Application Questions:

1. In this passage, John shifts from giving his audience questions to ask about themselves to making declarative statements about them. Why do you think he does this? What benefit do you think he intends to provide to those who read this letter?

2. In this passage, John reiterates that his audience knows “the Father” and “He who is from the beginning.” What is the difference between these two descriptors of God? What do they tell you about your relationship with God?

3. In this passage, John aims to bolster his audience’s confidence by declaring their forgiveness in Christ, fellowship with God, and victory over the devil. Consider your own present struggles. How does this passage address, correct, or overcome those struggles?

Application Questions:

1. In response to the unfamiliar situation that John’s audience was facing, he points them back to “the old commandment.” As you face unfamiliar challenges in your own life, what practical lessons can you draw from John’s strategy for yourself?

2. Consider how you have experienced Jesus’ love. In what ways does His love surpass your previous understanding, standard, or practice of love? Do you see His love for you as the “new normal” for you to copy, or as an exception that you can avoid?

3. In what ways have you acted hatefully toward your brothers and sisters in the past? In what ways have you received love from your brothers and sisters in the past?

Application Questions:

1. Last week, Pastor Zach described Jesus as “the put up or shut up of God.” What does that mean? In what ways do you see that idea demonstrated in this week’s passage?

2. How certain do you feel about your fellowship with God? Are you confident or unsure? In what ways does John encourage you in this passage? In what ways does he challenge you?

3. Does John think that your experiencing certainty about your relationship with God determines whether or not you certainly belong to God? Why or why not?

Application Questions:

1. John describes God as “light”. How is this truth about who God is and what He is like an encouragement for you relationally?

2. How do John’s distinctions between walking in light or darkness make you feel? Are his words a comfort or a discouragement? Why?

3. Why is confession of your sin to God so hard? How is it an act of faith?

Application Questions:

1. What do you know about the apostle John, or any of the other biblical authors? How difficult is it for you to think of them as real people? Why does this matter to how you approach their writings?

2. What do you think of when you hear the word “fellowship”? Is this a significant word or a throw-away word to you? How do your ideas of fellowship compare to John’s idea?

3. When you think of Jesus, is He a real person or just a concept? Is He a historical figure to you, or someone that you know personally?

Application Questions:

1. How would you describe the manner of your waiting for Jesus to return? Is it eager? Discouraged? Apathetic? Do you think of His coming often, rarely, or not at all? How has this Christmas season impacted your waiting?

2. Psalm 110 provides multiple motivations to strengthen our waiting for Jesus. Which resonate with you most strongly? Which are least impactful?

3. As you approach Christmas Day this week, reflect on the picture that has been presented in the Messianic Psalms. Ask God to help you see beyond the normal trappings of this season and behold the magnitude of what we celebrate, the gift of Jesus.

Application Questions:

1. The Anointed cries out as one abandoned by God. Which parts of His cry are familiar to your own experience? Which parts are unrepeatable?

2. How does the Anointed describe the severity of His experience? What is He actually facing? What does He most dread? What does He do in this situation?

3. The Anointed’s rescue was not by avoiding death, but going through it. How does His triumph encourage you in the face of your own trials?

Application Questions:

1. How are you coming into Advent season this year? Are you excited and hopeful? Are you weary, anxious, or grieving? What unique comforts and challenges does this season present to you?

2. The psalmist describes his present situation of great difficulty, not simply as hard, but caused by God and contradictory to His promises. Think of a time, now or in the past, when your circumstances told you that God was against you. How does the psalmist’s confrontation strike you?

3. The psalmist cries out in his difficulty with longing for God’s promises to become real. Are your Christmas celebrations helping you to wait for Jesus, or distracting you from the waiting? How might the psalmist’s words hep to increase your longing for Jesus’ appearing?

Application Questions:

1. What is “Advent”? What does this season mean for you? How would you describe it to someone who comes from a culture that doesn’t celebrate the birth of Jesus at this time of year?

2. The psalmist begins by celebrating God, reflecting on His uniqueness, might, and character. Why does he do this? What do these qualities have to do with Christmas? Put differently, do your Christmas celebrations begin with reflecting on who God is? Why might this be important?

3. The psalmist celebrates a king (David) long after that king is gone, as though the blessings of his kingdom are still to come. How does this perspective relate to you during Advent?