1 00:00:00,001 --> 00:00:05,000 Alrighty, well, we're gonna be in the book of Genesis again 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:10,680 after our little excursion through the prophecy updates 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,480 and they continue, right? 4 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,880 We're about ready to red line, so to speak, 5 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:18,920 when it comes to that. 6 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:22,180 It's spinning so fast and the birth pains 7 00:00:22,180 --> 00:00:24,840 are getting closer together and more intense. 8 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,320 So if you're not lifting up your head, 9 00:00:29,140 --> 00:00:32,000 I question whether your redemption is drawing nigh. 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:37,000 So be ready when that trumpet sounds to get on out of here. 11 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:43,800 So Genesis 39, I entitled the message 12 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,440 'cause it's Father's Day, obviously, 13 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:51,080 is Joseph the example of a man. 14 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:56,080 And the story of Joseph is pretty powerful 15 00:00:56,980 --> 00:00:59,060 I think it's one of the most fascinating stories 16 00:00:59,060 --> 00:01:00,200 in all of scripture. 17 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,300 Everything from his fancy coat to a doting father, 18 00:01:04,300 --> 00:01:07,020 his demise at the hand of his brothers 19 00:01:07,020 --> 00:01:08,980 and his trek to Egypt. 20 00:01:08,980 --> 00:01:13,980 And notice it wasn't a cakewalk like this Christian life. 21 00:01:13,980 --> 00:01:21,340 It's not easy, right? 22 00:01:21,340 --> 00:01:23,940 If it was easy, everybody would be happy. 23 00:01:23,940 --> 00:01:28,340 Right, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it, right? 24 00:01:28,340 --> 00:01:32,460 It's a simple life, a simple life of faith, 25 00:01:32,460 --> 00:01:37,460 but it's not easy and it takes some determination 26 00:01:37,460 --> 00:01:42,540 and most of all, it takes us being yielded 27 00:01:42,540 --> 00:01:44,080 to God's Holy Spirit. 28 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:49,340 One thing that we don't read about as Joseph 29 00:01:49,340 --> 00:01:52,420 is going into Egypt and we're gonna see him 30 00:01:52,420 --> 00:01:56,460 here in chapter 39 already there, 31 00:01:56,460 --> 00:02:01,460 but Psalm talks about it in Psalm 105, it says this, 32 00:02:01,460 --> 00:02:06,380 and it says, "They hurt his feet with fetters. 33 00:02:06,380 --> 00:02:09,260 He was laid in irons until the time 34 00:02:09,260 --> 00:02:12,620 that his word came to pass. 35 00:02:12,620 --> 00:02:15,580 The word of the Lord tested him." 36 00:02:15,580 --> 00:02:20,580 That word tested means to smelt or to refine or to burn. 37 00:02:22,020 --> 00:02:24,620 And Joseph got burned by his brothers. 38 00:02:24,620 --> 00:02:26,680 You've been burned, right? 39 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,620 Most of us at some time or another in our lives 40 00:02:30,620 --> 00:02:35,620 have been burned and or we burned others, right? 41 00:02:35,620 --> 00:02:37,220 We're all guilty. 42 00:02:37,220 --> 00:02:41,700 And the NIV says those verses this way, 43 00:02:41,700 --> 00:02:45,100 "And they bruised his feet with shackles. 44 00:02:45,100 --> 00:02:50,100 His neck was put in irons till what he foretold 45 00:02:50,420 --> 00:02:54,220 came to pass till the word of the Lord proved him true." 46 00:02:54,220 --> 00:02:58,140 You remember what Joseph had said to his brothers, right? 47 00:02:58,140 --> 00:03:00,940 He told them about them, "You're gonna bow down to me." 48 00:03:00,940 --> 00:03:05,740 But to get there was gonna be painful. 49 00:03:05,740 --> 00:03:10,740 No doubt, Joseph probably had scars on his ankles 50 00:03:10,740 --> 00:03:14,860 and on his neck from those irons 51 00:03:14,860 --> 00:03:18,620 because it was quite a trek down there to Egypt, 52 00:03:18,620 --> 00:03:21,740 probably a couple of weeks with the caravan 53 00:03:21,740 --> 00:03:24,620 and with that iron rubbing on him. 54 00:03:24,620 --> 00:03:29,540 And so it was painful. 55 00:03:29,540 --> 00:03:35,060 And the old saying is that, 56 00:03:35,060 --> 00:03:38,880 which does not kill you makes you stronger. 57 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:43,980 My wife shared a post the other day that said, 58 00:03:43,980 --> 00:03:46,860 "Now that which does not kill you makes you stronger 59 00:03:46,860 --> 00:03:48,860 except for bears, bears will kill you." 60 00:03:48,860 --> 00:03:52,200 (congregation laughing) 61 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:59,580 And so Joseph is getting stronger, are you? 62 00:03:59,580 --> 00:04:04,140 Are you, as you go through this life 63 00:04:04,140 --> 00:04:08,220 and as life comes at you and sometimes it's cool 64 00:04:08,220 --> 00:04:11,260 and it's a blessing and it's simple and it's easy 65 00:04:11,260 --> 00:04:13,180 and other times it just think, you think, 66 00:04:13,180 --> 00:04:15,740 "Man, am I ever gonna get past this?" 67 00:04:16,700 --> 00:04:19,260 And that's just kind of the human condition. 68 00:04:19,260 --> 00:04:23,660 And I think we've all, most of us that have reached 69 00:04:23,660 --> 00:04:26,060 any kind of level of maturity realize 70 00:04:26,060 --> 00:04:31,060 that that's just this life, that's what's coming. 71 00:04:31,060 --> 00:04:34,380 But as you look at the life of this man, 72 00:04:34,380 --> 00:04:39,380 if anyone ever had a right to be bitter, it was Joseph. 73 00:04:39,380 --> 00:04:41,900 Are you bitter today? 74 00:04:44,460 --> 00:04:46,220 Think about it, think about the things 75 00:04:46,220 --> 00:04:49,340 that kind of rile us up, so to speak, 76 00:04:49,340 --> 00:04:52,140 and maybe take you back to a time 77 00:04:52,140 --> 00:04:56,060 and it just causes angst and bitterness in your heart. 78 00:04:56,060 --> 00:04:57,100 You know, the Bible says, 79 00:04:57,100 --> 00:05:02,140 don't let bitterness have a foothold in your life, right? 80 00:05:02,140 --> 00:05:06,380 Put it away from yourself and don't become bitter. 81 00:05:06,380 --> 00:05:08,140 And that old saying is so true. 82 00:05:08,140 --> 00:05:11,900 I know I say it quite often and have heard it a lot. 83 00:05:11,900 --> 00:05:14,060 You know, everything you go through in life, 84 00:05:14,060 --> 00:05:16,700 you either get bitter or you get better. 85 00:05:16,700 --> 00:05:19,660 You get bitter or you get better. 86 00:05:19,660 --> 00:05:21,260 It's just one of the two. 87 00:05:21,260 --> 00:05:25,900 And so we'll start here, but first let's pray. 88 00:05:25,900 --> 00:05:28,860 Father, thank you for your word. 89 00:05:28,860 --> 00:05:31,660 And thank you for this man's life 90 00:05:31,660 --> 00:05:35,660 that we can glean so many truths from, Lord, 91 00:05:35,660 --> 00:05:37,900 as he went through the trials 92 00:05:37,900 --> 00:05:40,140 and the tribulations of this life. 93 00:05:40,140 --> 00:05:44,060 And though we don't know if he counted it as pure joy, Lord, 94 00:05:44,060 --> 00:05:48,380 but he allowed it to have its work in him, Lord, 95 00:05:48,380 --> 00:05:53,260 and become that better servant of the most high God. 96 00:05:53,260 --> 00:05:55,900 And so I just pray that for ourselves today, Lord, 97 00:05:55,900 --> 00:05:59,180 as we look at your word, that it would sink deep, 98 00:05:59,180 --> 00:06:00,860 it would go deep into our hearts, 99 00:06:00,860 --> 00:06:02,940 and that we would truly have ears to hear 100 00:06:02,940 --> 00:06:06,140 in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus, amen. 101 00:06:07,900 --> 00:06:12,940 Okay, I'm, well, I don't know how I'm gonna do this. 102 00:06:12,940 --> 00:06:15,020 Okay, I'm just gonna go a couple of verses at a time. 103 00:06:15,020 --> 00:06:16,140 I was gonna read the whole thing, 104 00:06:16,140 --> 00:06:18,220 but some of you might go to sleep by then. 105 00:06:18,220 --> 00:06:20,060 So I'm not gonna do that. 106 00:06:20,060 --> 00:06:23,500 I'll just take it a few verses at a time here. 107 00:06:23,500 --> 00:06:28,460 It says, "Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, 108 00:06:28,460 --> 00:06:32,380 "and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, 109 00:06:32,380 --> 00:06:35,020 "captain of the guard, an Egyptian, 110 00:06:35,740 --> 00:06:37,820 "bought him from the Ishmaelites 111 00:06:37,820 --> 00:06:40,380 "who had taken him down there. 112 00:06:40,380 --> 00:06:42,540 "And the Lord was with Joseph, 113 00:06:42,540 --> 00:06:44,460 "and he was a successful man, 114 00:06:44,460 --> 00:06:46,540 "and he was in the house of his, 115 00:06:46,540 --> 00:06:51,580 "and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian." 116 00:06:51,580 --> 00:06:57,180 And so here he is, he's in, we see him, he's taken down. 117 00:06:57,180 --> 00:06:59,100 Well, who took him down there? 