The King of Kindness

Ruth 4:17-22 December 26, 2021 Pastor Ricky Alcantar

Thesis Jesus is the redeeming King whose coming fulfills the story of Ruth, extends God's kingdom beyond what Boaz or David could accomplish, and calls us to live as faithful outposts of his reign until he returns.

Series

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Type

Expository

Tone

didacticcelebratorypastoral

Method

redemptive-historicalcanonicalgrammatical-historical

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

24 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #20

"The pastor issues an evangelistic invitation to those who don't yet know Jesus, warning that autonomous self-rule leads to the downward spiral depicted in Judges and urging them to come to the King who, as the better Boaz, offers redemption and rescue from judgment."

Doctrinal loci· 9 surfaced

Christology · 9 Soteriology · 6 Hamartiology · 5 Anthropology · 4 Ecclesiology · 4 Covenant Theology · 3 Eschatology · 3 Ethics / Moral Theology · 1 Sanctification · 1

Bible citations· 14

Illustrations· 3

cultural reference · unit #1 — The pastor uses the cultural phenomenon of Marvel post-credits scenes to illustrate how individual stories are revealed to be part of a much larger narrative arc, setting up the interpretive framework for understanding Ruth's genealogy as a window into God's larger redemptive plan.
personal story · unit #4 — Using a personal story about his toddler son Anson, the pastor illustrates humanity's universal impulse to assert autonomous authority and reject external rule—the same pattern that defined Israel in the book of Judges.
hypothetical · unit #15 — The pastor returns to the Marvel post-credits illustration, now using it to depict the biblical-theological progression from Ruth's happy ending to David's birth to the ultimate fulfillment: Jesus born in the same Bethlehem with angels announcing the arrival of the true King.

Theological claims· 7

When everyone decides to be in charge and not follow the Lord, it produces a downward spiral of increasing moral and spiritual darkness. unit #5
Boaz functions as a good king over one small corner of Israel, demonstrating through justice, care, and redemption what righteous rule looks like. unit #9
The contrast between Judges and Ruth should create in the reader a longing for someone who can extend Boaz's righteous rule to all of Israel, and the genealogy reveals that such a king is coming. unit #10
David's failure created the need for another ruler, and for generations Israel waited in tension wondering if God's promises to David and Abraham would ever be fulfilled. unit #14
Jesus is the redeeming King who extends God's rule beyond Boaz's corner and David's nation to the entire world and all generations, and unlike David, he lived perfectly and will never fail. unit #16
Since Jesus came, the kingdom of God has been spreading heart by heart and church by church, with each local church serving as an outpost of God's rule in the world. unit #17
Advent captures the tension between celebrating Christ's first coming and longing for his return when God's kingdom will be acknowledged everywhere and every knee will bow before the Lord. unit #18

Quotations· 3

"In those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes" — Book of Judges (unit #3)

"The Lord be with you." — Boaz (unit #8)

"In those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes" — Book of Judges (unit #10)

Read it

Full transcript

13,812 characters 24 units ~15 min reading time Listen instead →

0 · The pastor opens by welcoming the congregation, acknowledging the special nature of the service where kids ministry has been brought into the main service, and transitions the congregation to open their Bibles to Ruth while orienting them to its canonical location between Judges and 1 Samuel

Ah, so good, guys. So good. Well, if you're new here, what a Sunday to— for this to be your first Sunday. Welcome. Our church isn't always like this, but we have, in a sense, uh, brought our kids ministry into our service.

And so I hope you as adults have enjoyed getting a glimpse into seeing what our kids get to experience on, uh, every Sunday in kids ministry. I think we really do teach the Bible and we really do point to Jesus and I am so grateful. And I think after watching, uh, this, you're like, man, our kids ministry teachers, they really put in some work. They do. I love it.

Um, and so hope you've enjoyed that. Now we are going to turn in our Bibles to the book of Ruth. So if you have a Bible, uh, you're gonna, you're gonna want to find the book of Ruth, even if you're a kid, and you're gonna want to see it's right after the book of Judges and right before the book of 1 Samuel. And we're going to read the very end of Ruth, and you heard that in the song. And we love, we love doing the song because you get to see all the way from, all the way down to Jesus, how many generations God was faithful.

