Class Lesson for March 15, 2026

Culture Wars - Living Hope (Last lesson in series.)

Sermon Recap

Peter wrote this letter to Christians scattered throughout the Roman world who were facing increasing pressure and persecution for their faith. Instead of beginning with commands about how to live, Peter starts with praise to God and reminds believers who they are and what they possess in Christ.

He tells them that because of Jesus’ resurrection, believers have been born again into a “living hope.” This is a hope that is secure and eternal because of Jesus. Christian hope is not wishful thinking or positive vibes. It is a confident expectation rooted in the finished work of Jesus. Peter describes our hope using three powerful words: imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.

 

 

1 Peter 1:3-9

Praise to God for a Living Hope

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 1 Peter 1:3-9

 

Discussion Questions

What stands out to you most in 1 Peter 1:3-9?

Why do you think Peter reminds believers of their hope before addressing their suffering?

Which description of Christian hope (imperishable, undefiled, unfading) speaks most to you right now? Why?

How does the resurrection of Jesus give us confidence in our future?

Peter says believers can experience joy even while facing trials. How have you seen God strengthen your faith through difficulty?

What are some temporary things people often place their hope in instead of Jesus?

 

Closing Thoughts

 

Speak Truth with Grace

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be both clear and compassionate. This means holding firmly to God’s design while loving people who are confused, hurting, or struggling with identity.

 

Live from Your Identity in Christ

When our identity is anchored in God’s Word and redeemed by Christ, we are freed from the pressure to define ourselves or seek validation from culture.

 

END

Teacher Notes:

Steve Harvey shares his "Don't Quit" moment in his life and how God is always coming and He is never too late.

Everybody has a turnback moment, you can go forward or you can give up.

Don’t Quit

Because God is always coming – He’s never too late!

Peter tells us this morning that these trials, these difficult, disappointing moments in our life, prove the genuineness of our faith and that they are more precious than gold.

1 Peter 1:7

1 Peter 1:3-9

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

When was there a season in your life when your faith was truly tested?

 

As you look back, how did that season strengthen your faith or deepen your hope in Christ?

 

What gives you the most hope today when you look at the future?

After all the years you’ve lived, what have you learned about the difference between things that fade and things that truly last?

Cut Flower vs Living Flower illustration

At first, they look almost identical. Both are colorful, appear healthy, and seem full of life. But there is a major difference. The cut flower is already dying.

Why?

Because it has been cut off from its source of life.

This flower continues to live because its roots remain connected to the source.

What are hopes people chase in life that look beautiful at first but eventually fade like a cut flower?

 

How is the hope we have in Christ different from those things?

Peter tells believers we have been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

 

Our hope is not like a cut flower that fades when life gets difficult.

It is a living hope because it is connected to a living Savior.

Imagine someone telling you that a large sum of money has been deposited into your account at a bank.

First you are excited. But then you begin to worry.

What if the bank fails?

What if someone steals it?

What if the market crashes and it disappears?

 

Now, we know these fears are realistic. Banks fail. Investments disappear. Wealth fades. But Peter says our future is nothing like that. He tells us our inheritance is: imperishable - it cannot be destroyed, undefiled - it cannot be corrupted, and unfading - it cannot lose value.

 

And then he says something even more comforting: Our inheritance is “kept in heaven for us.”

 

It is not held in a fragile earthly institution – it’s held in a bank that cannot fail.

 

And it is secured by God Himself.

If you could sit down with a young believer who is just beginning their walk with Christ, what would you tell them about trusting Jesus through the ups and downs of life?

 

 

When you reach the end of your life and look back, what do you believe will matter most about the way you lived your faith?

Conclusion

If someone asked you today why you still have hope in the middle of all the cultural chaos and trials that come with life, what would you say?

Cultures rise and fall. Trials come and go.

But the hope we have in Christ never fades.

1Peter 3:15

Class Lesson for March 8, 2026

Culture Wars - Marriage 

Marriage

Matthew 19:1-11

 

Sermon Recap

In Matthew 19:1-11, Jesus addresses the question of divorce, pointing people back to God’s original plan for marriage. He reminds us that marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman, meant to last a lifetime. While human sin has led to brokenness and the allowance of divorce, God’s ideal design is a lifelong covenant marked by love, unity, and faithfulness to reflect His relationship with us.

 

God’s Design for Marriage

God designed marriage as a divine institution, a covenant between one man and one woman. Marriage is not a legal contract, but a lifelong, sacrificial relationship (Ephesians 5), meant to reflect our relationship with Christ. Divorce is a result of fallen humanity, as the marriage covenant was never meant to be broken.

 

Our Sin’s Impact on Marriage

The greatest threat to marriage is the sin of fallen man. Because of the fall, every marriage involves two broken sinners; God uses marriage to sanctify us into the image of Christ. Our sin ultimately destroys the divine union in which God has given, no matter if this happens gradually or in a moment.

