Following a Trusted Leader

                                                                 Sunday School Lesson
                                                                      January 29,2012
Lesson Focus:
Look to God as your Leader
Lesson Scripture:
Exodus 15:1-3,19,22-26

Introduction:

God taught the Hebrew slaves coming out of Egypt some very important and significant lessons that should be heeded today as well.The Israelites walked throught the Red Sea on dry ground but when the Egyptians pursued God's people ,God fought on their behalf.The former slaves witnessed the destruction of their enemies from the shore.Moses recoginized God's attributes.God is powerful and strong.He is our salvation.He is majestic in His Holiness and a worker of wonders.The Lord is a man of war and he defeated all the gods of Egypt.Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea to the desert of Shur.For three days they traveled without water.Finally, they came to Marah but could not drink the water because it was bitter.The people complained and grumbled,they complained to Moses,"what are we to drink?" God placed them in this situation to teach them how to turn to Him in difficulties, instead of whining and complaining to their leader.God used this occasion to instruct His people and express His expectations.Even though He had rescued them from slavery,God expected them to trust Him,to follow Him closely,and to do as He said,as obedient servants to Him. Submission to Him would result in emotional, physical,and spiritual heath.However,if they rebelled they would suffer as the Egyptians did.God is no respect of person,all disobedience could expect to experience God's consequences.

Intervention By God

Exodus 15:1-3,19,KJV

 ¹Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

   ²The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
   ³The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
¹⁹For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
Footnotes:

Shortly after the Israelites' miraculous escape from Egypt, they found themselves trapped between the Red Sea and the chariots,horses, and men of Pharaohs army.When they felt the had no way out,they cried out to Moses and to God,"was there no graves in Egypt that they were brought to the desrert to die?"(exodus 14:11)Moses told them they had nothing to fear ,God was going to deliever them.We too must have no fear and trust that if God leads us to a situation,He will deliever us.There is no failing in God, He is perfect.God told Moses to raise His staff above the water of the sea,and when he did the waters parted and the Israelites passed over on dry land ,while the Egyptians ,their horses,chariots, and all the men were drowned. When the people saw the great power of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians,the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant.They began to sing a song of praise to the Lord,they acknowledged what God had done for them.We too must sing a song of praise for all God has done for us.He saved us from the slavery of sin,allowing us to cross over with the death of His only begotten Son, into the land of promise.

A Promise from God

Exodus 15:22-26 KJV

 ²²So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

   ²³And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
   ²⁴And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
   ²⁵And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
   ²⁶And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
Footnotes:

The children traveled south and wandered into a dry desert,short on water as well as patience.They soon found water but it was to bitter to drink,but rather than trust God who had just shown them His wonderful power,they began to grumble.Moses was upset that they so soon lost their confidence in God,and in frustration cried out to Him.God didn't get upset with them ,instead He showed Moses a piece of wood and told him to toss it in the water.Moses obeyed and when the stick hit the water,the water became sweet.God then promised the Israelites "If you listen carefully to the voice of the lord your God and do what is right in His eyes,I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians,for I am the Lord,who heals you".Implied with this promise was a warning,if they ignored God's voice or failed to follow His instructions,they would suffer the same consequences as those like the Egyptians,who chose to make something or someone else their god.Putting our trust in God is not a one time thing, that after we do it we go back to our self-directed ways.We need to constantly put or trust in Him in all we do and say.
Make God your Leader and you can never go wrong..........

The Power Of Forgiveness

                                                                    Sunday School Lesson
                                                                         January 22,2012
Lesson Focus:
Forgiveness brings healing
Lesson Scripture:
Genesis 50:15-26

Introduction:

After Jacob died,Joseph's brothers still feared him.they thought Joseph's forgiveness lasted as long as their father lived.So the brothers concocted a lie:"Your father said to forgive us our sins and wrongs commited against you."They even threw themselves down bodily before him as slaves.They didn't get it.Joseph had already forgiven them and had no plans to punish them after Jacobs death.It broke his heart to know that his brothers did not accept his genuine forgiveness and love.Joseph repeated his comments when he first revealed himself to them years before.Kindly and tenderly he said,"Don't fear; God placed me here.You had an evil,devious plan to destroy me out of jealousy,but God was working in the mist of hatred and strife.He saw the future and sent me here to make sure all of our family stayed alive.Joseph could have killed his brothers.After his father's death, he did not have any reason to keep them around and continue to care for them.But this is true forgiveness, when we have the power to destroy a person,their reputation,their future or career and you don't. Joseph demonstrates for all of us how to look at the larger picture of what God is working out in any given situation.When those around us are  feeling guilty,broken,full of doubt and anguish, christians must show the love of Christ by encouraging them and helping them move forward.

Joseph Reaffirms His Forgiveness
Gensis 50:15-21KJV
¹⁵And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
   ¹⁶And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
   ¹⁷So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
   ¹⁸And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
   ¹⁹And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
   ²⁰But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
   ²¹Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Footnotes:

Evidently,the terror Joseph's brothers experienced when they first learned his identity 17 years earlier had diminshed while their father was living,but had now dissipated.Now that Jacob was dead,the brothers axiously wondered if Joseph still held a "grudge against " them for all the wrong they had done him.The brothers told Joseph that Jacob's last words were to forgive your brothers of the sins and the wrongs they committed against him.When Joseph received the message he wept.He realized that his brothers still feared him and didn't believe he had forgiven them.His brothers once resented him and his dream of them bowing before him,yet here they were throwing themselves at his feet.He reassured them that  he had forgiven them and held no malice towards them,explaining their intention were meant for evil,but God was always in control, and God sent him to Egypt to save many lives.

