Grace South Bay

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.  Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 

Sermon Questions:
1.     What does freedom mean to you?  

2.     How do you respond to unanticipated inconvenience or constraints?

3.     Where/when you find yourself lashing out, whether externally or internally?

4.     What or whom do you fear?  What do you think can write the epitaph over your life?

5.     Does it make sense to you that if you fear only God you are free?  Why or why not?  

6.     When Peter tells his readers to do ‘good’, he’s not telling them so much to be privately pious, but to be public benefactors.  How does that inform your understanding of Christian witness?  How can you/we be public benefactors?

This sermon Q&A is based on the sermon titled "Church (What is it Good For?)" from 1 Peter 2:4 -10 given on Sept. 24, 2023. 

As you come to [Jesus], a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
 a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
 has become the cornerstone,”

and

“A stone of stumbling,
 and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

Sermon Questions:
1.     Do you ever hesitate to identify as a Christian?  Why/when?
2.     What do suppose the non-Christians you know think of the Church?
3.     Why would Jesus draw the low, the weak and the foolish (in the world’s eyes) to his Church?
4.     Is it good news to you that you cannot have Jesus without his people?
5.     If you talk about Christianity with others, are you focusing and making much of Jesus and his mercy?
6.     What needs to change for you/us to better proclaim the excellencies of the one who called us from darkness to light?

This Q&A conversation is based on the sermon titled "A Good Appetite" from 1 Peter 2:1 - 3 preached on September 17th 2023

This Q&A conversation is based on the sermon titled "All You Need is Love" from 1 Peter 1:22 - 25 preached on September 10th 2023. 

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Sermon Questions:
1.     In what ways would you like to change?

2.     Do you agree that it’s your heart that is resisting the change you’d like to see?

3.     What is discipling you?  What contexts are feeding and shaping your heart?

4.     “Nothing tastes as good as X makes me feel.”  What is X for you?

5.     Are you looking at spiritual disciplines (prayer, worship, service, etc) primarily as things to do, or as contexts in which God will feed and shape you?

6.     What does it mean for you to place yourself in God’s arms?  Do you believe that nothing tastes better than Him?

This Q&A Conversation is based on the sermon titled "Suffering > Sinning" on September 3, 2023 based on 1 Peter 1:13-25.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for

“All flesh is like grass
 and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
 and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Sermon Questions:
1. When has God's family felt loving to you?
2. What prevents you from sitting with the reality of God's love for you?
3. What limiters do you usually put on loving others?
4. When have you experienced an act of unconditional love? What change did it have in your life?
5. What are one or two ways you can 'one-another'?

This Q&A conversation was based on the sermon titled "Living Hope" preached on August 27th 2023 from 1 Peter 1: 1 - 12 

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 

Sermon Questions:

1. What are some areas of suffering in your life?
2. How do you naturally try to numb, avoid, or down play those struggles?
3. Which lie are you more inclined to believe? a) God is not real/God is distant, totally uninvolved in daily life so I must figure it all out or b) God's got me covered, everything is forgiven, I will go to heaven, so I can live as I want.
4. Have you ever experienced Jesus drawing close in times of suffering? When?
5. Have you ever walked with someone through their suffering?