Advent - Week 2

1 John 2:1-17

Discussion Questions

Open Discussion

What were the main points of the sermon?

What do you want to remember the most from the passage of scripture or the sermon?

Sermon Discussion

Why do you think John emphasizes “certainty” so strongly in a world where spiritual things often feel vague, emotional, or subjective? Where do you personally feel the pull of “I don’t know if any of this really works”?

How does John’s picture of Jesus as our Advocate reshape the way you respond to your own sin—or to the sin of people close to you?

Where in your life do you see a growing desire to keep God’s commands—and where do you sense resistance? What does that reveal about spiritual health, according to 1 John?

Explain why hate is “easy and passive,” but love “difficult and active”. Which one do you naturally drift toward?

Which of the three “loves of the world” (desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, pride of life) most aggressively competes for your heart right now? How does remembering “the world is passing away” reframe your decisions?

What does it look like for you to abide in what you heard from the beginning rather than be pulled by new, flashy, or deceptive teachings?

Where do you feel cultural pressure to drift from historic, apostolic Christianity?

Using the path illustration — God’s good, wide, beautiful path with deep ditches on each side — where do you personally feel the pull toward a ditch right now? Is it a moral ditch (sin), a relational ditch (hate/bitterness), or a worldly ditch (desires of the flesh, eyes, pride)?

What would it look like this week to stay on the path of light? Who can help you?