When God Tests Our Character 07/19/2020
how to reach a person at 4:39 I don't know what brought that on 55th and a proud of her and officer Affair of captain of the guard in Egyptian route him of the hands of the original. I wish he had brought him down bitter and the Lord was with Joseph and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of the master of the Egyptian and his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all but he did to prosper in his hands and Joseph found Grace in the side of it and throw him and he made him overseer over his house and all that. He had to put his hand and it came to pass from the time that he had made him Overseer in his house and over all that that he had the Lord bless the Egyptian house for judge estate. And the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he kind of the house and in the field and he left all that he had and Joseph hand and he knew not all he had save the bread what she did Pete and Joseph was a good with questions and well-favored and it came to pass when Jesus and he said, why was me, but he refused and 17th and Master Plus the hold my master water not what is with me in this in the house and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is none greater in this house. And neither has he kept back anything from me, but he just because Thou Art his wife how late can I do this great wickedness and sin against God and it came to pass a saliva her what to do with her and it came to pass about this time. Joseph went into the house to do this. And there was none of that the men of the house there was in it and she called him out by His Garment. They live with me and he left his garment in her hand and split and got him out. And it came to pass. When he saw that she had left side and it came to pass when she saw that he had left His Garment in her hand and was swept Forest, but she called him to the man of her house and bacon to them. Same see he has brought in Hebrew.
Too loud with me and I cried a little while for it and it came to pass when he heard that I was in my voice and cry that he left his garment with me.
I feel a type of garment by her until she came home and she spoken to him sent according to these were signed. The papers servant style has brought unto you meant to me and it came to pass up my voice and cry that he left his garment with me and sweat out and it came to pass with his master heard the words with his wife. She's pregnant with him saying after this manner did the servant to me that his brackets and and Joseph Master took him and put him in a place where the king prisoners were bad. People are in prison for the Lord was with him and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of The Keeper of the prison and The Keeper of the prison committed to Jersey pant all the prisoner. So what's the weather? They did he was the door of it the keeper the parking lot not to anything that was unclear under his hand because the Lord was with him and that would he did the Lord made it.
What you making for laugh? I want a man still look good night song what we're going to learn today. What happened with Joseph? It may happen to us as well. And this is why God does remember and First chapter I think that we in our study we talked about how Joseph was getting ready to enter into.
the preparation training of the Lord even going to enter into God's School of preparation. Well that happens to all of us and the title of this message today is when God tests our character. God is going to do that whether you're 14, 15 16 years old today or whether you were 76 or 86 or anywhere in between God will tell us your character. If this is what he's going to do with Joseph cause he has to bring Jose up to the point where he is the person that he needs to be and many times way. He does that is he brings adversity into our life. But what I want you to see here and what we're going to go over today is the first 12 verses that biggie just read will finish the rest of them next week, but I want you to see here is this is not a test. of adversity This is the test of prosperity. And did you know sometimes the Lord will test us? a prospering US by giving us certain thing seems like everything is going right in our lives. And this is the test of prosperity Joseph have been sold into slavery been taken to Egypt you put on the trading block like all the other slaves. Evidently he stood out. He was 17 years old. Maybe he stood out and potiphar who was like the one of the chief officers of pharaoh the key. He selected Joseph to be is Stuart or in other words his household administrator. And I remember last week and chapter 38 and took about 20 years to go through the what Jutsu did well today. This is happening at the same time of what we studied last week. So probably I would say Joseph and he was seventeen when he was taken. He was probably in his early to mid-twenties when this story is told today and sewed the first point in the first test that God gives Joseph and many times is the test that he gives us as well as he test is the test of prosperity now, let's look at it again in verses 1 through 6. Joseph have been taken down to Egypt auditor officer Fair Oaks. Lights who had taken him down there verse to watch this phrase. Lord was with Joseph. Rick Lord was within the lord gave him the dream but he was going to rain over and be Supreme over his brothers and gave him the dream that one day. He was going to be he was going to save Egypt and the land of Israel from a Great Famine. So the Lord had indeed gave him that dream and then the first thing that happens after that his brother's kidnapping throw him in a pit and sell them to ishmaelites. He goes to each his own the slave trading block and he is bought What the Bible says the Lord was with?
