Sermons

Inevitably, even daily, Christians will face temptation. The world all around us in which we live, play, and learn has many enticements for us to wander from God's truth and ways. What are some steps we can take to have victory over temptation? In this sermon, we look at the Patriarch Joseph who faced a daily temptation. Just as he was made able to overcome, we too can turn to our God for strength to resist temptation.

Chocolate Bars and Temptation
Have you ever wanted to do or have something that you knew you shouldn't do or have? 

Some of us may think of eating chocolate, which has very little nutritional benefit but everyone likes to eat. My wife even tells me that chocolate is the fifth food group. Today I have a NutRageous candy bar sitting in front of me. Now, you would not know it, but there are three key reasons why I should not eat this candy bar. For one, I am gaining weight--I have a "pastor's tummy," since I have gained almost ten pounds in the last year. Secondly, I am taking medication for my skin that raises the fat levels in my blood. Candy bars are rather fatty kind of food that I should avoid. Thirdly, I am allergic to chocolate and nuts--so I will become unbearably itchy if I eat it. So there are three good reasons I should not eat this candy bar.

Day after day for over a week it has sat in my office waiting to be consumed. I actually brought it to the office to protect it--it's three brothers Kit Kat, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, and Hershey's Almond did not last so long at home with the family. But I have resisted eating it at the office day after day. 

Eating chocolate is a temptation because it is on the list of "forbidden" for me to eat. But I like to eat it. Temptation for us may come in many forms, but it will always be something that we want for our pleasure or gain, but we know is wrong to do or have. In other words, temptation is an enticement to disobey God's ways. Eating chocolate may be a form of disobedience if it soothes me when God is the only One Who can comfort me.

The Apostle John puts it like this:

I Jn 2:15-16
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For everything in the world-- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world.

The world around us is set up to tempt us. John generally calls these tendencies to give in to temptation the "cravings of sinful man." This phrase may be difficult for us to understand. The literal translation is "desires of the flesh." Part of us, called the flesh, wants what it cannot have. That is when we are tempted. To bring it down to everyday level, a survey of Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them:

1. Materialism 
2. Pride 
3. Self-centeredness 
4. Laziness 
5. Sexual lust
8. Over-Indulgence 
9. Lying 
(From Discipleship Journal, 11-12/92.)

On some level or another we may struggle with most every one of these areas in a given day or week.

Temptation and Inner Desire
If we examine temptations, we'll find that temptations are like bait, outside of us. Whether we take the bait or not depends on DESIRES inside of us that are not from God--James says these desires are evil.

James 1:13-15
13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

According to this verse, sin starts not with action, but with inner desire. We must deal with those inner desires--that is why fighting temptation can be such a battle. I have a desire for that candy bar. That's why it is still with me.

If this is the case, that temptation is all around us and even starts within us, what can we do to Resist TEMPTATION?

Resisting Temptation
Some of you may remember the Reagan Administration from 1980-1988. The first lady, Nancy Reagan, began an anti-DRUG campaign directed primarily to children. Her slogan was catchy; she still uses it today. She tells students to "JUST SAY NO" to drugs. While NIKE represents the world with "Just Do It," Nancy Reagan represents moral conscience with "Just Say No." 

Okay, let's apply this principle and go home early. This candy bar is here, so I'll Just Say No. I know that this candy bar has no nutritional benefit and can actually adversely affect my health, so I have no desire to eat it, right? Easy decision, isn't it? Yet, there are greater forces at work than choosing right and wrong. Simply put, there is a temptation for me to eat it. If I really want it, I will eventually yield.

Joseph Teaches Us How to Fight
Let's turn our attention back to our hero, Joseph. What's happened to him since we looked at him in chapter 37 two weeks ago? Remember his brothers, jealously enraged, threw Joseph in a cistern, a pit in the ground. They wanted to kill him, but eventually sold him to Traders passing by.
We do not know how long it's been, but Joseph lands on his feet. The Ishmaelite traders sell him to a man named Potiphar, the Captain of the Pharaoh's Guard. He is no doubt a powerful, wealthy military official in Pharaoh's army. What kind of man is Potiphar? He is like many of us; he wants to enjoy the good life. In Joseph he finds a trusted servant who runs his life smoothly. The story tells us that Potiphar only has to mind his food with Joseph at the helm (verse 6). What did Potiphar forget to care for himself--his own wife.
Enter Joseph. He is described as a handsome good-looking young man. In fact, only David, Saul, and Absalom in the whole OT were described in the same manner. This fact is not lost on Potiphar's lonely wife at home.

When we look at Joseph and our own experience we find that resisting temptation takes more than a "Just Say NO" strategy. What do we do when we are faced with Temptation and NO IS NOT ENOUGH? As we get further in the story we'll look at five practical ways Joseph fights temptation and learn from him. 



