What kind of people ought we to be?
Leader's introduction:
Studies: I. People of courage
II. People of self-control
III. People of confidence
IV. People of mercy
V. People who are rich toward God
Focus: As God's people, we should be motivated by the knowledge that at the return of Jesus, all that we now see will disappear and will be replaced by "a new heaven and the new earth where righteousness dwells" (II Pet.3:13). In response to this truth, Peter poses the question, "What kind of people ought you to be?"These studies explore some of the qualities that God wants to grow in us as we await Jesus' coming, focusing on some that are not talked about as often.
General suggestions:Make a copy of each study for everyone in the group. Encourage them to write down their responses and keep them in a notebook for further meditation. If you invest in a 3-hole-punch you can hand them out notebook-ready. Take time before each meeting to go through the study yourself; considering especially your personal application.Have a different person read each passage. Today's New International Version was the one used in preparing these studies and the one used at church.Encourage people to look deeper than the "right answer," making itpersonal whenever possible. "What does this mean to you?"Read through II Pet.3 ahead of time to understand the context of the question, "What kind of people ought you to be?"Encourage people to explore the tension between what we are to do andwhat God will do to grow these qualities in us.Have people give personal examples of when they have had or not hadthese qualities.
Prayer ministry ideas:Wait on the Lord, asking Him to give you pictures that illustrate this quality. Share these pictures and pray for God to put these pictures in your hearts.
Follow-up assignment:Have people be looking for these qualities in those around themand share their stories at the next meeting.
What kind of people ought we to be?
Part I: People of courage
Read II Pet.3:10-12. What qualities will prepare us for Christ’s coming?
What do you think of when you hear the word courage?
I. Definition of courage
Dictionary: The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession and resolution; bravery. (root word cor = heart)
Ps.27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine
heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” (KJ)
Ps.31:24 “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope
in the Lord.” (KJ)
Consider these verses and why courage might be necessary for us as God's people. What do you think it means to be of good courage?
II. Example of courage: Joshua
A. Exploring the new land: Num.13:17-14:9
Take turns reading this story out loud or summarize.
B. Assignment from Moses: Deut.31:1-8
To all Israel: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified
because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never
leave you or forsake you.” (31:6)
What is to be the source of their courage?
To Joshua: “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people
into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you
must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes
before you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged.” (31:7-8)
Why does Joshua need courage? What is Moses' confidence?
C. Calling from God: Josh.1:1-9
1. What is God’s promise that accompanies His call to courage? v.6
2. What is God’s exhortation that accompanies His call to courage? v.7
3. What reason does God give Joshua to be courageous? v.9
III. Being people of courage
In what area do you need courage? What do you need to remember?
How can we encourage each other?
(The root meaning of encourage is “to put heart into”.)
What kind of people ought we to be?
Part II: People of self-control
What comes to mind when you hear the term self-control?
I. Definition of self-control
Consider these definitions.
Enkrateia: self-mastery; temperance.
Akrates (opposite): self-indulgence; inability to keep one’s passions under control or resist temptation.
Greek thought (Plato): ascetic, self-control for its own sake; the ideal of the free and autonomous person who in self-mastery controls all things and in self-restraint maintains his freedom in face of evil passions and desires.
vs
Paul: self-control for the purpose of casting aside everything which mighthinder him from reaching his goal, from carrying out his commission;the mastery of the self and the fashioning of one’s life in the way whichGod desires.
II. Biblical references to self-control
A. Two lists
1. Fruit of the Spirit: Gal.5:22-26
What does it mean for self-control to be a fruit?
2. Add to your faith: II Pet.1:5-9
Note that this starts with faith and ends with forgiveness.
In what way is effort needed for self-control?
B. Two qualifications
1. Overseers: I Tim.3:1-7
How does self-control fit with the other qualities mentioned?
2. Elders: Tit.1:5-9
Again, what is the central role of self-control?
C. Urged for all: Tit.2:1-8
Who else is exhorted to self-control? Why?
D. Included in Paul’s proclamation of the gospel to Felix: Acts 24:24-25
Why do you think Paul talked to Felix about self-control?
Why do you think Felix responded as he did?
E. Pictures of lack of self-control
1. Last days: II Tim.3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having the form
of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
How does the lack of self-control factor into everything else here?
2. A Picture of lack of self-control: Prov.25:28
Like a city whose walls are broken through
is a person who lacks self-control.
What does this picture tell us about the consequences of not
having self-control?
F. Taught by the grace of God: Tit.2:11-14
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It
teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we
wait for the blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God
and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all
wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own,
eager to do what is good.
How does the grace of God teach us? What difference does our hope
make in helping us to exercise self-control? What has Jesus done
that opens the way for us to be self-controlled?
III. Specific areas where self-control is urged
What does self-control mean in each of these areas? Which areas do
you think are the hardest and why?
