SESSION 6 OVERCOME AN EARTHLY MINDSET

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1 SESSION 6 OVERCOME AN EARTHLY MINDSET 118 SESSION 6

2 What's something your parents are doing now you think you'll appreciate later in life? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 119

3 THE POINT We can trust God is at work on our behalf. In May 2003, the US had 543 tornadoes, the greatest number ever in one month.1 THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE I live in Oklahoma, also known as Tornado Alley. Oklahoma is no stranger to storms that drop out of nowhere and cause complete and total devastation. I have seen entire communities leveled, and I have helped families sift through the rubble searching for any remnant of their homes. It is heart-wrenching. None of us is immune from crisis. It sometimes seems like we are either heading into a storm or coming out of one. Many times these trials seem to come out of nowhere. We may not have lost a home from a tornado, but we have certainly all felt the devastating winds of hard times. We have all found ourselves hit by a storm of life and been left picking up the pieces. One thing we can be sure of is that, though we may have been caught off guard or surprised by the crisis, God certainly was not. He is never surprised by any problem we have. As we complete our look at Joseph's life, we come to the other side of Joseph s own storm. We can look back at Joseph s life and see how God prepared and led him in both the good times and the hard times. God is always working, and He has a plan to see us though any crisis. While our problems may seem huge, God is bigger than anything that may happen to us, and He always has a plan to help us overcome. 120 SESSION 6

4 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Genesis 50:15-21 When Joseph s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him. 15 So they sent this message to Joseph, Before he died your father gave a command: 16 Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers transgression and their sin the suffering they caused you. Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father. Joseph wept when their message came to him. 17 Then his brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, We are your slaves! 18 But Joseph said to them, Don t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 19 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result the survival of many people. 20 Therefore don t be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones. And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. 21 The Setting Life in Egypt went smoothly for the clan of Jacob/Israel until he died. At that point, the brothers who had betrayed Joseph so many years before feared for their safety. What if Joseph secretly held a grudge against them, but had hidden it for their father s sake? Now that their dad was dead, would Joseph exact revenge? Joseph understood God had been at work in what his brothers had done; He had planned it and produced good from it. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 121

5 THE POINT We can trust God is at work on our behalf. GENESIS 50:15-17 For 17 years, Jacob lived in Egypt with all his sons and their families (Gen. 47:28). Jacob had considered his life hard and difficult (Gen. 47:9), but his closing years were spent in security with his sons. After Jacob died, his 12 sons took his body back home and buried him with his wife and ancestors. In the U.S., the average cost of a funeral is over $7,000.2 The past had not been not buried, though. Shame and fear returned to the brothers. After the loss of their father, the brothers became afraid that Joseph finally would seek his revenge against them. Joseph had cared for his family for 17 years, continually ensuring their safety and provision. Every indication is that the family and everyone in it greatly prospered under Joseph s watchful care. But still, the whirlwind of fear and the storm of disgrace threatened the fabric of healing that had covered them for so many years. Watch how the brothers handled the situation: YY Afraid at first to come in person, the brothers sent a somewhat deceitful message to Joseph to again seek his forgiveness for their terrible sin. YY They could have chosen to plot against Joseph again, but they didn t. Instead, they sought forgiveness again for what they had done. As they did, they acknowledged their actions as sin. YY Joseph was tremendously affected by the confession of his brothers. After all these years, they still had such fear of him and thought he had not truly forgiven them. Joseph discovered that reassurance was still needed. Many times, past issues have a way of coming back around again, especially if we have not completely dealt with them. The key to surviving a return attack of the enemy is to deal with it head on. Take determined action not to allow past hurts and issues to regain traction or grow within you again. Why is it often LIKE.EIS.IN.THE.SUNSHINE / PHOTOCASE.COM hard to accept or believe that you can be forgiven? 122 SESSION 6

6 What Does Forgiveness Look Like? Forgiveness is one of the most difficult things we can offer and yet Christ has forgiven us of all our sin. What picture comes to mind when you think of the word Forgiveness? Draw what comes to mind and share your picture with the group. GENESIS 50:18-19 Joseph had once dreamed that his brothers would bow before him (Gen. 37:5-9). That dream was fulfilled when his brothers first stood before him seeking grain (Gen. 42:9). At that time, they bowed before him out of respect for his office. Now years later, they bowed before him in fear. They entered Joseph s presence and offered themselves as his slaves. Their actions in their younger days and their lies of cover up that lasted for so many years captured and enslaved them. Holding onto our fears makes us slaves to those fears. So, even though the brothers lived in peace and good standing for 17 years, underneath it was a fear that all Joseph s actions were merely a ruse. Joseph humbled himself before God, recognizing that it was not his place to punish his brothers. He refused to turn his back on what God had shown him so many years before: God was in control and had brought him to Egypt to save his family. YY To trust is to commit one s care or keeping to another. The life of Joseph demonstrates over and over again that God can be trusted. By allowing God to control the consequences of his brothers actions, he freed himself of the constraint of revenge. It was better to trust God to be God and to do what needed to be done. Why is it difficult to leave matters to God rather than try to handle them ourselves? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 123

7 THE POINT We can trust God is at work on our behalf. According to experts, 3 in 100 children are dangerously violent toward a sibling.3 GENESIS 50:20-21 The brothers calculated, organized, and planned damage and destruction on Joseph. Joseph called it what it was: evil. Joseph accurately described his brothers evil actions as intending to completely destroy him, but God had other plans. God worked in spite of the brothers hatred, transforming Joseph's mistreatment into deliverance for a nation, rescue for a family, and salvation for all of us. God intended for good the salvation of many people to come from their actions. Joseph now could see the big picture of what God had done. God had worked good in his life, and Joseph intended to do the same. When I read the story of Joseph and especially these verses in Genesis 50, I am reminded of Jesus, the beloved Son of our Heavenly Father. He stood before the nation of Israel and offered them life. When the religious leaders saw the love the people had for Jesus, they became jealous and conceived a plan to murder Him. But God had a different plan, a plan that took the hate of the people and used it to extend grace to a lost and dying world. How does Joseph's statement Share This "Don't be afraid" relate in your life? How can we encourage each other to consider our lives from God's perspective? 124 SESSION 6

