Life of Joseph; Integrity
Genesis chapter 39:6-23
Introduction-
We began last week a series on the life of Joseph. There are a lot of life lesson told in 13 chapters of Scripture on his life.
Last week, we saw that dreamers are persecuted. “Here comes the dreamer” is not a compliment.
People will tear you down if you dare to better yourself.
People will attempt to destroy your dream and want to put water on the fire and enthusiasm you have for something new and creative.
If you are doing things for God, it is no different.
If fact, if they are mad at God, they will hate the fact that you are doing something for God.
Deception runs deep
They plotted and tried to kill Joseph for expressing what he felt God was telling him.
We pick up this week with Joseph betrayed by his brothers, they could not kill him because of guilt, but sold him to Ishmaelites traveling in a caravan who took him down to Egypt to be sold. He is bought by Potiphar, an Egyptian official who was captain of the guards and very powerful. We see that Joseph adapts to being there and quickly is put in charge of the household of Potiphar.
The text this morning continues the problem of deception and what people won’t do to each other.
If you have not learned some life lessons, you are some to set this up.
Bad things happen to good people- you do not have to be in sin to have unexpected things happen from people you did not think would do such a thing.
Life is not fair- God never says that it is- He just says that he will be the judge and that we are to live our lives according to his word and be followers of Christ.
Joseph did not deserve this, but here he is and what is he going to do with it?
How is he going to handle it?
How is he going to let it affect his life and those that are around him?
Genesis 39:1-5
Joseph had an anointing upon his life- people can see that he was someone special because God was in his life.
They did not have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in their lives yet because it is before Pentecost.
God Spirit fell on them and gave them the ability to do what God wanted them to do.
How much more do we have the power with God dwelling inside of us.
There was something different about Joseph- people could see it and they knew it.
You don’t have to tell someone you’re a Christian, they will be able to see it in your life.
There should be something different about you.
Now Joseph is in the household of Potiphar. He is being a blessing and he is being blessed.
Text- Genesis chapter 39:6-23
We again pick up that deception runs deep in people lives.
They will do what they want, with whoever they want.
They have no regard for other people’s feeling’s , they do not worry about consequences.
We are called to be different. We are called by God to follow God word and be an example of Christ living in us.
I. People desire what they cannot have
You cannot stop an adult person from doing what they want-
You cannot make someone be who you want them to be- because they are in control and run their lives.
They will give an account to God for their actions for things they have done and for things that they should have done.
There is a saying that says that a mistake repeated more than once is a decision.
Joseph could not stop Potiphars wife from desiring something that she was not suppose to have.
In fact, we see that after telling her no repeatedly, she ambushed him. She set him up to fall in a trap, a web that she created to catch an unwilling person to do something they were unwilling to do.
I believe that she got other staff to turn a blind eye to her evil plan.
If you have to sneak to do it, lie to cover it up, delete it so it cannot be seen, then you probably should not be doing it.
Potiphars wife, who we do not even know her name, did all these things to set up Joseph to be in a position of compromise and his trust and integrity tested.
1 John 2:15-17
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of their eyes, and the pride of life-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
Genesis 3:6
“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”
David and Bathsheba 2 Samuel 11:1-5
“In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. “
This is not something new- people desire what they cannot have and do things that they should not.
II. Godly character doesn’t care if anyone will see
(6) “ But he refused, with me in charge, he told her, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.”
We have built a society that does not like to be told no.
A society that feels like they can have anything they want.
Joseph made a decision long before he was put in the situation that he was going to honor his word to his master.
If you have not determined that you will do the right thing, when you are faced with temptation, you will not make the right decision.
You will be caught up in the moment rather than doing the right thing.
Joseph boundaries are not set by him, they are set by the principals of God.
He knew that she was off limits to him, even if she was willing to go on the wrong side of integrity.
It was not determined by if he would get caught. He knew that even if he never got caught, that God would know.
His decision was to please God more than pleasing himself.
“How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God.”
Even though he was ambushed, he was not going to sin and lose his integrity and character for a moment of pleasure.
I believe that God honors integrity and character. In this lifetime- truth usually comes out. But it will definitely in the next life, we will be rewarded for those right decisions.
HE REFUSED HER!
HE REFUSED TO COMPROMISE HIS CHARACTER.
HE WOULD NOT LET HER TAKE HIM WHERE HE CHOSE NOT TO GO.
You don’t just teach about God, you have to experience God.
You must be more concerned what God thinks then what anyone else.
Pleasing God is a priority.
Though Joseph’s situation changed, God’s relationship with him remained the same. God was with Joseph.
III. Integrity is a lifestyle
Integrity is not what you say, it is what you do.
“That is why “Do as I say and not as I do” does not sit well with the younger generation. They want to see your faith in action. They want you to live what you preach. They want to see the God that you are bragging up.
Don’t just tell me- show me in your life.
When things are tough- show me your God is worth it by living his principals and then having a testimony when He brings you out of it.
Don’t tell me you love God- show me you love God.
Do you do what you want? Or do you do what is right? Show me!
Integrity is who you are when no one is looking-
Integrity is not caring if you get caught, because you will be caught doing the right thing.
When Potiphars wife could not tempt him, he escaped and found a way to get away. The burning lust that she had for him turned to lies and hatred. She tried in vain to make him a criminal with her, now endeavors to represent him as a criminal to those that she was willing to hide the affair from.
I want you to see a very important point here- He was in charge of that house, his master put him in charge of everything- he was to obey his master. When you think about it, being in charge and obeying his master, would include listen to and honoring the request of the wife.
You are obligated to serve and obey your master. (God)
You are only obligated to obey and honor your boss as long as it lines with the things of God.
He was obligated to her as long as she did not take him or force him to do something that is contrary to what the master want done.
I am sure in her demented way of thinking that she thought this young man who she lusted for owed her because she was the boss and she could make it hard or bad for him.
She used her power and authority to try to force him into something he was not willing to do for the sack of his job.
Closing,
People will do what they want to do- Christians, believers will do what they know is right, even if it goes against what they want to do. I would think that a young Joseph would not have minded being with Potiphars wife- but it would be against his God’s will for his life. He thought it more important to please his God than for a few minutes of pleasure and everyday having to look his master in the eyes knowing that the dark secret he held was that he was with his wife- pretending that everything was okay and pretending that he was being faithful and doing what pleased his master.
Illustration-
One time I was in a restaurant and a guy I know from the restaurant began talking about dating and women and truth the conversation was going further than I was comfortable talking about and I was about to tell him to stop when I heard a guy on the other side of him say, you know that is the preacher right? He wheeled around and looked at me, he said I thought you were one of the guys and I am sorry for what I said. I said that we were okay and it would not affect our friendship. I accept your apology, I said, but maybe tonight while you are at home, you might want to ask God to forgive you for what you were saying. It is more important to say your sorry to him than to me. I am just a man, he is Lord. I have not seen him since that day, but I am sure that he will not look at me the same way.
It is more important to please God than have the approval of man or have an immediate pleasure and be out of the will of God.
Maybe today, you needed to hear a message that God will continue to help you with the temptations that you struggle with. He will give you strength and grace and mercy. Your Joseph and you run away from it.
Maybe today, you failed the test, you gave into the sin or temptation. I will not say it is easy to rebuild character because it is not. That is why we have to protect as much as we can. But God can forgive and help you rebuild what has been taken away. There is consequences for all the things we do, but God is ready to help you if you will ask him.
So wither you need to ask Him to give you continued strength or you need to ask forgiveness- He is here for us this morning.
Amen.
