Now as you heard the story of Ruth chapter 3 read to you a while ago, I kind of wonder what went through your mind. Now see, those of you who are familiar with the story of Ruth, usually you’ll have no problems following the narrative in Ruth 1. Not much problems as well following the story in Ruth 2. But as you come to Ruth 3, now some of us may be scratching our heads a little bit as to you know what is this passage talking about? And so if you’re looking at this passage for the first time or even for the first few times, I’m quite sure you may have some questions on your mind. Now in fact, I think it’s fair to say that some of us may have more questions than answers as we heard this passage read a while ago.

And so my hope is that by the end of this message at least we try to clear things up a little bit and begin to see what God is trying to tell us here in this chapter. Now but let me first say at the outset. Let me first say this, that Ruth chapter 3 is a story of Ruth proposing to Boaz. Now Ruth chapter 3 is a story of Ruth proposing to Boaz. So as I look at your response to me, perhaps those in the live-stream, I realised I just increased the number of questions already in your head. Now for example, you may be thinking to yourself: Now why is Ruth the one proposing? After all, she’s a woman.

Or you may be thinking: Why propose like this? Is that a yes from Boaz? I don’t see a yes in this chapter. What kind of advice is that from Naomi, a mother-in-law to Ruth, her daughter-in-law? Now does Naomi even like Ruth, asking her to do all these things? Now perhaps the even more immediate question is: What in the world has this chapter got to do with us this morning? Is there anything that we can glean from Ruth chapter 3? Of course, to answer the last question first, there certainly is something that we can learn from any passage in the Scripture because we know that as we look at every text in the Bible, we are dealing with God’s inspired and inerrant Word, and we always have something to learn from His Word.

And so as we come to this chapter, now strange as it may be, this is God’s Word that transcends time and culture and age and generation. So we always have got something to learn from God’s Word. Now we know the verse in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is profitable for instruction, for training in righteousness, et cetera. And so, we come to Ruth chapter 3. It is the Word of God. Now we will not brush it aside, but we want to see what we can learn from this passage. Now this morning, we will only be able to cover the first part of Ruth 3. That’s why I call it part one of this chapter. And so if you would like to know part two, now you’ll need to join us the next time as we study or continue this chapter in Ruth chapter 3.

Now but as we look at part one, we will look at this part in two points alright. This morning, we will have two points. Now point number one is this. Point number one is faith with function. Now faith with function, or you can call this first point faith with action. Faith with action. You see, there is action or function that accompanies the faith that we see. Now it is not a faith with no action. Look at verse 1: “Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I (not) seek security for you, now that it may be well with you? Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.””.

Now let us first stop and consider what is happening here. You would recall from the previous chapters (if you have been following this series) that Ruth came back with Naomi to Bethlehem. And since then, she has been working in the fields of Boaz. Now and Naomi in verse 1 of this chapter (chapter 3) is telling Ruth that the time has come that she started seeking security for Ruth. And some of your versions would translate this word ‘security’ as rest. Now so here Naomi is saying: “shall I not seek rest for you?”.

Now basically what Naomi is doing here is what most concerned aunties would do now is to try and matchmake her daughter-in-law, Ruth with a man. And of course, there is no question in our mind that the man she has in her mind is the owner of the field, Mr. Boaz. Of course, we’ve seen that. She mentioned that as well. And so verse 2 onwards of this chapter is Naomi’s attempt at hatching a plan to get her daughter-in-law hitched, if you can put it that way. It’s Naomi’s plan at helping her daughter-in-law to be married, okay. And so, you can imagine the camera kind of focusing in on Naomi and Ruth as she turns (Naomi turns) to Ruth and said okay, my daughter-in-law, now this is the plan.

Now tonight. Tonight is the night. Now tonight is the night where Boaz will be winnowing barley in the threshing floor. Now you see during the time of harvest, the act of winnowing now comes after the act of threshing alright. So you can imagine as the farmer or the worker gathers these big bundles of hay or barley on the floor, you see these big bundles of hay stacked on the floor. And the farmer or the worker would take this hay or this barley and he would hit it hard on the floor. That’s why they call it the threshing floor alright, thresh the barley on the floor with the intention of separating the head of the barley from the stock.

