WEBVTT 00:00:00.500 --> 00:00:01.440 Hey, I'm going to invite you to Genesis. 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:09.100 Chapter 39 is where we're at together today in Genesis chapter 39 and another, we'll say, difficult section 00:00:09.100 --> 00:00:10.600 of Scripture. 00:00:10.840 --> 00:00:17.900 Dennis, Genesis chapter 39 is, I will tell you, as a pastor, sometimes when you study these sections, 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:25.160 you really go through an emotional journey of pouring your heart into these passages and trying to express it to everyone else. 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:31.190 And I just want to say, I'm looking forward to one of those fluffy chapters of Genesis, whenever that's going to happen. 00:00:31.780 --> 00:00:39.280 but Genesis 39 is again one of those challenging passages that get us to wrestle with things that are really vital 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:42.660 to how you choose to live your life. 00:00:42.820 --> 00:00:50.800 And the reason I say that is because Genesis 39, we if you remember, we left off in the story of Joseph where, chapter 00:00:50.800 --> 00:00:55.640 37, he was, captured by his brothers and sold into slavery. 00:00:55.900 --> 00:01:00.720 And then they went back into reported to their father that their brother had been killed by a wild animal. 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:04.069 And so the father's distraught, mourning the death of his son. 00:01:04.280 --> 00:01:04.739 The sons? 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:04.879 No. 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:06.010 They sold him into slavery. 00:01:07.060 --> 00:01:10.700 but now, in chapter, chapter 38, we read about Judah and Tamar. 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:17.880 Now, in chapter 39, we're picking up the story of Joseph again, as he's been sold into slavery and he was 17 years old, 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:23.860 captured by the Ishmaelites, or sold to the Ishmaelites, carried to Egypt, and sold into slavery in Egypt. 00:01:23.860 --> 00:01:25.780 In Genesis 39, verse one, it says this. 00:01:25.780 --> 00:01:33.000 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 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:35.720 the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 00:01:37.020 --> 00:01:44.140 So if you followed in the two chapters, really chapter 37, what we're going to read in chapter 39 of Joseph, what you've seen is his life has got some 00:01:44.140 --> 00:01:50.560 really high highs and low lows, right in the in terms of his relationship and his family. 00:01:50.600 --> 00:01:54.110 His family was a family that was fairly prominent. 00:01:54.660 --> 00:01:57.860 And Joseph was treated as the apple of his father's eye. 00:01:57.860 --> 00:02:00.490 His father picked favorites, which don't do that with your kids. 00:02:00.580 --> 00:02:01.350 That don't mess them up. 00:02:01.620 --> 00:02:02.740 But his father did anyway. 00:02:03.060 --> 00:02:09.600 He picked Joseph as his favorite, and he lavished upon him, gifts and love above all the other children. 00:02:09.660 --> 00:02:15.730 We know that, Jacob, his father, had 12, 12 sons, one daughter, at least it tells us in Scripture. 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:19.270 And Joseph was seen as the favorite. 00:02:19.500 --> 00:02:24.600 And because of that, he received gifts and praise and prominence in the family. 00:02:24.640 --> 00:02:30.080 And it made his brothers angry, to the point his brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites as a slave. 00:02:30.380 --> 00:02:32.580 And now he comes into Egypt as the slave. 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:36.590 And you can imagine how degrading this would be to him as a human being. 00:02:36.740 --> 00:02:38.120 He would have been put on the slave market. 00:02:38.660 --> 00:02:45.660 People would have just combed over him, looking at him for the purposes that they wanted to, whatever they wanted to do with him, his life was no 00:02:45.660 --> 00:02:46.620 longer his own. 00:02:46.620 --> 00:02:49.990 He was bought by someone else and brought into their household. 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:52.840 And the story we find out that person is Potiphar. 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:56.820 And Potiphar is really the general of the army. 00:02:56.820 --> 00:03:00.620 He was in charge of the military in Egypt. 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:03.600 And so Joseph is brought into this place. 00:03:03.600 --> 00:03:06.950 He goes to this place of position in his home, this place of wealth. 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:09.000 And now he has absolutely nothing. 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:09.440 He's a slave. 00:03:09.760 --> 00:03:10.800 His life's not his own. 00:03:10.940 --> 00:03:11.750 He's been bought. 00:03:11.980 --> 00:03:18.120 And the question we could really ask at this point of the story is to simply say, what kind of person is Joseph going to be? 00:03:21.140 --> 00:03:22.860 How is this going to play out for him? 00:03:24.920 --> 00:03:31.960 Yeah, a lot of what we're going to discover in Joseph's life is who he sees himself, the value that he 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:38.020 discovers in and of himself, intrinsically given to him through his Lord is going to determine really who he is. 00:03:38.100 --> 00:03:45.100 But anytime we face circumstances where we lose a lot or really lose anything, it brings us 00:03:45.100 --> 00:03:48.630 to this place of challenging or wrestling with our identity. 00:03:48.720 --> 00:03:51.240 Where do I discover the value of who I am? 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:55.520 And this is the position that we find Joseph in. 00:03:55.600 --> 00:04:02.780 Because what he identifies when in will determine the steps that he takes is worth simply based 00:04:02.780 --> 00:04:09.840 on what happens to him, or does he discover his identity and another way because when you achieve 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:17.000 in life and you succeed at the things of this world, if you find your identity in those things, then you're going to think 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:18.000 you're something great. 00:04:19.140 --> 00:04:24.280 But then when you go through a period of life where you lose those things, you've got to also wear the lows. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:32.880 And so if you if you find your identity rooted in what you achieve or in your failures, then you're going to ride the roller coasters 00:04:32.880 --> 00:04:35.120 of those emotions and the ups and downs of those identities. 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:37.610 Ultimately, you're going to find yourself bankrupt in that. 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:42.980 But that's the question really here for Joseph is Joseph, you had everything and now you've lost all of it. 00:04:43.820 --> 00:04:44.700 Who are you really? 00:04:46.060 --> 00:04:47.040 And what are you about? 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:54.820 And you see in verse 2 to 5 that the story is going to reiterate a theme here in the beginning and the end of 00:04:54.820 --> 00:04:57.440 what is vital for Joseph to recognize. 