After the Ark, Part 1

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 9:1-17

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After the Ark, Part 1 -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 9:1-17
19 August 2018

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.  In what ways do vv. 1-7 echo Genesis 1?  How do the differences remind us of the Fall?
2.  How does this passage speak to issues like the treatment of animals and the death penalty?
3.  What is God’s attitude towards creation in general and life in particular?  What are some of the implications for us?
4.  What is a covenant, and what are some characteristics of the covenant that God established in Genesis 9?
5.  Why do you think God chose to mark this covenant with a rainbow?  How might this passage influence the way you view rainbows in the future?
6.  How does the fact that God is a covenant-maker and covenant-keeper affect the way we relate to him in our Christian lives?

References: Genesis 1:26-29; Romans 13:1-5; Romans 8:19-22; Revelation 21:1; Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 4:3; Titus 1:2; Romans 3:25; Luke 22:20. 

The Flood Finished

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 8:1-22

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The Flood Finished -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 8:1-22
12 August 2018

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.  What is the biggest effect that the Noah narrative has had on you so far?
2.  How do we see God’s faithfulness in this passage? In what specific ways have you seen God’s faithfulness in your life?
3.  What does it look like to wait on God, and how do we see this in the life of Noah?
4.  Why did Noah make burnt offerings to God? What does the timing of these offerings tell us about his attitude towards God?
5.  How does this passage direct our attention to Christ?

References: Exodus 2:24; Hebrews 11:7; Psalm 27:14; Leviticus 1:1-17; Ephesians 5:2.

The Flood

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 7:1-24

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The Flood -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 7:1-24
05 August 2018

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.  How does the New Testament guide us on how to read the flood narrative? Why should the world’s view of Noah’s flood not surprise us?
2.  In what ways is the flood a “controlled” event? How should this impact our view of God and our circumstances?
3.  How is the flood a “careful” event? What all does God preserve?
4.  What do the words at the end of v. 16, “And the LORD shut him in,” teach us about God?
5.  How does the text describe the flood as both powerful and universal?
6.  What does it mean to say that this story should leave us in repentant reverence running to the ark of safety?

References: Matthew 24:37-39; 2 Peter 3:5-7; Matthew 7:21; Genesis 1:9; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 2:6; Proverbs 18:10; Exodus 14:28; Genesis 1:2

Noah and the Ark

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 6:9-22

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Noah and the Ark -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 6:9-22
29 July 2018

DEEP SHEET:  Sermon Study Questions
1.  How would you describe Noah based on the text? How does Noah’s character challenge us in the midst of our generation?
2.  How would you characterize the relationship between God and Noah?
3.  What does it mean to say that God destroyed what man had already destroyed?
4.  How does God’s judgment in the past point us to the future? According to Peter, what practical effect should this have on the Christian?
5.  In what ways does the ark serve as a picture of Christ?

References: Habakkuk 2:4; Hebrews 11:7; Genesis 15:6; Proverbs 11:5; Ecclesiastes 7:20; 2 Peter 2:5; John 5:24; Genesis 18:17-21; John 15:15; 2 Peter 2:5; 3:11-12; 1 John 2:17; Exodus 2:3, 5.

A Sorrowful State, Part 2

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 6:4-8

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A Sorrowful State, Part 2 -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 6:4-8
22 July 2018

Deep Sheet:  Sermon Study Questions
1.  What does it look like for us to feel the weight of sin and of grace in our daily lives? How can we cultivate the attitude of John Chrysostom: “I fear nothing but sin”?
2.  What does it mean to say that left to ourselves, we always assess wrongly? How do we keep our assessment of reality aligned with God’s?
3.  What do you find most striking about the depravity described in vv. 5-6? Discuss the breadth, depth, totality, and offense of this depravity?
4.  What does v. 6 in particular teach us about God?
5.  Are people less sinful today than at the time of the flood? What are some key passages of Scripture for answering this question?
6.  How does the text point us to God’s grace rather than human merit?
7.  How does the figure of Noah contribute to a “theology of singularity”?

References: Jeremiah 17:9-10; Genesis 8:21; Romans 3:10-12; Romans 8:19-21; Genesis 3:15. 

