Jerome Gay Jr. - Renewal: Grace and Redemption in the Story of Ruth

Renewal

Grace and Redemption in the Story of Ruth

Jerome Gay, Jr.

C opyright 2017 by Jerome Gay, Jr.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2011. The ESV text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Renewal / Jerome Gay, Jr.

ISBN-13: 978-1-945793-26-4

ISBN-10: 1-945793-26-0

Immensely biblical, yet refreshingly practicalPastor Jerome Gay has outfitted readers with much-needed confidence for the journey that lies ahead. If youve ever wondered if God really loves you, or found yourself sinking in swamps of shame, your reservoirs of hope will be renewed once you finish this much-needed book!

Bryan Loritts, Lead Pastor of Abundant Life and author of Saving the Saved

A delightful treatment of one of the Bibles most beautiful stories. Pastor Jeromes insight is both penetrating and practical, and the beauty of the gospel shines forth from every chapter. Ill be glad to have this resource sitting on my shelf for use both personally and pastorally. This is the kind of book that could only come from someone who faithfully walks with God and alongside real people, a message of hope arising from a man who has devoted his life to helping hurting people.

Pastor JD Greear of The Summit Church, author of Gospel , Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart , and Gaining by Losing

Jerome is a modern-day theologian.... His uncanny savvy to unearth the ancient depths of the biblical text as well as nuance it for our day is genius. Im so glad to have his voice that I have heard for almost a decade, that I have heard through his journey, now written. Take this work and apply it to areas of your life where you are trusting God to redeem.

Eric Mason, Pastor of Epiphany Fellowship, President of Thriving, and author of Manhood Restored

Jerome Gay, Jr., has a way of making timeless truths simple and relatable. In his book Renewal , he captures the beauty of the gospel in the story of Ruth, while giving his readers practical ways to apply the gospel daily. In whatever season you may be in your life, this book will challenge and inspire you to live with a renewed perspective on every aspect of life. Renewal is a gospel-centered, grace-saturated book that I highly recommend for anyone, and its a great read for individuals and entire churches. If you plan on studying or teaching the book of Ruth, this is a book that must be on your shelf.

Derwin Gray, Pastor of Transformation Church and author of HD Leader

To Crystal You renewed my outlook on life the moment I met you, and Im grateful to God for your love and the fact that I get to call you my wife. You mean the world to me, and I love you.

To Jamari and Jordan I dont deserve to be your dad. You two are reminders of how gracious God has been to me, and I love both of you. This is for youand remember, nothing is too hard for God.

To my mom and my brother You have been my support, and I love you for being there for me and wanting nothing but the best for me.

To Vision Church You are the best group of people I know, and I couldnt ask for a better group of people to serve. You are my family, and I love you all.

INTRODUCTION

A Timeless Story of Love

T he Bible conveys Gods Word to us through numerous types of writing, from history and law to poetry and prophecy to letters and laws.

Ultimately, however, the whole of the Bible is a love storythe story of Gods love for humanity.

So, it makes perfect sense that at least one book of the Bible would be, in fact, a romantic story of finding love.

Hence, we find the book of Ruth.

Beyond being a tale of unlikely love, however, the ancient story of Ruth has much to say to believers and non-believers today.

The book of Ruth is set in the Middle East approximately 1,100 years before Christ walked this earth. The heroine was a foreign woman from the wrong side of the tracks, from a race of people whom Gods chosen people, the Israelites, despised. Her love interest was a good man, but unlike in the typical chick flick, he was old enough to be her father.

Yet if you thought this old Bible story, set in a distant culture, would have little relevance to the twenty-first-century dating scene, think again!

It turns out that while cultures and social structures change, human nature does not. As the poet and wisdom writer Solomon said, Nothing under the sun is truly new (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Thus, we can appreciate the wisdom from a story of old. Even amid vastly different cultures, our human eccentricities remain distinctly familiar.

We ought to read the book of Ruth as a story of grace, of undeserved favor poured out on both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). In the four short chapters of this book of Scripture, we find disappointment and despair, bitterness and regretemotions common to us all. But we also witness a story of hope, encouragement, and renewed perspectives, all played out on the canvas of Old Testament Palestine.

Though the historical characters in this story experience a discouraging start, their shortcomings and challenges show us how God renews and redeems. We will discover how God can redeem the effects of bad decision-making.

We must realize that even if weve made a mistakeor a slew of themtheres grace for us. We can start over. We can make a U-turn.

The magnificent reality is that because of the grace extended to us by Christ, none of our failures is irrevocable. Some people want us to believe theres no turning back after making a bad decision. But if we are in Christ, even our failures can be redeemed.

God still has a plan and a purpose for us. In Christ, there is always a do-over. But without Him, we are left to fend for ourselves when everything falls apart.

In this story, we meet the widow Naomi and her family, including her foreign daughter-in-law Ruth, who wanted to accompany her mother-in-law home to the land of the Israelites. We will also meet Boaz, whom Ruth eventually marries. The focus of the story is redemption, and Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, points us to Jesusour true Redeemer.

CHAPTER ONE