00:04:57.500 --> 00:04:58.440 And in verse two it says this. 00:04:58.820 --> 00:05:04.390 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 00:05:04.840 --> 00:05:10.050 His master saw that the Lord was with him, and the Lord calls all that he did to succeed in his hands. 00:05:10.460 --> 00:05:17.820 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house, and put him in charge 00:05:17.820 --> 00:05:22.060 of all that he had from the time that he had made him overseer in his house. 00:05:22.100 --> 00:05:25.380 And over all that he had, the Lord blessed the egyptian's house. 00:05:25.380 --> 00:05:31.220 For Joseph's sake the blessing of the Lord was all that he had in the house and field. 00:05:32.660 --> 00:05:33.840 for Joseph. 00:05:33.840 --> 00:05:36.100 The Bible says in this passage five times, right? 00:05:36.100 --> 00:05:37.820 Verse two says at once. 00:05:37.820 --> 00:05:41.440 Verse three says it twice, and verse five says it twice. 00:05:45.820 --> 00:05:46.040 That the Lord was with Joseph, the Lord was with Joseph. 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:53.440 Meaning, just because Joseph went through ups and downs, it didn't change the consistency of who God was, that 00:05:53.440 --> 00:05:55.160 God remained constant through it. 00:05:55.260 --> 00:05:55.360 All right. 00:05:56.540 --> 00:06:00.240 And so we certainly see in this story that God is with Joseph. 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:05.740 But I think the question we could ask in return is, but does Joseph really walk with God? 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:14.160 And the steps that he takes from this point really demonstrate for us the place that he finds his identity 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:18.810 and the kind of person he's determined to be, with or without the things of this world. 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:26.960 And so this morning we look at this passage, this really what we want to talk about in recognition, recognition of Joseph is the three choices that 00:06:26.960 --> 00:06:27.940 can define our life. 00:06:27.940 --> 00:06:33.020 We're going to see as Joseph's story unfolds here, there are different avenues that he can he could have followed. 00:06:33.020 --> 00:06:37.100 And by the way, these avenues are not an exhaustive avenue. 00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:38.770 We're just highlighting a few of these. 00:06:39.200 --> 00:06:45.150 I could certainly point out one that I didn't include that could be on this list is the Avenue of Despair. 00:06:46.140 --> 00:06:53.320 he could have chosen because he lost everything, to just follow a path of despair because he found his identity there, and because of that, then he feels like 00:06:53.320 --> 00:06:53.930 he's worthless. 00:06:54.500 --> 00:07:00.760 But there are at least three choices, and maybe more we could point out for which we could pursue to define our lives. 00:07:00.860 --> 00:07:03.160 The first two of these, by the way, are traps. 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:05.680 Oftentimes the world will tempt us with these things. 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:07.060 So the first two we're going to talk about are traps. 00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:12.300 And the last one is ultimately what leads to our freedom. 00:07:12.760 --> 00:07:19.800 So the big question here, as God is consistent with Joseph in his life, the question is, does 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:22.680 Joseph then choose to walk with God? 00:07:22.740 --> 00:07:27.410 And the temptations thrown at Joseph are to find his identity and any other path? 00:07:27.580 --> 00:07:29.890 But there's only one way by which we find freedom. 00:07:30.380 --> 00:07:35.660 And point number one in your notes, the first trap that we can we can fall victim to is the trap of achieving. 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:38.140 The trap of achieving. 00:07:38.200 --> 00:07:44.580 Let me just say, achieving in and of itself is not bad, right? 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:51.740 I certainly hope that God's people would be blessed and you would find success in your life and understanding how to use that success for his 00:07:51.740 --> 00:07:52.380 glory. 00:07:52.460 --> 00:07:57.000 But just because you don't have certain things that happen in your life does not mean that you're worthless. 00:07:57.080 --> 00:08:04.320 In fact, when it when it says that Joseph finds success here, ultimately you find in the Old Testament that a lot of times what happened 00:08:04.320 --> 00:08:08.420 to Israel physically was a was a reflection of who God was. 00:08:09.020 --> 00:08:14.900 In the New Testament, we read that God has given you as a believer in Christ, every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm. 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:20.500 Ephesians chapter one says that in Christ you receive this new identity in him. 00:08:20.520 --> 00:08:23.360 You belong in him for eternity. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:27.950 And God gives you a new name, a new place, a new identity, a new hope, a new future. 00:08:29.180 --> 00:08:30.120 forgiveness of your past. 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:34.419 I mean, you get all these things in Christ, and so you are a victorious. 00:08:34.600 --> 00:08:37.720 The Bible tells you because of that, you have victory because of that. 00:08:37.820 --> 00:08:40.250 And now as a believer, you get to walk in that victory. 00:08:40.700 --> 00:08:47.800 And so it's important to understand in the life of a Christian what success really looks like, because there's a way the world defines it, and there's a way that the Lord defines 00:08:47.800 --> 00:08:51.180 it, and the way the world defines it tends to be. 00:08:51.620 --> 00:08:55.600 To be about what you achieve and what you achieve determines what you're worth. 00:08:56.440 --> 00:08:56.540 Right. 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:03.040 But there are things in this world that you can you can live, live for that are completely contrary to what God says. 00:09:03.060 --> 00:09:06.670 That success in the Lord is different than success in this world. 00:09:06.780 --> 00:09:08.820 And you think about you look at Jesus's life. 00:09:09.140 --> 00:09:15.100 Many people could look at Jesus and label him a loser and Jesus started his ministry late. 00:09:15.760 --> 00:09:16.280 Or excuse me. 00:09:16.280 --> 00:09:17.270 Yeah, he started his ministry late. 00:09:17.300 --> 00:09:21.380 He ended his ministry early and the people that did follow him abandoned him. 00:09:21.380 --> 00:09:25.510 In the end, he never held a political position. 00:09:25.880 --> 00:09:29.040 He walked around this world, basically the life of a pauper. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:36.380 And so by the worldly standards, you could look at Jesus, who you claim to follow and say, oh, the world would label that a complete failure. 00:09:37.880 --> 00:09:43.070 But we know it's Jesus that transforms life and even today. 00:09:43.760 --> 00:09:50.680 So the idea of the world's success and God's success is completely, really a paradigm shift. 00:09:50.680 --> 00:09:51.890 It's an upside down kingdom. 