A Sorrowful State, Part 1

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 6:1-4

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A Sorrowful State, Part 1 -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 6:1-4
15 July 2018

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.  How should we interpret the long lifespans before the flood?
2.  How does the timeline reflected in the Genesis 5 genealogy support a recent creation of humanity?
3.  Why should Genesis 6:1-8 be characterized as a “sorrowful state”?
4.  What has been your understanding of the “sons of God” in this passage? What evidence is there for the view that these are fallen angels?
5.  What do we know about demons from the New Testament, and how might this information help us interpret this passage?
6.  Would you say that you take spiritual warfare seriously? How does this passage encourage us to be vigilant?
7.  What does it look like to fight Satan and his demons in the Lord’s strength?

References: Genesis 11:10-32; Matthew 1:8; Jude 14; 1 Chronicles 1:1-4; Luke 3:36-38; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Numbers 13:33; Jude 6; 1 Peter 3:19-20; 2 Peter 2:4-6; Revelation 12:3-9; Luke 8:31; 11:24.

The Hopeful Line

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 5

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The Hopeful Line -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 5
08 July 2018

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  What has been your attitude towards biblical genealogies? What are some ways in which they can be profitable for us?
2.  How do the verses leading up to chapter 5 prepare us for the hopeful nature of the genealogy itself?
3.  What does the creation language in the opening verses communicate about this line, and what effect should this have on the reader?
4.  What is the significance of Enoch in this genealogy? What does it mean to say that chapter 5 gives us the “line of life”?
5.  What does it look like to walk with God? How would you describe your own experience of walking with him?
6.  In what ways does the glory of Christ shine through this genealogy? 

References: Luke 3:23-38; 2 Kings 2:11; 2 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 11:5; Jude 14-15; Genesis 3:17-19; 6:9.

The Birth of Civilization

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 4:17-26

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The Birth of Civilization -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 4:17-26
01 July 2018

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.  In what ways does God extend grace to Cain and his descendants? How should this impact our view of God and culture?
2.  What is common grace, and how does it point us to saving grace?
3.  How would you characterize Lamech? Why do you think Moses included this brief account of him?
4.  What does Eve’s response to the birth of Seth tell us about his significance? How does his birth anticipate Christ?
5.  What does it mean in v. 26 that at the time of Enosh “people began to call upon the name of the LORD”? What does it look like for us to call upon his name?

References: Matthew 5:45; Genesis 2:24; 3:16; Romans 1:29-32; Genesis 3:15.

The Godless Man

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 4:9-16

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The Godless Man -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 4:9-16
24 June 2018

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.  Why does the Holy Spirit want us to take a close look at Cain? Why is this like looking at a mirror for the unbeliever or an old photo and the enemy within for the believer?
2.  How is Cain’s response to God’s call to confess different from that of Adam? Why is it so important that we maintain an attitude of confession towards God?
3.  How does God’s curse on Cain serve as both a comfort and a warning?
4.  What does Cain’s complaint tell us about his heart/thinking? In what ways have you seen the same attitudes or qualities in yourself?
5.  Why does God put a mark on Cain?
6.  What does Cain’s departure from God’s presence communicate about his overall attitude towards God?
7.  How do Cain’s curse and Abel’s blood point us to Christ?

References: Genesis 3:9, 12; Psalm 51:17; Proverbs 28:13; Psalm 9:7-12; Romans 12:19; Ecclesiastes 12:14; 1 John 3:12; Isaiah 24:20; Revelation 16:8-11; Matthew 5:45; Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 12:24.

Evil After Expulsion

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 4:1-8

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Evil After Expulsion -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 4:1-8
10 June 2018

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  Where do we continue to see God’s grace in this passage? What do these verses invite us to do?
2.  What was wrong with Cain’s offering, and what are some implications for our worship?
3.  Why was Cain “very angry,” and what does that tell us about his heart?
4.  What is God’s message to Cain in vv. 6-7, and how does he respond?
5.  What are some of the effects of anger that you have witnessed in your life?
6.  What does the story of Cain and Abel tell us about life after the Fall?

