Group Agenda:

1. Pray In
2. Ask for Positive Testimonies
3. Go over the lesson (Below)
4. Ask everyone “What is one thing you learned today?”
5. Give offering on the app
6. Encourage P12 Leaders to meet with their group (and remind them to take attendance on Friday)
7. Ask for prayer requests and pray out

GETTING THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES

Mark 5:21-24  (NLT) – 21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” 24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him.

QUESTION – What is one thing that stands out to you about this story?

1) JESUS IS THERE IN DIFFICULT TIMES

A. Jesus pays the price to be there.

The story in Mark Chapter 5 actually begins in Chapter 4 with Jesus taking a journey across the sea to get to a man whose life is controlled by demons.  Jesus makes this journey to meet this man at the most difficult point of his life.

Then Jesus goes back across the sea.  He makes another journey to meet someone at their most difficult moment – the leader of the local synagogue, Jairus, whose daughter is dying.

Mark 5:21  (NLT) – Jesus got into the boat AGAIN and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore.

On Jesus’ first trip, He had to battle a storm.  He had to battle His doubting disciples.  He had to deal with a crowd of people who didn’t want Him there.

Mark 5:17 (NLT) – And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.

There is always a cost to be in ministry.  Jesus is willing to pay the price to meet someone at their point of difficulty.

Jesus gets in the boat again.   He makes the journey again, so that he can meet a need.  He pays the price to meet Jairus at his point of difficulty, so that He can raise this man’s daughter from the dead.

QUESTION – What is a difficult time in your life that you know Jesus was there?

B. Jesus is close in times of disappointment.

Psalm 34:18 (ERV) – The Lord is close to those who have suffered disappointment. He saves those who are discouraged.

If you’re discouraged, He will save you.  If you’ve suffered disappointment, He’s close to you.

QUESTION – What does the word “disappointment” mean to you?

A simple definition for disappointment is when things don’t turn out the way you thought they would.

i) When we aren’t seeing clearly… He’s there!

We can create disappointments by having the wrong perspective. 

For example, we tell ourselves things like, “I thought things would turn out different at this age…” or “I was expecting my family to…”  These are disappointments we create in our own mind.

We can also suffer real disappointments from things that are out of control and not perspective based.  Sometimes bad things just happen, but Jesus is there!

ii) When we make the mess… He’s there!

Some of the toughest times we face are often the result of our own choices.  Our self-condemnation and self-blame become one of the hardest things about the disappointment.

QUESTION – Have you ever beat yourself up over a mistake or failure?  What was the result?

iii) When we don’t know why… He’s there! 

Often, the most difficult times we face are a crisis of soul that may not even have a real-world, easy-to-recognize source.  No one died.  There’s not physical sickness.  There’s no major financial need.  Yet, for some reason you’re going through it.

The amazing thing about Jesus is that He’s close to us no matter what the source of our disappointment or difficulty!  Jesus ALWAYS draws close to us in our difficult times.

C. Jesus is closest to us in difficult times.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN REMEMBER IN A DIFFICULT TIME – YOU ARE NOT ALONE! 

In Mark 5, Jesus goes out of His way to meet Jairus at his point of difficulty.  It’s almost as if He wants to be in the difficulty with you more than at any other time.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (ERV) – The Lord will lead you. He himself is with You. He will not fail You or leave you. Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid!”

QUESTION – When is it most difficult for you to recognize that God is with you?

He is with you in every difficulty, but you must acknowledge Him.

Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV) – In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

The biggest problem we have is that we don’t acknowledge or recognize that God is with us.

BUT GOD HAS ALREADY PROMISED THAT YOU’LL NEVER BE ALONE.  HE WILL NOT FAIL YOU OR LEAVE YOU! (Deut. 31:8)

2) JUST HAVE FAITH!

Mark 5:35-36 (NLT) – 35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”  36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”

QUESTION – How would you define the word “faith?”

Hebrews 11:1 (TLB) – 11 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.

Faith is the confident assurance that what you WANT is going to happen.  Fear is the confident assurance that what you DON’T WANT is going to happen.

Both faith and fear are founded in “confident assurance.”

In other words, hope is something that you want, and fear is something that you don’t want.  

QUESTION – Are you more confident about your hopes or are you more confident about your fears?

You already know what you want, but you don’t have confidence.  Faith is about building our confidence in God and His promises to us.

A. Faith is having a clear picture.

Jairus had a clear picture of his daughter being healed.

Mark 5:23 (NLT) – 23 … “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”

The enemy of faith is confusion – not having a clear picture.   Confusion keeps you in uncertainty.  It keeps you in the dark so you can’t get a clear picture.

If you don’t know where you’re headed, if confusion has blinded you, God can open your eyes.

Psalm 146:8 (NLT) – The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.  The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.  The Lord loves the godly.

QUESTION – What are some things you can do to build your faith and give you a clearer vision?

Clarity comes through…

i. Bible Study

ii. Prayer

iii. Worship

iv. Leadership – asking the right people for advice

v. Goal-setting – creating a plan of action, outlining your future

vi. Education – ignorance leads to confusion.

B. Faith is asking for help.

Faith is being real, being willing to say, “I am going through a difficult time and I need some help.”

Mark 5:22-23 (NLT) – Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 23 pleading fervently with him…

Jairus had to humble himself and ask for help.  He didn’t need to express his strength at this moment.  He needed to express his weakness – his need.  

Jairus doesn’t care what people think of him.  He breaks rank with all of his peers and even his own family.  His daughter’s life is more important to him than the opinion of others.

He recognized that his position, title, money possessions, political power, etc. couldn’t help him.  None of those things could save his daughter!  He doesn’t come touting what he’s accomplished or who he is – he got on his face and asked for help.

Ask for help.  Anyone who asks will get help.

Matthew 7:8 (NLT) – For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

One of the biggest barriers to receiving the help we need to make it through a difficult time is our pride.

QUESTION – Has there ever been a time in your life where you were too proud to ask for help?  What happened?

We need to stop acting like we’ve got it all together.   We need to be vulnerable and open about our need for help.  

Real faith recognizes that the difficulty we’re facing can only be handled with God’s help, and holds fast to the belief that He can and will see us through it.

OFFERING – April 2020

Right now, as a church we are reaching more people than ever on any given Sunday!  Since going to online-only services, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who are connecting with us all week long.  This past Easter we had an unprecedented number of people tune in to our services – more than 24,000 people watched online!

Our goal is to continue to broaden our reach – to take our Hope Online services into even more homes and families!

Proverbs 11:25 (NLT) – The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

When we are generous, when we make the choice to see other people refreshed and encouraged, we ourselves will experience that same refreshment and encouragement from God.  Let’s give generously today!

How to Give:

1. Open the app and click give.
2. Change the fund to P12
3. Set up your tithe on recurring giving