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:53.200 Right? 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:57.560 So it's important for us to understand how to shape our success according to what God calls success. 00:09:57.700 --> 00:10:04.940 An achievement in itself is not wrong, but it's a prioritizing the achievement towards a greater purpose and cause that 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:05.700 matters. 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:12.710 And so there is this trap that we can experience in achievement by defining who we are and the success that we receive. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:15.580 Which leaves you with a question. 00:10:15.760 --> 00:10:18.620 When you don't have anything or when you lose anything. 00:10:18.700 --> 00:10:20.640 Does that mean God doesn't care about you? 00:10:20.640 --> 00:10:21.640 Does that make you worthless? 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:26.380 And Joseph is certainly going through that roller coaster of experience in the story. 00:10:28.020 --> 00:10:29.180 He was having everything. 00:10:29.180 --> 00:10:30.260 Now all of a sudden he's a slave. 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:33.460 And so, Joseph, what makes you valuable? 00:10:34.640 --> 00:10:38.980 And now all of a sudden, here he comes back into Pharaoh's household, or, excuse me, Potiphar's household. 00:10:39.280 --> 00:10:43.380 And he's living this life of really knowing the Lord. 00:10:43.400 --> 00:10:47.580 And he's starting to see this earthly success again. 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:50.010 Is that what makes him who he is? 00:10:50.280 --> 00:10:57.070 And you see the idea of really this playing out the trap of achievement, not just through the picture of Joseph, but what happens in verse six. 00:10:57.220 --> 00:11:03.310 It says, so he left all talking about Potiphar, all, all that he had in Joseph's charge. 00:11:03.620 --> 00:11:08.260 And because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. 00:11:08.540 --> 00:11:11.340 I know for some of you know this struggle is real. 00:11:11.340 --> 00:11:15.820 Like some of you, the greatest fight you'll have this week is what restaurant you're going to eat out, right? 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:22.920 And this is what it's saying about this is what it's saying about Potiphar is the only challenge his life really had is he woke up in the morning and had to figure out what he 00:11:22.920 --> 00:11:23.870 wanted to pick on the menu. 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:27.040 And now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:28.000 Verse seven. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:33.570 And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, lie with me. 00:11:33.760 --> 00:11:40.880 But he refused and said to his master's wife, behold, because of my of me, my master has no concern about anything in the house, and 00:11:40.880 --> 00:11:43.630 he has put everything that he has in my charge. 00:11:44.020 --> 00:11:44.360 He has. 00:11:44.420 --> 00:11:51.340 He is no greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:54.750 How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? 00:11:55.300 --> 00:11:59.100 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her. 00:11:59.460 --> 00:12:02.980 He would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. 00:12:03.140 --> 00:12:10.220 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, she caught 00:12:10.220 --> 00:12:12.860 him by his garment, saying, lie with me. 00:12:13.260 --> 00:12:18.560 But he left his garment and in her hand, and fled and got out of the house. 00:12:19.620 --> 00:12:26.880 Can I just say, I think in this story it is apparent to Potiphar and Potiphar's wife that God is with Joseph, 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:34.500 but they don't care so much about God as they care about the things they get from God, which ultimately is showing 00:12:34.500 --> 00:12:38.020 you who the true God is of their life, which is themselves. 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:46.430 And so they have they have certainly found their identity in their possessions, in their position, in their power. 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:53.540 And because of that, they're leveraging it for their own advantage to the detriment of those around them. 00:12:53.860 --> 00:13:01.220 And you're seeing this in Potiphar's wife or in the context it says this in verse seven and verse 12, this declaration that 00:13:01.220 --> 00:13:05.330 she gives lie with me, which is really like saying sex. 00:13:06.260 --> 00:13:08.020 Now that's she's just demanding, right? 00:13:08.020 --> 00:13:08.540 She's just commanding. 00:13:09.140 --> 00:13:16.400 She's trying to use her authority in the position that she has to get what she wants because she sees herself as 00:13:16.400 --> 00:13:23.340 the center of the universe and in so doing, abuses those around her to satisfy herself. 00:13:24.800 --> 00:13:31.820 She has wrapped her identity in the thought of achievement and what she's received, and therefore use those things for 00:13:31.820 --> 00:13:32.520 her glory. 00:13:33.560 --> 00:13:38.880 And in so doing, it leads to the to the detriment of those around her. 00:13:39.020 --> 00:13:46.340 And so you see this really this polarization between these two figures and the outlook that they carry in life, 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:54.480 that one finds themselves in what they have and the other one is discovering in their identity, 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:56.050 in who they are in light of who God is. 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:03.680 Jude warns us of really people like this, the book of Jude in chapter, chapter one, verse 12 and 13. 00:14:03.680 --> 00:14:06.740 There's only one chapter in Jude, so it's just 12 and 13. 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:09.300 But Jude, Jude warns of false teachers. 00:14:09.400 --> 00:14:16.700 He says, look, they're promoting something that are like reefs at your love feasts, that it carries the idea that they 00:14:16.700 --> 00:14:20.320 want you to pursue what it is that they're calling you to the things of this world. 00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:26.820 And you kind of run your ship aground because you pursue those things that when you attain them, what else is there? 00:14:26.820 --> 00:14:29.120 You get the temporal gratification of that. 00:14:29.140 --> 00:14:36.980 But that in and of itself is not meaningful enough for you as a human being, that ultimately it leads you, leaves you feeling broken or 00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:44.060 there's this idea of not just the reefs, but it refers to, pursuing the teachings of this world as wandering 00:14:44.060 --> 00:14:44.860 stars. 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:46.720 And you think about what? 00:14:46.880 --> 00:14:48.220 What in the world is a wandering star? 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:53.780 I like going outside and seeing my little wish, some kind of shooting star. 00:14:53.780 --> 00:14:54.380 What was it? 00:14:54.380 --> 00:14:55.520 What's wrong with a wandering star? 00:14:55.620 --> 00:15:02.680 Well, in a day when you don't have compasses and you need to follow something for navigation, if you kind of fix yourself on a wandering 00:15:02.680 --> 00:15:09.720 star, a star that does not stay in its chosen spot in the sky, the only thing it's going to do is lead 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:10.350 you astray. 