Study: What is God’s place in the success of Joseph?
Apply: What are ways that others should be able to see, from the kind of lives that we live, the reality of our God?
Share: Your friend says that the story of Joseph rising to power from such humble beginnings sounds like a fairy tale. Especially the part about him being promoted from prisoner to such a high position. Your friend says nothing like this could ever happen today. What do you tell your friend?
Read: Genesis 42, especially verses 20-23. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: What happened here, and how does it reveal the providence of God, even despite human evil and wrongdoing?
Apply: How can we make up for what we have done that we are sorry for?
Share: Your friend asks if God is punishing us every time something bad happens? If not, how do you know the difference between what Joseph’s brothers experienced and when bad things are just randomly happening to you? What do you tell your friend?
Study: Why did Joseph put the divination cup in Benjamin’s sack and not in another brother’s sack?
Apply: What principle of love, as exemplified in Judah’s response, is implied in the process of substitution? How does this kind of love explain the biblical theology of salvation? See Romans 5:8.
Share: Your friend says that Judah did not want to break his father’s heart again. Is that what true repentance is all about? How do you answer your friend?
Read:Genesis 45:1-9. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: What lessons of love, faith, and hope can be found in this story?
Apply: Yes, Joseph was gracious to his brothers. He could afford to be. How, though, do we learn to be gracious to those whose evil toward us doesn’t turn out as well as it did for Joseph?
Share: Your friend says that Genesis 45:5 says God sent Joseph into Egypt. Does that mean his brothers didn’t have anything to do with it? How do you answer your friend?
Study: What does this teach us about how dangerous and evil unregenerate hearts can be and to what they can lead any one of us to do?
Apply: Why is it so important to seek God’s power in order to change bad traits of character before they can manifest themselves into some acts that, at one point in your life, you would never imagine yourself doing?
Share: Your friend says, Joseph’s brothers never would have treated Joseph so cruel if he had not boasted about his dreams, and Jacob did not make him the favorite. It’s not their fault. What would you say to your friend?
Read Together: Genesis 39. Summarize this chapter.
Study: What made Joseph so successful?
Apply: How did Joseph resist the wife’s advances? Why did Joseph specifically say that to have done what she asked would have been a sin against God? What understanding does he show about the nature of sin and what it is?
Share: Your friend says, if you are going to get charged for a crime you might as well do it. What’s the point of being innocent if you are still treated like you are guilty? What do you tell your friend?
Study: How are the dreams of Pharaoh related to the dreams of the officers? What is the significance of this parallel?
Apply: How can we learn to trust God and cling to His promises when events don’t appear providential at all, and indeed, God seems silent?
Share: Can you think of someone who may be experiencing something similar to what Joseph experienced in Genesis 39? How can you encourage them this week?
Study: What is the spiritual significance of this amazing story?
Apply: What has been your own experience as far as wrestling with God goes? What does it mean to do that, and why is it at times important that we have this kind of experience?
Share: A friend asks you, “If salvation is free, why did Jacob have to struggle with God to overcome?” What do you tell your friend? See also 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
Read Together: Genesis 33. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: What connection is there between Jacob’s experience of seeing the face of God at Peniel and Jacob’s experience of seeing the face of his brother? What is the implication of this connection in regard to our relationship with God and our relationship with our “brothers,” whoever they may be?
Apply: What have you learned about grace by how others (besides the Lord) have forgiven you?
Share: Even though Jacob cheated Esau, God blessed Esau so much that when Jacob offered to repay him, Esau told Jacob he did not need anything from him. How has God blessed you even when others have cheated you? See Let God pay you Back.
Study: What happened to upset his plans for a peaceful existence?
Apply: Over and over we see deceit and deception, as well as acts of kindness and grace, in these accounts. What does this tell us about human nature?
Share: Your child asks, you, “This story is pretty gross! Why is it in the Bible?” What do you tell your child?
Read Together: Genesis 35. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: What lessons can we take about true worship from what happened here?
Apply: What are subtle ways that idolatry can find its way into our hearts, and what can we do about it?
