How To Use This Guide:
listen
Listen to the video and read this week's materials
reflect
Prayerfully answer the questions below
discuss
Meet with your group to discuss
respond
Apply the truth of God’s word to your life
How To Use This Guide:
listen
Listen to the weekly sermon and read through the main passage(s)
reflect
Prayerfully answer the questions below
discuss
Meet with your group to discuss
respond
Apply the truth of God’s word to your life
latest sermon
background
While Joseph was still in prison, Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker each had troubling dreams they couldn’t understand. God gave Joseph the interpretations of their dreams, and everything unfolded just as God had revealed. Although the cupbearer was restored to his position, he forgot Joseph, who remained in prison for two more years.
When Pharaoh later had dreams about Egypt's future, even his wisest advisers couldn’t interpret them. Through Joseph, God revealed that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of famine. Joseph gave God all the credit, and Pharaoh seized the opportunity to prepare the nation for the future God had revealed. This story reminds us that God can reveal what human wisdom cannot discover. His guidance invites us to respond with faith and obedience.
When Pharaoh later had dreams about Egypt's future, even his wisest advisers couldn’t interpret them. Through Joseph, God revealed that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of famine. Joseph gave God all the credit, and Pharaoh seized the opportunity to prepare the nation for the future God had revealed. This story reminds us that God can reveal what human wisdom cannot discover. His guidance invites us to respond with faith and obedience.
OPEN
1. Have you ever felt prompted by God to take a specific action? If so, how did you respond? What was the outcome?
reflect
2. Read Genesis 40:1-8. The cupbearer and baker are troubled by their dreams. What does their reaction reveal about the importance of the dreams? Why is the statement “Do not interpretations belong to God?” essential to understanding these stories?
3. Read Genesis 41:25-40. What does Joseph’s rise from prisoner to ruler reveal about God’s providence in his life? How does the precise fulfillment of Joseph’s interpretations demonstrate the reliability of God’s revelation?
4. Why is it significant that Pharaoh trusted the interpretation of an imprisoned Hebrew slave? How do we see both God’s sovereignty and human choice at work in this situation?
3. Read Genesis 41:25-40. What does Joseph’s rise from prisoner to ruler reveal about God’s providence in his life? How does the precise fulfillment of Joseph’s interpretations demonstrate the reliability of God’s revelation?
4. Why is it significant that Pharaoh trusted the interpretation of an imprisoned Hebrew slave? How do we see both God’s sovereignty and human choice at work in this situation?
apply
5. Would you be more or less likely to believe God is speaking through a dream or inaudible voice? How can Scripture help us test whether God is prompting us in these moments?
6. When are you most likely to trust your own wisdom without seeking God’s guidance? What are practical ways to remember to seek his will in those situations?
7. How should we respond when God’s revealed will conflicts with our desires? As a group, how can we help one another obey what God has revealed in His Word?
6. When are you most likely to trust your own wisdom without seeking God’s guidance? What are practical ways to remember to seek his will in those situations?
7. How should we respond when God’s revealed will conflicts with our desires? As a group, how can we help one another obey what God has revealed in His Word?
resources
Home Groups will resume August 23. If you are interested in joining a group, fill out the interest form below or contact Doug Barnwell at dbarnwell@fellowshipjackson.com.
We ask every Home Group participant to commit to the Four Essentials of a Healthy Group outlined in our Home Group Commitment. These essentials help ensure that every group stays healthy, welcoming, and spiritually meaningful for everyone involved. You can review those here.