Christian Aspirations

Goals to Govern the Christian Life

Introduction: Priming the pump for tonight’s discussion.

Let’s begin with our own observations. Was there a moment where God spoke to you, showed you something new, or reminded you of a familiar truth through the message this week?

Exploration: Questions to guide our group discussion.

1. Peter began this week by teaching us that a Christian should arm themselves with the same mind of Christ about sin. Christians should hate sin like God does, and fight against its ruling over us in any area of our lives. As Jesus dealt radically with sin all the way to the cross, we ought to deal radically with sin when it appears in our own lives. As we engage in battle against sin, what does it look like to decide to please God more than our own flesh and pleasures? How does fighting this battle bring us challenges, and at the same time, lead us to victory?

2. Every day is composed of exactly 1,440 minutes. Think about the impact of that time multiplied over a week, a month, a year, or a lifetime. Peter taught us that with whatever time we have left on earth, we should live to please and serve the Lord. He contrasted this with living for the next party or pleasure. Let’s briefly discuss how knowing God leads us to serve God, and how serving God redeems our time. See also: Ephesians 5:16.

3. We learned that when we leave behind our old lives and begin following Jesus that some of our old friends may speak evil or be judgmental towards us because we no longer run with them into sin. Have any of you ever had these kinds of encounters…situations where you ran into the “old gang” and faced these kinds of jeers because of your walk with Jesus?

4. We’re all going to stand before God and give an account for ourselves. Believers are privileged to stand before the mercy seat of Christ, resting securely in the gospel. When God looks upon a believer, He only sees the sinless blood of Jesus imputed to our account. The unbeliever through will stand at the great white throne judgment where books of works will be opened and where he or she will bear the judgment for their sins. Since we know that there is a judgment coming, how should that impact our sense of urgency to share the gospel with others?

Additional Scriptures for Deeper Study:

• Romans 5:12-21
• 1 John 2:1-2
• Romans 5:8-10

Application: How can I apply this to my life this week?

1. Is there an area of struggle with sin in your life that perhaps you’ve been making room for in your life? Would the Lord have you to think about it differently, take up the mind of Christ about this specific sin, and get back in the fight?

2. In light of Peter’s admonition to use what time we have remaining to serve the Lord, how should we be managing our calendars? Would God have you rethink your calendar to reprioritize serving God with the 1.440 minutes that you’ll have to serve Him with tomorrow?