Joseph- Maneuvering Through Life's Unexpected Turns Part 2: Temptation

The Life of Joseph: Temptation

Genesis 39

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the

home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!”

Genesis 39:2-6 

“Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began

to look at him lustfully.”

Genesis 39:6-7 

“Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.”

Genesis 39:7

“But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his

entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

Genesis 39:8-9

1. Take sin seriously.

“Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of

the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.”

Hebrews 10:26-27 

“So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his

Heart.”

Genesis 6:6

“She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and

he kept out of her way as much as possible.”

Genesis 39:10

“One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came

and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.”

Genesis 39:11

“Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For

sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

“When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, she called out to her

servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.”   She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home.   Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said.   “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!” Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained.”

Genesis 39:13-20 

“The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them.   But the Lord

will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.   Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path.”

Psalm 37:32-34 

2. Don’t try to justify, blame, or explain your sin away.

“It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

Genesis 3:12

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God

is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

1 Corinthians 10:13

3. Build character that can meet the moment of temptation.

“But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the

Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.”

Genesis 39:21-23

“From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand

when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.”

Acts 17:26 

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as

living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)