Introduction
1John 5:4 – “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Christian = we are Overcomers!
Jesus = the greatest Overcomer has won the victory, and He has given us the victory.
John 16:33 – “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
“Overcome” = to conquer, to prevail. To win the victory. In the Lord Jesus we are Overcomers, Victors not victims. Never going to win in life until we learn to win over sin!
Joseph = OT Overcomer!
Joseph = young man with a dream – not just any dream – a God-given dream. God going to do something special with his life.
Detours = on the path to his dream’s fulfillment.
• Pit = sold into slavery by his brothers.
• Potiphar’s House = slave to Potiphar
• Prison house = Pharaoh’s dungeon became the doorway to the palace.
Lesson = no one else can destroy your dreams but you can!
Potiphar’s house = Joseph faces the most formidable struggle of his young adult life… day temptation knocked at his door… came in the form of Mrs. Potiphar.
Read Text: Gen. 39:7-12
Preach: What To Do When Temptation Knocks!
If going to be an Overcomer; win over sin…
1. Remember Temptation Comes to All!
Look: v.6b – “And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.” = pleasing to look upon.
v.7 = “Temptation came knocking at his door!” Temptation will come knocking at your door too… may not be same temptation Joseph experienced… but it is just as alluring and just as deadly!
Cf. the reality is that temptation is going to come our way.
Jas. 1.13,14 – “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”
Notice: James did not say, “if” but “when” he is tempted… you are going to face temptation.
Two words: (v.14) “every man” =temptation involves every man. No man, or woman, teen, child, preacher, Christian, sinner, saint Is w/out temptation.
1Cor. 10:13 – “temptation is “common to man” = that which is after man or human.
Not one of us are immune to sin’s enticements – every one of us are susceptible to temptation and sin. It is inevitable. No one escapes it. Knocked at Joseph’s door as a slave in Egypt… and as long as you’re living on this side of heaven temptation is going to knock at your door.
Quote: “God has only one Son without sin but no sons without temptation.”
2. Recognize That Temptation Always Has a Strategy!
A. When Temptation Knocks
Look: Gen. 39:7 – “And it came to pass after these things…” = marks the passage of time… again not told how much time has passed… long enough for Joseph to rise to a station of prominence in Potiphar’s house… mature into manhood… things were going well in Joseph’s life… v.2 – “prosperous man” … Lord was blessing his life spiritually. Joseph’s life is in a good place!
Temptation knocked when…
1. When You Least expected it.
Came out of know where… blindsided him. Everything is going well… Joseph is going about his business in the house… managing slaves… balancing the books so to speak… Mr. Potiphar = head of Pharaoh’s body guard… spent large amounts of time away (v.6)… when suddenly Mrs. Potiphar… lonely and idle… looks over at Joseph
“Cast her eyes upon Joseph” = to look with a desire to obtain or have for oneself… desire begins to burn in her heart… then she made sexual advances toward Joseph.
“Lie with me” =
2. When You are Most Vulnerable.
Alone in the house… but more than that Joseph was alone… away from home… he was her slave… and no one would know about it… might be fun.
Satan make sure that temptation will knock at your door when you are at the most susceptible place to give in!
Illust: Matt. 4 – Devil tempted Lord Jesus… (v.2) “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered… (v.3) when the tempter came…” = notice that devil didn’t show up at the beginning of the 40 days but at the end… when he thought Jesus to be at His most vulnerable point!
That is when he will come knocking at your door too!
3. Where You are Strongest.
Joseph was a young man of moral integrity! His father, Jacob trusted him… Potiphar trusted him (v.6)… that was the very place where the devil hit him… so you’re a man of honesty and integrity… well let’s see what you are really made of!
Lesson: “An unguarded strength is a double weakness.”
1Cor. 10:12 – “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
Temptation will knock at the door of your life where you think you are the least likely to fall… that is the door we usually leave unguarded.
B. How Temptation Knocked
1. It was Personal.
v.7 = Mrs. Potiphar didn’t cast her eyes on any slave that would take up her offer… No! It was one slave. Joseph. Temptation was knocking on his door alone.
James 1:14 – “But every is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.”
“Drawn away” = to draw out or allure from a place of safety.
“Own” = one’s very own… it was a temptation designed just for Joseph at this moment in his life.
Satan knows, that like metal is drawn to a magnet, the sinfulness of our hearts is drawn to temptation.