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:13.880 It's going to leave you empty and broken. 00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:19.220 And really, this is what we find with the with Potiphar's wife. 00:15:19.740 --> 00:15:21.100 That she has what she wants. 00:15:21.100 --> 00:15:23.000 She demands it according to her power and position. 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:27.980 She thinks that she finds her joy, her identity in this. 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:30.800 And when she doesn't get what she wants, she cries like a baby. 00:15:33.660 --> 00:15:35.480 The trap of achievement. 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:38.180 Can leave us empty. 00:15:39.420 --> 00:15:44.600 It could have left Joseph empty if he found his identity in all that his father had given him, because he lost it all. 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:53.200 And the truth is for us that whatever you might appreciate in the things of this world, all of it will pass away. 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:59.860 And if you try to find your identity in that the worth of who you are, it will leave you empty and broken. 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:08.280 And in so doing, you will become an abuser to people around you as you try to leverage those things to serve you, rather than use the 00:16:08.280 --> 00:16:10.600 things God gives to bless others. 00:16:11.640 --> 00:16:13.680 There is the trap of achievement. 00:16:13.680 --> 00:16:14.920 The second trap is this. 00:16:14.920 --> 00:16:16.280 It's the trap of pleasure. 00:16:18.260 --> 00:16:20.400 It's the trap of a pleasure. 00:16:20.420 --> 00:16:21.460 And let me say this again. 00:16:22.260 --> 00:16:24.940 Pleasure in and of itself is not wrong. 00:16:25.920 --> 00:16:27.420 I mean, God created it for a reason. 00:16:28.880 --> 00:16:29.300 Right. 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:31.800 And, pleasure. 00:16:31.800 --> 00:16:38.920 It can be something that can be appreciated as long in a healthy way, as long as it's ordered according to the way 00:16:38.920 --> 00:16:40.610 in which God desires. 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:49.220 And here we see in chapter 39, people living for their personal pleasure and in so doing using 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:50.740 another person as a tool. 00:16:52.140 --> 00:16:59.440 You see this painted this picture, painted in the life of Potiphar's wife that her interest is not only in the 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:06.599 trap of achievement, using her position to abuse those around her, but it's also in the trap of pleasure that she just simply 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:08.930 wants to satisfy herself. 00:17:09.020 --> 00:17:11.410 And in so doing, she abuses Joseph. 00:17:12.579 --> 00:17:19.619 And in chapter 39, we're specifically seeing this through the idea of sex and sexuality, and in particular this 00:17:19.619 --> 00:17:26.520 section we can ask ourselves in terms of pleasure as it specifically relates to the sex, as why does it, why does it exist? 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:29.600 You know, God certainly created it for a reason. 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:34.970 And so what's what's the purpose in which God has sex and sexuality? 00:17:35.220 --> 00:17:39.370 Joseph, in his comment, he's helping us understand that there are parameters. 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:40.920 There's a standard to it. 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:41.880 Right? 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:45.340 When he when he refers to it as wickedness and sinful. 00:17:45.340 --> 00:17:50.260 What she wants to do in verse nine, it says, he is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he. 00:17:50.360 --> 00:17:54.200 He kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. 00:17:54.540 --> 00:17:59.320 How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? 00:18:00.900 --> 00:18:02.660 Notice Joseph in this story. 00:18:02.660 --> 00:18:09.340 He's saying, look, this isn't ultimately an affront to your to your husband, but this is ultimately an affront against God. 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:16.800 And so in acknowledging this, he's saying there is a standard through through which sex and sexuality has been created by 00:18:16.800 --> 00:18:18.240 our creator. 00:18:18.800 --> 00:18:27.060 And he's defining really parameters for how he desires people to experience intimacy. 00:18:27.280 --> 00:18:34.360 You know, when you think in terms of sex and sexuality, Joseph is really saying the pleasure that you're seeking or 00:18:34.360 --> 00:18:40.660 the way that the world often portrays it is in conflict with what God desires. 00:18:41.940 --> 00:18:45.100 God certainly created it with pleasure for a purpose. 00:18:45.900 --> 00:18:46.000 Right? 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:54.700 But unless our hearts are aligned to that purpose, we will abuse it for our own desires, as if we are God and 00:18:54.700 --> 00:18:55.780 harm others around us. 00:18:58.460 --> 00:19:02.800 So how can we have a godly perspective on pleasure? 00:19:04.120 --> 00:19:11.660 You know, the world tells you the primary point of sex is for your personal pleasure or just simply making 00:19:11.660 --> 00:19:17.460 you happy, which cheapens from a bigger picture, a grander picture. 00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:19.300 The reason for which God created it. 00:19:20.020 --> 00:19:22.030 Sex has seen this world as an appetite. 00:19:22.260 --> 00:19:24.340 You just you should just fulfill. 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:30.660 And therefore the world uses sex as primarily about lust, not love. 00:19:33.360 --> 00:19:38.800 Lust is about gratifying what you want and treating other people like tools. 00:19:41.760 --> 00:19:48.520 Love is about using your life to surrender for the benefit of someone else. 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:57.480 And by her seeking this gratification in her desires, it's about serving herself in lust to the detriment of 00:19:57.480 --> 00:19:58.700 others, which is not love. 00:20:00.040 --> 00:20:03.280 And so the problem with this world's view is one it ignores God's purpose. 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:11.020 Two, it makes you God over your sexuality as if to say, you know better for why it exists than God does. 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:16.780 And three it demeans others to the position of tools or objects for your own personal gratification. 00:20:20.040 --> 00:20:21.540 The Christian view of sexuality. 00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:24.980 It's far more beautiful and fulfilling. 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:29.580 Our God certainly created it to be enjoyed. 