Freedom is a seven-week journey through the Exodus story. The class traces how God meets people who feel stuck, burdened by regret, confused about identity, weighed down by shame, or uncertain whether their past can be redeemed.

The aim of this lesson is to help us see that who we are and where we are today are connected to our family history. No matter our present circumstances, God is at work within our story and desires to move us forward in His purposes.

The book of Exodus begins with a list of Abraham’s descendants who came to Egypt. These verses tell us that Israel’s bondage in Egypt has a backstory. Long before Abraham had children of his own, God told him that his descendants would live in a land that was not theirs and would be enslaved for four hundred years (See Genesis 15:13–16).

A key figure in the opening verses of the Exodus story is Abraham’s great-grandson, Joseph (Exodus 1:6). Joseph’s life explains how Israel came to be in Egypt in the first place. His story shows how family systems shape individual lives and how patterns can move through generations.

Repeating Patterns Across Generations
Abraham — Fear and Survival Shape Decisions (Genesis 12:10–20; 20:1–13).
Pattern established: fear-driven choices during uncertainty.

Isaac — Favoritism Within the Home (Genesis 25:28).
Pattern reinforced: parental favoritism creates rivalry.

Jacob — Deception and Family Conflict (Genesis 27:1–35).
Pattern continues: deception used to secure blessing.

Jacob’s Household — Divided Family System (Genesis 29:30–31; 30:1–24).
Pattern expands: competition and insecurity within the family system.

Joseph is born into a multi-generational, blended family system shaped by favoritism, rivalry, loss, and competition. These patterns do not begin with him, but they profoundly shape his life.

Key Notes For Joseph's Family System
Large blended family
Multiple mothers within one household
Clear birth-order differences among siblings
Unexpected death of mother
(See Genesis 35:16–26)

Joseph’s Life Within This System
Joseph — Favored Son (Genesis 37:3–4).
Pattern repeated: favoritism passed to the next generation.

Joseph — Betrayed by Brothers (Genesis 37:12–28).
Pattern escalates: unresolved rivalry leads to betrayal.

Joseph — Displacement and Loss (Genesis 37:36).
Individual consequence: family conflict reshapes his life circumstances.

Joseph — God at Work in Egypt (Genesis 39:2–3, 20–23).
New movement: God works within the broken system, not outside it.

Joseph — Family Relocation to Egypt (Genesis 46:1–7).
Generational outcome: family patterns result in long-term placement in Egypt.

Key takeaway: God worked faithfully within Joseph’s complex family system to move His purposes forward (see Genesis 37:24; 41:14; 45:5-8; 50:20).

A genogram is a graphical representation of family relationships showing the quality and proximity of relationships and patterns across generations.

Questions to Ask
Step 1 — Who Is in Your Family System?
Who are the key people in your family across two or three generations?
Include parents, grandparents, siblings, and children.
(If you are unsure about someone, it is fine to leave it blank.)

Step 2 — Living Situations
Who raised you?
Were there deaths, divorces, separations, or remarriages?
If so, who did you live with?

Step 3 — Children and Birth Order
Who else lived in your home?
How many children were in each family?
What was the birth order?
Are there any siblings who died young or were not raised in the home?

Step 4 — Basic Relationship Closeness
Which relationships felt close?
Which felt distant?
Who in your family provided stability or support?

Step 5 — Patterns You Notice
Do you notice repeated patterns such as:
favoritism
distance between siblings
Strong bonds between certain people

Many approaches to doing a genogram exist. The purpose of this exercise is to provide awareness to your family history and highlight relationships that play a part in who you are and where you are today.

Feel free to search the internet for "genogram examples." Here are a few resources that may be helpful.

Life Events

This lesson looks at the story of Moses and how certain events, both good and bad, shaped the course of his life.

Participants will begin working on a timeline of key events that shaped the trajectory of their life.