This Week's Study Guide

True & Better: Week 2

Message-based study guide for small groups. Looking for past study guides, click here

PDF - APEX
PDF - RALEIGH

WEEK 2 – APEX
Jesus, the True and Better Joseph

 

OPENING: Begin with a brief welcome and prayer, asking God to help the group see His faithfulness in Joseph’s story and the mercy of Jesus. 

 

Series Overview: In the True and Better series, we are exploring how people and events in the Old Testament point beyond themselves to Jesus. Joseph’s story reminds us that the gospel is not a promise that every hardship will resolve the way we hope. Instead, it shows us the true and better Joseph—Jesus—who was rejected and suffered, yet offers mercy, forgiveness, and a forever home to those who betrayed Him. 

 

Discussion Questions 

CONNECT 

  • What is a movie, book, or story with a plot twist that made you want to go back and notice all the clues you missed? 
  • Looking back, can you identify a difficult or confusing season that God later used in a meaningful way? What can be helpful—and what can be harmful—about trying to interpret painful circumstances in hindsight? 

 

DISCOVER 

Read Together: Genesis 45:4-8 and Genesis 50:18-21 

Initial observations + Interpreting Scripture:  

  • Initial Thoughts: What stood out to you from this passage or from the sermon? 

God’s Presence in the Pit 

  • Genesis repeatedly says that “the Lord was with Joseph” while Joseph was enslaved and imprisoned (Genesis 39:2-3, 21). Why is that detail significant? How does it challenge the assumption that God’s presence is proven by comfortable circumstances? 
  • The sermon described the gospel not as “I followed Jesus and everything became perfect,” but as the good news that God is with us and remains on His throne in the good, the bad, and the ugly. How does that understanding differ from the way people sometimes present Christianity? 

 

God’s Sovereignty and Human Evil 

  • Joseph tells his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). What does this verse affirm about the brothers’ responsibility? What does it reveal about God’s ability to redeem what others intend for harm? 
  • How can we affirm God’s sovereignty without minimizing trauma, excusing evil, or promising that every painful situation will have a visible resolution in this life 

 

Jesus – The True and Better Joseph 

Joseph’s story is not primarily a formula for becoming successful after suffering. It points us to Jesus.  

  •  “We are not the innocent ones who need vindication. We are the guilty ones who need restoration, mercy, and salvation.” Why is it easier to see ourselves as Joseph than as Joseph’s brothers? What changes when we recognize ourselves in the brothers? 
  • Joseph’s brothers feared that he would finally treat them as they deserved. Where are you tempted to believe Jesus is reluctant to forgive you or is waiting to punish you? How does Joseph’s response give us a glimpse of Christ’s heart? 

 

APPLY – Trust the Author  

  • How can the promise of God’s presence sustain someone whose situation has not improved? What does faithful trust look like when there is no clear “palace” moment? 
  • Where in your life are you currently struggling to trust the Author of the story? What would it look like to bring that fear, grief, disappointment, or uncertainty honestly to God this week? 
  • Joseph offered practical care to the very people who wronged him. Is there a relationship where God may be inviting you toward mercy, wise forgiveness, or a step of reconciliation? 

 

GROUP PRAYER 

Pray Together as a Group:  

  • Pray together, thanking Jesus for suffering in our place and offering mercy instead of the judgment we deserve. Invite the group to share current hardships or unanswered prayers, and pray for God’s presence, comfort, wisdom, and sustaining grace. 
  • Pray especially for anyone walking through grief, illness, miscarriage, addiction, relational loss, injustice, or prolonged uncertainty. Avoid promising a specific outcome; ask God to make His nearness known and anchor each person in the hope of Christ. 
  • Close by praying that the group would trust the Author of the story and live as people who have received—and now extend—the mercy of Jesus. 


CLOSING 

  • Encourage the group to read Genesis 37-50 during the week and note every place God is present or working, especially in moments when Joseph’s circumstances appear hopeless. 

WEEK 2 – RALEIGH
Jesus, the True and Better Moses 

 

OPENING: Begin with a brief welcome and prayer, asking God to help the group recognize where they feel trapped, restless, or afraid, and to see Jesus as the true and better Deliverer and Mediator. 

 

Series Overview: In the True and Better series, we are seeing how Old Testament figures point forward to Jesus. Moses delivered Israel from slavery and stood between the people and God, but his ministry was only a shadow. Jesus is the true and better Moses who delivers us from sin and death and restores our relationship with God through His own blood. 

 

Discussion Questions 

CONNECT 

  • Describe a time when you felt caught between two difficult options or trapped in a situation with no obvious way forward. What emotions or reactions surfaced in you? 
  • When you are in a “tight spot,” where do you instinctively turn for relief, control, or escape? 

 

DISCOVER 

Read Together: Exodus 14:10-16 and Exodus 14:30-31   

Initial observations + Interpreting Scripture:  

  • Initial Thoughts: What stood out to you from this passage or from the sermon? 

Remembering God’s Presence 

  • Before Israel reached the Red Sea, God had already promised Moses, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). Why is remembering God’s character and promises so important when fear makes us feel stuck? 
  • Exodus 14:14 says, “The Lord will fight for you,” while verse 15 tells the people to move forward. How do trust and obedience work together? What can happen when we emphasize only one of them? 
  • Where might fear be keeping you from taking a faithful next step? What would moving forward in obedience look like without pretending the situation is easy? 