00:20:30.060 --> 00:20:33.420 But the Christian view of sex and sexuality is one of love, not lust. 00:20:34.320 --> 00:20:38.040 Biblical love is about laying yourself down for the benefit of another. 00:20:38.040 --> 00:20:43.380 It's the deepest of love that God has designed to be experienced in covenant marriage. 00:20:43.820 --> 00:20:44.640 Intimacy. 00:20:45.280 --> 00:20:51.640 sexual intimacy is a gift to be used as the greatest expression of self commitment to another. 00:20:52.800 --> 00:20:54.650 Used rightly, someone said it like this. 00:20:54.700 --> 00:21:01.840 It is the final step of your active commitment to your spouse and the most vulnerable and intimate 00:21:01.840 --> 00:21:09.420 of ways to develop a deeper, more enriching, meaningful, trusting personal relationship. 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:13.900 It's why in the New Testament, when the apostle Paul talked about it, he says it like this. 00:21:13.940 --> 00:21:20.180 In first Corinthians six he says, do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? 00:21:20.500 --> 00:21:23.620 For as it is written, the two will become one flesh? 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:31.640 He's saying more than just simply use one another for as a tool for your gratification, which is demeaning to the other human 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:34.820 being that what God wants to do is. 00:21:35.060 --> 00:21:37.520 And it can be more demeaning to more people than that. 00:21:37.520 --> 00:21:42.580 But God, what God desires to do is to build something more beautiful in the intimacy of two becoming one. 00:21:42.800 --> 00:21:51.010 And the last expression that you have in that covenant relationship of completely giving of yourself is that vulnerability of intimacy. 00:21:52.080 --> 00:21:55.180 And so because of that, Paul goes on and says it like this. 00:21:55.220 --> 00:21:59.960 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? 00:22:00.420 --> 00:22:02.270 You are not your own. 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:05.740 He's acknowledging for us. 00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:11.980 Look, your body is distinct from your soul, but it's not separate. 00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:16.080 There is a distinction between your body and soul, but they're intertwined in each other. 00:22:17.360 --> 00:22:20.960 And what you do with your body impacts your soul. 00:22:21.260 --> 00:22:23.360 It impacts your relationship with the Lord. 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:25.440 It impacts your relationship with others. 00:22:25.580 --> 00:22:28.480 While your body and soul are distinct, they're intertwined. 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:35.580 And the beauty of what God wants to do and through the act of intimacy, it's this intertwining of that expression as 00:22:35.580 --> 00:22:37.580 you give yourself away for someone else. 00:22:37.580 --> 00:22:44.720 And in recognizing the beauty of that expression and the privilege it is to use your body to honor the Lord and 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:45.760 honor someone else. 00:22:45.840 --> 00:22:50.640 That's why first Corinthians seven five encourages you to pursue that relationship with the spouse. 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:57.700 He says, do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement, for a limited time, talking about sexual intimacy, that you may devote 00:22:57.700 --> 00:23:03.950 yourselves to prayer, but then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self control. 00:23:04.900 --> 00:23:07.280 So Paul's acknowledging, look, God created it. 00:23:07.280 --> 00:23:08.800 It's loaded with pleasure. 00:23:08.800 --> 00:23:15.810 But the purpose of that pleasure is defined in the intimacy that you have to express in one another as you, in the moment of that vulnerability, 00:23:16.140 --> 00:23:19.980 have the opportunity to give yourself away and complete entrustment to one another. 00:23:20.060 --> 00:23:24.280 And it's in this context that you're not abusing one another lustfully for your own gratification. 00:23:26.900 --> 00:23:29.040 But having the privilege of laying yourself down. 00:23:30.340 --> 00:23:34.660 To become one and what God has called you to in him. 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:43.080 Now when we talk about the idea of pleasure, the beauty of pleasure in this world, again, it's this reminder that 00:23:43.080 --> 00:23:46.180 pleasure in and of itself is not a bad thing. 00:23:47.300 --> 00:23:52.960 But pleasure in and of itself is not the highest attaining for which we are created as human beings. 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:57.750 The purpose of life is not just simply about waking up and thinking, how can I just make myself happy? 00:23:59.420 --> 00:24:06.080 Because if that becomes your objective in life, you'll find that you're never completely satisfied because you weren't ultimately made for pleasure. 00:24:06.100 --> 00:24:13.140 That pleasure is the result of discovering the reason for which you were ultimately made, and just simply pursuing pleasure 00:24:13.140 --> 00:24:14.340 for pleasure sake. 00:24:14.340 --> 00:24:16.920 Will just leave you empty inside. 00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:25.180 Now, when we talk about the idea of sex and sexuality as it relates to pleasure, I want you to know that I'm not saying 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:28.500 all this to just to guilt us. 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:30.680 I'm not saying all this to guilt us at all. 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:30.940 What I'm. 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:38.060 What I'm trying to help us understand is, I realize there is a message that the world tries to yell at us in terms of 00:24:38.060 --> 00:24:39.880 sexuality and pleasure. 00:24:41.020 --> 00:24:44.860 And then there's what's what the Lord says and what the world says. 00:24:45.180 --> 00:24:52.400 Seems like it screams at us more consistently and constantly than we have opportunity to listen to 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:54.920 God's beauty for sex and sexuality. 00:24:56.500 --> 00:25:03.860 And it's significant for the heart to recognize, you know the most what is important because you are you're forming 00:25:03.860 --> 00:25:06.740 daily desires, right? 00:25:06.740 --> 00:25:11.210 And what you align your heart to will shape those desires. 00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:14.840 What you're feeding your life with will shape those desires. 00:25:16.300 --> 00:25:18.860 And learning the truth of what God says about it is important. 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:26.240 Because even when you look in Scripture, you see some of the downfall of some of the, greatest followers of 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:29.900 the Lord happened in this realm of sexuality and pleasure. 00:25:30.760 --> 00:25:33.560 I mean, David was referred to as a man after God's own heart. 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:38.260 But the thing that led to David faltering was his sin with Bathsheba. 00:25:39.620 --> 00:25:39.840 Right. 00:25:39.840 --> 00:25:47.300 And if a man after God's own heart can fall victim to that, or give in to that, indulge in that temptation, we 00:25:47.300 --> 00:25:48.520 all are susceptible. 