1 · The pastor uses the cultural phenomenon of Marvel post-credits scenes to illustrate how individual stories are revealed to be part of a much larger narrative arc, setting up the interpretive framework for understanding Ruth's genealogy as a window into God's larger redemptive plan

Now, I want to ask a question before we read this text. Has anybody ever seen, I doubt it, a Marvel superhero movie? Has anybody ever seen one of those? I don't know, they're kind of an underground thing right now. Some people like them.

If you've seen a Marvel superhero movie, here's what happens. The movie ends and the credits come up, and do you leave at that point? No. What will you miss if you leave when the credits first come up? The post-credits scene, and then if you stay to the very bitter end, The post, post-credits scene, right?

Some people saw Spider-Man and did, was that all when the credits came up? No, what happened at the end? Venom, right? And then at the very end, Doctor Strange 2 with evil Doctor Strange, right? There's more stuff.

And so here's what happens at the end of every Marvel movie. I remember the first one with Iron Man. You see Iron Man, Iron Man movie ends, credits end, and then what comes up? Nick Fury shows up and says, oh, I'm starting this initiative called the Avengers. And you realize all of a sudden that the movie you just watched was actually part of a huge, big, overarching story.

2 · The pastor reads the genealogy from Ruth 4:17-22 and explains its canonical function: it reveals that Ruth's story is not merely about one family's redemption but serves as a crucial link in God's larger plan to bring a redeeming king

And in the same way, that's exactly what we see at the end of the book of Ruth. It says in verse 17 that they named this child born to Ruth and Boaz Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. And then it gives all the generations after. These are the generations of Perez.

Perez fathered Hezron. Hezron fathered Ram. Ram fathered Amminadab. Amminadab fathered Nahshon. Jeshua fathered Salmon.

What a name. Salmon fathered Boaz. Boaz fathered Obed. Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. That is the word of the Lord.

Now, why is that there? Well, because what happens at the end of Ruth, you find that you think that the book of Ruth is just about God's kindness and redemption to one family, to Naomi and to Ruth. And what the end of the book of Ruth does is it puts that story in context with the whole big overarching story of God's people and God's plan of redemption. And so we've talked about how Ruth— in Ruth we've learned about the kindness of God and how the kindness of God comes through a redeemer. But the amazing thing you see at the end of Ruth is this, that God's kindness comes through a redeeming king, that this is actually a story about a king, and a king that was yet to come.

Now, the book before the book of Ruth is what? Which book? What's the book right before Ruth? Judges. Now, uh, just a thumbs up or thumbs down, is Judges a positive book or a negative book?

Who thinks it's a great book? Everybody thumbs down. All right, how do God's people do in the book of Judges? Thumbs up or thumbs down? They do very poorly.

It starts out bad and it gets worse from there. The book of Judges is a downward spiral, and the epitaph over the whole book of Judges is— and before I say that, God's people had moved into the Promised Land. God was supposed to be their king. They had no king. They were just supposed to follow the Lord.

Did they do that? No. And so there was a need for someone to come and lead God's people to follow the Lord.

3 · The pastor reads the concluding verse of Judges to establish the book's summary statement—Israel's kingless chaos where each person became their own authority

And here's the epitaph at the end of Judges, Judges 21 through 25. If you're at the Book of Ruth, you can actually read this, Judges 21 to 25.

It says, in those days there was no king in Israel, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes, right?

4 · Using a personal story about his toddler son Anson, the pastor illustrates humanity's universal impulse to assert autonomous authority and reject external rule—the same pattern that defined Israel in the book of Judges

So essentially what happens in Israel is everybody decides they're the king, right? If you have a little brother As a toddler, you already know this, they come out and toddlers assume they are the king or queen, right? Like we tell Anson, our 2-year-old, stuff all the time. No, Anson, you can't do that.

And he says, no, do it. Right? Like, Anson, you can't have that anymore. No, have it. Like you're just like, no, you're not the king, right?

