2 Integrity. NOTE IT Use this space to take notes during Pastor Rob s message. ELEVATE

Transcription

1 2 Integrity NOTE IT Use this space to take notes during Pastor Rob s message. 18

2 NOTE IT 19

3 WATCH IT Take a moment to watch this week s video. Use the space below to record any thoughts or questions you might want to discuss. READ IT GENESIS 39:1-23 Read this section of Scripture together as a group. DISCUSS IT LET S GET STARTED Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles and moral uprightness. Spend a few minutes in your group discussing what integrity is in your own words, and why it is so important. What does it mean if someone lacks integrity? How does someone s lack of integrity affect families and relationships and trust? Conversely, how does a person of great integrity add strength to families and relationships and trust? 20

4 DISCUSS IT 1. This is a powerful story of integrity. What is at stake here for Joseph? 2. Take a closer look at vs Notice how the Lord was with Joseph and prospered him. Discuss some of the main points you see in this passage. 21

5 DISCUSS IT 3. Many people question whether they can trust God or not. The real question is, can God trust us? Do we tell the truth and follow through? In other words, are we people of integrity? Joseph was a man of integrity, and God trusted him. As a result, God elevated Joseph s influence in Potiphar s house. Take some time to discuss as a group the ways Joseph was a profound picture of the importance of integrity and how God uses faithful servants. 4. In vs. 6 the story turns to a major temptation for Joseph. In one of the more explicit stories in the Bible, Scripture does not hold back on what Joseph was up against. Note particularly vs Don t think for a moment Joseph was uninterested or not tempted. The whole point of this story is how he overcame temptation and maintained his integrity. This begs the question: Can we overcome temptation (Yes!) and how? Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 in conjunction with this passage and spend some significant time discussing how we can overcome temptation. 22

6 DISCUSS IT 5. Scripture clearly teaches that temptation is not a sin. Yielding to it is. Read and discuss James 1:13-15 on this. What does James add to the discussion? 6. Genesis 39:12 has always been a significant verse to me in this passage. Joseph literally ran out of the house. There are times we need to run to another place, literally, like Joseph did. Or maybe we need to run to another mental place or a better spiritual place or a safer emotional place. What is our role in overcoming temptation and what is God s promise to us? Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 again with your group and discuss. 23

7 I find that the godly greats in the Bible lived by what I call the CHARACTER PYRAMID. People like Joseph in the Old Testament or Joseph in the New Testament, Jesus, Daniel, Esther, Paul, and so many more, all anchored their lives in God s truth. They desired to live for God and not compromise, had the courage to face their fears against great odds, and aimed their life high. Their desire was to elevate their lives, be people of high moral character, and not be brought low by life and its many temptations and setbacks. Just as you can walk the lives of many people in the Bible through the Character Pyramid, I encourage you to walk yourself through it as well. As you do, evaluate and assess your integrity and commitment to godly character. Ask yourself: What do I believe (core biblical values)? What do I want to become (consuming vision)? What am I willing to substitute (conviction over compromise)? What price am I willing to pay (courage)? And what is my major goal in life (Christlikeness)? As you walk through the Character Pyramid and apply to your own life, grade yourself at each level. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being highest, how do you grade out? Where do you need to make some course corrections and elevate your life and integrity? Think about how you can step up and write out a personal growth plan. 24

8 THIS WEEK o DAY 1: Genesis 39:1-6 o DAY 3: Genesis 39:21-23 o DAY 5: Proverbs 11:3 o DAY 2: Genesis 39:7-20 o DAY 4: Proverbs 10:9 o DAY 6: 1 Corinthians 10:3 MEMORIZE IT: PROVERBS 10:9-Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. PROVERBS 11:3-The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13-No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 25