In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul says God saves us by grace through faith, “and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (2:8). Amen!

But then what?

If salvation is not our “own doing,” why does it seem like after we trust Jesus there is a lot more “doing” to be done? For example, 2 Peter 1:5 tells us to “make every effort to supplement your faith.”

So which is it? If God loves us regardless of what we do, why does the Bible still clearly call us to do a lot of things that reflect God’s heart? How are we supposed to live? What does it mean practically to live with an eternal perspective, keeping the end in mind?

What are we here for?

This is a very important question, and the answer has eternal implications. Fortunately, one of the best places in the Bible to engage these questions is this week’s preaching text, 2 Peter 1:3-12.

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SEE IT // BE IT

(WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE)

Title: End in Mind: What is the Meaning of Life? // Scripture: 2 Peter 1:3-12

ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.

SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes

This week we continued our series, End in Mind, through the book of 2 Peter. 2 Peter was written by Peter at the end of his life to remind the church of the great promises of God, so that they would live with the end in mind. This week Jon addressed the question, “What is the goal of being human?” Every religion and philosophy seeks to answer this question in different ways, and many of them have a piece of truth in them. However here in 2 Peter, Peter answers this question in a remarkable way. He says the goal of being human is to share in God’s life—partaking in the Divine Nature. Sharing in God’s life includes living in moral and ethical ways and moving away from destructible practices. But it also includes living a life of effectiveness. In other words, sharing God’s life increases our productivity. Finally, sharing God’s life means living eternally—finding our place in God’s great story and supplementing our faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love.

THE MAIN THOUGHT keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.

Sharing in God’s life means living ethically, effectively and eternally.

SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes

Picture (What is the story saying?): What is the meaning of life? How do different religions and philosophies answer this question? How does Peter answer this question in 2 Peter 1:1–12? (Sharing in God’s life—his divine nature) In this passage, what three things does Peter say sharing in God’s life includes? (Living ethically, effectively, and eternally) What does it mean to live ethically? What does it mean to live effectively? What does it mean to live eternally?

Mirror (Where am I in the story?): What are you investing in with your life? How can you “make every effort” (invest deeply) in the things that matter with your life without derailing into legalism (just trying to keep the rules) or licentiousness (just being true to yourself)? How have you derailed into legalism or licentiousness in the past? Which gutter is more tempting for you? Why?

Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?): What is one area that you need to invest in yourself to cultivate more of Christ’s life in your life? What is one area you need to invest in beyond yourself to cultivate more of Christ’s life in your life

BE IT – Practice

Change UP // Supplemental Sanctification

Take a moment to engage your group in a prayer exercise by giving God a moment to call your attention to one of the things that Peter encourages believers to cultivate in their lives to supplement their faith—not to earn His favor but to share more in his divine nature. Read 2 Peter 1:5–7 slowly, inviting each person to identify which one of these supplements strikes them most. End this time of prayer by identifying one by one to the group which supplement each person senses God inviting them to step into in deeper ways.

Change IN // Community Care

Put the names of each member of your group into a hat. Have each person draw out a name. Encourage your group to find one way to invest in the life of the person whose name they have drawn out of the hat this week. This investment could include prayer, a text message or a gift of some kind. Remind your group that by investing in each other, you are cultivating the life of Christ as a group this week by growing in brotherly affection.

Change OUT // Neighborhood Notice

Invite your group to walk their neighborhood this week looking for one place they could invest in the coming days in their neighborhood or in their neighbors. Once they notice where their neighborhood or neighbors might need investment, encourage them to take one step this week in making that investment

CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.