264.Destroying Despair

Open It

1. *What is one of your greatest disappointments in life?

2. In what different ways do people respond when a loved one dies?

Explore It

1. What did Jesus find when He arrived at Bethany? (11:17)

2. What did Mary and Martha do when they heard that Jesus was coming? (11:20)

3. *What did Martha say to Jesus about His having come after Lazarus had died? (11:21–22)

4. What did Jesus tell Martha Lazarus would do? (11:23)

5. How did Martha misunderstand Jesus? (11:24)

6. What did Martha and the others learn about Jesus’ identity? (11:25)

7. *What did Jesus say would happen to those who believed in Him? (11:26)

8. What belief did Martha express to Jesus? (11:27)

9. What did Martha tell Mary? (11:28)

10. What did Mary do after Martha told her Jesus was asking for her? (11:29)

11. Where did the Jews think Mary was going? (11:30–31)

12. How did Mary respond when she saw Jesus? (11:32)

13. What did Mary say to Jesus when He finally arrived? (11:32)

14. *How did Jesus respond to the weeping by Mary and the others? (11:33–35)

15. What question did some people have about what Jesus could have done? (11:37)

Get It

1. When has God’s response to your situation in life seemed untimely?

2. In what way do we sometimes second-guess God?

3. *When do we tend to second-guess God?

4. How and when has God disappointed you?

5. Why are we sometimes disappointed by God?

6. *How should we respond to disappointment?

7. When has God given you comfort in the middle of a sad time of life?

8. In what way is Jesus’ response to Lazarus’s death a model for us to follow?

Apply It

1. *What attitude of disappointment do you need to confess to God and change to trust in His sovereign control?

2. How can you be a comfort to a struggling or hurting believer this week?