00:25:48.580 --> 00:25:51.070 So this is not this is not about throwing stones. 00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:53.730 This is not about just making you feel guilty. 00:25:53.780 --> 00:25:55.070 Let me let me be very clear in this. 00:25:55.360 --> 00:25:57.690 This is not even about moralism or religion. 00:25:59.540 --> 00:26:00.360 Sometimes. 00:26:00.380 --> 00:26:04.440 Here's here comes the temptation in talking about sex and sexuality and intimacy. 00:26:04.780 --> 00:26:08.860 Sometimes the church gets this label of saying, oh, it's bad, run away from it. 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:10.440 No, it is not bad. 00:26:10.440 --> 00:26:11.010 It is good. 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:17.510 And God created it for a godly, a godly reason and purpose and lived that lived out. 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:25.160 It can develop a much deeper experience and intimacy and relationship for which God has intended, far greater than anything this world 00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:25.890 could ever paint. 00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:32.200 So we don't want to give this idea of moralism or religion, because here's the way we could treat it. 00:26:32.220 --> 00:26:36.960 As I could say to you know, people take achievement and they do bad things with it. 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:41.520 And so you as a, as a Christian could look at that and be like, oh, people use that for bad things, therefore it's bad. 00:26:41.540 --> 00:26:42.840 I'll run away from it. 00:26:43.040 --> 00:26:45.210 And I'm telling you, no, it is not bad. 00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:51.640 I hope that God gives you many successful things in life position, power, possession, those things. 00:26:51.640 --> 00:26:57.890 I hope as a believer, God lets you experience that in your life to leverage it for his glory to the benefit of others. 00:26:58.580 --> 00:27:02.200 So it's not for us to run away from because people might do bad things with it. 00:27:02.340 --> 00:27:06.180 It's more about learning how to align my heart according to what God says. 00:27:06.180 --> 00:27:07.140 It's to be used for that. 00:27:08.340 --> 00:27:15.580 That I would only use those things properly when my heart is completely surrendered to the Lord, then it puts the rest of my loves in perspective. 00:27:16.560 --> 00:27:23.310 It's my one true love with God that aligns my heart to the things of this world, to understand the reason for which it exists. 00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:30.240 So I don't run away from achievement because people may use it poorly or when it comes to sexuality. 00:27:31.780 --> 00:27:37.000 The world screams at you over and over and again of things that you could do wrong in that realm, right? 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:38.980 All those temptations you can be like, oh, that's bad. 00:27:39.020 --> 00:27:40.700 I'm just going to I'm going to live a life of celibacy. 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:44.860 And again, I would say, no, that's not what the Lord wants. 00:27:44.860 --> 00:27:50.160 Maybe for some of us, but rather to understand the reason for which God has created it. 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:54.940 And that does not happen unless your heart is ultimately given to the one that matters. 00:27:55.880 --> 00:28:02.960 And then he reorients and prioritizes all the other affections and love for your life through that lens 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:03.360 of God. 00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:04.500 How can I live for your glory? 00:28:06.420 --> 00:28:09.120 And so for us, this is not about throwing stones. 00:28:09.400 --> 00:28:10.190 This is not about moralism. 00:28:10.920 --> 00:28:14.120 This is not about religion where you're like, oh man, I looked at porn again this week. 00:28:14.120 --> 00:28:15.780 I feel so bad about it. 00:28:15.780 --> 00:28:17.660 I'm going to try harder next week. 00:28:17.740 --> 00:28:18.970 That's not the point at all. 00:28:19.180 --> 00:28:23.540 You're the success of your Christian life is not about how you refrain from doing things. 00:28:25.060 --> 00:28:31.320 The success of your Christian life is measured by how you align your life towards one love, which is ultimately the Lord. 00:28:31.340 --> 00:28:35.210 And in so doing, it will prioritize the rest of the things of this world. 00:28:36.140 --> 00:28:43.200 That's why Jesus says when he teaches us to pray in Matthew chapter six, he says, pray in this way Our father who art in heaven, hallowed 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:43.770 be your name. 00:28:44.040 --> 00:28:46.340 Your kingdom come, your will be done. 00:28:46.360 --> 00:28:51.000 Not my kingdom come, not my will be done, but rather God. 00:28:51.020 --> 00:28:56.820 How can I, how can I attune my heart to the things that you have created in this world, that I could leverage it for your glory? 00:28:56.820 --> 00:29:02.220 As I come to walk in relationship with you gave these things for a reason. 00:29:04.120 --> 00:29:11.520 God, may I use those opportunities of experiencing those things not for my glory, because it will destroy other people, but 00:29:11.520 --> 00:29:12.680 rather for yours. 00:29:14.980 --> 00:29:15.480 And so can I. 00:29:15.620 --> 00:29:18.740 Can I tell you this is not to guilt you? 00:29:20.040 --> 00:29:27.480 If you struggle with trying to find your worth and the things that you achieve if you struggle and the temptation of sex 00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:32.380 and sexuality, the challenge to you is not do better. 00:29:32.380 --> 00:29:33.340 What's wrong with you? 00:29:35.220 --> 00:29:42.260 The challenge to you is may you find your identity richly and who you are in Christ, that he may 00:29:42.260 --> 00:29:49.160 align your heart with the goodness of who he is, and therefore that you would use those things for his glory in this world. 00:29:50.380 --> 00:29:57.690 And my greatest fear in looking at a passage like this is that people would walk out and all they hear me say is religion and moralism. 00:29:58.680 --> 00:30:00.000 That is not what I want for you. 00:30:01.120 --> 00:30:02.820 That is not what the Lord wants for you. 00:30:04.260 --> 00:30:07.100 What the Lord desires for your life is that you find freedom in him. 00:30:08.440 --> 00:30:09.700 That you understand who he is. 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:10.980 This is what he's saying to Joseph. 00:30:12.020 --> 00:30:18.500 Joseph, whether in the mountain or the valley, the one thing that I want you to know that's always been constant is my presence with you. 00:30:20.540 --> 00:30:27.600 Because when you're when your pursuit of life becomes towards that aim, take everything else away from you in this 00:30:27.600 --> 00:30:30.360 world and who you are will never change. 00:30:32.040 --> 00:30:35.830 Because who you are is wrapped up in who he is and who he is never changes. 00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:39.900 And you see this here at the end of the story and in Genesis. 