8 "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." 4 A B R A H A M L I N CO L N APPLY IT For My Good As you trust Christ to empower you to overcome an earthly mindset, determine how you might apply that truth to your life: YY Face your fears. List some moments in your life when you were afraid, but the things you feared never happened. Consider how God worked in the past and trust Him with your future. YY Offer encouragement. Ask God to make you aware of someone who needs to be encouraged. As you become sensitive to what is needed, ask God to equip you to respond. Step out and act on what He shows you. As a Christian you can rest in the assurance that God will use everything in our lives to conform us to the image of His Son which is for our good and His glory. To read the Essential Connection student devotion, "For My Good," visit BibleStudiesForLife.com/articles or scan this QR code. YY Write and share. Write your story of how you have benefited from trusting God. Share that story with someone else. God sits over the storms we experience. Even when we can t see the big picture, He can. He s worth trusting. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 125

9 LIVE IT OUT FEAR NOT Isaiah 41:10 What are you afraid of? We've all dealt with fear at some point in our lives. All too often we let it control us, even keep us from the life God has called us to. So how do we face those fears? We start by acknowledging that God is bigger than our fears. We can trust Him to strengthen and empower us to overcome them. Read the following verses dealing with this issue. Pick one and share it on social media this week. 0 1:1 4 h aia s YY I :1 27 alm Y Ps Y YY im 2 T 1:7 y o th :15 8 ans m o YY R 8 4:1 n Joh 1 Y Y Some tips: hhcontinue looking up verses that speak to a specific fear you are dealing with. hhmemorizing these verses will help you stand strong in the face of fear. 126 SESSION 6

10 LIVE IT OUT TRUSTING GOD Psalm 56:3-4 When we submit to God's authority, we acknowledge that He is in control of all things. This isn't easy to do, but we can take great comfort in knowing that He is with us especially in times of fear. Nothing surprises God, and He can overcome any fear we face. Think about a time when trusting God brought you peace. Journal about that experience below. Commit to share your story this week with someone who may need to hear it. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 127

11 REFERENCES UNIT 2, SESSION 1 UNIT 2, SESSION 5 1. Factors parents should consider when using a pacifier, Calora Baby, [cited March 29, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 2. Rebecca Sample Gerstung, Do You Have a Favorite Child? New Research Says That You Do, ivillage, 28 September 2011, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 3. Youth Sports Statistics, Statistic Brain, 10 September 2013, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 4. Charles Stanley, How to Listen to God (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1985), Elizabeth Cohen, Blaming others can ruin your health, CNN Health, 18 August 2011, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 2. Largest Family Reunion, Guiness World Records, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 3. Fast Facts About Fire, National Fire Protection Association, [cited March 29, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 4. John Ortberg, Jr. Quotes, Goodreads, [cited March 21, 2014]. Available from the Internet: UNIT 2, SESSION 2 UNIT 2, SESSION 6 1. Brett Nelson and Katy Finneran, Dumbest Warning Labels, (published February 23, 2011), (accessed March 17, 2014). 2. Peter Carlson, Hey, the labels are kind of stupid, but don t say they didn t try to warn you, The Seattle Times, 6 November 2006, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: Stunning Statistics Prove Slavery Didn t Die 150 Years Ago, Policy Mic, [cited March 29, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 4. About Us, The Color Run, [cited March 29, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 5. J. C. Ryle, The Priest, The Puritan, and The Preacher (New York, NY: Robert Carter and Brother, 1856), Infographic of the Day: Tornado Alley Map Stats, Global Economic Intersection, 6 June 2013, [cited March 24, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 2. Statistics, National Funeral Directors Association, [cited March 29, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 3. Facts about Sibling Abuse, Sibling Abuse, [cited March 29, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 4. Abraham Lincoln Quotes, Brainy Quote, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: UNIT 2, SESSION 3 1. Researchers identify Busy Lifestyle Syndrome as new condition that makes you forgetful, news.com, [cited March 29, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 2. Harvard Medical School, Tone Deafness Explained, ScienceDaily, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 3. Dream Facts, DreamDictionary.org, [cited March 29, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 4. Mother Theresa Quotes, Brainy Quote, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: UNIT 2, SESSION 4 1. Stefanos Chen, Hot Stat: Today s Homes Burn Faster Than Ever, AOL Real Estate, 7 November 2011, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 2. Hunger Statistics, World Food Programme, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: Foods That Last Forever, Still Tasty, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 4. Christian Quotes - Anxiety and Worry Index, Daily Christian Quote, [cited March 22, 2014]. Available from the Internet: BONUS UNIT 1. Bob Smietana, Half of evangelicals believe prayer can heal mental illness, LifeWay NewsRoom, 17 September 2013, [cited March 24, 2014]. Available from the Internet: blog.lifeway.com. 2. Depression, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, [cited March 24, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 3. Tara Parker-Pope, Suicide Rates Rise Sharply in U.S., nytimes. com, 2 May 2013, [cited March 17, 2014]. Available from the Internet: nytimes.com. 4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Suicide, cdc.gov, 19 January 2014, [cited March 17, 2014]. Available from the Internet: cdc.gov. 5. Stigma of Mental Illness, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, [cited March 24, 2014]. Available from the Internet: 6. Mother Teresa Quotes, Brainy Quote, [cited March 24, 2014]. Available from the Internet: