If you've already looked close at the outline on the back of the Order of Worship, you see point number two is way down at the bottom, and there's a good reason for that. Point number two, Lord willing, will be tonight. This two-part sermon, we'll consider point number one this morning and point number two tonight. The text being Genesis 39, the very last part of verse 6 through verse 12. We turn together, first of all, to Proverbs chapter 7. Proverbs chapter 7, reading that chapter, and then to Genesis 39. Proverbs chapter 7, beginning at the first verse as we consider now the Word of God. My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live. Guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, you are my sister. And call understanding your kinsmen. They will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words. At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice. I saw among the simple. I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment. He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house. At twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. She is loud and defiant. Her feet never stay at home. Now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks. She took hold of him and kissed him, and with a brazen face she said, I have fellowship offerings at home. Today I have fulfilled my vows. So I came out to meet you. I looked for you and have found you. I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let's drink deep of love till morning. Let's enjoy ourselves with love. My husband is not at home. He has gone on a long journey. He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon. With persuasive words she led him astray. She seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose, till an arrow pierces his liver like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life. Now then, my sons, listen to me. Pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down. Her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave leading down to the chambers of death. As you recall, last week we began to consider the first part of Genesis 39, that Joseph prospered, the Lord prospered Joseph in Potiphar's house. And then just before verse 7, we pick up here now. Now Joseph was well built and handsome. And after a while, his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, Come to bed with me. But he refused. With me in charge, he told her, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house. Everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, Come to bed with me. But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. Beloved in Christ the Lord, we all know, unfortunately by experience, but we all know that temptation is all around us. And each one of us is being tempted all the time. And this is true no matter what age you are, whether you're a young child or whether you are the oldest person here and everyone in between. It's true. And temptation, we know, comes in different ways. Boys and girls, you might be tempted, for example, to lie, to keep from getting into trouble. You might be tempted to cheat on that test because, no, you didn't study the way you should have. You might be tempted to steal something from one of your friends because you really like what they have, and you don't have it, but you want to have it that bad. And adults are tempted in the same way as well, to be selfish or to gossip or to hate or to lust. All these temptations you see are common to us really at any age. And we are even tempted in church, aren't we? Maybe some of you are being tempted right now. Tempted to not pay attention. Tempted with drowsiness. Tempted not to sing. Maybe tempted to worry about how we are dressed or worried about what someone else might think of your dress. Maybe you're being tempted with wandering thoughts, already thinking about tomorrow and all that you have to accomplish tomorrow and in the week ahead. Indeed, our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Praying that God would keep temptation from even coming face to face with us. But when we do face temptation, Lord, please, don't let me fall into it. Don't let me commit evil against You. And we all know, beloved, sometimes temptation is so strong which really shouldn't be a surprise to any one of us because ultimately all temptation comes from Satan. And his demonic power is indeed strong. A few weeks ago you may remember that we considered Paul's words of comfort in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13 where he says, No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. but when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. God always provides a way out. And this episode in the life of Joseph is living proof of that promise. By the grace of God, Joseph was faithful in the hour of temptation. But it wasn't Joseph's own strength that rescued him, but God delivered him from evil. As we began to consider last time, last week, Joseph enjoyed the blessing of all blessings. God was with him. God was with him, and in the text today we notice too that God was with him in unsolicited temptation. Boys and girls, what that means is Joseph didn't ask to be tempted by Potiphar's wife. We'll call her Mrs. Potiphar from here out. He didn't ask to be tempted by Mrs. Potiphar. To solicit means to make a request for something, to ask for something. And there's nothing in the text to suggest that Joseph solicited, that he asked for the advances of Mrs. Potiphar. He didn't come on to her. He didn't give her the idea that he was interested in her. He didn't flirt with her. In fact, the very opposite, I believe, is true. We know that God was preparing Joseph for leadership in Egypt and part of that