You may not remember, but in our previous hymnal, the red hymnal, we had, I think for a while, three colors in the pew. But there was a footnote at the bottom of that hymn. It said, as sung by the martyrs of Ecuador. And I guess this is going to date some of us here. But if you're familiar with the ministry of Elizabeth Elliot, the chronicle that she first wrote with regard to her husband, Jim Elliot, and Nate Saint, who were martyred, she entitled that book, Through Gates of Splendor, based on the closing words of this hymn, which reportedly those men sang as they died. A powerful hymn indeed. Of course, our tradition here was in the early days to sing the second stanza last. We're so impressed with that. Jesus' righteousness. Amen. Good to sing with you today the Lord's praises together. I'll ask you to turn with me to the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter 39. And before we read the chapter together, I want to read a paragraph to you from one of my heroes, as you'll know, particularly in this portion of Scripture, Robert Canlish. I encourage you young people, as we always do, to pay attention to the public reading of Scripture. At times, the public reading of the words of others, and even at times, the big words. You know, you don't have the labor of finding your old dusty copy of the dictionary and looking up words anymore. You can just pick up your phone and say, what does this old big word mean? And the phone will normally tell you. Although sometimes they do change the meanings. even mid-week for political reasons, whatever. But anyway, I want to read to you a few words from Robert Candler, because I've said to many of you over these last weeks as we've looked at the lives of the patriarchs, that in many of these cases, and it's certainly the case with Joseph and the portion we read today, the Scriptures really don't need the preacher do anything for them. They speak for themselves. And Canlish opens his treatment of this chapter with almost those words. Listen to him. He says, The lessons to be learned from the life and adventures of Joseph, considered simply as a matter of human history or of a divine history of human experience, lie on the very surface of the narrative. so much so that the business of drawing them out and setting them in formal didactic array, that would be working on a sermon, is apt to become trite and tedious. For the most part, indeed, comment serves rather to weaken than to enforce the teaching of the Spirit in this matchless biography. It really tells its own tale and suggests its own moral throughout, so clearly and so pathetically that word used a little differently than we do, with great power and feeling, that it might seem to be best to leave it to make its own impression, undiluted and unadulterated by the reflections, however sound, of ordinary exposition. So all that to say, listen well to the reading of Scripture today, if you listen to anything, and the hopefully sound exposition that will follow will be certainly of lesser importance. But Genesis 39, let's again give attention to the reading of God's Word. And Joseph was brought down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him, and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake, and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he knew not aught he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person and well favored. And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, lie with me. But he refused and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wadeth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. And there is none greater in this house than I, neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? And it came to pass as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass about this time that Joseph went into the house to do his business, and there was none of the men in the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me. And he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. And it came to pass when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, that she called unto the men of the house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought an Hebrew unto us to mock us. He came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice. And it came to pass when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me and fled, and got him out. And she laid up his garment by her until his lord came home. And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant which thou hast brought unto us came in unto me to mock me. And as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me and fled out. And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me, that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound. And he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison. And whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper. Amen. We trust again that the Lord will add his own blessing to the public reading of his inspired word. I'll ask you to join together with me and let's once again bow our heads and our hearts in a word of prayer. Our Heavenly Father, as we read together perhaps many familiar words, but Lord sober words indeed. Words that are full of challenge. Words that are full of warning. Yet words that are full of encouragement and grace. And so we