The Comeback Kid
Notes
Transcript
JESUS IS THE PERSON WHO GIVES US HOPE!
JESUS IS THE PERSON WHO GIVES US HOPE!
Intro - New Series - The comeback kid - Followup from THE kid
Good comeback stories - MJ (not making middle school, to GOAT), Simone biles (Bailed out of Tokyo, only to return stronger in paris)
THIS is the greatest comeback of all time…
A kid born beside animals, no where important, no one important, came back and saved the universe.
Dont we all need a comeback?
Doing bad in school, need to lock in
Things at home are rough…
Relationships changing
STORY - COMEBACK IN SALES AFTER A SLUMP
Cant find an escape - we create bad ones
We scroll social media to avoid feeling our emotions.
We party with friends to try to numb the pain.
We ghost a friend to avoid having a tough conversation.
We need to find healthier ways to cope, even though some can work for a short period.
Comeback doesn't always workout the way we wanted it.
We make a different sports team, but we don’t feel as different as we thought we would.
We get a new look, but we still don’t get the approval we are hoping for.
We work through conflicts with our friends, but we still kind of feel alone.
So what do we do when the comeback we’re hoping for doesn’t turn out to be all we’re hoping for?
Intro Scripture - Martha’s Brother - Lazarus - Jesus’ cousin
BALLOON -
Deflated - Hope that laz. will survive
Let’s say this balloon represents hope that Lazarus will be okay. That’s what Martha wanted. [Blow up the balloon a little bit.]
Out of that hope, she prayed that God would help the situation. [Blow up the balloon a little more.]
Then she sent word to Jesus because she hoped He could help. [Blow up the balloon a little more, holding it tight but not tying it.]
But Jesus didn’t go to Lazarus right away. By the time He did arrive, it was too late. Lazarus had died. (RELEASE BALLOON)
In fact, Lazarus had been dead for four days. He was so dead that Martha was worried there would be a rotting smell if they open
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Martha was Honest - she was confident in Jesus’ ability to make him rise again in the resurrection “one day” - but she was still heartbroken
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus talks present tense - and martha believes - Take a look
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
Martha confessed that her friend Jesus was the Son of God. This shows us that
JESUS IS THE PERSON THAT GIVES US HOPE!
Jesus not only promises that Lazarus will rise, in a few more verses he honors his promise.
[Bring out the inflated balloon that reads “Jesus.”]
We can be filled with hope—not because all of our circumstances work out, but because of Jesus. [Point to the deflated balloon.]
We don’t have to walk around deflated and defeated. Jesus was proving that He is the Person who gives us hope. [Put the balloons away.]
So, what does it mean for us that Jesus is “the resurrection and the life?” What are we hoping in Him for? How does it change how we view our own comeback stories?
It means that Jesus wants to give us full life–a life full of more joy, peace, hope, love, and all sorts of other good things.
Not just one day in the future, but now.
It means that even when we feel like all hope is lost, we can trust that Jesus can still bring restoration and life.
It means that He is who we look to when we are looking for a comeback.
What does this look like practically?
1. What is your hope in?
“If I just had _________, everything would be okay.” - Jesus is the Person who gives us hope.
Ok to want shelter/security/money to live
2. How does hoping in Jesus change how you live?
What would you do if…
How would you act/talk if…
3. Talk to people who can remind you to hope in Jesus.
As we go through this series, we’ll dive deeper into why we can trust Jesus to be the ultimate Comeback Kid and what that means for your life.
Let’s keep exploring how His story changes our stories.