Four times in the scripture that we ran today the Bible says but the Lord was with it. The Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man. And he was in the house of his master the Egyptian verse 3 and his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So he even the unbeliever could see there was something different about this boy. The Lord is with thee. Prayers for the Joseph found favor in his sight and served it be made him over to his house and all that. He had put under his authority. So it was from the time that the Lord bless the Egyptians house. The Lord is with him. And now he starts not only blessing Joseph cause he successful now, he starts the West everybody whose lives but Joseph has he said that he said he left his house for Joseph sake and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the bill. And then it says he left all that he had in Joseph pan. He did not know what he had except for the bread which she ate. Then all of a sudden get to this strange thing now Joseph was pencil in form and appearance. Bible very rarely ever talks about someone's looks or specially the column handsome very rare occasionally it will but the Bible says here he was very he was and form and appearance. Well, we see the test of prosperity Joseph started out as a lowly slave. He kept advancing through the ranks and the Bible says here that he was a successful man. I remember he's a slave he's away from his home away from his family. Just a young man. But the bottle says he was successful and the Bible says that the Lord was with him. Well, let me give you some things that Joseph. Hey I said that sometimes we have in our whole life, but we have to be careful about these things so we can put them up on the board here and cancer Prosperity here. They are I'm going to say a few words about one of them. The first one was promised. He was selected to serve in the house of parliament. Well, he was a chief executive. He could have been bought by anyone but he was bought by royalty. So in other words Joseph live in a house, probably something similar to what we would call the White House. He was there with the president and he was there at the very core of all the Diplomatic procedures and the diplomats who would come in the hands of State who would visit Cairo. And so I'm sure that they had contact with Joseph all the prominent people of Egypt had met him and certainly if Potiphar's all that the Lord was with him and he exalted him to head over his entire house. I'm sure that father talked about him to all the heads of state and all the people who came there and eventually he turned everything over to this young Hebrew slave. So Joseph sack in a prominent place. You may be in a prominent place this morning. You may be in a place at your work. You may be over lots of people made in the Lord has sent you over a manager or supervisor over many people and many people depend on you. Joseph was in a prominent position what beverage session and then the bottom of that pit. Even though he's in the land of death. He's in a evil land and says the Lord is with him and he was a successful man. So prominence is number one. Number two position Joseph became a man of position looking first Ford tells us that Joseph was being in control over the house verse 5 says the Lord's blessing was on everything he touched verse it says that he was so successful potiphar just put everything in his hands. There was no one greater in his house. Then Joseph. He had total control position to administrator over everything. Well, sometimes it dangerous to give up too much control. It says here in the Bible that offered only thing he knew about his house or what he was going to eat, you know anything else. He didn't know what Joseph was doing, but he knew that he didn't have to worry about it because Joseph was that type of man. He had complete trust in Joseph Vijay Joseph a great position with authority to run everything. So he had problems he had position. I think something else he hadn't had power is leadership. If you steal their poverty giving him power to probably transact business on Potiphar's behalf. He became controller of Potiphar's estate taken care of all his responsibility, but not just responsibility to take care of all that he had power. That's something everybody Crave You know that men crave. How if you ever work with someone? And they were promoted to a position of manager or supervisor and all the sudden the person that you used to know you was going to that person anymore without power and position and prominence can change people. Have you ever seen that I remember working with a felon he was just as nice as he could be and he was promoted to a position of supervisor or manager over several department and it's just like he just became a Taskmaster and you just couldn't stand him. He just wanted to tell everybody what to do and how to do it and he was hard but before that he was just as calm and he was just a humble and man but that's what our position and prominence can do. It changes people. Well, it didn't change Joseph. You see this was the test of prosperity right here. Well something else And that would be he had popular all of a sudden things start changing not only for Jose or put in the house that he was managing. Look at burst to the Lord was with Joseph. He was a successful man and he was in the house of his mouth. He live right there. He didn't live in the slave house. He lives right there in the White House first three, his master saw that the Lord was winning in the Lord made all he did to prosper and then looking for a spot. So it was from that time that it made him overseer this house all that. He had then the Lord bless the Egyptians house, but he did it for Joseph saint. For the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field and not something but He blesses everyone around this man in the Bible says that the Lord did it for Joseph sake and people I'm sure begin to notice. This is something different about this guy everything. He touches turns to Gold. We have to keep his important. We need to keep this guy around. He's our meal ticket everybody like them is popularity increase it was a slave. In the end of land of enemy and all in this cat promoting him and he was successful. He brought success to everyone else. You know what the Bible says in the book when a man ways pleases the Lord he maketh even his enemies.
