Sermon Overview

Jesus alone has the authority to give life, so trust him.

Digging Deeper

Read Luke 8:40-56

1. The situation with Jairus’s daughter went from desperate to (seemingly) hopeless. And yet, because of who Jesus is, the one who has the authority to give life, things were not actually hopeless after all. Has there been a situation(s) in your life where you were tempted to feel that things are hopeless? How did God use that situation in your life? Please share.

2. How would you counsel a follower of Jesus who has confided in you that he or she is feeling hopeless? How might this passage, and what it reveals about Jesus, bring encouragement? What other passages or truths from God’s Word might you point them to?

3. What connection does this story have to our celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead?

4. This passage calls us to trust Jesus (the only one with authority to give life) to give us life. What might that sort of trust look like for us? What might be some signs that we are not trusting Jesus as we ought?

5. In what sense do those who trust in Christ have eternal life already (see John 3:36 & 17:3)? What does this mean? What does that look like?

6. How should the reality of a future resurrection life (in heaven) affect how we live now? To what extent would you say your hope of heaven is affecting the way you live on a regular basis? How might we (help one another) grow in this?

7. In 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 we read, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” What is at stake for us in Christ’s resurrection from the dead? Practically speaking, what might it look like for us to live in light of it?

8. For those of us in Christ, Jesus has brought us life. He wants to bring that life to others, and he wants to use us (his people) to make that happen. Who in your life does not yet know the life that Jesus offers? How might you share this story with them, and/or point them to Christ’s power to save and to give (eternal) life?

Prayer