Leader preparation · 2–3 minutes
Your aim for this conversation
Read 1 Peter 2:18–25. Notice Conrad's three movements: serve respectfully (verse 18), suffer graciously (verses 19–20) and follow Christ's example (verses 21–24).
The conversation is about how each person responds when treated wrongly, at work and everywhere else. Some in the room may carry real injustice; do not explain why it happened or press anyone to excuse it.
Essential questions: Q1, Q2, Q3. Use Q4 when time permits.
45-minute plan
- Opening
- 4 min
- Passage
- 5 min
- Questions
- 24 min
- Application
- 7 min
- Prayer
- 5 min
Total · 45 minutes
The Big Idea
The Christian is called to a right response in the midst of wrong treatment.
Sunday’s 3 points
Serve Respectfully
Peter tells servants to be subject to their masters "with all respect," to the unjust as well as the good and gentle. The closest thing today is how we work under the people over us, and Peter puts the responsibility on us, not on them.
Suffer Graciously
Consequences are deserved; suffering is often undeserved. Grace is "unmerited, undeserved favor," and when we suffer unjustly we are called to endure and to give grace "whether it's earned or not."
Follow Christ's Example
When Jesus was reviled, he did not revile in return. He entrusted himself to the one who judges justly and bore our sins on the cross, "leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps."
Reflect and discuss
Read 1 Peter 2:18–25 together in the ESV.
Question 1 · Essential · 5 min · 1 Peter 2:18 (opens esv.org)
Respect for a hard boss
Peter told servants to be subject to their masters "with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust." Think of a good boss or leader you have worked under and a hard one: what did showing respect look like with each, and which was harder for you?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Conrad pointed out that the word for "respect" in verse 18 is the same word as "Fear God" in verse 17. How does the way you stand before God shape the way you treat the people over you?
- Peter never once speaks to the masters. Where are you waiting for someone else to change before you change how you show up?
Background you may need
- Conrad said these household servants were not the slavery we know from American history, and that verse 18 does not mean staying where you are taken advantage of or in danger. If someone describes that kind of situation, do not press the verse on them.
If it stalls
Offer general examples: a manager who takes the credit, a coach who plays favorites, a customer who is rude. Ask which one is hardest to respect.
Question 2 · Essential · 7 min · 1 Peter 2:19–20 (opens esv.org)
Grace that is not earned
Conrad defined grace as "unmerited, undeserved favor" and said that because God gives it to us, we are called to give it "whether it's earned or not." Who is hardest for you to show grace to right now, without naming them, and what is one gracious thing you could do or say to them before next Wednesday?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Conrad said a speeding ticket is a consequence, not suffering for the gospel. How do you tell the difference in your own life between what you brought on yourself and what you did not deserve?
- Optional, more personal: Conrad said, "I've never regretted holding my tongue," but he has often regretted the times he "returned the favor with a zinger." When did you last return the favor, and what would returning with favor have looked like?
Background you may need
- Some in the room may have suffered real injustice. Do not suggest why God allowed it, and do not ask anyone to excuse what was done to them.
If it stalls
Read verses 19 and 20 aloud and pause each time you reach "a gracious thing." Allow a quiet moment before anyone answers.
Question 3 · Essential · 7 min · 1 Peter 2:21–23 (opens esv.org)
Hand it over
When Jesus suffered, "he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly," and Conrad said that when we are wronged we want to take justice into our own hands "right then and right there." When someone has wronged you, what does handing it over to God look like for you in practice, and what makes it hard to let go?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Peter says Jesus "continued entrusting himself," and Conrad said the word is the idea of handing over. What helps you hand it over again when the hurt comes back the next day?
- Conrad said a right response does not mean agreement or affirming what was done. How do you tell the difference between handing justice to God and pretending nothing happened?
Background you may need
- Handing justice to God does not mean staying silent about abuse or a crime. If someone needs help, follow up with them after the meeting.
If it stalls
Use Conrad's picture: ask what Batman and Spider-Man have in common, then ask where we are tempted to be our own vigilante.
Question 4 · Optional · 5 min · 1 Peter 2:24–25 (opens esv.org)
Returned to the shepherd
Peter ends by saying that you "were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls." How has following Jesus as your shepherd changed the way you respond when you are treated badly, and where do you still most want to go your own way?
Leader notes
Follow-ups to have ready
- Verse 24 says Jesus "bore our sins in his body on the tree." How does remembering the grace you received, when you did not deserve it, change what you want to give someone who has wronged you?
- Conrad prayed, "You're not calling us to do anything that you didn't do." Which part of Jesus' example in verses 22 and 23 do you most want to grow in?
If it stalls
Read Psalm 23:1–3 aloud, as Conrad did at the end of the sermon, and ask which line speaks to a hard week.
Next steps
From the sermon
- When someone treats you wrongly this week, do not return the favor. Return with favor.
- Show up at work in a respectful manner, with the hard boss as well as the good one.
- When you are wronged, hand justice over to God, who judges justly, instead of taking it into your own hands.
Application
Each day this week, pray by name for one person who has treated you wrongly, and ask God to bless them.
Close in prayer
Thank Jesus that when he was reviled he did not revile in return, and ask him for grace to give a right response in the midst of wrong treatment this week.
My notes. The printed Study Guide has room to write here. Print
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible, © 2001 by Crossway. Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. Permissions. Prepared for this small group from the October 18, 2026 sermon; questions and applications are editorial study material.