preparation was allowing him to face this temptation from Satan. And humanly speaking, it was an insurmountable temptation. It was huge. As we examine this text, it seems like it would be impossible to overcome, to overpower, to defend against this temptation. Again, in the first six verses, we notice that God prospered Joseph beyond compare. He prospered the fruit of Joseph's labors, and therefore Potiphar prospered through Joseph, or because of Joseph. And Potiphar, as we said last week, was brought to understand that it was all because the Lord was with Joseph. Joseph was favored by both God and man. Things seemed to be going well for him, but now he faces a completely different test. He pleased Potiphar, and therefore Potiphar promoted Joseph to be his executive manager over everything he had except the food that he ate. Maybe that means, as we said, his most personal details. Now understand also, beloved, that now it is believed that Joseph was probably about 27 years old. He was no longer a teenager. He was 30 years old, about 30 years old, when he was promoted to prime minister in Egypt. He had spent the previous two years in prison, as we know, because of the accusations of Potiphar's wife. So it's figured that he was roughly about 27 by this time, give or take a year. He was a man. He pleased Potiphar. But the problem is he also pleased Mrs. Potiphar. And therefore he was forced to make a decision. God or man. God or Mrs. Potiphar? Again, this temptation, no doubt to us, would seem insurmountable as we consider this. How could there be a way out? How could it be resisted? And we ask that because, first of all, we notice the instrument of this insurmountable temptation. Again, ultimately, all temptation comes from Satan, but he uses means. And his instrument in this case is Mrs. Potiphar. No doubt she was a powerful lady. She commanded respect because of her husband's position as one of Pharaoh's officials. People most likely feared her and did whatever she commanded. She was used to getting her way. And she commanded Joseph. Notice, this wasn't a simple request. It wasn't a, would you think about it for a while? She commanded Joseph to do something which he makes clear would be a wicked thing to do. It would be sin against God. She commanded Joseph to go to bed with her. To commit adultery with her. You see, no matter what her position in the community may have been, no matter what kind of respect she may have been able to command from her peers, Mrs. Potiphar was wicked. She was wicked. She was so filled with lust and covetousness for Joseph that she had no shame in her demand. She never even blushed as she made that command to him. She knew what she wanted. She knew how to get it. Beloved, Satan will not hold back. He's out to destroy. And he'll go for the jugular, as we might say. He'll come out with both barrels blasting. He'll use the most powerful, destructive means possible or necessary. Think about Job. Satan wiped out all of his animals, slaughtered his servants, put to death all of his children. Joseph was just a slave. Indeed, he was the top slave over all of Potiphar's slaves, but still he was a slave. And we might say that technically he also belonged then to Mrs. Potiphar. And that points then to the circumstance of this insurmountable temptation, the situation of this insurmountable temptation. Being the chief executive manager or steward over everything that Potiphar had over his entire household meant that Joseph was a familiar face. Potiphar's family, including Mrs. Potiphar, got to know Joseph. He got to know them as well. He was always around. And to Mrs. Potiphar, he was something to look at since he was well built. And handsome. That's a good translation, a good way to put it. Well built and handsome. He was obviously blessed with his mother Rachel's beauty. And she noticed that. Physical attraction can be so strong. The text says Mrs. Potiphar took notice of him. Now in the NIV that might lead us astray a little bit. It's a little bit weak really. What we need to understand is that she didn't just happen to look at Joseph one day and think, hmm, nice, I kind of like him. This wasn't just a chance glance. She fixed her eyes on him. Day after day, she couldn't get her eyes and then her thoughts off of Joseph. She got to the point where she was going crazy with the thought of Joseph and her lust for Him burned inside of her until she could no longer control it. Congregation, this is to be a reminder to each one of us as the children's Bible song says, Oh, be careful little eyes what you see. Some will joke about looking at those of the opposite sex and they will say, well, I may look, I just may not touch. How wrong that is. Moses, the author of Genesis under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is not necessarily saying that it's wrong to look at others, to even look at those of the opposite sex, to appreciate the beauty that God has given to them or the talents or the abilities or whatever the case, but it is wrong to look with evil intention. It is wrong to look with evil motives and desires. And even before Mrs. Potiphar had commanded Joseph to go to bed with her, she had already committed adultery with Joseph in her heart. Joseph held an important position in Potiphar's house and therefore this circumstance, this situation, made this temptation insurmountable. Yes, it was an important position, but he was a slave. What could he do? How could he escape Mrs. Potiphar? But then we need to also add then the character of this insurmountable temptation. Now, there are a number of things that we can say about Mrs. Potiphar's temptation of Joseph. Her evil lust overpowered any right mind and any sense of moral