The following is a manuscript of the sermon presented by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, November 5, 2023 at our West U Baptist campus. To view the sermon in full, check out the link below.

Today, we are going to uncover three principles to guide us when we face temptation.

We pick up the story of Joseph, after having just been sold into slavery in Egypt by the Ishmaelites. Let’s look at where he ends up and see what happens.

Genesis 39:1-6a

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. ² The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ 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. ⁵ From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. ⁶ 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.” 

The first principle I want to share with you today is this:

Three Principles We Can Learn from Joseph

1. When success comes, temptation is not far behind.

I. When Success Comes, Temptation is Not Far Behind

Notice what it says of Joseph:

Genesis 39:2a

² The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man…

Here we have two things. Frist, we have God’s presence with Joseph. This is his walk.

It’s the blessing of the Lord on a diligent life. Joseph was a man who had dreams…he was given the gift of vision—a sense of seeing. And with this gift comes an awareness that this is from a gift-giver…the God of Abraham, Isaac, and his father, Jacob.

Joseph, had a heavenly perspective, and we see that he had great success.

Look at how the success is described.

Genesis 39:3-6

³ 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. ⁵ From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. ⁶ 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.

• 3 – His master saw that the Lord was with him…there was something unique and distinct about Joseph. Over and against all the other slaves, Joseph stood out.

What is this? Why is this?

This is what God did to Abraham’s descendants through Isaac.

Genesis 12:2

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Now, listen. The global population is over 8 billion people. Jews make up 15.2 million of those people. And the blessing of God is on their lives.

Though they make up only .02% of the world’s population, they are found in upper levels of power, influence, achievement, and wealth.

Here is a headline from a March 2018, Jewish Business News.

Jews Make-Up 19% Of Forbes 200 World’s Richest List

Jews are disproportionately represented on the roster of the richest business people, with 10 Jews among the top 50 (20%), and 38 (19%) Jews among first 200 world’s wealthiest.

As you look at the seats of influence:

• Government
• Media
• Entertainment
• Education
• Arts
• Athletics

Jewish people are at some of the highest levels of leadership all over the world.

Why is that?

Because of the blessing of God on their lives. As it is with Joseph…it often is with Jewish people in these spheres of influence.

And here is what we need to remember.

Genesis 12:3

“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

If you want God’s blessing, you bless Abraham’s descendants. And the reason the world is after them, is because Messiah has come from their line and will come to them for their salvation as Romans 11:26 and following teaches.

Potiphar saw this blessing of God on Joseph. And yet, when the blessing brought success, the temptation followed.

Genesis 39:6b-10

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?” ¹⁰ And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

Notice the plot thickens here. Joseph is handsome…he’s gorgeous…If he was around, Travis Kelce wouldn’t have a chance with Taylor Swift.

Potiphar’s wife notices him, and she wants him. So, she comes at him again…and again…and again.

She is trying to wear him down so she can get him in her bed. The temptation is before him repeatedly.

So, here’s the second principle I want to share with you today.

Three Principles We Can Learn from Joseph

1. When success comes, temptation is not far behind.
2. Don’t wait for temptation to come, to grasp the proper perspective.

II. Don’t wait for temptation to come, to grasp the proper perspective.

Joseph could have said, “You know, my master will never know…I can have her repeatedly…I can get away with it.”

Isn’t that what we do?

We rationalize sin. We reason why we believe others can’t get away with something but we can!

So, in this second principle, allow me to give you three things to grant you a proper perspective.

Proper Perspective

1. Don’t waste the Pain!

Don’t waste the pain –

Don’t wase the learnings of the previous hardship in your life. Learn from it.

Proverbs 26:11

Like a dog that returns to his vomit
    is a fool who repeats his folly.

Learn from your pain. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from the pit…don’t miss out on the lessons life teaches you.

How can we learn?

1. Make mistakes –

John Maxwell says,

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.”

2. Watch others make mistakes – Why be so hard headed and hard hearted that you have to have your own pain to learn by?
3. Be Teachable/Coachable – Get someone a little further down the road than you and then go and ask questions and take note.

Notice Joseph’s progression.

Remember when we meet him he says to his brothers, “You guys will bow down to me.” And he communicates in such a way that his brothers hate him and his father rebukes him.

We will never know this…but I wander if in the pit, Joseph has a moment saying something like this…

“You know, if I get out of here alive, I’m going to do things a bit differently.”

Proper Perspective

1. Don’t waste the Pain!
2. Know Your Spot

The second way to have a proper perspective is to know your spot.

