The Story of Joseph – Pt 3
Like Jesus, Joseph honored God by serving others while he waited patiently.
Genesis 40:1-23 (NLT)
1 Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master. 2 Pharaoh became angry with these two officials, 3 and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of the captain of the guard. 4 They remained in prison for quite some time, and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them.
5 While they were in prison, Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker each had a dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning. 6 When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. 7 “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them.
8 And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.”
“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”
9 So the chief cup-bearer told Joseph his dream first. “In my dream,” he said, “I saw a grapevine in front of me. 10 The vine had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon it produced clusters of ripe grapes. 11 I was holding Pharaoh’s wine cup in my hand, so I took a cluster of grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches represent three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cup-bearer. 14 And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. 15 For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given the first dream such a positive interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream, too. In my dream there were three baskets of white pastries stacked on my head. 17 The top basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them from the basket on my head.”
18 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets also represent three days. 19 Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh.”
20 Pharaoh’s birthday came three days later, and he prepared a banquet for all his officials and staff. He summoned his chief cup-bearer and chief baker to join the other officials. 21 He then restored the chief cup-bearer to his former position, so he could again hand Pharaoh his cup. 22 But Pharaoh impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had predicted when he interpreted his dream. 23 Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.
Matthew 9:35-38 (NLT)
35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
THREE STEPS TO TAKE IN A SEASON OF WAITING:
1. Trust God’s timing, which is often gradually, then suddenly.
2. Focus on what you can learn instead of what is lost.
3. Focus on who you can serve instead of being self-absorbed.
COMMUNITY GROUP MEETING OUTLINE
Where your faith intersects with real life!
Reconnect:
Each person shares a recent high and low from their life.
Explore:
Review the message notes.
Big Idea: Like Jesus, Joseph honored God by serving others while he waited patiently.
Consider:
Choose one or two questions for your Group to discuss as time allows.
▶ Read Genesis 40:1-23. Joseph was in a waiting season. (He honored God, served others, and waited patiently).
– How does Joseph’s story challenge you?
– How does Joseph’s story inspire you to deepen your faith and trust in God’s timing?
▶ Read Matthew 9:35-38. Jesus was in a waiting season. (He honored God, served others, and waited patiently).
– In what ways did Jesus serve others?
– How can we actively serve others while waiting patiently for God’s guidance in our lives?
Activate:
Spend a moment in silence to consider your response, then share your decision with the Group.
What is your waiting story? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you which step to focus on this season.
– Trust God’s timing.
– Focus on what you can learn instead of what is lost.
– Focus on who you can serve instead of being self-absorbed.
Prayer:
Thank God for the highs and lift up the lows.
This week, our prayer focus is for singles, marriages, and families. Let’s pray that we would grow in serving one another and that in the midst of challenges we would continue to honor God and wait patiently in Him.
Want to go deeper?:
Here are some helpful resources: Book: Resilient by John Eldredge. App: the Pause App.