ask that you might take them up and give us grace in meditating on them and applying them today. We ask these things in Jesus' worthy name. Amen. Well, in the history and indeed the drama that was the life of Joseph, there are few moments, few events that manifest the true character of this amazing son of God as much as his response to this temptation of Potiphar, his master's wife. This man, this hero, and we've sung today the thoughtfulness of heroes that went before us, was, as Scripture reminds us, a man of like passions such as ourselves. A man that proved the sustaining grace of God in one of the fiercest trials imaginable. What an example he is then for us in all the common battlefield of temptation. There are a couple of quotations I want to bring to you today with regard to this massive topic of temptation. Some certainly challenging, some encouraging to be sure. Thomas Brooks had this to say, Temptations are rather hopeful evidences that thy estate is good, that thou art dear to God, and that it shall go well with thee than otherwise. God hath but one Son without corruption, He hath none without temptations." These words reaching a little closer to the present, these are the remarkable thoughts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was the Lutheran believer that, you recall, opposed Hitler and the Nazis in the middle of the last century. But listen to his thoughts on the subject. In our members, there is a slumbering inclination towards desire which is both sudden and fierce. With almost irresistible power, desire seeks mastery over the flesh. All at once, a secret smoldering fire is kindled. It makes no difference whether it is sexual desire or ambition or vanity, that would be the desire for the attention of others, or desire for revenge, or the love of fame, or the love of power, or the love or greed after money, or anything else. Joy in God is in course of being extinguished in us, and we seek all our joy in the creature. At this moment, God is quite unreal to us. Satan does not fill us so much with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God." Those are words that I think bear a full reflection on other words which we quote here often of Thomas Brooks from the days long before that we should face every temptation that we face, every temptation that comes across our path with this phrase, the Lord is my portion. If we can remember that, rather than as Bonhoeffer suggested, be in those fierce moments of trial, forgetful of God, and I think we will find ourselves gaining victory rather than defeat. It's certainly a constant truth that we have to constantly deal with temptation. We could today take a season to chronicle the many ways and avenues through which temptation, and again temptation of various kinds, I know from this incident and this story, and perhaps much in our experience and certainly in our culture, that sensual temptations seem so prominent. But temptations come from every hand. They come in every season of life. They come from every direction in life. And that is why Joseph in this vivid incident that is recorded for us provides such a shining example of what it is to resist temptation and not to fall. I want to come today and look at our story for those of you that are note takers. I'll give you something of a task today. I have in our recent series on the patriarchs to this point not preached old messages. Some of it obviously covers some of the same material. I've gleaned from previous thoughts, but I've written out new sermons. I labored for a good season for several days in rewriting the sermon on this incident in Joseph's experience. I didn't succeed. So if you're a note taker, I'm going to give you three points today. This is a day if you are one prone to enjoy alliteration, then this is your day. But I also sought to just give different titles and thoughts to the points to make them a little simpler, a little shorter, a little easier to take with you. So the little short title for you note takers on our first thought today is I want to dwell for a little while on Joseph's default setting. Now, that's as far as I can go with anything that has to do with computers. I think I understand a little bit about what a default setting is. That's just where it stays when nothing else is going on. That's a starting point and I'll quit my thoughts from there. That's the abbreviated thought. The fuller title for this point is this. His experience with former adversities, and we add another letter to this, Here we see victory. So what is Joseph's default setting? Let's think about his experience with former adversities. Because he does demonstrate here for us victory, I believe. I think it's vital when you come to this chapter of Joseph's story. It's so easy just to be taken up. And even in an incident like this, the Scripture is so careful to record even some specifics here without drawing us out. But I say it's easy just to be taken up with this moment. as it were. But even the record of this incident, the record of this violent temptation doesn't just dwell on the moment. It gives some history. It gives something of Joseph's attitude. As she pursued this, sometimes more, sometimes less subtly, but repeatedly, he was mindful of that. He took care not to be near her or be with her. So the Scripture spreads out the story