Lessons From the Patriarchs: A Man of Integrity — Joseph

In his new book, So Help Me God, Vice President Mike Pence tells of the conversation between him and President Trump where the President pressured him to overturn the results of the 2020 election by rejecting electoral votes from the states. When he refused to do so, Pence says President Trump told him “you’re too honest.” That is cynicism at its worst and what so many people hate about Washington and politics. Assuming that the Vise President’s recollection is accurate, an adherence to moral and ethical principles regardless of the cost is the very essence of integrity.

Personal integrity is one of the most important characteristics of professing Christians. It is the quality of being consistent in our actions, values, methods, measures, and principles. It is moral uprightness. The Patriarch Joseph provides us with a valuable lesson in living a life of integrity regardless of the cost.

Joseph, as many of you are aware, grew up in a dysfunctional family. Today we would call it a “blended family” since there were twelve brothers born of four different mothers to the Patriarch Jacob. And the brothers always seemed to be fighting about something. One thing that united these brothers, however, was their intense dislike of the second youngest brother named Joseph. Joseph is clearly his father’s favorite because he is born to his beloved wife Rachel. Jacob doesn’t even attempt to hide his favoritism. Jacob dotes on Joseph, and gives him the gift of a coat of many colors. Because of their resentment toward him the older brothers conspire, first to kill him, but their greed overcomes them, and the sell Joseph to some passing merchants who are bound for Egypt. The brothers then rip up the coat of many colors, dip it in goat’s blood and tell their father that Joseph must have been devoured by a fierce animal. They watch callously as Jacob goes into a deep mourning.

As we pick up the story in Genesis 39 we find that Joseph has arrived in Egypt where he is sold to a high-ranking Egyptian military officer. “Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.” (Genesis 39:1, ESV)

From Joseph’s experience we learn six practical lessons.

I. WHEN THE LORD IS WITH YOU, YOU WILL PROSPER

1. this is a theme that is repeated throughout the Scriptures

a. the presence of God in one’s life causes one to flourish

b. four times in our text for this morning we are told the Lord was with Joseph

2. now I know what some of you are thinking, because you know my opinions on the prosperity gospel

a. you’re saying, “Wait a minute pastor. How can the Bible say that Joseph was flourishing? He’s been sold into slavery by his own brothers. He’s taken hundreds of miles from his home and everything that’s familiar to him. He is resold in an Egyptian slave market. Now he finds himself in a strange household in an unfamiliar culture, and the Bible says that “God prospered him?”

3. Joseph flourished because he had two things going for him

A. 1ST, THE LORD WAS WITH HIM

1. when the Lord is with you, you will prosper no matter what your situation

2. unfortunately, society measures success, and prosperity, and flourishing in different ways than God does

a. our society says that the more wealth you have, the more things you’ve accumulated, the more influence you have, the more important you are — these are the marks of a successful life — of a flourishing life

3. Joseph had none of those things, but the Bible tells us God prospered him — vs. 2

“The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered ... “

a. every task Joseph was assigned, every responsibility he was given he succeeded at

b. have you ever stopped to consider that maybe it was because Joseph didn’t have wealth or influence or power that God prospered him?

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” (James 4:10, ESV)

ILLUS. When I look back over the course of my life, and see those Christian friends, and acquaintances who have prospered in the material things of this world, I am struck by the fact that they are people who have a true humility before the Lord.

c. life’s circumstances have taught Joseph to be humble before the Lord

1) because he had been humbled, God had exalted Joseph

4. when the Christian chooses to live out the life of a bond servant to Christ, that believer may not have everything the world considers prosperity, but our Lord Jesus Christ will prosper you

B. 2ND, JOSEPH CHOSE TO BLOOM WHERE HE WAS PLANTED

ILLUS. For those of you who like to know these things, “bloom where you’re planted” is a 15th-century French proverb. The 16th-century Geneva pastor, Francis de Sales (1567-1622), wrote: “Truly charity has no limit; for the love of God has been poured into our hearts by His Spirit dwelling in each one of us, calling us to a life of devotion and inviting us to bloom in the garden where He has planted and directing us to radiate the beauty and spread the fragrance of His Providence.” In other words, Bloom where you’re planted. Radio personality, Paul Harvey, regularly used it and made popular to modern listeners.

