The Word In The World, Parts 1 and 2 (Advent Week 4, plus Christmas Eve service)

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

John 1:14-18

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The Word In The World, Parts 1 and 2 — Lonnie Bell
4th Sermon of Advent and Christmas Eve sermon
John 1:14-18
23 December (part 1) and 24 December 2018 (part 2)

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  Why does the world try to change Christmas, and in what ways do we see this happening around us?
2.  What is the Incarnation? Have you given much thought to this doctrine?
3.  How does the language “dwelt among us” push us back into the Old Testament?
4.  How do “glory,” “grace,” and “truth” relate to one another in v. 14? How does this impact the way we see and approach Jesus?
5.  Discuss some of the doctrinal errors we should avoid when thinking about the Word becoming flesh?
6.  In what ways does this passage push us to our knees?

References: John 3:19; Matthew 10:34-36; Hebrews 1:2-3; Exodus 40:34-35; Psalm 29:9; Exodus 33:18-19; 34:6-7; Romans 1:3; 1 Timothy 3:16; 2 John 7; Hebrews 2:14; 4:15; Philippians 2:9-10.

Response To The Light (Advent Week 3)

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

John 1:9-13

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Response To The Light — Lonnie Bell
3rd Sermon of Advent
John 1:9-13
16 December 2018
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DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  What does it mean that Jesus is the “true light, which gives light to everyone”?
2.  What is the “world” and how does it relate to Christ’s “own people”?
3.  Why do people reject Christ?
4.  What does it mean to believe “in his name”?
5.  How do divine sovereignty and human responsibility come together in vv. 12-13?
6.  What are the main truths from these verses that we can explicitly celebrate with our families this Christmas?

References: John 14:30; 1 John 2:16; Isaiah 1:2-3; 65:2-3; Acts 2:22-23; John 3:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Acts 13:48; John 3:6; Ephesians 1:3.

The Light (Advent Week 2)

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

John 1:4-8

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The Light — Lonnie Bell
2nd Sermon of Advent
John 1:4-8
9 December 2018
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DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  To use the words of Leon Morris, how is Christ the “life-bringer and light bearer”?
2.  How is Christ’s coming both at Christmas and in conversion like what we read in Genesis 1:2-3?
3.  What does it mean to say that Christmas is a season of power and victory?
4.   How does the fact that “darkness has not overcome” the light give us encouragement in the Christian life?
5.  How does the text lead us to compare Jesus and John the Baptist, and how would you describe John’s role?
6.  What does it look like to be a credible witness of Jesus in our daily lives?

References: Colossians 2:3; Hebrews 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:8; John 5:26; 8:12; 11:25; 12:46; 14:6; 17:3; Genesis 1:2-3; 2 Corinthians 4:6; John 12:35; Genesis 3:15; Ephesians 6:12; 1 John 3:8; Matthew 13:43; 11:11; John 20:31; 1:23.

The Word (Advent Week 1)

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

John 1:1-3

(NOTE:  Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for recording to begin.)

The Word — Lonnie Bell
1st Sermon of Advent
John 1:1-3
2 December 2018
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DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  What does it mean to say that Christ is both predicted and present in the Old Testament?
2.  Discuss encounters that you have had with people who do not accept Christ as God. In addition to this passage, what are some other major biblical texts that support Christ’s eternality and deity?
3.  What does it mean to say that any view of Christ that does not see him as fully God steals his glory and refashions him into an idol?
4.  Why does John refer to Christ as the “Word,” and how would you explain what this means from Scripture?
5.  How does this text show that God is a plurality of persons? How would you characterize the relationship between God and his Word?
6.  How does understanding the deity and creative agency of the Word affect our worship and our love for God and one another?

References: Luke 24:44; John 5:46; 8:56; 12:41; 1 Corinthians 10:4; Matthew 1:18; John 17:5; 8:58; Isaiah 9:6; John 20:28; Romans 9:5; Colossians 1:15, 19; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:1; Genesis 1; 15:1; John 17:26; Psalm 33:6; Hebrews 1:2; Colossians 1:16.