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In Ruth 4:1–12, Boaz meets the closer relative at the city gate. The man declines the responsibility of redemption, and Boaz publicly commits himself to redeem the property and marry Ruth. The witnesses respond with blessing. This sermon follows three themes: redemption is costly, redemption is settled, and God’s people should celebrate faithfulness. Boaz’s willingness to bear the cost points to Jesus Christ, who gave Himself to redeem sinners. His finished work is the hope of our forgiveness and assurance. Scripture: Ruth 4:1–12Themes: Boaz, family redemption, the cost of redemption, Jesus Christ, forgiveness, assurance, faithfulness To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

If you’ve listened to my sermons on All for the Kingdom, I’d like to invite you to another resource I hope will encourage you. Ponderings is the audio companion to my Ponderings blog. In each episode, I read one of my articles, with small changes for natural spoken delivery. The reflections consider Scripture, faith, culture, the local church, and everyday Christian life. Some begin with a Bible passage. Others begin with an ordinary experience or a question worth considering in light of God’s Word. Start with the first episode, “Play for the Coach, Not the Crowd,” explore the written articles, and follow Ponderings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify using the links on its podcast page. Ponderings has its own feed, so follow it separately to receive the readings. Each reading links to the original article and related sermons or Bible study resources when available. Listen and follow Ponderings Find episode one: Play for the Coach, Not the Crowd Follow Ponderings on Spotify Read the Ponderings articles Explore sermons and Bible study resources Hosted and read by Ben Smith, Sr. Ponderings with Ben Smith, Sr. — Thinking out loud about faith, culture, and life.

In Ruth 3, Naomi encourages Ruth to ask Boaz to act as their kinsman redeemer. Boaz receives her request with kindness, but another relative must be consulted first. Ruth returns home with his promise, and Naomi tells her to wait. This sermon considers what it means to prepare, submit, and wait with hope. Ruth and Naomi cannot settle the matter themselves. Their patience rests on the word of someone willing to act for them. Their story points us to the greater redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ and calls us to trust His promises while we wait. Scripture: Ruth 3Themes: Waiting on God, patience, hope, humility, obedience, Boaz, redemption, the promises of God To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

What does a servant’s heart look like? In Ruth 2:17–23, Ruth finishes her work in Boaz’s field and brings food home to Naomi. When Naomi hears that Boaz has shown Ruth kindness, she speaks a blessing and recognizes hope in his relationship to their family. This sermon considers three marks of a servant’s heart: a willingness to serve, honor for rightful authority, and a desire to bless others. Ruth’s care for Naomi takes work and sacrifice. God uses that care to provide for both women and advance a purpose they cannot yet see. Scripture: Ruth 2:17–23Themes: A servant’s heart, Ruth and Naomi, Boaz, serving others, obedience, God’s grace, providence, redemption To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

In this sermon from Ruth 2:1–16, Ruth goes to glean so that she and Naomi can eat. She enters the field of Boaz, whose kindness gives her food, protection, and encouragement. Through these ordinary events, God is graciously providing for their needs. The passage teaches us to recognize God’s provision, depend on Him when our resources are insufficient, and obey Him without waiting to see how every need will be met. God is also preparing for a purpose Ruth cannot yet see: through her family line will come Jesus Christ. Scripture: Ruth 2:1–16Themes: God’s provision, providence, grace, obedience, trust, Boaz, gleaning To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

Ruth 1 is a story of suffering, loyalty, sovereignty, and redemption. After losing her husband and sons in Moab, Naomi returns to Bethlehem convinced that she has come home empty. Ruth chooses to remain with her, entrusting herself to Naomi’s people and to the living God. In this episode of All for the Kingdom, Pastor Ben Smith explains that we cannot see the fullness of God’s plan. God’s will does not depend upon our understanding, and trusting His sovereignty means obeying before we know how our circumstances will turn out. Sermon Outline: You cannot know the fullness of God’s plan Let suffering drive you toward God Be faithful Key Themes: The sovereignty and faithfulness of God Trusting God during suffering Faithfulness in disappointment Obedience before understanding God’s power to restore God’s redemptive purpose through Ruth Scripture: Ruth 1 To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

Psalm 7 is a prayer for believers facing false accusations, slander, persecution, and the temptation to live for human approval. When David’s reputation is attacked, he takes refuge in God and entrusts his case to the righteous Judge who searches every heart and knows every hidden truth. In this expository sermon, Ben Smith explains how Psalm 7 gives Christians courage when they are misunderstood, falsely accused, or pressured to compromise. In this episode: • Why David can claim innocence without claiming sinlessness• Why God’s approval matters more than the verdict of people• How God’s knowledge of the heart brings both comfort and warning• Why repentance is the proper response to God’s present judgment• How the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ provide eternal peace• Why believers can remain fearless, knowing God will establish righteousness Scripture: Psalm 7Sermon: FearlessSpeaker: Ben SmithMain idea: Be concerned only with true judgment. Rest in God’s righteousness. To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