You know that when a man's ways when they please the Lord the Lord will make even your enemies to be at peace in this exactly what we see here in the life of jelly. Well, then I want you to look at burst sick or something else something a little strange here. Look at the last part of her six. After all this Administration to power prominent position and all of that the Bible says now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. This means that Joseph was physically attractive. He was a handsome man. He handled himself with Grace and dignity. Where did he get this from was it from his daddy was just a manipulator and I'll know it wasn't from his dad Jacob. It was from his mother. If you go back and if you look we won't turn their into I think it's somewhere around chapter 27 or 29 of Genesis. You'll see that what it said about his mother his mother's name was grateful. Remember Rachel have a sister who was Leah and Jacob married. Both of them. Married Leah first. We thought he was marrying right before you had to work seven more years for Rachel Bible says, he loved Rachel Bible says in that first that Leah's eyes were delicate. Rachel was beautiful poem. So he inherited his Beauty his handsomeness from his mother. Well, Joseph must have been a good-looking guy because only a handful of people in scripture or pointed out for their good looks so he had all the things that men like he had problems. He had position. He had the he had the physique if you will he had the power. He had the popularity. He had the good looks but it was that last trait that got him in trouble. Is good looks well. Sometimes the greatest test we face. Austin has to do with prosperity rather than the person how many times the Lord will test our character in our faith through adversity. He will do that. But quite often he does it through prosperity and just think of the many great men in Scripture. Who handle Temptation well? In tough times, but when the good time started to roll in they couldn't handle it. Bank of David King David should have been in the field fighting with his men. He was laying up there in his bed in the King's Castle. He thought he'd go outside on his deck and stretch a little bit down all the blessings and how the Lord has blessed him and how he can just send all his armies out fighting. He didn't have to go and leave them anymore if he cast his eyes on Bathsheba. And that was his downfall. Thank a problem. I'll give you anything that you want you pray for anything you want. I'll give it to you Solomon just a young man that I need wisdom. I want wisdom Bible says he was wisest man in the world, but too bad is life didn't end up with. Is it says Gibbs wives and concubines turn his heart from the Lord. You see it only happened when things were going. Well, that was the downfall David everything going. Well. That was the downfall. Are we seeing Jose with life? Remember his life is like a sine wave exaltations demotion exaltation the motion he gets he gets a dream. The Lord is his brother's kidnapping put him in a pit and salad. He's demoted. He goes to Egypt and he gets in Potiphar's house. He's exhausted. But you know, what's coming after that location is coming down to another demotion. Well, when a man begins to develop a sense of smug satisfaction, if you want to call it that he opens himself up the Temptation and it takes a man of character the past the test of prosperity in Joseph paskett. Have you have you passed that test? Well, there's another test the Lord was going to give it. And that isn't a test of. I look at it and verses 7 through 12. and it came to pass after these things that his master's wife as longing eyes on Joe word longing eyes on their means that she lift it up and she said and she said lie with me But he refused and said she was matches wife. Look. My master does not know what is with me in the house and other words. He's committed everything into me. He don't know what I'm doing, but yet he trust me verse. There is no one greater in this house and I nor has he kept back anything from me, but you