So after threshing, which is really hard work, you see a pile of barley or a pile of grain on the floor, and that is the act of threshing. Now after which, the farmer will kind of gather all this grain, put it in a bucket (we call it like a fan-like bucket, it’s a winnowing fan). And so after threshing comes winnowing. Now winnowing is simply the act where the farmer throws like you know char kuey teow, throws the barley or the grain up into the air where the wind carries away the lighter portion of the husk, leaving only the edible portion to drop on the fan. And so this act of you know winnowing. You throw it up and then the wind carries the husk away.

In fact, this word ‘winnowing’ comes from the old English word ‘wind’. That’s why you’re making use of the wind to separate the husk from the edible portion of the barley or the grain. And so that is what, I mean both are really, really hard work. Now threshing is hard work, winnowing is also hard work. But that is what we see Naomi telling Ruth that Boaz would do that tonight. Boaz would be winnowing barley in the threshing floor. So what should Ruth do? Now look at verse 3.

Verse 3: “Now therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.” Now here’s where we are usually confused alright. Naomi’s telling Ruth here’s what you should do. Now clean yourself, put on your best perfume (which is to say anoint yourself as we see here), now put on your best dress, and then go down to the threshing floor. Now see this in and of itself is strange advice. Even if Naomi doesn’t say anything else, now what is this strange advice?

I said because the threshing floor is a place where hard work is performed. Usually, the men are there threshing and winnowing and you know doing all the agriculturing. And so for Naomi to ask Ruth to go down to the threshing floor is strange at wise because women are usually not found in the threshing floor. It’s a place where the men are hard at work. Now but that was what Naomi told Ruth to do, now go down to the threshing floor. Now but not just that. Now what happens next is even stranger.

Now Naomi told Ruth to make a straight line towards Boaz. Now once he has eaten and he has drunk after a day of hard work, make a straight line to Boaz, go softly to him, go near his feet, uncover his feet, and then lie down there like the sermon title this morning “Uncover His Feet”. Now, this is as strange I said a direction as a strange can sound. Now you all looking and hearing this as well, I think you’re also thinking to yourself this is very strange, very weird. Now but before we progress along too far in the story, let me draw us back to the first point that I made that here is faith with function, now faith with action. I say I’m referring to Naomi’s faith because Naomi has been the one speaking so far.

Faith with function, and you ask me what do you mean? What do you mean faith with function? Now recall back in chapter 1 in this story, we’ve seen before a suffering widow. Now Naomi, a suffering widow, has an accurate view of God. Now we’ve seen that in chapter 1. Naomi knew that God was in control of suffering because we saw that she was indeed suffering. Now suffering as she may have been, her view of God is correct. And so we read verses like this in chapter 1, where Naomi says that the Lord has gone out against me alright. And in verse 21 of Ruth chapter 1, she says call me Mara as she approaches Bethlehem and the women come and meet her.

She said: “Call me Mara”. Call me bitter, “for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Now why do you call me Naomi (now why do you call me beautiful), since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”. So she is aware that God is the One who has allowed her to be in this situation. But we saw also that suffering as she may have been, she is also aware that God is the One in control of blessing. And so she can turn to her daughters-in-law and tell them that go back to your family. May the Lord show kindness to you.

So we’ve seen that in chapter 1 that Naomi’s theology of God is correct. She knows that God is the One who controls suffering. God is the One who controls blessing. Now that was chapter 1. But here in chapter 3, now what we see is this. Now we see is Naomi’s knowledge of the fact that God is in control does not paralyze her.

It does not paralyze her or does not result in her looking at Ruth and saying to Ruth, you know what? Yeah God is the One in control of suffering. He is the One in control of blessing, and I know yes, it is time for you to find a man to take care of you. But let’s wait and see. There’s nothing much you can do, nothing much I can do. Now you see, that was not Naomi’s response. But on the contrary, now in opposite to what we would have expected, now you see in the first few verses that you know I read to you just now, all the action verbs that were being engaged. Now all the action verbs.