That's what happens to all of us. We all assume we are the king. We're gonna be in charge.

5 · The pastor makes the theological claim that autonomous self-rule leads to moral and spiritual deterioration, establishing the dark context against which Ruth's story of redemption shines

And what happens when everybody decides to be in charge and not follow the Lord is it gets worse and worse and worse. And that's the backdrop to the book of Ruth.

6 · The pastor pivots from the darkness of Judges to the contrasting light of Boaz's rule in Ruth, setting up the next section's exposition of Boaz as a model ruler

So you have this land in a sense of darkness in God's people. But what do you see in Boaz?

7 · The pastor establishes Boaz as a localized exception to Israel's moral chaos—a righteous ruler whose leadership creates a pocket of light in the surrounding darkness

In Boaz, you see in this one little corner of Israel in Bethlehem, and in one corner of Bethlehem, there is a place where someone good is in charge.

8 · The pastor unpacks specific examples of Boaz's righteous leadership: his acknowledgment of the Lord's authority, his just treatment of workers, his protective care for the vulnerable outsider Ruth, and his redemptive action toward Naomi and Ruth—all of which demonstrate covenant faithfulness rather than autonomous rule

Remember Boaz when he shows up to his fields? He's not just doing whatever is right in his own eyes. What does he say? To his workers, "The Lord be with you." Meaning he's saying essentially, "I'm under the authority of the Lord and this field is going to run according to the Lord's design." He says, "Listen, this outcast named Ruth, we don't know who— like, we don't know where she's from. She's from the Moabites. We're not going to mistreat her. We're going to bring her in.

We're going to care for her. In fact, nobody is allowed to mistreat her." And he goes and he redeems Naomi and Ruth, which is amazing and kind of shocking in that day and that era, he does all of this.

9 · The pastor articulates the theological significance of Boaz: he functions as a localized king whose righteous rule creates a kingdom-in-miniature characterized by justice, care, and redemption—a preview of what Israel needs on a national scale

And what you see is, if the whole landscape of Israel is dark in the book of Judges, there's one little corner of Israel where there's light. It's almost as though— you could say it this way— it's almost as though there is a king over one tiny corner of Israel named Boaz, and he is a good king. The people who work with him and for him, he cares for and does justice, and he redeems He redeems those who need redemption.

10 · The pastor articulates the narrative tension created by Boaz's localized redemption: the reader should long for someone to extend this kind of righteous rule to all of Israel, and the genealogy hints that such a king is coming through Boaz's line

And when you contrast the book of Judges with the book of Ruth, what you should be thinking is, "Man, I really wish somebody could do that for all of Israel." And that's the end of the book of Judges. It's like, this guy's great-grandson is on the way.

11 · The pastor identifies the canonical fulfillment of Ruth's genealogy in the book of 1 Samuel, which narrates David's rise to kingship

And the book of 1 Samuel, if you flip to the end of Ruth, chapter 4, 1 Samuel is all about what? It's about the rise of King Saul. David.

12 · The pastor traces David's redemptive-historical significance: he expands God's rule from Boaz's localized corner to the entire nation of Israel, demonstrates genuine love for God through the Psalms and self-sacrificial service (facing Goliath), and receives God's promise of an eternal dynasty that appears to fulfill both the Abrahamic covenant and the protoevangelium

And what David does in redemptive history is really remarkable. He— so if Boaz brings the light of God's rule and kingship to one little corner of one little city, David takes that light and expands it to the whole nation of Israel. Finally, the Lord— though there is a person that you read the Psalms, his songs to the Lord, there's a person who loves the Lord, who wants to serve the Lord, who's willing to do— even sacrifice himself almost at one point point to face a giant and serve the Lord by almost dying. This David extends the rule of God and the kingship of God to the land of Israel. And you think, yes, and God gives him a promise.

Somebody from your line, David, will stay on the throne forever. And you're like, this is it. And he's going to fulfill the promise to Abraham, to, you know, to through him all the nations of the world will be blessed and fulfill the promise given to Adam that somebody will come from his line and crush the head of the serpent. And you're like, this is it, it's David. He's extending the rule of God everywhere.

