Greg Laurie - The Temptation of a World Changer (10/12/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie teaches from Genesis 39 how Joseph, a young world changer, faced intense sexual temptation from Potiphar's wife yet resisted through his fear of God and commitment to purity. The sermon shows that temptation hits everyone, especially those who threaten Satan's kingdom, but God blesses those who flee sin, and His standards remain absolute no matter the culture or circumstances.
The Temptation of a World Changer
Father, we're thankful to be here in this place where we can honor Your name and worship You, the living God, as we get closer to Christmas. We remember that You came and walked among us as a baby, as a boy, as a man, and then You died and then You rose. And for that, we are forever thankful. But Lord, we know that there is a devil out there that opposes us, that wants to destroy us, that wants to tempt us. So we pray that we'll learn more in this message about how to effectively resist him. We commit this time of Bible study to You now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Alright, well let's grab our Bibles and let's turn to Genesis chapter 39. And we're in our series that we're calling World Changers, based on Hebrews 11. That is a collection of great men and women of the Old Testament that changed their world. And the way they did it was by faith.
But, in this message, I want to talk about The Temptation of a World Changer.
Understanding How Temptation Really Works
I heard a story about a guy that loved Krispy Kreme donuts. How many of you love Krispy Kreme donuts? How many of you have had hot Krispy Kreme donuts? How many of you have never been before? You've never been to Krispy Kreme? It's okay, go sometime. I think you'll like it.
But anyway, he, on his way to work, drove by Krispy Kreme every time. And it was hard, because he was gaining weight and he wanted to lose some. He was on a diet, so he made a determination that he would not go the normal route past Krispy Kreme. And that went well for about a week and a half.
But then he absentmindedly took the old way to work. And there was Krispy Kreme. And the sign was lit up. Now, you know what that means, right? So, in the window, if you've never been to Krispy Kreme, this is going to be helpful to you. If that sign is lit up in the window, it means they're making fresh donuts. Hot, glazed donuts. The best ever.
And the most I've eaten, I think, is six. Is that bad? It sounds like... that's bad, yeah. They're smaller, though. Come on, they're smaller. Have you noticed that? Hey, don't judge me, man. Judge not unless you be judged. I love how people always misquote that.
But anyway, so he, you know, absentmindedly drove by. And the sign was lit up. And he thought, maybe this is a sign from God. Maybe the Lord wants me to have a Krispy Kreme donut. But then he said, well, you know, it's always so crowded there, especially when the sign's lit up. Lord, if there's a parking space right in front, I'll know it's from You. And the eighth time around the block, one opened up. So, right? And I am that man. This is... Okay, so that's how temptation works, right?
It's like, I don't know why I always get tempted, but we unnecessarily put ourselves in the way of temptation. That's what I want to talk about today. Because we're going to look at the life of Joseph.
If you remember, his life could be divided into three sections. Start, struggle, and success. Start, basically, birth to age 17. A pampered young man, favored by his father, over his brothers, having his amazing dreams, which actually were given to him by God.
Then struggle. That's age 17 to 30, and that's what we're going to be looking at in this message to some degree. The struggle he had. And then finally, success, 30 years to death.
And so, this was a young man who faced some heavy-duty temptation. And why? Because the devil always sets his sights on those who are the greatest threat to his kingdom.
So if you come here today and say, Greg, I can't remember the last time I was tempted, that actually said something about you. That doesn't say to me, you're a spiritual person. That says to me, the devil looks at you and says, why bother?
But if you come here today and you say, Greg, I get tempted all the time. And I have these things hit me in my mind and these thoughts and these other things. Does that mean I'm not spiritual? No. Au contraire. That's French for, I have no idea. But no. To the contrary. That could be an indication you are spiritual. And more to the point, that could be an indication that you're a threat to the devil. And that is why he is setting his sights on you.
You might be surprised to know that testing and temptation can have a positive effect in the life of the believer. Well, we think these are horrible things, but God can use them. It's been said, Christians are a lot like tea bags. You don't know what they're made of until you put them in hot water.
So maybe you're in the hot water of temptation or trial right now.
Joseph's Rise and Sudden Fall in Egypt
Right now, well, now let's pick up the story of Joseph. You remember, he would, you know, strut around maybe in that coat of many colors, as King James calls it, that beautiful long-sleeved tunic dad gave to him. Effectively saying, you don't have to work in the fields like your brothers do.
