Staying True in a Tempting World
Genesis 39:1-23

Introduction
Earlier this week, I stepped on the scale.  I won’t tell you the exact numbers, but I have boldly gone where I’ve never wanted to go before.  I’m on the precipice of having to buy another pant size.  It’s time to lose weight and I’ve already made some progress towards that goal.

It’s not my fault, really.  I have EAP – epicurean addictive personality.  (A person who loves food too much, especially foods that are bad for you and taste really good.) It was my mom’s fault.  I was taught to always clean my plate.  The worst thing, though, was that my mother was a really good baker.  It must have been the English in her.  She would bake several times a week and it seems like the cookie jar was always full – no small feat for a household with five kids.  And she made this Araby Spice Cake that was to die for.  (You can find the recipe in the 1955 edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook, page 177.)   

I’m kidding about my mom’s culpability, of course.  I am to blame for my propensity to use food, especially sweets, as a way of dealing with stress.  I’ve lost weight before.  I’m fortunate to have a high metabolism, so if I just cut out the sweets and lower my meal portions, I’ll drop weight fairly quickly.  But, Oh, am I tempted!  Especially this time of the year.  Next week is Halloween and the day after, all the candy will be half-off.  (I’ve monitored these things closely through the years.  The day after Easter is a good day for sweet sales, too!)  Entenmann’s is driving me crazy with their apple cider and pumpkin donuts.  In a few weeks, there’s Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie. Christmas follows with fantasy fudge and plates full of colorful cookies.  It won’t be easy to stay true in such a tempting world. 

There’s only one way that I’m gonna survive.  It’s a simple rule, really. 

Stay out of the bakery aisle!

Gluttony really is no laughing matter.  It is a sin that destroys our bodies which God gave us to care for.  Resisting temptation and the sin that so easily entangles us can often only be done by “staying out of the bakery aisle” - running away as fast as you can.  The biblical character of Joseph offers a perfect example.

Genesis 39:1-23 (NIV)
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while, his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

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. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the jailer put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The jailer paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Motivation for Staying True
I am not “well-built and handsome.”  I’ve never had to face the same temptation that Joseph had with Potiphar’s wife.  When I read this story, I am amazed at Joseph’s integrity.  He was a man of strong character!  His unhesitating action in resisting her advances begs the question, “What is it that motivated Joseph to do the right thing?”  All through this month, we have been considering various biblical characters who stayed true in challenging circumstances.  There is, I believe, a common thread between Noah, Daniel, Job, and Joseph.  All of them had an intimate relationship with God.  Noah served God in a crooked generation.  He heard God’s voice and obeyed his instructions.  Daniel demonstrated his love for God through daily prayer and, most importantly, obedience.  God gave him the ability to understand and interpret dreams.  Job never turned his back on his faith in God, even though he endured horrific trials. 

Joseph never wrote a psalm, like David.  We don’t observe a devoted prayer life in him like Daniel had.  But it is obvious in the text that he is very devoted to God.  He resists a powerful temptation by asking, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”  Where did Joseph’s devotion to God come from?

Joseph’s great-grandfather was Abraham.  Abraham is a powerful figure in the Hebrew story because it was him who responded to God’s call to follow in faith.  Abraham’s legacy in both blood and character is the faith that he passed on not only his family but to you and me.  Joseph was a member of a family that was formed and founded on faith. 

Friends, the implications of this truth for you and me are enormous.  As a parent and a grandparent, what are you teaching your children and grandchildren?  Diane and I just returned from the D6 conference in Dallas about a month ago.  Perhaps the most profound takeaway I received from the conference was how faith is passed on from generation to generation.  I believe consistency in church attendance is vitally important for our children.  If we show by example that weekly corporate worship attendance is just one option of several for our families on Sunday mornings, it is very doubtful that our children will value being part of a church when they leave home.   And keeping kids engaged in weekly programming at church is also very helpful in the development of their biblical imagination and for healthy social interaction.  But as important as regular worship attendance and engagement in weekly programs is for our kids, those are not the key factor in passing on our faith to the next generation.  Research has demonstrated that the most important factor in passing on our faith is whether or not we demonstrate a real and authentic faith in Christ in our homes.  You can be “church busy” – filling up your family’s schedule with night after night and week after week of church activities – but if you don’t authentically demonstrate your faith in front of your kids, there’s a good chance they’ll walk away from it when they become adults.  You don’t have to be perfect.  You don’t have to be a super saint.  You just have to be real and genuine in living out your faith before your kids in order for it to stick with them as they grow up.

Second, after inheriting his faith from his fathers, Joseph also feared God and that helped him to withstand temptation.  Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10).  We don’t talk about the fear of the Lord very much in today’s modern church.  Perhaps we’ve taken the verse from I John too far that tells us that “perfect love casts out all fear.”  The question is fair, but it is also complex.  Think of the “fear of the Lord” in Proverbs as the concept of respect.  I always respected my parents and I demanded the same from my children.  If my children engaged in some sort of bad behavior, I would make sure that they would face the consequences of their actions.  They could be sure of it.  Doesn’t mean that I didn’t love them.  In fact, the most unloving thing I could have done with my children would have been to let them get away with bad behavior.  The Scriptures say, “the Lord disciplines those he loves” (Hebrews 12:6; Ps. 119:75).  Joseph feared God because he knew that God would not allow him to escape the consequences of bad behavior. 