certainly in that regard, but I want to look back further. When I talk about his experience with former adversities, that he shows victory here. What was Joseph's default setting? What's his frame of mind when temptation hit him? Where has he been living in his thoughts? Where has he been living in his head? Well, what were these former adversities? Think of the experiences that precede this chapter of Joseph's story. The favored son of his father. All of those intricacies of Jacob's household we've looked at over the last many weeks. But the dreams that he's given, revelatory dreams. His report of these things to his brothers and to his family. The jealousy, ultimately the hatred, then the murderous designs of his brethren. He's only by the mercy of God rescued from their murder. Sold into slavery. Here's the favored son of a rising prince in Canaan. He is enrobed in that coat of many colors. Stripped of it. Sold as a slave. The psalm reminds us that he was put in fetters of iron. Perhaps some shackles as he crossed the desert as we suggested last week. Others finding from the psalm those irons he was placed in perhaps certainly in the dungeon of Pharaoh's prison that we saw in the close of our chapter together today. To be put on a pedestal perhaps in a slave market. Sold to Potiphar. Taken in among the other slaves and servants of the household. What's his mindset? Read the story. It's remarkable. Now this chapter almost has bookends to tell us when he gets to Potiphar's house, when he gets to the prison, the Lord was with Joseph. But what did that look like? What did God's presence in Joseph's life look like as a slave? He poured Himself into his work. He was genuinely interested in the welfare and the success of Potiphar's household. So much so that Potiphar said, this guy's doing a better job with all of my stuff than I'm doing. I'm putting him in charge. Is this a victim mentality? Is this a picture of a man who says boy? People have sinned against me. Well, I'm done with him. Does he need to be beaten? In order to get him to do anything. No. What's his default setting? He's trusting God. He's mindful of what we so often like to call gospel thinking. I've probably quoted this from the late Dr. Allison almost as many times as I've used my own phrase of gospel thinking here in this pulpit. But the mindset that we should have every day, whether it's a great day, a good day, moderate day, or a really, really bad day. I thank God I'm not in hell today. That's where I deserve to be. This gospel heart, this default setting is so different than what is encouraged and what is lived out in our culture. I don't know if I love or hate hearing all the trial attorney commercials on the radio and in the television. Come see us. We don't get paid till you do. And we'll get you what you deserve. Sir, I don't want what I deserve. I deserve hell forever. Period. End of story. It's not to say there's never a place for litigation and righting wrongs and all the things that happen in this sin-cursed world. But boy, what a litigious society we have. And just to be able to play that card constantly. We'll get you what you deserve. Shows that everybody's walking around thinking, I got a bad deal. I deserve better than this. I dare say there are few that enlist the services of these men that have the testimony and track record of Joseph as their story to tell. Mocked for just telling what God had said. Hated. Nearly murdered. Sold as a slave. given into slavery? Did he walk around the pity party worrying about Joseph? No. He trusted God. He had dealt well with his previous temptations to bitterness, to distrust in the God who had revealed truth to him. he was engaged in right Gospel thinking. So when this temptation meets him, he's in a good place. This is his experience with former adversities. And I say it's an experience of victory. His default setting was a Gospel heart. And sometimes, I think we can fall into the trap of just looking at sin in these broad headlines of specific actions like an immoral liaison that is suggested in this chapter. No, he looked at sin in its smaller expressions. He looked at sin in the inclinations and thoughts and attitudes of his heart. And he dealt with them there. He found mercy and grace even in the hardship that he'd already endured. And I say that set him in a good place when this temptress came. So our second thought today, and again for the note takers, is this. His exposure to a feverish assault. And here our little V to go with that is the word violence. The kingdom of heaven is taken by force. He meets this feverish assault with violence. Here our little subtitle is specific application. His default setting is gospel thinking. It's right thinking in all the circumstances of life, big and small, applying the truth of the Gospel to all of them. Romans hadn't been written yet, but I dare say the truth of Romans 8 was on Joseph's heart as he crossed the desert in chains. God works all things together for good. to them that love God. To those who are the called according to His purpose. Joseph knew he was called according to the purpose of God. He may not have understood, but he believed. He walked by faith. His default setting was good. And so here, we see a specific application of the Gospel heart and the Gospel thinking. And of course, this is