13 · The pastor exposes David's moral failure—adultery, murder, and other sins—revealing that even the best human king remains corrupted by the darkness that pervades all humanity

Until he doesn't, right? At the very end, what you see is David, well, he commits adultery, he murders someone, he, I mean, really, you see like, oh, this is, and you realize that the darkness in humanity extends even to the best human king. He could extend the rule of God to the whole nation, but he couldn't extend it all the way in his heart.

14 · The pastor articulates the theological necessity of another ruler beyond David and captures the tension of the centuries-long wait between the Davidic promise and its fulfillment, during which the question hung over Israel: will God's promises to David and Abraham ever be fulfilled?

And so we need another ruler. And that's the song that John sang.

There were generations after generations after generations where they waited and waited and waited. Will anybody ever fulfill God's promise to David? Will anyone ever fulfill God's promise to Abraham? Or is it over? And that's the end of the Book of Ruth.

15 · The pastor returns to the Marvel post-credits illustration, now using it to depict the biblical-theological progression from Ruth's happy ending to David's birth to the ultimate fulfillment: Jesus born in the same Bethlehem with angels announcing the arrival of the true King

Now, if the Book of Ruth was a movie, this would be my post-credits scene, right? The post-credits scene, the first one, would be the book of Ruth ends and Boaz and Obed, you know, and Ruth and Naomi are all there and the whole town is singing and dancing and it's a beautiful holiday thing and snow falls at the end. And then the credits roll and then you see the second, the post-credits sequence is another child born in Bethlehem and his name is David. And you begin to see, you know, this shepherd staff maybe behind him and you're like, "Oh, another king is coming." And then more credits roll and at the very, very, very end of the scene, there's another child born in Bethlehem. And if I was shooting it, this is the way I would do it.

There would be the manger, there'd be Bethlehem, and then you pan up, and then the sky's over Bethlehem. What? The sky explodes with angels announcing the birth of the heavenly King Jesus.

16 · The pastor articulates the climactic theological claim: Jesus fulfills and surpasses both Boaz and David by extending God's rule not merely to a corner or a nation but to the entire world and all generations

And with Jesus, here's what we're meant to see: that Jesus is the one— if Boaz takes the the rule of God to a corner of Israel, and David takes the rule of God to all of Israel, but just a corner of the world, Jesus, the King of all kings, is gonna take the rule of God not just to one city, not just to one nation, but to the entire world and to all generations. And so what we celebrate on Christmas is that the redeeming King, the kindness of God in human form, has come to earth, that the one we've longed for, the one that lived perfectly and is never going to mess up like David, has finally come.

17 · The pastor articulates the present reality of Christ's kingdom: it advances not through political conquest but through transformed hearts, and the local church serves as a visible outpost of God's rule spreading across the world through the multiplication of believing communities

And what happens? The rule of God extends to each and every human heart that decides to follow Jesus. Look, this right here, guys, this right here is an outpost of the kingdom of God in the world today. And since Jesus, in town after town and nation after nation, the rule of God, that the kingdom of God in a sense, has spread in heart after heart, in gathering after gathering of local churches.

18 · The pastor articulates the Advent tension: we live between Christ's first coming and his return, celebrating his presence while longing for the consummation when his kingdom will extend to every square inch of the universe and every knee will bow before him

And that's Advent.

And yet, like Bobby was describing, we're in between the presence of Jesus and the big present we long for at the end of time. Because what's going to happen? What is— is this story over? No. What are we still waiting for, church?

What are we still waiting for? The return of the King. And so every Christmas we gather, we celebrate, we celebrate that we have this amazing gift of Jesus that has come to earth, and yet we long for him to come back. We long for the day that the kingdom of God will be over each and every square inch of the universe, where the, the rule and reign of God, God will be acknowledged everywhere, every knee will bow before the Lord. We long for that.

