Until Christ returns in judgment, the church must remove ungodly leaders who lead us away from the weal of the gospel to the woe of the Lord’s judgment.

Turning to the truth of the gospel is the only way out of the destruction that comes from living according to lies. 

Contending for the faith looks a lot like the self-denial of Christ as we are conformed into His image.

Faith in Jesus gives us confidence to contend with sin.

Christian growth comes by savoring the goodness of Jesus, which looks insane to a world that says to glory in your own strength.

Haggai calls Israel to account for their having abandoned the rebuilding of the temple. So what does this have to do with us who have no temple? Or do we? We do, Jesus is the true temple. And Jesus dwells in the midst of His church by His Spirit.  Like the call of Yahweh to the returned exiles, Jesus calls us to repent of our idolatrous priorities as we work toward the edification of His church.

As we go through this lesson I have three main points:

I.Be strong in the Lord when your work seems pathetic.

II.Take comfort in Christ’s presence as He works for His glory.

III.Hope for Christ’s return when we will dwell in the light of His glory forevermore!

And the message is to be encouraged during your sojourn here on earth. Keep your chin up, Christ dwells with us!

Today we will see the great things that God has done in Ruth and consider that He also has done great things for us. And as we travel through this world on the way to our eternal destination, dealing with the miseries of sin and the distractions of life, this text reminds us that we have much more to be thankful for than we can ever know.

We will see that we have much to be thankful for, and as we do let us rejoice that God has redeemed us through His Servant Son!

I. Rejoice for a redeemer who perfectly redeems!

II. Rejoice in the faithfulness of our God!

III. Rejoice that we have been given a great king!

Naomi schemes to snag a man for Ruth in Boaz, but they work to bring her a better rest. When you get impatient with God, remember His patience with you.