Resurrecting Hope – Fork Christian Church

Easter Resurrecting Hope: Hope is Here

March 31, 2024

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Hope when the diagnosis is bad. Hope when the relationship ends. Hope when they take their last breath. Where do you find hope? The time between the cross and the tomb must have been some of the most hopeless times in human history. Thousands of years waiting for the Messiah, thousands of hours listening to this one claiming to be him, only to have your friend, teacher, Lord, and messiah be killed on a cross. Yet, on that Sunday morning, the greatest miracle in history took place. The stone was rolled away. As we will see, the stone was rolled away not for Jesus to walk out but for us to accept the invitation to walk in and see the evidence that Jesus is the risen King. This invitation is our invitation to resurrect our hope by making Jesus King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

Get to know you/icebreaker question: Have you ever been on a jury or in court? Share your experience and the impact of evidence.
Read Matthew 28:1-7. What stands out the most on this Easter morning account?
Read John 20:19-20. What stands out the most about this interaction?
Read 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Why do you believe Jesus showed himself to so many? What evidence is most powerful for you to have a confident hope that God is real and Jesus really did rise from the dead?
Read 1 Peter 3:15. What is the reason for the hope that you have? How would you explain this hope to a non-believer?
What areas in life are most difficult for you not to be “King” over? Pray a prayer of release in allowing God to reign over all of your life.

Resurrecting Hope: Hope in Confusion

March 24, 2024

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Too often, we have an expectation that because we give our lives to Christ or live our lives for him, we will not have trouble, struggle, or sorrow. It’s easy to forget that Jesus is not necessarily the Lord we want but that He is the Lord we need. But even though we know that confusion will come when it does, it often takes away our hope. How can we have Hope in times of Confusion? The resurrection reminds us that just as God was resurrecting Hope behind that Stone, God is still resurrecting Hope behind the stones in our lives.

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

Get to know you/ice breaker question: What is your favorite or your most terrifying restaurant menu?
Describe a time when you felt confused. Was it simply a mild inconvenience, or did it create anxiety for you? Is there something that is causing you confusion right now?
Read Matthew 26:20-22 and Matthew 26:31-35. Have you ever experienced a “Bomb drop” moment? Words or moments that were potentially earth-shattering or life-altering? What was your response?
Read Matthew 26:36-39. Have you prayed with great expectation? Have you prayed through overwhelming sorrow? Have you prayed in faith believing? Have you ever been confused and disappointed by unanswered prayer?
Did you ever think that becoming a Christian would solve all of your problems? When or how did you realize that that wasn’t the case?
The teaching mentioned practical ways to help us experience Hope in the midst of our confusion.

1. Remember His Promises
2. Spend time in His Presence
3. Allow God to change you
4. Pray for Clarity
5. Trust Regardless
6. Allow others to carry your burdens

How can these help us have hope in times of confusion? Are there other things that you have found to be helpful?

Resurrecting Hope: Future Hope

March 17, 2024

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Hope. I hope this works out. I hope they will be OK. I hope dinner tastes good. I hope our marriage improves. I hope my health gets better. I hope it’s not too late for me. Hope is such a simple little word, and yet it represents the very central structural word that describes a deep, innate desire from within. This Easter, we discover, decide, and depend on not just any hope but a hope that defies the physical, defies the medical, and defies the emotional because this hope defeated death! What began in a garden was destined for a grave, only to arise in glory in one name above every name. Jesus, our one true hope.

Dig In Questions

In light of this week’s message, we encourage you to consider these questions and dig in a little deeper with your personal study, with your family, or with your small group.

Get to Know You Question: What are you looking forward to the most in the near future? (For example, summer, vacation, a trip, retirement, etc.)
Read Romans 15:4. How is it that through endurance and the reading of scripture, you can have hope? What about God’s word can bring hope to those who need it the most?
Based on the truth of Romans 15:4, we can look back at the promises of God of future hope and see how God uses the promises of the future to bring hope and peace in the present. Read the following covenants (promises) of God and talk about how these bring hope for what is to come:
1. Adamic Covenant: Genesis 3: 14-15
2. Abrahamic Covenant: Genesis 12:1-3
3. Mosiac Covenant: Exodus 19:5-6
4. Davidic Covenant: 2 Samuel 7:11-13
5. New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:33-34, Luke 22:20
In the New Testament, we see a story of Mary becoming hopeless in the death of Lazarus. Read John 11:1-7, 32-35, and 41-44. Now, seeing and experiencing the full power of Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead, how do you think Mary would approach this same situation if it happened again?
Read 1 Peter 1:3. Knowing that Jesus has the power to raise from the dead, how should that impact our lives and cause us to be a ‘living hope’? What is one area of life you have lost hope in? Who have you given up on? Are you living in hope? Pray together that God will give you hope in His power and promise once again.