The Key to Staying Pure

When Joseph reached Egypt, Potiphar bought him. Now Potiphar was an officer of the Pharaoh (king) of Egypt. In fact, he was the captain of the king’s guard. The “guard” may have been the king’s executioners or the king’s bodyguards or both. Psalm 105:17-18 tells us that Joseph spent some time with chains of iron on his feet. Joseph lost his family, lost his friends, lost his freedom, but he did not lose his faith.

Transition

As we study this chapter, I want to show you from Joseph’s life the key to staying pure.

Joseph had Godly Character

Even as a slave others could see his character
1. He was prosperous (v.2). This word means to advance. Thus, it means to prosper, make progress, succeed, and be profitable.
2. God was with Joseph and the things he did advanced.
3. His master saw that he was a good worker (v.3). You see, Joseph did his best even when he had been sold by his brothers into slavery.
His character made him trustworthy
² In a recent sermon, I quoted D.L. Moody who said, “Character is what a man is in the dark.”
² Billy Sunday, a preacher who died in 1935 said, “Your reputation is what people say about you. Your character is what God and your wife know about you.”
1. Joseph’s master came to trust him (v.4). Joseph had godly character – he was obedient, trustworthy, forgiving, responsible, diligent, discerning, dependable, hardworking, honest, pure, plus he had faith and a fear of God.
  ☆ There are many character qualities, but if you made it your goal to lived these 12 character qualities and instilled them in each of your children, think of what God could do with your lives!
2. Potiphar promoted Joseph to the stewardship of all that he owned (v.5). Remember, Potiphar was the captain of the king’s bodyguards. He was not a poor farmer.
3. Joseph served with godly character (v.6).
  **Joseph had godly character, but godly character alone is not the key to staying pure.

Joseph had Determination

He refused to yield to temptation (v.7-9)
1. Potiphar’s wife tried to get Joseph to sin with her.
2. He refused because he did not want to sin.
  1. Adultery would have been a sin against her husband (v.8-9).
  2. Adultery is wickedness (v.9)
  3. Adultery would have been a sin against God (v.9)
  4. Jesus took it a step farther and applied it to the thoughts that lead to sexual sin.
    ☆ (Matthew 5:28) “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
He daily refused temptation (v.10)
1. This evil woman begged Joseph to sin every day.
2. Joseph could not change jobs. He was a slave. He had to do his work each day. With holy determination, Joseph refused to listen to her, to sin with her, or even to be with her.
  ☆ Joseph’s determination to avoid sin is an awesome example to us. He had to be in the sensual work environment, yet he made no provision for his flesh. He did not give in even a little.
  **Joseph had determination, but determination alone is not the key to staying pure.

Joseph Ran from Temptation

If you have ever walked on rocks in a river, you know how slippery they can be. The safest way to keep from falling on slippery rocks is to stay off the rocks. Temptation is like those slippery rocks.

Joseph had a plan for protection.
1. Joseph knew that every day when he went to work, this sensual woman would be there to tempt him.
2. Though God does not give us the details, we know by his actions that Joseph had made a plan for escape. Joseph was a man like very man – lured by the sensual. Yet, he did not allow his flesh to choose.
When attacked, he ran for the exit (v.11-12).
1. The sensual woman looked for an opportunity. When no one else was in the house and Joseph entered to do his work, she made her move. Like the snap of a trap, the evil woman grabbed Joseph by his jacket and begged him to sin with her.
2. He jerked out of his jacket and ran. How did he react so quickly? He had a plan to run for the exit.
3. God promises us an exit for every temptation, but the exit is BEFORE we take the first step on temptation’s slippery rocks toward sin.
  ☆ (1 Corinthians 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 also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
4. The woman lied about Joseph and he was sent to prison (v.13-20), but even in prison the Lord was with Joseph (v.21-23)
  **Joseph ran from temptation, but running from temptation alone is not the key to staying pure.

The Key

While each of the above qualities helped to keep Joseph pure, the key to staying pure was his close walk with the Lord.
1. Joseph had godly character, determination, and ran from temptation because he had a close walk with God.
2. God was with Joseph because Joseph drew near to God. That is true for us as well.
  ☆ (James 4:8) “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
  ☆ (1 John 1:7) “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
3. His testimony shows that he depended on God for help.
  ☆ (Psalms 145:18) “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.”
4. I do not know if he had the Holy Spirit, but if he did, he was walking in harmony with Him as we must.
  ☆ (Galatians 5:16-17) “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
When we are walking in close harmony with the Lord and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will have victory.
1. The indwelling Holy Spirit is greater than the tempter.
  ☆ (1 John 4:4) “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
2. When we step out of that closeness with God that we lose God’s power against temptation.
  On the farm, we used a low voltage electric fence to keep the cattle from going astray. As long as the fence was hot, it shocked the cattle when they touched it and they backed away. If the power was shorted or turned off, it failed to keep the cattle in. In a similar way, closeness to God connects us to God’s power of protection.

Conclusion

When tempted, we need godly character, determination, and then run from temptation. However, the power behind these qualities is a close walk with God. You cannot defeat temptation in your own power. If you do not spend time daily in the Bible and prayer and keep your life clean and close to the Lord, you will yield to temptation either in your mind or in your actions.

You cannot have a close walk with the Lord if you do not know Him as your Saviour from hell. That is where you must begin.

Song: I need Thee every Hour, 318
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The Key to Staying Pure
18 January 2015 am – Genesis 39 – Gen 14 – Scott Childs

Sermons

The Key to Staying Pure – Genesis 39