Raintree Community Church

Text: Mark 4:21-25   The Gospel Light That is Revealed in Jesus (4:21-22) Jesus is the Lamp of God who has come to bring light and revelation of God's Kingdom. We must be about shining the light of the Gospel to those around us.   The Weighty Response That Must Be Given to Jesus (4:23-25) The Present Reality: We must be careful listeners who hear with the intention to believe and obey. The Future...

Text: Mark 4:1-20 (Part 2) The Teaching of Parables and the Kingdom of God (1:15; 4:1-2) The kingdom of God has been prophesied and is now being fulfilled in Jesus (Mark 1:15). Jesus begins to teach through parables in order to describe the kingdom of God to His disciples.   The Terrain of Two Different Hearts (4:3-9) The Unbelieving Heart is described as hard, shallow, and thorny ground that is u...

Text:  Mark 3:20-35   The Warfare of Two Kingdom Agendas ( 3:20-21 , 31-35) The skewed perspective of Jesus' family: The ministry of Jesus is akin to madness. The shocking response of Jesus to His family: The ministry of Jesus is about drawing people into His family by doing the will of God.   The Warfare of Two Kingdom Powers (3:22-30) The improbable accusation to Jesus: "Jesus is a liar who is e...

Text: Mark 3:7-19 The Clamoring Crowd that Wanted Something From Jesus (3:7-12) The crowd pressed Jesus to be released from their suffering, not their sins. They seemingly had no interest in the Gospel. The demons identified Jesus as the Son of God who had authority over the natural and spiritual realms.   The Common Men that Were Called to Follow Jesus (3:13-19) Jesus calls twelve men to be with...

Text: Mark 2:23-3:6 The Sabbath Explained and the Lord Revealed (2:23-28) Jesus explains that the Sabbath was instituted to serve people, not for people to serve the Sabbath. Jesus reveals Himself as equal to God as the Lord of the Sabbath.   A Hand Healed and Hardened Hearts Exposed (3:1-6) Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath, proving He is Lord of all. Jesus exposes the hardened hearts of the Phari...

Text: Mark 2:18-22   Jesus Must be Received and Believed (2:18-20) Feasting, not fasting, is appropriate when the bridegroom is near. Truth: Jesus is the Bridegroom and He must be believed as the Son of God.   Jesus' Message Cannot Be Combined or Contained (2:21-22) New cloth is unsuitable for old garments. New wine is uncontainable in old wineskins. Truth: Jesus' message cannot be added to a reli...

  The Powerful Witness of the Empty Tomb (20:1-10) The empty tomb confirmed all that Jesus had predicted concerning His death, burial, and resurrection.   The Personal Encounters with the Risen Lord (20:11-29) Jesus comforts Mary, the broken-hearted with His presence. Jesus dispels His disciples' fears and deploys them on His mission Jesus draws out His disciples' doubts and draws them to believe...

Christ Died For Us (Romans 5:6-8) We are morally weak and helpless. We are ungodly sinners. We are enemies of God.   Christ Died to Save Us (Romans 5:9-10) As sinners, God's wrath abided on us. As Savior, Christ absorbed God's wrath on Himself.   Christ Died to Reconcile Us (Romans 5:11) Because of Christ, we are no longer enemies of God. Because of Christ, we possess an unending and indestructibl...

In this sermon, we will witness the suffering of Christ for our redemption through the last words of Jesus from the cross.

The Gospel of Christ is Salvation to the Sinner (2:13-14, 17) Jesus preached the Gospel to sinners . Jesus called the most unlikely of candidates to follow Him .   The Gospel of Christ is an Offense to the Self-Righteous (2:15-17) The self-righteous cannot receive a Gospel that is founded on grace. Jesus reaches down to sinners on the street level of their lives, while the scribes sought to protec...

The Tough Crowd that Came to See Jesus (2:1-2) The crowd is made up of Pharisees, Rabbis, and Scribes (Luke 5:17). Jesus continues His preaching of the Word (Gospel of the Kingdom)   The Real Faith that is Seen by Jesus (2:3-5) Jesus saw the active faith of the men who brought their friend to Him These men were determined to see Jesus and believed that He could heal their friend.   The True Forgiv...

  The Healing Heart of Jesus (Mark 1:29-34) Jesus demonstrated His great power to heal and restore Jesus displayed His deep love for others   The Devoted Heart of Jesus (Mark 1:35-39) Jesus was devoted to private prayer with His Father Jesus was devoted to the Gospel mission He came to do Jesus was not seeking to make a name for Himself   The Compassionate Heart of Jesus (Mark 1:40-45) Jesus reach...

