HOPE is ALIVE
JEFF METZGER
FOREWORD BY JOSHUA METZGER
HOPE is ALIVE
JEFF METZGER
FOREWORD BY JOSHUA METZGER
Copyright © 2016 by River Hills Christian Church ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published by River Hills Christian Church Copyright and use of the curriculum template is retained by Brett Eastman. Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 and 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. ISBN 9781945589201 Printed in the United States of America
TABLE OF CONTENTS
6
Endorsements
8
Foreword by Joshua Metzger
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Introduction by Jeff Metzger
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Using This Workbook (Read This First)
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Outline for Each Session Hope is Alive! …
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Session One: When Life Falls Apart
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Session Two: When Life is Beyond Busy
44
Session Three: When Life Goes From Bad to Worse
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Session Four: When You Walk Alone
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Session Five: When You Feel Like Quitting
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Session Six: When All You Can Do Is Pray APPENDICES
90
Frequently Asked Questions
93
Small Group Agreement
95
Small Group Calendar
96
Spiritual Partners
97
Memory Verse Cards (Clip and Review) SMALL GROUP LEADERS
99
Prayer and Praise Report
100
Small Group Roster
101
Hosting an Open House
102
Leading for the First Time
103
Leadership Training
106
Notes
ENDORSEMENTS An old hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness … On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.” This series focuses on what each of us need daily as we face life’s challenges in the 21st century – Hope Is Alive – because of our solid rock, Jesus. “Be Strong and Courageous” Joshua 1:6 David Pace, Kairos Legacy Partners, Kairos Benevolence Fund In any listing of creative ministers, Jeff Metzger would be high on my list. And, he has demonstrated this in his helpful new small group study series. “Hope is Alive.” Jeff provides a welcome and comprehensive path to encouragement in a time when hope is in short supply. E. Richard Crabtree Let me strongly recommend the six week series, “Hope Is Alive!” by Pastor Jeff Metzger and his team at River Hills. The topic is one that every believer needs to study and internalize. It’s fresh and well-written information will bless and nurture your congregation. Get this series and use it with your people! Dr. David Roadcup, Professor of Discipleship, TCMI International “Hope is Alive” is a wonderful teaching tool that Jeff and his team have put together. This study captures the substance and application of biblical hope. You will rekindle one of the most key parts of abundant living, optimism in a God who loves you and wants to partner with you toward a faithful and productive future. Tim Wallingford, Director of the Center for Church Leadership Cincinnati Christian University Our world today is bankrupt for hope. We are bombarded by news about bombings, debt crisis, terrorist attacks, financial collapse, and we could go on. There is a desperate need for hope, or rather a need for the one who can give hope. That’s why I’m so excited about Jeff and his
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team’s project. Jeff reminds us of the very important reality that Hope is and will always be Alive in Jesus. Join Jeff as he shows us how to let hope in Jesus cut through the despair of the world. Trust me, you’ll never be bankrupt for hope again. Dr. Tim Harlow, Senior Pastor, Parkview Christian Church Hope sustains our lives. God’s offering of hope comes to us through his Son, Jesus, that we may endure any and all hardhsips of life. Please join with us at River Hills Christian Church as we continue to celebrate God’s gift and lift up Jesus to declare, truly, that Hope is Alive! Stan Forston, MD, Trustee, River Hills Christian Church The church today needs Hope more than ever. Jeff Metzger, and our good friends at River Hills have created a great resource to bolster and renew Hope in Christians everywhere. I highly recommend the “Hope is Alive” series for you and your church. Dusty Rubeck, President, CDF Capital In “Hope is Alive”, Jeff provides the first installment of building a Jesus-centric life by cultivating a hopeful outlook. Through his sermon series and the small group experience he leads the students to take practical steps to handle life. The study guide is structured to encourage deeper study if desired. Larry Boden, Board Chairperson, New Mission Systems International As a pastor I work with people day after day who are living without a sense of purpose or Hope. Through this study, Jeff Metzger combines his compassion for people with Godly insight to allow those of us who struggle with real life issues to find a place where our hope can be rekindled. I am adding this as a go to resource for our small group and recovery ministries! Scott Swelbar, Lead Pastor, Community Christian Church