reason. She was not in her right mind. She was like an animal with rabies. But her actions really aren't any different than what we see today in our society, are they? They really aren't. There is no restraint today. It's always before us on the television, isn't it? Prime time. There's no restraint. People want instant gratification, and we know this is true of many things, but especially with the lust of the flesh and with sexual desires, and we worry about the consequences later. The temptation Joseph faced indeed was and still is common to man. temptation to sexual sin goes on constantly, whether in subtle ways, or whether it's bold, direct, or deliberate as it was with Mrs. Potiphar. Now, the overall characteristic, I believe, of this temptation is that it was a powerful temptation. And it was powerful in a number of ways. It was powerful in the sense, first of all, that it was natural. Now, let me explain. It appealed to right and normal appetites, to physical intimacy. Unlike murder, you see, murder is not natural. Murder, you see, arises from hostility and hatred and anger. It is a perversion through sin. Oh, indeed, physical intimacy is perverted also, we know, because of sin. But murder is not natural. Man was not created to murder. Man was created to uphold the life of another. Stealing is not natural. Man was not created to steal. Instead, man was created to promote the welfare of his neighbor. But temptation to sexual sin is natural in the sense that it appeals to right and proper and God-given appetites and desires is part of the physical intimacy that God created man and wife to enjoy. Yet, of course, God-given desires are stained by sin. sometimes some will give excuses. Well, I have a right to happiness, don't I? Well, it can't be wrong if it feels so right, if it feels so good. Or in Joseph's case, what could be more natural than having a relationship with an attractive, infatuated woman? The chemistry is there. The connection is there, you see. Yet this powerful temptation that attacks this natural appetite. Indeed, attacks and violates the revealed will of God. But then this was also powerful because it came when Joseph was away from home. Joseph was away from the restraining influence of home. From the security and protection of his father. Indeed, the Christian home has a restraining influence against sin. And boys and girls and young people, although you may not always like that, it's a good thing. It's a very good thing. Young people, as some of you prepare to go off to college, you will, let's say, inherit a freedom that you've never had before. You must be careful. And always remember that God is God away from home just as much as He is God in the protection of your home. this was a powerful temptation also again because it came from an important woman as we said a moment ago many see her as speaking with the authority of her husband she was important according to the world's standards she was the kind of successful woman that many would like to be they'd like to be like her and it would indeed be to Joseph's advantage to have her on his side to have her favor she would be a valuable ally to him for any potential future advancement and of course no doubt if the affair was discovered she would cover up for him right one commentator says even if he had given in he might still have ended up in prison but as a failure with God but she could be an important ally but on the other hand she would be an enemy to be feared if he rejected her she could ruin him she could ruin his hopes and how many have given in to temptation of any kind to be sure but especially sexual temptation and justified it I can't afford to lose my job or maybe if I compromise I can gain the trust and lead that one to the Lord of course we all know the fallacy in those arguments beloved we are called to have faith that the future Indeed, with regard to any temptation, the faith that the future is better with God's blessing than compromising with sin for the temporary profit of today. This was a powerful temptation because it came after an important promotion. Again, this was not while Joseph was struggling to reach the top, but after he got there. And like many, Joseph could have been filled with arrogance. Well, I've arrived. I deserve to enjoy the fruits of this position. This is just one of the many fringe benefits that I deserve. You see, Satan comes to us sometimes in our arrogant state. When we're filled with a little bit of pride. Think of David. David is relaxing in his castle. His armies are out fighting on his behalf. He's taking it easy at home. And that's when Satan came to him and tempted him with regard to Bathsheba. Eve, Eve, we might say, had everything, huh? In the Garden of Eden, the Lord was with her. She walked with the Lord. Satan came and played on the blessings she enjoyed and she justified herself. Well, there must be more. I'm not satisfied. And even our Lord Jesus Christ, after His baptism, when the heavens were opened and the Father said, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, And the Spirit came down on him as in the form of a dove. Satan came to him and said, If you are the Son of God. But then this temptation was powerful also because it came repeatedly, time and time and time again, over and over. No doubt by the time Potiphar's wife said, Come to bed with me, that wasn't the first. No doubt that was the culmination of much flirting and repeated innuendos. And finally, in her shameless state, like the woman, the prostitute in Proverbs 7, the wife there that dressed like a prostitute, come, come. Satan tries to wear us down, you see, with repeated temptations. Verse 10 says, And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. Or