Under the Influence (Week 1)
This week, we will look at 1 Peter, chapter 1—introducing the ideas of “idolatry” and “drunkenness” and exploring what it looks like to live with “minds that are alert and fully sober.” (1 Peter 1:13)
Talk about something that as a child you desperately wanted because you thought it would bring you happiness—but that instead ended up bringing disappointment.
Discuss some of the things you tend to use today in your attempts to satisfy some of the longings in your life. Have these things led to fulfillment, or emptiness?
In his sermon, Pete notes that an idol can be any “temporary treasure” we use to try and “fill the hole of holiness” in us. Does this help you to better apply the concept of idolatry in today’s culture? Discuss whether or not some of your answers to question 2 may apply here.
In his sermon, Pete said that “drunkenness seeks to escape the pain created by the hole of holiness.” Here, the term “drunkenness” can mean anything we use to escape discomfort, challenges, or trials. What are some ways you attempt “escape”? How might opening yourself up to the “imperishable…living and enduring word of God” better fill this “hole of holiness”?
1 Peter 1:13 says, “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” What does it mean to you to have a mind that is “alert and fully sober”? What does this look like in your daily life?
Read 1 Peter 1:6-9.
Talk about a trial in your life that God used to “refine” you for your own good, giving only as much detail as you feel comfortable sharing.
This week, Pete challenged us to take stock of our lives and prayerfully ask God to show us the ways we may seek to escape or numb the pain caused by the “hole of holiness” in our lives. Are you able to sit with this pain long enough to be drawn towards God? Pray for God’s help in this.
“Our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.”
-St. Augustine
(*Video available after Sunday services)