A. Our bodies
B. Our money
C. Our thoughts
D. Our speech
E. Our actions
IV. In what area do you need to be taught by the grace of God?
Spend time at home reading Eph.4:17-5:20 and asking the Lord
to show you where you need more self-control.
What kind of people ought we to be?
Part III: People of confidence
Do you consider confidence a Christian virtue? Why or why not?
I. The story of Abigail: setting the stage (I Sam.25:1-17)
A. Characters
How would you describe each of these characters?
1. Nabal:
2. Abigail:
B. What situation does Abigail find herself in?
II. Abigail’s response (I Sam.25:18-31)
A. What three things do we find out about her initial response in v.18-19?
1.
2.
3.
B. How did Abigail respond to David (v.23-31)?
1. What was David’s intention as Abigail approached him (v.21-22)?
2. What position did Abigail take before David (v.23-24)?
3. What does she say about Nabal and herself in v.25?
4. What argument does she present to David in v.26-31?
III. David’s response to Abigail (I Sam.25:32-35)
A. What three things does he say about Abigail in v.32-33?
B. What is the outcome in v.35?
IV. How does Abigail’s story challenge us?
A. Conquering passivity
B. Responding rather than reacting
C. Acting with confidence
D. Using good judgment
Which of these areas are the biggest challenge to you? In what specific
areas of your life do you need to be able to exercise more self-control?
What kind of people ought we to be?
Part IV: People of mercy
What does the word mercy mean to you? Have you ever been the recipientof mercy from another person?
I. Biblical words for mercy
A. Old Testament: several words translated "mercy"
Hesed: devotion, translated by mercy, kindness, lovingkindness, goodness. “It denotes devotion to a covenant, and so, of God, His covenant-love. But God’s faithfulness to a graciously established relationship with Israel or an individual, despite human unworthiness and defection, readily passes over into His mercy….a steady, persistent refusal of God to wash his hands of wayward Israel… also translated loyalty and steadfast love.
Hanan: “have mercy upon,” “It is the gracious favour of the superior to the inferior, all undeserved.” (Snaith)
Raham: common origin with rehem, meaning ‘womb’, and hence denotes‘brotherly’ or ‘motherly feeling’. The plural, rahmim is rendered ‘tendermercies.’It expresses the affective aspect of love; its compassion and pity.
‘The personal God has a heart.’ (Barth)
Underline the lines in these definitions that impress you. What are the differences between them? How do they add to each other?
B. New Testament
Charis (grace): combines the meanings of hesed and hen.
Eleos, oiktirmos, splanchnon: used for the specific notion of mercy – compassion to one in need or helpless distress, or in debt and without claim to favourable treatment. Grace is concerned for man, as guilty; mercy, as he is miserable. (Trench)
How does this definition speak to you? In what ways are you guilty,and in what ways miserable?
II. What does the Bible tell us about God's mercy?
A. How much mercy does God have? (Eph.2:4)
B. To whom does God extend His mercy? (Ex.33:19)
C. How has God’s mercy been extended to us? (Tit.3:3-7)
D. Where do we go to receive God's mercy? (Heb.4:14-16)
Do you often think of God in this way? Why or why not?
III. What does the Bible tell us about our call to be merciful?
A. What should be our motivation for being merciful? (Lk.6:35-36)
B. How can we become more merciful? (Col.3:12)
“compassion” in this verse means “mercy”
C. What is the promise to us if we are merciful? (Mt.5:7)
How have you experienced God’s mercy? How have you shown
mercy to others? What can you do to increase both of these?
What kind of people ought we to be?
Part V: People who are rich toward God
We all know that we are supposed to have God as our number one
priority. But, in reality, what are some of our conflicting priorities?
I. The demand from someone in the crowd (Lk.12:13-15)
A. What is the context?
B. What does the man’s demand show about him?
C. What are the two parts to Jesus’ reply?
1.
2.
How are you like the man in the crowd? What do you feel entitled to what
you don’t have (including things other than possessions)?
II. A parable in response (Lk. 12:16-21)
A. The rich man’s perspective
1. What did he think his problem was?
2. What was his solution?
3. What was his goal?
4. How would you characterize the man?
How are you like him? What else do you store up besides possessions?
B. God’s perspective
1. In what two ways does God describe the man?
a. v.20
b. v.21
2. What does God say are the two problems with the man’s plan? (v.20)
a.
b.
3. What do you think it means to be rich toward God?
III. A follow-up exhortation to the disciples (Lk.13:22-34)
A. What three things does He tell the disciples not to do?
1. v.22
2. v.29
3. v.32
Which of these is the biggest challenge for you? Why?
B. What two things does He tell his disciples to do?
1. v.31
2. v.33
How do these two things go together? How can we do these
things:
C. What reason does Jesus give them for not being afraid? (v.32)
What do you think this means?
How does focusing on possessions lead to fear? Is Jesus' charge
to us a call to sacrifice or to freedom? Or both?
What is Jesus calling you to today? How will you respond?