Video  Series  Discussion  Guide  

Excel  1:     Living  Life  on  Purpose    (Genesis  37.1-­‐11).  1. Joseph  had  a  dream  of  what  God  could  do  through  his  life.    How  would  you  summarize  the     hopes  and  dreams  that  God  has  laid  on  your  heart?  2. What  are  some  things  you  can  do  to  overcome  the  obstacles  that  you  face  in  order  to     accomplish  His  purpose  for  your  life?  3. What  is  your  view  on  purity?    How  important  is  this  for  you  to  pursue?    The  world  says  that  it     is     unrealistic  to  wait  for  marriage.    What  do  you  think?  4. How  can  purity  enable  you  to  accomplish  God’s  purposes  and  to  live  for  His  glory?    Excel  2:     Never  Alone    (Genesis  39.1-­‐6)  1. Joseph  was  sold  into  slavery  by  his  brothers  and  sent  to  a  foreign  country.  How  do  you  think  you  

would  handle  a  situation  like  this?  2. Gn  39.2  says,  “The  Lord  was  with  Joseph,  so  he  became  a  successful  man.”    What  does  it     mean  to  be  successful  according  to  this  passage?    Can  you  be  truly  successful  without  the  Lord?  3. Describe  your  practice  of  prayer  and  Bible  study.    How  often  do  you  pray  and  read  your  Bible?       In  light  of  the  strong  pressures  of  the  world,  why  is  this  important  to  consider?  4. What  practical  effect  does  the  Lord’s  presence  in  your  life  have  on  your  actions?    If  you  are     walking  with  the  Lord  day  by  day,  what  kinds  of  things  will  you  be  doing  and  not  doing?  5. Is  it  possible  to  be  walking  with  the  Lord  and  doing  the  things  that  the  world  is  doing  at  the     same  time?    Explain.  

Excel  3:     Standing  Strong    (Genesis  39.7-­‐9).  1. What  are  the  greatest  pressures  that  challenge  your  walk  with  Christ?  2. What  does  it  mean  to  rationalize  sin?    What  are  some  examples  of  ways  that  people  rationalize     pressures  toward  sexual  activity?    Do  you  ever  do  that?      3. How  clear  are  Joseph’s  boundaries  for  sexual  activity?    Is  he  unsure  of  what  he  should  do?    Why     is  it  so  important  to  have  very  clear  boundaries  regarding  sex?    4. Why  is  it  important  to  do  the  right  thing,  even  when  no  one  is  looking?    Excel  4:     Protecting  Your  Mind    (Genesis  39.10-­‐12).  1. How  much  does  the  media  promote  sex?    Would  you  say  that  the  media  generally  presents  sex     as  something  to  be  reserved  for  marriage,  or  something  that  should  have  few  if  any  boundaries?       Why  is  this  important  to  keep  in  mind?  2. In  which  type  of  media  are  you  most  likely  to  confront  “Potiphar’s  Wife?”    (TV,  Magazine,     Internet…)    What  steps  have  you  taken  to  protect  yourself  from  her  influence?  (Note-­‐    The     pressure  for  guys  is  to  give  in  to  “Potiphar’s  wife.”    The    pressure  for  girls  is  to  be  like     “Potiphar’s  wife.”)  3. How  much  time  do  you  spend  with  media  each  day?    What  are  some  ways  that  the  media     tries  to  entrap  you?  4. Compare  the  time  with  you  spend  in  the  media  with  the  time  you  spend  in  the  Word.    Why  is     this  an  important  consideration  if  you  want  to  have  a  successful,  God  honoring  life?    

5. Joseph  successfully  resisted  Potiphar’s  Wife,  because  it  says  that  “he  would  not  listen  to     her…”    Why  is  this  important,  and  how  does  it  apply  to  us  today?  6. What  is  God  saying  to  you  tonight  that  you  need  to  apply  to  your  life?    Excel  5:     Waiting  on  the  Lord    (Genesis  39.13-­‐23).  1.   Consider  what  happened  to  Joseph  as  a  result  of  doing  what  was  right  and  following  God’s     will.    How  would  you  respond  to  God’s  plan  if  you  knew  it  would  mean  going  to  jail?  2.   Joseph  ended  up  spending  a  number  of  years  in  jail  for  something  he  didn’t  do.    How  would     you  feel  if  that  happened  to  you?    What  would  you  do?    How  did  Joseph  handle  it  and  what     lessons  can  we  learn  from  his  experience?  3.   Joseph  suffered  specifically  as  the  result  of  resisting  pressure  toward  sexual  activity.    What     are  some  of  the  problems  that  you  may  encounter  as  a  result  of  resisting  this  same  pressure?  4.   There  are  times  when  doing  what  is  right  may  cause  you  to  lose  friends.    Has  that  ever  

happened  to  you?    If  your  friends  don’t  want  to  hang  around  you  with  you  because  you  choose  to  make  good  choices,  what  would  that  indicate?  

 Excel  6:     Marriage  Rocks    (Genesis  41.14-­‐46).  1.   Within  the  next  10-­‐15  years,  it  is  possible  that  you  will  be  married,  with  one  or  more  children.       When  do  you  think  it  would  be  good  to  begin  thinking  about  the  preparation  necessary  to  be    a     godly  husband  or  wife,  father  or  mother?  2.   What  are  some  steps  you  can  take  now  to  help  prepare  you  for  a  healthy  marriage  and  family?  3.   Does  sexual  activity  before  marriage  generally  increase  or  decrease  future  marriage  

opportunities  for  teens?    Why?  4.   Will  a  teen  that  makes  a  decision  to  save  sex  for  marriage,  and  maintains  that  commitment   through  self-­‐control,  have  a  greater  or  lesser  chance  of  having  a  healthy  marriage?    Why?  5.   How  is  marriage  different  from  living  together?  6.   Statistically,  those  who  do  not  live  together  before  marriage  are  much  less  likely  to  divorce     than  those  who  do.    Why  do  you  suppose  this  is?    How  important  is  it  follow  God’s  plan?    Excel  7:     Making  a  Fresh  Start    (Genesis  41.50-­‐50.21).  1.   What  does  Joseph  say  is  the  meaning  of  each  of  his  son’s  names?    Considering  Joseph’s  life  

story,  what  is  the  significance  of  these  names?    Do  these  names  apply  to  you  personally?  2.   Are  there  some  things  that  the  Lord  can  help  you  forget?  Can  He  make  you  fruitful  in  the  future?  3.   What  is  the  importance  of  letting  go  of  the  past,  and  trust  God  for  your  future?  4.   Why  is  forgiveness  so  important  in  having  a  fruitful,  successful  life?    Excel  8:     The  Big  Picture    (Genesis  50.22-­‐26).  1.   What  is  the  “Big  Picture”  regarding  “purity?”    Why  is  the  relationship  between  purity  now  and  

having  a  successful  life  and  ministry?  2.   Why  is  it  important  to  consider  eternity?    What  does  it  mean  to  “number  our  days”  (Ps  90.12).  3.   What  does  it  mean  to  be  “saved”  according  to  Ephesians  2.1-­‐10.    How  is  purity  consistent  with  

being  “saved?”      5.   Have  you  been  saved  by  God’s  grace?    If  not,  is  there  anything  from  keeping  you  from  receiving  

God’s  grace  today?  6.   How  has  the  study  of  this  portion  of  Scripture  most  impacted  your  life?    

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