1. the popular phrase means to be fruitful, make the best of life when it throws lemons at you, and do what’s right, even when it’s hard

a. I am convinced that too many Christians forfeit God’s blessings and contentment because they are continuously discontent

1) too many believers are like the Hebrews during their desert wanderings — constantly murmuring about this and that and everything else

2) such murmuring is a symptom of a deeper spiritual issue — discontentment

b. I am equally convinced that believers receive blessings proportionate to their faithfulness to the Lord in their present situation

2. by God’s providence you are exactly where God wants you to be in life — are you blooming right were you are?

a. you say, “But pastor, you don’t know how difficult my situation is” Or, “You don’t know that guy I’ve got to work with,” Or, “You don’t know the family dynamics I’m living with,” Or, “You don’t understand the health issues I’ve got”

1) and I respond, “You’re right, I don’t understand, but we have a Lord above who does, and if you will be faithful to him in your present situation — if you’ll bloom where you’re planted — God will prosper you just like He prospered Joseph“

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV)

C. 3RD, BLESSINGS DON’T ALWAYS COME IN THE WAY WE EXPECT

1. prosperity and blessings from the Lord can come in many different packages

a. too many Christians have swallowed the lie of the prosperity preachers that God’s prospering us in only measured with dollar signs

1) not so!

b. Joseph was blessed of the Lord even while he was a slave and had nothing to call his own

1) he was blessed of the Lord because he had a relationship with the Lord

2. Joseph’s life could have gone South in so many different ways

a. God’s providential hand of protection is repeatedly seen in Joseph’s life

1) his brothers could have killed him as to their original plan — God providentially intervened

2) he could have been sold as a slave into the Turquoise mines of Sinai — but God providentially intervened and puts it into Potiphar’s mind to purchase him

3) Potiphar could have made Joseph a field worker rather than a household servant — but God providentially intervened and put Joseph in a place where his administrative skills are noticed and soon he is the chief steward over Potiphar’s entire estate

4) Potiphar could have had Joseph immediately executed at the accusation leveled against him by Potiphar’s wife but God providentially intervened and Joseph is merely imprisoned where, once again, his administrative skills are noticed and soon he is a prison trustee

b. Joseph’s prosperity included the protection of the Lord

1) we may not know until we get to heaven how many times God supernaturally intervened in our lives protecting us from ourselves and others to bring us to where we now are in life

3. there is no greater blessing in life than to know that God will never leave us nor forsake us

... When the Lord Is with You, You Will Prosper

II. WHEN THE LORD IS WITH YOU, OTHERS WILL SEE IT

“The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.” (Genesis 39:2, ESV)

1. Joseph was a person who applied himself to the fullest

a. he worked hard and gained the favor of Potiphar

2. Joseph was a slave who had a servant’s heart

ILLUS. When the New York journalist, H. M. Stanley, went to Africa in 1871 to find and report on Dr. David Livingstone, he spent several months in the missionary’s company, carefully observing the man and his work. Livingstone never spoke to Stanley about spiritual matters, but Livingstone’s loving and patient compassion for the African people was beyond Stanley’s comprehension. He could not understand how the famous missionary doctor could have such love for and patience with people Stanley considered backward, inferior pagans. Livingstone poured himself into untiring service and ministry for those whom he had no reason to love except for Christ’s sake. Stanley wrote in his journal, “When I saw that unwearied patience, that unflagging zeal, and those enlightened sons of Africa, I became a Christian at his side, though he never spoke to me one word [of Christ].”

3. now, should we also speak a word of Christ to others? Absolutely

a. but we should also live such lives that when we don’t or can’t speak of Christ to others will see that the Lord is with us

... When the Lord Is with You, Others Will See it

III. WHEN THE LORD IS WITH YOU, OTHERS WILL BE BLESSED

“His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.” (Genesis 39:3–4, ESV)

1. Christians whom God prospers bring success to the lives of those they touch

a. this is true because our character makes a difference and we work harder

2. God told the Patriarch Abraham on several occasions that ...

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”” (Genesis 12:3, NIV84)

a. well that begs the question: As a Christian, are you a blessing to others? Does your presence make your home a better place to live in, and does your presence at work make your place of employment a brighter place to work, and does your presence at church make our worship a more blessed experience?

