RUTH 4:1-6

Introduction

A. The law which God gave to Israel demanded perfect and uninterrupted obedience.

1. Since no man is able of himself to keep the law perfectly, God must provide another means
of righteousness
2. So God gave in addition to the law, which condemned the sinner, a plan of salvation
whereby a lawbreaker could receive mercy and pardon.

a. This was all foreshadowed in a provision
God made whereby a slave could be
redeemed and set free

b. Lev.25:47 - 49

II All of This is Typical of Our Kinsman - Redeemer 

A. If the Lord Jesus is to be our kinsman-redeemer he must meet three unalterable conditions. 

1. A close relative - a member of the family of the one to be redeemed

2. He must be able to pay the redemption price

3. He must be willing to act as redeemer and that voluntarily.

B. In the case of Ruth, the nearest kinsman was willing and was related but he failed because
he was not able to pay the price of her redemption

1. That's the case with us, we are members of the family of fallen humanity, we too may
be willing to redeem ourselves and others

2. In this we meet the first two conditions.

3. But when it comes to our ability to pay the price of redemption we fail completely

III. There is One Who Meets All Three Conditions

A. In the story of Ruth, Boaz was related, was able, and willing.

1. Boaz is one of the clearest and most
beautiful types of the Lord Jesus in His
office as redeemer

2. He saw our sad plight, alienated from God
thru sin, spiritually bankrupt and under
the sentence of death.

3. He loved us so much that He purposed to
redeem us and make us His very own.

B. To be this Redeemer He had to meet all three requirements.

1.. He must be related by birth and belong to the family of those to be redeemed

2. He must be able to pay the price of redemption. He must be mighty and wealthy.

3. He must be willing to act as our Redeemer

C. The Bible sets forth clearly that Jesus Christ meets fully all three conditions.

1. He must be a member of the family of fallen Adam.

a. This is the first requirement - but he was the Son of God, not the son of fallen man.

b. He is the Creator - not the creature. He belonged to the Divine family not the
human family.

c. As such He could not be our Redeemer

d. To be a redeemer He must be the nearest kinsman who is able to pay.

2. To be a kinsman, He must enter the family of fallen humanity, He must become flesh and
blood.

a. It is for this reason we have the absolute necessity of the Virgin Birth and the Incarnation

b. The first step in our redemption was the supernatural conception and virgin birth
of our Savior.

3. Jesus left the glories of the Father's house, laid aside the form of God, stepped down from the parapets of heaven and went down, down, down, down past constellations and systems, thru the measureless spaces of the heavens, through galaxies and innumerable groups of worlds, until He stopped at a comparatively infinitesimally small speck of matter we call this earth. He stopped at an insignificant village in Galilee, there to take up His abode in the womb of an obscure Jewish maiden, to be nourished by her blood, to grow like any other human in the dark recess of a mother's womb, to be born like any other baby, to cry, to smile, to creep, to walk, to suffer hunger and thirst, in weariness and pain, and family pay the price of humanity's sin by dying like a criminal on a pagan cross. 
All this to meet the requirement of our redemption.

4. Without the Virgin girth our redemption would be illegal, a violation of every principle of God's plan of salvation
Listen to Galations 4:  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of Sons (Gal: 4:4,5) And the writer of Hebrews adds his testimony: Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. And deliver (redeem) them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject  to bondage.

For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people (Heb.2 :14-17)

D. Second Requirement -  Redeemer must be able to pay the price of redemption.

1. Naomi must have had tremendous debt because her nearest kinsman couldn't redeem it.

a. Boaz however was wealthy enough to redeem her lands and debts and still have plenty.

b. What a picture of Christ this presents - For when He became poor for our sakes by becoming man He did not cease to be Almighty God.'

c. He was both God and man

d. The only remedy for death is life - To redeem us from death He had to give His
life

e. Because He was human He could take my sin and my place - because He was God He could pay the price of redemption for the whole world of sinners

2. So Jesus meets the first two requirements He is related to us by human birth - secondly, He was powerful and wealthy enough to pay the price of our sin

E. Third Requirement - He must be willing

A. His payment for sin was by an act of His will

1. He willingly, voluntarily, laid down His life for us

2. Jesus did not have to redeem us-There was nothing in us to demand it and there was
certainly nothing about us that makes us appealing.

a. He chose to pay our sin debt because He chose to love us.

b. We deserve to go to hell but because of His grace He provides for us a way to
heaven.

3. Indeed our Kinsman - Redeemer was willing to die, willing to give His life that we might 1ife

There was One who was willing to die in my stead, that a soul so unworthy might live;

And the path to the Cross He was willing to tread; all the sins of my life to forgive.

4. I trust you have responded to that wonderful redemptive plan and that you growingly appreciate it the longer you live.