Raintree Community Church

Texts: Eph. 6:1-4; Deut. 6:4-9; Prov. 22:6; Ps. 78:1-8

Gospel-Shaped Parenting Establishes Godly Authority (Eph. 6:1-3)

• God calls parents to require obedience from their children.
• God calls children to give honor to their parents.
• We must lovingly call our children to recognize our God-given authority and require them to obey God's Word.

Gospel-Shaped Parenting Prioritizes God-centered Instruction (Eph. 6:4; Deut. 6:4-9; Prov. 22:6)

• God calls parents to bring up our children in the instruction of the Lord.
• This calls for a Godward discipleship that is both time intensive and labor intensive.

Gospel-Shaped Parenting Impacts Future Generations (Ps. 78:1-8)

• We are called to declare what God has done to the next generation, so they do not lose sight of who God is.
• The goal is to see the generation find their hope in God and obey His Word.

Main Idea: ""God calls parents teach children His truth, show them His character, and anchor their hope in Him."

Texts: Eph. 5:22-33; 1 Cor. 11:1-3; Col. 3:18-19; 1 Peter 3:7

A Gospel-Shaped Marriage is Marked by Christ-centered Submission (Eph. 5:22-24; 1 Cor. 11:1-3; Col. 3:18)

• Christ calls and empowers wives to submission to their husbands in light of the Christlike headship that he is to model.
• The husband's weighty mantel of headship must reflect the servant-leadership of Christ, our Savior.

A Gospel-Shaped Marriage is Defined by Christlike Sacrifice (Eph. 5:25-30; Col. 3:19; 1 Peter 3:7)

• Christ calls and empowers husbands to love their wives in the same way that Christ loves the church.
• The husband's love for his wife must be marked by sacrifice and nurtured with gentleness and thoughtfulness.
• As the husband loves his wife, he is used by God as an instrument of sanctification for his wife.

A Gospel-Shaped Marriage Displays Christ and His Church (Eph. 5:31-33)

• The Christian marriage union points beyond itself to the relationship between Christ and His church.
• In this union, the husband and wife hold fast to each other with love and respect.

Main Idea: "Marriage is designed to display the Gospel story of Christ's sacrificial love and His church's joyful submission."

Texts: Gen. 2:18-25; Matt. 19:1-6; Eph. 5:22-33; Rev. 19:6-9, 21:1-3)

God's Pattern For Marriage is Rooted in Creation (Gen. 2:18-25; Matt. 19:1-6)

• God did not create us to be isolated, but for community and relationship.
• God ordained marriage to be a covenant between one man and one woman for a lifetime of love.
• God joins a man and woman together for a permanent relationship.

God's Pattern For Marriage is Displayed in Redemption (Eph. 5:22-33; Rev. 19:6-9, 21:1-3)

• Marriage is the picture frame, but the Gospel is the portrait that marriage displays to the world.
• Because of Christ's work in the Gospel, all who are in Christ will dwell with Him forever as His purified bride.

Main Idea: "God designed marriage according to His creative and redemptive purposes so that we can portray the Gospel of Christ to the world."

Text: Genesis 1-50

God Created Everything For His Glory (Genesis 1-2)

• God created all things by His powerful Word.
• Humanity was made in God's image, with dignity, purpose, and responsibility.
• God established a good creation in which humanity was meant to live in fellowship with Him and one another.
• Application: We were made to worship God alone and live in unity according to His good design.

Sin Brings Judgment, But God's Grace Offers Hope (Genesis 3-11)

• Adam and Eve rebelled against God's Word.
• Sin spread through individuals, families, and nations.
• God's holiness and judgment revealed the seriousness of sin, while God's mercy preserved the hope of redemption.
• Application: We must honestly acknowledge our sin rather than excuse it or blame others for it. When God exposes our sin, we should respond with humility and repentance.

God Established a Covenant with His People (Genesis 12-36)

• God promised to give Abraham land, offspring, and blessing that would extend to all nations.
• The patriarchs struggled with fear, impatience, favoritism, deception, and family conflict.
• Despite His people's failures, God continued to preserve His covenant and strengthen their faith in Him.
• Application: We must trust in God's promises and obey His Word, knowing that He will always be faithful.

God's Providence is at Work to Accomplish His Purposes (Genesis 37-50)

• Joseph suffered betrayal, injustice, and prolonged uncertainty.
• God remained with Joseph and prepared him to preserve many lives.
• Joseph forgave his brothers and recognized God's sovereign purpose in the events of his life.
• Application: We must remain faithful through hardship, extend forgiveness, and trust God when His work is not yet visible.

God Promises Point Us to Christ, our Redeemer (Romans 5:12-21)

• Through Adam's sin, death has passed to all of us and reigns over us.
• Through the Gospel of Christ, we can be justified by grace and live eternally with Him.
• Application: We must put our hope in Jesus Christ, trust in God's promises, and live faithfully as we await their final fulfillment.