How does Joseph walk?

I believe he is walking daily in humility. His communication is very different from the way he communicated with his brothers.

• Daily, she would approach him…daily he would rebuff her.
• Know, when I say know your spot, I want you to think both horizontally and vertically.

Horizontally, notice how Joseph communicates about his relationship with his master, Potiphar.

Genesis 39:8-9a

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.”

Notice in his horizontal relationships, he seeks to honor authority.

Joseph’s testimony is this:

1. 8b – “…because of me, my master has no concern about anything in the house.”

This seems arrogant if you stop here.

But notice here in verse 8 we see the term, “my master…”

This is a term of submission. Joseph could have said, “Ma’am, because of me your husband has no concern…”

But he didn’t do that.

No, he brought the master close and realized that if I’m going to thrive in this environment, I’m going to have to draw close to the authority in my life and I am going to serve them.

If you want to win, find out how the authority in your life keeps score, and go score.

Draw close to them and humbly serve them. Serve them so well that they can’t help but give you more.

Remember, Romans 8:29 speaks of God’s predetermined purpose for your life.

Romans 8:29

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

God has predetermined that you and I would be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. And Jesus said of himself, “I didn’t come to be served, but to serve.”

What is God is so serious about this happening in your life that He is willing for you to find yourself in a pit, and/or working for Potiphar?

As Joseph has learned to serve, he is saying, “I have served my master so well and so faithfully, that he is not greater than I am in this house.”

You see, good leaders see capacity and faithfulness, and so they grant more responsibility. The, as time goes on , there is such a trust, that the leader says, “I’m not in charge here anymore…she is…or he is. I’ll be the first follower, and we are doing what he/she is leading us to do.”

This is what he means by saying, “…he is not greater than I am in this house.”

He is saying…

We’ve gotten there. He trust me so much, a Hebrew slave, that even in his own house, he follows my lead…and only you are off limits to me.”

And that’s just his horizontal perspective on his relationship with his boss. It’s a powerful reverent thing.

And he didn’t wait for the temptation to figure it out.

From where does this reverence come? – Look at verse 9b.

Genesis 39:9b

How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 

Do you see the vertical? – Sin against God.

Adultery is wickedness and it’s not just against another man, by sleeping with his wife. It is also against God. Joseph understands what it is to fear God. And that keeps him aware of his spot…he knows his spot.

Now, look for a moment with me about what the Bible says about adultery.

What the Bible Says About Adultery:

1. You shall not commit adultery! – Exodus 20:14 – It’s one of the big 10…it’s that important.
2. It’s road leads to devastation and death. Speaking of the adulterous…

Proverbs 7:24-27

And now, O sons, listen to me,
    and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
²⁵ Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
    do not stray into her paths,
²⁶ for many a victim has she laid low,
    and all her slain are a mighty throng.
²⁷ Her house is the way to Sheol,
    going down to the chambers of death.

That’s ruin and devastation.

What else does it say about adultery?

3. If you commit adultery, you lack wisdom and are taking an active role in destroying yourself.

Proverbs 6:23-35

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
²⁴ 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;
²⁶ for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
    but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
²⁷ Can a man carry fire next to his chest
    and his clothes not be burned?
²⁸ Or can one walk on hot coals
    and his feet not be scorched?
²⁹ So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
    none who touches her will go unpunished.
³⁰ People do not despise a thief if he steals
    to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
³¹ but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
    he will give all the goods of his house.
³² He who commits adultery lacks sense;
    he who does it destroys himself.
³³ He will get wounds and dishonor,
    and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
³⁴ For jealousy makes a man furious,
    and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
³⁵ He will accept no compensation;
    he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

When you go sleep with another man’s wife…watch out! You lack sense. You destroy yourself…and your disgrace will not be wiped away.

What else does the Bible say about adultery?

4. Adultery is a trap set for you!

Proverbs 5:20-23

Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?
²¹ For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
and he ponders all his paths.
²² The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
²³ He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Now, Joseph didn’t have the 10 Commandments. They came after him.

He didn’t have Solomon’s wisdom…that too, came well after him.

But Joseph was wise. He was wise enough to say no. he was wise enough not to listen.

Notice verse 10.

Genesis 39:10

And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

You can’t listen to the temptation and expect to not succumb.

Alcoholics who keep alcohol in their homes will succumb.

Those addicted to pornography who don’t put accountability measure in place are destined to succumb.

Joseph was wise. He wouldn’t listen. And wisdom is the third thing that we need to keep a proper perspective when temptation comes.

Proper Perspective

1. Don’t waste the Pain!
2. Know Your Spot
3. Get Wisdom

And he was also wise enough to know that committing adultery with this woman was wickedness, a sin against this man and against God.

• Where did he get this wisdom?
• Better yet, how did he get this wisdom?
• Better than that…how does one go from foolish and simple, to wise and blessed?

It’s actually pretty simple: You must fear the Lord.

Proverbs 1:5-7

Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
⁶ to understand a proverb and a saying,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

To get the wisdom of the Lord you must fear the Lord. But fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Which are you? Foolish, despising wisdom and instruction? Or Fearful, believing that God has wisdom just for you?

Look at what Proverbs 2 says about the Lord’s wisdom and what it will do for you.

Proverbs 2:6-10

For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷ he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
⁸ guarding the paths of justice
    and watching over the way of his saints.
⁹ Then you will understand righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
¹⁰ for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

So, what do we see here?

1. Wisdom is given by the Lord.
2. He stores it up for us.
3. He guards our course and is a shield for us.
4. You get understanding of the right ways.
5. Wisdom comes into your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul.

Have you ever sat near someone in church, and you hear them say, “Amen,” or go, “Hmmm?”

That’s when wisdom comes in and they find it pleasant.

But look at another thing that wisdom does.

Proverbs 2:16-19

So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
    from the adulteress with her smooth words,
¹⁷ who forsakes the companion of her youth
    and forgets the covenant of her God;
¹⁸ for her house sinks down to death,
    and her paths to the departed;
¹⁹ none who go to her come back,
    nor do they regain the paths of life.

Look at what the promise is of verse 16.

The wisdom of God will bring about your deliverance from the forbidden woman.

Joseph had God’s wisdom. He feared the Lord…and it led to his deliverance.

And where did Joe experience deliverance?

Keep reading Genesis 39.

Genesis 39:11-20

 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, ¹² 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. ¹³ 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. 

Now, aren’t you just a little upset, like I am here?

Joseph, the successful man, the handsome man, the honorable man who is making the most of a bad situation…and now he finds himself in another pit. He’s now in prison.

Has this happened to you?

            Have you been accused of something you didn’t do?

            Have you been slandered?

            Have you been demoted?

            Have you been the fall guy or the fall girl for another person’s folly?

I am sure that this hurts deeply. I’m sure you have felt like a victim. I’m sure that there is a great misery in a journey like this. But if you would just keep walking…and if you would just keep believing in God’s favor on your life…and if you would stop and do an inventory, you might just come to a different conclusion.

So, let’s do a little inventory:

• Do you have the favor of God on your life? – Check
• Have you been honorable? – Check
• Have you honored the authority in your life? – Check
• Have you withstood the temptation to take advantage of your situation? – Check
• And yet it appears that it went from bad to worse? – Check

Then I have three words for you and this leads us to our third principle when it comes to overcoming temptation.

Three Principles We Can Learn from Joseph

1. When success comes, temptation is not far behind.
2. Don’t wait for temptation to come, to grasp the proper perspective.
3. Trust God is up to something more that you can’t see yet.

III. Trust God is up to something more that you can’t see yet.

Here are the three words that I want to show you.

Three Words to help you trust when you can’t see:

Protection —  Preparation — Position

1. Protection: God delivered him from the adulteress and her daily temptation to wickedness…and when it was put right before him, he ran!!!

God can protect you if you don’t listen, and if you run!

2. Preparation – Here in verse 21, we once again see that the Lord was with Joseph. He was preparing him for the great administrative task of leading Egypt and Israel through a severe famine.

God doesn’t waste your today…he used it to prepare you for tomorrow.

3. Position: God was positioning Joseph by locating him in prison…and you will see this play out in the story.

Genesis 39:20-21

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. ²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

What prison was this? It’s the king’s prison where the king’s prisoners are kept.

Joseph’s deliverance was a prison sentence, and it’s here that God was positioning him for what He had planned.

When God is on the move, He will position you right next to the people you need to be around to accomplish his plan for your life.

Someone asked me the other day, “So how did that happen?”

I said, “Well, we were at our daughter’s soccer game…”

Friends, Joseph’s story is one of protection, preparation, and positioning.

So, instead of feeling like a victim, and believing you have no future, look around at where you are, and begin to serve…serve others…the horizontal, because you serve the Lord…the vertical.