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FOREWORD
A
s a musician and a songwriter I generally craft words in the context of how much time they take to sing. I am used to writing enough words to fill two and a half to three minutes. And many of those
words are repeated! I write in short thoughts and phrases, trying to convey emotions that are broad enough to hit the masses yet specific enough to impact the one. So for me to write a forward to this curriculum seems a bit daunting. I have already surpassed the amount of words that most songs require to tell a story and I’m not even out of the first paragraph! It seems scary to me to fill the blank space with complete thoughts and sentences, all the while making sure it is coherent and grammatically correct. I am, however, confident in the outcome. You might even say I am hopeful. What do you think of when you hear the word hope? Does it conjure thoughts of desire or expectations? How does it make you feel? Does it elicit feelings of joy, sadness, disappointment, or redemption? Hope is an interesting word. Depending on how you use it, its meaning can differ. It can be used to describe a person or thing that may help to save someone: “Help me Obi-Wan. You’re my only hope.” It can be grounds for believing that something good may happen. “He does see some hope for the future.” It can be a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. “He looked through her belongings in the hope that he may come across some information.” These are all the dictionary definitions of the word hope and I don’t like any of them. They all seem to be a bit indefinite. They seem to convey doubt; a person that may save you, something good may happen, he may find the information. None of them are confident in the outcome. None of them seem sure of themselves. It is little better than wishful thinking. It is human hope. Wishful thinking is not what God intended for us. He has plans for us, plans to give us a hope and a future - not plans to give us wishful thinking of what our future may be.
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I think too often we lose sight of the hope God has given us. We relegate our hope to the realm of humanity, to the realm of human hope, a hope that is not rooted in God’s love for us. So often our hope is blown to and fro by the winds of change that occur in this life. Many times people will tell you, “Don’t get your hopes up” because they want to make sure you are not hurt by the “may” outcomes. But when we have God’s hope, the knowledge that our hope is rooted in God’s love and mercy for us means every outcome is trusted because every outcome is from God himself. So how then do we define God’s hope? As I usually do when I need help figuring something out, I turn to the Bible. Hope is mentioned 181 times in the NIV Bible, starting in Ruth and continuing in nearly every book through the end of the New Testament. There are just a couple verses I want to focus on here. Romans 5: 1-8 is a great example of God’s hope. Paul writes, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Did you catch that? Right at the end. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. God’s hope does not disappoint. In Gods hope there is no “may” outcome. The Greek word used here for hope is “Elpis.” It comes from the primary “Elpo” which means to anticipate, usually with pleasure. This is a bit better than our definitions of hope but it is still not “Elpis.” “Elpis” is a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation or a confident expectation of good. This is amazing to me! A confident
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expectation of good. This “Elpis” hope is certain, it is confident. Our wishful thinking is human hope. This human hope can disappoint because it doesn’t come from perseverance or character or God’s love. It is not backed by the Holy Spirit. This “Elpis” hope is a confident expectation of good backed by the love of God poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. As I said earlier, it is the knowledge that our hope (our confident expectation of good) is rooted in God’s love and mercy for us that every eventual outcome is trusted because every outcome is from the one who loves us; from God himself. There is a future in this. There is evidence of this hope all over that Bible. Look at the woman with the issue of blood. She said, “If I can only touch His clothes I will be healed.” She didn’t say I may be healed or I might be she said I will be! That is a confident expectation of good. That is future hope. When the disciples performed miracles they didn’t ask that the demon will hopefully be cast out or the sick might be healed; they commanded it in the name of Jesus. Like Jesus said, “Anything you ask in my name, believing you have received it, it will be given you.” This is not a human hope ask, this is the “Elpis” hope ask, a confident expectation of good. It is through this hope our faith is made strong. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11). Our faith is the substance of things “Elpis” for and the evidence of what He has done for us in His great love. This is God’s Hope and His hope is alive! As you walk through this study I have a confident expectation that God’s love will be revealed to you. I have a confident expectation that your growing character will produce God’s hope in you and that your faith will forever be deepened. I confidently expect you to know Hope is Alive! I am praying that God will bless this journey you are about to begin. In the name of our eternal savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
