Transcript

In the parsonage I grew up in as a young boy, the door and steps leading to our basement was in our kitchen. And you know how older houses are with mice. The kitchen being near the basement door was the perfect spot to catch mice.

So my father and mother put a mouse trap on the ledge next to the steps, one of the old-fashioned hair-trigger wooden kind, not these fancy plastic ones we have today.

Both my parents gave me strict instruction to never touch that mouse trap. They did so because I often would play in the basement and would go right by it.

One weekend, we had visitors in our home. My mother was sitting at the kitchen table visiting with one of the ladies from our church. And I went to the basement.

Not sure what to do with myself I thought about that mouse trap. I couldn’t understand why I was told not to touch it. Curiosity and temptation got the best of me.

I snuck quietly up the stairs. I could hear my mother on the other side of the door talking. Then I reached over to touch the cheese, and SNAP that thing came down on my finger.

Knowing I would get in trouble if I made a sound, I let out a silent yell, as I pulled that metal piece off my finger. Then I went downstairs and ran around in pain.

Sometimes consequences from falling into temptation aren’t immediate, but this one was immediate!

Not wanting to get in trouble I then went and got the mouse trap and learned how to reset it. This took a while and was hazardous. Finally, I got it reset and I quietly snuck up the stairs and put it back on the ledge.

My parents never knew this happened till years later when I finally spilled the beans. I learned my lesson about temptation that day and learned it well.

Temptation and giving into temptation are common problems for all of us. It’s been said, “How come opportunity knocks once, but temptation beats at my door every day?”

God’s Word has instruction about temptation. And Joseph’s example teaches us ways we can overcome it in our lives.

Genesis 39:1-6: “And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

“And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

“And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

“And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

“And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.”

Having been sold by his brothers to a caravan and carried down into Egypt, Joseph is now sold by this caravan to an Egyptian man by the name of Potiphar.

But Potiphar was no ordinary man. Among the nation that was the world’s superpower at that time, Potiphar was a high ranking military official.

Potiphar was a man of seasoned military experience, and was “captain of the guard,” as he headed up the elite soldiers that guarded and protected the Pharaoh of Egypt. Potiphar was, in other words, nobody to fool around with.

Joseph now found himself in a country and culture he did not know, surrounded by a language he didn’t understand. The changes and adjustments that he faced must have been phenomenal and difficult. And it probably took time to acclimate.

But Joseph over time, not only adjusted to his new situation, he flourished in it. And there was one major reason why, as v. 2 says: “And the Lord was with Joseph.”

The Lord was present and involved in Joseph’s life. The believer is never alone. We always have the Lord wherever we are and go.

And the Lord strengthened Joseph in his work and made him a blessing, so that “he was a prosperous [or successful] man.” Everything Joseph did, he did well and succeeded at it, and everything Joseph managed, was done better than it had ever been done before.

Potiphar realized he had gotten a bargain! Joseph didn’t have to tell Potiphar that the Lord was with him, Potiphar “saw” it. He could see it for himself, verse 3 says.

God’s presence in Joseph’s life was obvious and recognized by Potiphar as he saw the evidence of it by the outworking of Joseph’s faith in his character and labor. And Joseph shows us the impact the believer can make in a workplace for the Lord.

Joseph didn’t hide his faith and he was a person who applied himself to the fullest. He worked hard and did what was beneficial to Potiphar, and God blessed his work.

And Joseph “found grace” or gained the favor of Potiphar, so much so that he increased his responsibilities and authority and “made him overseer” or in charge of his household, putting all that he “had,” or possessed under Joseph’s care and oversight.

Even in his lowly position as a slave, Joseph had earned the right to be respected and trusted. Joseph experienced a tremendous promotion: from a common, foreign slave, to running the household of one of the top military men in all of Egypt.

Placing everything in Joseph’s hands and care probably included managing Potiphar’s schedule, overseeing all of Potiphar’s estate and the other slaves, and administering his finances, and organizing and conducting business affairs.

Potiphar eventually came to trust Joseph so much that he no longer even bothered to check up on him. He needed no oversight and Potiphar knew he didn’t need to check the records or to offer suggestions of his own.

He just stayed out of Joseph’s way, and he trusted him whether Joseph was at home or away from home. Potiphar had delegated to him so much that he no longer knew the full extent of his own business affairs or possessions, “he knew not aught he had,” v. 6 says.

The Lord said, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). This was true of Joseph. The only thing Potiphar concerned himself with was his own food, making sure he had full cupboards and knowing what’s for dinner.

Verse 5 says that through Joseph, the Lord blessed Potiphar’s house and all that he owned. Joseph is an example of God’s covenant promise made to Abraham, that through the nation that would come from him, all nations will be blessed (Gen 12:3).