My daughter, shall I not seek security for you. And she told Naomi to wash yourself, anoint yourself, now put on your best garment, go down, notice, go in, uncover his feet, et cetera (Mistakenly mentioned “Naomi”, supposedly “Ruth”). It is as deliberate and as purposeful as it can be. Naomi is deliberate and purposeful. Now she doesn’t have a non-functioning faith, or you can say she doesn’t have a dysfunctional faith. Now there is function involved. There is action that is involved. Now someone once said this. The knowledge of the sovereignty of God should not freeze us (freeze)- should not freeze us. But rather, it should free us.

Let me say that again. The knowledge of the sovereignty of God should not freeze us, but rather it should free us. You see, Naomi knew that if something were to happen, there needs to be action, not inaction alright. We don’t just sit down and throw our hands up in the air and say, let go and let God. Think some of us maybe have heard this phrase before, this phrase “let go and let God”, this cute little phrase that at the outset may sound very you know very God-honouring but actually it is an unbiblical concept of the sovereignty of God. Let go and let God. Now the Bible nowhere teaches us to let go and let God.

You see, of course we know that from a salvation perspective, we are saved not because of any of our own works. Now we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Now that part we are clear. But that doesn’t mean that you just sit there and do nothing and wait for the kind of gospel to drop down from heaven on your lap. Now you have to hear the gospel. You have to come to church. You have to read the Bible. You have to see for yourself the heinousness of sin. I think a couple of weeks ago we have seen in the parable of Luke that we are to strive to enter the kingdom of heaven. You’re not to just be idle, to do nothing.

Now that is from a salvation’s perspective. And more so from a Christian living perspective, isn’t it? The Bible knows nothing about just sitting back, giving your life to God, and just doing nothing. It doesn’t mean that now you are a Christian, full stop. Finished, now period. Now you can just stay passive or reactive or inactive until Jesus Christ comes again. No, that’s not the fact. Now in fact, the Bible very much, it condemns such an attitude of letting go and letting God, where Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church in Second Thessalonians chapter 3.

And he says that if there is such a person who is so consumed by this idea of let go and let God, taking this to the extreme and becoming too idle, becoming a busy body, becoming somebody who is just you know sitting around doing nothing and causes trouble to other people, now what did Paul say? Now Paul said to consider this person potentially an unbeliever, potentially put him under church discipline. And so that is how serious now this idea is if you take this to this extreme, now let go and let God. Now therefore for us, let us not be too quick to say this in the future and kind of entertain the thought that now God is sovereign, therefore I should do nothing. Now we saw that Naomi certainly didn’t alright.

And so for a godly single young man of suitable age, now is there a godly single young lady also of suitable age that you can engage? But if so, pursue alright. Work, strive, think, talk to someone. Of course, don’t uncover anyone’s feet in the process, but work. Plan alright, think. Or if you are in need of a job, now the correct thing to do is to search, to look, now to update your resume, to get with a recruiter, et cetera, et cetera. Now use all the resources available to you to find a good and God-honouring vocation.

Or if you’re already in a job, work hard and give your best. Do your best in your work, in your studies, in your college, in your university. Now Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes whatever your hand finds to do what? Do it with all your might. We’re not to expect results if we’re not willing to work. We’re not prepared to work, all the more you and I as Christians should have a functional or an actionable faith.

See there was some time in the seventeen century, there was a young man. He was a young man who has just been ordained as a Baptist minister. Now this young man had a passion for the lost. He wanted the gospel to be heard in areas or in places where the gospel was not reached yet. Now this young man tried to pitch his idea one day at a Baptist meeting, young Baptist minister that was just ordained. But as he pitched this idea, an older minister stood up and rebuked this young man. This older minister told the young man: Young man, sit down. Now if God pleases to save the hidden, He will do so without consulting you or me.

That was what the older minister told this young Baptist minister who had a passion for souls outside of his country. Now see sadly, this older minister had a wrong view of the sovereignty of God. Now God works through means and through the action of men. You see but thankfully there were people who rallied around and supported this young minister. And to this day, the country of India has got this man to thank because he went on to become known as the father of modern missions, sparking missionaries all throughout the world especially in the region of Asia.

