I. Live in the shadow of MORTALITY… 9:1-6

II. LIVE (!!!) in the shadow of mortality! 9:7-10

There's no gain in working merely to gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain.

I. Why are you toiling your tail off?

II. What more do you need to be content?

Center your life on God and you will get pleasure "thrown in." Center your life on pleasure and you will get neither.

1. The Deliberate Pleasure-Seeker (2:1-8)

2. The Vanity of Pleasure (2:9-11)

3. God-Centered Pleasure (2:24-26, 8:15, 9:7-9)

I. The Worth of Wisdom

II. The Weariness of Wisdom

III. The Limits of Wisdom

IV. The of Wisdom of God

I. A Complex Preacher, 1:1

II. A Gloomy Perspective, 1:2-3

III. A Frustrating Cycle, 1:4-8

IV. An Unexpected Hope, 1:9-11

I. The Prospect of Redemption (4:1-6)

II. The Process of Redemption (4:7-12)

III. The Promise of Redemption (4:13-22)

Main Idea: We're called to respond to the providence of God with gospel-driven faithfulness.

I. Naomi's faith-filled plan (3:1-5)

II. Ruth's faith-filled obedience (3:6-9)

III. Boaz's faith-filled response (3:10-15)

God always restores your losses. Every devastation from God will be compensated for by his restoration.

God works quietly - 2:3 - 2:20

The pain behind our losses - 2:1-2 (see also 1:20-21)

The man who restores - 2:20 - 2:23

​Main Idea: ​God uses our bitter suffering to bring us into sweet fellowship with Him through repentance.

I.​ ​The Bitter Cost of Repentance (1:7-14)

II.​ ​The Sweet Reward of Suffering (1:15-22)

God may not change your bitter life circumstances, but He can change your bitterness in your life circumstances.

I. Setting Up the Scene (vv. 1-2)

II. When Life Goes from Bad to Worse (vv. 3-5)

III. Sweet Grace for the Bitter Life (v. 6)