And he would send his son Joseph to check up on the brothers. And so, one day, Joseph was checking up on them, and they said, Oh, here comes the dreamer. We've had enough of him. Let's kill him. Wow. Talk about sibling rivalry. Let's kill him.
But then, a group of traveling slave traders happened to be passing by, called the Midianites, and they said, Oh, better yet, let's make some money off him. Let's sell him. So they sold their brother for 20 pieces of silver.
So Joseph is now a slave. I mean, from overnight, he's gone from a comfortable bed to a life of uncertainty, from security to shivering in shackles. It's horrible. And this is where the story picks up.
Genesis 39:1 Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders. Excuse me, I call them Midianites. They're Ishmaelites. Let's get them right. They're ites. I knew they were ites. I just got the first part wrong. Ishmaelite traders.
He was purchased by Potiphar, the Egyptian officer. Potiphar was the captain of the guard for Pharaoh. You might underline that phrase. I'll come back to it. The king of Egypt.
The Lord was with Joseph. Underline that for sure. 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 that he did.
This pleased Potiphar and soon he made Joseph his personal attendant. He put Joseph in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. And from the day Joseph was put in charge of his master's household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar for Joseph's sake. All of his household affairs ran smoothly and his crops and livestock flourished.
So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. And with Joseph there, he didn't worry about a thing, except what he was going to eat.
Joseph was a very handsome and well-built man. And Potiphar's wife soon began to look at him lustfully. Come and sleep with me, she demanded.
We'll stop there.
Resisting Temptation in a Godless Culture
So Joseph's world changes overnight. But he was going to find in time his dreams were going to come true. His dreams were others would bow before him, but there was going to be some tough sledding first.
He was sent to Egypt. Egypt was a godless place. A completely pagan country filled with religious superstition. The Egyptians would worship up to 2,000 gods and goddesses. They would worship animals and insects. And they would worship the Nile River. And of course, they worshiped the Pharaoh himself.
They were also given over to gross immorality. And they would build these incredible structures. And they would utilize slave labor in their own citizens.
So here in this teeming Metropolis, this city of wickedness and idolatry, comes Joseph, who's really lived a sheltered life. He's only 17 years old. He's effectively the country boy coming to the big city.
And he's purchased by a man named Potiphar, identified in verse 1 as captain of the guard. This meant that he was a high-ranking Egyptian official. He was head of the military police. We might also call them the Gestapo, to kind of illustrate the kind of power he would have.
He was also over the royal bodyguard, which is sort of the secret service of the day. They say he is the chief of the executioners. In other words, everyone who was killed, the order had to be given by Potiphar.
In fact, Potiphar's name says it all. Potiphar comes from the Hebrew, one bad a-dude. And it translates, one bad dude. No, I made that up.
There was a song that was very popular at this time about Potiphar. It went something along the lines of, you don't tug on Superman's cape. You don't spit into the wind. You don't pull on the mask of the old lone ranger, and you don't mess around with Potiphar.
Now, they updated it to Jim. You may have heard it, but that's the kind of guy he was. A man to be feared.
But Joseph wasn't intimidated at all. Why? Verse two. The Lord was with Joseph. Do you know that the Lord is with you too? If you're a Christian, He's with you.
Elijah was able to walk courageously into the court of Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel, and speak the words God gave him, because the Bible says he would say, as the Lord God lives before whom I stand.
Elijah recognized wherever he went, he was standing before God. And Joseph understood the same. Wherever you go, Jesus is there. And Jesus wants to bless you. And He blessed Joseph.
I mean, Joseph is a classic example of Psalm 1. It says, Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly or sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in God's word, and it does he meditate day and night. He'll be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters. Listen, his leaves shall not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper. Blessed be that man.
God does want to bring prosperity into the life of the Christian. Here's the problem. There is a segment of people that have what is sometimes called the prosperity gospel. The word faith movement, it's sometimes called, where they've taken the truth, and they've exaggerated it so much that sometimes we're afraid to talk about it.
The prosperity gospel says, you're always going to be healthy. God wants everyone to be wealthy. He only wants you to have prosperity. Never any kind of sickness, etc. Never any kind of suffering either.
Well, Joseph prospered. But in that prosperity, that also included spending some time in prison. So even in God's prosperity, there can be hardship, but ultimately God wants to bless us, and He certainly did with Joseph.
Working with Integrity as Unto the Lord
In fact, Joseph was a model of how a Christian should function in the workplace. I mean, Potiphar, man, he was a hard guy to work for, but Joseph worked with complete integrity.
In Colossians 3:22-24, we have these words about how we should do our job. This is from a modern translation. It says, don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from your heart for your real master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind that the ultimate master you're serving is Christ.
I love this part. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.
Hey, you want to be a good witness? Be a good worker. I mean, before anything else, that earns you the right to share your faith. But if you go in there and you clock out early and you're not a responsible worker and then you share your faith, people won't listen to you.
But if you work with integrity, if you work hard, realizing that your ultimate boss is not the guy or girl who signs your paycheck, but it's the Lord and you do whatever you do as unto the Lord, it'll change everything around you.
And by the way, that's when you'll get advanced because when people are employers, they look for hardworking employees. Not people that just phone it in. Not people that give the bare minimum, but people that go the extra mile. People that maybe have ideas. People that want to do it even more effectively.
That's true in work and that's true in ministry as well.
Yes, Joseph was being tempted. And maybe you're being, or excuse me, I wanted to say tested. He is being tested. And maybe you're being tested right now. You're working somewhere in obscurity. You know, you have an entry-level job. You're making minimum wage. You're washing dishes. You're bussing tables. You're framing houses. You're flipping burgers. Whatever you're doing, do it for the Lord.
As if Jesus himself pulled up into the line and ordered a double-double animal style. That's got to be the most awesome burger you ever made. Do it as though Christ himself was going to eat it. And I know if Jesus walked among us, He would eat a double-double animal style. I'm not so sure about the Krispy Kreme.
But do it as unto the Lord. It'll change the way you see work when you get up in the morning. You see, that's how Joseph saw it.
Now he's successful. In fact, he's so successful that Potiphar's made him his executive assistant. He's second in command. Potiphar's saying, look son, works for me. In fact, all I'm worried about today is what am I having for lunch.
So just keep doing what you're doing, son, because you're doing a great job.
And sometimes when things are going well, we become more vulnerable. You know when maybe we can't always make ends meet or when we're sick or when we're having challenges, we're dependent on God. Oh God, we say, help me.
But then when things are going well and we have a little extra money maybe in the bank or our health that's super good or there's fruit in our ministry or whatever it is, we can become complacent and lazy and sloppy and slothful and ultimately susceptible. And that's when temptation will hit. And that's when they hit Joseph.
You know, David, we're studying his life in our V2 series. And I hope you're all a part of that. And if you aren't, you can still jump in. The first of the year would be a great time to engage or re-engage.
But there's two names that sum up the life of David. Two names that we join to his name that say it all. There's David and Goliath, his greatest victory defeating the Philistine giant. And David and who? Oh, you got it. His worst defeat.
And when did that happen? When did David fall into sin with Bathsheba? It happened after he had been successful and ruled for many years and he was kind of kicking back and sort of taking a spiritual vacation. And in this moment of idleness, temptation came.
Joseph's Bold Resistance to Sin
And here's what happens now to Joseph. After great success, the devil attacks. Genesis 39. Read with me. Starting in verse 7. By the way, I'm reading from the New Living Translation.
Potiphar's wife began to look at him lustfully. Come sleep with me, she said. Wow, she was far from subtle.
But Joseph refused. And he told her, look, my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one has more authority than I do. He's held back nothing from me except you because you're his wife. Like, hint, hint, remember you're married?
How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God. Man, I would underline that verse. A great sin against God.
But 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.
One day, however, no one else was around. He went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, his coat, demanding, come on, sleep with me.
And Joseph tore himself away but left his cloak in her hand and he ran from her house.
We'll stop there.
She's so ticked off that he rejected her advances. She falsely accuses him of rape. She yells to the servants, well, look what this man did. He tried to take advantage of me. I've got his coat. And he fled out of here and then when her husband got home, she told him.
By the way, I think Potiphar knew his wife was a liar. I think he knew she was a seductress. I think he knew she was making this all up but he went along with it.
You know, it sort of reminds us of that movie from years ago, The Graduate. Remember that? Where an older woman seduces a young man and you could almost hear Joseph saying, well, I think you're trying to seduce me, Mrs. Potiphar. Cue the Simon and Garfunkel song.
I mean, wow. She was the original cougar. She wanted Joseph to be her boy toy. And he was very handsome, the Bible says. Very good looking guy.