Now you see if you are familiar with this story, you already know that this is none other than William Carey, the missionary to India. Dr. William Carey, who quoted a phrase that stuck to him for life. He quoted this sentence. Now even to this day when we hear this sentence, we attribute it to William Carey. Now what did William Carey said? Now Carey said this. Now He said: “Expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.”. Expect great things from God and attempt great things for God. Now Carey didn’t stop at expect great things from God, full stop. But he knew that yes, we are right to expect great things from God, but we don’t just do nothing. Now we have to likewise attempt great things for God, and that was Carey’s view of the sovereignty of God.

And so do you want to see salvation? Do you want to see people being saved? Do you want to see your relatives, your parents, your children, your husband, your wife, your close ones saved? With friends? Then you cannot do nothing. You cannot be inactive. You must preach the Word. You must show them from the Scripture. You must bring them to church, help them to see the only way of salvation that is in Jesus Christ. Now so that is the first point that we see, Naomi’s view of the sovereignty of God. Faith comes with action, not inaction. Faith with function.

Secondly. Now secondly is this. The second point I have is proposing with propriety. Proposing with propriety. Now as we look at this point, now let us remember that what we have in front of us is a narrative portion of Scripture. Now Ruth chapter 3, in fact the book of Ruth is a narrative portion of Scripture. And so let us not see this as the standard passage for all proposals. Now you don’t see this as the standard for all proposals. So for the young single ladies, you cannot take this passage and then go to Pastor Kek and say that I want to propose to a man this passage. Now he will need to talk to you and maybe to me also. So yeah, this is what we see alright.

In fact, we will look at more detail now the proposal part of this story in our next session together. But for now, let us come back to verse 4 and continue the narrative. Verse 4: “Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.” (Verse 5) And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.” So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.”.

Now the first thing we see here in these verses is that Ruth did everything that her mother-in-law told her to do. She did everything that Naomi told her to do. And as we look at what Ruth did from the lens of our twenty-first-century eyes, now we may not be able to fully understand now the significance of what she did with all these kinds of rather weird actions of lying down beside his feet, uncovering his feet, et cetera, et cetera. But let me tell you what Ruth was not able to do. Now Ruth was not able to take out her Moabite mobile phone and WeChat or Instagram Boaz’s Jewish mobile phone so that she can text him tonight.

Or she was not able to ask the reapers for Boaz’s number so that she can drop him a WhatsApp text and say that you know let’s go have coffee sometime after your reaping. Now she couldn’t do that, now of course clearly because mobile phones were not available those days now but more so because Ruth was a woman, and women were not too much exposed to a direct opportunity in those days. Now so perhaps here is Ruth’s and Naomi’s attempt at getting Boaz to notice her directly, maybe. But we’re not sure. Maybe that could be the case now because could it be that Boaz may be like some Christian man a little bit more reactive from a relationship standpoint? So he needed some nudge or maybe some push along the way.

Or maybe there is some significance in ancient Jewish culture when you uncover someone else’s feet to signify interest or favour on that person. Perhaps that is the case. You see, these are some reasons as to why Ruth did what she did. So we cannot be dogmatic on the true meaning of what this uncovering of feet account means, especially in this context. Now but what I want to underscore here is this. What I want to underscore is this. I believe that for the author to record for us this portion of Scripture, to record for us this story that happened that evening. Through this account, the author has the intention of leading its readers (especially the Israelites now back then) to think now that there is a possibility of impropriety here.

Through this account, I believe the author is leading its readers to think that there is a possibility of impropriety here. Now see, every Israelite person (at least an Israelite person in those days) when reading this story up until this point would feel that oh, something is going to happen. Now something immodest may happen, and I’ll show you a minute why I say that. In fact, perhaps you yourself when you were reading or hearing this section of this passage read may have had you know similar flashing thoughts kind of racing through your mind. I say this is even more so the case for an Israelite. Now but what must first be emphasised is that neither Boaz nor Ruth crossed the line.