the heart of the story. We could blush to read of these wanton advances. One I was reading said some critics have challenged the story and they've found some parallels. Interestingly, those subsequent to Joseph's experience and probably copies of this story. but that women would have been hidden away and such an incident couldn't have occurred. And they found in archeological discoveries that that was not the case at all. And what is described here, even with the interactions of the household, would entirely fit with the customs of Egypt at the time. Here comes this temptress. She set her eyes upon Joseph. Calvin said that doubtless she had set her eyes on Joseph many times without sin. She'd seen him among the other servants. But there was something in this man, obviously. Potiphar saw it. The other servants perhaps saw it. And maybe they were experiencing something similar to Joseph's brethren. Because this good, hard-working young man that seemed to have a good attitude about his work and worked hard, Recognized and promoted. Promoted to be over them. At whatever point in time it was, she ceased looking at Him with a sinless eye and began to lust after Him. And you see the sequence of her temptations. There's lust. Obviously, dwelling in her own soul. There's a subtle suggestion. Then there's open proposal. That's refused. Day by day, it's refused. There's a change of approach. And then ultimately, a specific attack. A well thought out scheme and timing of the event. Joseph is finally, as it were, cornered. His normal practice of avoiding her somehow avoided in this day. She thinks a way to make it be. And how does he reason? You see here, he again applies the gospel heart. There's specific application of the default setting. There is loyalty to Potiphar that remarkably he puts in his reasoning My Master has done me nothing but good. He's put me over all the affairs of His household. The only thing of all His possessions that isn't under my care is you. How can I do this against Him?" You think of the implications in that response with regard to her. What good is there going to be for you and your life in this? Of course, ultimately, His strongest reasoning is how can I do this wickedness and sin against God? God is foremost in His thoughts. God had been foremost in His thoughts crossing the desert. God had been foremost in His thoughts sold as a slave. God had been foremost in His thoughts being a servant even over the household of another. Instead of the Master, He was designed to be in His own household in Canaan. But His thoughts of God didn't change. He didn't somehow begin to question God. Think, God wasn't dealing with Him in a good way. He maintained a Gospel heart. And I say that was helpful for him. But here, in a sense, he needs more than the default said. It's a crisis that demands action. And so he acts. He flees. He simply runs away. I think it's interesting when you compare some New Testament Scriptures. Scriptures say to us, resist the devil. And He will flee from us. But Paul tells Timothy, flee youthful lusts. He doesn't just preface it with resist them. Flee them. One of the men that I was reading, I don't remember reading before, I must have acquired this in the decade and a half or so since we've looked at Joseph. But it was a, well, I'll say a modern writer. He would have been probably my parents' generation. So probably with the Lord now unless of some serious advanced years. But he spoke of an evangelical minister that lectured to them in the United Kingdom one day. And the minister related a story of international travel once when he was alone. And as he was approaching a return to his hotel, he was approached by a beautiful prostitute. and he reported to the students that he fled. He simply ran down the street. And the students or the writer said he was, as a student, surprised. He didn't stop and talk to the woman, challenge her about her ways and her sin and share the Gospel with her. No. He ran. He knew enough of his own heart. I mean, you think about that reasoning. Oh, well, we'll go over here to the coffee shop. We'll sit down. I'll have an opportunity to witness to her. Oh yeah, she's really going to understand that. Oh, he wants to speak to me about serious things, about eternal matters. Stuff for my good. No, he just fled. The man said what he didn't understand as a student. He said, there's the wise course of action. You think of all the different ways Joseph could have rationalized something other than flight. I mean, what's it going to look like? She's got my garment, my outer garment in her hand. He's not worried about what it's going to look like. He's worried about reality. He's worried about truth. Here I say is his exposure to a feverish assault and he meets it with violence. He doesn't try and work it through. Carefully rationalize or think through some different course of action. He simply says, knowing his own heart, knowing our tendencies to sin, I must flee. Here's his specific application of gospel thinking. And here's one that we must apply. Perhaps not in situations who trust with details such as this very often, if ever. But as temptations come in more fierce, feverish ways, or more subtle, Let us have that specific application of gospel thinking and flee. And again, the story and some of our experience and our