References: Isaiah 55:6-7; Genesis 1:28; 3:20; 2 Samuel 24:24; Hebrews 11:4; Proverbs 21:27; James 1:20; 4:7-10; Ecclesiastes 7:9; Ephesians 4:26; 1 John 3:12; Jude 11.

Expelled With Grace

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 3:20-24

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Expelled With Grace -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 3:20-24
03 June 2018

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  How would you describe the relationship between Adam and Eve and the entire human race?  What does it mean to say that the story of sin runs through every biography?
2.  In what specific ways does the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden serve as punishment?
3.  How does Adam’s naming of Eve demonstrate faith?|
4.  How does God’s act of covering them with animal skins point to Christ?  What does it mean to say that the covering of guilt and shame is God’s work?
5.  How is God’s expulsion of Adam and Eve a means of protection?  How does God protect us from ultimately being lost?

References: Genesis 4:8, 23; 6:5; Romans 3:23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:3; Hebrews 11:1, 4.

The Divine Judgment

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 3:16-19

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The Divine Judgment -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 3:16-19
27 May 2018

Deep Sheet:  Sermon Study Notes
1.  What comes to your mind when you think of a “fallen world”?
2.  How do we see the hope of grace, relationship, victory, and reversal leading into God’s words of judgment?
3.  What would it look like to be more serious about sin in your daily life?
4.  In what ways does “painful toil” affect men and women? How have you seen the outworking of this in your own life?
5.  How does this passage help us to understand the cause of strife in marriage? What is God’s remedy in this life?
6.  What does it mean to say that Christ died so that death will die forever?

References: Proverbs 8:13; Genesis 4:7; 5:29; Ephesians 5:18, 22, 25; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Peter 3:1, 7; Genesis 2:7; Job 14:1; Romans 8:22; 1 Corinthians 15:47-49.

The Defeated Devil

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 3:14-15

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The Defeated Devil -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 3:14-15
20 May 2018

Deep Sheet:  Sermon Study Notes
1.  What does it mean to be “sober-minded” and “watchful” concerning Satan (1 Peter 5:8)?
2.  In what ways do we see God’s sovereignty in this passage? Why should that increase our confidence in him?
3.  What is the relationship between the serpent and Satan? What curse is placed on Satan?
4.  Why has v. 15 been called the “first gospel”? How does this verse impact the way we read the Bible from beginning to end?
5.  Why should Christians not be afraid of the devil?

References: John 17:5; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9; Romans 3:19; Job 1:6-12; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Genesis 9:5; Exodus 21:28; Leviticus 20:15, 16; Genesis 5:28-29; 49:10; Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Galatians 4:4-5; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8; Isaiah 53:5; Romans 16:20.

The Divine Interrogation

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 3:9-13

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The Divine Interrogation -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 3:9-13
13 May 2018

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.  How does this text present God as a loving Father who seeks the lost?
2. What is God doing by addressing Adam and Eve with questions, and with these questions in particular?
3. What are some evangelistic and parental implications of God’s address to Adam and Eve?
4.  What does it mean to say that they are “missing”?
5.  How would you characterize the attitude of the first humans towards their sin? How have you seen the same attitude in your own life?
6.  In what ways do we tend to blame our sin on our circumstances? How does this subtly shift the blame to God?

References: Romans 5:12; Luke 19:10; Psalm 139:7; Jonah 1:3; Ephesians 2:1-3; Titus 3:3.

The Deadly Deed

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 3:6-8

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The Deadly Deed -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 3:6-8
6 May 2018

Sermon Study Questions
1.  How does the Fall begin with doubting God’s Word and goodness?
2.  Does the Devil make us sin? How would you describe what is going on in Eve’s heart according to v. 6?
3.  How have you seen the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life at work in your own life?
4.  What does it mean in Proverbs 9:10 that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”?
5.  Where do we see unbelief, pride, and idolatry in the Fall?
6.  In what ways do we have the breakdown of both horizontal and vertical relationships in this passage?
7.  How does Christ restore the peace lost in Eden?

References: 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Corinthians 11:3; James 1:14-15; Deuteronomy 5:21; Genesis 2:9; 1 John 2:16; Proverbs 9:10; Genesis 2:16-17; 1 John 3:4; Genesis 2:25; 3:17; John 14:27.

The Deadly Dialogue

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 3:1-5

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The Deadly Dialogue -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 3:1-5
29 April 2018

Sermon Study Questions
1.  Why must we keep Christ’s righteousness and obedience in view as we consider the Fall?
2.  Who is Satan, and why should we take him seriously?
3.  How does Satan subtly undermine God’s Word and character with his initial question, and what are the implications for us?
4.  In what ways does Eve alter God’s Word? What does this suggest about what is going on in her heart?
5.  How does Satan tempt people into thinking there are no consequences for disobedience?
6.   By the time we reach v. 5, how would you describe Satan’s portrayal of himself and of God?

References: Romans 5:18-19; Genesis 2:16-17; Revelation 12:9; John 8:44; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-15; Matthew 4:4, 10.

The Man With His Wife

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 2:18-25

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The Man With His Wife -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 2:18-25
22 April 2018

Sermon Study Questions
1.  How is God presented as a loving Father in Genesis 2?
2.  Why is isolation not God’s will for human beings? In what ways do you see a tendency towards isolation in yourself?
3.  How does God prepare the man to recognize the immense value of his wife?
4.  How does this account of creation run contrary to Evolution?
5.  In what ways does this passage instruct us about the nature and dignity of marriage? What are some practical ways that we can respond in our own marriages?
6.  How does this passage ultimately point us to the gospel?

References: Genesis 1:26-28; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Proverbs 31:11-12, 27-28; Proverbs 18:22; 1 Timothy 2:13; 1 Corinthians 11:8-9; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:7; Matthew 19:5.

The Man In His Home

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 2:8-17

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The Man In His Home -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 2:8-17
15 April 2018

Sermon Study Questions
1.  In what ways does God provide abundantly for man in the garden?
2.  What is the significance of the fact that God is the author/originator of human pleasure and delight?
3.  How does the description of the garden give us hope?
4.  How does v. 15 show us that rest is not to be equated with aimless idleness?
5.  What do the verbs “work” and “keep” in v. 15 tell us about the nature of Adam’s work?
6.  What does this passage teach us about authority? What does it mean to say that all sin is an issue of authority?
7.  How does the manner in which God’s command is given demonstrate his love, goodness, and care towards human beings?

References: Acts 17:26; Genesis 12:3; Matthew 28:19; Revelation 7:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:16; Genesis 13:10; Revelation 21-22; John 14:3; Genesis 19:16; Deuteronomy 26:10; Numbers 18:5-6; Colossians 3:23.

The Origin of Man

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 2:4-7

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The Origin of Man -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 2:4-7
8 April 2018

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  Why is it so essential that we as human beings understand who we are and where we come from?
     What happens when we don’t?
2.  Why should we treat Genesis 2 as a historical account?
3.  How should the fact that we come from dust affect how we view ourselves?
4.  What makes the creation of human beings unique? How does this show God’s love and sovereignty?
5.  Why is the biblical account of human origins incompatible with evolution?

References: 1 Chronicles 1:1; Luke 3:38; Acts 17:26; 1 Corinthians 15; Romans 5; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; Matthew 19:4-5; Genesis 7:22; Isaiah 64:8.

The Seventh Day Applied

FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission

Genesis 2:1-3

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The Seventh Day Applied -- Lonnie Bell
Sermon Series: Genesis
Genesis 2:1-3
25 March 2018

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.   How have you thought about Sabbath, Lord’s Day, and Sunday up to this point?
2.  How does Genesis 2:1-3 give us a healthy rhythm for work and rest?
3.  Why do we struggle to follow this pattern of work and rest? What negative effects does this have on human flourishing?
4.  How is being a Christian a realized Sabbath? What does it look like to rest in Jesus?
5.  Does the New Testament teach that Christians are obligated to observe a particular day in a particular way?
6.  Why do Christians gather on Sunday? What happens when a person neglects regular attendance at church?
7.  What is the Sabbath rest that remains for us? How does this comfort the Christian and warn the faithless participant?

References: Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 4:3; Colossians 2:16-17; Romans 14:5; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10; Hebrews 10:25; 4:10.