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JOSHUA METZGER 11
INTRODUCTION All my life I’ve lived with hope. Somehow I’ve always had a positive expectation of a better tomorrow. And that’s what hope is. It is the confidence that in spite of any trouble in my present moment there’s something up ahead, just around the corner, out of sight, and that something is really good! Where does that kind of hope come from? Real hope comes from God. Hope is a gift available to everyone. Ultimately real hope comes from Jesus and his resurrection. Because Jesus is alive – hope is alive! But many people have lost hope and without hope we often give in to despair. We all know hopeless people. You can see it on the face, hear it in the voice, and recognize it in the spirit. Maybe you even see it in the mirror. Hopelessness is never good. Finding hope in the dark moments of life is what this book is all about. Biblical hope is not just wishful thinking. It is not bury-your-head-in-the-sand denial. Real hope is brutally honest about current difficulty. Yes, life is hard. But hope is also absolutely confident in God, his goodness and power to deliver us from any hardship and evil. Real hope understands that God really is for us so it doesn’t matter who is against us. Hope is always about the future. What we are waiting for? What do we want? But real hope also keeps us engaged in the present moment. Hope that doesn’t make a difference now isn’t real hope. Real hope is transformative. When hope changes us, people notice. Our hope shows! “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15 NIV Has anyone ever asked you about your hope? People will never ask you about what they can’t see! My prayer is that God will use this book, and all the resources that go with it, to bring your hope alive and put it clearly on display for all to see.
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May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and GOOD HOPE, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 1 Thessalonians 2:16-17  
JEFF METZGER
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USING THIS WORKBOOK (Tools to Help You Have a Great Small Group Experience!)
1.
Notice in the Table of Contents there are three sections: (1) Sessions; (2) Appendices; and (3) Small Group Leaders. Familiarize yourself with the Appendices. Some of them will be used in the sessions themselves.
2.
If you are facilitating/leading or co-leading a small group, the section Small Group Leaders will give you some experiences of others that will encourage you and help you avoid many common obstacles to effective small group leadership.
3.
Use this workbook as a guide, not a straightjacket. If the group responds to the lesson in an unexpected but honest way, go with that. If you think of a better question than the next one in the lesson, ask it. Take to heart the insights included in the Frequently Asked Questions pages and the Small Group Leaders section.
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4.
Enjoy your Small Group experience.
5.
Pray before each session—for your group members, for your
6.
Read the Outline for Each Session on the next pages so that
time together, or wisdom and insights.
you understand how the sessions will flow.
OUTLINE OF EACH SESSION A typical group session for the Hope is Alive study will include the following sections. Read through this to get a clear idea of how each group meeting will be structured:
WEEKLY MEMORY VERSES. Each session opens with a Memory Verse that emphasizes an important truth from the session. This is an optional exercise, but we believe that memorizing scripture can be a vital part of filling our minds with God’s will for our lives. We encourage you to give this important habit a try. The verses for our six sessions are also listed in the appendix.
INTRODUCTION. Each lesson opens with a brief thought that will help you prepare for the session and get you thinking about the particular subject you will explore with your group. Make it a practice to read these before the session. You may want to have the group read them aloud.
SHARE YOUR STORY. The foundation for spiritual growth is an intimate connection with God and His family. You build that connection by sharing your story with a few people who really know you and who earn your trust. This section includes some simple questions to get you talking— letting you share as much or as little of your story as you feel comfortable doing. Each session typically offers you two options. You can get to know your whole group by using the icebreaker question(s), or you can check in with one or two group members, your spiritual partner(s), for a deeper connection and encouragement in your spiritual journey.