And maybe it was a little bit flattering to have her give so much attention toward him. But he resisted her.
And by the way, he's a young guy. He's in his 20s. He's a bachelor. And he has normal God-given sexual desires. And not to mention the fact that he's now been 10 years in Egypt with all those values around him.
He could have said, hey, who would ever know? Maybe it'll help my career. And besides, I'm in Egypt, so I might as well walk like an Egyptian. But he didn't do that, did he?
I love verse 10. He kept out of her way as much as possible.
You know one of the best ways to deal with temptation? Stay away from it when you can.
Now granted, temptation can hit us anywhere, right? Temptation can hit you sitting in church. It's not always an immoral, impure thought. It could be a thought of anger, a thought of hatred, a thought of jealousy, or some other thing you're tempted with, coming to church or leaving church.
It can hit you at any time and any place. But let's all be honest. We know there are places we can go that make us more vulnerable, right? Like the guy with the Krispy Kreme. He knew if he drove by and the sign was lit up, he was gonna go in there and we know where we're weak, we know where we'll fall, and the devil is smart.
He's been doing this for a while. So he won't say, hey you, happy Christian, come here. I wanna ruin your life. I wanna destroy your family. In fact, I don't wanna just destroy your family. I wanna destroy your kids and your grandkids and your great-grandkids who aren't even born yet because I'm gonna mess you up so bad it's gonna be passed on from generation to generation.
In fact, I'd like you to become an addict, become an alcoholic. You know, maybe, hey, if things go well from my perspective, you'll kill yourself. What do you think?
What moron's gonna respond to that? Okay, which way do I go? Okay, not many.
No, the devil's smart if you come and say, hey, I know you'd never do this stuff. I know you'd never be unfaithful to your spouse. I know you'd never lie or steal, but just this once try this out. Just take a little taste. Just take a test drive. Just try it on once. Just take this thought out for a spin.
And that's where the problems begin. Because it starts with that little thing that becomes a bigger thing.
Martin Luther once said, I can't stop a bird from flying over my head, but I can stop him from building a nest in my hair. Now, in my case, the bird better bring its own materials because there's just nothing there to work with.
But you get the idea of what he's saying, right? I can't stop the bird from flying over, but I don't have to say, hey, come on, enter in here and so if the devil knocks on your door, don't have a conversation with him. Don't answer the door. Just leave it closed.
The Bible says, resist the devil and he'll flee from you. It doesn't say, have extended conversations with the devil. Nor does it say, check out what he's offering just so you know. Nor does it say, invite him in for tea. It says, resist him.
And that's what Joseph did. He kept out of her way, verse 10, as much as possible.
You see, Joseph recognized, temptation is not a sin. Rather, it's a call to battle.
But this woman, she was relentless. She kept putting pressure on him, verse 10 says, day after day, but he refused to sleep with her. She just would not give up. And she came back at him over and over again.
And I'm sure she used every verbal and visual, seductive technique she could think of. She did everything to allure him, but in spite of her persistence, in spite of his natural desires and tendencies, in spite of the advancement it could have given his career, in spite of his own miserable background at home, he resisted.
How did he do it? Verse 9 gives us the answer. He said, how can I do such a wicked thing? It would be a sin against God.
So how do we overcome temptation? If you're taking notes, here's a few takeaway points.
Practical Steps to Overcome Temptation
Number one, everyone will be tempted. Everyone will be tempted. Again, as I said, temptation is not a sin. It's a call to battle. It can even be an indication you're on the right track and moving in the right direction.
Listen to this. Jesus was tempted at the beginning and the end of His ministry. Remember, right after He was baptized by His cousin John in the Jordan River and the Father spoke and said, this is My beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased.
What happened after that? The Bible says, immediately He was driven into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Immediately. Right away.
So He was tempted in the beginning. And what was the devil effectively saying to Christ? Hey, worship me right now and you don't even have to go to the cross. Here's all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. I'll give it to you on a silver platter if you'll worship me.
Worship me, I'll give it to you. No, Jesus resisted that temptation.
Now fast forward to the end of His ministry. He's gone to the cross. He's hanging there. Nails have been driven through His hands and His feet. And people are saying, if He's really the Son of God, let Him save Himself.
You see, the temptation was, forget it. Throw in the towel. Why die for these people that laugh at you and mock you and reject you? No, He went through with it.
If He faced it in the beginning and the end of His life, do you think it will be any different for us?
