𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣

• Tell us about a skill you are confident in. How did you develop such confidence?

• When you receive unbelievable news, do you tend to keep it to yourself, or are you eager to share the news with others? Share an instance explaining this. 

• Have you ever used something without knowing what it was intended for? What happened?

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘣 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘣. 𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘣, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮.”  𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟮𝟬:𝟭-𝟮

When Mary Magdalene visited Jesus’ tomb after His crucifixion, she discovered the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. That day signaled Christ’s triumph over death, which forever changed the course of history. As believers, we are not merely bystanders to this truth, but are intimately connected to its significance. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we can find assurance and confidence in His victory over sin and death. The empty tomb serves as a place of grace, hope, and redemption, reminding us that we can live with purpose, knowing that our lives are anchored in His victory and the promise of eternal life. Today, we will unfold the assurance of restoration we have because of Christ’s resurrection, which allows us to proclaim His resurrection just as Mary did.

𝟭. 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲.

𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵.” 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶?” 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟮𝟭:𝟭𝟮-𝟭𝟰

When Jesus met with His disciples after His resurrection, He signified their restoration after they had abandoned and failed Him during His suffering and crucifixion. Jesus especially restored Peter after he had denied Christ. As Jesus shared a meal with them, signifying fellowship, they received the assurance that they were brought back to a right relationship with God. Just like the disciples, we too have received grace and restoration in Christ. Jesus’ death gave us life, and we are forever changed. How has Christ’s resurrection changed your life from sin and failure to life and victory?

𝟮. 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲.

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, “𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯, 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦?” 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, “𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦?” 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨; 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘱.” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟮𝟭:𝟭𝟳

Jesus restored Peter, even though he had denied Him three times. Jesus not only reaffirmed Peter’s love and commitment, but also commissioned him to fulfill God’s purpose for his life—to care for and nurture His people. This command extends beyond Peter to all believers, emphasizing the call to serve and care for others following God’s purpose. His grace empowers us to accomplish His mission and actively participate in His redemptive work by sharing what Jesus did on the cross. How have you seen God reaffirm your purpose and calling during challenging times?

𝟯. 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

𝘉𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵! 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝟭 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟭:𝟯–𝟱

In Christ, Peter experienced transformation from a fearful denier to the bold apostle of hope he became known as in the early church. In the same way, Christ’s resurrection assures us not only of a victorious life on earth and an eternal life with God, but also the complete restoration of humanity to its original design. We are enabled to receive God’s grace, assuring our full restoration, promising our future and eternity, and securing our glorification as heirs of God’s kingdom. What do you think being an heir in God’s kingdom means?

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

• In what area are you trusting that God’s grace would bring restoration in your life? Write these down and commit to pray for a breakthrough.

• How does the assurance of our future, as promised in 1 Peter 1:5, impact your daily life and choices?

• What are the specific things you can do this week to fulfill something you know God is calling you to do? What can you do to help care for and nurture His people?

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥

• Thank God for the assurance of restoration from sin and failure that we have through Jesus’ resurrection. Pray for the perseverance to continually turn to Him for restoration and transformation, knowing that His sacrifice has brought us victory over sin and death. 

• Ask for God’s guidance and wisdom as you seek to fulfill His purpose for your life. Pray that God would show you the next steps you need to take in obedience to His will and empower you to walk in faith and confidence.

• Pray for someone you know who is struggling to hold on to hope amid difficult circumstances. Ask God for an opportunity this week to share the living hope we have through Christ’s resurrection.