 

Our Responsibility in Marriage

Our call is clear: we must follow Christ with our whole hearts. Only when we follow Jesus can we love our spouse well. Wives, as the church submits to Christ, your call is to submit to your husband. Husbands, as Christ gave his life for the Church, so give your life for your wife: to love, lead, protect, and provide for her.

 

Matthew 19:1-11

1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Matthew 19:1-11.

Discussion Questions

1. What does being “one flesh” communicate about the depth of marriage?                                                                                                                    
2. Where does culture pressure us to view marriage differently than Scripture does?                                                                                                             
3. What are subtle ways we can treat marriage as conditional instead of covenantal?                                                                                                           
4. What does it look like to reflect God’s covenant love in daily life?                                                                                         
5. How does the hardness of our hearts damage marriage?                                                  

 

Closing Thoughts

Strong marriages strengthen the community of God’s people; in a world full of broken marriages and sin, the church must be a beacon for something better and deeper. Only when the church is living in faithful community together can marriages truly thrive; while a married couple is one flesh with each other, we are also all individually members of one another as the Church.

END

Teacher Notes:

Matthew 19:1-11

1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.

The Pharisees asked,

When can I end a marriage?

 

Jesus answered,

“Let’s talk about why it exists.”

For companionship, unity, and family but ultimately to reflect His covenant love to the world.

Why do we instinctively look for exceptions 

instead of design?

What does “one flesh” communicate about 

the depth of marriage?

So, what are we to surrender

each day

for a Godly marriage?

Where does culture pressure us to view marriage differently than Scripture does?

Contract / Covenant

Cultural view: Marriage lasts if it meets my needs.

Biblical view: Marriage is a covenant commitment before God, not simply a mutual agreement.

How do we see the “contract mindset” show up in everyday conversations about marriage?

“I deserve to be happy.”

“You’ve changed.”

“We’ve just grown apart.”

What again is “Covenant Love”?

It’s a chosen, binding commitment to stay regardless

of changing feelings or circumstances.

 

It’s promise-based, not mood-based.

What habits help build unity and trust

over time?

What does time create in a marriage

that nothing else can?

How does this “hardness of heart” damage

our marriage?

  

Class Lesson for March 1, 2026

 Culture Wars - Sexual Immorality 

Sexual Immorality

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

20 for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.

Sermon Recap

In 1 Corinthians 6:18–20, Paul addresses sexual immorality within the church in Corinth. While sexual sin was widespread in the culture, God’s design for sex is specific. While the culture says that Christians are legalistic about sex, God’s design is not about limiting joy — it is about protecting intimacy, preserving holiness, and reminding us of the one we belong to. Therefore, the life of the Christian should be marked by sexual purity.

We find three truths present in the text:

1. Flee Sexual Immorality - 1 Corinthians 6:18

Rather than flirting with sexual sin, Christians are called to flee from it. Flirting with sexual sin means we are intentionally giving space in our lives in order that the sinful desires of the flesh will be gratified. To flee from sexual sin means we are not only free from sin, but we flee towards the good and beautiful plans God has for us.

2. You are a Temple of the Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:19

Paul makes clear that sexual immorality has no place in the life of the Christian because the body of the believer is the very temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This means that both are body and our souls are being sanctified; this directly confronts the lies of our culture that argue bodily actions do not affect the soul. There is no such thing as casual or meaningless sexual activity, but rather sexual immorality has unique implications on the soul.

3. You Were Bought at a Price - 1 Corinthians 6:20

Because of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice, those in Christ have been ransomed from the bondage of sin into spiritual freedom. Christ paid the price for our sin with his own life and death; having been set free in Christ means that our chief aim should be to glorify and obey the one who has redeemed us. Because we have been freed from sin, we should no longer return to the sin that once held us in bondage but walk in the newness of life Christ has given us.

 

Discussion Questions

What is God’s design for sex? What constitutes as “sexual immorality?”

Why does Paul connect sexual sin uniquely to the body?

In what ways does culture promote the idea that our bodies are our own?

How does remembering that you were “bought with a price” change the way you think about sexual sin?

How can guilt distort obedience? How does grace fuel obedience instead?

 

Closing Thoughts

In an ever-increasing hostile culture to truth, we must be devoted to daily and weekly gospel community that studies the Word of God together. The culture around us itches to hear only what it wants to hear (2 Timothy 4:3), but we must proclaim truth to the world. This means that we do not shy away from hard conversations but are bold to speak on the things that God has clearly revealed.

 

END

Teacher Notes:

How does our culture define love, is it by feeling or by promise?

 

What happens to love when feelings fade and there’s no commitment to hold it?

 

This commitment - Paul addresses

to the Corinthian Church in our lesson today

is called

Covenant.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.

We’re all modeling something…

Marriage / Sexual integrity / Covenant faithfulness / Repentance and Grace

 

And you want to know something…

Grandchildren are watching and adult children too.

How can we model habits or relational patterns that communicate that our bodies and our relationships belong to Christ?