118 00:06:59,100 --> 00:07:01,420 People will say the Ishmaelites. 119 00:07:02,300 --> 00:07:05,260 Well, in a roundabout way, 120 00:07:05,260 --> 00:07:08,460 more directly, the Lord took him down there, right? 121 00:07:08,460 --> 00:07:13,340 God had a plan for this kid, 17-year-old kid, right? 122 00:07:13,340 --> 00:07:16,220 Probably didn't have a whole lot going on, 123 00:07:16,220 --> 00:07:19,100 thought he was maybe a little smarter than he was. 124 00:07:19,100 --> 00:07:20,940 You ever seen a 17-year-old kid like that? 125 00:07:20,940 --> 00:07:25,580 I gotta tell this story. 126 00:07:25,580 --> 00:07:26,940 We was moving cows one time. 127 00:07:26,940 --> 00:07:28,220 I went out and helped this rancher. 128 00:07:28,220 --> 00:07:29,820 I had a coal ties ride, and he said, 129 00:07:29,820 --> 00:07:31,420 "Hey, we're gonna move some cows. 130 00:07:31,420 --> 00:07:32,460 "We're gonna go to the mountain. 131 00:07:32,460 --> 00:07:33,340 "I'm gonna need some help." 132 00:07:33,340 --> 00:07:34,940 He said, "I got two hired men, 133 00:07:34,940 --> 00:07:37,180 "and I need about four or five other guys." 134 00:07:37,180 --> 00:07:42,140 So we went, and we're moving cows and doing pretty good. 135 00:07:42,140 --> 00:07:43,900 Got 'em lined out, down a fence. 136 00:07:43,900 --> 00:07:45,980 We're going down and opening gates and stuff. 137 00:07:45,980 --> 00:07:49,180 And this one kid that worked for the boss, 138 00:07:49,180 --> 00:07:52,460 he said, he told him, he says, "Now, you go," 139 00:07:52,460 --> 00:07:53,900 he says, "I want you to stay back here. 140 00:07:53,900 --> 00:07:56,460 "These calves, these baby calves are kinda getting tired." 141 00:07:56,460 --> 00:07:58,540 And he said, "I want you to help on the drag, 142 00:07:58,540 --> 00:08:00,220 "'cause I don't want anything going back." 143 00:08:01,100 --> 00:08:03,420 And so pretty soon, we're going along, 144 00:08:03,420 --> 00:08:04,620 and the kid disappears. 145 00:08:04,620 --> 00:08:05,580 He's up at the front. 146 00:08:05,580 --> 00:08:07,980 He's opening the gate and stuff, 147 00:08:07,980 --> 00:08:10,220 and somebody else was supposed to do that. 148 00:08:10,220 --> 00:08:13,020 So we get down there, and we all get the calves all through, 149 00:08:13,020 --> 00:08:15,740 didn't lose any, and this boss looks at him, he says, 150 00:08:15,740 --> 00:08:18,460 "Hey," this kid's about 18, 19 years old, he says, 151 00:08:18,460 --> 00:08:20,540 "Hey, I thought I told you to stay on the drag 152 00:08:20,540 --> 00:08:21,420 "and help these guys." 153 00:08:21,420 --> 00:08:24,460 And this kid gets all puffed up, and he goes, 154 00:08:24,460 --> 00:08:25,820 "Just because you're my boss 155 00:08:25,820 --> 00:08:27,340 "don't mean you can tell me what to do." 156 00:08:27,340 --> 00:08:29,580 (congregation laughing) 157 00:08:29,580 --> 00:08:31,660 I about fell off my horse laughing. 158 00:08:31,660 --> 00:08:33,020 I mean, I was just going, "Oh!" 159 00:08:33,020 --> 00:08:36,060 And this guy, this rancher was a big dude, 160 00:08:36,060 --> 00:08:38,700 and I mean, he went, he's gonna grab that kid off that horse 161 00:08:38,700 --> 00:08:40,780 and give him a thrashing. 162 00:08:40,780 --> 00:08:42,620 And this kid turned around over and under 163 00:08:42,620 --> 00:08:44,220 and quit right there, just took off. 164 00:08:44,220 --> 00:08:45,180 We never saw him again. 165 00:08:45,180 --> 00:08:48,060 (congregation laughing) 166 00:08:48,060 --> 00:08:50,300 I don't know if Joseph was quite that brazen. 167 00:08:50,300 --> 00:08:51,580 Just 'cause you're my boss 168 00:08:51,580 --> 00:08:53,020 don't mean you can tell me what to do. 169 00:08:53,020 --> 00:08:55,100 (congregation laughing) 170 00:08:55,100 --> 00:08:56,940 Is that what's wrong with society today? 171 00:08:56,940 --> 00:08:59,420 (congregation laughing) 172 00:08:59,420 --> 00:09:04,220 Oh, but Joseph, he's young. 173 00:09:04,220 --> 00:09:05,980 He's obviously been humbled 174 00:09:05,980 --> 00:09:08,540 as the Ishmaelites took him down there. 175 00:09:08,540 --> 00:09:12,940 God used them to get him there to Egypt. 176 00:09:12,940 --> 00:09:15,420 You know, and you think about times like that, 177 00:09:15,420 --> 00:09:18,540 and if he was surely getting sores rubbed on him, 178 00:09:18,540 --> 00:09:21,020 and you could think about infection and people then die. 179 00:09:21,020 --> 00:09:26,540 But listen, you can't die until God's done with you, okay? 180 00:09:27,180 --> 00:09:31,660 And God has a whole lot planned for this kid Joseph 181 00:09:31,660 --> 00:09:32,940 as he goes down there. 182 00:09:32,940 --> 00:09:36,860 And it says, "And the Lord was with him." 183 00:09:36,860 --> 00:09:38,140 He was in Potiphar's house. 184 00:09:38,140 --> 00:09:40,460 So Potiphar gets up one morning, right? 185 00:09:40,460 --> 00:09:44,700 Just by happenstance and goes to the sale yard, right? 186 00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:47,660 I see some of you, I know some of you here 187 00:09:47,660 --> 00:09:49,020 have been to the sale yard. 188 00:09:49,020 --> 00:09:51,100 You know how to raise your hand, right? 189 00:09:51,100 --> 00:09:53,260 He goes to the sale yard and here's this, 190 00:09:54,540 --> 00:09:57,340 you know, shaggy looking stray is up on the auction block 191 00:09:57,340 --> 00:09:59,420 and he bids and he gets him. 192 00:09:59,420 --> 00:10:03,260 And he didn't have any idea what he was getting. 193 00:10:03,260 --> 00:10:07,820 But he learned real quick, 194 00:10:07,820 --> 00:10:10,620 because the Bible says here, it says, 195 00:10:10,620 --> 00:10:13,500 "And Potiphar the officer, right? 196 00:10:13,500 --> 00:10:15,100 Captain of the guard, the Egyptian, 197 00:10:15,100 --> 00:10:17,660 bought him from the Ishmaelites 198 00:10:17,660 --> 00:10:19,180 who had taken him down there. 199 00:10:19,180 --> 00:10:21,900 The Lord was with Joseph." 200 00:10:22,860 --> 00:10:24,460 The Lord was with Joseph. 201 00:10:24,460 --> 00:10:28,780 And so as Potiphar gets him home 202 00:10:28,780 --> 00:10:33,420 and sees what his merchandise is like, 203 00:10:33,420 --> 00:10:37,740 obviously he's maybe a little better 204 00:10:37,740 --> 00:10:41,900 than what he looked like as a slave up on the block. 205 00:10:41,900 --> 00:10:50,540 And Potiphar soon became pretty impressed. 206 00:10:50,540 --> 00:10:51,980 There was something about him 207 00:10:51,980 --> 00:10:55,660 that obviously caused him to bid on him. 208 00:10:55,660 --> 00:10:59,180 And in verse two, it says, "The Lord was with Joseph 209 00:10:59,180 --> 00:11:01,660 and he was a successful man. 210 00:11:01,660 --> 00:11:04,460 And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian." 211 00:11:04,460 --> 00:11:08,380 Verse three, "And his master saw that the Lord was with him 212 00:11:08,380 --> 00:11:13,100 and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand." 213 00:11:13,100 --> 00:11:17,100 So he recognizes that God is with this kid. 214 00:11:17,100 --> 00:11:19,260 And you know, you've seen kids like that 215 00:11:19,260 --> 00:11:21,260 over the years working at the school. 216 00:11:21,260 --> 00:11:23,100 You can just see the hand of the Lord 217 00:11:23,100 --> 00:11:24,540 all over some young people. 218 00:11:24,540 --> 00:11:27,820 It's just, it's quite fascinating actually. 219 00:11:27,820 --> 00:11:31,500 And just, it's kind of a precursor 220 00:11:31,500 --> 00:11:34,380 that God's got great plans for this young person. 221 00:11:34,380 --> 00:11:36,620 Now, it doesn't mean that they might take a detour 222 00:11:36,620 --> 00:11:37,340 that they shouldn't. 223 00:11:37,340 --> 00:11:45,980 And that might be part of the making of their character. 224 00:11:45,980 --> 00:11:51,020 But the Lord was with him and the Egyptian recognized it. 225 00:11:51,020 --> 00:11:53,660 Now, what's interesting about this, 226 00:11:53,660 --> 00:11:55,580 I need to say this real quick in this verse 227 00:11:55,580 --> 00:11:59,340 where it says that he was an officer of Pharaoh. 228 00:11:59,340 --> 00:12:03,580 That word officer can also mean eunuch, right? 229 00:12:03,580 --> 00:12:05,020 That he was a castrated man. 230 00:12:05,020 --> 00:12:08,060 And that might play into this. 231 00:12:08,060 --> 00:12:09,740 Whether he was or not, we don't know. 232 00:12:09,740 --> 00:12:12,940 But we know that he had the authority 233 00:12:12,940 --> 00:12:16,140 there in Pharaoh's kingdom. 234 00:12:17,180 --> 00:12:25,180 And so he was impressed with this boy 235 00:12:25,180 --> 00:12:29,340 and that the Lord was with him 236 00:12:29,340 --> 00:12:32,220 and he sees the hand of God that's with Joseph 237 00:12:32,220 --> 00:12:36,380 and whatever his hand touched prospered. 238 00:12:36,380 --> 00:12:40,460 So whether he was working extremely hard 239 00:12:40,460 --> 00:12:41,820 trying to impress this guy 240 00:12:41,820 --> 00:12:43,980 or he was just actually fearful 241 00:12:44,540 --> 00:12:47,020 that in Egypt, if they didn't do 242 00:12:47,020 --> 00:12:48,700 what they were told as a servant, 243 00:12:48,700 --> 00:12:50,940 they could just, they were property, 244 00:12:50,940 --> 00:12:51,740 they could just kill him. 245 00:12:51,740 --> 00:12:54,140 And maybe he had that kind of a fear. 246 00:12:54,140 --> 00:12:56,460 I don't know. 247 00:12:56,460 --> 00:12:59,020 But it seemed like everything he did, 248 00:12:59,020 --> 00:13:02,300 he did it with gusto. 