CAN GOD BRING GOOD OUT OF EVIL?
Don’t forget to intentionally connect with one another, share testimonies and spend some time worshipping together.
Worship
Can God bring good out of evil? Yes! Of course he can. That is the very business he’s in. Call to mind some example of this from your life as you take time to worship God together.
Song Suggestion:
Sovereign Over Us by Michael W Smith
Bible
Joseph’s story as a whole is an example of how God brings good from evil. From a place of weakness and out of persecution, Joseph redeems not only his whole family, but saves the known world from starvation.
At this final point in Joseph’s story, there are several “goods” that are being brought out of “evils”. As a group, work your way through the passage this week (and use your expert knowledge of the sort so far) and see how many goods and evils you can identify and describe to each other.
Joseph’s father (Jacob, also known as Israel) works hard to seal the good purposes of God and solidify the position of his sons in safety and significance in a land of plenty. He tries to make his death the moment of full reconciliation in his family.
What do you think of Jacob as a father? Try to judge by the standards of his time as well as by modern standards. How do you think he might have changed over his lifetime? Did God have anything to do with that?
The story of Joseph is a preview of the story of Jesus. The whole of humanity is redeemed from within itself by him. Out of our sin and selfishness, which lead to death, Jesus brings life. Good out of evil. That’s the Gospel, the Good News. The detail of exactly what makes the Gospel particularly Good or especially Newsworthy will be a different to any given person at any given time.
What is the bad thing, the “evil” in your life and how can you ask God and partner with him in bringing good from it?
How would you describe the Gospel today – what is the Good News of Jesus in your life right now? Share it with each other in smaller groups.
Prayer
Spend time thanking God for his goodness and ask him to reveal himself to at least one person in your life who doesn’t yet know him. Ask God how you can be part of his work in that person, through sharing the good news of Jesus.