 

Jesus – The True and Better Deliverer and Mediator 

Read Together: John 8:34-36 and Colossians 1:13-14 

  • Israel’s physical slavery points to a deeper human problem: slavery to sin. What does it mean to be enslaved to sin? 
  • How can we identify the difference between enjoying a good gift and allowing it to take God’s place? 
  • How is Gospel freedom different from simply trying harder to become a better person?  
  • The Old Covenant was confirmed through the blood of animals, while Jesus established the New Covenant through His own blood. What does this difference teach us about the seriousness of sin and the completeness of Jesus’ sacrifice? 
  • How does knowing that Jesus has fully paid the price for reconciliation change the way you approach God after failure? 

 

APPLY – Don’t Settle for a Substitute  

  • The sermon described sin not only as doing bad things, but as placing good things in God’s place. What good thing are you most tempted to rely on for identity, security, comfort, or worth? 
  • The human heart often searches for rest through achievement, relationships, money, substances, pleasure, control, or approval. Which substitutes tend to promise you relief but leave you more restless? 
  • Jesus invites the weary and burdened to come to Him and find rest (Matthew 11:28-29). What would it look like for you to come to Jesus rather than your usual substitute this week? 
  • The sermon challenges us not to ask only whether we are “nice” people, but whether we are “new” people. What evidence of Jesus’ transforming work do you see in your life? Where are you asking Him to continue changing you? 

 

GROUP PRAYER 

Pray Together as a Group:  

  • Pray together, thanking Jesus for entering our deepest “tight spot,” delivering us from sin and death, and reconciling us to God. 
  • Invite group members to share areas where they feel stuck, enslaved, restless, or ashamed. Pray for courage to move forward in faith, freedom from controlling sin, and confidence in the finished work of Christ. 
  • Close by asking God to expose false substitutes, reorder the group’s loves, and help each person live as someone who has truly been made new. 

 

CLOSING 

Encourage the group to read Exodus 1-14 during the week and note every place God sees, hears, remembers, sends, acts, and saves. 

Jesus, the True and Better Adam 

Series Overview: As we close the book of James, we see one final picture of mature faith. When real life In this series, we are looking at people, patterns, and stories throughout Scripture that point us to Jesus. The heroes and stories of the Bible are shadows that prepare us to see Christ as the true fulfillment of our hope and the better hero we desperately need. This week begins at the beginning with Adam. Adam was created as the blueprint for humanity, but his sin brought brokenness and death into the world. Jesus is the true and better Adam who trusted and obeyed the Father, bringing righteousness, forgiveness, and life where sin had brought death. 

 

Discussion Questions 

CONNECT 

  • The message used Mad Libs to illustrate that Scripture tells a unified story centered on Jesus. When you think about the Bible as one big story, what feels exciting, confusing, or new to you? 
  • Where do you most often feel the tension between knowing the right thing to do and actually doing it? 

 

DISCOVER 

Read Together: Genesis 2:15-17 and Genesis 3:1-12  

Initial observations + Interpreting Scripture:  

  • Initial Thoughts: What stood out to you from this passage or from the sermon? 
  • In Genesis 2, what do you notice about the kind of world Adam and Eve were living in before sin entered the story? 
  • Genesis 2:25 says Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed. The message described them as “fully exposed, yet completely secure.” What does that show us about life with God before sin? 
  • How does the serpent attack Adam and Eve’s trust in God? Where do you see the same strategy at work today? 
  • After Adam and Eve sin, what changes in their relationship with God, with each other, and with themselves? 

Read Together: Romans 5:12-19 

  • The bottom line of this passage is: Christ is the true and better Adam who brings life, where sin brought death. How would you explain that in your own words? 

 

APPLY – Trusting God Enough to Obey Him  

At the core of our sin problem is a trust problem. Adam and Eve questioned God’s goodness and chose their own way. Jesus trusted the Father and obeyed, even when obedience was costly. 

  • Where are you most tempted to believe, “God is holding out on me” or “I know better than God”? 
  • What is one area where obedience to God feels costly right now? 
  • In the Garden of Eden, Adam effectively chose, “My will be done.” In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Not as I will, but as you will.” What would it look like for you to pray that honestly this week? 
  • The message named patterns of sin, bad habits, and bad relationships. Is there a pattern God is inviting you to bring into the light instead of hiding like Adam and Eve? 
  • How does knowing that Jesus brings forgiveness and new life change the way you respond when you sin? 

 

RESPOND  

These questions can be used for prayer and introspection. You can either discuss them as a group or invite everyone to reflect on them throughout the week. 

  • Self-Reflect: Where am I currently standing at the fork in the road between my will and God’s will? 
  • Confess: What sin, habit, or mistrust do I need to bring honestly before God? 
  • Trust and Obey: What is one concrete step of obedience I can take this week? 
  • Receive: Where do I need to stop hiding and receive the grace, forgiveness, and life Jesus offers? 

 

GROUP PRAYER 

Pray Together as a Group  

Pray: 

  • Trust: Ask God to strengthen your trust in His goodness, wisdom, and authority.   
  • Obedience: Ask God for the courage to obey even when obedience feels costly.  
  • Freedom: Pray for anyone who feels stuck in patterns of sin, bad habits, or hidden shame.   
  • Salvation: Pray that people would choose the way of Jesus, receive His grace, and experience new life in Him.  

 

CLOSING 

Encourage group members to continue reflecting throughout the week on this question from the message: Will you trust God enough to obey Him? 

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Looking for a message-based study guide from a previous week? Find that here.