249 00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:05,900 Ecclesiastes 9, 10, I love this verse. 250 00:13:05,900 --> 00:13:08,540 It says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, 251 00:13:08,540 --> 00:13:09,980 do it with your might." 252 00:13:09,980 --> 00:13:11,740 Right? 253 00:13:11,740 --> 00:13:13,020 Do it with all your heart. 254 00:13:13,100 --> 00:13:15,020 Whatever the Lord puts in front of you, 255 00:13:15,020 --> 00:13:19,260 whether it's teaching a bunch of kids, 256 00:13:19,260 --> 00:13:23,100 whether it's being a blessing to your spouse, 257 00:13:23,100 --> 00:13:23,660 whether it's, 258 00:13:23,660 --> 00:13:26,780 "We're gonna play softball this afternoon." 259 00:13:26,780 --> 00:13:27,900 I'm gonna play softball. 260 00:13:27,900 --> 00:13:32,940 Now, my wife did tell me after our last game, 261 00:13:32,940 --> 00:13:35,180 she said, "Scotty, you need to go 262 00:13:35,180 --> 00:13:36,380 to our 10-year-old grandson 263 00:13:36,380 --> 00:13:38,140 and have him teach you how to bat. 264 00:13:38,140 --> 00:13:38,940 You're terrible." 265 00:13:39,260 --> 00:13:41,580 But whatever your hand finds to do, 266 00:13:41,580 --> 00:13:43,420 do it with all your might. 267 00:13:43,420 --> 00:13:44,700 Right? 268 00:13:44,700 --> 00:13:45,980 What does it say there? 269 00:13:45,980 --> 00:13:48,940 Because it says, "For there is no work 270 00:13:48,940 --> 00:13:51,420 or device or knowledge or wisdom 271 00:13:51,420 --> 00:13:52,940 in the grave where you are going." 272 00:13:52,940 --> 00:13:55,500 You got a short window of time, folks. 273 00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:57,200 You know? 274 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:02,380 Like the little blurb I learned at a funeral 275 00:14:02,380 --> 00:14:04,780 that says, "Life is short, 276 00:14:04,780 --> 00:14:06,380 but it's not a waste of time." 277 00:14:06,380 --> 00:14:09,660 You know, that says, "Life is short, enjoy it. 278 00:14:09,660 --> 00:14:12,060 Go for the gusket, though eternity is long, 279 00:14:12,060 --> 00:14:13,340 prepare for it." 280 00:14:13,340 --> 00:14:13,740 Right? 281 00:14:13,740 --> 00:14:15,100 Those two things are intentioned. 282 00:14:15,100 --> 00:14:18,380 And you need to be ready to go, 283 00:14:18,380 --> 00:14:21,420 but you need to live this life with zeal. 284 00:14:21,420 --> 00:14:22,880 Right? 285 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:24,780 Verse four, it says, 286 00:14:24,780 --> 00:14:29,100 "So Joseph found favor in his sight, 287 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:31,340 no doubt, and served him. 288 00:14:31,340 --> 00:14:35,180 Then he made him overseer of his house 289 00:14:35,180 --> 00:14:38,140 and all that he had, he put under his authority." 290 00:14:38,140 --> 00:14:43,740 Now, this is like an awesome find for an employer. 291 00:14:43,740 --> 00:14:45,500 Any employers in the room? 292 00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:46,380 You employ people? 293 00:14:46,380 --> 00:14:47,740 Hire fire? 294 00:14:47,740 --> 00:14:50,140 I talk to people all the time. 295 00:14:50,140 --> 00:14:53,820 You can't find good workers today. 296 00:14:53,820 --> 00:14:56,700 People that actually are self-motivated 297 00:14:56,700 --> 00:14:59,740 and self-starters and actually just go get after it. 298 00:14:59,740 --> 00:15:05,420 It's like it's against the law or something. 299 00:15:05,420 --> 00:15:06,620 Right? 300 00:15:06,620 --> 00:15:08,300 For people to be like that. 301 00:15:08,300 --> 00:15:12,380 And employers love people that are like this, 302 00:15:12,380 --> 00:15:18,780 that are someone you can entrust things to. 303 00:15:18,780 --> 00:15:19,100 Right? 304 00:15:19,100 --> 00:15:23,900 And he gives him all the authority of his house. 305 00:15:23,900 --> 00:15:26,940 He climbs the ladder fast, so to speak, 306 00:15:27,900 --> 00:15:31,740 and has authority over everything in Potiphar's house. 307 00:15:31,740 --> 00:15:34,220 And Potiphar's no dummy. 308 00:15:34,220 --> 00:15:37,100 He sees how gifted this kid is 309 00:15:37,100 --> 00:15:39,980 and truly makes his life easier. 310 00:15:39,980 --> 00:15:41,260 There in verse five, it says, 311 00:15:41,260 --> 00:15:45,980 "And so it was from the time that he made him overseer 312 00:15:45,980 --> 00:15:48,380 of his house and all that he had, 313 00:15:48,380 --> 00:15:53,180 that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake. 314 00:15:53,180 --> 00:15:57,260 And the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had 315 00:15:57,260 --> 00:15:59,340 in the house and in the field." 316 00:15:59,340 --> 00:16:02,220 Some serious authority. 317 00:16:02,220 --> 00:16:04,140 You know, the Bible says that 318 00:16:04,140 --> 00:16:08,300 when a man's ways pleases the Lord, men, 319 00:16:08,300 --> 00:16:13,180 when a man's ways please the Lord, 320 00:16:13,180 --> 00:16:17,580 he causes even his enemies to be at peace with him. 321 00:16:17,580 --> 00:16:18,700 Right? 322 00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:21,900 And definitely those who are around him, 323 00:16:24,220 --> 00:16:28,780 it's attractive and it just oozes 324 00:16:28,780 --> 00:16:30,460 with the idea of prosperity 325 00:16:30,460 --> 00:16:34,860 that this guy realizes that because of this kid, 326 00:16:34,860 --> 00:16:37,660 his house is blessed. 327 00:16:37,660 --> 00:16:39,900 You got people like that in your life? 328 00:16:39,900 --> 00:16:42,300 I got people like that in my life 329 00:16:42,300 --> 00:16:43,900 and I'm so thankful for them. 330 00:16:43,900 --> 00:16:45,740 It's just every time I'm around them, 331 00:16:45,740 --> 00:16:49,420 they just seem to make me wanna be better than what I am. 332 00:16:49,420 --> 00:16:52,700 And I ain't very better. 333 00:16:52,700 --> 00:16:53,660 I need to be better. 334 00:16:54,140 --> 00:16:58,620 And so we all just need people like that in our lives. 335 00:16:58,620 --> 00:17:02,380 And it's just, it's cool to see how, 336 00:17:02,380 --> 00:17:05,500 especially a young person, 337 00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:08,300 when their ways please the Lord. 338 00:17:08,300 --> 00:17:09,900 Because I remember being young 339 00:17:09,900 --> 00:17:12,140 and my ways didn't please the Lord. 340 00:17:12,140 --> 00:17:15,340 And I think I just shared with somebody here 341 00:17:15,340 --> 00:17:16,380 a few minutes ago, you know, 342 00:17:16,380 --> 00:17:19,020 God should have just done me in 343 00:17:19,020 --> 00:17:20,700 and put me out of my misery 344 00:17:20,700 --> 00:17:22,140 and everybody else that knew me 345 00:17:22,140 --> 00:17:23,500 that was miserable as well. 346 00:17:23,500 --> 00:17:30,380 But this guy, he is blessed on the inside and out. 347 00:17:30,380 --> 00:17:33,820 Proverbs 22, 29 says, 348 00:17:33,820 --> 00:17:36,780 "Do you see a man who excels in his work? 349 00:17:36,780 --> 00:17:38,540 "He will stand before kings. 350 00:17:38,540 --> 00:17:41,900 "He will not stand before unknown men." 351 00:17:41,900 --> 00:17:44,460 And that's just true. 352 00:17:44,460 --> 00:17:45,340 Why? 353 00:17:45,340 --> 00:17:48,620 Because anymore, especially, 354 00:17:48,620 --> 00:17:51,260 it's rare that you see somebody like that. 355 00:17:51,980 --> 00:17:53,900 Verse six says, 356 00:17:53,900 --> 00:17:59,020 "Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand 357 00:17:59,020 --> 00:18:01,340 "and he did not know what he had 358 00:18:01,340 --> 00:18:03,100 "except for the bread which he ate." 359 00:18:03,100 --> 00:18:05,180 He just kicked back. 360 00:18:05,180 --> 00:18:07,500 Woo-hoo, it's cool, man. 361 00:18:07,500 --> 00:18:08,620 I got this kid. 362 00:18:08,620 --> 00:18:09,900 He takes care of everything. 363 00:18:09,900 --> 00:18:11,660 I don't have to do nothing but eat. 364 00:18:11,660 --> 00:18:17,580 I like Warren Wiersbe said this about it. 365 00:18:17,580 --> 00:18:20,140 He said, "But this faithful servant 366 00:18:20,140 --> 00:18:23,180 "was not only a blessing to the household, 367 00:18:23,180 --> 00:18:26,220 "it was also a blessing to Joseph himself. 368 00:18:26,220 --> 00:18:29,500 "Had he stayed home with his pampering father, 369 00:18:29,500 --> 00:18:32,540 "Joseph might not have developed the kind of character 370 00:18:32,540 --> 00:18:36,780 "that comes from hard work and pain and obeying orders. 371 00:18:36,780 --> 00:18:40,780 "God's method for building us is to give us a job to do 372 00:18:40,780 --> 00:18:42,700 "and people to obey. 373 00:18:42,700 --> 00:18:44,700 "He tests us as servants 374 00:18:44,700 --> 00:18:47,980 "before he promotes us to being rulers." 375 00:18:49,420 --> 00:18:52,620 If you want people to follow you, 376 00:18:52,620 --> 00:18:54,140 you have to learn how to follow. 