1. How would you defend Absalom for what he did?

2. How would you defend David for his failures as a father?

3. Do you tend to be more of an introvert or an extrovert? How has that made your life challenging?

4. Why do you think so many Jews went along with this insurrection?

5. What was the hardest part about all this for David?

Week 6 Message

March 2, 2023

Week Six

“Godliness in the World”

1 Peter 3:13-22

Vs. 13-14 Blessings in suffering

Vs. 15-17 Responding to suffering

Vs. 18-20 Jesus as our example

Vs. 21-22 The symbolism of baptism

Discussion Questions

1. How can suffering lead to blessing? Is there anything in your past that hurt at the time but ended up being a blessing?

2. Verse 15 tells us to be ready to explain to people why we have hope. If someone were to ask you why you are so optimistic, what reasons could you give them as to why you don’t feel hopeless?

3. Peter tells us to share the Lord with people using meekness and fear. Have you ever seen someone share the Lord in a way that lacked meekness? What do you think we should be afraid of?

4. When you are under attack, how can humility be an effective defense?

5. Verse 17 says it is better to suffer for doing good rather than for doing evil. Can you think of a time when you suffered for doing the right thing? How about a time when you suffered for doing something dumb or selfish?

6. If Christ suffered for our sins, why do you think we sometimes have to suffer for them too?

7. What is your guess as to what verses 19-20 mean? (There is no wrong answer. It’s an odd passage.)

8. What, for you, is the key to maintaining hope and optimism while suffering?

Memory Verse: Write out 1 Peter 5:10-11.  Underline and define all the key words below.

Week 5 Message

February 23, 2023

Week Five

“Godliness At Home”

1 Peter 3:1-12

Vs. 1-2 The godly influence of submissive wife

Vs. 3-6 True attractiveness

Vs. 7 The understanding, honoring, praying husband

Vs. 8-12 Mutual compassion in all relationships

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think of when you hear that wives are supposed to submit to their husbands? [Note: The word “submit” (hupotassoe in the Greek) means “to adjust yourself according to.” It doesn’t imply inferiority or surrender.]

2. What adjustments have you had to make to get along with men? How does it work?

3. We all know the lengths we go to in our efforts to look better outwardly. But what does our inward adornment process look like? Why is it so easily neglected?

4. In verse six Peter ties fear in with this whole process. What scares you about these verses?

5. Verse seven says a lot to husbands in just one verse. Men are told to understand, honor (value), be delicate with, share in grace and pray with their wives. Arrange these commandments in your personal priorities for a relationship. Which of these is most important to you and which is least?

6. Verse eight zooms back and talks about all our relationships, and he exhorts us to be unified, mutually compassionate, loving like family, sensitive and to show common courtesy. Which of these are you most lacking from the people in your life? Which of these is most lacking in you?

7. In verses 10-12, which of these reminders do you need the most?

8. Are there ideas in this section that give you hope about your home life?

Memory Verse: Be prepared to recite 1 Peter 1:13 out loud or in your heart during small group.

Notes:

1. What’s the best gift you have given someone?

2. In what ways have you tried pleasing God apart from faith?

3. Which one of the 3 examples of pleasing God by faith do you relate to the most and why? (Abel, Enoch, or Noah)

4. What does walking by faith look practically look like?

1. What do you think Joab was afraid of, in forcing this reunion?

2. Why did David give in, but only partly?

3. Has there ever been a time in your life when you were pushed to go back to fix something? How did it work out?

4. Do you think time heals all wounds?

5. Has focusing on the past ever robbed you of the present and future?

Week 4 Message

February 16, 2023

Week Four

“Treat People with Honor”

1 Peter 2:13-25

Vs. 13-16 Respect government authorities

Vs. 17 Honor all people

Vs. 18-23 Lessons from slavery

Vs. 24 Jesus took our sins

Vs. 25 He is our shepherd

Discussion Questions 

1. Why is it important that we treat leaders with honor and respect? How do you think we are doing on that nowadays?

2. How does doing good silence ignorance?

3. What are some responses to ignorance that don’t work so well?

4. Why does Peter tell slaves to submit to masters? What would’ve happened to them if they did otherwise?

5. What does the suffering of Jesus, without complaint, tell us about our responses to suffering?

6. Was there a time in your life when you were wandering like a lost sheep? How did the Good Shepherd call you back?

7. What is the greatest pain in your life right now? In what way could acceptance of the situation provide hope?

8. Why do we tend to think of hope as the expectation that pain will go away?

Memory Verse: Share 1 Peter 1:13 with someone this week.  Write about how that went below.  

1. Have you ever watched someone make poor choices and said nothing? Why?

2. Have you ever enabled someone to continue making bad choices?

3. What do you think was going through David’s mind when he heard about Amnon’s sin?

4. Why did Absalom care so much more about what happened to Tamar than David did?

5. Can you think of a question you can ask yourself to analyze whether you are enabling someone?

Week 3 Message

February 9, 2023

Week Three

“His Own Special People”

1 Peter 2:1-12

Vs. 1-3 Reject phoniness, receive the Word

Vs. 4-8 Jesus was rejected yet precious. So are we.

Vs. 9-10 We are chosen to be special

Vs. 11-12 Living honorably as pilgrims, leading others to God

Discussion Questions

1. How do all the things listed in verse one steal our hope and get in the way of our growth?

2. Why is the picture of a baby wanting milk so powerful in a spiritual context?

3. What does the phrase “tasted that the Lord is gracious” in verse 3 speak to you? How did you first get a taste of God’s grace?

4. Have you ever felt worthless and discarded? How does seeing that God sees you as precious impact that?

5. God chose you. How does it feel to be described as “His own special person?”

6. We are called “sojourners and pilgrims” in verse in verse 11. How does that description resonate with you?

7. Why would lust be inconsistent with being a pilgrim or traveler? (Have you ever packed too much stuff for a vacation?)

8. How can our conduct attract those who haven’t yet believed in Jesus? What kind of behavior or attitudes can drive them away?

Memory Verse: Draw a pictograph (sentence made of pictures) that represents 1 Peter 1:13.