not let go of the old, and Ruth chooses to stay with Naomi. And there's so much in this Scripture. Ruth says, I'm gonna stay with you. Ruth, by the way, means, the name Ruth means friend or companion. She says, your God will be my God. She chooses the hard thing. And it is the hard thing, because she was a Moabite woman. Remember, they're living there amongst all the Moabites. Where they are right now, Naomi is the foreigner, but they're going back to Naomi's land. So Ruth is gonna be the foreigner in Naomi's land. And culture at the time, they didn't treat Moabite people very well. So she knew where she was going was not the easy choice. But she had a leading from God. She'd seen God through Naomi. And she's like, I want that. I want your God. I want more of that. And as we choose to obey His will, we receive revelation of it. And I need you to understand this church, because obedience precedes revelation. And we get this wrong as the body of Christ. We think, well, give me more revelation, God, and then I'll be obedient.

Give me more insight into this step of faith I'm gonna take, and then I'll be obedient. But obedience precedes revelation. That's how it works in the kingdom. John 7, 17. Jesus says, anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teachings come from God or whether I speak on my own. You're gonna find out when you choose. to do the will of God. Obedience precedes revelation. And as we obey the will of God, greater revelation is given unto us. And this brings me to the first of six seeds of wisdom from the book of Ruth. Write this down. Seeds of faith are planted before they're spoken. Because Naomi was just living, but Ruth had seen something. She saw enough in Naomi's life to say, I want your God to be my God. That means Naomi's faith had been speaking even when Naomi didn't realize anyone was listening. And parents in the room, your children are watching more than they're listening. They're watching how you pray. They're watching how you worship. They're watching how you run to God or away from God when life gets complicated. They're watching how you feel yourself when you feel empty. They're watching how you treat people.

Naomi's faith was not perfect. And at this point in the story, Naomi's not dancing around saying, God is good all the time. She's actually bitter and she's grieving and she's honest about her pain, but Ruth still saw enough of God in her to want God. So I want you to hear mothers in the room that you did not have to be a perfect mother to plant powerful seeds. You do not have to have perfect emotions. You don't have to have a perfect past. You don't have to have perfect faith every day. Sometimes the seed that you plant is your willingness to stay walking with God when you're wrestling with unanswered prayer. For me, I didn't get this from my mother. I got this from my father and it wasn't a sit down conversation, eye to eye, Emma, I want you to learn this. No, no, no, I saw there were seeds planted without a word being spoken. My mom died when she was 37, leaving my dad with three young kids and I was one of them, the middle one. And my mom was so full of faith that she was gonna be healed. She asked my dad, you know, if that happens, she had lower intestinal cancer. She said, if that happens,

I want you to go and pray over my body and ask the Lord to resurrect me. And she died, but my dad honored her request and he prayed over her body, believing for resurrection. And he heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say to him, my highest and best is that she stays with me. So as a young child, I saw him wrestle with his faith. I saw him wrestle with unanswered prayer and yet he still ran to God, not away from God. He still ran to God. He still kept the church going. They had a church in Australia. He still showed up and preached a message of faith every single Sunday. And seeds were planted in me, but it was never a sit down. Hey, Emma, I want you to understand this. It was me observing as a young child. Okay, when there is chaos, I run to God, not away from God. My youngest sister, who's two years younger, is severely brain damaged. And when she was younger, she would have convulsions and convulsions, they look like fits. It's very scary for people who are in the room and don't know what's going on. And as a young child, this would just happen anytime. We're having dinner, we're watching television. And my dad was very calm. He knew what to do. He would just follow the instructions that the hospital had told him.

Okay, turn her over. Okay, call 911. Okay, and he's praying at the same time. Never raised his voice, never yelled. Stay calm, Jesus, come and help her. He's staying calm the whole time. It was never, Emma, this is how you respond. It was just seeds planted. It was seeds planted. I never saw him have victim mentality. I just saw calm resilience. I never saw him focus on himself, overdramatic, poor me. I saw calm resilience. And it was seeds that were planted that were never spoken. You know, John 16, 33 says, I've told you these things so that in me, you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I've overcome the world. You know, your faith does not have to be flawless to be fruitful. We all need to ask ourselves in the room today, what seeds are my children catching from my life? Am I planting bitterness or trust? Am I planting prayer or panic? What version of God are my kids seeing through me? And these are good reminders that every day, we're actually planting something. And take note here, parents, this is important. Both Ruth and Orpah had been exposed to Naomi and her God. Naomi had planted the same seeds,

