Life Groups // Fall 2025 // Week 6

Posted October 10, 2025 — Lincoln Berean

Relationships and Trajectories // 1 John 3:1-10 

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Introduction

This week John brings us into an important discussion of our identity as children of God and how that should play out in our lives, particularly when it comes to our struggle with sin. As has been a theme in John’s writings, abiding plays a key role in this discussion. As you read this passage and discuss it with your Life Group, pay attention to what is coming up in your thoughts. Do you sense encouragement, challenge, pressure, or condemnation? What might the Holy Spirit be saying to you through this? 

Study Questions (to complete on your own)

1) Read 1 John 3:1-10 in a couple of different versions (especially the ESV). How could a believer misunderstand or misinterpret 1 John 3:1-10? 

 

 

 

2) What does John say is true about the recipients of this letter in verses 1-3? 

 

 

 

3) Go through this passage and list everything it teaches about sin. 

 

 

 

4) In two or three sentences, summarize the main points of 1 John 3:1-10. 

 

 

 

Discussion Questions (with your group)

1) In 1 John 3:1-3 John is using the imagery of us being born of God/children of God. What trajectory does John expect the children of God to be on? 

 

 

Why do you think John spends so much time comparing a Christian’s relationship with God to that of a Beloved Child/Father in verses 1-3? 

  

 

 

2) In 1 John 3:4-10, the NASB uses the phrase “practices sin” to express the idea of a continuing/regular action to indicate sinning as a lifestyle, a way of life. Is John saying that if you commit a sin, you are not born of God? (Hint: Look at 1 John 1:6-2:2)

 

 

Why is it important to remember that John is speaking of patterns and trajectories of sin, rather than individual sins? 

 

 

 

3) What is the key to overcoming sin? (Look at 1 John 3:6).

 

 

 

How does abiding/Feasting with the Father help us overcome sin? (Look at 1 John 2:24, 2:27-28) 

 

 

 

4) Pastor Tyce said, “Those who experience the feast of the Father will have their life trajectories changed.” How does this image help you in your relationship with God in the following areas? 

Growing in love for Christ and His Kingdom

 

 

More regularly confessing sin and repenting 

 

 

Living in a trajectory of regular victory over sin 

 

 

 

What does “feasting with the Father” look like in your life? 

 

 

  

 

 

5) In Pastor Tyce’s message he described the addiction cycle as drawn to the right: 

    • We experience PAIN (or loss or a desire for something that is missing). 
    • We seek out something other than God to NUMB (or cope) with the pain. 
    • That other thing doesn’t satisfy us, and SHAME enters our lives and lies to us about our identity as children of God. 
    • And the cycle repeats itself.

 

 

 

Before we trusted Christ for salvation, we were all addicted to sin. In your struggle against sin when do you find yourself in this cycle?

 

 

 

What did Pastor Tyce say we need to do when we find ourselves in this cycle? 

 

 

 

6) This passage does not give us permission to go around suspiciously measuring everyone’s sins, determining whether they are truly saved. Why is asking, “how many sins must there be for me to know that someone (including myself) is not saved?”, the wrong question and wrong emphasis? 

 

 

 

We learn best how to feast with the Fatherin community. How can your Life Group help you to grow in feasting with the Father? 

 

 

  

 

 

Personal Spiritual Exercises

Just like physical exercises help strengthen and stretch our bodies for healthy living, these spiritual exercises are meant to move us spiritually in ways that may be new so that we might experience inner growth. Since God longs for us to experience Him with our whole selves—mind, body, spirit— we invite you to strengthen your souls with exercises that challenge and stretch you in new ways. Choose one and commit to repeating it until you gain strength in that area. 

1)   Scripture Reading: to listen and soak in the Word as an experience of the words washing over you. Read or listen to the entire letter of 1 John at least twice/week. As you take it in, resist the impulse to study and parse the details. The point is not to gain “head knowledge” but a stirring in the heart as the Holy Spirit brings the Word to life in you.

2)   Memorization:to internalize God’s Word. A key passage for this series is 1 John 4:7-14. Commit to memorize it yourself and encourage others in your group to do it with you.

 3)   Walk & Pray: to actively engage with the scripture passage. Write out the passage of the sermon each week on a note card and take it with you on a daily walk.  

4)   Journal Reflection: to practice remembering what God has done. Make time in your schedule to put down in writing the feelings and thoughts that are stirring as you interact with the Word of God.

5)   Self-control Exercise: to help you come to stillness from a busy or hurried pace of life. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Sit upright but comfortably in a chair with your palms open and upward on your lap. Focus on a word or short phrase about the character of God the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. When your thoughts wander to the things on your to-do list or other people’s needs, redirect them back to the character of God. When the 10 minutes is up, close in a short prayer of gratitude.

Prayer

Praying together in a group is different than praying alone with God. It’s a conversation that can help you grow closer to each other as you are in God’s presence. One way to pray follows this often-used pattern in scripture  – acknowledge who God is, recognize the need we have for Him, and ask to partner with Him on behalf of others. When possible, use the passage of scripture from this week’s sermon as your starting point, then form a prayer that follows this pattern:  

 

God, our Father, this week we learned that you are ________________ and  ________________ .  

 

As I looked into your Word, I understood how I need you to __________________________. Help me to be faithful to ________________________ in the week ahead.  

 

Other people are on my heart, and I trust that you have put them there for a reason. I ask for your will to be accomplished in their life as they ______________________________. Help me to know how to respond well to the needs of __________________________, even as my first step is in praying for them right now. 

 

 

Each group engages in prayer differently. Some groups go around and allow anyone to pray that desires to do so. Other groups have several people pray or maybe 1 person closes the group in prayer. Still other groups split into smaller groups of 2-3 people and those people pray for each other. How you choose to engage in prayer is dependent on your group and your choice to ENGAGE! We learn to pray by praying and by listening and praying with others!