Joseph: Example Of An Excellent Youth.

OPENING PRAYER: Father, please give me an excellent spirit like Joseph.
MEMORY VERSE: “And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and overall 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
25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
27 And the seven thin and ill-favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.
28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.
32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.
35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perishes not through the famine.
37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according to unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
42 And 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;

INTRODUCTION

Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel, was born in Mesopotamia, (Gen 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 a 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 chapters 37-50.

TEXT REVIEW: Genesis 41:25-42
A. In this passage, Joseph interpreted the two dreams Pharaoh had as one -v25.
i. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years;- V26
ii. The seven thin and the ugly cows……. V27
iii. God has …………………………………………… V28
B. Joseph further explained that:
i. ………………………………………………………… V29
ii. ……………………………………………………….. V30
iii. ……………………………………………………….. V31
iv. ……………………………………………………….. V32
C. In addition, Joseph advised Pharaoh on what to do about his dream:
i. ……………………………………………………….. V33
ii. ………………………………………………………. V34
iii. ……………………………………………………… V35
iv. ……………………………………………………… V36
D. The advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. V37
E. Pharaoh reacted by:
i. ………………………………………………………. V38
ii. ……………………………………………………… V39
iii. …………………………………………………….. V40
iv. …………………………………………………….. V41
v. …………………………………………………….. V42
LESSON OUTLINE:

CHARACTER AND ACHIEVEMENTS
LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE

LESSON OUTLINE 1: CHARACTER AND ACHIEVEMENTS
The teacher should allow the class to discuss the character and achievements of Joseph as a youth. He should guide the class through the following points:
A. Joseph character:
i. Joseph was a young man with unwavering faith, self-control, patience, discretion and loyalty in all aspects of life.
ii. Although he was arrogant with his brothers (Genesis 37:3-11), he developed humility in Egypt (Genesis 43:30;45:1-5).
iii. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers who were jealous of him (Genesis 37:12-28).
iv. He had great faith in God (Genesis 41:14-16).
v. He had strong integrity and loyalty (Genesis 39:5-9).
vi. He believed that God would one day bring his dream to reality and did all he could to remain focused (Genesis 39:9).

B. Joseph’s achievements

i. God gave him the ability to interpret dreams (Genesis 40:5-19;41:14-28).
ii. He was made second in charge over all Egypt by Pharaoh (Genesis 41:38-45).
iii. He was certain it was not his brothers that had sent him to Egypt, but God (Genesis 50:20).

CLASS ACTIVITY 1: What was it that brought the dramatic turn-around in Joseph’s life: his ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dream or divine providence?

LESSON OUTLINE 2: LESSONS FROM HIS LIFE
The teacher should ask the class to discuss the remarkable lessons youths should learn from the life of Joseph.

Be humble. God sometimes bring adversities and trials into our lives to teach us humility (Genesis 37:28; Deuteronomy 8:3).
God can turn into good any evil that people do against you (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28)
Have integrity. No matter how great the temptation and fierce opposition appears, stay loyal and obedient to God (Gen. 39: 9-12; Psalm 119:11).
Write down your God-given vision, dreams or plans, pray over it and be wisely guided in sharing with others (Genesis 37: 6-7; Habakkuk 2: 2-3).
Focus on God, not the 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).
Be God-dependent. Always acknowledge God as the source of your achievements and never take any credit for it (Gen. 45:8; 41:16; Prov. 3:5-6).
Manage success. When God honours you with success and prosperity, you must not forget to first honour others (Gen. 45:1-5).
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 45:5-8; Ephesians 4:32).

CLASS ACTIVITY 2: What is the key lessons that catch your attention from the life of Joseph?
SUMMARY: Joseph’s story and his encounter should stimulate youths to get focused, regardless of the prevailing circumstances, in the pursuance of their God-given dreams.
CONCLUSION: The Bible story of Joseph is one that teaches us to be courageous in the midst of some of life’s worst storms.
CLOSING PRAYER: Father, please do not let anything stop me on the journey to greatness.
ASSIGNMENT: Mention five (5) of the components of a godly character like Joseph with a Bible reference for each.

Action Point
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