because you are his wife how they can I do this great wickedness and sin against God. So it wasn't she spoke as she spoke to Joseph day by day that he did not heed her to live with her or be with her but it happened about this time and Joseph went into the house to do his work. And none of the man of the house was inside that she called him by his worm. Don't his coat get him in trouble all the time Coat of Many Colors when she called and it says by the Garment she said live with me and he left his garment in her hand and fled and ran outside. Well, we live in a day. Let me slay We live in a time that Modern Man people will tell you that it's impossible to live above sin that you can't do it. The theory is well, everybody else is doing it. So Joseph you may as well do it to Joseph was tempted. But he remained true he passed the test of Purity now speaking of a Tesla. What we talkin about here specifically and sexual Temptation. I want to show you about four things about the power of Temptation that we see in his life and it will be the same in our life as well you so I don't have to worry about his own all like that. I'll have to worry about sexual Temptation at some point in time. Everyone will be every formal have a chance or we'll have to make a decision about sexual Temptation. So we better be ready for it. So the power of Temptations let me show you some things near that was significant in Joseph life and it will be 4 hours and we have them up here on the board the power of infection number one. It was a surprise for him. It came out of nowhere looking verse 8-9 when she said live with me, but he refused and said to his master's wife. Look. My master does not know what is in the house and he submitted everything into my hair. There's no one greater than I in this house more than anything for me because you are his wife how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God is just like what do you understand what you're asking me to do? How could I ever do anything like that? It came at a time when everything is going well for you. It may be the same way with us. Joseph influence was at its peak things have never looked so good for Joseph and they did at that point. So he he was not expecting some probably a very beautiful woman who had a lot of influence all of a sudden showing herself to have a sex addiction and wanting to lie with a little slave boy who would ever thought that that could happen. But often Temptation comes as a surprise just when we least expect it. So what should we do? We should expect it. At some point expected because it will come as a surprise. Let me tell you something else and this is even harder. It was also a sustaining impatiens. Did you know that it was all so anxious staying impatient and I look at this look at verse 7. After he had already said no and it came to pass after these things the Masters why I said lie with me then inverse day. He says he refused and said to his master's wife. Well, you know, I can't do this the master. He don't know anything. I'm doing heat each trust me, but look at burst 10 what it says. So it was as she spoke to Joseph day by day notice that Temptation was not a one-time deal, you know, sometimes it's easy to say no to a one-time deal. But how would you like to be a handsome boy in the white house and all the sudden this beautiful queen every single day is sending you texts or she is, you know, putting Instagram photos of herself and and so you can see him she's passing the little note and day by day. She says live with me no one will ever find out. You see this temptation was sustained day after that and it was subtle the way that words that she used hinting to him all the time. You see many times people can't resist temptation first, but then if he continues on and on and on they finally succumbed to it. But Joseph dick, but it says here it continue day after day after that. Let me give you a third element that we have to watch out for it was Secret. It was a secret Temptation in other words if Joseph would have live with her. What would have happened?
