The Gospel and Our Joy

Growth Group Questions

GROWTH GROUP NOTES:  Cloverdale Baptist Church:  September 27, 2026

The Gospel and Our Joy

1 Peter 1:3–9 — Gospel • Past • Present • Future • Joy

Main Idea:  Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the gospel reveals who God is, what He has done, is doing, and will do for us—producing a living hope and inexpressible joy that sustains us even in trials.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” — 1 Peter 1:3

ICEBREAKER:  Share a time when something very familiar (a song, a story, a place, or a truth) suddenly became fresh and meaningful again. What changed?

Many of us have grown up around the gospel—or have heard it so often that it has become so common place and overly familiar that it doesn’t captivate our hearts or move our affections anymore. Peter writes to remind us of the bigness of the gospel and the joy it produces.

1. THE GOSPEL IS ABOUT GOD — AND WHAT HE HAS DONE

Read 1 Peter 1:3 and 1 Corinthians 15:1–4

Everything in these verses hinges on one central reality: “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” The gospel is first and foremost about God. It points people to Him and makes much of Him.

“Blessed” here means to be well-spoken of, highly praised, to ascribe glory and honor. The gospel is the reason much should be made of our great God—who He is and because He took action on our behalf.

According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again. Mercy is not getting what we rightly deserve. What we deserved was separation and death. Yet God, rich in mercy, made us alive.

Discuss

1.     What does it mean that the gospel is primarily about God and His glory, not merely about us?

2.     Why does Peter emphasize “great mercy”? How does understanding what we deserved change the way we receive the gospel?

3.     “He has caused us to be born again…” What does the grammar of this phrase teach us about who initiates and accomplishes our salvation?

4.     Read Ephesians 2:1, 4–5. How do these verses deepen our understanding of what God has done for us?

What is one aspect of the gospel you have grown “too familiar” with that you need God to make fresh and weighty again this week?

Leader Hint:  Help the group see that the gospel is not a self-help message or just an entry ticket to heaven. It is the story of a holy, merciful God who acted decisively for rebels. Encourage honest confession of gospel familiarity without condemnation.

2. THE GOSPEL IS ABOUT WHAT GOD IS DOING IN US

Read 1 Peter 1:5.

Notice the present tense: “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith…” Right now, because the Spirit of God lives in you, God is guarding, shielding, keeping, and protecting you.

He guards us from drifting away because of hardship (vv. 6–7) and from being conformed to the passions of our former ignorance (v. 14). The source of this protection is God’s power—not ours.

The gospel is not one-dimensional. It is not only the entry point. You and I need the gospel today to save us from distraction, sin, and the temptation to drift.

Discuss

1.     What does it mean practically that God is “guarding” you right now by His power?

2.     In what areas of life do you most feel the pull to drift or to return to old patterns? How does the present work of the gospel speak into those areas?

3.     Why is it important that the guarding is “by God’s power” and “through faith”? What happens when we try to guard ourselves in our own strength?

4.     How does Philippians 1:6 (“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion…”) connect with Peter’s words about being guarded?

Where do you most need to rest in God’s present guarding power this week instead of relying on your own effort?

Leader Hint:  Many believers functionally treat the gospel as past tense only. Gently help the group see that the same power that raised Jesus is at work in them today, keeping them.

3. THE GOSPEL IS ABOUT WHAT GOD WILL DO FOR US

Read 1 Peter 1:4–5.

Our inheritance is “ready to be revealed in the last time.” This is a living hope—not a vague wish, but a confident expectation grounded in the resurrection of Jesus.

Our inheritance is:

•       Imperishable — not liable to death or destruction

•       Undefiled — unstained, unpolluted, perfect

•       Unfading — it will never lose its magnificence or splendor

Earthly inheritances will one day be gone. This one will not. Jesus, first and foremost, is our inheritance – we will see Him face to face when our faith becomes sight.

Discuss

1.     How is “living hope” different from the way we often use the word “hope” in everyday speech?

2.     Why does Peter stress that our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading? What does that say about the things we are tempted to build our lives around?

3.     How does the certainty of this future inheritance shape the way we face present trials and losses?

4.     In what ways might focusing more on our eternal inheritance free us from anxiety or discontentment right now?

What earthly “inheritance” (security, success, comfort, reputation) are you most tempted to treat as ultimate? How does the gospel reframe it?

Leader Hint:  Help people name specific temporal things they cling to. Then gently point them back to the resurrection as the foundation of a hope that cannot be shaken and that Jesus is our inheritance (face to face).

4. THE OUTPLAY: INEXPRESSIBLE JOY

Read 1 Peter 1:6–9.

Joy is the evidence of a heart that has been radically touched and transformed by the gospel. As we meditate on, rehearse, and rest in the gospel, the outplay is joy—even in the midst of various trials.

“In this you rejoice…” In what? In the gospel itself: that God in His great mercy has caused you to be born again, that He is guarding you right now, and that He has secured for you an everlasting, unfading inheritance.

One of the most significant demonstrations of the transforming power of the gospel is people whose joy and satisfaction are clearly rooted in Jesus—even when life is hard. Unbelievers can understand health, wealth, and prosperity. But real sorrow mingled with genuine joy? That is compelling.

Discuss

1.     According to these verses, what is the source and foundation of the believer’s joy?

2.     How is it possible to rejoice with “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” while also being “grieved by various trials”?

3.     If joy is not the steadfast experience of your life right now, what might that reveal about where your mind and affections are fixed?

4.     How might a life marked by gospel-rooted joy become a compelling witness to those who do not yet know Jesus?

Finish this sentence personally: “Jesus, because of who You are, all You have done, all you are doing, and all you will do for me because of gospel realities and promises, I choose to rejoice in You even when _______________.”

Leader Hint:  Joy is not the absence of sorrow. Help the group distinguish between happiness based on circumstances and the deeper, Spirit-produced joy + gladness that flows from security in the gospel.

BRINGING IT HOME: Seeking to Apply God’s Word to Real Life

The sermon called us to rehearse the gospel every day—ponder it, meditate on it, rejoice in it, rest in it, and find our security in it.

As we do, the truth and reality of the gospel will:

•       Push our affections Godward

•       Give us inexpressible joy

•       Guard our hearts and minds

•       Give us strength to fight the daily battles

Take a moment quietly and consider: Where has the gospel become too familiar or too small in my life? What would it look like this week to deliberately rehearse the gospel so that my affections and joy are renewed?

What is one concrete step of obedience or practice (a daily reminder, a conversation, a time of meditation) that would help you keep the gospel central this week?

PRAY TOGETHER

Spend your closing prayer time around these themes drawn from the text:

Mercy & New Birth — Thank God that according to His great mercy He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus.

Present Guarding — Ask God to help us rest in His power that is guarding us right now through faith, especially in areas where we feel weak or tempted to drift.

Living Hope — Praise God for an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us.

Inexpressible Joy — Ask God for hearts that can genuinely rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory—even in the midst of trials—because of all that is ours in the gospel.

Leader Hint

You don’t need to get through every question.

The goal is not to finish the sheet, but to help people encounter God’s Word, speak honestly with one another, and respond to Christ in concrete obedience. Keep bringing the conversation back to the central reality: If the gospel is truly about God’s great mercy that has caused me to be born again, His power that is guarding me now, and an unfading inheritance that is already mine—what would greater joy and deeper rest in that gospel look like this week?