Joseph Lives in Peace with His Brothers

Genesis 50:22-26KJV

 ²²And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.

   ²³And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees.
   ²⁴And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
   ²⁵And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
   ²⁶So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Footnotes:

Joseph and his brothers, indeed all his family apparently lived harmoniously in Egypt for the remainder of Joseph's life.Joseph lived to see his great grandchildren.The instructions Joseph gave his brothers just prior to his death are the same as those given Joseph by Jacob before he died. Joseph assured his brothers twice that even after his death,God would surley come to their aid. He would guide them out of Egypt,back to the land he promised to Abraham,Issac and Jacob. Jacob had bound Joseph by oath not to bury him in Egypt but take him to the land of Canaan for burial with his fathers.Joseph also wanted to be buried in the land of promise.

Sharing Blessings

                                                                  Sunday School Lesson
                                                                       January 15,2012
Lesson Focus:
God always works out His plans
Lesson Scripture:
Genesis 45:3-15

Introduction:
In canaan, Joseph's former family was suffering from famine in the region.Joseph's brothers traveled to Egypt for food and came face to face with their brother,whom they had cruelly abandoned years before.He spoke of their having sold him,not to wound their feelings,but to convience them of his identity.His brothers intially reacted in shock, then terror.Joseph could  have had them killed.Instead he spoke words of comfort:"Don't be distressed.God sent me here to save lives,including our family's life".Joseph explained his high position to his brothers and sent them to get his father and then he moved his family to Goshen.He embraced everyone of his brothers in successions,and by those actions,his forgiveness was demonstrated.When Christ manifest Himself to people,he encourages them to draw near to him with a true heart.Joseph did so, and showed hi sbrothers that  what they meant for bad ,god had brought it out for the good.

God's Plan Places Joseph in Power
Genesis 45:3-8KJV
³And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
   ⁴And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
   ⁵Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
   ⁶For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
   ⁷And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
   ⁸So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Footnotes:

The divinely predicted famine had arrived not only in Egypt,but also in the land of Canaan.So Jacob sent 10 of his sons to buy grain in Egypt.But Benjamin,his yougest son and the second born to his beloved Rachel, he kept at home to protect him from harm.When the brothers arrived in Egypt they bowed to him just like Joseph's dreams had revealed.Joseph explained to his brothers that it was not them, but God who sent him to Egypt ahead of them for the purpose of saving their lives from the famine,as well as the lives of their descentdants.

God's Plan Protects Jacob in Egypt
Genesis 45:9-15 KJV
 ⁹Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
   ¹⁰And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
   ¹¹And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
   ¹²And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
   ¹³And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.
   ¹⁴And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
   ¹⁵Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
Footnotes:

After Joseph revealed himself to his brothers,he instructed them to hurry back.Joseph was anxious to have his family join him in Egypt.He longed to see his father,and his brothers were to tell their father "God made his son Joseph lord of all Egypt."Joseph directed his family to the region of Goshen which was some of the finest land in Egypt.The reunion between Joseph and his brothers was capped with a great outpouring of emotion.

God has special and unique plans for each of his children.It should be our daily goal to discover and understand how God is working in our lives so that His perfect will can be done in and through us.

Faithfulness Is Rewarded

                                                                    Sunday School Lesson
                                                                         January8, 2012
Lesson Focus:
God uses our devotion
for his glory
Lesson Scripture:
Genesis 41:37-45,50-52

Introduction:

Joseph served God faithfully throughout his life in spite of it's challenges.If Joseph had expressed bitterness and anger toward God,his family,and the way his life turned out, who would have blamed him?However,through it all Joseph remained loyal to God and conducted himself as a godly man under extremely trying circumstances.Joseph was brought out of prison when  Pharaoh's butler suggested Joseph would be able to interpret a disturbing dream for Pharaoh.God granted Joseph favor,and Joseph explained the dream,and advised Pharaoh how he was to save his people from the upcoming famine.Pharaoh appointed Joseph as the overseer of the survival plan.He dressed Joseph in clothing of honor and Joseph only answered to the Pharaoh.In spite of all his troubles Joseph faithfulness was graetly rewarded.

Joseph Is Rewarded with a Position
Genesis 41:37-44KJV
³⁷And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
   ³⁸And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
   ³⁹And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
   ⁴⁰Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
   ⁴¹And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
   ⁴²And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
   ⁴³And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
   ⁴⁴And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

Footnotes:

Joseph faithfully carried out his duties in prison for two years after interpreting the cupbearers and bakers dreams.God used the fulfilment of both dreams to catapult his obediant servant into the royal court of Pharaoh.After hearing Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph told him that God had revealed what he was about to do.Joseph explained  both dreams predicted the same thing.seven years of abundant harvest through out all of Egypt,followed by seven years of severe famine.Pharaoh made Joseph his second in command, and gave him a signet ring ,a robe and a gold chain,the ring of which carried Pharaoh's seal.Joseph had the honor of riding in the chariot behind Pharaoh.God had rewarded his faithfulness to him by giving him virtually unlimited power.

Joseph Is Rewarded with His Own Family

Genesis 41:45,50-52KJV

  ⁴⁵And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

 ⁵⁰And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.

   ⁵¹And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.
   ⁵²And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Footnotes:

The fact that Joseph gave both his son's Hebrew names suggest that he was not Egyptianized as thoroughly perhaps as Pharaoh might have liked.Even though Joseph had gained remarkable reconition at the higest level of the royal court and given a Egyptian wife and name,he still held firmly to his Hebrew heritage and the God of his fathers throughout all the years of his life.With steadfast devotion he glorified God alone as the one who made him Lord of all Egypt.