I heard about an old preacher who was asked by a young man, Preacher, when I get older, will I cease to be tempted? The old guy wisely said, Son, I wouldn't trust myself until I had been dead for three days.
Temptation will always hit. So number one, everyone will be tempted. That means you. That means me.
Number two, Joseph understood there are consequences to sin. He understood there are consequences to sin.
Look at Genesis 39:8. Look, he said, My master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one has more authority than I do and he's held back nothing from me except you because you're his wife.
I find this kind of interesting. Here is Potiphar who was a slave owner. He bought Joseph but yet Joseph had a loyalty to him. Oh, well, you know, he's given me so many great opportunities. I wouldn't do this to him.
And it seemed like he'd want to get that guy for what he did buying you as a slave. But no, Joseph had sort of a loyalty to Potiphar and I think he also thought about his reputation.
People knew he was that Jewish man. People knew that he believed in a different God than the people of Egypt.
And I just wish people would think a little bit before they go in to sin. You know, when you start contemplating that affair, worst word ever, affair. Sounds like fun. Sounds like a cruise. Where have you been? I've been having an affair. Well, la-di-da, man.
No, you've been committing sexual sin. You've been in adultery. But we have this nice word we've attached to it.
But before you go into that sort of thing, think about the repercussions. Think about how it's gonna affect your spouse. Think about how it's gonna affect your children. How it's gonna affect your parents.
And then what about the person you're involved with? How will it affect their spouse and their children and their family?
We don't think about things like that. We just think about ourselves, but we'll justify it and we'll say, well, you know what? My marriage isn't fulfilling anymore. And this new person I just met, they're my soul mate. And they understand me like nobody else does, so I'm going to divorce my spouse and marry them and then I'll be happy.
Well, actually, the statistics are against you. There's an interesting book written by Lana Stinelli on the topic of marital infidelity. And she points out after her studies, quote, of those who break up their marriage to marry someone else, 80% are sorry later. Of those who do marry their lover, which is only about 10%, 70% of them get a divorce. And of that 25 to 30% that stay married, only half of them are happy.
She concludes, quote, having an affair is an invitation to an awful lot of pain and tragedy, end quote.
So, think about that. There's consequences.
Number three, God's standards are absolute. They don't change.
Now, I know Joseph had had a rough time. He had a rough childhood. He had really mean brothers. He had been taken from his homeland to a foreign place. He was living in Egyptian culture, surrounded by Egyptian morals. And he was forced to be a slave.
But some things never change. And that includes the word of God. God's word does not change. Even if culture changes, God's word does not change.
See, they would say to Joseph, man, go for it. This is an opportunity. But for him, he knew it was wrong.
We live in a time where wrong is perceived as right. And right is perceived as wrong.
And you might say, well, you know, it's okay because I'm single and I'm lonely. Or my marriage isn't all that I want it to be.
But listen, wrong is wrong even if you don't get caught. Wrong is wrong even if others are doing worse things. And listen to this. Wrong is wrong even if it doesn't bother your conscience.
Because sometimes people will say, well, you know what? I feel good about this. I feel good about divorcing my husband, though I have no biblical grounds. I feel good about this.
I've had people say that to me, by the way. I feel good about having sex with my boyfriend. You know, it's okay. The Lord spoke to me and said, I'm cool.
Did God actually say that? Yeah, he said I'm cool. I love that. Okay, God didn't say that to you. Because God will not contradict His word.
And you know what you're saying to me in so many words when you make a statement like that? You're saying my conscience isn't working anymore. You're telling me my heart has gotten hard.
Because if your conscience doesn't show you what you're doing is wrong, that's a problem. See, sometimes your conscience can just get messed up. The Bible talks about having your conscience seared as with a hot iron.
I have a super powerful iron at home. It's from Europe. It has a steam blast mechanism that is better than any American iron. And I love it. And you fill up the little tank with water. You need a hose to do it. It's so big. No, it's not that big.
So I'll iron stuff. And a while back, I ironed a shirt. And there was a wrinkle in the middle. Now, a normal, rational person would take the shirt off and iron it. But I thought, no, I'll iron it while I'm wearing it.
But better yet, oh, why touch that iron to my skin? I'll just give it a blast of steam. So I held the shirt out as far as I could. And I held the iron out. And I gave it a blast. And it hit me. And I screamed like a little girl. So painful. I had a big red welt.
