Take Heart Because God Is With You!

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Take Heart Because God Is With You! “The Life of Joseph: but God Intended It for Good” Genesis 39:20b-23a October 29, 2017 BIG IDEA A main theme that rains down on the Joseph narrative is simple: God was with Joseph. God is with you too. Life can be confusing and hard. Relationships wobble. Dreams disappear. Grief stops us in our tracks. But take heart. God is with you! REVIEW What are some of the main ideas we discussed last week? Genesis 39:6b-20a 

The dream regarding the future of Joseph would be tested. He was born to rule. Israel would be built into a great nation. This was God’s dream but a lustful woman threatened to destroy it.

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This scene is less about sex and more about God’s faithfulness. Because God was with Joseph, he would not allow the dream to die.

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Joseph ran away from the woman and toward God. We can feel safe when we run toward God because he has a wonderful dream for our lives too.

THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Context: Joseph was placed in prison because he said no to the advances of Potiphar’s wife. Now he would find that God was always with him. The text picks up from the words, “Joseph’s master took him and put him into prison...” Genesis 39:20b-23a (ESV) 20b …the

place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison 21 But

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put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed. MAIN IDEAS 

This portion of the narrative marks a new direction for Joseph. Hardship had come, but God was grooming him to rule. God was with Joseph.

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Not only was God with Joseph, he would be the implicit engine that would make success possible. There would be hardship along the way, but God would use Joseph to save Israel.

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We can take heart in the fact that God is always with us too. He never leaves us. He is loyal to us. This is an amazing truth.

DISCUSSION & APPLICATION 1. We Know the Lord Was With Joseph Because of Textual Evidence In other words: The text tells us that God was with Joseph! As Joseph moves on in the narrative from hated brother to an imprisoned slave, the visible agent of change is Potiphar. But the real cause is the Lord. Genesis 39:2-3: The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. Genesis 39:23: The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed. There is no doubt in the mind of Moses that God was with Joseph. God was using this hardship to groom Joseph to lead and bring about his plan for Israel. a. Do you believe that God is with you in the same way that he was with Joseph? Why or why not?

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b. God was behind the scenes bringing about the future that he desired for Israel. What was that future and why was it important that Israel thrive?

2. Steadfast Love Provided the Foundation for God’s Care Over Joseph Genesis 39:21: But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Joseph received the steadfast love of God. Amazingly, God was loyal to Joseph and he is loyal to us. a. What does God’s steadfast love look like in your life? Can you remember a time when that steadfast love was so obvious that it could not be denied? How did you feel?

b. How do we reconcile the fact that Joseph was unjustly sentenced to prison, yet God was with him?

3. The Journey Calls for a Choice Numbers 6:24-26: The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Because of Joseph’s faithfulness and the presence of God within the narrative, Egypt will also thrive. The goodness and faithfulness of God casts a wide berth. Joseph was, however, to experience temporal hardship. That may be God’s plan for you too. But you can be assured that God will never leave you. a. How would Joseph’s influence help Egypt to thrive?

b. For the good of Israel, why was it important for Egypt to thrive?

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4. Jesus Is Proof of God’s Steadfast Love 1 John 3:16: By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. Joseph lived before the cross. Messiah had not yet come. But now we have seen Jesus; a wonderful person that loves us and is proof of the Father’s love for us. a. Jesus is proof of God’s love for us. Why did Jesus come into the world? Why is this event proof of God’s love?

b. Have you decided to follow Jesus by faith? Did you know that you can experience steadfast love that includes eternal life? Here are some Bible passages that may help: Romans 3:23: …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Revelation 3:20: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Maybe God is calling you to eternal life today. Here is a prayer that you can pray to help you move in that direction: “Jesus, I acknowledge that you are the Son of God. I know that you died on the cross for my sin. Please forgive me for my sin. I put my faith in you in order to be reconciled to God. I want to follow you throughout the rest of my life. Amen.” If you prayed this prayer, please tell a friend, your community group leader, or a pastor. This is the start of a brand new life!

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5. My Life Can Change Because God Is With Me I can love others, I can be loyal because God is loyal to me, I can face life without fear, and I can engage in the mission to tell others about Jesus. All of this is possible because God is with me! a. How can you take steps today to engage in the mission to tell others about Jesus? Who has God put in your life that needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ?

PRAY Father God, thank you for your steadfast love. I look forward to knowing you better. I look forward to walking in freedom knowing that you are always with me. Amen. DIG DEEPER For further study this week:   

“Steadfast Love: The Response of God to the Cries of Our Heart” from Lauren Chandler (B&H Publishing Group) “God’s Love: How the Infinite God Cares for His Children” from R.C. Sproul (David C. Cook) “Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God” from Francis Chan and Chris Tomlin (David C. Cook)

NEXT WEEK’S BIG IDEA Genesis 40:1-23 Joseph is forgotten in prison. But God is with him. The dream will not die.

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