00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:43.120 well, let me just say it like this. 00:30:43.120 --> 00:30:47.300 Genesis chapter 39, verse nine, I want you to see how Joseph is doing this in verse nine. 00:30:47.300 --> 00:30:54.540 It says, he is no greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. 00:30:54.840 --> 00:30:58.260 How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? 00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:05.300 And so he's saying this passage, look, I'm not going to give in to just the idea of pleasure. 00:31:05.500 --> 00:31:07.360 The trap of pleasure for pleasure sake. 00:31:08.140 --> 00:31:09.480 There's a purpose for pleasure. 00:31:10.020 --> 00:31:11.720 And I'm reorienting that in him. 00:31:12.520 --> 00:31:14.680 Joseph's not saying I'm just trying to avoid bad things. 00:31:15.620 --> 00:31:18.260 Joseph is saying my life is about something altogether different. 00:31:19.520 --> 00:31:20.490 I want to live for his glory. 00:31:21.080 --> 00:31:23.270 Now, part of that means you're moving away from wickedness. 00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:25.690 But it's more, more, more than just moving away. 00:31:25.740 --> 00:31:26.830 It's what he's moving towards. 00:31:28.020 --> 00:31:33.900 I'm walking with this God who's walking with me and therefore all these other things. 00:31:34.360 --> 00:31:37.620 It can take a back seat because this is what my life is about. 00:31:38.320 --> 00:31:43.640 And so because Joseph identified himself this way, he knew how to reorient the challenges that he was facing. 00:31:43.840 --> 00:31:45.120 And again, in verse 12, look at this. 00:31:45.600 --> 00:31:47.860 She caught him by his garment saying, lie with me. 00:31:47.900 --> 00:31:51.960 But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 00:31:53.080 --> 00:31:57.260 Because there is some times in life where you should not flee, right? 00:31:57.260 --> 00:31:59.060 To flee your makes you a coward. 00:31:59.540 --> 00:32:06.720 There are certain things in life where God has made you a minister over or responsible for, and there's a time to stand 00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:07.870 up and stand for. 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:11.780 And then there are other times where you just got to run, right. 00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:13.670 And this is this passage. 00:32:14.280 --> 00:32:17.330 And that's what Paul says to Timothy and second Timothy. 00:32:17.360 --> 00:32:20.560 Two flee youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity and peace. 00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:21.920 It's about what you're making life for. 00:32:22.300 --> 00:32:27.880 And so you leave those other things behind that are going to wreck you, those wandering stars. 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:29.990 And so in verse 12, this is what he's talking about. 00:32:30.320 --> 00:32:32.300 And he's willing to leave this garment. 00:32:32.300 --> 00:32:37.860 And I love that it uses this illustration of the garment, because this is the second time Joseph's got received a coat. 00:32:38.380 --> 00:32:43.860 Remember, the first coat recognized who he was and prominence in his family and that got taken away from him. 00:32:44.140 --> 00:32:44.780 And here he is. 00:32:44.780 --> 00:32:46.970 He's back to a place where he is a second coat again. 00:32:47.480 --> 00:32:49.750 And you could imagine he would struggle in this moment. 00:32:49.840 --> 00:32:51.420 Man, do I need to stick around here. 00:32:51.860 --> 00:32:53.690 I have all the things that I lost. 00:32:53.720 --> 00:32:54.580 I've got it back again. 00:32:54.580 --> 00:32:55.600 I don't want to lose it again. 00:32:56.480 --> 00:32:57.720 Maybe I should just do what she says. 00:32:57.900 --> 00:32:59.420 Maybe no one will find out, right? 00:32:59.480 --> 00:33:00.950 I don't want to lose these things. 00:33:01.600 --> 00:33:04.400 But Joseph willingly set it aside and took off. 00:33:04.400 --> 00:33:05.420 And why would he do that? 00:33:07.140 --> 00:33:07.820 Only answer. 00:33:09.300 --> 00:33:11.280 It's because he found his identity in something more. 00:33:13.380 --> 00:33:18.720 He was willing to leave everything so he could hold on to this one thing. 00:33:20.620 --> 00:33:23.940 Which gave him all the value and worth that he needed, which is the Lord. 00:33:25.120 --> 00:33:28.460 Now I'm going to say, let me just paraphrase verse 13 to 20 for time's sake. 00:33:28.540 --> 00:33:32.400 But if you read verse 13 and 20, you see Potiphar's wife didn't get what she wanted. 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:34.680 She screamed, I didn't get what I wanted, right. 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:36.940 And then all these people come running in and they're like, what happened? 00:33:37.000 --> 00:33:41.540 And then she blames Joseph for trying to take advantage of her. 00:33:41.540 --> 00:33:45.000 Potiphar comes back, hears about it, gets angry, throws Joseph in jail. 00:33:45.020 --> 00:33:47.820 You know what's interesting when it talks about Potiphar's anger in the story? 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:50.400 It doesn't tell us exactly who Potiphar's angry at. 00:33:51.520 --> 00:33:52.440 It just says he's angry. 00:33:53.320 --> 00:33:57.020 And so it kind of gives the idea that he maybe not fully trust his wife. 00:33:57.040 --> 00:34:01.300 He doesn't know exactly who's to blame here, but he knows something has to be done. 00:34:01.540 --> 00:34:03.640 So he throws Joseph in jail. 00:34:03.700 --> 00:34:06.700 And some people have asked the question, why would he just throw him in jail? 00:34:06.700 --> 00:34:10.360 Why didn't he just kill him if that is what he really thought happened to his wife? 00:34:10.440 --> 00:34:11.409 And that would have been a normal response. 00:34:11.820 --> 00:34:19.199 And the reason most people think that he wasn't thrown into jail is because he didn't completely believe what his wife said, but he's he throws 00:34:19.199 --> 00:34:20.170 him in jail. 00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:27.320 And this is verse 21, I think becomes the most important section in this entire, this entire chapter, he says. 00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:34.440 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed his steadfast love and gave 00:34:34.440 --> 00:34:37.080 him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 00:34:38.560 --> 00:34:43.199 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. 00:34:43.199 --> 00:34:46.020 Whatever he had done there, he was the one who did it. 00:34:46.100 --> 00:34:53.139 Now, I know this sounds like bragging for a minute, like Joseph's back to being successful again, but I can't help but think the ceiling is not 00:34:53.139 --> 00:34:55.980 very high when you're successful in this scenario. 00:34:56.600 --> 00:34:56.719 Right? 00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:56.719 But. 00:34:57.139 --> 00:34:58.500 But God's hand of favor is there. 00:34:58.500 --> 00:35:05.640 Verse 23, the keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the Lord was with him, and 00:35:05.640 --> 00:35:08.980 whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed. 00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:10.630 And I think this is important. 00:35:11.620 --> 00:35:13.140 The idea of success is different. 