Week 4: Priority and Pursuit – 1 John 2:12-17
1 John was written “so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). So, how do you know? 1 John 2:15-17 gives us the priority and pursuit test to know if we have a genuine faith: What am I pursuing? Am I pursuing God’s will or my will?
LIVE OAK CONNECTION POINT:
We believe next steps matter! For help finding your next step, check out our Next Steps Wall on a Sunday morning or go here!
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- What are 3 things you are thankful for lately?
- What was something you bought because of advertising or social media?
READ: 1 John 2:12-17.
Spend some time SOAPing this passage. You can either spend time SOAPing individually and documenting for a several minutes and then spend time sharing with each -OR- SOAP in real time with each other. Either way make as many observations as you can.
- Observations: What are the things that stand out to you about this passage?
- How would you summarize this passage in one sentence?
- What does this passage tell me about who God is?
- What does this passage tell me about who I am?
- Doug said that the test in 1 John 2:15-17 to know if you really know and love God is: The PRIORITY & PURSUIT QUESTION: What am I chasing after?
- How does that question impact you as you think about your life recently?
- What does John mean by “the world” in this passage? Is it the physical planet, or something else?
- In this passage John is saying we cannot love God and the world simultaneously. How have you seen this play out in your life? What about in your relationships? Or your walk with God?
- How does 1 John 2:16 define the things of the world and not of the Father?
- How do the “lust of the flesh,” “lust of the eyes,” and “pride of life” manifest in our lives today?
- Doug said that rather than John listing specific behaviors and ACTIONS, John instead lists out three ATTITUDES of what we pursue and why we pursue it. Define each of the 3 phrases listed specifically.
- What are the distinctions between a desire for something that is God-given and a lust that is not from the Father? How would you know the difference?
- 1 John 2:17 challenges us to pursue God’s agenda by doing the will of God. What does it mean to “do the will of God,” and how does this connect to the idea of something that “remains forever”?
- Talk about a time where you were seeking God’s will. What was the circumstance? How did you seek God’s will? How did it turn out?
- How do we know the will of God? What does that look like practically?
- Doug said that we can know God’s will by listening to God’s Holy Spirit, God’s Word, and wise godly people. How have you leaned into each of these in your life?
- How could you lean into those more this week?
- Doug said that seeking to know and do God’s will is not just for the big decisions, rather it is for living our everyday life in every area of our life. Where are you tempted to NOT ask and inquire about God’s will?
- Doug said some passages specifically tells us “this is the will of God”. Talk about each of these passages about knowing and doing God’s will:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 2 Peter 3:9
- Looking back over the last couple weeks, what are a few things that competed for your time, attention, or resources? Now list at least three things that you would most like to pursue on a regular basis.
- What else stood out from this week’s sermon?
- APPLICATION: What is your big takeaway from this week’s sermon? Be specific.
NEXT STEPS:
Everyone has a next step to apply what we have learned. What is your next step? Be specific.
MEMORY VERSE: *Challenge yourself or your group to commit this verse to memory:
1 John 2:17 “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
PRAYER:
Spend some time praying for each other.
Scripture References:
1 John 5:13; 1 John 2:12-14, 15-17; 1 John 5:19; John 3:16; Genesis 3:1-7; James 4:4, John 15:18-19; Matthew 6:19-24, 33; Philippians 3:8-21 ; James 1:13-16; Philippians 2:3; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Matthew 4:1-11; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; 1 Peter 2:13-15