but Orpah still chose to leave. And some moms need to hear this in the room today. Planting is not controlling. Naomi didn't manipulate them. She didn't say, after all I've done for you, you better stay with me. She released them. Orpah leaves and Ruth stays. And it's a powerful picture because as mothers, we plant truth, we plant love, we plant wisdom, but we cannot force fruit. And this is hard for moms in the room because we wanna, our instinct is to protect. Our instinct is to prevent pain. We wanna save people from making the wrong decisions, but you cannot obey God on behalf of your children. You can plant, you can pray, you can correct, you can love, but only God can bring the growth. And as a spiritual mother, this is a journey that I've been on, especially over the last 12 months of just understanding a cake because I see so much in people. I see so much potential. I'm like, I could see what you could be doing. So I'm trying to pull people to their purpose, but they're a little stiff necked like Orpah. And I end up sacrificing myself on the altar. And I've realized I am not Jesus.

I can lead them to the water, but I can't force them to drink. So I've had to just release people. I'm like, I'm giving you level 10 access, but you're coming with level three responsibility. And so I've had to just release them, but now I've sown seeds and Lord made those seeds come back to them in a later season. And I also identify in this story with Orpah. So let's not judge her too much. Because I walked away from God for a long time, eight years, completely away from God, out of church. I was Orpah before I was Ruth. I was stiff necked. And I had seen the seeds that my father had sown, but I still walked away. And it wasn't my dad's fault, it was mine. I was so blinded by my own pain, by my own anger. And I think Orpah would have been as well. I mean, she just lost her husband. Mothers and fathers in the room, the seed is your responsibility, but the growth is God's responsibility. So I hope this releases you today. You can plant the seed, but you can't pull the plant out of the ground and make it grow faster. You've done more than you think. You've prayed more than you can remember. You've planted more than anyone sees.

Don't confuse their current season with the final harvest. Just because you can't see the fruit right now does not mean that the seed is dead. Some seeds take time. The seed in me took some time. So let's pick it up in verse 19, Ruth and Naomi make the trip back. It says, 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? Now, remember they're saying this because the last time they saw her was 10 years ago. She had her husband, she had her sons, she was happy. And now she's back 10 years later with none of them, just one foreign woman. Don't call me Naomi, she told them, call me Mara because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Call me Naomi. Why call me Naomi? And she's saying this because Naomi means pleasant. She's saying, I'm not pleasant anymore. Mara means bitter. She says, the Lord has afflicted me, the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me. So Ruth returns with Naomi to Israel in this foreign land and then Naomi's being very public with how she feels

and Ruth has to associate herself with this outward mourning which brings me to seed number two from this story. Seeds planted in pain can still produce purpose. Seeds planted in pain can still produce purpose. Naomi is not planting from a perfect life, she's planting from grief. She's not planting from abundance, she's planting from emptiness. She says, don't call me Naomi, call me Mara. She's basically saying, don't call me who I used to be, call me by what I am going through right now. And I think there's something in that for us because pain will try to rename you. Loss will try to rename you. Disappointment will try to rename you. Have you ever been hurt so much by something that it starts to change your identity? Naomi is saying, I'm not pleasant anymore, I'm bitter. And maybe some of you came into church today and you feel a little like this, you're bitter from a divorce, from betrayal, from family wounds, from a prayer that wasn't answered. But the good news for you today is that pain may change your name for a season, but it does not change the assignment that God has on your life. It might try and change your name for a season, but it does not change your assignment. You know, as a young girl, I was abused by the teenage son of a woman

who used to babysit me. And then this, in that scene of my life, I very much became Naomi. I've been all of these people. Because you try to tell me Jesus loves you, know God is for you. And I would very openly say, no, I was bitter. I was angry. And I would tell you so. Ironically, the name Emma means healer. But I was not, Naomi means pleasant. I was not living up to the meaning of my name. Pain had changed me for a season, but God always had an assignment. And I thought my story was over, but God was still writing. Naomi thought her story was over, but God was still writing. And maybe you walked in here today and maybe you walked in here today and you feel like your story is over. But today, I need you to know that your story is not over. That is a lie from the pit of hell. God is still writing your story. Pain may have changed your name for a season, but it does not change the assignment that God has placed on your life. He is the author and the finisher is what his word says. So don't take the pen out of his hands. I look back at the pain that I walked through, the sexual abuse, the grief,