19 · The pastor signals the transition from theological exposition to direct application for the congregation gathered the day after Christmas

Amen. So as we celebrate the day after Christmas, here's my encouragement.

20 · The pastor issues an evangelistic invitation to those who don't yet know Jesus, warning that autonomous self-rule leads to the downward spiral depicted in Judges and urging them to come to the King who, as the better Boaz, offers redemption and rescue from judgment

First, come to the kingdom. If you don't know the King, if you're still doing what's right in your own eyes, the book of Judges shows you where that ends. It's just a downward spiral, and it ends in profound unhappiness and in the judgment of God hanging over you.

But there is a better way. Come to the King. Come to the Kingdom. If you in the book of Ruth have seen a good redeemer, Jesus is even better. He will do that for you in your life, so come to the King today.

This Christmas could be the Christmas that you come to the King.

21 · The pastor charges believers with their mission for the coming year: to embody the rule and reign of Christ in their hearts such that their church becomes a faithful, visible demonstration in El Paso of what life under King Jesus looks like

And for the rest of us that have already come to the King, in this next year, here is our mission, guys: to bring the rule and reign of Christ in our hearts, that the kingdom of God and the outpost of the kingdom of God in the city of El Paso in the year of our Lord 2022, that we would be a faithful glimpse of what it's like to live under the rule and reign of King Jesus. Amen. Amen.

22 · The pastor transitions the congregation from the sermon to corporate worship by preparing them to sing about God's kingship, maintaining thematic continuity from exposition to doxology

Well, let's stand and we're going to end by singing about the kingship of God being extended.

23 · The pastor leads the congregation in a closing prayer of gratitude for the King who has come, intercession for those who don't yet know him, petition for hope as they look to the new year anticipating Christ's possible return, and a charge to live as Boaz-like representatives of the King's justice and kindness until he returns

Lord, we are so grateful for the gift of Jesus We're so grateful, God, that a king has truly come, a king full of kindness, a king full of mercy, a king who extends and invites his reign and rule to those outside of the kingdom to be gathered in. Lord, we are so grateful that people like us, people like the Moabite Ruth, people like the far-off wise men who are invited to Jesus' birth, God, the people far off have been brought into the king. Into the kingdom. And Lord, I pray, uh, for anyone who doesn't know King Jesus, God, that they would come to know him as King today, that they would see in him a redeemer who could pay for their sins and bring them new life. Lord, I pray also for all of us as we look to the next year, Lord, that we would look to the next year with hope and anticipation, God, that maybe this year, maybe this is the year the King will return.

We do not know, but until he does return, God, help us to live faithfully. Live under the rule and kingship of Jesus, to be a Boaz in our town, as it were, that where we have influence, where we have ability, that things would be just, that we would act full of kindness, that we would bring the outsider in and care for the weak, that we would do it all as a representation, as a glimpse, as a pointer, just like Boaz is, a pointer to the King of Kings that has come and will come again. And so now we sing. The Lord is come, let earth receive her king. Amen.

Where this fits

Recent preaching context

The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.

Nov 21, 2021

Questioning the Kindness of God

God is a God of hesed — loving kindness — and even when we cannot see His kindness in our circumstances, He is present, working, and will bring our stories to fullness.

Ruth 1:1-22

Nov 28, 2021

Displaying the Kindness of God

The kindness of God must be relied upon in faith, displayed in our actions toward others, and traced back to its source in the character of God himself, finding its fullest expression in Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

Ruth 2

Dec 12, 2021

The Posture of Kindness

The kindness of God and his posture toward us shapes our posture toward him and others.

Ruth 3:1-15

December 26 · This sermon

The King of Kindness

Jesus is the redeeming King whose coming fulfills the story of Ruth, extends God's kingdom beyond what Boaz or David could accomplish, and calls us to live as faithful outposts of his reign until he returns.

Ruth 4:17-22

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

In Ruth 4:17-22, the text shifts from the story of Ruth and Boaz to a genealogy that connects them to David and ultimately to Jesus. What do…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we trace God's kindness through four eras of rule—from the chaos of judges to Boaz's corner to David's kingdom to Jesus's eternal reign—seeing in each how the longing for a true King grows, and how that King has come.