God promised Joseph’s great-grandfather Abraham, “I will bless them that bless thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” And so the blessing of Potiphar’s house was due to Joseph’s presence and blessing through Abraham’s seed.

So we see in a small form, in one household thru one of Abraham’s descendants, how God’s plan in the past was to bless “all families of the earth” through the descendants and nation that would come from Abraham. In the past God’s plan was to reach the world through Israel, today the Body of Christ is God’s plan and His light to the world.

Verse 6 closes stating that Joseph was “a goodly person and well-favored.” This has also been put that “Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.”

He was a good-looking guy. These words, used to describe Joseph’s handsome appearance, describe three other men in the Old Testament: Saul, David, and Absalom. And it was that external feature of good looks which Satan uses here to tempt Joseph.

Genesis 39:7-10: “And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

“But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

“There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

“And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.”

Joseph, a good-looking young man, caught the eye of Potiphar’s wife. She “cast her eyes” or cast longing eyes “upon Joseph,” v. 7 says.

Satan takes a woman with no integrity, makes sure she notices him, and with no shame, she blatantly and boldly throws herself at him, and she says, “Lie with me.”

But without hesitation, Joseph responds with equal boldness: “No.” “He refused,” verse 8 says. He resisted her, and was determined not to yield, and for two reasons which he tells her, the first was his loyalty to his master.

He says, “My master trusts me. He doesn’t know what is in the house except through me, and he’s given me responsibility for everything he owns. The only thing that is not mine is you: because you are his wife and I could never betray his trust.”

The second reason was his loyalty to his God: “How could I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” he says.

This would have been a great evil against God’s institution of marriage and a sin and transgression against God Himself and His righteous standard. This reason overshadowed all others, of what it would mean to God and before Him.

Joseph knew his life was an open book before his God. As Proverbs 15:3 says: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”

The passage talks about the Lord’s presence in Joseph’s life and how Potiphar saw it. But Joseph was also keenly aware of this. And this caused him to turn from temptation, because by faith he knew the Lord was there and watching.

Adultery, Joseph explains, was a violation of his convictions which demanded respect for his master, and a life of purity and holiness before God.

You might think: Well, I’m glad that’s over. Thank the Lord for Joseph’s example. You just strongly resist temptation, and it’s out of your life forever.

But that’s often not the case with temptation. If we think that a particular temptation, once resisted, will vanish forever, we are fooling ourselves. That’s what you see in the example of Joseph, the temptation often keeps coming day after day.

Joseph’s wife refuses to take no for an answer. She wasn’t to be ignored and pressed Joseph time and time again. All his talk and noble reasons for resisting only intensified her determination. But Joseph refused to budge or weaken, and he continues to resist.

Potiphar’s wife hounded him and pressured him day after day working to break down his resistance, but each time Joseph refused her advances. Her constant efforts failed in the face of his strong convictions and faith. So Joseph was victorious, not only in one momentous occasion, but in the day to day challenge of a temptation.

And Joseph shows us that it is possible to just say “No” to temptation. As it’s been said, “There is no sin in the bait. The sin is in the bite.” Joseph here refused to bite.

One author wrote this: “There is not a person who has cast their shadow across this earth, including Jesus Christ, who has not faced temptation…Temptation is an inevitable part of our fallen world. We cannot escape it.”

Temptation is inescapable and comes often to us in life in many forms. It’s important to know that temptation itself is not sin. Yielding to temptation to do wrong is what is sin.

You’ll often hear people make the excuse when they fall into sin that the devil made them do it. But the devil never makes us do anything. He does tempt and deceive, but the responsibility for falling into sin and error is our own.

Under grace, we especially have the power to refuse temptation, because by God’s grace we have the Holy Spirit in us and the very power that raised Christ from the dead to be able to turn from temptation and to not live habitually in sin. But we must know that the power is there, and trust it, and yield to it.

There is not a single person who has ever lived, except Jesus Christ, who has not yielded to temptation at one time or another and suffered the consequences.

But God only wants what is best for us, and by His grace He has given us the power and ability to say “No” to temptation.

A husband took his young daughter to the grocery store to help him buy groceries. In addition to the healthy items on his wife’s carefully prepared list, the two of them returned home with one of those big bags of M&Ms. His wife said “Why did you buy this?” his wife asked. “You know M&Ms aren’t good for you!”

The husband said “don’t worry, honey, this bag of M&Ms has one-third less calories than usual.” The wife looks over the package. She says, “What makes you think that there are one-third less calories than usual?” The husband says “Well, we ate about a third of the bag on the way home, so there’s one-third less calories than usual!”

“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” is what the Lord told His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. We all have areas in our lives where the flesh is weak.

And it’s also important that we know and acknowledge where we’re weak so that we can avoid situations where we may be tempted. It’s been said, “If you don’t want to enter the room of sin, don’t sit at the door of temptation.”