Jesus and His Authoritative Words (Mark 1:21-22) Jesus taught with absolute authority, providing a striking contrast with the religious community. As Jesus spoke, the people were lost for words in amazement.     Jesus and His Authoritative Control (Mark 1:23-28) Jesus is identified by the demons as the Messiah Jesus displays His power over the demons as the Messiah Jesus astonishes the crowd and l...

The Gospel Message of Jesus (Mark 1:14-15) The good news that Jesus proclaimed was the culmination of all history and prophetic Scripture. The good news that Jesus proclaimed was about repentance of sin and belief in Him as the Messiah and Son of God. The Gospel Mission of Jesus (Mark 1:16-20) Jesus' call to discipleship centers around allegiance, service, and surrender. Jesus' call to discipleshi...

The Setting of Christ's Temptation (Mark 1:12-13) Christ's temptation is set in the wilderness without food or worldly comforts. Christ's temptation was Satan's strategic assault on His mission to the cross.   The Schemes of Satan's Temptation (Matt. 4:1-11) The temptation of self-sufficiency The temptation of self-preservation The temptation of self-exaltation   The Strategy of Christ's Triumph o...

The Gospel Appeared in a Person (1:1) Jesus is the Gospel message in the flesh He is the promised Messiah and the Son of God The Gospel was Announced by a Messenger (1:2-8) John the Baptist was the prophesied forerunner to Jesus the Messiah. John the Baptist's role was to prepare the way for Messiah through repentance, pointing all to Him.   The Gospel was Approved by God (1:9-11) In Jesus' baptis...

The Author of Mark's Gospel The human author of this Gospel is John Mark. This was validated by several early church fathers, including Papias in 120 A.D. He served with the Apostle Paul and became a useful servant of Christ. He was also a protégé of the Apostle Peter and drew his Gospel account primarily from him.   The Audience of Mark's Gospel The Gospel of Mark was most likely written between...

Love One Another Genuinely (verses  9-10a ) We are called to love without hypocrisy We are called to love with affection   Honor One Another Faithfully (verse 10b) We are called to outdo one another in showing honor   Serve One Another Generously (verses 11-13) We are called to serve passionately with joy and patience We are called to serve in prayer We are called to serve in giving to others' nee...

We Must Intentionally Continue in the Word (2 Tim. 3:14-15) We are called to continue learning and believing the Scriptures, which point us to Jesus. We believe that the primary tool that the Holy Spirit uses to change lives and hearts is the Word of God. We see God's attributes in what He has made, but we come to know Him personally through what He has said (Rom. 10:17)! Because of this, we empha...

1. The Gospel Defines Us The Gospel is the glorious announcement of what God has done through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ's work on the cross has satisfied God's holy wrath, secured forgiveness of sins, and given eternal life to all who repent and trust in Christ alone for their salvation. Therefore, the Gospel is not what God requires.  The Gospel is wha...

Glorifying God: Our Purpose We were created for God and His glory We were created to know God and make Him known.   Being a Disciple of Jesus Christ: Our Identity Disciples of Jesus will follow Jesus Disciples of Jesus will imitate Jesus   Making Disciples of Jesus Christ: Our Mission Disciples of Jesus will live under the authority of Jesus Disciples of Jesus will seek to make disciples of Jesus...

Christ, the Eternal Savior Came to Make Sinners into Saints (Rev. 1:4-8) Christ came in love as the One who is the foundation and culmination of all things. Christ came in love to bring freedom from sin by His blood. Christ came in love to bring those who trust in Him into His eternal kingdom.   Christ, the Eternal Savior Promises to Make All Things New (Rev. 21:1-8) Christ will dwell with His peo...

1. The Identity of Emmanuel Unveiled (John 1:1-5) 2. The Witness of Emmanuel Portrayed (John 1:6-9) 3. The Purpose of Emmanuel Proclaimed (John 1:10-13) 4. The Role of Emmanuel Revealed (John 1:14-18) "This Christ is not a reflection of the current mood or the projection of our own desires. He is our Lord and God. He is the Father's Son, Savior of the world, and substitute for our sins—more loving...

The Setting of God's Promised Comfort (Is. 40:1-2) God's message of renewing comfort comes in the midst of man's sin and failure God's message of renewing comfort is reinforced with compassion, reminding His people that God always keeps His promises   The Substance of God's Promised Comfort (Is. 40:3-5) The promise of God's renewing comfort is fulfilled in the promised Messiah The Messiah will com...

The Darkness of Sin's Captivity (Is. 1:2-4; 8:5-22) Israel had rebelled against the Lord and forsaken His ways (Is. 1:2-4) Israel would soon be taken into captivity by the Assyrians (Is. 8:5-10) God would not leave them or break His covenant!   The Light of the Messiah's Eternal Kingdom (Is. 7:14; 9:1-7) Even amid the darkest of days, the light of the Messiah was already shining! God had a plan to...