In the end is God, and those restored in Christ. In Acts, we see the promises of the New Covenant fulfilled and the Church - God's covenant people - established. In the Epistles, we see the growth and development of the Church - as she begins to fulfill God's mission to reach the nations with the Gospel. And in Revelation, we see the final consummation of God's restoration work - every promise kept, every enemy slain, and the presence of God in every square inch of the New Heaven and New Earth. The dwelling place of God is with man once more, and all is right again. 

Christ is the person and His work is the way of restoration. The Gospels show us that all the promises of God really do have their "yes, and Amen" in the person of Christ. He is the God-Man that kept the Law, the Lamb who died a substitutionary death, and the King who conquered death. And because He did, we can dwell with God forever. 

The writings and the prophets point to promises fulfilled in a person. Though the wisdom writings and the prophets can often feel challenging for us as modern readers, they remind us of our need for restoration and point us to the One who delivers it. 

Israel rises, falls, and returns home. The history books chronicle a thousand years of Israelite history. This portion of the Bible is designed in a way that draws our attention the Davidic Covenant. And the Covenant with David is ultimately designed to point to the eternal house of God established by an eternal King who sits on an eternal throne. 

God delivers and sets apart His people. The people of Israel are delivered by the God who has seen and cared about their suffering. In faithfulness to His promises, God enters into covenant relationship with the people of Israel... and while the terms of the Mosaic Covenant can be confusing to us, they actually serve to remind us of the goodness and glory of God. The story of the Exodus is really every Christian's story. 

Sin deforms but God promises to restore. The Fall and the promise of the Offspring set up the plot for all of Scripture. Seeing the faithfulness of God to keep His promises throughout the time of the Patriarchs establishes a pattern for how God has partnered with mankind from the beginning. 

In the beginning was God, and He made everything very good. The opening chapters of Scripture have a lot to teach us about who God is, why He created, and what the Bible is about. This is the genesis of the Christian Story. 

The genealogy that closes an otherwise fast-moving book of the Bible is more than meets the eye. In our last session, we look at the significance of ending the book of Ruth this way and why a list of names offers great hope.

It can be tempting to read Ruth 3 and walk away thinking much of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. As it turns out, there is a character at work in the chapter who goes unnamed. We will be greatly encouraged if we have eyes to see Him orchestrating both the ordinary and extraordinary moments of life. 

The generosity Boaz shows Ruth on chapter two is radical. In this session we explore how that generosity is a shadow of the generosity Christ extends, embodies, and commands.