377 00:18:54,140 --> 00:18:56,140 You gotta show them how to follow. 378 00:18:56,140 --> 00:19:01,500 And sometimes following is hard 379 00:19:01,500 --> 00:19:06,380 because we think we know it all, right? 380 00:19:06,380 --> 00:19:09,580 I remember coming to work for my little brother 381 00:19:09,580 --> 00:19:14,460 and thinking, "This punk kid growing up 382 00:19:17,260 --> 00:19:20,220 "had some terrible ideas. 383 00:19:20,220 --> 00:19:24,380 "But now I have to come under his authority." 384 00:19:24,380 --> 00:19:27,100 And that's what the Bible, when it talks about submission, 385 00:19:27,100 --> 00:19:30,140 it means to come under that authority. 386 00:19:30,140 --> 00:19:33,020 And I had to come under my younger brother's authority 387 00:19:33,020 --> 00:19:36,060 and submit to him and listen to him 388 00:19:36,060 --> 00:19:37,420 and do what he told me to do. 389 00:19:37,420 --> 00:19:41,340 Or he would tell me to take a hike, right? 390 00:19:41,340 --> 00:19:42,140 You're fired. 391 00:19:42,140 --> 00:19:46,380 And it's amazing, he almost fired me a couple of times. 392 00:19:47,180 --> 00:19:48,620 'Cause he said, "Scotty," he said, 393 00:19:48,620 --> 00:19:51,500 "If this don't work out and I have to fire you, 394 00:19:51,500 --> 00:19:53,820 "I wanna be able to come to your house on Thanksgiving, 395 00:19:53,820 --> 00:19:56,140 "right, and have turkey and stuffin' 396 00:19:56,140 --> 00:19:57,260 "and everything be cool." 397 00:19:57,260 --> 00:20:02,940 But you know, some people are a little easier 398 00:20:02,940 --> 00:20:04,060 to follow than others. 399 00:20:04,060 --> 00:20:08,540 And I think that a lot of people are looking 400 00:20:08,540 --> 00:20:13,580 for a few good men that would be worthy of following. 401 00:20:13,580 --> 00:20:18,060 And the sad thing is, is there's not a lot out there anymore. 402 00:20:18,060 --> 00:20:20,460 Because I don't know about you, 403 00:20:20,460 --> 00:20:23,740 but I would like to hear what Jesus talked about 404 00:20:23,740 --> 00:20:26,300 in Matthew 25, verse 21, where it says, 405 00:20:26,300 --> 00:20:27,500 "The Lord said to him, 406 00:20:27,500 --> 00:20:29,820 "'Well done, good and faithful servant. 407 00:20:29,820 --> 00:20:31,900 "'You are faithful over a few things. 408 00:20:31,900 --> 00:20:34,540 "'I will make you ruler over many things. 409 00:20:34,540 --> 00:20:36,380 "'Enter into the joy of your Lord.'" 410 00:20:36,380 --> 00:20:41,820 I don't know about you, but I can't wait to hear those words. 411 00:20:41,820 --> 00:20:45,020 And so that inspires me to be faithful 412 00:20:45,020 --> 00:20:46,380 with what God's given me. 413 00:20:46,380 --> 00:20:49,100 And so it should be with all of us. 414 00:20:49,100 --> 00:20:50,460 Are you inspired? 415 00:20:50,460 --> 00:20:53,020 I mean, it can be your children, 416 00:20:53,020 --> 00:20:55,420 it can be your employees, 417 00:20:55,420 --> 00:20:59,900 it can be just having a servant's heart, 418 00:20:59,900 --> 00:21:02,620 but God's given us all something to do. 419 00:21:02,620 --> 00:21:05,980 And we need to do it with, as it said there, 420 00:21:05,980 --> 00:21:09,100 in Ecclesiastes, with all of our heart. 421 00:21:09,740 --> 00:21:13,260 And all of our soul. 422 00:21:13,260 --> 00:21:18,860 But before the Lord allows us to exercise authority, 423 00:21:18,860 --> 00:21:22,060 we have to be under authority and learn to obey. 424 00:21:22,060 --> 00:21:24,780 And that's just a good thing. 425 00:21:24,780 --> 00:21:25,580 Why? 426 00:21:25,580 --> 00:21:26,780 'Cause it keeps you humble. 427 00:21:26,780 --> 00:21:31,900 Humility is something that is so against our nature, 428 00:21:31,900 --> 00:21:32,860 everyone's nature. 429 00:21:32,860 --> 00:21:37,020 Now, some people seem to be better at it than others, 430 00:21:37,020 --> 00:21:40,380 but it is so against our nature to be humble 431 00:21:40,380 --> 00:21:41,580 and to humble ourselves. 432 00:21:41,580 --> 00:21:46,780 Sometimes God has to humble us. 433 00:21:46,780 --> 00:21:52,140 I told the story Wednesday night of my youth 434 00:21:52,140 --> 00:21:55,260 and how arrogant and prideful I was 435 00:21:55,260 --> 00:21:56,700 and still am occasionally. 436 00:21:56,700 --> 00:21:59,100 But I was on this rope swing, 437 00:21:59,100 --> 00:22:03,100 and I was gonna swing out over the Boise River. 438 00:22:03,100 --> 00:22:05,500 And we had a back pickup truck backed up 439 00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:07,660 there and we jump off this rope 440 00:22:07,660 --> 00:22:10,780 and go out over the Boise River and let go. 441 00:22:10,780 --> 00:22:11,980 It was really cool. 442 00:22:11,980 --> 00:22:14,380 Well, I seen this place that was higher 443 00:22:14,380 --> 00:22:15,820 and that was gonna take me further 444 00:22:15,820 --> 00:22:18,940 than anyone else out there. 445 00:22:18,940 --> 00:22:20,460 So I grab a hold of it. 446 00:22:20,460 --> 00:22:23,020 All my buddies are saying, "Scotty, there's a tree." 447 00:22:23,020 --> 00:22:24,620 Tree. 448 00:22:24,620 --> 00:22:26,460 "Ah, shut up, I know what I'm doing." 449 00:22:26,460 --> 00:22:29,580 I swing out over the Boise River 450 00:22:29,580 --> 00:22:31,980 and for some reason I did not let go. 451 00:22:31,980 --> 00:22:33,420 I should have let go. 452 00:22:33,420 --> 00:22:35,740 I should have let go because right back 453 00:22:35,740 --> 00:22:37,900 into the trees I go, wanna hit a branch, 454 00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:39,900 knocks me loose, hit three or four branches 455 00:22:39,900 --> 00:22:41,740 and then land in water about this deep 456 00:22:41,740 --> 00:22:43,660 and it's just dragging rocks everywhere. 457 00:22:43,660 --> 00:22:46,940 And I mean, I'm coming out and blood's in the water 458 00:22:46,940 --> 00:22:48,540 and I'm swinging with one arm going, 459 00:22:48,540 --> 00:22:50,540 "Please help me, please." 460 00:22:50,540 --> 00:22:55,260 But my day wasn't over 461 00:22:55,260 --> 00:22:59,660 because I was entering in the bull riding that night. 462 00:22:59,660 --> 00:23:01,820 This was in Star right on the Boise River 463 00:23:01,820 --> 00:23:03,660 and we were entering in Weezer that night 464 00:23:03,660 --> 00:23:04,700 and I couldn't hardly walk. 465 00:23:04,700 --> 00:23:07,340 So I went to my aunt's house and she doctored me up 466 00:23:07,340 --> 00:23:08,860 and I limped and got on my bull. 467 00:23:08,860 --> 00:23:11,660 And this bull had horns just about this long 468 00:23:11,660 --> 00:23:13,340 but they were Watusi. 469 00:23:13,340 --> 00:23:15,100 You guys know what Watusis are? 470 00:23:15,100 --> 00:23:17,980 Watusis have the base of their horn at their head 471 00:23:17,980 --> 00:23:19,100 is about that big around. 472 00:23:19,100 --> 00:23:23,580 And I get on this Watusi named Winchester 473 00:23:23,580 --> 00:23:25,180 and I'd never seen him hook anybody. 474 00:23:25,180 --> 00:23:28,140 And sure enough, he bucks me off 475 00:23:28,140 --> 00:23:29,980 and he turns and I'm on my belly 476 00:23:29,980 --> 00:23:33,020 and I look and I see him turning and looking at me like, 477 00:23:33,020 --> 00:23:34,700 "I'm going to shish kebab you." 478 00:23:34,700 --> 00:23:39,340 And so I just get to my knees 479 00:23:39,340 --> 00:23:41,260 and he sticks that horn right between my legs 480 00:23:41,260 --> 00:23:43,420 and just flips me out there about 30 feet, 481 00:23:43,420 --> 00:23:45,740 just like a yard dart, you know, shoo. 482 00:23:45,740 --> 00:23:49,660 And hit the ground and I can't even get to my feet 483 00:23:49,660 --> 00:23:51,020 and he runs over the top of me, 484 00:23:51,020 --> 00:23:52,700 steps on the side of my head, 485 00:23:52,700 --> 00:23:54,940 pulls half, I had long hair back then, 486 00:23:54,940 --> 00:23:56,620 pull the big old wad of hair out. 487 00:23:57,820 --> 00:23:59,020 And that's why I tell people, 488 00:23:59,020 --> 00:24:00,300 "Please humble yourself 489 00:24:00,300 --> 00:24:02,140 "because when God does it, it really hurts." 490 00:24:02,140 --> 00:24:14,620 (congregation laughing) 491 00:24:14,620 --> 00:24:18,700 But the description of Joseph here in verse six, 492 00:24:18,700 --> 00:24:21,260 where he just gives it all to him, 493 00:24:21,260 --> 00:24:24,140 prepares the way for the episode 494 00:24:24,140 --> 00:24:26,060 involving Potter's first wife. 495 00:24:26,860 --> 00:24:29,580 Not only was Joseph godly, dependable and efficient, 496 00:24:29,580 --> 00:24:32,140 but he was also handsome and well-favored. 497 00:24:32,140 --> 00:24:38,700 'Cause it says there in the last part of verse six, 498 00:24:38,700 --> 00:24:42,540 "Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance." 499 00:24:42,540 --> 00:24:45,980 Girls, he was a hunk, right? 500 00:24:45,980 --> 00:24:49,820 And it doesn't say a lot about that, 501 00:24:49,820 --> 00:24:51,980 about men being beautiful. 502 00:24:51,980 --> 00:24:53,420 There's several women that it talks about 503 00:24:53,420 --> 00:24:54,620 being beautiful in the Bible, 504 00:24:54,620 --> 00:25:02,380 but it says he was handsome in form and in appearance. 