July 24th, 2022
Pastor Matt Lewandowski
Vision / Perception Matters
- What you’re looking for will determine what you see.
- How you perceive God is reflected in your choices.
- How you see yourself will determine your behavior.
- Do you see the world truthfully through the lens of God’s word?
GENESIS 39:1-21 (ESV)
1 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.” 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.
11 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. 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.
1: Joseph was made
by the
of the Lord.
The word for ‘successful’ literally stems from the word meaning to
Psalm 139:7–10 (ESV) - 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
Notice how the Lord is present everywhere and can make his people
in any .
Q: Is the Lord’s presence and favor evident in our lives to those around us?
2: Joseph was a
!
Genesis 12:2-3 (ESV) - 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. 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.”
Q: How are we being a blessing to those God has placed in our lives?
3: Joseph’s success
the
for temptation and adversity.
- Some adversity directly stems from our successes.
4: Joseph’s responses to temptation are instructive to all of us today!
Joseph deals straitly with Potiphar’s wife and in v9 makes plain what her desire is: sin.
- Adultery (among other things) is an
- Adultery would be a sin against his
- Ultimately this would be a sin against
Believers must be able to
sin for what it is. Believers must be able to
(politely state) that any behavior or conduct outside God’s word is sin. Believers must then
it. Believers must then
and it.
Dealing with temptation is hard because it is often an
- Notice the progress of her enticement (temptation to sin)
- Enticement with
- Lay beside her (come near to sin, but not technically embrace it) -
- Be
Half the battle is not
yourself for failure. when you are vulnerable and against it! Don’t hang around and flirt with temptation!
1 Corinthians 6:18 (ESV) - Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
2 Timothy 2:22 (ESV) - So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
1 Corinthians 10:12–13 (ESV) - 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
5: Rewarded with a setback… or a
?
Notice that Joseph DID the right thing and
Don’t miss how this passage ends:
The account is bookended with God’s
(chesed) and upon Joseph.
RESPONSE:
Recognize God’s steadfast love and goodness in all seasons of life.
Remember that success and prosperity is not limited by our immediate circumstances.
Understand that God is working on our behalf even when it looks like things are working against us.
Know that in Christ you are set free from the bondage of sin. You are free to walk in self-control. You are free to live righteous. You are free to live a God-honoring life.
More than that… if you are in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, empowering you to be holy and live righteously. You have what it takes, because what it takes is Spirit empowerment and the grace of God… both are poured out abundantly on God’s people!