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HEAR GOD’S STORY. In this section, you’ll read the Bible and listen to teaching, in order to hear God’s story—and begin to see how His story aligns with yours. When the study directs you to, you’ll pop in the DVD and watch a short teaching segment. You’ll then have an opportunity to read a passage of scripture, and discuss both the teaching and the text. You won’t focus on accumulating information but on how you should live in light of the Word of God. We want to help you apply the insights from scripture practically and creatively, from your heart as well as your head. At the end of the day, allowing the timeless truths from God’s Word to transform our lives in Christ should be your greatest aim.
STUDY NOTES.
This brief section provides additional commentary,
background or insights on the passage you’ll study in the Hear God’s Story section.
CREATE A NEW STORY.
God wants you to be a part of His
Kingdom—to weave your story into His. That will mean change. It will require you to go His way rather than your own. This won’t happen overnight, but it should happen steadily. By making small, simple choices, we can begin to change our direction. This is where the Bible’s instructions to “be doers of the Word, not just hearers” (James 1:22) comes into play. Many people skip over this aspect of the Christian life because it’s scary, relationally awkward, or simply too much work for their busy schedules. But Jesus wanted all of His disciples to know Him personally, carry out His commands, and help outsiders connect with Him. This doesn’t necessarily mean preaching on street corners. It could mean welcoming newcomers, hosting a short-term group in your home, or walking through this study with a friend. In this study, you’ll have an opportunity to go beyond Bible study to biblical living. This section will also have a question or two that will challenge you to live out your faith by serving others, sharing your faith, and worshiping God.
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FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY. If you have time and want to dig deeper into more Bible passages about the topic at hand, we’ve provided additional passages and questions, which you can use either during the meeting, or as homework. Your group may choose to read and prepare before each meeting in order to cover more biblical material. Or, group members can use the additional study section during the week after the meeting. If you prefer not to do study homework, this section will provide you with plenty to discuss within the group. These options allow individuals or the whole group to expand their study while still accommodating those who can’t do homework or are new to your group.
DAILY DEVOTIONS. Each week on the Daily Devotions pages, we provide scriptures to read and reflect on between sessions. This provides you with a chance to slow down, read just a small portion of scripture each day, and reflect and pray through it. You’ll then have a chance to journal your response to what you’ve read. Use this section to seek God on your own throughout the week. This time at home should begin and end with prayer. Don’t get in a hurry; take enough time to hear God’s direction.
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SESSION 1
When Life Falls Apart But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Psalm 39:7
Usually when you watch the performance of a play, you see one stage with one set of characters all doing the same thing. There might be a lot going on in a particular scene, but there is only one stage and every audience member is seeing the same thing at the same time. However, in the play, Tamara by John Krizanc, the actors and the action are spread across ten or eleven different rooms. The audience walks through the rooms, staying or going as they wish, as different parts of the play take place simultaneously in each area. When you watch this play, your experience is determined by which rooms you visit and how long you stay, and your experience will be different from everyone else in the audience. Where you stand and what you see determines what you believe. The same is true in life. We all have a different perspective on what’s happening and why, and that perspective determines what we believe about God, about the future, and even about ourselves. When we see God moving or answering our prayers the way we think he should, we have hope. But when we experience heartache or disappointment, we can lose hope and lose heart. So as we kick off this study, let’s look at what it means to have hope in God and how to keep our eyes focused on his work in our lives.
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SHARE YOUR STORY Each of us has a story. The events of our life—good, bad, wonderful or challenging—have shaped who we are. God knows your story, and He intends to redeem it—to use every struggle and every joy to ultimately bring you to Himself. When we share our stories with others, we give them the opportunity to see God at work. When we share our stories, we also realize we are not alone—that we have common experiences and thoughts, and that others can understand what we are going through. Your story can encourage someone else, and telling it can lead to a path of freedom for you and for those you share it with. Open your group with prayer. This should be a brief, simple prayer, in which you invite God to give you insight as you study. You can pray for specific requests at the end of the meeting, or stop momentarily to pray if a particular situation comes up during your discussion. Before you start this first meeting, get contact information for every participant. Take time to pass around a copy of the Small Group Roster on page 100, a sheet of paper, or one of you pass your Study Guide, opened to the Small Group Roster. Ask someone to make copies or type up a list with everyone’s information and email it to the group during the week. Then, begin your time together by using the following questions and activities to get people talking. • What brought you here? What do you hope to get out of this group?