505 00:25:02,380 --> 00:25:05,340 David talks about his good looks, 506 00:25:05,340 --> 00:25:07,260 talked about Absalom's good looks, 507 00:25:07,260 --> 00:25:12,060 but this guy was, it's like he was a chart topper, 508 00:25:12,060 --> 00:25:17,740 Joseph was, and which isn't always a good thing. 509 00:25:17,740 --> 00:25:20,460 You know, being ugly and clumsy is not all bad 510 00:25:20,460 --> 00:25:23,260 when it comes to being tempted by the other sex. 511 00:25:23,900 --> 00:25:28,300 And so Potiphar's just in this place 512 00:25:28,300 --> 00:25:30,860 where just feed me, take care of everything else. 513 00:25:30,860 --> 00:25:35,260 And Joseph is this handsome young man doing it. 514 00:25:35,260 --> 00:25:37,100 In verses seven through 10, it says, 515 00:25:37,100 --> 00:25:40,620 "And it came to pass after these things 516 00:25:40,620 --> 00:25:44,940 "that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph. 517 00:25:44,940 --> 00:25:46,860 "And she said, 'Lie with me.'" 518 00:25:46,860 --> 00:25:49,340 You know, being very subtle. 519 00:25:52,220 --> 00:25:55,180 "But he refused and said to his master's wife, 520 00:25:55,180 --> 00:26:00,460 "'Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, 521 00:26:00,460 --> 00:26:04,300 "'and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 522 00:26:04,300 --> 00:26:07,500 "'There is no one greater in this house than I, 523 00:26:07,500 --> 00:26:10,700 "'nor has he kept back anything from me but you, 524 00:26:10,700 --> 00:26:12,780 "'because you are his wife. 525 00:26:12,780 --> 00:26:17,980 "'Now then, can I, how then can I do this great wickedness 526 00:26:17,980 --> 00:26:19,420 "'and sin against God?' 527 00:26:19,420 --> 00:26:23,420 "And so it was as she spoke to Joseph day by day 528 00:26:23,420 --> 00:26:28,780 "that he did not heed her to lie with her or to be with her." 529 00:26:28,780 --> 00:26:34,160 Wow. 530 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:40,300 You know, as you look at this, you think, 531 00:26:40,300 --> 00:26:42,700 I don't know what you think. 532 00:26:42,700 --> 00:26:44,540 I know what I think 'cause I'm a wicked man. 533 00:26:44,540 --> 00:26:49,260 Now, if she was beautiful and you could get away with it, 534 00:26:49,260 --> 00:26:50,460 why not, right? 535 00:26:50,460 --> 00:26:52,460 Isn't that the attitude of so many people today? 536 00:26:52,460 --> 00:26:53,760 Right? 537 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:58,220 If you could get away with it and not have any consequences, 538 00:26:58,220 --> 00:26:59,580 right? 539 00:26:59,580 --> 00:27:03,020 Now, we don't know what she looked like. 540 00:27:03,020 --> 00:27:05,740 Maybe she was a dog and so it was easy to say, 541 00:27:05,740 --> 00:27:06,380 "No, thanks." 542 00:27:06,380 --> 00:27:10,140 But if it was a temptation, 543 00:27:10,140 --> 00:27:13,580 she probably was fairly nice looking 544 00:27:13,580 --> 00:27:17,100 and she cast longing eyes on Joseph. 545 00:27:17,180 --> 00:27:20,220 So there's obviously nothing subtle about her approach. 546 00:27:20,220 --> 00:27:24,460 Potiphar's wife was undeniably forward towards Joseph. 547 00:27:24,460 --> 00:27:30,860 And if in fact her husband, Potiphar, 548 00:27:30,860 --> 00:27:31,660 and people would say, 549 00:27:31,660 --> 00:27:34,300 "Well, why would a eunuch marry a woman?" 550 00:27:34,300 --> 00:27:37,180 Well, they would do it sometimes for peace sake 551 00:27:37,180 --> 00:27:40,140 or that it was just a ceremonial thing 552 00:27:40,140 --> 00:27:42,860 just to say, "Okay, she belongs to him." 553 00:27:44,860 --> 00:27:48,140 But if she felt deprived, obviously, 554 00:27:48,140 --> 00:27:50,300 and that was the case, we don't know that. 555 00:27:50,300 --> 00:27:51,980 That's just speculation. 556 00:27:51,980 --> 00:27:55,980 But that that would maybe excuse her a little bit 557 00:27:55,980 --> 00:27:59,260 for wanting to find sexual pleasure 558 00:27:59,260 --> 00:28:00,780 outside of the marriage. 559 00:28:00,780 --> 00:28:03,900 But it's amazing that today, 560 00:28:03,900 --> 00:28:06,220 this is just all too common. 561 00:28:06,220 --> 00:28:09,020 It's just, "Hey, everybody's doing it, right?" 562 00:28:09,020 --> 00:28:12,860 I remember one of the guys in the church years ago 563 00:28:13,820 --> 00:28:17,980 he, you know, nice looking guy, very successful. 564 00:28:17,980 --> 00:28:20,860 And I remember a woman coming into the office 565 00:28:20,860 --> 00:28:23,740 and asking the secretary if she goes, 566 00:28:23,740 --> 00:28:24,780 "Hey, do you know if he, 567 00:28:24,780 --> 00:28:26,060 "does he fool around on his wife?" 568 00:28:26,060 --> 00:28:29,340 I was like, "Wow, that's pretty brazen." 569 00:28:29,340 --> 00:28:32,700 But it's just, if you're in the world 570 00:28:32,700 --> 00:28:37,500 and you have no scruples about this stuff, 571 00:28:37,500 --> 00:28:38,460 I guess, you know, 572 00:28:38,460 --> 00:28:41,420 well, if nobody sees this, right, we get away with it. 573 00:28:42,540 --> 00:28:45,500 Well, Joseph doesn't see life that way at all. 574 00:28:45,500 --> 00:28:49,180 Like all of us should see life. 575 00:28:49,180 --> 00:28:55,740 And this, you know, 576 00:28:55,740 --> 00:29:02,940 this sexual desire that the Bible gives us parameters 577 00:29:02,940 --> 00:29:07,820 where to allow things sexually 578 00:29:07,820 --> 00:29:09,980 is truly in the covenant of marriage. 579 00:29:10,620 --> 00:29:13,420 And yet it rules so many people's lives, 580 00:29:13,420 --> 00:29:16,460 especially men in the world that we live in today. 581 00:29:16,460 --> 00:29:19,980 And, you know, some people have the attitude, 582 00:29:19,980 --> 00:29:21,180 "Well, I'm gonna get married. 583 00:29:21,180 --> 00:29:22,140 "And if it don't work out, 584 00:29:22,140 --> 00:29:24,860 "well, I'll just do something different." 585 00:29:24,860 --> 00:29:28,460 And then I've got friends that name, 586 00:29:28,460 --> 00:29:29,900 they'll name the name of Jesus. 587 00:29:29,900 --> 00:29:31,500 But then if they go through a divorce, 588 00:29:31,500 --> 00:29:33,580 they think they're free to go sleep with anyone. 589 00:29:33,580 --> 00:29:36,140 Where does that idea come from? 590 00:29:37,260 --> 00:29:42,540 That comes from somebody who has no understanding whatsoever 591 00:29:42,540 --> 00:29:44,380 of the law of God or God's word. 592 00:29:44,380 --> 00:29:47,580 You think because you're out of this marriage, 593 00:29:47,580 --> 00:29:50,780 you're free to go have sex with whoever you want? 594 00:29:50,780 --> 00:29:53,100 And that's the attitude. 595 00:29:53,100 --> 00:29:55,020 "Well, I'm not cheating on anyone." 596 00:29:55,020 --> 00:29:57,340 Yeah, you're fornicating, dude. 597 00:29:57,340 --> 00:29:58,620 You're breaking the law of God. 598 00:29:58,620 --> 00:29:59,900 What do you think? 599 00:29:59,900 --> 00:30:02,220 This is okay because it's consensual? 600 00:30:02,220 --> 00:30:03,900 It's not okay. 601 00:30:04,940 --> 00:30:09,340 And yet that's just, it's so common today. 602 00:30:09,340 --> 00:30:14,940 It's consenting to evil. 603 00:30:14,940 --> 00:30:15,900 That's what it's doing. 604 00:30:15,900 --> 00:30:19,180 And Joseph calls a spade a spade here 605 00:30:19,180 --> 00:30:21,180 when he talks to her. 606 00:30:21,180 --> 00:30:25,980 He articulates his refusal quite well. 607 00:30:25,980 --> 00:30:28,060 It's threefold, right? 608 00:30:28,060 --> 00:30:30,780 First, she's another man's wife. 609 00:30:30,780 --> 00:30:34,060 Good on ya, right? 610 00:30:34,060 --> 00:30:37,020 You sleep with another man's wife, that's called adultery. 611 00:30:37,020 --> 00:30:43,900 And the man was his master, obviously, somebody who he loved. 612 00:30:43,900 --> 00:30:48,300 Secondly, he was trusted by his master 613 00:30:48,300 --> 00:30:50,380 and didn't want to violate that trust. 614 00:30:50,380 --> 00:30:52,540 Right? 615 00:30:52,540 --> 00:30:54,220 He didn't want to violate that trust. 616 00:30:54,220 --> 00:30:56,620 I'm not going to do that to him or to you. 617 00:30:56,620 --> 00:31:01,740 And thirdly, even if nobody else found out, 618 00:31:01,740 --> 00:31:04,060 this is the kicker right here, people, 619 00:31:04,060 --> 00:31:05,260 please take this to heart, 620 00:31:05,260 --> 00:31:08,860 that even if no one else found out about it, 621 00:31:08,860 --> 00:31:11,100 God would know and be displeased. 622 00:31:11,100 --> 00:31:11,980 What did he call it? 623 00:31:11,980 --> 00:31:15,820 He called it, "How could I do this great wickedness 624 00:31:15,820 --> 00:31:16,940 and sin against God?" 625 00:31:16,940 --> 00:31:17,980 Right? 626 00:31:17,980 --> 00:31:19,420 How could I? 627 00:31:19,420 --> 00:31:23,980 But the world don't see it that way. 628 00:31:23,980 --> 00:31:26,380 And sadly enough, so much of the church 629 00:31:26,380 --> 00:31:27,420 doesn't see it that way. 630 00:31:28,860 --> 00:31:31,980 And you should, because it is a great wickedness. 631 00:31:31,980 --> 00:31:41,500 This infidelity, this perverse culture that we live in. 632 00:31:41,500 --> 00:31:41,740 Right? 