Genesis 37 Discussion Guide
Sermon Date: Aug. 20, 2023
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CLK Move Up Sunday - Sunday, August 20th all kids will shift a grade level up!
CLB 101 - Sunday, August 20th during service - 9:30am-11:30am @ Westview - West Bay
Middle School Outing - Sunday, August 20th 4-6 pm @ Moylan Ice Rink
Women’s Open House - Thursday, August 24th 6pm-8pm @ Christina Holling’s House
Evangelism Tool - The Holy Spirit is using CLB’s google reviews to bring people in. Please consider leaving a review, as an evangelistic tool
WHY CITY GROUPS?
The point of a City Group is to help us apply God’s Word to our everyday lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, and to multiply faithful intimates of Jesus who make more disciples of Jesus. So we gather regularly to give ourselves to three basic Christian practices: sharing stories, reading the Bible, and praying.
PRAY
Ask if anyone would like to open up in prayer and ask God to bless your time together
STORY
Break the ice with a testimony..
Who has prepared their 5-7 minute story?
Who can give testimony of God’s goodness right now? (i.e. answered prayer, provision, transformation, etc.)
VISION FOR THIS DISCUSSION
We turn the page into a new storyline following Jacob’s son, Joseph. Joseph is the favorite son and he knows it. His attitude will get him thrown (quite literally) into a series of unfortunate events. And through it all, we will see God’s providential hands at work. This passage will show us how God orchestrates every detail of our lives for good, even when we can’t see it or understand it.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PASSAGE
Use the OIA (Observation, Interpretation, Application) tool to read, study, and use Scripture to grow in knowing and following God.
OBSERVATION
Take time to read the passage and make observations.
Any repeated words, phrases?
Any comparison/contrast between characters, topics, passages/stories?
Specific characters—named or unnamed?
Any connecting words/phrases to bridge verses, stories, or ideas?
(“therefore..”, “however..”, “In the same way..”)
INTERPRETATION
-What?
What does Joseph do at first to get his brothers set against him?
What do the brothers do in response?
What do you think Joseph thinks about God at the end compared to the beginning of the passage?
-Why?
Why do you think Joseph acted the way he did? Why do you think the brothers responded to such extremes?
Read James 2:1-9. Why do you think God warns us against favoritism?
Why do you think God allowed Joseph to be mistreated? Why do you think God isn’t mentioned in this story yet?
-So what? (So what does God want me to do about it?)
Part of understanding the story of Joseph’s life is understanding that in God’s providence, he works in two ways: by the visible and the invisible.
1. The visible hand of God performs acts or miracles, including Creation, the Exodus, and many other examples in the first 36 chapters of this book.
2. The invisible hand of God works behind the scenes to accomplish his purposes, in ways we cannot see.
-So what have you seen of God’s visible hand in your life? (the moment you were saved, the time you met your spouse or the one you love, getting the job youhave or the home you live in, etc.)
-So what are you trusting him with his invisible hand?
Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel said, “There are two views of God’s working in the affairs of man. The first, fatalism, suggests that God orchestrates everything, which means that individuals have no choice in anything. The second view embraces God’s passive involvement with mankind. The adherents of this viewpoint believe that God set things in motion, sort of like winding a clock, and then he completely removed himself from the equation.The truth is that providence is a combination of the hand of God working with the will of man.”
-So what does this tell us about God’s rule and our responsibility when it comes to seeing how our lives will play out?
-So what does this tell us we need to do if we want to see good happen (salvations, less people hurting, starving, or living without community & godly role models) in our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplace, our families?
Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
-So what does this tell us about God’s heart when He allows bad things to happen?
Read James 1:2-4
-So what does this tell us to do when we face tragedy or trials?
APPLICATION
-Inward Application (for myself)
Head—What are the biggest obstacles or lies we are tempted to believe about God when we go through difficulty?
Heart—Use specific Bible verses to answer questions like these:
-Doesn’t he care?
-Does he love us?
-Is he too busy?
-Is he not powerful enough to do anything?
-Is he punishing us for something we’ve done in the past?Hands—Waiting is not a passive thing. What are you waiting on right now? What is your responsibility right now while you wait on God’s sovereign rule? What are the practical things you can do to keep yourself from trying to “control” your circumstances and continue trusting God instead?
-Outward Application (for others around me)
Head—What biblical counsel would you give to someone who is struggling with trusting God in tragedy or trial?
Heart—What questions would you ask someone who struggles with trying to “control” their circumstances?
Hands—Who in your life is God calling you to care for who needs to hear about God’s good providence?
PRAYER
Feel free to ask the group for any pressing prayer requests that would be good to pray over together.
Use the TACOS acronym to let the text you studied pray for you:
Thanksgiving - “Father, thank you…”
Adoration - “Father, You are…”
Confession - “Father, I confess…”
Others - “Father, I pray for…”
Self - “Father, please help me…”
*If size or group dynamics seem to hinder prayer, consider dividing into groups of men/women or groups of 3-4 to reduce barriers to praying out loud.