Prayer

Prayer for the King's Coming and Return

Father, we come before you with hearts full of longing and gratitude. You are the God who keeps your promises across generations, who sees t…

Family table

Who Will Be King?

This card points your family back to the genealogy at the end of Ruth—the names that lead to Jesus. Use it to help kids see that the little…

Couples

Living as Outposts of the King

What did you hear about Jesus in this sermon that stirred your heart or challenged how you've been living?…

Memorize

Ruth 4:17

This genealogy is the linchpin of the sermon's central claim: God's kindness to Ruth and Naomi was never merely about one family, but about fulfilling his promise to bring a redeeming King. The verse traces the lineage to David and, by extension, to Jesus—revealing that what Boaz accomplished in one corner of Israel points forward to Christ's universal and eternal reign.

Pray together this week

Prayer for the King's Coming and Return

Father, we come before you with hearts full of longing and gratitude. You are the God who keeps your promises across generations, who sees the suffering of the weak and forgotten, and who rules with perfect justice and unfailing kindness. In every age, you have moved toward your people with redemption—through Boaz in one corner of Bethlehem, through David across a nation, and finally through Jesus, your Son, the King who extends your rule to every heart and every corner of creation.

We confess that we often live as though we are in charge of our own lives and our own choices. We decide what is right in our own eyes rather than bowing to your kingdom. We settle for small redemptions and temporary fixes when you offer us the eternal rescue that only your Son can give. Like Israel in the days of the judges, we spiral downward when we forget that you alone are Lord, and we forget that the cure for our self-rule is not more effort but a new King.

We thank you that Jesus came. He came to Bethlehem, the city of Boaz and David, and he lived the perfect obedience that David could not. He paid the price for our rebellion and rose again as the redeeming King who will never fail. His kingdom is spreading now—heart by heart and church by church—and we are privileged to be outposts of his rule in our city and our neighborhoods. The genealogy that closes Ruth points to him, and every promise made to Abraham and David finds its yes and amen in him.

Grant us grace this coming year to live as citizens of his kingdom rather than servants of ourselves. Help us to make our church a faithful glimpse of what it looks like to live under your rule and to extend your kindness and justice in our spheres of influence. As we long for his return and the day when every knee will bow before him, help us to bow now—in our homes, our workplaces, our community—so that others might see in us what it means to serve a King whose rule brings life. Until he comes, make us faithful. To him be all glory and honor forever.

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

Who Will Be King?

For the parent

This card points your family back to the genealogy at the end of Ruth—the names that lead to Jesus. Use it to help kids see that the little story of Ruth and Boaz was always part of a bigger story pointing to a King. Listen for where your kids sense longing or hope as you talk about Jesus as King.

In the sermon, we learned that Boaz was like a good king in his little corner of Israel—he was kind and fair and helped people. But then the genealogy shows us that God was sending an even greater King. If you could ask Jesus one question about what it means to have him as King in your life right now—not someday, but today—what would you ask him?

works for ages 8+

Draft · pending review

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

In Ruth 4:17-22, the text shifts from the story of Ruth and Boaz to a genealogy that connects them to David and ultimately to Jesus. What does it tell us that the book of Ruth doesn't end with 'and they lived happily ever after,' but instead traces a family line forward?

Ruth 4:17-22

→ How might the original Israelite reader have felt when they saw David's name appear in Ruth's lineage?
The sermon contrasts the book of Judges—where 'everyone did what was right in their own eyes'—with the book of Ruth, where Boaz acts with justice and kindness. What does Boaz's behavior reveal about what righteous leadership looks like, and why would Israel have needed to see that contrast?

Judges 21:25; Ruth 4
Boaz was a good and faithful ruler over his corner of Israel, yet the genealogy suggests his rule was incomplete—that Israel was waiting for someone greater. What do you think the sermon means when it says that Boaz's kindness, while real and redemptive, still pointed forward to a need only a greater king could meet?

