Remember to email your answers to yourself when you finish!
Date: May 14, 2023
Series: Genesis: The God Who Creates
Sermon Title: Genesis | Part 30: Cultivating a Resilient Faith
Scripture: Genesis 37
Speaker: Pastor Mark Pospisil
Questions:
Did you ever encounter a kid in school (or sports team, or other similar group) who was the leader’s “pet?” How did the other kids relate to that “pet?”
Genesis 37:3 says that Jacob loved Joseph more than all of his other children because Joseph was “the son of his old age.” Given that he was not his own father’s favorite (Genesis 25:28), why do you think that Jacob would play favorites as had his own father?
In Genesis 37:2-11, Joseph: A) brought a bad report back on some of his brothers; B) received a fancy coat from his father, and C) told his brothers of two dreams he had where his brothers would bow to him. How aware do you think Joseph was about his brothers’ reactions towards him? Do you think that Joseph believed those dreams would be fulfilled?
Considering what Joseph’s brother did, what does that say to you about the impact that jealousy can have on people?
In Genesis 37:31-32, the brothers took Joseph’s robe and dipped it in blood and sent it to their father, simply saying, “We found this. Is this your son’s robe?” Jacob reached the conclusion that a wild animal had attacked and killed Joseph. Remembering Jacob’s own history of deceptions (as well as the history of his ancestors), what observations can we make from this incident?
As Joseph was bound up and on the road to Egypt where he would become a slave, how do you think he developed a “resilient faith?” What doubts do you think went through Joseph’s mind?
What are ways to develop a resilient and lasting faith in the Lord? Look at Joseph’s last words in Genesis 50:20 for some clues.
In Romans 5:3-4, Paul tells us to rejoice, literally “brag” or “boast,” over our sufferings, our difficulties, because as we do so, we then endure that suffering. That endurance of suffering develops our character. Our character then becomes such as we become confidently hopeful in God walking us through. Looking at your own life, where are you seeing God working in this manner?
Notes: