Life is full of trials and difficulties. We will face pain and hardship as long as we live in this sinful world. As I have heard it said, "bones will still break, and hearts will still ache" as long as we live on this earth. The question is, what do we do when trials come? Do we turn to others, or do we turn to God? We find in Scripture that in our trials and difficulties, God is with us, walking with us and caring for us every step of the way.
BREAK THE ICE
If you could change one thing to make life on earth less painful, what would it be?
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
Bible Study
1. Read John 11:1-7. What did Mary and Martha want Jesus to do for their brother?
John 11:1-7
"A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, your dear friend is very sick." 4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this." 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea."
"A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, your dear friend is very sick."
4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this." 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea."
WATCH SERMON RECAP
2. Read John 11:1-23. In your own words, summarize Martha's response to Jesus.
John 11:1-23
"A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, your dear friend is very sick." 4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this." 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea." 8 But his disciples objected. "Rabbi," they said, "only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?" 9 Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light." 11 Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up." 12 The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!" 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. 14 So he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him." 16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too-and die with Jesus." 17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask." 23 Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again."
8 But his disciples objected. "Rabbi," they said, "only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?"
9 Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light." 11 Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up."
12 The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!" 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
14 So he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him."
16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too-and die with Jesus."
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask."
23 Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again."
3. Read John 11:32-44. What stands out to you about Jesus' response to Mary?
John 11:32-44
"When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 "Where have you put him?" he asked them. They told him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, "See how much he loved him!" 37 But some said, "This man healed a blind man. Couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?" 38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 "Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested, "Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible." 40 Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe?" 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me." 43 Then Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him go!"
"When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 "Where have you put him?" he asked them.
They told him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, "See how much he loved him!" 37 But some said, "This man healed a blind man. Couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?"
38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 "Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested, "Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible."
40 Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe?" 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me." 43 Then Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him go!"
4. Compare what Mary and Martha wanted for Lazarus versus Jesus's plan for Lazarus.
Application
1. Have you ever felt like Mary and Martha, wondering why Jesus did not come to Lazarus sooner? (Maybe that time is now.) What happened?
2. How does knowing Jesus' compassion and care for you impact your perspective during difficulties?
3. How was Jesus' plan for Lazarus better than Mary and Martha's plans? What does this mean for your plans versus God's plans for your life?
MOVING FORWARD
One way to find peace in the middle of our pain is to share the hope of Christ with others who are hurting. One way we can do this is by sharing our two-minute stories. Pair up in groups for two and take turns sharing your 2-minute stories. Then, after everyone has practiced, come back together and pray for opportunities to share your stories and the courage to share when the opportunities come.
GOING DEEPER
We will face difficulties and trials throughout our lives. The question is, what do we do when they come? How do we respond when we are met with unspeakable trials and hardships that arise all throughout our lives? Let's take a few minutes to see what Scripture teaches about how to respond when we face trials.
Give your burden to Jesus:When we face trials and hardships, we are often tempted to turn to other people, whether we turn to family members or friends. Family members and friends are certainly God's gift to us, but they should never be the first people we turn to. Jesus is the first person we can turn to in our difficulties, because He is the one who can carry them for us.
1. Read Matthew 11:28-30.
Matthew 11:28-30
"Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."
2. Summarize Jesus' teaching in this passage of Scripture.
3. Why did Jesus invite listeners to come to Him?
4. What happens when we come to Jesus with our worries and burdens?
Have an eternal perspective:When we face difficult times, our trials and heartbreaks are all we can focus on. It is natural to become overcome by the unspeakable difficulties and heartache that we are facing, but we do not have to stay there. What we need during trials and difficulties is a perspective shift. While not discounting the pain and heartbreak that we face, we can shift or focus on Christ and eternity.
1. Read Romans 8:18-21.
Romans 8:18-21
"Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay."
2. Compare and contrast our present suffering verses what God has in store for His people later.
3. What hope do we have about the future if we have placed our faith in Christ according to this passage of Scripture?
4. How does focusing on eternity impact our perspective of our present suffering?
Serve the people around you:One of the best ways find hope during our difficult times is to look for needs around us. When we serve those around us, we are able to shift our focus off of ourselves and on to others. We also become agents of hope by helping meet needs around us. 1. Read Galatians 5:13-14 and 1 Peter 4:10-11.
Galatians 5:13-14
"For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
1 Peter 4:10-11
"God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen."
2. How are we to serve the people around us, according to both of these passages of Scripture?
3. How has God uniquely equipped you to serve others?
4. What is the impact of serving others, even when you are going through a difficult time?
Reflect:Take a few minutes to think about what you studied in Scripture and how to respond to difficulties and trials when they come. Discuss what learned and studied along with your group.
1. What is the impact when we turn to Jesus, shift our perspective, and serve others during suffering?
2. Regarding the three things we can do during hard times (turning to Jesus, shifting our perspective, and serving others) comes most naturally when you are going through a hard time? Which is most difficult for you? Why?
3. What is one way that you can grow in the area you would like to grow?
This small group is a great opportunity to serve each other. What is a burden you are currently facing? Share it with your group. After everyone has shared, pray for each other. Pray specifically for the needs that are shared. Commit to praying for each other throughout the week.
MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE (Available for download on Sagebrush App)
Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. John 11:25
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