and I realized God never abandoned me. When I was lost, he was still pursuing me. Even when I was broken, he was still preparing redemption and he specializes in restoring broken things. That's what he does. He redeems, he restores, he makes new. Naomi even says in Ruth 1.21, I went away full, but the Lord has bought me back empty. And that line is heartbreaking because Naomi believes she's coming home empty, but she's actually not empty because she has Ruth. But sometimes grief makes us so focused on what we've lost that we cannot see what God has left. Naomi couldn't see the seed because she was just so focused on the sorrow, but Ruth was the seed. And sometimes we can be so blinded by the child that we lost, that we miss the ones that are still here. Sometimes we're so blinded by the hurt and betrayal of one friend that we miss the friend that is still here, that God has placed in our life. So let's continue with this story. Chapter two, now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelech whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor. Naomi said to her, go ahead, my daughter. So she went out, entered a field

and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working on a field belonging to Boaz who was from the clan of Elimelech. Now this is significant in that day, in that time because a woman's value was tied to her husband. If her husband died and there was no male heir, it was the closest relative that could redeem the family line and only they had authority to redeem. It was referred to as a kinsman redeemer. Verse four, just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. The Lord be with you, the Lord bless you, they answered. Boaz asked the overseer of the harvesters, who does that young woman belong to? Now, before you get too excited about Boaz, don't worry, we're gonna tell you who he is. I wanna give you seed number three from this story. Write this down. God often sends a Naomi before he sends a Boaz. Don't worry, we're gonna get to Boaz. But he often sends a Naomi before he sends a Boaz. And this is important because there's some people in the room that are looking for their Boaz, but you're looking for the wrong thing. Before redemption comes, discipleship comes. And I want you to ask yourself today, who is your Naomi? Who is speaking into your life? Who are you walking with? Who do you allow to correct you?

Ruth's destiny was connected to covenant relationships. And I think this is one of the greatest gifts of the church. You know, a lot of people come to a church not actually looking for Jesus, they're lonely, they're looking for connection. They find connection and they find Jesus, praise the Lord. We say here, we're friends become family. And that is what History Makers Church has been to so many people. So many walked in here lonely. They've found brothers and sisters. They've walked in here fatherless and they've found spiritual fathers. His word says, God places the lonely in families. And Ruth found redemption because she refused isolation. You know, one of the ways that God redeemed my story is that he brought the right people into my life. He brought divine connections. One of the ways that he healed me and grew me was through divine connections. But I had to allow myself to be humble. I had to allow myself to take correction. And some people confuse discipline and discipleship. I did at first. I'm like, you're just trying to discipline me. But they were actually discipling me. Because I needed a lot of discipline. And I see people making the same mistake that I initially did. People are asking for discipleship,

but they don't wanna be challenged. I had to allow myself to be challenged. I had to allow my perspectives to be questioned. My perspectives had been shaped by trauma and hurt and religion. And God brought people who pointed me towards Jesus, but I had to be humble enough to be teachable. So please learn from me. And yes, God still got me to where he needed me to be. But if I can be very transparent with you, church, it could have happened a whole lot sooner. You're being very quiet. You're okay, don't worry. And today, maybe you're in the room and you're saying, Emma, this is all great, but I never had the mother that I needed. Can I lovingly tell you that God can still provide a Naomi? Maybe not biologically, but spiritually, maybe through a group leader, a mentor, a pastor, a friend, because God heals many people through divine relationships. And my question for you to consider today, church, is are you humble enough to allow a Naomi to speak into your life? So back to the story. Boaz asked the overseer of the harvesters, who does that young woman belong to? That's where we left off. The overseer replied, she is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, please let me glean and gather

among the sheaves behind the harvesters. She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter. Now, let me just explain this for those who have never heard this story. Leviticus is a story of a young woman Levitical law at the time actually made room for people who were homeless. And actually it was Levitical law that was operating at the time that saved Ruth and Naomi. And I want to show you this because I know there's many of you who love this stuff. Leviticus 23, 22, When you reap the harvest of the land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord, your God. And Boaz was a man who followed the law. Verse eight. So Boaz said to Ruth, my daughter, listen to me, don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting and follow along after the women. I've told the men not to lay a hand on you.

And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled. At this, she bowed down her face to the ground. She asked, what have I found such favor in your eyes and that you would notice me a foreigner? Boaz replied, I've been told all about what you've done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother in your homeland and came to live with the people you did not know. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel under whose wings you have come to take refuge. Ruth sowing seeds of loyalty to Naomi was now bringing her favor. This is kingdom culture. This is how the kingdom works. Verse 13. May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my Lord? She said, you have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant. At mealtime, verse 14, Boaz said to her, come over here, have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar. Boaz offers for her to come and eat with the workers. This was not an ordinary invitation for a gleaner, especially a foreigner. This was a calculated act of generosity. And as harvest season continues under Naomi's direction,

