HOPE

1. How would you personally define hope? How has your view of hope changed over time?

2. Read Romans 5:3–5 together. According to Paul, how does suffering eventually produce hope? Can you think of a time when a hard season actually deepened your hope in God? Why do you think God uses difficulty to shape our hope?

3. Read Hebrews 6:17–19. What does this passage say about God’s character? How does knowing “it is impossible for God to lie” affect your ability to hope? What promises of God have you personally struggled to believe?

4. Read Hebrews 10:23 together. What does it look like to “hold fast” to our hope in real life? What tends to make you lose hope? When was a time someone else's hope encouraged you to keep going?

5. How familiar are you with God’s promises in Scripture? What’s one promise from the Bible that has been meaningful to you lately? Around the room have several people look up a promise of God in scripture and share those together.

6. Where do people your age typically place their hope (career, relationships, approval, etc.)? Why do these things often disappoint? What’s something you’ve placed your hope in that didn’t last?

7. Read Romans 5:5. Why does hope in Jesus not lead to disappointment? How has your hope in Christ helped anchor you during uncertain seasons? What’s the difference between being “optimistic” and having biblical hope?

8. Read Matthew 28:20 together. Jesus said, “I am with you always.” Why is this promise so essential to our hope? How can we live with more awareness of God’s presence with us? What’s one area of your life where you need to invite Jesus to give you renewed hope?

9. If you truly believed all of God's promises, what would change in your life? How can having your hope in God lead you to live differently this coming summer?

10. As a group, come up with 3 promises from Scripture you want to hold onto this week. Write them down and text them to each other. Close by praying those 3 promises over one another.