633 00:31:41,740 --> 00:31:49,580 And Joseph really proves here his fear of God. 634 00:31:49,580 --> 00:31:52,860 Can I ask you today, do you fear God? 635 00:31:52,860 --> 00:31:53,340 Honestly. 636 00:31:53,340 --> 00:31:56,220 When you're all by yourself 637 00:31:56,860 --> 00:31:59,340 and you know that God is watching you, 638 00:31:59,340 --> 00:32:01,740 do you fear him? 639 00:32:01,740 --> 00:32:07,420 Do you fear breaking his heart by your sin 640 00:32:07,420 --> 00:32:10,060 and your desires that you possibly give into? 641 00:32:10,060 --> 00:32:16,540 And the Bible talks a lot about the fear of the Lord. 642 00:32:16,540 --> 00:32:17,980 It is a good thing. 643 00:32:17,980 --> 00:32:19,340 There's good fears. 644 00:32:19,340 --> 00:32:20,780 You know, people always talk about, 645 00:32:20,780 --> 00:32:22,460 "Well, the Bible says, don't be afraid." 646 00:32:22,460 --> 00:32:23,740 No, I fear God. 647 00:32:23,740 --> 00:32:25,020 Right? 648 00:32:26,140 --> 00:32:29,100 'Cause he speaks softly and carries a great big stick. 649 00:32:29,100 --> 00:32:34,860 And it's the stick of his word, right? 650 00:32:34,860 --> 00:32:38,300 Or should I say sword that can take your noggin off 651 00:32:38,300 --> 00:32:39,180 at any second. 652 00:32:39,180 --> 00:32:42,700 Job chapter 28, 28, Job learned this. 653 00:32:42,700 --> 00:32:45,180 He said, "And to the man, he said, 654 00:32:45,180 --> 00:32:48,620 "Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. 655 00:32:48,620 --> 00:32:51,340 "And to depart from evil is understanding." 656 00:32:51,340 --> 00:32:52,860 Right? 657 00:32:53,820 --> 00:32:56,380 It's important to fear God. 658 00:32:56,380 --> 00:33:00,380 And I don't just mean respect him. 659 00:33:00,380 --> 00:33:05,980 I mean to fear him for what his wrath could do to you and I. 660 00:33:05,980 --> 00:33:08,780 That we actually deserve it. 661 00:33:08,780 --> 00:33:12,540 That we could easily be under the wrath of God. 662 00:33:12,540 --> 00:33:18,140 And I do not totally understand God's infinite mercy 663 00:33:18,140 --> 00:33:21,420 and his infinite grace, but I am so thankful for it. 664 00:33:21,820 --> 00:33:27,260 Proverbs 8, 13 says, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil." 665 00:33:27,260 --> 00:33:27,900 Do you hate it? 666 00:33:27,900 --> 00:33:30,140 Do you hate it in your own life? 667 00:33:30,140 --> 00:33:32,140 That's what you have to hate it. 668 00:33:32,140 --> 00:33:35,100 That's what you really have to hate it, is in your own life. 669 00:33:35,100 --> 00:33:39,020 The evil that you are tempted with, hate it. 670 00:33:39,020 --> 00:33:41,500 Fight against it, right? 671 00:33:41,500 --> 00:33:42,620 Fight that good fight. 672 00:33:42,620 --> 00:33:45,740 Trust in the Lord, cry out to the Lord, 673 00:33:45,740 --> 00:33:47,180 and he will help you. 674 00:33:47,180 --> 00:33:50,220 He is our ever present help. 675 00:33:50,220 --> 00:33:52,780 Ever present help in time of trouble. 676 00:33:52,780 --> 00:34:02,620 And he never even toyed with the idea, right? 677 00:34:02,620 --> 00:34:08,060 And so it was, verse 10, "As she spoke to Joseph day by day, 678 00:34:08,060 --> 00:34:13,020 that he did not heed her to lie with her or to be with her." 679 00:34:13,020 --> 00:34:14,140 Day by day. 680 00:34:14,140 --> 00:34:15,580 She just kept coming at him. 681 00:34:15,580 --> 00:34:17,660 It wasn't just this one time. 682 00:34:17,660 --> 00:34:19,340 A lot of times we read this passage 683 00:34:19,340 --> 00:34:21,340 and we think it's this one time. 684 00:34:21,340 --> 00:34:28,700 It's like, no, he probably thought she would never let up. 685 00:34:28,700 --> 00:34:30,220 It just kept coming. 686 00:34:30,220 --> 00:34:32,300 The temptation just kept coming. 687 00:34:32,300 --> 00:34:35,900 When you do the math though, what's shocking is 688 00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:38,060 when you do the math and Joseph is 17, 689 00:34:38,060 --> 00:34:41,900 when he comes into Egypt, he's 30 years old 690 00:34:41,900 --> 00:34:44,460 when he's risen to power, right? 691 00:34:44,460 --> 00:34:46,140 He was two years in prison. 692 00:34:46,140 --> 00:34:48,940 This means he possibly could have been in Potiphar's house 693 00:34:49,340 --> 00:34:56,140 for 11 years and just constantly bombarded. 694 00:34:56,140 --> 00:34:59,740 Do you ever just feel beat up by the world, right? 695 00:34:59,740 --> 00:35:01,820 You just feel beat up with the stuff you see 696 00:35:01,820 --> 00:35:03,980 and you feel like you have to endure 697 00:35:03,980 --> 00:35:05,180 and the things you hear about 698 00:35:05,180 --> 00:35:07,180 that just kind of turn your stomach. 699 00:35:07,180 --> 00:35:11,340 But if we don't stay close to the Lord, 700 00:35:11,340 --> 00:35:14,300 it's almost like our hearts get hard. 701 00:35:14,300 --> 00:35:17,340 Jesus warned about in the last days 702 00:35:17,340 --> 00:35:21,340 because iniquity abounds, the love of many will grow cold. 703 00:35:21,340 --> 00:35:23,180 That's one of my greatest fears 704 00:35:23,180 --> 00:35:25,340 is that my love is gonna grow cold. 705 00:35:25,340 --> 00:35:27,340 My love for the Lord mainly, 706 00:35:27,340 --> 00:35:29,180 but then my love for people too. 707 00:35:29,180 --> 00:35:41,020 And so hanging in there, not quitting, 708 00:35:41,020 --> 00:35:45,420 standing simply because it's right 709 00:35:46,460 --> 00:35:53,580 and it's a good thing to constantly resist the temptation. 710 00:35:53,580 --> 00:35:55,900 Right, that was in the prayer, 711 00:35:55,900 --> 00:35:57,900 that the model prayer that the Lord gave, 712 00:35:57,900 --> 00:35:59,820 Lord lead us not into temptation, 713 00:35:59,820 --> 00:36:01,420 but deliver us from evil. 714 00:36:01,420 --> 00:36:03,180 You know, he always makes a way of escape. 715 00:36:03,180 --> 00:36:05,500 He always makes a way of escape. 716 00:36:05,500 --> 00:36:10,780 And he made a way of escape for Joseph. 717 00:36:10,780 --> 00:36:12,700 Check it out in verse 11, it says, 718 00:36:12,700 --> 00:36:15,020 "But it happened about this time 719 00:36:15,020 --> 00:36:18,380 "when Joseph went into the house to do his work 720 00:36:18,380 --> 00:36:21,100 "and none of the men of the house was inside 721 00:36:21,100 --> 00:36:25,260 "that she caught him by his garment saying, 'Lie with me.' 722 00:36:25,260 --> 00:36:28,380 "But he left his garment in her hand and fled 723 00:36:28,380 --> 00:36:30,140 "and ran outside. 724 00:36:30,140 --> 00:36:34,220 "And so it was when she saw that he had left his garment 725 00:36:34,220 --> 00:36:36,780 "in her hand and fled outside 726 00:36:36,780 --> 00:36:38,860 "that she called to the men of her house 727 00:36:38,860 --> 00:36:40,380 "and spoke to them saying, 728 00:36:40,460 --> 00:36:45,340 "'See, he has brought into us a Hebrew to mock us. 729 00:36:45,340 --> 00:36:47,820 "'He came into me to lie with me 730 00:36:47,820 --> 00:36:49,900 "'and I cried out with a loud voice. 731 00:36:49,900 --> 00:36:53,900 "'And it happened when he heard that I lifted my voice 732 00:36:53,900 --> 00:36:56,700 "'and cried out that he left his garment with me 733 00:36:56,700 --> 00:36:58,860 "'and fled and went outside.'" 734 00:36:58,860 --> 00:37:01,660 What a liar, right? 735 00:37:01,660 --> 00:37:06,300 Not getting what you want, so throw a fit 736 00:37:06,300 --> 00:37:07,980 and play the victim card. 737 00:37:08,540 --> 00:37:11,980 But he did what he's supposed to do. 738 00:37:11,980 --> 00:37:15,980 He got his hind parts and got out of there, right? 739 00:37:15,980 --> 00:37:18,460 Flee, run. 740 00:37:18,460 --> 00:37:22,380 You got something tempting you right now, run from it. 741 00:37:22,380 --> 00:37:27,820 You got somebody at work that's kind of flattering you, 742 00:37:27,820 --> 00:37:29,980 please run from that relationship. 743 00:37:29,980 --> 00:37:31,980 You don't need that. 744 00:37:31,980 --> 00:37:37,100 Always keep Jesus between you and others. 745 00:37:37,900 --> 00:37:39,820 Men, women, right? 746 00:37:39,820 --> 00:37:43,980 When especially in the workplace and even in families, 747 00:37:43,980 --> 00:37:48,300 always keep Jesus at the center of that relationship 748 00:37:48,300 --> 00:37:51,740 because that's where safety is. 749 00:37:51,740 --> 00:37:57,020 And I know over the years working with some 30, 40 women, 750 00:37:57,020 --> 00:38:01,020 I had to keep Jesus the main focus. 751 00:38:01,020 --> 00:38:03,900 I'm a man, right? 752 00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:05,260 And not all of them were ugly. 753 00:38:05,820 --> 00:38:10,380 (congregation laughing) 754 00:38:10,380 --> 00:38:10,940 Just saying. 755 00:38:10,940 --> 00:38:24,460 But fear God and have a hunger to do for righteousness. 756 00:38:24,460 --> 00:38:27,340 The Bible says those who thirst for righteousness, right? 757 00:38:27,340 --> 00:38:31,900 They're gonna be satisfied and know when to run. 758 00:38:31,900 --> 00:38:34,460 There's times when you just need to run. 759 00:38:34,460 --> 00:38:39,100 2 Timothy 2, verse 22, "Flee also youthful lust, 760 00:38:39,100 --> 00:38:42,700 "but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace 761 00:38:42,700 --> 00:38:45,900 "with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." 