So one of the better ways to deal with temptation is to remove yourself from the temptation and the possibility of being tempted in the areas where we know we’re weak.

But sometimes, as in the case of Joseph, he was simply doing his job when Satan arranged, within the boundaries of his job, for him to be strongly tempted.

It was not possible for Joseph to remove himself completely from this temptation. So Joseph had to continually stay on guard, be steadfast in standing for what he knew was right, and keep his eyes on the Lord.

Genesis 39:11-12: “And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.

“And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.”

Another day comes, and perhaps after sending all the other servants on errands, Potiphar’s wife was alone with Joseph in the house. And she goes beyond verbal advances and physically grabs hold of Joseph. She holds on so tightly that when he jerked away from her and dashed out the door, he left his outer robe in her hands.

We find strong, clear biblical counsel in this. The counsel is this when it comes to the subject of sexual temptation: Run. The Bible does not tell us to reason with it. It does not tell us to think about it and claim verses.

1 Corinthians 6:18 tells us to “Flee fornication,” to “flee sexual immorality.” You cannot yield to immorality if you’re running away from it.

We need to run for our life, and not try to look lust in the eye and reason with it. The Spirit of God shows us in His Word, that we need to simply “Run.” This is what Joseph did. Joseph rushed out of the room, and even out of the house altogether.

There are times when fleeing could be a mark of cowardice, but there are also times when fleeing is evidence of courage and integrity. In Joseph’s case, it was a mark of integrity.

A couple of young men tried to walk through a corral when a bull saw them and began to charge. One of the guys said, “Let’s stop and pray.”

The other man said, “No, let’s run and pray!” They didn’t need to resist the bull inside of the corral. They needed to run out of the area where they were in danger.

That’s often what we need to do when we are being tempted, as seen from Joseph’s example. We need to just flee, just run away from temptation.

Joseph was a spiritual hero that ran away. And Potiphar’s wife was left standing there, again rejected with his garment in her hands.

Joseph had coat problems. He kept losing his coats, his coat of many colors and now this one. Joseph may have lost his coat here, but he kept his character, and his godly testimony.

1 Cor. 10:12,13: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 takes away all our excuses with temptation. I remember one pastor jokingly telling me that this is his least favorite verse in the Bible. It’s because we have no one to blame but ourselves when we succumb to temptation and sin.

Verse 13 is a well-known verse, but verse 12 needs to be remembered with it. In order for verse 13 to work in our lives, verse 12 must first take place.

Verse 12 shows that to be able to turn from temptation there needs to be humility and a distrust of self. If we proudly believe that we are strong and can stand up to any temptation, we’re going to fall.

It’s like the little boy in the pantry. His mother heard a noise because he had taken down the cookie jar. She said, “Willie, where are you?”

He answered that he was in the pantry. “What are you doing in there?” she asked. He said, “I’m fighting temptation just like pastor said to.” That’s not the place to fight temptation! We’re going to fall when we think we can fight temptation.

Knowing this, we need to live by and apply verse 13, which points us to the faithful God. Turning to the Lord is where we find strength against temptation.

Many feel that nobody has ever been tempted like they are tempted. But no matter what temptation you experience, there have been and there are others who have the same kind of temptation. It’s comforting to know that “there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.”

You’re never alone in whatever temptation you are facing. There are always others who have the exact same struggle you do.

To overcome temptation we need to look to God who is always faithful verse 13 says. This is where we find the ability and strength to turn from any temptation or endure it: as we look to the Lord, seek His aid, and obey His Word.

He is faithful to help, faithful to be with us always, faithful to His Word. His grace is sufficient. He is faithful to that promise. He is faithful to the promises of verse 13.

Here God promises the Body of Christ that God will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able to endure. He does not promise that He will take temptation away, but that He gives us the strength to bear it when it does come, and that He provides a “way to escape” for any and all temptation.

The way out is always there right along with the temptation. God promises the appropriate way of escape in each particular temptation. Thus, we are given the choice whether or not we’ll look for or take the way out He provides.

It’s been said that: “God always makes a way of escape and sometimes the way of escape is the king’s highway and a good pair of [shoes].” (Dr. Hutton)

Like Joseph, we need to let the Devil see our heels, the back of our shoes, when it comes to temptation. Often, we need to run as hard as we can to get away from the temptation.

That’s what Paul says in the next verse about the temptation and sin of idolatry, he writes, “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, FLEE from idolatry.”

The believer who thinks he can stand, may fall; but the believer who flees will be able to stand.

As we flee temptation, we flee the sin that holds back our Christian lives. Our lives will be transformed by God’s grace as we don’t allow temptation to conquer us continually and allow sin to rule our lives.

Instead, we can allow Christ to rule our lives and live lives of integrity and godly character like Joseph, and bring honor and glory to God.