Text: Philippians 3:7-11

Main Idea: Enjoying fellowship with Christ is worth any hardship for Christ

1. Jesus is worth suffering the loss of all things
2. Hardship for Christ produces deep fellowship with Christ
3. Deeper fellowship with Christ is the supreme reward for faithfulness

Text: Matthew 28:1-20

The Resurrection of the Risen King (Matt. 28:1-10)

• The Witnesses of Christ's Resurrection
• The Proof of Christ's Resurrection

The Rejection of the Risen King (Matt. 28:11-15)

• The False Report of Christ's Resurrection
• The Settled Unbelief of the Religious Leaders

The Reign of the Risen King (Matt. 28:16-20)

• The Authority of Christ Over All Things
• The Commission to Make Disciples of All Nations

The Risen King gives us new life in Him and compels us to proclaim this message to the world.

Text: Genesis 30:25-31:55

God's Gracious Prosperity (Genesis 30:25-43)

• Jacob receives God's blessing of prosperity in spite of his track record and Laban's schemes.
• God's blessing is not dependent upon our plans and performance, but on His character and ability.

God's Guiding Presence (Genesis 31:1-21)

• God speaks to Jacob to call him back to the land of promise and reassure him of His abiding presence.
• Where God calls us to go, He will be there to lead us.

God's Governing Protection (Genesis 31:22-55)

• God protected Jacob and prevented Laban from thwarting His plan for Jacob.
• We can trust God to be faithful to us; therefore, we must guard against trusting in our backup plans or savior substitutes.

LIFE APPLICATION

• We can trust in God to be faithful to His promises.
• We can trust God to faithfully care for us.
• We can trust in God's faithful providence to shape us (Job 23:8-10).

Texts: Genesis 30:1-24; Psalm 73:23-26; Galatians 5:13-15; Romans 12:15-18

Envy Leads to Idolatry (Gen. 30:1-13)

• Above everything else, Leah desired to be loved by her husband.
• Above everything else, Rachel desired to bear children.
• Above everything else, we must not "turn a good thing into an ultimate thing" and therefore displace God as our chief consideration in life.

Rivalry Leads to Division (Gen. 30:14-24)

• Leah and Rachel's rivalry would sow seeds of division and strife within the family.
• We must be careful to guard and nurture our family relationships.
• Despite the rivalry and division, God's grace is displayed as He keeps His promises and advances His purpose.

LIFE APPLICATION:

• We must desire God supremely (Ps. 73:23-26)
• We must love one another sacrificially (Gal. 5:13-15)
• We must live with one another harmoniously (Rom. 12:15-18)

Text: Genesis 29:1-35

God's Purposeful Hand of Providence (Gen. 29:1-14)

• God's hand of providence was leading Jacob through every step and circumstance.
• We need to acknowledge God's hand of providence and thank Him for His blessings to us.

God's Merciful Hand of Correction (Gen. 29:15-30)

• In His mercy, God allowed Jacob to reap the consequences of the sins he has sown.
• In His mercy, God seeks to humble and correct us in order that we might come to the end of ourselves and turn to Him in faith.

God's Faithful Hand of Promise (Gen. 29:31-35)

• Leah was unloved by Jacob, but God's promise of a Redeemer would come through one of her children.
• We need to rejoice in God's steady faithfulness despite our difficult circumstances.

Text: Genesis 28:1-22

God's Covenant Blessing is Confirmed (Gen. 28:1-9)

• Isaac pronounces God's covenant blessing on Jacob, proving his trust in God's Word has been restored.
• Esau attempts to gain God's covenant blessing in the wrong way.

God's Gracious Presence is Revealed (Gen. 28:10-15)

• God reveals Himself to Jacob in a dream of a stairway to heaven, where He condescends in grace.
• God is laying the foundation for Jacob's faith in the future.

Jacob's Response to God is Expressed (Gen. 28:16-22)

• Jacob responds in fear and awe before God's presence.
• Jacob names the place Bethel, or "house of God."
• Jacob makes a conditional vow before God and asks Him to be faithful to him.

Texts: Genesis 27:1-46; Galatians 3:13-14

Brokenness Displayed in Disregarding God (Gen. 27:1-4)

• Despite knowing God's plan to bless his younger son Jacob, Isaac disregards God's Word to give the blessing to Esau.
• Isaac was motivated by his heart's desire instead of obeying God's Word.
• We must beware of living according to our desires for the things of earth.

Brokenness Displayed in Deceiving Others (Gen. 27:5-29)

• Through her deception, Rebekah sought to deceive Isaac into giving the blessing to Jacob.
• Through his deception, Jacob repeatedly lies to his father to receive the blessing.
• We must beware of the following the path of deception to get what we want.

Brokenness Displayed in Devastating Consequences (Gen. 27:30-46)

• Esau does not receive the blessing and vows to kill his brother out of revenge.
• God's covenant family has been fractured by lies and deception.
• We must beware of the consequences of sin – it promises gain, but leads to ruin.

Grace Displayed in the Death of Christ (Gal. 3:13-14)

• Christ's death made it possible for us to be redeemed from the curse of the law.
• Christ became a curse for us so that the blessing of God's covenant could be ours in faith.
• Our salvation rests upon God's grace, not in our ability.

Text: Genesis 26:1-35

The Presence of God in Our Suffering (Gen. 26:1-5)

• A famine threatens Isaac and his family.
• God reaffirms His covenant to Isaac and promises His presence.

The Presence of God in Our Sin (Gen. 26:6-11)

• Isaac deceives Abimelech about his wife being his sister.
• Isaac is confronted in his sin, and God protects him.

The Presence of God in our Successes and Struggles (Gen. 26:12-35)

• God prospers Isaac in wealth and harvest in the land of the Philistines despite opposition from others.
• Isaac builds an altar of worship to God as God rehearses His promise to Isaac and reminds him of His presence.
• Abimelech recognizes that Isaac is blessed by God and establishes a treaty with him.
• Esau's life serves as a warning as he becomes a source of bitterness for his family.

Life Application

• We are not doomed to repeat our parent's sins.
• We will be tempted to repeat our parent's sins.
• We must walk by faith in Christ, knowing that He will be with us.

Texts: Genesis 25:19-34; Romans 9:6-16; Hebrews 12:15-17

God's Miraculous Grace (Gen. 25:19-21)

• God's promise of continues as He answers Isaac's prayer for children.
• God's miraculous grace is displayed in giving Isaac and Rebekah children in the midst of years of barrenness.

God's Electing Grace (Gen. 25:22-28; Rom. 9:6-16)

• In this passage, there are two sons with two predetermined destinies.
• God chooses who will be His own – not based on human merit, but solely by His grace.
• The doctrine of election eliminates pride, encourages gratitude, and propels evangelism.

God's Warning Grace (Gen. 25:29-34; Heb. 12:15-17)

• Esau sells his birthright for a meal in the backdrop of Jacob's deception.
• This serves to warn us against trusting our own deceitful desires for the instant gratification of our flesh.

Text: Genesis 25:1-18

God Ordains Our Habitations (Gen. 25:1-11)

• God's providence extends over all peoples and all locations.
• God sovereignly places us in history and in our surroundings for His purposes (Acts 17:24-28).

God Ordains Our Generations (Gen. 25:12-18)

• God ordains the generations of all peoples, and His providence extends to the hardships we endure.
• The generations in Genesis all point to Christ, the final fulfillment and Abraham's promised seed who would bring salvation.