April 04, 2024 | Pastor Robert Lee
Passage: Genesis 37:1-11
God works through imperfect families to bring about His plan. In this message titled, Hope For Broken Families, we see how God purposefully places Joseph in a dysfunctional family in order to get Joseph exactly where He wants him.
Genesis 37:1-11
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
Discussion Questions
- What were some of the highlights and lowlights of your week? What has God been teaching you? Be honest, be real.
- We see that God’s work in Joseph’s life begins by placing him in a broken and dysfunctional family. Joseph’s mom died while he was young, his dad has multiple wives and plays favorites, and his brothers hate him. What about in our day? What are some common examples of dysfunction that you see within families today?
- Why do we often try to handle our family dysfunction by ourselves and keep it hidden from others? Who might we talk to about our problems at home?
- Many people get stuck in the trap of self-pity, blaming their parents and families for all their problems. How do we not let our problems at home define our identity and direct our destiny in life?
- As we move forward in Joseph’s story, we’ll see that God is going to use his dysfunctional family to work powerfully in his life. How might God be using your home struggles to shape, mold, and work in your life?
- I’ve heard it said before that “if you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem.” How might we be contributing to our family dysfunction? And how might we change to help bring restoration?
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