Psalm 6 is a prayer for mercy in a time of trouble. David is weary with sighing, overwhelmed with grief, and troubled in both body and soul. This psalm gives honest words for moments when suffering, sorrow, and spiritual distress feel overwhelming. Pastor Ben Smith explains that Psalm 6 moves from moments of distress to assurance of hope. David feels the weight of God’s discipline, the pain of feeling abandoned, and the fatigue that comes from prolonged sorrow. Yet he does not run away from God. He calls on the Lord, pleads for mercy, and trusts that God will answer. This sermon encourages believers to preach truth to themselves in seasons of despair. When it feels like prayer goes no further than the ceiling, the people of God must remember: the Lord has heard the voice of our weeping, the Lord receives our prayer, and hope comes from the mercy of God. To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

Psalm 5 is a morning prayer of David. He begins the day by ordering his prayer before the Lord and eagerly watching. As he prays, he contrasts the blessing of being received by God with the wickedness of those who rebel against Him. Pastor Ben Smith explains that Psalm 5 teaches believers to stand in God’s presence and live under His shelter. God hears the prayers of His children, but He takes no pleasure in wickedness. David does not enter God’s house by his own goodness, but by the abundant lovingkindness and mercy of the Lord. This sermon calls Christians to resist the temptation to envy the world or imitate the world. Living righteously is not a favor we do for God; it is a response to knowing His grace. The world may rebel against the Lord, but the righteous are called to walk in His way and trust His protection. To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

Psalm 4 is an evening prayer of trust in God. David is under attack, but the threat in this psalm appears to be the threat of slander, lies, and reproach rather than physical violence. In that distress, David turns to the Lord and remembers that the only judge of his worth and character who finally matters is God. Pastor Ben Smith explains Psalm 4 through three movements: turn to the Lord, declare truth, and trust in God. David’s confidence does not rest in his own righteousness, reputation, achievements, or the approval of men. His hope rests in the grace of God and in the truth that the Lord hears when His people call. This sermon calls believers to find their value in the Lord alone, fear the Lord, trust His deliverance, and rest in the peace that comes from God’s protection. The enemies may remain, but God’s people do not face them alone. To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

Psalm 3 is a morning prayer of trust in God, written when David fled from Absalom his son. David’s enemies had increased, many were rising against him, and many were saying there was no deliverance for him in God. Pastor Ben Smith explains how David responds to danger, discouragement, and demoralizing words. He does not pretend the threats are imaginary. They are real, painful, and dangerous. Yet David turns from the size of his enemies to the greatness of God. The Lord is his shield, his glory, and the One who lifts his head. This sermon calls believers to trust the Lord in the midst of chaos. God is present, God hears, God sustains, and God saves. Salvation belongs to the Lord, and His blessing is upon His people. To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

Psalm 2 shows the rebellion of the nations against the Lord and against His Anointed. The rulers of the earth seek to cast off God’s authority, but their rebellion is vain. God is not threatened by the rage of the nations or the plots of men. Pastor Ben Smith explains that Psalm 2 points us to King Jesus. The world hates His rule, but God has installed His King upon Zion. The nations belong to Him, the ends of the earth are His possession, and every enemy will be brought under His authority. This sermon calls listeners to honor the Lord, submit to the kingship of Jesus, worship with reverence, rejoice with trembling, and take refuge in the Son. The world may rage, but the King is enthroned. To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

Psalm 1 sets before us two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The world promises happiness through its counsel, its approval, and its well-traveled path, but the psalmist shows that true blessedness is found only in the Lord. Pastor Ben Smith explains the danger of worldly wisdom, the blessing of righteousness, and the certainty of true judgment. The righteous delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night. They are firmly planted, supplied by God’s provision, and fruitful in season. The wicked, however, are like chaff that the wind drives away. This sermon calls listeners to examine which way they are walking. The counsel of the wicked leads to death, but delighting in the Lord leads to eternal blessing in His presence. To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

In Luke 10:1–16, Jesus appoints seventy others and sends them out ahead of Him. They are sent to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near. Jesus tells them that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pastor Ben Smith explains that the mission of the kingdom is to preach the kingdom, endure hardship, and serve the King. The gospel does not need updating, revising, modernizing, or reinterpreting. The faithful church preaches the same message proclaimed by John the Baptist, Jesus, the apostles, and the church throughout the centuries. This sermon calls believers to let go of personal pride and personal privilege, trust the Lord of the harvest, and surrender all for the sake of Christ and His kingdom. To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.

In Mark 9:38–50, Jesus gives His disciples sobering warnings about sin, stumbling, and hell. John complains that someone outside their group was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, but Jesus teaches that God is not limited to those we expect Him to use. Pastor Ben Smith explains that the people of God must guard their relationship to others and their own pursuit of holiness. Jesus warns against causing others to stumble and then uses shocking language to show the seriousness of sin. It is better to suffer loss in this world than to cling to sin and face eternal condemnation. This sermon calls believers to take sin seriously, guard their testimony, and live as salt in the world. To learn more, visit BenSmithSr.org.