Redeemer Church of Waterford

The Book of Ruth opens with three funerals, leaving three widows bereft of their husbands. In this story, God speaks to the wounded hearts of those who have been separated by death from the love of their life.

In response to the provision and protection of Boaz, Ruth questions why she - a stranger to the covenants of Israel - should find grace in the eyes of Boaz. This is the question every redeemed sinner must ask of our covenant keeping God.

The vulnerability of Ruth displays itself in her bold yet humble persistence when she happens upon the field of Boaz, her near kinsman, who lavishes her with unexpected and undeserved provision and protection.

There has been nothing but silence between Naomi and Ruth on the 80 mile journey from Moab to Bethlehem. Arriving in the city, returning to familiar surroundings, to old friends, seeing the places where no doubt she had previously been accompanied by Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion, Naomi bursts into lament. This is no joyous homecoming for her. It is a stark reminder of all that she has lost and of...

Ruth's decision to follow Naomi away from Moab into Judah was not an emotional one, but rather made with a "steadfast mind" - courageous intentions with a full understanding of the implications.

In the midst of the dark circumstances of the opening verses of Ruth, Naomi has concluded that the hand of the Lord is against her. But we're only 13 verses in to an 85 verse story. We must never allow the dark circumstances of our lives to dictate how the story might end.

God uses a series of seemingly unfortunate events to make one of His enemies - Ruth the Moabitiess - His child, and gives to her a crucial role in His eternal plan to bring to pass His Sovereign purposes for the salvation of the world.

How is God using the difficult circumstances of your life – pain, illness, disappointment, poverty, bereavement – to unfold His perfect plan which is yet unknown to you? The answer lies within the Book of Ruth.

If we have nothing to give to God, how then are we able to give to Him the glory that is due Him? What does the Bible mean when it says "to God alone be glory?" We look back at the glory of God in the Old Testament Tabernacle, in the revelation of the God in the person of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, and the practical ways we are commanded to give God glory in our own lives.

Christ alone is Savior, Sovereign, Superior and Sufficient. By their declaration of "Christ Alone," the Reformers denied that there are any other means by which we are made righteous other than through the substitutionary death of Jesus and his eternal session for us at the Father's right hand.

Christ alone is Savior, Sovereign, Superior and Sufficient. By their declaration of "Christ Alone," the Reformers denied that there are any other means by which we are made righteous other than through the substitutionary death of Jesus and his eternal session for us at the Father's right hand.

How is can sinful human beings ever have a relationship with a holy God? The Bible says that our relationship with God is not based on our goodness, or our religious observances, our good works, or our self-righteousness. Rather God justified us by faith in what Jesus has accomplished through his death in our place.

How extensive is the bondage of our will? The Roman Catholic Church teaches that our will is not so bound by sin that it cannot cooperate with God in choosing to be saved. The Reformers responded that the human will is not free at all, but in bondage to our sinful depravity, so that only God acting independently of our wills and according to his mercy can save us. (Titus 2:11)

How is a sinner made right with a holy God? The Protestant Reformers reply, “We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to the Scriptures alone for the glory of God alone.” The Reformers believed that the place to discover the answer to their question (“How can a sinner be made right with a holy God?”) is found in Scripture alone.

When we mediate in the law of the Lord, we enjoy four soul-enriching results: Planted, Producing, Principled, Prospering.

Psalm 1 shows us what a godly man looks like in three negatives (v. 1), two positives (v. 2), and a picture (v. 3).

What does David have in mind here when he warns against walking in the counsel of the ungodly? Every Psalm has a backstory. The backstory of Psalm 1 (specifically vv. 1 & 2) is 2 Samuel 15:12 – 17:23. David had a counselor who becomes a conspirator against him, siding with David’s son Absalom in the rebellion against David. His name is Ahithophel David had a companion who becomes a confident to Da...

From the time he was old enough to speak, David would have begun each morning reciting the Shema from Deuteronomy 6: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” No reason is given – just a command that we love the Lord. Psalm 116 is the Anti-Shema: In the Shema, we are hearing (“Hear, O Israel”); In Psalm 116, God is hearing (“The Lord h...

In our time, man is the center and the end of all things. He is the “captain of his fate and master of his soul.” In the 90th Psalm, Moses demonstrates the utter folly of assuming we are anything without God. In the transient nature of life, the everlasting God is our dwelling place.

Noah and his family have spent one year in the ark. At the end of that year, and the beginning of his new year, he sanctifies his new year. What can we learn from Noah about how to sanctify our new year?