Share: Without mentioning any names to the class, can you think of a family in your church or community who could use some extra prayers this week? Can you remember to pray for this family during the week?
Main Theme: Jacob deceives and then gets deceived, thus learning what goes around comes around.
Read Together: Genesis 25: 21-34. Discuss the main theme of this passage.
Study: What qualities of Jacob predispositioned him to be more worthy than Esau of Isaac’s blessings?
Apply: Jacob wanted something good, something of value, and that was admirable (especially compared to his brother’s attitude). Yet, he used deception and lies to get it. How can we avoid falling into a similar trap of doing bad so that “good” may come?
Share: Your friend says its okay to tell a white lie in order to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. Do you agree with your friend? Why or why not?
Read Together: Genesis 29:20-30. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: How and why does God allow for Laban’s deception? What lessons did Jacob learn?
Apply: How can we avoid justifying doing something bad so that good may come?
Share: Your friend asks if God let Jacob get deceived so that he would then realize and be convicted of his own lies. What do you tell your friend?
Study: What was the meaning of this test? What spiritual lessons come from this amazing event?
Apply: What does the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah say to you personally about your faith and how you manifest it?
Share: Your friend tells you that it sounds like God is contradicting his own law in forbidding human sacrifices. How do you make sense of this apparent contradiction? Hint: See the note at the end of this page.
Study: How do these verses help us understand what happened at the Cross, which is prefigured in the sacrifice here on Mount Moriah?
Apply: How does what happened here help us better understand what happened at the cross and what God has suffered in our behalf? What should our response be to what has been done for us?
Share: Your friend comments, “My pastor preaches that when we become Christians God makes us highly favored and prosperous. Instead of calling us to sacrifice, God calls us to prosperity.” How do you answer your friend, particularly in light of Genesis 22?
Read Together: Genesis 24. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: Why is Abraham so concerned that his son not marry a woman from the Canaanites?
Apply: Why is it so comforting to know that while not all things are God’s will, He is still in charge? How do prophecies like Daniel 2, for instance, prove this point to us?
Share: Your friend says that God’s providence in the story of Isaac and Rebekah prove that our entire lives and predestined and predetermined. How do you respond to your friend, especially in light of Genesis 24:58?
Study: What is the meaning of these final events in the life of Abraham?
Apply: In the end, God kept His promise to Abraham. How does God’s faithfulness to Abraham encourage you?
Share: Your friend asks, “What is the greatest promise anyone ever made to you and actually kept?” How does that faithful friend help you appreciate the promises God has made to us?
Note: “They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.” 1 Peter 1:12 NLT
“The sacrifice required of Abraham was not alone for his own good, nor solely for the benefit of succeeding generations; but it was also for the instruction of the sinless intelligences of heaven and of other worlds. The field of the controversy between Christ and Satan–the field on which the plan of redemption is wrought out–is the lesson book of the universe. Because Abraham had shown a lack of faith in God’s promises, Satan had accused him before the angels and before God of having failed to comply with the conditions of the covenant, and as unworthy of its blessings. God desired to prove the loyalty of His servant before all heaven, to demonstrate that nothing less than perfect obedience can be accepted, and to open more fully before them the plan of salvation. Heavenly beings were witnesses of the scene as the faith of Abraham and the submission of Isaac were tested. The trial was far more severe than that which had been brought upon Adam. Compliance with the prohibition laid upon our first parents involved no suffering, but the command to Abraham demanded the most agonizing sacrifice. All heaven beheld with wonder and admiration Abraham’s unfaltering obedience. All heaven applauded his fidelity. Satan’s accusations were shown to be false. God declared to His servant, “Now I know that thou fearest God [notwithstanding Satan’s charges], seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me.” God’s covenant, confirmed to Abraham by an oath before the intelligences of other worlds, testified that obedience will be rewarded. It had been difficult even for the angels to grasp the mystery of redemption–to comprehend that the Commander of heaven, the Son of God, must die for guilty man. When the command was given to Abraham to offer up his son, the interest of all heavenly beings was enlisted. With intense earnestness they watched each step in the fulfillment of this command. When to Isaac’s question, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham made answer, “God will provide Himself a lamb;” and when the father’s hand was stayed as he was about to slay his son, and the ram which God had provided was offered in the place of Isaac–then light was shed upon the mystery of redemption, and even the angels understood more clearly the wonderful provision that God had made for man’s salvation. 1 Peter 1:12.” -Patriarchs and Prophets, Pages 154-155.