1) or do family or coworkers or fellow worshipers see your arrival and think “Oh no”?

b. in Hebrew history, there is the promise that the Gentiles of the earth will be blessed because of the Jews presence among them

1) their lives were to show others who the One True God was and how to worship Him in spirit and in truth

c. ultimately, we understand that blessing culminated in the birth of Jesus Christ

1) God’s Anointed One is more than the Jewish Messiah — he is the Savior of the world

3. similarly, when the believer works hard at bringing glory to God in everything we do — including our work — it prospers those around us

“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.” (Genesis 39:5, NIV84)

ILLUS. In 2014, Baylor University’s sociology department conducted a study on weather-or-not businesses hiring an active church member “payed off” for the business. Jerry Park, associate professor of sociology says, "It turns out it does make a difference in their attitudes at work. That means it has a potential 'payoff' not only for employers, but for employees themselves." When an employee practices “sacrificial love”, and believes in the “eternal significance” of work, their attitude toward their work and employer is markedly better, and their work ethic is stronger, benefitting the employer’s bottom line.

a. gee ... go figure!

ILLUS. Others who have researched this have discovered ...

A faithful Christian employee will always be honest.

A faithful Christian employee will never steal.

A faithful Christian employee will work diligently all the time.

A faithful Christian employee will go above and beyond in their work.

A faithful Christian employee will be humble.

b. Potipher’s household prospered because Joseph faithfully lived for God, and in prospering Joseph, God prospered Potipher

... When the Lord Is with You, Others Will Be Blessed

IV. WHEN THE LORD IS WITH YOU, YOU’LL HAVE THE COURAGE TO FLEE TEMPTATION

“So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”” (Genesis 39:6–9, ESV)

1. Potipher’s wife is the original desperate housewife

a. vs. 6 tells us that Joseph was handsome in form and appearance

1) the NIV says that Joseph was well-built and handsome

b. the Hebrew words refer to someone who is fair and beautiful in form

1) Joseph is hunky, or in the vernacular of our day, he’s beefcake or eye-candy

2. Potiphar’s wife is determined to seduce Joseph, and bring him into her bed

a. Joseph is just as determined to remain faithful to his God, and to his earthly master

3. let me quickly share with you the four “be nots” of resisting sexual temptation that are found in this passage

a. these are not original with me, but are worth sharing

A. BE NOT WINKY

“And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”” (Genesis 39:7, ESV)

1. Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce Joseph with her eyes

a. she is flirting with the young man

b. Joseph did not return the flirting glance

ILLUS. In his book The Functional Family, marriage counselor, Dr.James MacArthur, tells the story of a long-time married couple who were in the local shopping mall when a young attractive women in a very short dress walked by. The husband tried not to look, but the temptation was there and he took a quick glance. His wife, without looking up from the outfit she was examining, said, “Was that look worth the trouble you are in?”

2. as Christians we must be careful with our eyes — with both what we look at, and the message we can send with our eyes, or with our body language, or even with our dress

“to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. 25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;” (Proverbs 6:24–25, ESV)

ILLUS. Those of you who grew up in church probably remember a Sunday School that speaks to this ...

Oh, be careful little ears, what you hear, Oh, be careful little ears, what you hear;

For the Father Up above, I looking down in love, So be careful little ears what you hear.

But there was more, wasn’t there?

Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see ... and

Oh, be careful little mouth, what you say ... and

Oh, be careful little hands, what you do ... and finally

Oh, be careful little feet where you go; For the Father Up above, I looking down in love,

So be careful little ears what you hear.

a. it might be wise for some adults to learn — or relearn — that little children’s chorus!

3. Joseph understands this great truth

a. in response to her repeated flirtations and out-right demand for sex, Joseph tells her

“How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9, ESV)

4. Joseph understood the danger of inappropriate flirting

B. BE NOT WIMPY

“But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge.” (Genesis 39:8, ESV)

“she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.” (Genesis 39:12, ESV)

1. the word refused in vs. 8 means forcefully unwilling

a. Joseph was, quite literally, holding this woman off, keeping her at arms length, and turning away from her

b. when she grabs his garment, attempting to force an embrace, Joseph he flees, leaving his empty cloak behind in her hands

2. the Devil’s temptations — especially his sexual temptations — are always forceful