But the wrinkle was gone. But that night, I was getting ready for bed. My wife looked at me and said, what's that big red welt? I said, don't ask.
See, our heart can get like that. It can be seared.
Years ago, I had the privilege of being with Billy Graham. I'm in Portland, Oregon, where he just gave a crusade. Or did a crusade. And he had just got done preaching. We got in the car. We're driving out.
And I wanted to compliment him. And I was riding in the front, shotgun seat. And his longtime associate, T.W. Wilson, was driving. Billy was in the back seat. And Franklin, his son, next to him.
So I turned around, facing the back. And I said, Billy, that was a great message tonight. And Billy looked at me with those steely blue eyes. And he said, it's just gospel.
I turned back around. Whoa. Just trying to be nice. But I realized he didn't really want to be complimented.
So I thought, I'll try again. Because he made this great point. In his message, he said, Christ can resensitize your conscience. I love that.
So I turned back around. I said, Billy, I love the point when you said, Christ can resensitize your conscience. And Billy said, well, he can. I was like, I know.
So I just stopped trying to compliment him. Maybe that's one of the secrets of his success. He didn't want that praise.
But it was true what he said. Christ can resensitize your conscience.
Listen to me. If you're doing something right now, the Bible says you should not be doing, and you don't feel bad about it, you need to pray that God will resensitize your conscience.
No, you should not always let your conscience be your guide. Apologies to Jiminy Cricket. Because your conscience can mislead you.
No, listen. You should always let the Bible be your guide. This is the one absolute you can always stand on and be certain of.
But Joseph understood this. All sin was against God.
That's point number four. I love what he says to her. He says, how can I do this thing and sin against God?
He did not want to do this thing that would bring dishonor to the Lord.
So he ran as fast as he could. Verse 12. I love this. He ran as fast as he could.
Sometimes that's the best way to deal with it. It's just real simple. You're getting tempted. So I don't know why I'm always getting tempted. Well, tell me about the last time.
Well, I was getting tempted, you know, to have sex with my girlfriend. Wow. Okay. Where were you? Hotel room. What? Yeah, hotel room. You're in a hotel room with her? Yeah. Where were you in the room? Laying on the bed. Uh-huh. And you got tempted? Yeah.
You're an idiot.
Yeah, I really struggle with drinking, man. I'm an alcoholic and I can't drink. I just fall off the wagon and it's insane. I really got tempted the other night.
Yeah, I didn't see you at church the other night. Where were you? In a bar. Why would you hang out in a bar? Amazing chicken wings in this bar. And they have the screens. You can watch the sports.
Okay. Really? Are you that stupid? You got to stay away from those things in areas where you are vulnerable. Okay. It's as simple as that.
And sometimes you just need to run as fast as you can.
Joseph's no to her was a yes to God.
Think of it this way. Let's say you're walking along through a field and you see a coiled rattlesnake. The little rattler's going, poised and ready to strike.
What do you do? Well, I think it's always good to let a snake smell your hand like a dog. No. Maybe just pat it on the head. No.
What's the best thing to do? Turn around and run. Run and get away from the rattlesnake.
That's the way you deal with sin. Put as much distance between it and you as you possibly can.
So Joseph refused. And man, he was blessed as a result, as we will see.
Listen, there is a blessing waiting for the man or woman who resists temptation. I know it's hard in the moment. I know the pressure is on. I know you're saying this is not easy, but you say no to it. And then it passes. It'll come again, but it passes.
And you'll be blessed because James 1:12 says, Blessed is the man who endures temptation for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those that love him.
A word blessed could just as easily be translated, happy is the man or the woman who resists temptation.
So let's recap and conclude.
Number one, everyone will be tempted. And remember again, temptation is not a sin. It's a call to battle.
Number two, there are consequences to sin. No matter how clever you've been, covering it up, it will come out.
Number three, God's standards are absolute. They don't change. It doesn't matter if what you're being tempted to do is socially acceptable or if everybody is doing it. God holds us to a higher standard.
Number four, all sin is against God. All sin is against God. And our love for God is our greatest deterrent against sin.
Joseph loved the Lord. He said, hey, I can't do this thing and sin against the Lord.
Hey, maybe you're living in an ungodly place right now. In your home, maybe you're the only believer in the family. In your neighborhood, you're the only Christian. You have a nativity scene and everyone looks at you like you're a lunatic, right?
Or maybe in your classroom, you're the person the teacher or the professor will often make jokes about because of your faith in God. Or in your workplace, you're the one person that believes.