• What is a hope that you have for the coming year?
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• Whether your group is new or ongoing, it’s always important to reflect on and review your values together. On page 93 is a Small Group Agreement with the values we’ve found most useful in sustaining healthy, balanced groups. We recommend that you choose one or two values—ones you haven’t previously focused on or have room to grow in—to emphasize during this study. Choose ones that will take your group to the next stage of intimacy and spiritual health. • If your group is new, welcome newcomers. Introduce everyone—you may even want to have name tags for your first meeting. • We recommend you rotate host homes on a regular basis and let the hosts lead the meeting. Studies show that healthy groups rotate leadership. This helps to develop every member’s ability to shepherd a few people in a safe environment. Even Jesus gave others the opportunity to serve alongside Him (Mark 6:30-44). Look at the FAQs in the Appendix for additional information about hosting or leading the group. • The Small Group Calendar on page __ is a tool for planning who will host and lead each meeting. Take a few minutes to plan hosts and leaders for your remaining meetings. Don’t skip this important step! It will revolutionize your group.
WATCH THE DVD Use the Notes space provided on pages __ to record key thoughts, questions and things you want to remember or follow up on. After watching the video, have someone read the discussion questions in the Hear God’s Story section and direct the discussion among the group. As you go through each of the subsequent sections, ask someone else to read the questions and direct the discussion.
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HEAR GOD’S STORY Read Luke 24:13-35 13
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about
seven miles from Jerusalem. had happened.
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They were talking with each other about everything that
As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself
came up and walked along with them; 17
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but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast.
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One of them, named Cleopas, asked him,
“Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19
“What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
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The chief priests and our rulers handed him
over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;
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but we had hoped that he
was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
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the tomb early this morning
In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to 23
but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they
had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.
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Then some of our companions
went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25
He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets
have spoken! glory?”
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Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what
was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as
if he were going farther.
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But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly
evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
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When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began
to give it to them.
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Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he
disappeared from their sight.
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They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning
within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those
with them, assembled together appeared to Simon.”
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and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has
Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how
Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
• Why do you think God originally kept the disciples from recognizing Jesus? (verse 16)
• Why did Jesus “play dumb” and act as if he did not know the reason for the disciples’ sadness? Why would he have wanted them to explain it and talk about it?
• Jesus seems to rebuke the men in verses 25 and 26. Why do you think he used such harsh words?
• Why did Jesus’ actions in verse 30 open their eyes to his identity?
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STUDY NOTES In this passage, the disciples are disappointed because they expected the Messiah to “redeem Israel.” What they meant was they had hoped the Messiah would be as much a military leader as a religious one. They believed the coming Messiah would conquer the Romans who were oppressing the Jewish people and that he would serve as their new king, just as King David had ruled over the people in Israel’s glory days. Of course, Jesus did come to redeem Israel, but that redemption was from sin and from the law, not from political oppression. Jesus came to earth, suffered, and died so that people could be right with God here and for eternity, and so they could have freedom from sin. Not only did these Jesus-followers fail to recognize Jesus in this moment, they failed to recognize his mission and his message. They were without hope in a variety of ways, and much of it came from their own misunderstandings. In this passage, Jesus explains who he is, what he’s up to, and why it matters for the future, giving them a hope beyond anything they could have anticipated.
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CREATE A NEW STORY God wants you to be part of His kingdom— to weave your story into His. That will mean change—to go His way rather than your own. This won’t happen overnight, but it should happen steadily. By starting with small, simple choices, we begin to change our direction. The Holy Spirit helps us along the way—giving us gifts to serve the body, offering us insights into scripture, and challenging us to love not only those around us but those far from God.
In this section, talk about how you will apply the wisdom you’ve learned from the teaching and Bible study. Then think about practical steps you can take in the coming week to live out what you’ve learned. • What is the difference between hope in our circumstances and hope in God?
• Is there is something you’ve hoped for in your life that has never happened?
• Are there any situations in your life that seem hopeless right now? If you feel comfortable, share a little about that with your group.