culture just casts our thoughts usually in this direction of sensual sin. But remember that early admonition. It doesn't have to be this category. We can sin against our neighbor in a lot of other ways. Maybe you're in a business meeting. Some serious stuff is being discussed with regard to the company and how we're gonna move forward. Or maybe somebody comes to you privately after the meeting. I see a little opportunity here. How do we meet? that specific moment of temptation. Have Gospel thinking ahead of time. And the specific application in that moment will be clear. Apply the Gospel. Is this course of action going to be exemplary of loving the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength? And loving my neighbor as myself Or will it be a way for me to sinfully promote selfishness to the harm of others? But come with me finally and quickly to a third thought. And again, for you note-takers, I put forth this. Is enduring a false accusation Here can I suggest that we see Joseph with vision. The little short thought for this one is just this, his ongoing exposure. His default setting is a Gospel heart. His specific application, of course, comes in the moment of crisis But there is always the ongoing exposure of temptations and sin. With the benefit of hindsight, we feel like looking at Joseph and cheering him on for overcoming temptation. And indeed, it's worthy of our celebration and our praise. But it wasn't a celebration that awaited him on the other side of that battle. He was victorious. He was remarkably upright. He did the right thing. And how was he repaid? It's said often, there's a thin line between love and hate. What's the other phrase? Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn? Well, her story changes quite quickly. And it is, I say, not a celebration that awaits Joseph on the other side of this, downturn in his experience. His circumstances worsen. Lord, what are You doing? You know how many guys would have given in to that? And I did the right thing? And You're sending me to prison? It's not as hard. His testimony is Can we say increased? Now I have to be careful here. Commentators in many ways are all over the map. Some suggest Potiphar is enraged as the story tells us plainly. His wrath is kindled. It doesn't tell us exactly why he's mad. Some suggest he's bought the story. He's enraged at Joseph and he's powerless to kill him. So the best he can do is just bring charges and take him to prison. I'm more inclined to side with those who look between the lines in this story and think Potiphar may have had some inkling of whether his wife's story was the real story or not. a man such as he most probably would have had the ability to have Joseph executed. If not, just murder him himself and pay no consequences for it. Joseph is taken to this particular prison. Potiphar had some connection, some suggest perhaps even oversight of, and is immediately almost or at least with some speed taken out of the chains and promoted to be over all the prisoners. Wouldn't it have been great to have Joseph work for you? It's just like you just go on permanent vacation and let him do everything you used to do. Egyptians that knew him, worked with him, must have thought this is a really great guy. into your defaults accusation. Here I say He has vision. And there is certainly an accommodation to alliteration. He just approaches it with faith. God is in this. And everything that seemed to be just another downward spiral, another step even lower, it's one thing to be a slave, it's another thing to be a slave that's in prison. There were not a lot of steps on the ladder that were underneath where Joseph was brought. He's brought to the bottom. But then the chapter closes with the same phrase it opens with. The Lord was with Joseph. I want to return tonight as we come to the Lord's table with some tangent thoughts with regard to this incident in Joseph's life. But I say here, his ongoing exposure to temptation. The prison not the same temptation that Potiphar's wife brought, but similar temptations to what he had faced already as his brothers mistreated him and sold him as a slave. What are his thoughts about his God? because that's going to be the root of everything. Will he have a Gospel heart? Are we at some point of temptation? Or multiplied points of temptation on a various level of subjects? Remember his God and rejoice to be a child of such a God? Or will he be forgetful of God and selfishly pursue his own things? And then forsaking that precious truth, that precious experience that the Lord was with Joseph. Let's bow our heads together. Our Heavenly Father, today we come. A vivid incident You've chosen to record in Your Word. We're thankful that it records for us great victory. It shows to us a path of victory through even the fiercest of trials and temptations. We pray that You might give us something of the right thinking of the gospel heart, of that good default setting as we think day by day, as we live day by day in whatever circumstances you have been pleased to bring to us. that we might have wherewith in a moment of trial some specific application of that Gospel to that trial. That we even then might have grace for the ongoing temptations that will certainly come. Prosper Your Word to us today, one and all, we ask in Jesus' worthy name, Amen.