Christ is Risen from The Dead

Small Group Discussion Guide

Based on the Resurrection Sunday Message by Pastor Mirek Hufton

1. SERMON RECAP

Pastor Mirek Hufton walked the congregation through the full weight of what Jesus endured — from the Garden of Gethsemane through the scourging, the crucifixion, and ultimately the empty tomb — so that the resurrection would not be received as a familiar story but as a fresh and costly miracle. He emphasized that when Jesus declared "It is finished," sin's power over humanity was cancelled in full, the temple veil was torn, and every barrier between God and his people was permanently removed. He challenged the congregation to respond to the resurrection not with casual familiarity but with lives genuinely surrendered to the one who paid the highest price imaginable on their behalf.

2. KEY SCRIPTURE

Matthew 28:5-7 (NKJV)

"But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead.'"

3. ICE BREAKER

What is one Easter or resurrection memory from your childhood — whether from church, family, or somewhere else — that has stayed with you over the years?

4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Question 1 Pastor Mirek spent significant time describing the physical suffering Jesus endured before the crucifixion — the scourging, the mocking, the crown of thorns — and said that rehearsing these details moved his own heart to deeper devotion. When you consider the full cost of what Jesus went through, how does it affect the way you think about your own relationship with him day to day?

Question 2 Pastor Mirek pointed out that at every stage of his arrest and trial, Jesus remained entirely in control — he could have called twelve legions of angels and walked away at any moment. He chose not to. What does that willingness tell your group about the nature of God's love, and how does it challenge the way you think about sacrifice in your own life?

Question 3 He highlighted the moment the temple veil tore from top to bottom the instant Jesus said "It is finished," explaining that the way to God was now open to every person without a human priest as mediator. Luke 12:32 reminds us that it is the Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom. In practical terms, what difference does it make to your prayer life and your sense of access to God when you genuinely believe that nothing stands between you and him?

Question 4 Pastor Mirek was direct in saying that some believers cheapen grace by treating sin as inconsequential, forgetting the price that was paid. He called the group to respond to the resurrection with holy lives, not as a way to earn salvation, but as a way of honoring what Jesus did. Where do you find it most difficult to take sin seriously in your own daily life, and what makes that area particularly challenging?

Question 5 Ephesians 5:1 calls believers to be imitators of God. Pastor Mirek connected this to generosity, integrity, and living first-class in character rather than compromise. In what area of your life — at home, at work, in your neighborhood — do you sense the greatest invitation right now to actually imitate the character of God rather than blending in with the culture around you?

Question 6 Pastor Mirek noted that Jesus honored Mary Magdalene — a woman who had been delivered from seven demons — by making her among the first to witness and announce the resurrection. He drew attention to the way God consistently chooses people whom others might overlook or disqualify. Has there been a moment in your own story where you felt disqualified from being used by God, and how does the resurrection speak into that feeling?

5. APPLICATION CHALLENGE

This week, choose one specific area of life where you have been living below the standard you know God is calling you to — whether in a relationship, a habit, a conversation you have been avoiding, or a commitment you have let slide. Write it down on a piece of paper, bring it before God in prayer each morning, and take one concrete step toward change before the group meets again. Come prepared to share what that step was, not necessarily the outcome, but the act of obedience itself.

6. PRAYER POINTS

• Pray that each group member would carry a fresh, vivid sense of the cost of the cross into the week ahead, and that familiarity would never again cause the resurrection to feel ordinary.

• Pray for anyone in the group who is quietly living with a compromised area of life, that the Holy Spirit would bring the conviction, courage, and practical grace needed to take a step toward freedom this week.

• Pray for the specific people each group member knows who have never received Jesus as Lord — that the same power that rolled away the stone would break through every barrier in those relationships and bring them to genuine faith.

7. MEMORY VERSE

Colossians 1:14 (NKJV)

"In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."

Guide prepared for World Harvest Church small group leaders. Please feel free to adapt the pacing and questions to suit the size and maturity of your group.