8th Feb 26 pm Love is the Law

And it was paid when the light of the world was nailed to that cross, Punished in our place, pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins, beaten so that we could be whole, whipped so that we could be healed. Christ counted the cost, and in his boundless grace and his unfathomable love, he paid it anyway. By his blood, we were washed clean, forsaken so that we could be forgiven just as God in his loyal covenant love had promised. [00:27:09] (38 seconds)  #paidByHisBlood

What he did on that cross was the ultimate act of love. He became kin to redeem us. He lived a perfect life to reveal God's character to us, and then he died in our place. How remarkable that he loves me in this way. How remarkable that he loves you in this way, that he loves all of us in this way. The creator of the universe suffered humiliation. He suffered pain beyond our imagining, and he did it all for the love that he bears for you. [00:28:40] (42 seconds)  #ultimateActOfLove

As Boaz went into the city to redeem Ruth and make her his bride, so Christ came into Jerusalem to redeem us and make the church his bride. And he did it not out of obligation, but out of love. That love of God that is the law, it was in that love that Christ lived, and it was for that love that Christ went to the cross. [00:20:19] (25 seconds)  #boazAsChristType

If they had financial advisors back in the day, Boaz's would be screaming down the phone at him not to do it. There's no logical, earthly reason for him to go through with this. And yet, the love of Boaz is that he says, today, Ruth, I surrender my family line for your line. This is my death for your life. [00:26:09] (23 seconds)  #deathForYourLife

Love pays the price. God's loyal covenant love. In this way, Boaz is such a staggering picture of Christ. God incarnate, God taking on flesh, becoming our kin, so that in doing so, he could redeem us. And there was a price. There was such a price, but it was a price willingly paid. [00:26:39] (30 seconds)  #lovePaysThePrice

And yet it's all just a shadow. Everything in this story is a shadow. Boaz is this in this story is a shadow of Christ, and everything in this story is pointing us to Christ and to the cross. That he died so that our names would not be blotted out. That he suffered so that the dead, that's us, the spiritually dead, would have an inheritance in him. [00:30:42] (28 seconds)  #shadowPointingToChrist

And if we have a genuine love for Christ, we will want to obey his teachings. We will want to honor God in all that we do, and to live lives worthy of the calling to which we have been called. Christ counted the cost, and he paid the price willingly. He did that for you. He did that for me. He paid the price. And accepting that, what price are we willing to pay for him? [00:37:13] (30 seconds)  #whatPriceWillYouPay

What we see so clearly throughout this passage is a reflection of God's character in Boaz. What we see so clearly is God's love and mercy to send us a redeemer who will take our punishment. There was nothing we could do on our own, nothing that we could ever do to earn our own forgiveness. We could never pay the price, so Christ paid it. He loved you in this way that even knowing your every sin, he still paid it. Even knowing the cost of the cross, he still paid it. [00:39:21] (39 seconds)  #gracePaidOurDebt

There was such a price, but it was a price willingly paid. And it was paid when the light of the world was nailed to that cross, Punished in our place, pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins, beaten so that we could be whole, whipped so that we could be healed. Christ counted the cost, and in his bindless grace and his unfathomable love, he paid it anyway. By his blood, we were washed clean, forsaken so that we could be forgiven just as God in his loyal covenant love had promised. [00:27:04] (42 seconds)