And so you know what it's like to be in a wicked place. And you say, it's hard, man. I'm surrounded by temptation day and night. I don't think that I can stay pure in a place like this.
Well, Joseph was able to.
Let me tell you about another young person that resisted temptation. Her name was Mary. And she was the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And guess where Mary lived? In Nazareth. Nazareth was a wicked city. It was renowned for wickedness. That's why Nathaniel said, when hearing Christ was from Nazareth, can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
Let's say Jesus were born today. Where do you think He'd be born? If it wasn't prophesied specifically, we'd say, well, He might be born in Rome. Or He might be born in Paris. Or He might be born in some important city.
What would you do if you found out the Messiah was born in Las Vegas? Jesus of Las Vegas. You'd say, what? Now, I know the king used to be there. Thank you very much. But the king of kings from Vegas?
Well, can any good thing come out of Las Vegas? And why would you say that? Because Las Vegas is called Sin City.
Nazareth was Sin City. And there lived Mary. A godly woman in an ungodly place. A pure girl in an impure place. And she was faithful. And the Lord handpicked her to have the greatest privilege of any woman who ever walked the face of the earth to bear in her womb the very Son of God.
And when Gabriel came to Mary there in Nazareth, he said, greetings, Mary. You're gonna give birth to a son and you'll name him Jesus and He'll save His people from their sins.
Now, that's why Jesus came. And that's why the devil tried to stop Him. That's why the devil came in the temptation of the wilderness and said, don't go to the cross. I'll give you what you want.
That's why he tried again at the cross. Come down from there and save Yourself because Satan knew when Christ died for the sin of the world we would all have access to God and he did not want that.
But Jesus did that for you. Jesus died on that cross for you. And then He rose again from the dead.
Listen to this. He's here with us right now in this place knocking at the door of our lives saying if we'll hear His voice and open the door, He'll come in.
And here's my question. Do you have a personal relationship with God? Is Christ living in you?
Maybe you've tried to resist temptation but you don't feel like you have any resolve or any strength. Maybe you just need the Lord in your life.
This is not about being religious. This is a relationship. And you can know God in a personal way and have all of your sin forgiven.
There might be some of you here who are struggling in sin. You know, you're a believer but you're doing things you shouldn't be doing. And this would be a great opportunity for you to repent of that and get right with God.
So in a moment we're gonna pray and I'm gonna give an opportunity for you to ask Christ to come into your life. An opportunity for you to come back to Him if you're living a compromised life this would be a great time to make this commitment as we all bow our heads. Everybody praying with me please wherever you are.
Father, thank You for Your word to us. Lord, we wanna live godly lives. We wanna be godly men like Joseph. Godly girls like Mary. And Lord, we pray for those here that don't know You. Help them to see how much they need You.
Our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying together. How many of you would say today, Greg, pray for me. I want Jesus Christ and we're praying together.
How many of you would say today, "Greg, pray for me. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. I want Him to forgive me of my sin. Jesus in my life." If that's your desire, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you wanna go to heaven when you die, would you raise your hand up and let me pray for you.
Wherever you are, just raise your hand up here where I can see it. God bless you. Lift it up. God bless you. Wherever you are, raise your hand up.
You're watching the screen. Doesn't matter. I can't see you, but the Lord sees you. Would you raise your hand up wherever you are saying, "I need Jesus Christ in my life right now. Pray for me." God bless you that are raising your hand. Anybody else? Let me pray for you. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand now. God bless you.
While our heads are still bowed, maybe some of you would say, "I've been doing things I know I should not be doing as a Christian. I've been compromising. I've been doing these sinful things. And I have heard the Lord today, and I'm going to repent of it, and I'm going to recommit my life to Christ. Pray for me."
If that's your desire, I want you to lift your hand up right now. You need to make this recommitment to Christ. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else, just raise your hand up wherever you are. God bless you. God bless all of you.
Now, you that have raised your hand, I want you to pray this prayer out loud right after me. Mark this moment in time. This is your moment of commitment or recommitment. God is here. Jesus Christ hears this prayer. And He'll answer it.
Again, as I pray, pray it out loud right where you sit after me, wherever you are.
Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, but I know You're the Savior, who was born in the manger, who died on the cross, who rose from the dead. Forgive me of my sin, Jesus. I choose to follow You from this moment forward. Thank You for calling me and accepting me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.