GENESIS 40

1. God personally gave Joseph reasons to have hope (37:5-11).
   • Whatever would happen to him for the next 13 years, what assurance did he have?
   • Whatever happens to you in your life, what assurances do you have?
2. When rejected by his brothers and sold as a slave, he needed hope (37:23-28).
   • In that cistern, how desperately would Joseph need hope?
   • When you have been rejected by your loved ones, what is your source of hope?
3. When falsely accused and punished, he needed hope (39:6-23).
   • What would sustain Joseph when he was wrongly punished for things he never did?
   • What sustains you when you are wrongly accused of things you have not done?
4. When forgotten by a blessed cupbearer, he still needed hope (40:5-22).
   • As years of frustration pile up, why would these two years be the hardest?
   • When lingering problems seem to never end, where do you find hope?
   • Where can we find the hope to avoid complaining, as Joseph did for 13 years?
5. God made Joseph’s hope tangible (41:39-46; 45:7-8).
   • How does the happy ending for Joseph show us that God is always just?
   • How well do the biblical promises help you to be sustained by hope? (Hebrews 13:5b; I Corinthians 10:13)

Call to Action: To develop and strengthen a hope that keeps sustaining us.