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• Sometimes, as in the story we studied today, God doesn’t always do what we expect. How can we maintain our hope even when we don’t understand what God is doing?
• How can we encourage each other to hope over the next six weeks? How does a change in perspective lead to hope?
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• Take a look at the Circles of Life diagram below and write the names of two or three people you know who need to know Christ. Commit to praying for God’s guidance and an opportunity to share with each of them. Perhaps they would be open to joining the group? Share your lists with the group so you can all be praying for the people you’ve identified.
• Also consider someone—in this group or outside it—that you can begin going deeper with in an intentional way. This might be your mom or dad, a cousin, an aunt or uncle, a roommate, a college buddy, or a neighbor. Choose someone who might be open to “doing life” with you at a deeper level and pray about that opportunity.
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• This week how will you interact with the Bible? Can you commit to spending time in daily prayer or study of God’s Word (use the Daily Devotions section to guide you)? Tell the group how you plan to follow Jesus this week, and then, at your next meeting, talk about your progress and challenges.
• Stack your hands just a sports team does in the huddle and commit to taking a risk and going deeper in your group and in your relationships with each other. • Ask, “How can we pray for you this week?” Invite everyone to share, but don’t force the issue. Be sure to write prayer requests on your Prayer and Praise Report on page 99.
• Close your meeting with prayer.
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FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY If you feel God nudging you to go deeper, take some time before the next meeting to dig into His Word. Explore the Bible passages related to this session’s theme on your own and jot your reflections in a journal or in this study guide. A great way to gain insight on a passage is to read it in several different translations. You may want to use a Bible app or website to compare translations.
Read Romans 5:1-5 • What does it mean to “boast in the hope of the glory of God”?
• How does this passage reframe our attitude toward suffering?
• Why is hope so valuable?
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Read Romans 8:22-25 • This passage begins with a metaphor about how sin affects our world and how it affects us as believers. Put into your own words what you think Paul is saying in these verses.
• What is the “redemption of our bodies”? How is that part of our hope as Christians?
• How can we wait patiently for God to return and redeem his creation?
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DAILY DEVOTIONALS DAY 1 Read Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
REFLECT: The Holy Spirit is the source of our hope. Ask the Spirit today for the joy and peace only he can bring.
DAY 2 Read Proverbs 23:17-18 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
REFLECT: It’s easy to want to cut corners or do something wrong to get what we want, especially when we are tired of waiting for God to act. Don’t fall into this temptation! Remember Who you serve and where your hope comes from.
DAY 3 Read Psalm 43:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
RESPOND: Hope isn’t denying our emotions. It’s okay to acknowledge that you feel sad or anxious. But we can choose to put our hope in God. Hope is a decision!
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DAY 4 Read Proverbs 10:28 The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
REFLECT: We don’t have joy because we are blindly hoping in ourselves and our own power, but because we know the God who does all things well. Ask for his joy as you hope in him today.
DAY 5 Read Psalm 71:14 As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
RESPOND: Are you feeling hope-less today? Choose to praise God. It is almost impossible to worship God and feel despair at the same time!
DAY 6 Use the following space to write any thoughts God has put in your heart and mind about the things we have looked at in this session and during your Daily Devotions time this week.
 
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ver and over, from the first days of Creation to the final moments of Revelation, God tells his people to have hope. Yet so often,
we allow our circumstances, our struggles, and even our busyness to consume our hearts and crowd out our hope. In this six-week study, Pastor Jeff Metzger and a team from River Hills Christian Church share practical teaching, stories from scripture, and insights from their own experiences to help your small group hear from God and find his hope in your life.
Jeff Metzger is the Lead Pastor at River Hills Christian Church and also serves as the CEO of New Mission Systems International. Jeff and Teresa, his wife, have served as senior leaders at River Hills since starting the church in 1997. River Hills is committed to bringing God’s hope to people through church planting, having had a catalytic role in starting 23 churches. Jeff has taught and preached about Jesus in 43 states and 39 countries. Jeff and Teresa have three grown children and seven grand children who all love Jesus.