Main Theme: The promises given to Abraham are for all believers. “And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” Galatians 3:29 NLT
Read Together: Genesis 15:1-6. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: How did Abraham reveal what it means to live by faith?
Apply: What does it mean if we start counting up or relying on our good works?
Share: Your friend says that if we are counted righteous because we believe then there is no reason to obey. How do you respond to your friend? See Genesis 26:5 and James 2:23-24.
Read Together: Genesis 17:1-12. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: What is the spiritual and prophetic significance of the circumcision rite?
Apply: How do you keep believing even when we struggle with belief?
Share: Your friend says that circumcision is nothing more than barbaric sexual mutilation. How do you respond to your friend? See Why Circumcision.
Study: What lessons of hospitality do we learn from Abraham’s reception of his visitors? How do you explain God’s response to Abraham’s hospitality?
Apply: What is our responsibility to the poor and hungry? How do we help those in need? What stipulations would you put on helping someone who is in need?
Share: Your friend asks, what it was that made Abraham so generous? What do you tell your friend?
Read Together: Genesis 12:1-9. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: Why did God call Abram to leave his country and family? How did Abram respond?
Apply: What might God be calling you to leave behind? That is, what part of your life might you have to abandon in order to heed the call of God?
Share: Your friend is given an opportunity to serve a couple of years in the mission field far from home. A decent salary and travel and lodging are all provided. Your friend acknowledges that it looks like God is leading in this venture, but your friend does not want to leave a comfortable home, as well as family and friends. What can you share with your friend?
Read Together: Genesis 12:10-20. Discuss the key idea in this passage.
Study: Why did Abram leave the Promised Land to go to Egypt? How did the pharaoh behave in comparison to Abram?
Apply: What should this story teach us about how easy it is, even for faithful Christians, to stray from the correct path? Why is disobedience never a good choice?
Share: Your friend acknowledges that we are saved by faith, but says that a lack of obedience shows a lack of faith. Do you agree with your friend? Why or why not?
Read Together: Genesis 13:1-18. Discuss the main idea of this passage.
Study: What does this story teach us about the importance of character?
Apply: How can we learn to be kind and generous to others, even when they aren’t that way to us?
Share: Your friend asks, “How can we reach wicked cities with the Gospel if we are counselled to live in the country and stay away from such places?” What do you tell your friend?
Read Together: Genesis 14:1-17. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: What is significant about this war taking place just after the gift of the Promised Land? What does this story teach us about Abram?
Apply: What kind of influence do our actions have on others? What kind of message are we sending about our faith by our actions?
Share: Can you think of a friend who needs to be encouraged by the fact that God has a plan for their life? Can you reach out and encourage your friend this week?
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” Hebrews 11:8 NKJV
Main Theme: While God has to destroy sin He wants to save the sinner.
Read Together: Genesis 6:13-7:10. Discuss the main idea of this passage.
Study: What lesson can we learn from this amazing account of early human history?
Apply: Read 2 peter 2:5-9. Why was only Noah’s family saved? What lesson can we learn from the Noah story regarding our role in warning the world about coming judgment?
Share: Your friend mentions that today it seems like God does not punish sin. Evil people get away with everything, never facing judgment. How do you answer your friend?
Read Together: Genesis 7:1-24. Discuss the main idea of this passage.
Study: Why does the description of the Flood remind us of the Creation account? What lessons can we learn from the parallels between the two events?
Apply: What in us needs to be destroyed in order to be created anew? See Romans 6:1-6.
Share: While studying prophecy a friend asks, “Why does a year equal 360 days instead of 365 days?” How do you answer your friend? See Genesis 7:11 and Genesis 8:3-4.
Read Together: Genesis 8:1. Discuss the main idea of this passage.
Study:What does it mean that God “remembered” Noah?
