Jesus is the person who gives us hope

INTRODUCTION

Hey, everyone! I’m excited to kick off our new series called The Comeback Kid. When you hear that title, Comeback Kid, you probably think of someone who was in a tough situation but managed to bounce back stronger than ever.

Tell my football story here...

So, growing up I wanted to be really good at football. I would always practice and practice. Finally I ended up trying out in middle school. The A team was similar to varsity, B team was JV, and C team was the not so good team. What team do you think I ended up making? Guys, I was so far down the alphabet that I should have just been the water boy. So what did I do? Well band was calling my name and the saxophone looked cool! For me, band was my comeback.

Now, I wasn’t the greatest athlete when I was younger, but think about some of the greatest athletes out there. Who are some names that come to mind?

One of the first ones I think of is someone like Michael Jordan (show picture of Michael Jordan). You’d expect him to have been great from the start, right? But guess what? He didn’t even make his high school varsity basketball team at first! He had a setback, but we all know how that turned out. Jordan came back and became arguably the greatest basketball player ever. That's a comeback!

And then you have Simone Biles (show picture of Simone). She's the most decorated gymnast in history. At the Tokyo Olympics, she had to step back to preserve her mental health, but what did she do in Paris? She came back and won multiple gold medals again. Another amazing comeback!

How about one more…one of my favorites is Bethany Hamilton (show picture of Bethany). At 13 years old, she lost her arm to a shark attack while surfing. Instead of giving up, she got back on her board and kept training. She became a pro surfer. She made a huge comeback on the waves!

We all love a comeback story. We love cheering for the underdog. We love when someone overcomes obstacles to do something great. That’s why, in this series, we are talking about one of the greatest comeback stories of all time.

A Kid who was literally born next to animals, grew up in a small town, and then became famous because of all the good He was doing. A Kid who grew up to be rejected by His friends and face death. But He had a comeback that has the potential to change all of our stories.

Now, of course, His comeback was different. But the world hasn’t stopped talking about it since. And in fact, His story can change how we think about our own comebacks. 

Let’s pray.

BIBLE VERSES

“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” (John 11:21-24 NIV).

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?” (John 11:25-26 NIV)

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (John 11:27 NIV).

TENSION

Isn’t it true that we all love a good comeback story?

Maybe it’s an underdog winning the championship, an athlete returning from an injury, or even a hero in a movie who seemed down and out before making a huge turnaround. But let’s be real—maybe we love comeback stories because we’ve all needed one ourselves.

Now, none of us are trying to redeem ourselves in the Olympics (unless someone here has been hiding their gold-medal-level talent!), but we all have places where we feel like we’re struggling to make a comeback.

Maybe it’s in school—your grades have been slipping, and no matter how hard you try, you feel like you’re always behind.

Maybe things are messy at home—your parents are splitting up, or there’s tension that you can’t seem to fix.

Maybe you feel distant from God—like your faith used to be strong, but now prayer feels empty, and you’re wondering how to get back to where you were.

Maybe a friendship is changing, and you’re wondering if things will ever go back to how they used to be.

And when we feel like we’re losing, like the world is closing in on us, we look for ways to fix it.

We fake like everything’s fine.

We distract ourselves with social media, sports, or nonstop plans.

We pull away from people so we don’t have to talk about it.

We tell ourselves, Once I get this friend, this win, this moment—then I’ll be okay.

But what happens when those things don’t actually fix what’s going on inside of us?

When I went through my parents’ divorce, I definitely looked for ways to distract myself, to feel okay again. (Insert your personal story here.) But when that didn’t work, I looked for ways to escape—because let’s be honest, sometimes avoiding the pain feels easier than dealing with it.

You get the friend group, but you still feel alone.

You make the team, but you still feel like you’re not enough.

You go through the motions, but deep down, you still feel far from God.

We avoid people who might ask how we’re really doing because we don’t want to go there (this is what I did after my parents got a divorce).

So what do we do when the comeback we were counting on doesn’t turn out to be enough?

Is it possible that what we really need isn’t just a comeback—but something bigger?

What if what we really need… is hope?

 TRUTH

In the verses we read earlier, Martha, was going through a really tough time and really needed a comeback. Martha was a close friend of Jesus. Martha had a brother named Lazarus, and one day, he got seriously sick—like, might not survive sick. Martha knew Jesus had healed people before, so she sent word to Him, asking for help.

[Hold up an uninflated balloon.] Let’s say this balloon represents Martha’s 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.

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 opened the tomb. She felt what I think anyone would feel: All hope was lost. [Let the air out of the balloon.]

Martha was heartbroken. In John 11, we read about her interaction with Jesus when He showed up.

“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” (John 11:21-24 NIV).

[Hold up balloon with no air in it.]

Martha was honest with Jesus about her disappointment. She was honest that she hoped He would be there and heal her brother. She also seemed to still have some hope. She said that God would do what Jesus asked, but when Jesus said her brother would rise again, she revealed that her hope was in a future outcome. She believed her brother would rise again one day, but it didn’t change how heartbroken she was that day.

Next, Jesus said something that changed everything:

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?” (John 11:25-26 NIV)

That’s a big claim. Jesus was claiming to be God. And did you catch it? He said that He was the “resurrection and the life.” Present tense. Martha could have hope not just in some future reality, but in Him, right then and there. The good news? She believed Him. 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” (John 11:27 NIV).

This was huge. Martha and Jesus were friends. Martha just confessed that she believed Jesus to be the Son of God. In other words...

Jesus is the Person who gives us hope.

Here’s the thing. We can put our hope in Jesus not just because of what He said but because of what He did. In fact, as we read the rest of the story, He proved that He is the resurrection and the life. He raised Lazarus from the dead. He proved to Martha that what He said about Himself was true.

[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 for in Him? 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. 

APPLICATION

So, practically, what does that look like? 

First, think about two questions:

1. What is your hope in? Try filling in the blank, “If I just had _________, everything would be okay.” Let’s be clear: It’s normal to want safety, security, food, shelter, and love. In fact, if you are concerned about having one of those things right now, talk to your Small Group Leader so we can help. But sometimes, when we answer that question, we learn that our hope is in popularity, what people think about us, a new look, or a change in our situation. Like these things are what blows up our balloon. That’s when it’s important to remember that Jesus is the Person who gives us hope.

2. How does hoping in Jesus change how you live? What actions would you take if you believed Jesus is who He says He is? Do you talk to Him about the situations you need hope for? What does it look like to believe that Jesus wants to give you life, not just in the future but today?

Having hope can be difficult, but the good news is we don’t have to look for hope alone. So, after you ask your questions, take action by doing this:

3. Talk to people who can remind you to hope in Jesus. Sometimes, we need help hoping in Jesus. That’s where community comes in. That’s part of why we do Small Groups! It’s so you can have a group of people who can remind you to hope in Jesus. 

When I see you guys at the YMCA, HyVee, or any other place around here, I am reminded of the hope I have in Jesus...especially when things get tough.

LANDING

Jesus said He is “the resurrection and the life,” and that changes everything. When He raised Lazarus from the dead, it was more than just a miracle; it was a glimpse of the kind of hope He offers all of us.

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 and your story. 

But for now, when you head to Small Groups, think about how you’d answer this question: What’s one area of your life where you’re feeling down or stuck, and how can you put your hope in Jesus to help you make a comeback?"

Talk about three different people in room tonight…

Let’s pray.