I. Be Prepared to be Tempted (6b-7)

There was someone in this story that Joseph could not control. When Joseph went to work, Potiphar's wife was right there in the house. Eventually, she asked him to sleep with her. Potiphar's wife represents the temptations that we may face at any time in every day life. We need to prepare ourselves for temptation's we'll face each day.
When I went into the grocery store, I did not intend to buy 4 chocolate bars. But since I generally like candy, I could not pass on the 4 for $1 deal right there at the check out counter. When we are in the middle of taking a test, we may not intend to cheat--but when we run into a problem that is too difficult for us to answer, we may be tempted to look at another's paper. Just the same, when we are walking down the street, a beautiful woman may walk by unexpectedly. Men may be tempted to have an extra look.

A principle to keep in mind about temptation--it comes when our guard is down. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 10:12 in the context of temptations:

12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

Just when you think you are strong, that is when you are ready for a fall. Paul uses the term "seize." Temptations come and grab you and do not want to let you go until you yield. 

Joseph was ripe for the picking. He had been raised from the pit to a position of great authority and control. He could have very easily had Potiphar's wife--nobody was around in the house. But he knew God wanted him to be pure.
Joseph's temptation all the more reminds us that we need to be prepared to handle temptations and resist them.



II. Say No and Keep Saying No to Temptations: (8-9)

Even though NO is not enough in itself to resist temptation, NO is a valuable response to it. When Potiphar's wife entices him, he just plain refuses her. But then she goes after him. She asks him day after day! He has to say NO to her day after day. He not only says no, but he is prepared with why--he does not want to sin against his master and God.

Temptation is persistent and gains strength the more we resist. Joseph's temptations should not be discounted. Consider what Edward Macartney says, "This was no ordinary temptation. Joseph was not a stone, a mummy, but a red-blooded young man in his late twenties [I might add not married]. It was not one temptation on one day, but a repeated temptation…" (in Swindoll, 28)

James reminds us, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7. Resistance of evil is submission to God's ways.

There is little ambiguity when one says NO.

III. Flee the Situation (11-12)
Third, when NO really is not enough, we need to FLEE the situation. That one-day came around when Potiphar's wife finally had a chance to corner Joseph. With no one else around, she grabbed him and pulled on him to sleep with her. But he had a game plan already. As soon as she grabbed him, he fled. The story tells us he even left his outer garment (cloak) behind. He had no time to linger or think about things. He may have been rude to her, but this was not the time to be nice. His purity was at stake.
Charles Spurgeon tells this story: "One of the ancient fathers, we are told, had lived with a woman before his conversion, and a short time after she accosted him as usual. Knowing how likely he was to fall into sin, he ran away with all his might, and she ran after him, crying, "Why do you run away? It's only me.""
He answered, "I run away because I am not myself. I am a new man."

Paul talks about this principle in talking to Timothy. Timothy, as a young man, was tempted to quarrel with those older than him to establish his authority. But in 2 Tim 2:22 Paul says--
22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (NIV)

There are times when we need to flee the circumstances. Afterwards it may be wise to avoid those situations altogether.

So we are prepared, we say NO and we have even fled from temptation. Will we be rewarded for our obedience?



IV. Accept the Consequences (13-20)

Joseph does not seem to be rewarded. In fact, he gets put in jail. Potiphar's wife makes up a story that Joseph was trying to rape her and left his cloak behind. What could Potiphar do? He had to punish Joseph and throw him in jail.
Resisting temptation is not easy. By the end of the trial, we deserve a medal or prize. But Joseph teaches us that in the short term, Evil may seem to overcome good and Obedience may not be rewarded immediately

• We may lose our Financial advantage when we do not give in to tax evasion, when we give offering to God, resist get rich quick schemes, or do not gamble.

• We may lose our boyfriend or girlfriend when we say no to temptations for premarital sex.

• We may lose Career Opportunities for keeping our integrity when the company wants to you to cheat.

• We may not score as high on a test when we do not cheat and be reprimanded by our parents.

• We may lose our friends--I lost my friend who fell into a spiral with drugs.

Obedience and Resistance may cost us, but it is worth keeping our integrity.

Joseph was going to go to jail one way or another. If he gave in, he would have been caught eventually. Then what would have Potiphar done to him? And what will be the consequences of our sin if we give in? By resisting, Joseph kept his purity before God and so can we.



Bridge: We have addressed FOUR practical steps we can take to resist temptation. Yet, they by themselves they will not work. Why? Because they do not directly address the source of the problem--what is going on inside you and I. 

