Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Big Idea: Acts is the account of the risen, reigning Christ advancing God’s kingdom and building His church through His Spirit-empowered witnesses to the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.    

Acts architecture is laid in Acts 1:8:

1.  The gospel blessings flow to and through Jerusalem (Acts 1-7)
2. The gospel goes to the fringes, expands into Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-12)
3. The gospel advances to the nations by sending (Acts 13-28)

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Text: Ephesians 5:31-32

Big Idea: Marriage was designed to display the covenantal love between Christ and His Church. 

1. See your marriage by the mystery

2. Gauge your marriage by the mystery 

3. Model your marriage after the mystery 

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Text: Romans 5:1-5

Big Idea: Through Christ, God is able to make suffering serve our marriages. 

1. Suffering serves to strengthen your marriage (v. 3) 

2. Suffering serves to sharpen your marriage (v. 4a)

3. Suffering serves to sweeten your marriage (vv. 4b-5)

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-13, Selected Scriptures

Big Idea: God is able, by His grace, to turn marriage destruction into marriage resurrection. 

1. The grace of lament- don't deny the devastation, lament over it
2. The grace of repentance- don’t excuse your sin, repent of it
   • First take the log out
   • Take a good look
   • Catch the damage caused
   • Take responsibility 
   • Make amends
   • Accept the consequences
   • Chart a new path forward
3. The grace of forgiveness- don’t hold on to hurt, forgive    

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Text: Matthew 19:3-9

Big Idea: God’s design for marriage is the foundation for understanding divorce and remarriage. 

1. A biblical butchering (v. 3)
2. A creational defense (vv. 4-6) 
3. A permissible exception (vv. 7-9)

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Text: Ephesians 4:29

Big Idea: The transformation of our hearts must reach to our speech.

1. Stop the rot (v. 29a)

2. Reply with what edifies (v. 29b)

• Rules of engagement (10 commandments):
  • Speak not in emotion
  • Angrier one prays first
  • Commit to believing the best
  • Stay away from motives of the heart
  • Fight as one - battle isn’t against each other
  • Stay close - grace touches, eye contact.
  • Listen fully - before answering
  • Start with self - first to admit, confess.
  • Accept apologies
  • Forgive

3. Learn to discern (v. 29c)   

4. Convey God’s grace (v. 29d)

Preacher: Mike Fraga

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:8

Big Idea: Endurance in a Christian Marriage is the bridge between doing God's will and receiving His reward

1. Endurance requires love to be a priority

2. Endurance requires love to be sincere

3. Endurance requires love to be blind

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Text: Song of Solomon 2:15

Big Idea: Healthy marriages guard what God is growing.

1. Cultivate a preventative approach 

2. Catch things when they’re small 

3. Consider that today’s foxes spoil tomorrow’s fruit

Preacher: Scott Hollingshead

Text: Ephesians 5:25-32

Big Idea: God designed marriage for the mutual pursuit of conformity to Jesus Christ. 

1. Grace is at the base of your growth in holiness (vv. 25-27)

2. Issues are opportunities for growth in holiness (vv. 28-30)

3. The gospel is your vantage point for growth in holiness (vv. 31-32) 

Preacher: Tyler Masters

Passage: 1 Peter 3:1-7

Big Idea: How we respond to our spouse reveals our relationship with God and the condition of our own heart.

Main Points:

1. Reflecting the Cross (vv.1-2)

2. Resting in Christ (vv.3-6)

3. Responding with Compassion (v.7)