even be with her. Literally, it's lie beside her. See, no doubt, her temptation included many different attempts to persuade him, such as, just stay with me for a little while. Just lay next to me. Nothing will happen. Just hold me. That's all I want. We'll be good. There's nothing wrong with that. But Joseph would not be caught in a morally compromising position or allow himself to be coaxed. We'll talk more about that tonight, the Lord willing. It's very important for us. Joseph would not be caught in a morally compromising position, nor would he allow himself to be coaxed. Satan works to plant seeds of compromise to cause us to question the whole situation. Well, is it really so bad? I mean, who will get hurt? It's no big deal. Just this once. He wants to help us to justify our own sinful activity. To make us seem right in our own minds. To sear our consciences. To make us numb to the truth of God. And one more thing with regard to this character. It seized the perfect opportunity. Again, it culminated in this one day. One day as Joseph was going about his normal duties in the house. Only he was there. Oh yeah, one other person. Mrs. Potiphar. Maybe by her design. Maybe that was her plan. But that was it. She could stand it no longer and it was all or nothing. One commentator puts this spin on it. She grabbed Joseph hoping that the feel of her body would overcome his resistance to her advances. Maybe she could melt him somewhat. But how many have fallen into sin because no one was around? The circumstances were right. No one will know. And the same is true with stealing or cheating or other temptations. No one will know. Except God. Joseph's face would seem to be an insurmountable temptation because it was powerful. The cravings of the flesh, especially sexual cravings, are powerful and some stop at nothing short of throwing themselves at another and Mrs. Potiphar didn't hold back. Finally, this morning, we must also think about the goal of this insurmountable temptation. Mrs. Potiphar had her goal. Very simply, it was to get her man. Actually, as with sexual lust, I don't think it was really Joseph himself she wanted in the sense of his heart, his mind. She wanted his beauty. She wanted his brawn. But she really didn't want the true Joseph. She simply wanted to fulfill her own sinful appetite, to fulfill this physical attraction, to have it her way. But Satan also had his goal, which is true for all of his temptations of you and me. His goal was for Joseph's destruction. His goal was that Joseph would reject God, that he would reject God's holiness, that he would reject God's commandments. Satan's goal for you and me, beloved, is the very opposite of what Jesus Christ earned for us. Satan succeeded in tempting Adam and Eve and David and we must confess that he is often successful in tempting you and me. But not our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's where our hope is found. Tonight, the Lord willing, we will consider Joseph's inspiring victory over this unsolicited, insurmountable temptation because the Lord was with him. This was powerful preparation for Joseph as through all that Joseph faced on the path leading to ruling over Egypt, the Lord would draw Joseph closer to Himself. He would increase, He would strengthen Joseph's faith and He would teach Joseph that in all of this life's circumstances, whether in prosperity or defeat, whether in prison or in freedom, we depend completely on God with us. His strength, His mercy, His grace, His favor. We may face, sometimes daily, temptations that seem insurmountable. That we have no clue how can we escape them, how can we overpower them. And indeed, beloved, we are called to be watchful. We are called to look out for the adversary, the devil. We are called to resist Him, but we can face these temptations because God is all-powerful. And our Lord Jesus Christ resisted Satan's temptations and began defeating Him when He said, Get thee behind Me, Satan. Joseph's strength came from the presence of God for the sake of the Savior to come whose line Joseph was being prepared to preserve. And our strength comes from the Savior who has come and is victorious in whom we have forgiveness for our giving in to temptation. In Christ, beloved, we have new life with new hearts, new minds, new desires, and new hope to see temptation, to recognize the truth of it, to resist it in the strength of Him who resisted temptation for us. Beloved, when we face temptations of all kinds, we must remember that God always provides a way out. He is our way out because He is with us. We hope to see that tonight, that God was Joseph's way out for the purpose of bringing us the ultimate way out. Salvation through Jesus Christ. Satan cannot destroy those whom Jesus Christ has brought to safety. And to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he says, I give them eternal life. They shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand. Beloved, that's the blessed assurance of God with us. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we pray that You would open our eyes day by day, moment by moment, to be aware of our surroundings, To be aware of all that we come face to face with. That indeed we might see temptation up ahead. And Father, we pray that you would strengthen us. Give us the assurance, O Lord, that you are with us. And that does not mean, O Lord, that we are allowed to place ourselves as close to the temptation as possible. But instead, as Joseph will show us, we're called to turn and run as fast as we can. Father, give us strength. Give us wisdom. Give us a delight in your saving grace for us. Hear our prayer, O Lord, for Jesus' sake, and in His name alone, Amen.