Victory takes more than just will power to say no. Problem: We know what is right, but are powerless to do it. Paul talks about our inability to resist temptation on our own. In Romans 7 he describes a battle going on inside of him. On one hand, he wants to do what is right. On the other hand, there is a force that causes him to do wrong. Whenever he tries to do the right by setting up a rule or following a law, he fails every time.

Is it good to eat a healthy diet? If you do, you will probably be at an ideal weight and have a healthy profile. Yet, when we set regulations on what we can or cannot eat, we will want to eat whatever is forbidden. I had a friend who cannot eat sweets for health reasons. All over his kitchen are reminders of the evils of candy bars and donuts. What happens to him? All he thinks about is candy, cookies, and ice cream. That is true for anything we want to resist. If we try to resist on our own strength, we will think and obsess about it until we yield. 

So what can we do? Paul was in the very same situation when he talks about doing the things that he does not want to do. If its not wanting to eat chocolate, he ends up eating it. After so many times, he is fed up with himself. He learns he cannot resist temptation alone: 

Rom 7:24-25
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Thanks be to God. The fifth practical way to resist temptation is to Pay Attention to God.



V. Pay Attention to God (1-6)

If we are not careful, we will miss Joseph's interaction with Potiphar. Joseph was doing such a great job with Potiphar's household. He was doing so great a job that Potiphar made him oversee all the matters of home. The story tells us that Potiphar knew that it was God who was with Joseph (verse 3). How did he know about Joseph's God? Joseph had to tell him whether by actions and/or words.

God was with Joseph and he knew it. Even his secular Egyptian boss knew it. He told Potiphar's wife about his God and she knew it. Joseph did not let power, good looks, youth, and authority make him proud. He had learned to live in God's Presence. He learned that if there was any way out of temptation, it was to rely on His God.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 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.

That is how gracious our God is. He does not allow us to be under any trial or temptation that He himself has not provided a way out for us. 

Let's pray the Lord's Prayer together:

Matt 6:9-14
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Jesus directs us to go to him every day to deliver us. We need to practice the Presence of God in prayer.

I found that out one night when I was in high school.



A Personal Temptation

As I reflected on my own spiritual journey, I can see the many times God was with me. One of those times came when I was in high school. This was just after I began to go to church.

A friend who I very much trusted came over to my house. My parents and brother were often out working or doing their thing. When I was not looking, he pulled out a glass pipe and lit up a small white rock. I went back downstairs to find him smoking the pipe. I remember the words clearly to this day, "Come on, I'm your friend, just try it. I wouldn't ask you to do anything that would hurt you, would I?" 
I was totally caught off guard. At that moment I had a decision to make--would I compromise and take a smoke, or would I refuse? It seems easy right now, but in that moment, when nobody was looking, the pressure almost made me give in. But then a thought came to my mind, that it wasn't just him and me in the room. God was there and I knew I would be hurting God if I gave in. 

I asked him to leave, but he wouldn't. So I FLED and tried to avoid being around him alone after that.

This story is a story of victory. But I could recount countless stories where I have fallen into temptation. Perhaps we are there right now. We want to do right, but we are struggling to do right. We've tried on our strength, but we have found ourselves weak to resist. We know that the only way is to Pay Attention to God and root out the power of those evil desires inside of us. 

If you are struggling with temptation today, pray this prayer and give it up to God.

Dear God, I come before You as Your dear child. Thank you for watching over me and keeping me safe in Your care. I acknowledge I am a weak, frail person in myself. Father, I have struggled with temptations--You know them all and You know that I have done my best to resist. But I am to weak and confess that only in You can I resist. I commit to Pay You More Attention in our lives that I might turn to You in the moments of the greatest pressure to yield. Help me. Have mercy on me. In Jesus Name, Amen.


Communion Sharing:

Our Lord's Temptation
In our discussion of temptation I did not bring up our Lord Jesus' temptations for a reason. For our communion reflection, I would like us to consider what our Lord had to endure in the flesh for our sake.
It is easy to resist temptation when you give in after the second or third time you are tempted. But if when we try to resist for longer periods of time, the weight of the temptation gets heavier and heavier.

The writer of Hebrews reflects on this point concerning Christ:

Heb 4:14-16
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Jesus experienced what we experienced, but he never gave in. Even after 40 days without food, He would not give in to the temptation to turn stones into bread--God would take care of Him. He knows what we go through, the temptations that we face, yet he never once sinned. His experiences are not to condemn us, but to sympathize with us.

He is our high priest who, through the sacrifice on the Cross-, offers Himself for our sins. As we come before the Communion table, let us remember what Jesus endured for our sake. we can come before this table CONFIDENTLY not because we are sinless, but because we have received mercy and grace.

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