Radio Transcript

Resisting Temptation

James wrote, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:7-8). To resist the devil is to withstand his attempts to cause us to sin. James’ words ought to serve as an encouragement to every one of us, because they remind us that it is possible to overcome temptation. But friends, how is it that we are able to resist the devil? Why is it that sometimes we are able to resist the devil, while at other times we give in and sin? Well friends, it’s not just a matter of chance. Resisting the devil is not merely a matter of luck on our part.

Genesis 39:1-20 records a time when Joseph was tempted, yet successfully resisted the devil. As we look at this passage together, let’s consider some of those qualities found in Joseph that enabled him to overcome temptation. Friends I might add that we ought to search out those admirable qualities in Joseph and emulate these same qualities in our own lives. Beginning in Genesis 39:1, "Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful 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 he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, Lie with me. But he refused and said to his master's wife, Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me. But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside. So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside. So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, Your servant did to me after this manner, that his anger was aroused. Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison."

First, Joseph was able to resist the devil because he was deserving of other’s trust. Let’s look again at verse eight from our passage. "But he refused and said to his master's wife, Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand." Potiphar had placed all that he had under Joseph’s control. All except, of course, his wife. Potiphar had placed a great deal of trust in Joseph. Potiphar had confidence that Joseph was deserving of this trust. Friends, Joseph knew that if he sinned with Potiphar’s wife, he would betray that confidence Potiphar had placed in him.

In order to resist the devil, we need to be deserving of the confidence others have placed in us. Before we give in to temptation, we ought to remember the effect our sin has, not only on ourselves, but also on those who have placed their trust in us. We ought to remember the effects our sin has on our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends, and our co-workers. How sad it is to see broken marriages and broken friendships, all because someone has betrayed the trust someone else has placed in them.

Second, Joseph was able to resist the devil because he was willing to deny himself of that which was not his. Let’s notice verse nine from our text, "There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"  Friends, notice Joseph’s words to Potiphar’s wife, "You are his wife." Joseph knew that Potiphar’s wife belonged to Potiphar. To take another person’s companion is to take something that belongs to someone else. To the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul wrote, "Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does" (I Corinthians 7:1-4). Young people, I might add that when you take someone else’s future spouse, you take that which belongs to someone else. When you take someone else’s purity, you take away something you cannot give back.."

Third, Joseph was able to resist the devil and overcome temptation because he was devoted to God. Notice Joseph’s words, recorded in verse nine, "There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"  Did you notice Joseph’s words, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Joseph remembered that all sin is against God. David wrote, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight -- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge" (Psalm 51:4). Of course, David had sinned against others as well as against God. But David knew that, first and foremost, all sin is against God. It is against God because it is against his nature, it is against his commandments, and it goes against the love he has shown toward us.

Also friends, Joseph realized what sin was (and still is). Notice what Joseph called sin - great wickedness. Joseph’s recognition of sin stands in stark contrast to that of so many today. Many people attempt to justify their sexual immorality rather than recognize it for what it is. Many would simply trivialize sexual immorality as an innocent fling between two consenting adults. After all, they say, they are just fulfilling the desires God has given them. After all, they say, no one is really being hurt as long as we are two consenting adults. Friends it’s saddening to see someone with such an attitude. Whenever anyone sins, someone always gets hurt. Many today foolishly attempt to justify their homosexual behavior, their adultery, or their fornication. But such immoral behavior is the same today as it was in Joseph’s day, great wickedness against God.

Fourth, Joseph was determined to overcome temptation. Joseph said no and really meant it! Notice the following from Genesis 39:10, "So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her." Apparently Potiphar’s wife’s attempt to get Joseph to sin was not simply a one-time occurrence. Our text indicates she spoke to Joseph day by day. There’s a lesson for us, friends. Every time we resist the devil, we must remember that he will be back! Satan is persistent in his efforts to get us to sin and he simply will not give up. Peter wrote, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."

It is also commendable that Joseph did not "flirt with sin" as so many are willing to flirt with today. There is a very important point to be made from verse ten of our text, "So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. That’s right, Joseph refused to be with her. Admittedly, the phrase "to be with her" may sometimes be a reference to the sexual relationship. But it seems that, here in verses ten of our text, it means something else. For it to here refer to the sexual relationship, the text would essentially read, "So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to lie with her." Friends, you can see that such an interpretation would simply make the verse redundant. The better interpretation is that Joseph refused to lie with her or to be with her, meaning Joseph refused to even be in her company.

It’s no sin to be tempted. But, if we are really serious about avoiding sin, we will avoid temptation whenever possible. We will refuse to be with certain people who will tempt us to sin. We will refuse to go to certain places that are likely to present temptations for us to sin. Remember what we read earlier from James 4:8, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." Sadly, many people seem to be trying to see how far away from God they can get and still stay in fellowship with him. If we are really serious about overcoming temptation, we will be trying to come nearer and nearer to God.

Friends, it is possible to resist the devil! How can we resist the devil? By being deserving of other’s trust, by denying ourselves of that which is not ours, by remaining devoted to God, and by being determined to overcome temptation.