Discussion Questions: 

1. Can you think of a time when you hoped for one thing but got another (or something else happening that you didn’t expect)? What happened, and what did you think or how did you feel about that? 

2. Read John 11:21-27. 

Make some observations about this passage (What does the text say?):

• What do you notice and what are you curious about? 

Make some interpretations (What does the passage mean?)

• What do you learn about God? 
• What do you learn about humanity? 
• How do we see hope depicted in this story? 

Now make some applications (what’s my response?)

• How are you encouraged, challenged, or convicted by this passage?
• What should be our response to this passage?

3. What do you think the difference is between optimism about your circumstances and biblical hope? How did you come to that conclusion? 

4. Read 1 Peter 1:3-4, 10. How (if at all) do these passages challenge your thinking on the above question?

5. How often do you focus on the hope that Jesus brings to your life today compared to what He might do for you in the future? Is there a difference in how you perceive that hope, and does it vary with your circumstances?

6. Read John 20:30-31. Reflecting on this series through the seven signs of Jesus in the gospel of John, what is the reason John recorded these signs? How have they impacted your belief about Jesus or how you relate to Him? 

Scripture

John 11:21-27

1 Peter 1:3-4, 10

John 20:30-31

Prayer

Ask God to show you how (and in what areas) he might want to bring life, freedom, and hope to your life today. Pray that God would reveal where you’re deferring hope instead of trusting that he’s with you in every moment.  

Practice

1. Find a way to incorporate this simple prayer into every day of your week this week: “Jesus, my hope is in you—today, tomorrow, and everyday.” 

2. Make a list of the areas in your life in which you feel the most hopeful and the most hopeless. Each day this week, reflect on and thank God for the sure hope you have in Jesus based on His death and resurrection and invite him to be present with you in the areas you feel hopeless. 

3. For further study on biblical hope, watch this video by the Bible Project.