Sunday School Lesson 37

JOSEPH: AN EXCELLENT YOUTH

MEMORY VERSE: “And it came to pas from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field” . — Genesis 39:5 (NKJV)

BIBLE PASSAGE: GENESIS 41:25-42

LESSON INTRODUCTION :Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachael, was born in Mesopotamia, (Genesis 30:22-24) in B.C. 1747. His name means “the Lord shall add to me another son”. He is memorable for the wonderful Providence of God, which raised him from prison to be the Prime Minister of Egypt and made him the honoured means of saving countless human lives. His history is one of the most pleasing and instructive in the Bible. It is too beautiful to be summarised. He died at the age of a hundred and ten, B.C. 1637. The story of Joseph spans through Genesis chapter 37-50.

LESSON OUTLINE
1. CHARACTER AND ACHIEVEMENTS
2. LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE

1. CHARACTER AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Joseph was a young man with an unwavering faith, self-control, patience, discretion and loyalty in all aspects of life. Although he was arrogant with his brothers (Genesis 37:3-11), he developed humility in Egypt (Genesis 43:30;45:1-5). Joseph was sold in to slavery by his brothers who were jealous of him (Genesis 37:12-28). He had great faith in God (Genesis 41:14-16). He had strong integrity and loyalty (Genesis 39:5-9). He believed that God would one day bring his dream to reality and did all he could to remain focused (Genesis 39:9). God gave him the ability to interpret dreams (Genesis 40:5-19;41:14-28). He was made second in charge over all Egypt by Pharaoh (Genesis 41:38-45). He was certain it was not his brothers that had sent him to Egypt, but God (Genesis 50:20).


2. LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE
1. Be humble. God sometimes bring adversities and trials into our lives to teach us humility (Genesis 37:28Deuteronomy 8:3).
2. God can turn into good any evil that people do against you (Genesis 50:20Romans 8:28)
3. Have integrity. No matter how great the temptation and fierce opposition appears, stay loyal and obedient to God (Gen. 39: 9-12Psalm 119:11).
4. Write down your God-given vision, dreams or plans, pray over it and be wisely guided in sharing with others (Genesis 37: 6-7Habakkuk 2: 2-3).
5. Focus on God, not he situation. Do not complain about your predicaments, rather, see them as an opportunity to serve others and minister wholeheartedly to their needs (Gen. 39:3-4; Phillip 2:14).
6. Be God-dependent. Always acknowledge God as the source of your achievements and never take any credit for it (Gen. 45:841:16Prov. 3:5-6).
7. Manage success. When God honours you with success and prosperity, you must not forget to first honour others (Gen. 45:1-5).
8. Fully forgive. Set your heart to forgive those around you. This will heal your relationship and keep your heart free from bitterness and deep rooted resentment from the past (Genesis 45:5-8Ephesians 4:32).


CONCLUSION
The Bible story of Joseph is one that teaches us to be courageous in the midst of some of life’s worst storms.


QUESTIONS

1. Highlight the key components of Joseph’s character.
2. Mention some crucial lessons that a Christian youth should learn from Joseph’s life

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