Now there was no account or no record of them crossing the line here. In fact, what we see was such virtue that would literally have thrown his readers off what they had expected. Now therefore, that’s why I highlight my second point as proposing with propriety. What we see here is only propriety, modesty. There was no impropriety here. But yet, there was this sense in which I say that every Israelite in those days (at least when reading this story up to this point) would lean on the side of impropriety now because of this. Now turn with me to Genesis chapter 19. Genesis chapter 19.

Now Genesis 19 is a passage that we are all familiar with. Now, this is the famous story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah where God destroyed the twin cities by fire and brimstone. Now we are familiar with that part of Genesis 19, which is the first part where God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire. But not sure how many of us are familiar with the second part of this chapter. You see, the second part of this chapter is the story of Lot and his two daughters. We know that God destroyed the two cities, and Lot fled with his family; his wife turned back and she became a pillar of salt. So Lot was left with the two daughters. But let me read Genesis 19:30.

Verse 30: “Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave. Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.

(Verse 34) It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.”. Now you see, the story that we see here in Genesis 19 is a story of incest. Now it is a story of daughters laying with their father. Now the Bible is not ashamed to cover up the guilt of men, just highlighting the good portion of men. Again this is one of the reasons why we believe that the Bible is inspired because the Bible speaks it as it is.

Now here is a story of incest. Now verse 36: “Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; now he is the father of the Moabites to this day.”. And so we see in this account the origin of the Moabites. This origin is a corrupted legacy. It is a sexually perverted legacy. Ruth is a Moabites. Ruth comes from this legacy. In Numbers 25 we read of the Israelites committing harlotry with the people of Moab, arousing the anger of the Lord. Now see, so that was the legacy of the Moabites. That was their background. Now the Moabites have a known history of impropriety and immorality. And the Israelites of all people, of course, they knew it.

So with that in mind as we go back to Ruth chapter 3. That’s why I say as we see what was going on here in Ruth chapter 3, it is not surprising now how someone especially an Israelite would have thought the very same thing about Ruth, isn’t it? She was a Moabites. That is their trademark. That is their background. They are alone in the threshing floor, a man and a woman. Something is about to happen here. Something is about to happen here. Now I say that would be the thought process of somebody who knows the history and the origin. Again, on the contrary, that was not what we see. Now in fact, there was no record of anything that was improper at all. But what we find here is holiness and godliness and virtue.

Now see, right where you expect that they would fail or they would fall, now they do not. But you hear people say that oh, I would have fallen in a situation like this, and I would have expected them to fall as well. But the truth is they do not. And how much do we need a Boaz and a Ruth in our generation today, isn’t it? You see our world (I’m sure you can testify) is filled with such immodesty that doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t stop for a moment to glorify all this immorality and fornication all around us. I’m sure all of us are not blinded to it. We can tell in the shopping malls, supermarkets, in the tv shows, in the computers, in the books. Now all these things, we can see the impropriety is almost everywhere. Immodesty is everywhere to be seen.

Now just consider some of these statistics that were taken from Barna Group. Now Barna Group is a leading research company who have interviewed millions of people on various subjects. Now here are just some statistics that were kind of extracted from their research. Well, they said this. Eighty-one percent of young adult men and fifty-six percent of young adult women seek after pornography. Sixty-seven percent of these people do it on a monthly basis. Sixty-seven percent of the first statistics of people are engaged in activities like this on a monthly, regular basis. Thirty-five percent of born-again Christians (quote-unquote born-again Christians) confessed to having a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex to whom they are not married to.

Now think about it. Four out of ten professing believers confess to adultery. I mean I could give you more statistics, but I think it is enough for us to see the decay that is facing us this day on this issue of purity, of propriety, of sexual purity. Now see King David, he cried out after his scandal with Bathsheba in Psalm 51:10. He said: “Create in me a clean heart (or a pure heart), O LORD”. Now Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in First Thessalonians chapter 4. He says to them now this is the will of God. And most of us want to know the will of God. What is God’s will for my life? What is the will of God for my life?

