1 John Study Questions #6
Future Forward Faith
1 John 2:28-3:10
INTRODUCTION: Attitudes are important things. I often tell my kids, “Your attitude will determine the kind of day you have.” We all know this to be true. So does John. The believers he is writing to are walking through significant challenges in life. John wants to remind them that their attitude will make all the difference. The good news? We have every reason to have a hopeful attitude as Christians! Why? Because we are already children of God, and one day we will experience the fullness and totality of being God’s children. (1 Jn. 3:2) In that, we should be excited for Jesus to return, and we should be prompted to live lives that we won’t be ashamed of when he does come. Or in other words, the way we live now gives us excitement and confidence to meet Jesus face to face.
GETTING STARTED – Discuss with your group a time in your life that you watched something grow and transform from nothing to something significant? What were your impressions or feelings? At what point did you go, “Wow!”?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?