as the story continues, Ruth begins to seek a closer relationship with Boaz. And Naomi knows that Boaz is a distant relative of her deceased husband, and that he does have authority to redeem the family line. And in chapter three. Naomi, sorry, Ruth approaches Boaz and the Word says she washed, anointed and clothed herself. And remember everything in the Old Testament is a shadow of the new. And this represents being washed with the water of the Word anointed by the Holy Spirit, clothed with Jesus. And she approaches him according to the custom of the day. Now I wanna explain this to you because this was not a seductive act as some modern eyes might see it. It was a formal request and reminder of his role as kinsman redeemer. And she uncovers his feet as he sleeps and uncovering his feet was symbolically asking him to extend his protection over her. A Hebrew expression linked to covenant and marriage. Let's read it in Ruth 3.9. I am your servant, Ruth, she said, spread the corner of your garment over me since you are a guardian redeemer of our family. The Lord bless you, my daughter, he said. This kindness is greater than which you have showed earlier. You've not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

And now my daughter, don't be afraid. Someone needed to hear that. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am a guardian redeemer of your family, there's actually another who is more closely related than I. So we have a problem. It was a great plan, but there's actually a closer relative. And in chapter four, we see Boaz, who was very much respected, he very much respected the law of the day. And he goes to the town gate where business is done and he approaches the man who is actually the closer relative. He says, 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 redeem it except you. And I'm the next in line. And the guy says, I will redeem it. Then Boaz says, okay. 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. At this, the guardian redeemer said, then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. He probably already had wife, children. It's like, this is a little complicated.

I cannot do it. There is another who is technically, has the first right to redeem Ruth in Naomi's family line. But when he realizes that redemption is gonna cost him something, he steps back. And Boaz is a picture of grace. He does not just have the right to redeem, he has the heart to redeem. And he's a representation of Jesus in the New Testament. Doesn't just have the right to redeem, but has the heart to redeem you. Yes. Seed number four, Boaz planted seeds of redemption. Boaz was not weak, he was strength under control. He sees Ruth, he protects Ruth, he provides for Ruth. He doesn't take advantage of her vulnerability. He handles things correctly. And he shows us that real strength is not dominance. Real strength is redemption. He has power, but he uses it to cover and protect. And he points us to Jesus, our true redeemer. Chapter 4, 13, let's continue the story. So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son. The woman said to Naomi, praise be the Lord who this day has not left you

without a guardian redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel. He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons has given birth. Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. This woman, the women living there said, Naomi has a son and they named him Obed. Obed means worship. He was the father of Jesse, the father of King David. David was a lineage that Jesus was born into. So Ruth is redeemed, Naomi is redeemed, not only redeemed, but now they're in the lineage of Jesus. Naomi wasn't just helping Ruth survive, she was helping shape history. And here's the next seed that I want you to see from this story, seed number five, spiritual mothers change generations. Spiritual mothers change generations. Ruth was a grieving widow, a foreign outsider, outside a broken woman and now she's in the bloodline of Christ. Naomi pulled her to her purpose. Naomi was not her biological mother. And I wanna honour every spiritual mother in the house today. Women who disciple, who mentor, who encourage, who lead, who nurture, who lead. Seed groups here at History Makers Church. Spiritual mothers change generations. Which brings me to seed number six from this story.

And I need you to hear this. The harvest may look different than you expected. Naomi wanted her sons back. That's what she would have chosen. But the harvest God gave her was through Ruth Boaz and Obed. And it did not erase what she had lost, but it revealed that God was still writing. And this is really important because I think sometimes we only recognize harvest if it looks like exactly like what we've prayed for. Sometimes you're missing the harvest because it doesn't look exactly what you prayed for. But sometimes redemption doesn't come by restoring exactly what was lost. Sometimes redemption comes by revealing that God is still working through what has remained. Naomi wanted her old family line restored, but God gave her a place in the lineage of Jesus. That is bigger than she could have imagined. God's redemption may not rewrite the first chapter, but He can write the last. And don't miss the miracle in this because I think many of us are missing the miracle that God's placed in our life because it just looks, it comes in a different package than what we imagined. You know, my dad continued to pastor the church in Australia for 43 years. And when God was speaking to us about coming here to plant this church,

He asked us if we would move to where he lived and take over the church. And if I was looking for redemption through my own eyes, what a beautiful redemption story. Everyone says I'm just like my mother was. She loved the church. Imagine how God could redeem it by then bringing me in to redeem with Pastor Terrence and we would lead that church and restore the church and revive the church. What a beautiful redemption story, but that's actually not what God had for us. He doesn't wanna just redeem what was lost back then. He's working something new with what remained. And what was new with what remained was bigger and greater and more mighty than I could have ever dreamed, hoped or imagined. God's redemption wasn't replacing what was lost. It was building something completely new. And I think some of you need to understand this because some of us in the room are missing what was lost. Some of us in the room are missing what is right in front of us because we're expecting God to redeem a situation a certain way. Naomi was asking God for survival, but God was writing legacy. And some of you are asking God, I just wanna survive. And he's like, I've got something bigger and greater. He wants to write legacy through you.