762 00:38:45,900 --> 00:38:51,340 Joseph's heart was pure. 763 00:38:51,340 --> 00:38:53,420 Not only was he rejecting her, 764 00:38:53,420 --> 00:38:55,580 but he was also protecting his boss. 765 00:38:55,580 --> 00:38:57,980 He loved Potiphar. 766 00:38:57,980 --> 00:39:01,500 He was showing a commitment level to him 767 00:39:02,540 --> 00:39:05,100 by not doing this hideous deed 768 00:39:05,100 --> 00:39:09,180 that he was being tempted with. 769 00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:10,060 And what's it get him? 770 00:39:10,060 --> 00:39:12,220 It gets him chucked in prison. 771 00:39:12,220 --> 00:39:14,940 Potiphar threw him in prison. 772 00:39:14,940 --> 00:39:16,620 I'm gonna say, "No, he didn't. 773 00:39:16,620 --> 00:39:17,660 "God threw him in prison. 774 00:39:17,660 --> 00:39:19,740 "God let him be there." 775 00:39:19,740 --> 00:39:23,580 Because what did he do? 776 00:39:23,580 --> 00:39:25,260 Nothing. 777 00:39:25,260 --> 00:39:26,940 He did nothing wrong. 778 00:39:26,940 --> 00:39:32,060 He was innocent of this accusation. 779 00:39:32,460 --> 00:39:34,460 (chuckles) 780 00:39:34,460 --> 00:39:41,660 David Guzik puts together a bunch of Ps for this situation. 781 00:39:41,660 --> 00:39:45,180 He says, "Joseph went from privilege in his father's house 782 00:39:45,180 --> 00:39:47,180 "to the pit his brothers threw him into. 783 00:39:47,180 --> 00:39:51,900 "He went from being property in the slave market 784 00:39:51,900 --> 00:39:54,620 "to privilege in managing Potiphar's house, 785 00:39:54,620 --> 00:39:59,980 "to the principal stand against temptation, 786 00:39:59,980 --> 00:40:02,700 "to the perjury of a false accusation 787 00:40:02,700 --> 00:40:04,140 "to the prison of Pharaoh." 788 00:40:04,140 --> 00:40:06,940 And that's where he ends up. 789 00:40:06,940 --> 00:40:14,300 So because of his resistance and her accusation, 790 00:40:14,300 --> 00:40:16,700 so she kept his garment with her 791 00:40:16,700 --> 00:40:19,500 until his master came home. 792 00:40:19,500 --> 00:40:22,940 And then she spoke to him with words like these, 793 00:40:22,940 --> 00:40:26,140 saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us 794 00:40:26,140 --> 00:40:28,380 "came into me to mock me. 795 00:40:28,380 --> 00:40:31,820 "So it happened as I lifted my voice and cried out 796 00:40:31,820 --> 00:40:34,700 "that he left his garment with me and fled outside. 797 00:40:34,700 --> 00:40:37,420 "And so it was when the master heard the words 798 00:40:37,420 --> 00:40:39,420 "which his wife spoke to him saying, 799 00:40:39,420 --> 00:40:42,620 "Your servant did to me after this manner 800 00:40:42,620 --> 00:40:44,220 "that his anger was aroused. 801 00:40:44,220 --> 00:40:45,900 "And then Joseph's masters took him 802 00:40:45,900 --> 00:40:48,060 "and put him into the prison, 803 00:40:48,060 --> 00:40:51,500 "a place where the king's prisoners were confined." 804 00:40:51,500 --> 00:40:54,060 So here he has to go to jail. 805 00:40:54,060 --> 00:40:56,700 Now, this is kind of interesting here. 806 00:40:56,860 --> 00:41:02,860 Why Potiphar did not kill him, right? 807 00:41:02,860 --> 00:41:06,460 Here's a slave, right, that he bought. 808 00:41:06,460 --> 00:41:07,820 Lord knows what he paid for him. 809 00:41:07,820 --> 00:41:11,100 I think it was 20 or 30 pieces of silver 810 00:41:11,100 --> 00:41:13,020 that the Ishmaelites bought him for. 811 00:41:13,020 --> 00:41:16,140 So it wasn't super valuable, 812 00:41:16,140 --> 00:41:19,980 but it says that he was angry and he put him in prison. 813 00:41:19,980 --> 00:41:21,420 Why didn't he cut his head off? 814 00:41:21,420 --> 00:41:25,820 Because of most Bible commentators believe 815 00:41:25,820 --> 00:41:27,740 that he knew the character of this woman. 816 00:41:27,740 --> 00:41:30,860 And he was not gonna kill this kid 817 00:41:30,860 --> 00:41:33,260 because he knew his character also. 818 00:41:33,260 --> 00:41:37,260 And he knew that it probably wasn't true 819 00:41:37,260 --> 00:41:42,300 that he had done what he was accused of. 820 00:41:42,300 --> 00:41:48,540 It's quite a picture, this story of Joseph. 821 00:41:48,540 --> 00:41:54,500 And we can see the injustices in this story. 822 00:41:54,500 --> 00:41:57,540 The injustices in this because Joseph suffered 823 00:41:57,540 --> 00:41:58,660 for someone else's sin, 824 00:41:58,660 --> 00:42:01,940 mainly the lie of his boss's wife. 825 00:42:01,940 --> 00:42:06,020 But it's what you always look for 826 00:42:06,020 --> 00:42:07,300 when you read the Bible, right? 827 00:42:07,300 --> 00:42:10,820 Here is somebody who is innocent 828 00:42:10,820 --> 00:42:15,860 paying for what somebody else did, 829 00:42:15,860 --> 00:42:17,620 paying for somebody else's sin. 830 00:42:17,620 --> 00:42:21,780 As Christians, we remember someone 831 00:42:21,780 --> 00:42:24,500 who perfectly resisted all temptation in Jesus, 832 00:42:24,500 --> 00:42:27,540 who as he stood for righteousness 833 00:42:27,540 --> 00:42:29,460 was stripped of his garments 834 00:42:29,460 --> 00:42:32,660 and who was then punished for the sins of others. 835 00:42:32,660 --> 00:42:34,820 We see that Jesus is the hope 836 00:42:34,820 --> 00:42:37,060 of all those who fail under temptation. 837 00:42:37,060 --> 00:42:41,460 When Peter came and he asked Jesus that question, 838 00:42:41,460 --> 00:42:45,460 he said, "Hey, if my brother offends me, sins against me, 839 00:42:45,460 --> 00:42:47,380 "how many times should I forgive him? 840 00:42:47,380 --> 00:42:47,880 "Seven?" 841 00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:51,220 Peter thinking he was so gracious and generous. 842 00:42:52,100 --> 00:42:55,700 And the Lord says, "Peter, I say unto you, 843 00:42:55,700 --> 00:42:59,300 "not only seven, but seven times 70." 844 00:42:59,300 --> 00:43:01,800 Right? 845 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:04,820 And of course he was shocked at that. 846 00:43:04,820 --> 00:43:10,100 And I don't think that means 490 times 847 00:43:10,100 --> 00:43:13,780 because I don't know about you, 848 00:43:13,780 --> 00:43:16,900 but I've sinned a whole lot more than 490 times 849 00:43:16,900 --> 00:43:18,260 and asked God to forgive me. 850 00:43:20,420 --> 00:43:20,980 And he will. 851 00:43:20,980 --> 00:43:23,140 And maybe you've failed, 852 00:43:23,140 --> 00:43:26,420 maybe you've given wholeheartedly into temptation this week. 853 00:43:26,420 --> 00:43:31,300 I'm just gonna ask you, get honest with the Lord 854 00:43:31,300 --> 00:43:32,660 and say, "Lord, please forgive me 855 00:43:32,660 --> 00:43:36,660 "and help me and give me strength 856 00:43:36,660 --> 00:43:38,340 "to not fall under temptation, 857 00:43:38,340 --> 00:43:41,060 "but to recognize what Jesus did for me 858 00:43:41,060 --> 00:43:44,900 "and the faithfulness of somebody like Joseph 859 00:43:44,900 --> 00:43:49,060 "that with your help, Lord, I know I can live this life, 860 00:43:49,700 --> 00:43:50,980 "but you can't live it on your own. 861 00:43:50,980 --> 00:43:52,740 "You have to have help." 862 00:43:52,740 --> 00:44:00,820 And we all should all know who to cry out to for help. 863 00:44:00,820 --> 00:44:03,940 So verse 21, we'll wrap it up here. 864 00:44:03,940 --> 00:44:05,860 It says, "But the Lord was with Joseph." 865 00:44:05,860 --> 00:44:07,140 Where? 866 00:44:07,140 --> 00:44:08,100 In prison. 867 00:44:08,100 --> 00:44:11,380 "But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy 868 00:44:11,380 --> 00:44:13,380 "and he gave him favor in the sight 869 00:44:13,380 --> 00:44:15,140 "of the keeper of the prison. 870 00:44:15,140 --> 00:44:18,100 "And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand 871 00:44:18,100 --> 00:44:20,740 "all the prisoners who were in the prison. 872 00:44:20,740 --> 00:44:23,620 "Whatever they did there, it was his doing. 873 00:44:23,620 --> 00:44:26,580 "The keeper of the prison did not look into anything 874 00:44:26,580 --> 00:44:28,500 "that was under Joseph's authority 875 00:44:28,500 --> 00:44:30,340 "because the Lord was with him 876 00:44:30,340 --> 00:44:32,820 "and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper." 877 00:44:32,820 --> 00:44:35,940 And so it is with us, right? 878 00:44:35,940 --> 00:44:36,820 Even in prison. 879 00:44:36,820 --> 00:44:38,740 It doesn't matter. 880 00:44:38,740 --> 00:44:42,980 Listen, when we voluntarily with the act of our will 881 00:44:42,980 --> 00:44:46,180 give our lives into the hand of the Lord, 882 00:44:47,140 --> 00:44:49,940 let him do what he's gonna do, right? 883 00:44:49,940 --> 00:44:52,100 It may not be according to your thinking. 884 00:44:52,100 --> 00:44:56,020 My wife and I, we were driving the other day 885 00:44:56,020 --> 00:44:57,940 and I just asked her, I said, "What?" 886 00:44:57,940 --> 00:44:59,700 Could you imagine? 