Integrity’s Reward
One of the things that Joseph’s story illustrates is the reality of injustice in this world.  So, what good did it do Joseph to do the right thing?  Joseph was seventeen when he went to prison for his integrity and he wasn’t released until he was thirty.  He spent thirteen years in prison.  What kind of reward is that? 

Life isn’t fair and integrity is often not rewarded immediately.  If you continue on and read the rest of Joseph’s story you’ll find that he was amply rewarded by being appointed the ruler of all Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh.  There could have been no higher material and status reward for him than the position that he was given.  And all the years of waiting in prison and processing the injustice made his elevation all the sweeter.

But Joseph was also rewarded in his waiting.  Throughout his journey in Egypt prior to his promotion, Joseph experienced the favor of God with all people.  When he served in Potiphar’s house, the master prospered and gave Joseph special privileges and authority – even as a young man.  In prison, it was the same.  God’s favor was with him.  He was given special privileges as well as the supernatural ability and wisdom to interpret dreams.  God’s blessings and gifts to him in prison eventually led to his promotion to rule the entire country. 

This is true for us as well.  There may be times in life where you are punished for doing the right thing.  Many people have lost their jobs for acting with integrity.  I know an accountant who was forced to resign because she questioned the unethical practices of her firm.  But God doesn’t abandon people of integrity.  He has a way of reminding us of his faithfulness even in our suffering.  Especially if our suffering is for doing good.  But a greater reward will eventually surely come. 

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10).   Do not mistake “the kingdom of heaven” for some time in the future.  But Jesus’ teaching in this verse is an immediate consequence.  Luke translates the phrase as the “Kingdom of God.”  It is where God rules and reigns.  Those who act with integrity and suffer injustice because of it are rewarded with a greater understanding and intimacy with God – His kingdom.  You know the biblical model for spiritual growth.  The more we know God, the more we love him.  The more we love him, the more we obey him.  The more we obey him, the more he reveals himself to us.  The more Joseph obeyed God, the more opportunities, and blessings he was given by God.  Joseph’s resistance to temptation and his obedience to God is what eventually led to his elevation as ruler over all Egypt. 


Common Sense for Staying True
So how do we resist temptation and stay true?  I believe there are at least five powerful strategies that we can use to resist the temptations that so easily trip us up. 

A practical and effective approach is to set boundaries that shield us from temptations that we find hard to resist.  You know, it’s the “stay out of the bakery aisle” principle.  But setting up those boundaries starts first with the decision on our part to resist the temptation.  For many people, they simply don’t want to resist the temptation.  They know that the behavior they are engaging in is harmful to them, but they are not yet willing to give it up.  Alcoholics and drug addicts have to “hit bottom” before they are willing to take action to resist the temptation.  For me, it was when I tipped the scales to a weight that I never wanted to see.   You get the idea.  Resisting starts with making a decision. 

Then you set up the boundaries in order to remove the temptation in the first place.  And there always is a boundary that you can set up or an escape that you can take.  The Bible promises, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (I Corinthians 10:13).  Set up your boundaries.  Remove the temptation.  Stay out of the bakery aisle.

But sexual temptation is especially difficult to resist.  Paul told Timothy to “flee youthful lusts.”  He didn’t say resist them.  He said run away as fast as you can.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Sexual desire is part of God’s design and plan for human beings.  Sex goes to the core of who we are.  And because of that, falling into sexual temptation can be especially destructive.  I don’t need to argue the point.  We have plenty of evidence around us in our culture.  But sexual desire can be very intense.  That’s why the Bible tells us to run from it in order to resist it.  Don’t dally.  Don’t toy with it.  Be like Joseph.  RUN!

Another very practical way of resisting temptation is to enlist the help of a trusted friend to hold you accountable.  AA utilizes a sponsor to help an alcoholic break free from the stranglehold of addiction.  Not to trivialize this approach, but stating my confession to resist sweets in this message makes me accountable to you.  Having all that Halloween candy around on Wednesday night was tough, but I resisted because I knew I was going to be bringing this message to you today.  Accountability is very helpful in resisting temptation. 

Fourth, immerse yourself in God’s word.  Psalm 119:11 is a verse that many of you may have learned in childhood, “Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  It’s amazing how powerful memorizing and meditating on God’s word will empower you to stay true when you are tempted.  When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he answered every temptation with Scripture.  Read, study, pray, sing, meditate on God’s word.  It will help you to stand strong in the time of temptation.

Many years ago, Pastor Chuck Swindoll was stationed as a marine on the island of Guam.  Every week he would have to walk up the main street from the base to get to the place where he was holding a Bible study.  Now Guam is a big military station and, as is the case in virtually every military community, there are numerous businesses catering to a young man’s fleshly desires just off of the base.  Swindoll had determined that he was going to remain pure but he had to walk up the main street that featured countless bars with various forms of adult diversions in order to get to his destination.  He was a young man and tempted like any other young man would be away from his family.  But he had decided to resist the temptations and did so by looking straight ahead as he walked rather than allowing his eyes to glance at the temptations that lined the streets.

We read this earlier this morning:

…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Hebrews 12:1-4

Jesus was fully human and yet he overcame every temptation.  We can remain true in a tempting world.  Determine that you are going to live a holy life.  Set your boundaries.  Have someone help you in accountability.  Saturate your life with God’s word.  Do not toy with temptation.  Do not linger at that which entices you.  Instead, fix your gaze on Jesus, who overcame temptation even to the point of shedding his own blood.

Hold on to God.  Cling to him and you will stay true in a corrupt, twisted, tough, and tempting world. 




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