Four Corners Church

By Four Corners ChurchReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Four Corners Church episodes

March 15, 2021 When the Sinner Meets the Law
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Romans 7:7-13
7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.
NOTE: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
When the Law Meets the Sinner — Pastor Lonnie D. Bell, Jr.
Romans 7:7-13
Sermon Series: Romans (46th sermon)
March 14, 2021

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   What questions have you had up to this point about sin and the law? How does this passage help in answering those questions?
2.   Why does Paul focus on the tenth commandment when explaining how the law brings the knowledge of sin? What does it mean to covet?
3.   How does the law result in the activation of sin in the sinner? Where have you seen examples of this in action?
4. Why does Paul use these three words in v12 to describe the law? What is the relationship between God and his law?
5.   As Paul upholds the character of the law, how does he also draw attention to its positive purpose at the end of v. 13?

References: Ephesians 5:20; Romans 6:14; Romans 3:20; Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:5; Leviticus 20:26; 2 Chronicles 12:6; 30:18-19; Romans 3:23; Hebrews 4:15.
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March 07, 2021 Praise the Lord!
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Psalm 148 - 150
PSALM 148 Praise the Name of the Lord
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together, old men and children!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
PSALM 149 Sing to the Lord a new song
1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the Lord!
PSALM 150 Let Everything Praise the Lord
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
NOTE 1: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
Praise the Lord! — Pastor Trey Russell
Psalms 148 - 150
Sermon Series: Stand Alone
March 7, 2021

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1. Do you find your life to be more disoriented than it was this time last year? In what way? To what ought we be oriented?
2. Does understanding the glory of God as the ultimate end of all things change the way you think about everyday life? How?
3. How does knowing that God delights in his people help us to die to the law and live by the Spirit?
4. What hope does this text give to those who feel afflicted or lowly?
5. Are there parts of your life not clearly oriented toward the praise of God? What does it look like to properly orient those areas?
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February 28, 2021 Why We Must Die to the Law
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Romans 7:5-6
5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
NOTE: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
Why We Must Die to the Law— Pastor Lonnie D. Bell, Jr.
Romans 7:5-6
Sermon Series: Romans (45th sermon)
February 28, 2021

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1. Why does it seem so strange to say that we must die to the law of God in order to bear fruit for God? How would this have sounded to Paul’s Jewish hearers?
2. How does the law excite/arouse/stimulate our sinful passions while we are living in the flesh? How does the concept of rebellion help us to make sense of this?
3. As we relate the law to parenting, what does Paul Tripp mean when he says, “Your children need God's law, but you cannot ask the law to do what only grace can accomplish”?
4. How does the law fail us? What are some other passages that highlight the inability of the law to impart righteousness or life?
5. What does it mean to “serve in the new way of the Spirit”? How do those who have the Spirit now relate to the law?

References: John 15:1-2; 5:39; Romans 9:31; Galatians 5:19-21, 24; Ephesians 2:2-3; Galatians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 3:22.
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February 21, 2021 Our Death to the Law
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Romans 7:1-4
1 Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.
NOTE: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
Our Death to the Law— Pastor Lonnie D. Bell, Jr.
Romans 7:1-4
Sermon Series: Romans (44th sermon)
February 21, 2021

Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.   How does the context surrounding Romans 7 help us not to misinterpret Paul’s statement that we’ve died to the law?
2.   What is the basic principle that Paul begins with in this passage? How is it illustrated in vv. 2-3?
3.   To what extent should this passage be factored into our understanding of divorce and remarriage? What other texts should be consulted when dealing with these issues?
4.   How would you summarize Paul’s main point in v. 4? How does he draw on the theme of dying with Christ from chapter 6?
5.   What are the purposes for our death to the law? How do these inform our view of the Christian life?

References: Romans 6:14, 17-18; 5:17; 3:21; Galatians 4:4-5; Psalm 1; Romans 3:31; 8:4; Matthew 5:32; 19:9; 1 Corinthians 7:13-15; Ephesians 5:25; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Romans 14:8-9; 8:29; Ephesians 2:10.
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February 14, 2021 Inspect the Produce
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Romans 6:20-23
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NOTE: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
Inspect the Produce— Pastor Lonnie D. Bell, Jr.
Romans 6:20-23
Sermon Series: Romans (43rd sermon)
February 14, 2021

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   How does this passage serve as a means of perseverance for the Christian?
2.   What is meant by the phrase, “free in regard to righteousness”?
3.   How does Paul describe the fruit of our old enslavement to sin? Why do we need to be reminded of it?
4.   How have you seen individual acts of sin bring shame and death?
5.   What is the fruit of our enslavement to God? Why is it so important for us to remember that our new slavery is to a person?
6.   How does v. 23 emphasize the grace of God and the centrality of Christ?
7.   How does Paul affirm the justice of hell in this passage?