887 00:44:59,700 --> 00:45:01,780 As you look back, could you imagine 888 00:45:01,780 --> 00:45:03,780 when we were in our 20s, just married, 889 00:45:03,780 --> 00:45:06,020 that where the Lord's brought us? 890 00:45:06,020 --> 00:45:12,580 Because she really didn't wanna be a pastor's wife, my wife. 891 00:45:12,580 --> 00:45:16,340 And I tried jumping the gun back in 1995, 892 00:45:16,340 --> 00:45:18,020 started trying to start in a church. 893 00:45:18,020 --> 00:45:21,860 And after a year, I pulled the plug on it. 894 00:45:21,860 --> 00:45:24,100 Now, we've been here three years, 895 00:45:24,100 --> 00:45:28,180 so I don't know, the plug might come before five. 896 00:45:28,180 --> 00:45:29,220 I don't know. 897 00:45:29,220 --> 00:45:32,900 But she looked at, I remember her looking at me. 898 00:45:32,900 --> 00:45:34,580 She says, "Scotty, we're not ready for this." 899 00:45:34,580 --> 00:45:37,220 And I'm going, "Oh, come on." 900 00:45:37,220 --> 00:45:40,420 You know, there I was again, just like the rope thing. 901 00:45:40,420 --> 00:45:45,860 And the Lord humbled me, right? 902 00:45:46,660 --> 00:45:49,060 But I think it took time for both of us. 903 00:45:49,060 --> 00:45:52,420 I think I was surrendered, but she wasn't. 904 00:45:52,420 --> 00:45:54,900 And then I think she was surrendered, 905 00:45:54,900 --> 00:45:57,140 but I wasn't totally surrendered. 906 00:45:57,140 --> 00:46:00,580 And so it took the Lord over 30 years 907 00:46:00,580 --> 00:46:02,180 to get us both on the same page 908 00:46:02,180 --> 00:46:09,220 and to just yield to what he has for us, whatever that is. 909 00:46:09,220 --> 00:46:12,100 And for Joseph here, it's going to prison 910 00:46:12,100 --> 00:46:14,980 because this is a place where he's gonna be 911 00:46:14,980 --> 00:46:19,380 because this is the next step on his way to the throne. 912 00:46:19,380 --> 00:46:21,540 Who would have thunk, right? 913 00:46:21,540 --> 00:46:24,260 Who would have thunk that you would, is that a word? 914 00:46:24,260 --> 00:46:28,900 Who would have thunk that you would have to go to prison 915 00:46:28,900 --> 00:46:30,420 to ascend to the throne? 916 00:46:30,420 --> 00:46:34,340 Maybe Nelson Mandela, I don't know. 917 00:46:34,340 --> 00:46:38,980 But God does things that you and I, 918 00:46:38,980 --> 00:46:41,940 we're just not privy to, 919 00:46:41,940 --> 00:46:43,780 but we have to be okay with, right? 920 00:46:44,500 --> 00:46:51,780 So it says twice here in these last three, four verses 921 00:46:51,780 --> 00:46:53,140 that the Lord was with him. 922 00:46:53,140 --> 00:46:57,460 And if the Lord is with you, you can't go wrong. 923 00:46:57,460 --> 00:46:58,660 I don't care where you're at. 924 00:46:58,660 --> 00:47:01,380 You can be in a sewer pit. 925 00:47:01,380 --> 00:47:04,260 And if God is with you, he's gonna do something. 926 00:47:04,260 --> 00:47:06,500 He's gonna do something really cool 927 00:47:06,500 --> 00:47:08,340 and he's gonna work through it. 928 00:47:08,340 --> 00:47:10,740 He's gonna use everything together for good 929 00:47:10,740 --> 00:47:12,100 for those who love him. 930 00:47:12,100 --> 00:47:18,340 So our pursuit and our resolve is to love our God 931 00:47:18,340 --> 00:47:20,580 with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength 932 00:47:20,580 --> 00:47:22,900 and to love our neighbor as ourself. 933 00:47:22,900 --> 00:47:24,100 I'll close with this thought. 934 00:47:24,100 --> 00:47:27,220 Charles Hathon Spurgeon, he says this, 935 00:47:27,220 --> 00:47:32,740 "Joseph felt it a cruel thing to be under such a slander 936 00:47:32,740 --> 00:47:34,980 and to suffer for his innocence. 937 00:47:34,980 --> 00:47:37,300 A young man so pure, so chaste, 938 00:47:38,260 --> 00:47:42,500 must have felt it to be sharper than a whip of scorpions 939 00:47:42,500 --> 00:47:44,020 to be accused as he was. 940 00:47:44,020 --> 00:47:48,100 Yet he sat down in the gloom of his cell 941 00:47:48,100 --> 00:47:49,460 and the Lord was with him." 942 00:47:49,460 --> 00:47:54,100 And he's with you and he's with me. 943 00:47:54,100 --> 00:47:59,140 God is moving his forward, his story along 944 00:47:59,140 --> 00:48:00,420 in this man's life. 945 00:48:00,420 --> 00:48:01,780 And so it is with you. 946 00:48:01,780 --> 00:48:05,700 Right now, God is moving his story in your life along. 947 00:48:06,340 --> 00:48:08,100 Now you might think it's stalled. 948 00:48:08,100 --> 00:48:11,940 You might think, how could God ever use something like this? 949 00:48:11,940 --> 00:48:16,740 And I can't tell you how many times 950 00:48:16,740 --> 00:48:21,140 in the last 35 years of walking with Jesus, 39 actually, 951 00:48:21,140 --> 00:48:25,620 I've thought that in my own heart. 952 00:48:25,620 --> 00:48:29,140 How could God be working in this? 953 00:48:29,140 --> 00:48:35,540 And yet every single thing, he's moving his story along 954 00:48:36,100 --> 00:48:37,940 and God will use it for good. 955 00:48:37,940 --> 00:48:43,140 I just pray today that you find yourself right in his will, 956 00:48:43,140 --> 00:48:48,820 right in the center of having that healthy fear of the Lord 957 00:48:48,820 --> 00:48:51,220 that the Bible says is clean. 958 00:48:51,220 --> 00:48:54,180 It keeps our lives clean when we fear God 959 00:48:54,180 --> 00:48:56,020 and we walk in his ways. 960 00:48:56,020 --> 00:48:58,820 And that you just realize that God's using it all. 961 00:48:58,820 --> 00:48:59,780 He's gonna use it all. 962 00:48:59,780 --> 00:49:02,740 We just simply have to love him. 963 00:49:02,740 --> 00:49:03,300 Let's pray. 964 00:49:03,300 --> 00:49:06,660 Father, I pray right now that our love wouldn't grow cold. 965 00:49:06,660 --> 00:49:08,900 Lord, in these days in which we live 966 00:49:08,900 --> 00:49:11,380 and the things in which we see coming on the horizon 967 00:49:11,380 --> 00:49:15,060 and even maybe some of us that are involved in right now, 968 00:49:15,060 --> 00:49:18,500 Lord, it's heartbreaking to watch the world 969 00:49:18,500 --> 00:49:21,380 seemingly spin out of control. 970 00:49:21,380 --> 00:49:23,460 And yet you're sovereign 971 00:49:23,460 --> 00:49:26,660 and you have us all right in the palm of your hand. 972 00:49:26,660 --> 00:49:28,260 And so Lord, I ask right now 973 00:49:28,260 --> 00:49:30,180 that you would just minister to your people, 974 00:49:30,180 --> 00:49:33,220 minister to us, Lord, that we would be encouraged, 975 00:49:33,220 --> 00:49:36,100 Lord, that we would whack strong in our God, 976 00:49:36,100 --> 00:49:38,820 that we would have the same resolve 977 00:49:38,820 --> 00:49:42,980 and the same love for you that we see in this man's life 978 00:49:42,980 --> 00:49:45,220 that we read about today, Lord. 979 00:49:45,220 --> 00:49:47,940 God, knowing that you're gonna do things 980 00:49:47,940 --> 00:49:52,100 that are so far beyond what he ever thought. 981 00:49:52,100 --> 00:49:53,540 And so it is with us. 982 00:49:53,540 --> 00:49:56,420 And so use us in these days, Lord. 983 00:49:56,420 --> 00:50:00,020 Help us to be swift to hear 984 00:50:00,020 --> 00:50:05,380 and slow to anger and slow to speak, Lord, 985 00:50:05,380 --> 00:50:08,820 that we would allow you to direct us, Lord, 986 00:50:08,820 --> 00:50:11,060 in this time in which we live, 987 00:50:11,060 --> 00:50:12,900 that when we should speak up 988 00:50:12,900 --> 00:50:14,660 and when we should be still 989 00:50:14,660 --> 00:50:17,540 and be that salt and light in this world, Lord. 990 00:50:17,540 --> 00:50:19,060 And God, we love you. 991 00:50:19,060 --> 00:50:21,620 We thank you for the opportunities 992 00:50:21,620 --> 00:50:23,300 that you're gonna put in front of us, 993 00:50:23,300 --> 00:50:24,740 even this afternoon, Lord, 994 00:50:24,740 --> 00:50:28,340 as families get together and dads are celebrated, Lord. 995 00:50:29,220 --> 00:50:31,620 I pray that dads would resolve in their hearts 996 00:50:31,620 --> 00:50:34,180 to be men of character, men of integrity, 997 00:50:34,180 --> 00:50:36,420 men that their wives can trust in, 998 00:50:36,420 --> 00:50:39,380 men that their children can lean on. 999 00:50:39,380 --> 00:50:45,700 And Lord, just expect protection and wisdom to flow 1000 00:50:45,700 --> 00:50:48,100 from the fathers in this room, Lord. 1001 00:50:48,100 --> 00:50:50,180 And we need your Holy Spirit to do that. 1002 00:50:50,180 --> 00:50:53,380 Otherwise, we're just, we're boneheaded, 1003 00:50:53,380 --> 00:50:56,900 fleshy people that we're gonna get in trouble. 1004 00:50:56,900 --> 00:50:59,060 So I pray that you would keep us from that trouble, 1005 00:50:59,060 --> 00:51:02,500 Lord, save us from ourselves and the enemy 1006 00:51:02,500 --> 00:51:03,860 and the world, Lord, 1007 00:51:03,860 --> 00:51:07,140 and Lord, that we would shine bright until you come. 1008 00:51:07,140 --> 00:51:09,220 And Lord, we're just hoping that's really soon 1009 00:51:09,220 --> 00:51:11,140 in Jesus' name, amen. 1010 00:51:11,140 --> 00:51:12,820 Let's worship that these guys lead us. 1011 00:51:12,820 --> 00:51:14,820 The prayer team will be over here. 1012 00:51:14,820 --> 00:51:17,780 Please come over and get prayed for. 1013 00:51:17,780 --> 00:51:19,060 Be encouraged. 1014 00:51:19,060 --> 00:51:19,940 Walk with Jesus. 1015 00:51:19,940 --> 00:51:29,780 (gentle music)