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8, ESV)

a. in our spiritual warfare, we need to be equally forceful in our response

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5, ESV)

b. notice the forcefulness of the Apostle’s admonition

1) we are to demolish spiritual strongholds

2) we are to demolish arguments and lofty opinion

3) we are to take captive every thought

c. these are all military terms that suggest to us our spiritual stratagems and objectives

1) our war against temptation, especially sexual temptation, is a spiritual battle that we are forcefully engaged in

3. we are to cast down, demolish, and bring into captivity any thought or behavior that exalts itself above God

a. we must be forceful when it comes to our flesh, and force it into submission

ILLUS. Too often we hear wimpy preachers tell wimpy Christians in wimpy sermons, “You should never beat yourself up over you sin!”

b. well where in the Scriptures are they getting that idiotic advise?

ILLUS. Everywhere in the New Testament, believers are called to crucify the flesh. The word for this is mortification. Mortification is the theological term used to describe the call for those who are united to Christ and living in the power of the Spirit to put to death lingering sinful impulses that arise from within and resist temptations that surface from outside of the believer.

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13, ESV)

c. will we at all times be able to accomplish this? Well of course not, but when the flesh wins the good news is that we have an advocate before the Father to plead out case

1) that advocate is Jesus

C. BE NOT WISHY-WASHY

“And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.” (Genesis 39:10, ESV)

1. Joseph was a man of conviction

a. the best definition of a conviction is: “A belief is an idea you hold. A conviction is an idea that has hold of you”

b. the Apostle Paul speaks of this in his letter to the Thessalonian Christians

“because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5, ESV)

1) Paul was so absolutely persuaded of the truthfulness of the Gospel that he dedicated his life to it

2. Joseph did not dally with temptation — he was not wishy-washy in his convictions about morality, fidelity, and faithfulness

a. not only did he refuse her, but he made every effort not to be in her presence

D. BE NOT WORDY

“And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.” (Genesis 39:10, ESV)

1. Joseph did not spend much time negotiating with Potiphar’s wife’s proposal

ILLUS. In the Garden of Eden Eve was set up for failure because she engaged too long in conversation with the serpent!

a. the reason why Joseph was able to resist temptation was because he made no provision for the flesh (Romans 3:11-14)

b. as Christians, we are to submit ourselves to God and resist the Devil (James 4:7)

1) you cannot defeat temptation if you’re constantly engaging with temptation

2. in the end Joseph had to physically flee the temptation

V. WHEN THE LORD IS WITH YOU, EVIL MAY STILL BEFALL YOU

“And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.” 19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.” (Genesis 39:13–20, ESV)

1. God had a task for Joseph that was critical to Israel’s future

a. God intended to have Israel taken down into the land of Egypt where they could be protected from the ravages of famine and the pillaging from other nations

1) during their stay in Egypt they would eventually become slaves just as God had prophesied to Abraham

2. God knew that Israel’s future could only be accomplished in the land of Egypt

a. Joseph became the pioneer of God’s will, bringing this fledgling nation down to the protective power of Egypt

b. but in order for Joseph to accomplish this great task, God was going to put him through the trials necessary to make him effective as God’s tool

3. whether we like it or not, God uses the harshness of life to shape us into effective tools for extending His Kingdom

... When the Lord Is with You, Bad Things Will Still Happen to You

In his book, Eating the Elephant, Thom Rainer tells of an interview Billy Graham had given to a local reporter. The interviewer was fascinated by Billy’s success and asked if he anticipated receiving great rewards in heaven for the millions of he had impacted for Christ through his world-wide ministry. Billy confessed that he has uncertain of the extent of his own rewards, but was certain that others would have greater rewards than he. Graham then told the story of an elderly Christian woman whom he’s known for many, many years. She was constantly on her knees praying for her little country church, her family and her nation. For nearly 80 years, Graham said ths sweet lady had been faithful to the Lord. She had constantly prayed, constantly read her Bible, and constantly shared her faith. Billy told the reporter that that lady and many others like her, are the ones who will receive the greatest rewards in heaven. At the close of the interview, Billy Graham said these last words, “You see, we are not called to be successful. We are called to be faithful.

Joseph was faithful and God prospered him and all those who came into contact with him. That’s the kind of Christian I want to be, and that’s the kind of Christian I want you to be.

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