Emmanuel: The God Who Redeems
Sermon Notes – Bulletin Insert
Redeem Definition –
Book of Ruth
Ch. 1 – They left ___________ only to find more _____________
This is a _____________ story
Naomi means _____________ and Mara means __________________
Ch. 2 – We meet _____________
A “Guardian-Redeemer” or “Kinsman-Redeemer” is a legal term for one who had the obligation to ______________ a relative in distress
Ch. 3 – A ________________ proposal
Ch. 4 – Ruth and Naomi are ______________ by Boaz
Matthew 1:5 – ______________ is included in the genealogy of Jesus
The Boaz and Ruth story is a small glimpse of the ______________ story, the Great _________________.
12/16/18 – Connect Group Discussion Guide
Story of Ruth
• Can someone tell the whole story of Ruth?
• Scan over chapters 1-4 – read any verses that might help explain the whole story, or read the whole book as a group.
• What are your thoughts on this story? What stands out to you?
Ch. 1
• How does Naomi experience suffering in this part of the story? (1:1-5)
• What do you admire about the character of Ruth?
• Why was she so determined to go with Naomi? (1:16, 17)
• How is this a conversion story?
Ch. 2 and 3
• What do you admire about the character of Boaz?
• Why is Boaz willing to protect Ruth?
• What is a guardian-redeemer or kinsman-redeemer? What are they supposed to do? How is Boaz the redeemer for Ruth and Naomi?
Ch. 4
• What contrasts do you see with how this story begins (Ch. 1) and how it ends (Ch. 4)?
o (Example: begins with death and ends with new life).
• What parallels do you see in this story and in the Jesus story? (Bethlehem; love for foreigners/outsiders; redeemer, etc.)
• Look at the genealogy at the end of Ruth and then look at Jesus’ genealogy… (Matt. 1:5) – how do they connect?
Redemption
• How would you describe this word “redeem” or “redemption”?
• Have you used this word in a sentence before? If so, how?
• Do you think this word sounds like just a “church word” to anyone not familiar with our biblical lingo?
• How does Jesus redeem us?
Self-Reflection
• Do you feel redeemed? Or do you ever have trouble feeling like God has truly redeemed you?
• How do we, as individuals and as a church, join God to help redeem others?
Prayer
• Spend some time in prayer and continue to pray for God to lead or church towards the vision