Here is here's a part of her out there. He's just doing his business. He trusts Joseph Joseph was in the house all the time taking care of the house. She was there probably the other end of the house we're outside now. I thought we would know it would have been since surely poppers wife's not going to tell him. She's the one that instigated with Joseph is just the play no one's going to believe him anyway, so it was a secret Temptation the true test of a person's character. Is what he does when no one else is with you know, that that's the true test not when someone else is looking over shoulder looking at but you wait for the boss to leave and see how you you see is easy to do that. But the true test of a person's character is what he does when other people's not look, why do people connect righteously because people's looking why people come to church and act like a good church medley with them when they go out. They don't live like a Christian. Who sing when they're out in the world? Well, Joseph had very little chance of getting caught but yet he still resisted and there's something about sexual Temptation any temptation but especially this That it just makes sense. Sometimes in other words we can there's a certain rationality about it or justification. If you start thinking about how many of us spend thinking that this scene is going to hurt us. How do you think about that? How many men has run around on their wife Christian men? And the reason they did it is because when they thought about doing it, they knew that it was going to hurt them. No one thinks that what so when we look at this type of sexual sin. We think that it's going to be something good for us and Joseph could have said would look how this would be my personal baggage because she's already trusts me now if I can get his wife on my side and plus if I cooperate she might help me advance my career. He could have said any of that. So it seemed kind of sensible to him. And then lastly let me say this in power 10 patient is so most men don't fall into sexual sin just in one night or anything like that know their bottling drawn into a relationship. They want attention or it could be men or women. I'm just using me and because this was Joseph, but it would be either way want attention and devotion and someone to say something to him around the water cooler or the coffee machine and you keep showing up at the same time every day and this person all the sudden starts meeting my emotional needs and he talked to me and all of this old. Joseph would have been in serious trouble. This had to be a terrible time for Joseph. But that's the Temptation is about it was a surprise it was on going to stain. It was Secrets everybody. I find out something about that. The people just liked and it was so it was just a subtle Temptation. Well, what did he exhibit the power over Temptation? Let me give you five main characteristics exhibited and we have to do that to the first one is this
We need to have a conviction before the crisis comes conviction before the crisis. Joseph found the power to say no way in which is what you would do before he was ever faced with a situation and that's why he can meet me say no he didn't have to say what do you think about eating meat me said know, how can I do this? How can I do this immediately said no, he was a young man that was walking with God course. We already know that what did he say four times in the scripture? The Lord was with him. That's how he was able it's not because he was such a Godly Man in the Lord and he was giving him to Grace that he needed to say. No he made up his mind about seeing before the Temptation, Let me just say this, but the young people here the backseat of a steamed up automobile Is no place to begin formatting you're standing for David? You know that if you wait until you if you wait until you're in the backseat of a stand-up automobile, and you start thinking I'm going to go fishing right now. It's too late. You need to know what you going to do about sexual sin before it ever happens before it ever comes you need to have your standards and you need to rely on what you know to be true in the word of God. You see crises don't make us what we are crises reveal what we already are. That's what it does. So make up your mind. Now what you're going to do with sexual Temptation Comes Your Way. Well does the second president we need to have love love involved loyalty. Joseph gave me a spot over here reason for not sleeping with her he says because I'm loyal to your husband. Your husband has been good to me. Look what he has done for me and I'm not going to throw that away. You see love involves loyalty too many people today have brought into the notion here that sex is simply a matter of well, if you want to do it and I want to do it to mature adults and that's all that matters. That's all that matters. And so we get involved with people sexually or whatever and then all the sudden he end up hurting ourselves other families and our own family, Joe Joseph understood that they're seeing wouldn't just affect them. He understood that it would affect her husband as well. But look out. Look what else he says in verse 9 how then can I do this great weekend wickedness and sin against who God Let me tell you a principal here.