2 Samuel 7; 2 Samuel 11-12

→ Can you think of other good leaders in Scripture whose faithfulness still fell short of what God's people ultimately needed?
David was promised an eternal throne, and generations of Israel waited in 'tension' for God to fulfill that promise. What do you think that waiting felt like for believers living between David's time and Jesus' birth, and how does understanding that tension help us understand why Jesus' arrival mattered so much?

2 Samuel 7; Genesis 12
The sermon claims that Jesus extends God's kingdom 'heart by heart and church by church' in a way that Boaz and David could not. What is the difference between a king who rules a geographical territory and a king who rules the hearts of his people across all times and nations?

Luke 2; Philippians 2:10

→ In what ways does Jesus' kingship function differently than earthly kings like Boaz or David?
If Jesus has already come as King and his kingdom is spreading through churches and believers, what does it mean for us to live as 'outposts of his kingdom' in our city and in our spheres of influence right now—and what should that look like concretely in the year ahead?

Philippians 2:10

→ What is one specific way your small group or your church could demonstrate the kindness and justice of King Jesus to someone in your neighborhood or workplace this coming year?

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

Monday Judges 21:25

In those days Israel had no king—and the result was not freedom but chaos. Every person doing what was right in their own eyes created a society unraveling at its seams. This verse is the diagnosis that makes the rest of Scripture's story necessary: we cannot rule ourselves, and a world without a true King descends into darkness.

Tuesday 2 Samuel 7:12-16

God promised David that his kingdom would be established forever, that his throne would endure. But David himself—as we see in his failure—could not keep that promise perfectly. This covenant points forward to a King who will succeed where David faltered, whose rule will truly be eternal and whose justice will never fail.

Wednesday 2 Samuel 11-12 (David and Bathsheba)

Even the greatest king Israel ever crowned fell into sin and murder. Even David's repentance could not undo the fracture his failure introduced into God's kingdom. For four hundred years after David, the people of God waited—held in tension between God's promise and the reality of flawed human kingship.

Thursday Luke 2:1-7

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the same city where Boaz ruled justly over a small field, and where David was crowned king of Israel. But his kingdom is not bound to one city or one nation—it extends to every heart that receives him, and his rule will never falter because he alone lived in perfect obedience to the Father.

Friday Philippians 2:10

One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Until that day comes, we live in the already-and-not-yet: the King has arrived and rules in our hearts, but the visible reign of God over all creation still awaits. This is the hope that sustains us: we have tasted his kindness, and we wait for the day when all creation will know his rule.

Draft · pending review

Couples · three questions over coffee

Living as Outposts of the King

What did you hear about Jesus in this sermon that stirred your heart or challenged how you've been living?
Where in our marriage or family are we tempted to do what is right in our own eyes rather than submit to King Jesus—and how can we help each other live under his rule instead?
What is one way we can be an outpost of God's kindness and justice together in our church or neighborhood this year, and how can we pray for one another to live that out?

Draft · pending review

Memory verse this week

Ruth 4:17

And the women of the town said, 'A son has been born to Naomi.' They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Why this verse: This genealogy is the linchpin of the sermon's central claim: God's kindness to Ruth and Naomi was never merely about one family, but about fulfilling his promise to bring a redeeming King. The verse traces the lineage to David and, by extension, to Jesus—revealing that what Boaz accomplished in one corner of Israel points forward to Christ's universal and eternal reign.

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Cross of Grace Church

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# Cross of Grace Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [Questioning the Kindness of God (Ruth 1:1-22, 2021-11-21)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/11/questioning-the-kindness-of-god)
- [Displaying the Kindness of God (Ruth 2, 2021-11-28)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/11/displaying-the-kindness-of-god)
- [The Posture of Kindness (Ruth 3:1-15, 2021-12-12)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/12/the-posture-of-kindness)
- [The King of Kindness (Ruth 4:17-22, 2021-12-26)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/12/the-king-of-kindness)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

The page itself ships with Schema.org Article + Church markup, Open Graph + Twitter cards for share previews, and a canonical URL. Transcripts are server-rendered HTML — no JS dependency for the readable body.