References: Ephesians 5:11-12; 1 John 2:17; Ephesians 2:4; 2 Corinthians 5:4.
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February 07, 2021 Life as a Slave
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Romans 6:15-19
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
NOTE: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
Life as a Slave— Pastor Lonnie D. Bell, Jr.
Romans 6:15-19
Sermon Series: Romans (42nd sermon)
February 7, 2021
Deep Sheet: Sermon Study
1.   How much thought have you given to the fact that Christians are slaves? Why does this concept seem odd to us, and how does Paul address that tension at the beginning of v. 19?
2.   What is the question/objection that Paul addresses in this passage? How would you summarize his response?
3.   Why is continuing to practice sin both ludicrous and impossible for the Christian?
4.   How does Paul describe the transformation that takes place at conversion? Where do we see divine sovereignty as well as human agency?
5.   How does this passage highlight the importance of sound doctrine/theology?
6.   What does God call us to in v. 19, and how does this highlight the importance of daily moments and choices? Why should we be excited by the last phrase, “leading to sanctification”?

References: Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Titus 2:14; Galatians 1:4; John 8:34; Matthew 6:24; 1 Samuel 15:22; Titus 3:5; Romans 1:5; 2:29.
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January 31, 2021 Life After Death
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Romans 6:12-14
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
NOTE: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
Life After Death — Pastor Lonnie D. Bell, Jr.
Romans 6:12-14
Sermon Series: Romans (41st sermon)
January 31, 2021
Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.   How does the first part of Romans 6 shape how you view yourself as a Christian? Why must we view ourselves truly in order to live rightly?
2.   How does Paul characterize our relationship to sin in v. 12? Why does it seem a little confusing in light of what he’s just written?
3.   What is the scene depicted in v. 13? How does Paul use warfare language?
4.   How does v. 13 simplify the Christian life for us? Where are you personally convicted to stop offering up your members to serve sin?
5.   What does it look like to offer our members to God as weapons for righteousness?
6.   How does v. 14 bring reassurance and confidence to the reader? How does its placement after v. 13 show that grace should not lessen our fight against sin but rather motivate its intensity?

References: Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 1:13-14; Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:16, 24; Colossians 3:5, 8, 9; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 2:11; Romans 7:22-23; 1 Kings 10:8; Romans 13:14; 1 John 2:16-17; Psalm 145:5, 21; Romans 5:2.
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January 24, 2021 The Living Dead
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Romans 6:6-11
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
NOTE: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
The Living Dead — Pastor Lonnie D. Bell, Jr.
Romans 6:6-11
Sermon Series: Romans (40th sermon)
January 24, 2021
Deep Sheet: Sermon Study Questions
1.   Why does the church constantly need to be called to holiness? How does this passage motivate you to pursue sanctification?
2.   How do we reconcile the fact that our old self has already died to sin / been crucified with Christ with the need to continually “put off [our] old self” (Eph. 4:22)?
3.   What does it mean that we are no longer enslaved to sin? How do we see this play out in the Christian life?
4.   What are the present and future implications of Christ’s resurrection? How is this imaged in baptism?
5.   What does Paul mean when he says that the resurrected Christ “lives to God”? What does this mean for us?

References: John 17:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Ephesians 4:22-24; Galatians 5:24; Romans 8:3; Hebrews 7:27; 9:28; Matthew 1:21; 2 Corinthians 5:21.
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January 17, 2021 Abounding Grace - What Now for Sin?
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Romans 6:1-5
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
NOTE: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
Abounding Grace - What Now for Sin? — Pastor Lonnie D. Bell, Jr.
Romans 6:1-5
Sermon Series: Romans (39th sermon)
January 17, 2021

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study
1.   How does the question about sin at the beginning of chapter 6 grow out of the celebration of grace at the end of chapter 5?
2.   How does Paul address both legalism and antinomianism in this passage?
3.   How have you seen antinomianism play out among Christians?
4.   How does v. 2 inform our understanding of what it means to be a Christian?
5.   How does Paul relate the believer to Christ? Why does he emphasize baptism?

References: Romans 3:7-8; Jude 4; Ephesians 1:19-20; Acts 2:38; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 2:20.
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January 10, 2021 Adam and Christ Compared
FCC Vision Statement: Building on Exposition, Centering on Christ, Dying in Community, Serving on Mission
Romans 5:15-21
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
NOTE: Allow 30-90 seconds after clicking the START-arrow or Download-button for playback to begin.
Adam and Christ Compared — Pastor Lonnie D. Bell, Jr.
Romans 5:15-21
Sermon Series: Romans (38th sermon)
January 10, 2021

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study
1.   What is the one big similarity that Paul identifies between Adam and Christ? How does 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 help us to interpret this larger passage?
2.   Why does Paul devote so much space to this comparison? How does he want it to affect his Christian readers?
3.   How does this passage depict the power or efficacy of God’s grace through Christ (see especially vv. 15, 20, and 21)? How does this elevate your worship, gratitude, and assurance?
4.   How does Paul describe the different results that derive from Adam and Christ?
5.   How does this passage inform your Christology (view of Christ)? Why are his righteousness and obedience so precious to us?

References: 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Hebrews 4:16; Romans 6:4; John 10:10; Revelation 22:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Matthew 3:15; Galatians 4:4; John 4:34; 6:38; Matthew 26:39.
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