Main Idea: "God sovereignly works through creation, the Fall, and His covenant promises to establish a people or Himself and advance His plan of redemption."

Text: Genesis 50:15-26

God is Sovereign Over Suffering and Evil (Gen. 50:15-21)

• Joseph's brothers fear retribution for the evil they caused him.
• Joseph acknowledges God's authority and power over his life.
• We need to recognize and rest in God's sovereignty over suffering and evil.

God is Faithful to Keep His Promises (Gen. 50:22-26)

• As Joseph dies, he clings to God's promise of returning to the land of promise.
• As Joseph dies, he makes his family promise that they will carry his bones to the land of promise.
• We can rest our lives on God's faithful character to keep His word.

Main Idea: ""Because God is sovereign and faithful, we can trust Him to bring good out of evil and fulfill His purpose."

Text: Genesis 50:1-14

God's Promises Can Be Trusted in Sorrow (Gen. 50:1-6)

• Joseph and his family wept over Jacob's death.
• Joseph prepares to bury Jacob in the land of promise according to his father's dying words of faith.
• We must look to God's promises to carry us through times of sorrow.

God's Promises Cannot Be Threatened by Death (Gen. 50:7-14)

• Joseph leads a grand procession for Jacob's burial by faith in God's promises.
• Jacob was greatly mourned by his family and the Egyptians.
• We must believe that nothing can stop God from keeping His promises.

Main Idea: "We can trust in God's promises through sorrow and death, knowing He will be faithful."

Text: Genesis 49:13-33

God's Sovereignty in Predicting the Future of His People (Gen. 49:13-21,27)

• Zebulun's inheritance would be marked by economic stability.
• Issachar's inheritance was marked by strength, but also bondage.
• Dan's inheritance would be marked by courageous leadership, but end with a legacy of idolatry.
• Jacob's hope: "I will wait for Your salvation, O Lord." (v. 18)
• Gad's inheritance would be marked by a readiness for battle.
• Asher's inheritance would be marked by abundant provision.
• Naphtali's inheritance would be marked by beauty and fruitfulness.
• Benjamin's inheritance would be marked by fierce boldness.

God's Sovereignty in Sending a Savior for His People (Gen. 49:22-27

• Joseph's inheritance is marked by fruitfulness and strength that is rooted in God's mighty character.
• Joseph's prophecy foreshadows Christ, the Suffering Savior and Shepherd of our souls.

God's Sovereignty in the Death of His People (Gen. 49:28-33

• As Jacob dies, he pleads for his body to be buried in the land of promise.
• Jacob's request signifies his faith in God's word of promise.

Main Idea: God's covenant promises find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ our Salvation

God's Sovereignty in Predicting Future Generations (Gen. 49:1-7)

• Jacob assembles all his sons for a time of future blessing and foreshadowing.
• Reuben's inheritance would be tarnished due to his lack of self-control.
• Simeon and Levi's inheritance would be scattered due to their violent vengeance.
• We must consider how our sins can lead to lasting consequences.

God's Sovereignty in Establishing His Eternal Reign (Gen. 49:8-12)

• Judah's inheritance would be marked by prosperity and messianic promise.
• Through the royal line of Judah, Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins and reign forever as King (Rev. 5:1-14).

Main Idea: "God sovereignly works through imperfect people as He establishes His eternal kingdom in Christ."

Text: Genesis 48

God's Sovereign Blessing Extended (Gen. 48:1-13)

• In His providence, God extends His covenant blessing to Joseph's sons as Jacob nears the end of his life.
• This is seen in God's sovereign election and adoption of His people in salvation (Eph. 1:3-6; 2 Thess. 2:13-14).

God's Sovereign Care Reflected (Gen. 48:14-20)

• Jacob recounts the faithfulness of God as his Shepherd through all of his life as he blesses Joseph's sons.
• We must be intentional to pass down the legacy of trusting in God's faithful providence to our children.

God's Sovereign Plan Anticipated (Gen. 48:20-22)

• Through God's providence, Jacob promises his grandsons that God will be with them and they will return to inherit the promised land.
• As Christians, our promised inheritance will be to dwell with Christ for all eternity (1 Peter 1:3-7).

Main Idea: "God sovereignly governs the future legacy of His people according to His saving promise."

• God is the Creator of the Heavens and creation responds to Him (Psalm 96:5, 96:11-12)
• God is great and to be glorified–The primary Hebrew word for glory is kavod, which literally means "heavy" or "weighty"– it's real, and substantive, carries true worth and importance (Psalm 96:3-6, 96:7-8)
• Psalm 19 says that the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1)
• Nature declares Him to be God (Psalm 96:11-12)
• He is unique and separate (holy) and the only true God (Psalm 96:4-6, 96:9)
• God will come as judge, and all nature rejoices that He comes to judge the world (Psalm 96:11-13)