I. WHAT a Holy Fear of God Involves (v. 17b)
A. Its Essence (“conduct yourselves in fear”)
1) This is talking about the fear __
2) This is a command to ____ (cf. 2 Cor. 7:1)
3) The fear of God is centered in and driven by the truth about _ God is and He’s done (cf. Prov. 9:10; Mk. 4:41; Ps. 119:38)
4) The fear of God is to so know God that it produces a holy
‘________’ out of love, reverence, honor, awe, wonder,
adoration, and amazement that earnestly desires to please and not
grieve Him (cf. Isa. 8:12-13; Phil. 2:12-13; Prov. 8:13; e.g. Ex. 20:20)
5) The fear of God is to choose to so know and revere God that you
from what displeases Him and ___ yourself
to what pleases Him (cf. Prov. 16:6; 14:2; Job 28:28; e.g. Gen. 22:12)
B. Its Extent (“during the time of your sojourn”)
C. Why would the Holy Spirit counsel troubled, socially antagonized Christians
to fear God? Three practical reasons:
1) When you fear God, you fear ______________ (cf. Prov.
14:26; Ps. 112:6-8)
2) The fear of God ___________________, which is for our
greatest good (cf. 2 Cor. 7:1)
3) The fear of God has been __________ in those born of
God (cf. Jer. 32:40)
II. HOW a Holy Fear of God Will Become Possible (v. 17a)
A. We won’t take fearing God seriously unless we first take to heart the reality
that we are still _____ to Him
B. He is both our Father and our impartial Judge and those truths are not
__________________ (cf. Heb. 12:5-10; 1 Cor. 11:31-32; 2
Cor. 5:10-11; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 1 Jn. 2:28)
III. WHY a Holy Fear of God Is Only Right (vv. 18-21)
A. Because of what we’ve been redeemed FROM (v. 18b; cf. Ps. 40:2-3; Deut.
6:12-13; Ps. 130:4)
B. Because of what we’ve been redeemed WITH (vv. 18a, 19; cf. Lev. 17:11;
Heb. 10:29)
C. Because of who we’ve been redeemed THROUGH (vv. 20-21)
1) He _____ to redeem you before time
2) He ______ your redemption in these last times
3) He ________ your faith and hope in the present time
Discussion Questions
1) What does Peter mean when he tells the readers to “conduct yourselves with fear”? What
kind of fear does he mean? Is being frightened of God the same as fearing God? What does
this look like in your life?
2) If the truth of v. 17a helps remove the barrier to us fearing God, how can we apply it so we
can fear God better?
3) How do you view your spiritual state before the Lord redeemed you? How does it compare
to v. 18b? If it’s not similar, how might that be affecting how much you fear God?
4) What is the significance of blood in our redemption? What is significant about Christ’s
blood?
5) How does Peter demonstrate God’s initiative in salvation throughout vv. 20-21?
6) And how can you motivate yourself toward obedience by meditating on your redemption
when you are tempted?