00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:18.640 You know, success in jail and worldly terms is not very high. 00:35:20.880 --> 00:35:25.080 But success in terms of the Lord is incredibly high. 00:35:26.780 --> 00:35:31.580 And what it's saying is he's succeeding because he's finding his identity in who God is. 00:35:32.520 --> 00:35:33.420 And guys, can I tell you a point? 00:35:33.420 --> 00:35:34.690 Number three, I don't know if I gave you this. 00:35:35.040 --> 00:35:37.380 It's this gift, the gift of knowing God. 00:35:38.780 --> 00:35:39.780 The gift of knowing God. 00:35:42.540 --> 00:35:49.720 One thing the two previous points had in common that makes them unique to this 00:35:49.720 --> 00:35:57.000 point is that in the previous two points, Potiphar's wife, what she doubted 00:35:57.000 --> 00:35:58.660 was the goodness of who God was. 00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:07.660 Any time we give in to temptation, we doubt the goodness of who God is because we're saying, 00:36:08.900 --> 00:36:10.400 I know better than God knows for me. 00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:16.800 And therefore, because we think we know better, we choose different than what God desires. 00:36:18.260 --> 00:36:21.140 When temptation comes our way, that's the struggle that we face. 00:36:21.140 --> 00:36:24.460 Do I really believe that God is good? 00:36:25.640 --> 00:36:27.260 Or do I believe that I know better? 00:36:28.660 --> 00:36:31.890 And we doubt the goodness of God and we give in to our temptations. 00:36:33.980 --> 00:36:36.700 And because of that, people suffer, including ourselves. 00:36:37.960 --> 00:36:43.740 But for Joseph, in order for him to be successful, he had to shape his life in something completely different. 00:36:44.820 --> 00:36:46.560 Because the things of this world will come and go. 00:36:47.880 --> 00:36:50.960 But that doesn't determine who you are, or at least it shouldn't. 00:36:52.040 --> 00:36:55.460 What should determine who you are is knowing God. 00:36:55.840 --> 00:36:59.380 And I think the most powerful phrase here is found in verse 21. 00:36:59.860 --> 00:37:03.890 It says, the Lord was with Joseph and showed him, look at this steadfast love. 00:37:05.920 --> 00:37:07.400 This is unchanging love. 00:37:07.400 --> 00:37:12.160 The Hebrew word here is actually has said, this is covered gentle love. 00:37:12.160 --> 00:37:17.690 This is unconditional, unchanging, forever and always, this way love. 00:37:17.840 --> 00:37:20.230 This is the presence of who God is in his life. 00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:22.290 It's the presence of who God is. 00:37:22.660 --> 00:37:27.740 And for all of our lives that circumstances don't determine who God is. 00:37:28.940 --> 00:37:30.920 My actions don't dictate who God is. 00:37:31.660 --> 00:37:33.540 God determines who God is. 00:37:34.660 --> 00:37:38.640 And the Bible is teaching us that he's always consistent with his nature. 00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:42.240 Who he is will remain the same. 00:37:43.060 --> 00:37:50.060 Which is saying to you, when everything else in this world will fail you, the one thing that you should cling to because it 00:37:50.060 --> 00:37:53.760 will never let you down, is the goodness of who God is. 00:37:54.280 --> 00:38:01.420 So that in the mountains or in the valleys, the consistency of who you are can be discovered, because who you are has 00:38:01.420 --> 00:38:03.700 been discovered in who he is. 00:38:05.380 --> 00:38:12.740 So for us, this is not a message of morality, but rather it's a message of 00:38:12.740 --> 00:38:13.490 identity. 00:38:15.360 --> 00:38:16.880 What do you give yourself to? 00:38:19.360 --> 00:38:26.600 Your life is being shaped by desires and where you give your heart over to your desires, and those things 00:38:26.600 --> 00:38:27.510 will change. 00:38:28.020 --> 00:38:31.070 It'll it'll start to develop your identity. 00:38:31.160 --> 00:38:36.040 But what God wants to say from the beginning of this chapter, verse 2 to 5 said it five times. 00:38:36.080 --> 00:38:43.620 And the end of this chapter is the consistency of who he is, that Joseph may find his identity in him and in so doing, truly 00:38:43.620 --> 00:38:46.560 live free, even when he finds himself as a slave. 00:38:47.340 --> 00:38:48.300 So let me let me close it. 00:38:48.300 --> 00:38:49.660 Like this. 00:38:49.920 --> 00:38:51.590 one of the seven wonders of the world. 00:38:52.600 --> 00:38:53.880 The Great Wall of China. 00:38:53.880 --> 00:38:55.140 It's actually not just a great wall. 00:38:55.140 --> 00:38:57.950 It's the great walls, really, but the Great Wall of China. 00:38:58.840 --> 00:39:00.920 over 1300 miles. 00:39:00.940 --> 00:39:02.280 It started to. 00:39:02.280 --> 00:39:09.340 It was first constructed in 700 BC or the seventh century BC, and it continued to be built for 00:39:09.340 --> 00:39:10.770 well over a thousand years. 00:39:11.520 --> 00:39:15.300 It was used for the purpose of protecting the people. 00:39:15.300 --> 00:39:19.580 They built this wall as a fortress to guard against what was warfare at the time. 00:39:19.580 --> 00:39:21.300 You know, today we could just blow that sucker up. 00:39:21.300 --> 00:39:24.730 But at that time, at that time, you could not there was not that kind of technology. 00:39:25.100 --> 00:39:28.280 So it protected the people from the enemies on the, on the outside. 00:39:28.700 --> 00:39:31.680 And sometimes it worked, but not always. 00:39:32.820 --> 00:39:34.830 They thought they were going to build this impenetrable fortress. 00:39:35.040 --> 00:39:39.250 But if you go back in history and read, there were some people that were successful in getting through. 00:39:39.500 --> 00:39:47.280 And the way that they were successful in getting through is they discovered all they had to do was bribe the gatekeeper, and 00:39:47.280 --> 00:39:48.800 in bribing the gatekeeper, they were able to get in. 00:39:50.280 --> 00:39:51.480 And guys, it's the same for you. 00:39:52.940 --> 00:39:55.120 All kinds of temptation in this world your life can be about. 00:39:56.980 --> 00:39:58.880 But the question is what is your heart given to? 00:40:00.220 --> 00:40:01.960 Temptation wants to bribe the gatekeeper. 00:40:03.200 --> 00:40:03.400 Right? 00:40:03.420 --> 00:40:05.640 And in buying into that lie, you doubt the goodness of God. 00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:08.760 But when your heart is given over to him. 00:40:09.520 --> 00:40:10.320 That's what transforms. 00:40:11.260 --> 00:40:14.960 You can look at Joseph and say, well, God told Joseph over and over, he loved him. 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:15.400 He loved him. 00:40:15.440 --> 00:40:15.800 He loved him. 00:40:15.800 --> 00:40:16.240 He was with him. 00:40:16.240 --> 00:40:16.640 He was with him. 00:40:16.640 --> 00:40:17.260 He was with him. 00:40:18.320 --> 00:40:19.040 But what about me? 00:40:19.040 --> 00:40:19.510 How do I know? 00:40:21.080 --> 00:40:22.040 Answer is very easy. 00:40:22.860 --> 00:40:23.870 It's the cross of Christ. 00:40:25.940 --> 00:40:28.960 That's God becoming flesh to give his life for you. 00:40:30.220 --> 00:40:37.280 Can I tell you, in all the false gods ever created in this world, there is no God more personal and true and intimate 00:40:37.280 --> 00:40:38.620 than the God of the Bible. 00:40:40.260 --> 00:40:47.040 That he would pursue you to give his life, that you could find your worth, your meaning, your purpose, your value in him.