"Courageous Fortitude" Pastor Roger Thompson / 2 Peter 1:5-7

on October 13, 2019

Notes

Take about 45 minutes during your missional community gathering to discuss what God is teaching you and how he is leading you in light of the weekend sermon.

Connecting:

  1. Would you rather be able to always see 10 minutes into your own future or 10 minutes into the future of the people around you?
  2. We don’t get to hear from Pastor Roger very often, was there something from his sermon on perseverance you really connected with?
  3. What is a story or example of perseverance you have looked to for encouragement over the years? (Ex: Roger shared about Earnest Shackleton)

Application: We need perseverance when it’s hard, unfair, and we don’t know the future

  1. Read 2 Peter 1:5-7. When is a time you were able to endure (not persevere) through something because you knew the end goal?
  2. How did Roger define the difference between enduring and persevering?
  3. Roger stated, “we often feel as if a Christian persevering is the fallback option for those who didn’t have what it took to make it.” Why do you think this is and have you ever felt this way about your self in a tough situation?
  4. “We should beware of Christians bearing answers,” Rodger said. What did he mean by this, and why is it true?
  5. What is different about the way you would define Christian perseverance after this week’s sermon?

Application: Perseverance is what we need in a world of suffering

  1. Read Hebrews 12:1-4. How would you describe the world we live in, to your 12-year-old self?
  2. What was the first event in your life that led you to that belief?
  3. Read James 21:18-22. Why is it our natural reaction as humans to compare ourselves to others when struggling with perseverance? What truth do you see in this passage to help combat that?
  4. Roger said, “so often all we need is a friend who is a fellow struggler and not the guy in the pinstripe suit.” Who is that friend to you and when have they been most helpful?
  5. How has the gospel (saved by grace through faith and not by works) pointed you towards persevering in life’s unfair reality?

Tags: sermon, perseverance, endurance, life is hard, roger thompson, 2 peter, berean baptist church