Behold...(John 19)

John 19:5 - Behold the man!
cf. Zech 6:12
Loftiness of Christ
The Sinless Man

John 19:14 - Behold your King!
cf. Zech 9:9
Lowliness of Christ
The Sovereign Monarch

John 19:26,27 - Behold thy son! Behold thy mother!
Loveliness of Christ
The Sympathetic Master

Fate of the Faithful

Righteousness Reviled (Rev 13:15)
Righteousness Rewarded (Rev 19:8)
Righteousness Reigns (Rev 20:4)
Righteousness Resides (Rev 21:3)

Pictures of Christ from the Flock

The Lamb - His Suffering
Revelations 5:6 - a Lamb as it had been slain
Isaiah 53:7 - as a lamb to the slaughter

The Sheep - His Submission 
Isaiah 53:7 - as a sheep before her shearers

The Ram - His Strength
Genesis 22:13 - a ram caught in a thicket by his horns

Worship in Revelation 4

Rev 4:8-9
The four beasts did not stop their worship. They gave glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne.

Rev 4:10
The 24 elders did not stand there wilfully. They fell down before Him that sat on the throne.

Rev 4:10
The 24 elders did not savour their wreaths. They cast them before the throne.

Descriptions of Grace in Ephesians

The Glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6)
We see the Person of the Beloved.
We enjoy Acceptance.

The Riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7)
We see the Price of His Blood.
We enjoy Forgiveness.

The Exceeding Riches of His grace (Ephesians 2:7)
We see the Pleasantness of His Behavior.
We enjoy Kindness.

Beneath Thy Cross

Am I a stone, and not a sheep,
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath thy cross,
To number drop by drop Thy Blood's slow loss,
And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon--
I, only I.

Yet give not o'er,
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock. 

Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894) 

Matthew - The King's Person

Matthew 1 - Birth of the King
The Son of David, The Son of Abraham (Matt 1:1)
Greatness: He is God (Matt 1:23)
Grace: He is God with us (Matt 1:23)

Matthew 2 - Bethlehem of Judaea
The Son out of Egypt (Matt 2:15)
Greatness: He is worshipped as one born King (Matt 2:2)
Grace: He subjects Himself to the care of earthly parents (Matt 2:14-15)

Matthew 3 - Baptism of repentance
The Son of the Father (Matt 3:17)
Greatness: He is the Lord for whom John prepared the way (Matt 3:3)
Grace: He subjects Himself to being baptised by John (Matt 3:15) 

Matthew 4 - Beginning of the ministry
The Son of God (Matt 4:3, 6)
Greatness: He is in control of everything He created (Matt 4:24)
Grace: He subjects Himself to being tempted by His creation (Matt 4:1)

Outline of Matthew

The King's Person (Matt 1:1 - 4:25)
The King's Principles (Matt 5:1 - 7:29)
The King's Power (Matt 8:1 - 12:50)
The King's Programme (Matt 13:1 - 23:39)
The King's Prophecies (Matt 24:1 - 25:46)
The King's Passion (Matt 26:1 - 28:20)

* This outline is borrowed but I can't remember its source.

Resting

Once my hands were always trying, 
Trying hard to do my best; 
Now my heart is sweetly trusting,
And my soul is all at rest.


Once my brain was always planning,
And my heart, with cares oppressed;
Now I trust the Lord to lead me, 
And my life is all at rest. 

Once my life was full of effort,
Now 'tis full of joy and zest;
Since I took His yoke upon me,
Jesus gives to me His rest. 

A. B. Simpson

Ruth 4:11-17

The Benediction (Ruth 4:11-12)
* vs. 11 - Glory given to a stranger (comp. Eph 2:5)
* vs. 12 - Grace shown to a sinner (comp. Eph 2:6)

The Birth (Ruth 4:13)

The Blessings (Ruth 4:14-15)
* Christ is the Restorer of our life (He saves us - Heb 7:25)
* Christ is the nourisher of our old age (He sustains us - Jude 24)

The Bosom (Ruth 4:16)

The Baby (Ruth 4:17)
* Obed means service or worship. So appropriate that the result of redemption is service and worship.

Ruth Chapter 4

1 Cor 1:30-31

Boaz is a beautiful picture of Christ as our Redeemer.

Our Redeemer is:

Willing

·          Ruth 4:6 - The nearer kinsman said he cannot redeem when in actual fact, he will not because he was afraid it would mar his own inheritance.

·          The Lord Jesus is willing to redeem us (compare with Matt 8:2-3; John 10:18 and contrast with 2 Pet 3:9).

Able

·          Ruth 4:9-10 - We see that Boaz was able to redeem all including Ruth.

·          In Ruth 2:1, Boaz is described as “a mighty man of wealth” or “a man of good standing”. The description would include wealth, virtue and strength (Strong’s).

·          The Lord Jesus is able to redeem us (Eph 2:4 – wealth; 1 Pet 1:19 – virtue; Heb 7:25 & Jude 24 – strength).

Sacrificial

·          When we compare Ruth 4:6 and Ruth 4:10, we see that Boaz was not concerned about his own inheritance nor was he concerned about his reputation for redeeming a Moabitess.

·          The Lord Jesus is sacrificial to redeem us (2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:6-7; Jn 10:11).

Gracious

·          The 5 occurrences of the description “Ruth the Moabitess” in the book is not by accident. In Ruth 4:10 we see that Boaz emphasizes the roots of the woman he is taking to wife. He is gracious towards the one who is condemned (c.f. Deut 23:3).

·          The Lord Jesus is gracious to redeem us (Eph 1:6; 2:5-7; 3:8).

Ruth Chapter 3

The Counsel (Ruth 3:1-4)
The Compliance (Ruth 3:5-7)
The Consequence (Ruth 3:8-18)

There are things we can learn regarding our behaviour when we come into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ from Ruth being in the presence of Boaz:
The preparation to enter into the presence (Ruth 3:3)
The punctuality when entering into the presence (Ruth 3:3)
The place when entered into the presence (Ruth 3:4)
The purity when enjoying the presence (Ruth 3:5-14)
The provision from entering into the presence (Ruth 3:15-17)
The promise when exiting the presence (Ruth 3:18)

Two items of clothing found in the chapter:
Boaz's 'skirt' (Ruth 3:9) - speaks of protection, promise, possesion (cf. Ezekiel 16:8)
Ruth's shawl (Ruth 3:15) - speaks of provision

Ruth Chapter 2

Ruth in the Family (Ruth 2:1-3; 18-23) - Dutiful
Courteous (Ruth 2:2, 9) - she is respectful
Conscientious (Ruth 2:2) - she is responsible
Compassionate (Ruth 2:18, 23) - she is reassuring
Compliant (Ruth 2:22-23; 3:5) - she is reliable

Ruth in the Field (Ruth 2:4-17) - Diligent
Hardworking (Ruth 2:7, 17)
Humble (Ruth 2:7, 10, 13)

Boaz in the Field (a picture of Christ)
Personal (Ruth 2:4-5) - He recognizes his workers and spots Ruth
Protects (Ruth 2:9, 15-16) - He charges his workers and protects Ruth
Provides (Ruth 2:9, 14-17) - He commands his workers and provides for Ruth