Fusion: week of 6/7

FAMILY THEME: TO LIVE IS CHRIST

Philippians 1:1-30

For the believer, life's purpose is to bring glory to Christ and

to point others to Him.

1.  God's Redemptive Work Will Be Brought to Full

     Completion in Us

     (Philippians 1:1-11)

     The saints in Philippi abounded in faithfulness to

     Paul in his ministry as well as to Christ.

2.  We Can Advance the Gospel by the Way We

     Respond to Our Circumstances

     (Philippians 1:12-20)

     No matter the circumstance, w can choose to

     rejoice, knowing that God will be exalted.

     

3.  Christ is to Be the Focus of Every Believer's Life

     (Philippians 1:21-30)

     Paul was torn in his desire to live on this earth

     or to die and be with Christ.

Fusion: week of 5/31

FAMILY THEME: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT DINOSAURS?

Genesis 1:20-25 ; 7:1-4;

Job 40:15-24 ; 41:1-34

Understanding how the dinosaurs fit in to His creation can give

you confidence in the Creator.

1.  God Created Every Creature, Including the Dinosaurs,

     According to Its Kind

     (Genesis 1:20-25)

     Dinosaurs were part of God's creation and reproduced

     after their own kind.

2.  Most of the Dinosaurs (and Other Creatures) Were

     Destroyed by a Catastrophic Flood

     (Genesis 7:1-4)

     Historic records and fossils align with the catastrophic

     flood described in Scripture.

     

3.  Every Creature Proclaims the Power and the Glory 

     of God

     (Job 40:15-24 ; 41:1-34)

     God used great and powerful creatures to teach Job

     a lesson about Job's limitations and God's power and

     glory.

Fusion: week of 5/24

FAMILY THEME: WHERE DID DIFFERENT RACES COME FROM?

Genesis 3:20

Genesis 11:1-9

Acts 17:24-27

God could have created humans to all look alike. But look around!

We obviously have different colors of eyes, hair, and skin. If we all

came from Adam and Eve, how did this happen? The lesson this

week will answer this question.

1.  Every Person is the Offspring of the First Man and Woman

     (Genesis 3:20)

     All human beings are descendants of Adam and Eve.

2.  God Initiated Language Barriers and People Groups

     (Genesis11:9)

     Though God established different people groups, we

     are still one human race.

     

3.  Unbiblical Perspectives on the Origin of Humanity Have

     Contributed to the Rise of Racism in Recent History

     (Acts 17:24-27)

     Evolutionary theory of origins has greatly influenced the

     dehumanization of many people groups in recent history.

Fusion: week of 5/17

FAMILY THEME: WHO WAS CAIN'S WIFE?

Genesis 4:1-17 , 5:1-4

Genesis 1:31

Leviticus 18:6-9

There are many questions skeptics ask to undermine Scripture,

especially attacking the book of Genesis. As we'll see today,

there are legitimate answers to these questions.

1.  Was Cain's Wife From the Land of Nod, or Was She a

     Close Relative?

     (Genesis 4:1-17 ; 5:1-4)

     Cain's wife was indeed a close relative, however, this

     union was not considered unholy at this time in 

     human history.

2.  Does Cain's Marrying a Sister or Niece Present a

     Biological Dilemma?

     (Genesis1:31)

     There was not a biological dilemma with Cain 

     marrying a close relative simply because mutations

     within human genetics did not yet exist.

     

3.  Does Cain's Marrying a Sister or Niece Present a

     Moral Dilemma?

     (Leviticus 18:6-9)

     Not until the Mosaic Covenant did God institute the

     Levitical code and Mosaic Law forbidding interfamilial

     marriage.

Fusion: week of 5/10

FAMILY THEME: HOW OLD IS THE EARTH?

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

2 Peter 3:3-6

Mark 10:6

Exodus 20:8-11

We can accept the scriptural account of creation. It is supported

by history, science, other inspired writers, and Jesus Himself.

1.  We Can Rely on the Historical Genesis Account in God's Word

     (Genesis 1:1 - 2:3)

     Scripture indicates God spent one literal week creating

     everything, rather than the days of Creation referring to

     extended periods of time.

 
2.  The Apostles and Jesus Indicated They Trusted the Creation

     Account as Historical

     (2 Peter 3:3-6 ; Mark 10:6)

     Biblical authors who addressed the issue of creation in any

     way always treated it as a historical account. This was the

     pattern for Jesus as well.

     

3.  Our Calendar Week and Sabbath Rest Was Established

     on the Creation Account

     (Exodus 20:8-11)

     The entire concept of our seven-day week and calendar is

     built upon the idea of God's creating the world in six literal

     days and resting on the seventh.

Fusion: week of 5/3

FAMILY THEME: DOES THE BIG BANG FIT WITH THE BIBLE?

Genesis 1:1 ; Hebrews 11:1-3 ; Romans 1:18-20 ; Psalm 19:1

Many Christians want to find a way to harmonize the naturalistic

explanations of creation with the Biblical accounts. Can this be 

done?

1.  The Naturalistic View of the Big Bang Does Not Fit Scripture,

     Nor Does It Truly Explain Where Matter Ultimately Came From

     (Genesis 1:1)

     The Big Bang theory requires existing matter to become

     concentrated and then explode. One problem with this

     theory is the question, where did this matter come from?

 
2.  All Theories About the Origin of the Universe Require Faith

     (Hebrews 11:1-3)

     None of the theories of creation are observable or

     reproducible. Each view is shaped by the worldview

     of the individual.

     

3.  The Order and Design of the Universe Do Not Fit an

     Accidental, Naturalistic Big Bang

     (Romans 1:18-20 ; Psalm 19:1 ; Psalm 148)

     Acknowledging order and design in the universe is

     critical when deciding what origin account is most

     probable.

Fusion: week of 4/26

FAMILY THEME: RETURN OF CHRIST

Mark 13:1-27

Jesus answered His disciples' questions about when He would

return to earth and what it would be like.

1.  The Return of Christ Will Be Preceded by False Teaching,

     Wars, and Natural Disasters

     (Mark 13:1-8)

     This triad of items heralding the approach of the actual end

     of time describes only the beginning of the end and not the

     end itself.

 
2.  The Return of Christ Will Be Preceded by Christians Being

     Persecuted

     (Mark 13:9-13)

     God's people have been persecuted since the beginning of

     time and most certainly will be up until the return of Christ.

     

3.  The Return of Christ Will Be Preceded by a Time of Terrible

     Tribulation

     (Mark 13:14-27)

     Even though tribulation has always existed, the Bible

     predicted a unique period of tribulation unlike any other

     within human history. Persecution, natural catastrophes,

     and even miracles will occur to an unprecedented degree

     shortly before the Second Coming of Christ.