Apply: Read Genesis 8:1, Genesis 19:29 and Psalm 106:4. What does the expression “God remembers” mean? What does this truth mean for us, now — that is, how has God shown you that He “remembers” you?
Share: A friend asks, “If God remembers everything how does He forget out sins?” How do you answer your friend?
Read Together: Genesis 9:8-17. Discuss the main idea of this passage.
Study: What is the significance of the rainbow? How does this “sign of the covenant” (Genesis 9:13) relate to the other sign of the covenant, the Sabbath?
Apply: Next time you see a rainbow, think about all of God’s promises to us. Why can we trust those promises, and how does the rainbow show us that we can trust them?
Share: Do you have a friend who needs to hear the plan of God’s salvation? Can you share it with them this week?
“God hates the sin but loves the sinner” -Ellen G. White.
Share: Your friend asks you why in Romans 5 it talks about sin coming through Adam, when in reality Eve sinned first? What do you tell your friend? See 1 Timothy 2:14. What does this tell us about God only holding us accountable for what we know?
Read Together: Genesis 3:8-20. Discuss the main idea of this passage.
Study: What was the purpose of this “investigative judgment?” Did God not already know what Adam and Eve had done?
Apply: As soon as Adam and Eve were caught, they started pointing the finger. Why do we blame others for our mistakes, and how does pointing the finger and blaming others keep us from experiencing full salvation? See 2 Samuel 12:1-7. , Romans 2:1-4. See also John 5:1-8.
Share: A friend says, “Sin and suffering is all God’s fault. He never should have placed the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden with Adam and Eve.” How do you respond to your friend?
Read Together: Genesis 3:7, 21. Discuss the main idea of these passages.
Study: What was Adam and Eve’s solution for their sin and nakedness? What was the Lord’s solution? How does this relate to works and grace?
Apply: In light of these two verses, how is the way we clothe ourselves related to our salvation? See Luke 8:27,35.
Share: A friend states, “Adam and Eve tried to save themselves by their works by making a garment of fig leaves, but how could we be trying to save ourselves by our own works today? How do we know we are really trusting the Lamb of God to clothe us?” How do you respond to your friend?
Study: How is the plan of salvation, as well as the great controversy, revealedin these texts?
Apply: Why is it so comforting to see that, in Eden itself, where sin and evil on earth began, the Lord started to reveal the plan of salvation?
Share: Can you think of someone this week who needs to hear the plan of salvation? Can you share it with them this week?
“No sooner does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus;” –Steps to Christ, Page 78.
Main Theme: Our creation is not an act of chance but rather an act of grace. God loved us into existence. April 2, 2022
Read Together: Genesis 1:1-4. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: What is the significance of the phrase “it was very good” in the creation account?
Apply: Think about the vast power of God, who upholds the cosmos, and yet can be so near to each of us. Why is this amazing truth so amazing?
Share: Your friend says that the earth may have created by God over millions of years. Maybe each day was a thousand or million years. How do you answer your friend?
Read TogetherExodus 20:8-11. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: Why is the seventh-day Sabbath related to Creation? How does this connection impact how we keep the Sabbath?
Apply: How by resting on the Sabbath day are we experiencing the rest and salvation that we have in Jesus now and that will be fulfilled, ultimately, in the creation of the new heaven and new earth?
Share: Your friend says that Sunday observance is the New Testament memorial to creation. What do you share with your friend? Hint: Romans 6:3-6 gives us baptism as the memorial to creation instead of Sunday observance.
Study: What is the connection between these two different versions in regard to the creation of humanity?
Apply: How does the creation story affect your sense of self-worth compared to the theory of evolution?
Share: Your friend asks you, “Since we are made in the image of God” does that give us any responsibility in caring for the planet?
Read TogetherGenesis 2:15-17. Define the main idea of this passage.
Study: What is man’s duty toward creation and toward God? How do these two duties relate to each other?
Apply: Think about all that you have been given by God. What are your responsibilities with what you have been given?
Share: Can you think of someone who is searching for a purpose to their life? How can you share some truths from this week’s lesson to give them hope and purpose?
In Light of The Cross 