Genesis 6:1-8
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This is the second week in our series Perplexing Passages. This sermon is called "The Nephilim?"
Questions and going deeper resources
Small group questions
Connect Is there a situation where you have pre-decided before coming to God? In humility, ask God to reveal any areas of sin that you might not be aware of and give thanks for his forgiveness found in Jesus.
Warm-Up
- When you arrive at a particularly perplexing part of Scripture, how do you typically respond?
- How can not knowing everything about some parts of Scripture sometimes cause people to doubt the Bible as a whole? Why is this unnecessary and even illogical?
- Conversely, how can not being sure sometimes cause people to ‘speak beyond the text’ to bolster people’s confidence in the Bible? Is the authority of God’s Word dependent on our understanding?
Read Genesis 6:1-5
- Have you heard about the Nephilim before? Where else in the Bible are the Nephilim mentioned?
- What are the most outlandish ideas that you’ve heard about their identity? Why do you think people can be prone to elaborate theories to ‘fill the gap’ in our knowledge?
- What are the more mainstream ideas about who the Nephilim were in relation to the ‘sons of God’ and ‘daughter of humans’? Can we actually be certain about who they precisely were? Does it matter?
- How should passages like this help us to humbly accept the limits of our understanding along with the limits of what God has chosen to make clear to us?
- How is the very presence of the Nephilim indicative about a broader problem of evil in the world?
- Can you identify any parallels between the actions of the sons of God and what happened in the garden? Why is rebellion against God’s rule such a dire problem?
- What are the clues that the problem of evil had become pervasive in the world? How bad does it seem?
- How did God feel about the wickedness of humanity? What does it mean that God ‘regretted’?
- Why is it good news that God is deeply grieved about the presence of wickedness? Is God still grieved?
Read Genesis 6:6-8
- What was God’s response to the wickedness of the world? Why is judgement actually good news?
- Do you think people have a longing for justice today? How does Christianity provide the ultimate answer?
- Whilst God pours out the waters of judgement, how does he also make a means for mercy (in Genesis)?
- In what way is Jesus an ark for us? How does Jesus—on the cross—both absorb the waters of judgement and provide a way for salvation?
Apply Spend some time reflecting on the truths of God (from the Bible) of lasting and eternal significance for which we can be certain.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for what you have revealed to us by your kindness, grace, and mercy—not least the mystery of your will made known through your Son. Please help us to recognise our limits and sit humbly under the authority of your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Going deeper resources
On Your Front Line this Week
Take some time this week to pray for our city. Try doing it on a drive, and pray for the people and things you see.
For Families
- Download: some of the family resources to use at home: stbartskids.org
- Watch: “God’s Story: Balaam” by Crossroads Kids’ Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PaRIJ_hfNo
Listen, Watch, and Read
- Listen: “The Prophet Who Pleased Nobody” by Rupert Higgins:
https://bit.ly/3C3HsL3 - Listen: “The Donkey Speaks” by William Taylor:
https://www.st-helens.org.uk/resources/talk/50925/ - Listen: “God’s Promised Blessing” by Vaughan Roberts:
https://stebbes.org/sermons/gods-promised-blessing/ - Watch: “Numbers” by the Bible Project:
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/numbers/
Series Resources
- Book: “A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible” by John Dickson (available in the Church library)
- Book: “Reading the Bible for All It’s Worth” by Gordon Fee (available in the Church library)
- Book: “Modern Genre Theory” by Andy Judd
- Watch: “Writing Styles of the Bible & Why They’re Important to Understand” by the Bible Project:
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/literary-styles-bible/