Devil = not haphazardly throwing out temptations to see who he can get to bite. No! Custom made for each of us.
“Enticed” = fishing term – speaks of baiting a hook… Satan puts the kind of bait on the hook of temptation that will get us to bite… master fisherman… knows how to vary his approach and adapt his plans to each individual person!
Knows the bait each one of us will bite!!!
Fish with the same bait until we stop biting!!!
2. It was Powerful.
I bet Mrs. Potiphar was no slouch… probably an extremely attractive woman who knew the ways of the world… knew how to appeal to Joseph and make him want her… one can only imagine the battle that must have raged in that young man’s heart.
Not all temptations are the same… some temptations are minor and easily avoided… other temptations are doused in a strong attractant that makes it hard to refuse.
Such is the nature of sexual temptation!
3. It was Persistent.
Mrs. Potiphar wasn’t going to so easily give up on her designs for Joseph… she changed up her tactics and amped up the pressure!
Look: v.10 – “she spake to him day by day” = daily barrage. Wear him down and cause him to give in.
vv.11,12 = Mrs. Potiphar becomes so inflamed with desire that she grabs Joseph by the coat and tries to force him to yield to her sexual advances.
SATAN IS RELENTLESS! HE WILL STOOP TO ANYTHING AND STOP AT NOTHING IN HIS EFFORTS TO DESTROY US!!!
You see Mrs. Potiphar was the pawn but Satan was the chess player! He was the one making the moves in attempt to ruin Joseph… hinder God’s purposes for life.
When at first, we don’t answer the softer knocks… temptation won’t go away… it will just start knocking louder and keep knocking longer!
3. Realize That Temptation Can Be Overcome!
Cf. there is a verse every Christian should know…
1Cor. 10:13 – “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 make a way to escape.”
With every temptation is a way of escape. We don’t have to give in to the temptation… there is a path to victory!
A. Determine to say No!
Look: v.8 = “But he refused” – Joseph simply said No!!!!
Truth = when temptation knocks, we don’t have to say yes, we can say no!
“Refused” = to cease or to cut off – Joseph didn’t leave the door cracked!
Every time we say “YES” to temptation it weakens our ability to say “No!” Converse is also true – every time say, “NO” it strengthens our ability to say, “NO” in the future!
B. Decide against Yourself!
Cf. everything in Joseph’s flesh was screaming, yes; Joseph said no. The reason is that he made the decision to die to himself. Recognized the truth that there is pleasure in sin only for a sin… eventually the fun will run out!
Look: vv.8b-9
1. Morally wrong (8,9a)
“his wife” = Mrs. Potiphar was off limits; she was another man’s wife.
2. Spiritually wrong
v.9b – “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.” = Joseph decided against himself; by deciding for his God. Didn’t want to break the heart of His God.
Heinous nature of sin is not just what it does to us; but what it does to our God… “grieves Him at his heart”
“Grieve” = love word – God loves us and knows what sin will do to our lives and our dreams.
Stay close to God!
Illust: Dog Training – Trainer will lay a piece of meat on the ground near the dog and say, NO! The dog knows not to touch it. The dog will then take its eyes off of the meat because looking at the meat presents too great a temptation. Instead, the dog will fix its eyes upon its Master!
C. Ditch Your Pride and Run!
Look: v.12 – “he left his garment in her hand and fled, and got him out.” =
Instead of running to temptation, Joseph ran from it!
2 Tim. 2:22 – “Flee also youthful lusts…” = God didn’t tell us to fight them or resist them but to run from them.
1Cor. 6:18 – “Flee fornication.”
Eph. 4:27 – “Neither give place to the devil.”
Rom. 13:14 – “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.”
Quote: “When you flee temptation don’t leave a forwarding address.”
Joseph may have lost his coat, but he kept his character!
Quote: M Henry – “it is better to lose a good coat than a good conscience.”
Rest of the story… vv.13-20
Joseph = sentenced to prison for doing right! Seems unjust… thought God would have rewarded him… He did… KEPT HIS DREAM ALIVE!!!
Keep your dream alive too!
Look. v.21 = moved Joseph one step closer to realizing the dreams God put in his heart!
Conclusion:
The next time temptation comes knocking at your door…
1. Determine to say, No!
2. Decide against yourself!
3. Ditch your pride and run!