Now Paul says: “this is the will of God, your sanctification”, your holiness. But it doesn’t stop there. “your sanctification: that you may abstain from sexual immorality”. Do you want to know the will of God for your life? God’s will is that you are sexually pure, sexually moral, abstained from sexual immorality. First Corinthians 6:18- “Flee sexual immorality.”. How many passages that we know in the Bible that talk to this issue to the men? Now may we be like Job who has said in Job 31:1. You know what Job 31:1 says? It says that: “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?”. That’s what Job said. I’ve made a covenant with my eyes.

Can you say that? Have you said that? Have you made a covenant with your eyes? What are you looking when no one else is looking? Now it’s been well said that you cannot control what you see. Now we say immorality, impropriety is all around us. We cannot control what we see. You cannot control what you see, but you can control what you look at. What are you looking at in your free time? Are you placing yourself in a dangerous position where you can be compromised either physically or digitally? Have you made a covenant with your eyes?

And to the women, now we know that in the creation of God now men were created to be more visually inclined than women. So would you help your fellow men out in the way you conduct yourself, in the way you adorn yourself? But most of all, First Peter chapter 3. The words of Peter in First Peter chapter 3 say that do not let your adornment be physically tempting on the arrangement of the hair, the wearing of gold, the putting on fine apparel. Which doesn’t mean to say that you cannot you know perm your hair or dye your hair or wear jewellery. But here is a reference to someone purposefully doing something to call attention to one’s outer appearance.

Now Peter says this, rather let beauty- let true beauty be something that is inward on the hidden, “incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious now in the sight of God.”. If you are with me still at Ruth 3, look at verse 11. Verse 11, here is what Boaz said to Ruth: “And now, my daughter (he said), do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”. Okay someone look you in the eye and say that you are a virtuous woman. Now see the truth is this. Now none of us, men or women, have lived a morally pure, modest, sinless, perfect life up to God’s standard. Now the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23- “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

In fact, the Bible tells us that we are not able to. We cannot. We don’t have the ability. We don’t have the capability to live a life that pleases God, even in this area, in this issue of sexual purity, of sexual morality. Now just like the Moabite legacy, we are the same. We have a legacy. We have a trademark. We have a background. We share in that legacy. Now we have all lusted. We have all acted upon our lust. We are all corrupted in that sense. And left to our own, there’s only one thing that we deserve, and that is the wrath and the judgement of a holy God who will not- who will not neglect, who will not overlook sin even in this area, especially in this area. And God will judge. And God has said that He will judge.

But the good news is this. The good news is that we have a Saviour in Christ who is able to bear all our past shameful, dishonourable, guilty sins away. Now He did so by going to the cross for you and for me so that as we look at the cross of Calvary, we see forgiveness of sins. We see God incarnate hanging on the tree, bearing our sins away, past, present, and future so that we can be reconciled to God in heaven. And so if today you feel rotten or shameful or guilty because of anything that you have done in the past, what you can do is you can come to the risen Christ. You can come to the cross and find forgiveness for your sins this very day and through Christ become a new man- become a new man.

Now Paul says that in Colossians you are now made a new man, a new man that is able, that has the true ability now to say no to temptation, to say no to sin, whichever sin that comes your way now all because of what Christ has done, not because of what we have done, now because of what Christ has done on the cross. He will make you a new man. Now that is the transforming work of the gospel. Now the hymn writer says this. He says: “Ask the Saviour to help you, comfort, strengthen, and keep you; He is willing to aid you, and He will carry you through.”. Now for some of us, maybe today is the day that we come and ask the Saviour to help us. Let us pray.

“Our Father in heaven, we come again thankful for Your Word that is sharper than the two-edged sword. It’s able to pierce to the division of soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of our heart. We realise we come face to face with divine truth. Help us as sinners to realise that there is so much evil, so much wicked within our hearts that left to ourselves, who can stand? But we thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank You for the cross that is our only way of salvation, our only hope of being made right with You. May You grant this day that this would be a great day of salvation. For these, we ask and pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.