The only way that you can withstand sexual Temptation. That's an ongoing basis for stamp. The only way you can do that. Is if you love God more than the sea. That's the only way now you see some people can withstand because they said well, I don't want to lose my position. I'm in a position of power and somebody finds out I do this I can't do that. So I would do it but I'm not because of the position that I have and then other people say whenever I have a lot of money and I don't want you to know my wife to give her this and she's going to leave I would do it but I just can't because of my money on something financially. I can't do it and you eventually do it. Okay, you going to eventually do it. The only ways you have to say what Joseph it. How can I do this? Great wickedness against God you have to love God more than anything else. You have a close relationship with the Lord and you know him and you love him with all your heart mind and soul. You can be just like Joseph. Insano. But that's the only way any other excuse you will succumb eventually see there's we have to have this love involved loyalty. And Joseph knew that and he knew that it would affect others, especially God number 3. When we're in Temptation weather is sexual whatever you have to suppress the source. In other words, you have to avoid thesaurus if you can pop her why she probably beautiful she is probably clever. She can probably nice and she tried to spend time with Joseph and win him over slowly and says day after day she kept talking to him and say anything through it and what did he do? He probably just try to stay away from her as far as he could he refuse to become her close friends many times men will like to have women who are close friends not good. Not good whatsoever. You can have friends but not intimate friends and we're going to have power over Temptation. We have to suppress the sort. We have to avoid the source. forfeit
we have to be shocked by sea. Now this one is hard because many people in our culture today including ourselves probably when it comes to seeing we have become shockproof. We sat and stared at the TV and it pumps for seal until the standards of Christ have been broken down and then all the sudden we will tolerate it and we will put up with it and not think anything about. And that's what I say about these shows the phone TV shows like friends. just ungodly show really but what they do is they try to get you to laugh. And all this sexual exploitation and all of that because they know if you will laugh at it eventually you will accept it. And that's exactly what they're doing. We become shockproof some time to send people run around infidelity and we just kind of tolerate it and don't think anything about it and just say well, you know, everybody's doing it, you know, we kinda like that but the very thought that Miss part of her proposed was so far out of bounds for Joseph thought this is the worst thing in the world could I do that? He was just shocked by what she was saying. And so we have to remember that God has established laws to protect our happiness and well-being and to rebell against them is to repel against the ruler of this universe and to commit sin is to reject God so Joseph, he was just absolutely shocked by this concept of well, then just finally just one more. And that is we need to retreat. Instead of BC Retreat not defeat. Well offers wife. No doubt tracking about everyday live with me lie with me Joseph getting Joseph to do this and do that and she was ready to jump in the Sin and Joseph did the best thing possible in that situation. What did he do? She got his coat, but he ran out the door and I know many special to me and so I stopped the courageous thing to do. You ought not to run or what are you going to do? If you don't run you say there's some things we should run from Brother David was talking while ago in his prayer request and pray for our country and statues of Jesus being the head and pulling down and all of that. What do we do? Do we sit by and look at that and don't say anything? No, that's that's the time that we are we are to fight you say, we're in a culture War tonight and the war is not racial divide racial division. It's it's not that what this is is a war on God. This is people who hate God who hate what God stands for who wants to take prayer out of school in the Ten Commandments out of the courthouse and the dollar God off the dollar bill. We ought to stand up against that we offer stand up and speak up stand up. And we need to fight for that week. Where is all the Christian pastors that wears all the Christian congressman and all the lock the fight forgot. That's what that is, but there's something that we need to run. In one of them will be sexual impatient. We don't need to put up. We don't need to stand up and we don't need to stand there and talk about it. We need to run like Joseph did what did Paul say, he told Timothy flee youthful lusts. He said please run from so what's our Warfare against sexual temptation. Is prayer what could be? Is it written Ortiz and doing the best we can no, let me tell you about the best Warfare against sexual temptation. a good pair of running shoes Did you do a good pair of running shoes then get out when it comes your way Joseph did that and Joseph pass the test of prosperity? and the test of shirt and we can to know how did he do it. Was it because he know he did it because the Lord was busy and we going to talk more about that father. We do think him crazy in love you today for your work for we thank you for this story this narrative in the Old Testament Lord. We thank you for Joseph and his life in the things that we can learn from the most of all Lord. We thank you. Because you was with them in your with us. Lord I pray right now for those that may be here today that you're going to test soon. You going to give them the test of prosperity. I pray the Lord will be able to pass that test. I pray the Lord will be able to handle those things that are good that happened in her life, but we won't change but we won't become smug little bit will just thank you and will continue to love people the way we always have Lord I pray for those who going to be tempted and test it shortly. About there. Especially the young people that Spirit today Lord help us all to go ahead and decide exactly what we're going to do when the situation arises or we know that sometimes surprised. It may even be sustained over a. Of weeks months or years. Lord help us to understand that you'll be with us cuz you were tempted just as we were and we are except when I seen and we know that you always provide a way of Escape lower when you test our character help us to pass with flying colors origin Christ's name. I pray amen.