And this is not just a women's story. This is a discipleship story because the book of Ruth teaches men and women that loyalty is a seed, honor is a seed, faithfulness is a seed. So in a world where people leave when it's hard, Ruth stays. In a world where people choose comfort, Ruth chooses covenant. In a world where people chase what benefits them, Ruth honors someone who seemingly at the time has nothing to offer her. And this is the revelation that I want you to understand from this story. She planted more than she knew. Naomi did not know Ruth was the seed. She didn't know that Boaz was part of the harvest. She didn't know that Obed would be in her arms. She didn't know that David would come through this line. She did not know that Jesus would come through her story. She planted more than she knew. Amen. And church, I need you to know that you are planting more than you know. Be encouraged. God is for you. He is more than capable to redeem, to restore, to make new. I hope my story shows you that. I hope her story shows you that. But church, harvest only comes where seeds have been sown.

Boaz planted seeds of generosity. Naomi planted seeds of wisdom. Ruth planted seeds of honor, loyalty. and we actually have a little gift not for all the moms for all the women I want you to get it on your way out today and it's actually a little packet of seeds and I want you to plant them I want you to water them I want you to send me pictures I want you to tag History Makers Church I want to see and I want you to be reminded that you are planting seeds you are planting seeds so if you are a mother in the house today keep planting if you're a spiritual mother keep planting if you are believing for a restoration keep planting if you are becoming a Boaz man keep planting because you never know what the harvest will produce and maybe you're here and you haven't seen the harvest yet I want to encourage you Galatians says do not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up your harvest is coming your harvest is coming and can I remind you before you ever planted a seed for God God planted a seed for you his son Jesus John 3 16 for God so loved the world that he gave Jesus was heaven seed planted here on earth and from that seed came salvation comes redemption healing freedom eternal life the cross was the seed resurrection was the harvest so I want to give you an opportunity if you've never invited Jesus into your heart to invite him into your heart today and then we're going to sing this song one more time I wanted us to sing this song today because it reminds us that God works through generations God restores generations it's not just about you it's about your children it's about your children's children and he is the God of the generations he restores bloodlines and as I was thinking about this salvation moment I actually pictured this scene at the gate I'm very visual and so whenever I read these Old Testament stories I just picture the whole scene and I'm picturing the the kinsman redeemer who actually was the closest relative it's like he had the opportunity but he wasn't willing and then Boaz is there representing Jesus and I kind of see it like religion and the relationship with Jesus religion can tell you that there's a gap but it's not willing to fix it it's incapable religion can name the debt but only Jesus can actually restore the debt and maybe some of you in here you you grew up in church maybe you know religion but you've never had a relationship with Jesus

it's like the kinsman redeemer the first one at the gate it's like I can tell you all this stuff but I can't actually redeem the debt I can't actually step into the gap for you only Boaz was able to do that only Jesus is able to do that for you and he wants a personal relationship with you so just to protect the privacy of everyone would you just close your eyes and bow your head in Romans 10 9 it says if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead you will be saved so we're gonna pray this prayer together and if you're praying this for the first time would you raise your hand everyone's head is down their eyes are closed it's just me that can see you would you be bold and raise your hand I'm not gonna get you to come out the front thank you I see your hand raise it high we're gonna pray this prayer thank you I see your hand at the back thank you I see your hand there keep your hand high I see your hand but heaven sees your heart and let's pray this prayer together say dear Jesus thank you for dying on the cross for me today I commit to follow you have your way in my life I declare that today I am saved amen amen amen amen hey heaven is celebrating and we are celebrating with you and we want to walk this journey together so if you prayed that prayer or you just want to know more about Jesus follow the prompts that are on the screen right now we are so proud of you and we are so thankful for you and we are so grateful right now we are so proud of you and honestly God's vision for you is to see you live that better story epic and eternal we say like this to see you holy healthy happy and bring in heaven to earth and if you're watching and you want to help others find Jesus like that you can partner with us and together we can make a difference in the world can make that epic difference. Hey, giving details are coming up on the screen and we just say if God's blessed you, you can be a blessing to other people as well. And hey, if you're here in the South Florida area, we'd love to see you in person. Check out the description below for times and the location where you can come to a service. We would love to see you soon. This is History Makers Church where friends truly become family. See you soon.