Back in Greensboro, I'm in the midst of a series of messages on the life of Joseph, and I desire to share with you this morning a few experiences in the life of Joseph. The study of his life is a very interesting and rewarding study indeed. As we consider his life, we find many pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet He was a man of like passions as ourselves. He was a man who had the old nature, and yet he was a man who stood true for God. In examining the life of Joseph, you will find that at home he was the beloved son. He was loved by Jacob more so than the other children. And he was the beloved son, but not only so, we find that he was the good shepherd. And we think, too, of the father sending Joseph from Hebron to find his brothers. He was the sent servant. We think of his brothers hating him not only because he was loved of the father to the extent that he was, but because of dreams that Joseph had, indicating that in a coming day he would be a ruler sitting upon the throne and all the family would bow to him. And so he was hated by his brothers. And when they saw him coming, they determined to bring evil upon him. They determined to put him to death. And so we think of Joseph being the brother's soul. They were persuaded not to kill him, but to sell him to the Ishmaelites, which they did. And we think, too, of Joseph as the lonely sufferer, not only there in the pit at Dothan, but perhaps at the hands of the Ishmaelites. But then down in Egypt, as he was put into the prison for several years. But we think two of him as the honored statesman. He was exalted in due time, and he became the honored statesman, and then the world's savior. Potiphar said, To all who came to him for help, go to Joseph. And so in and through the life of Joseph, we have some beautiful pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ. But as we consider his life, we think of ourselves, and we can learn many lessons as children of God as to how we are to be, how we are to conduct ourselves. So let's focus in on some incidents in the life of Joseph in Genesis chapter thirty-nine. And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites. which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him, and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. Verse seven. And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, Lie with me, but he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master, what is not what is in his hand, or what is in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. There is none greater in this house than I. Neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife, How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? And come down, please, to verse nineteen. And it came to pass when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me, that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound, and he was there in the prison, but the Lord was with Joseph. Repeatedly we read these words, the Lord was with Joseph. When we go to Psalm a hundred and five, and you need not turn there, there is the psalmist reflection of the story of Joseph, and he said, he was sold for a servant or a bondman. When we go to Acts chapter seven in verse nine, Stephen said to the Jewish council, And the patriarch moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him. It was bad enough for Joseph to be a stranger in a strange land. But he went lower still. He was a slave. He was a bondman. The psalmist in one hundred and five once again said, Whose feet they hurt with fetters. He was laid... in iron. But God was with him. God was with him. Joseph walked in the consciousness of the presence of God. I am persuaded of that. Joseph was a man of God. Had he lived in the New Testament times, I am sure we would have read words of Joseph similar to those which Paul used, for to me to live, is Christ. for to me to live is Christ. And Joseph was a man of God. In every scene of the life of Joseph, some distinctive trait of character is revealed by a crisis that comes about. Whether with his brother, whether in facing this temptation with Potiphar's wife, whether they're in the prison, some distinctive trait of character comes through in a time of crisis. And we see that Joseph is indeed a man of God. I believe his silence in all that he experienced, in all that he encountered, in all the difficulties that he faced. I believe his silence is remarkable. Nothing is said in the way of criticism or complaint by Joseph. But we do read in Genesis chapter forty-two and twenty-one, when the brothers were talking together, they said, We saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear. Apart from that, nothing is said by Joseph in the way of complaint, in the way of accusation. And this is remarkable. And I believe this silence of Joseph tells us of an inner strength, of a power that he had from God. Now, in Genesis chapter thirty-nine, I want us to consider three things about Joseph, three experiences that he had. In the first part of the chapter, we see Joseph is trusted, and he is the faithful steward. Everything that Potiphar had was committed to the hands of Joseph. In fact, wherever we read of Joseph, we find him being trusted, whether by his father at home, whether by Potiphar there in Egypt, whether by the jailer there in prison, or whether by Pharaoh when Joseph was exalted to the throne. We find Joseph trusted. And here he is trusted by Potiphar, and he is the faithful steward of Potiphar. He's not complaining. He's not bemoaning the fact that these things came upon him when he was not deserving of them. We find him silent. We find him submissive to those who have the authority over him. And we find Joseph faithful in all that he was commanded to do. And so Joseph is trusted. He is the faithful steward. Now it sounds rather strange that we should read such words in verse two that he was a prosperous man. One doesn't normally think of a slave being a prosperous man, but we do read of Joseph, the Lord was with him and he was a prosperous man. Now even though this is a strange statement to make in connection with a slave. I believe the explanation is this, that prosperity is not due to circumstances. And we should underscore that. Prosperity is not due to circumstances, but prosperity is due to character, and character in turn depends upon faithfulness to God. A man's life consists not in the abundance of things he possesses. When we go into the New Testament Scriptures, we find a number of admonitions, and we are given a number of verses of Scripture indicating what it means to be prosperous in spiritual things. We won't take time to refer to the Scriptures, but I believe reading, studying, and meditating upon the Word of God is being prosperous. I believe walking, in that consciousness of the presence of the Lord, walking in the light as He is in the light, enjoying fellowship with Himself day by day, that is being prospered. I believe always being in the attitude of prayer. Maintaining a consistent prayer life is being prospered. I believe being filled and overflowing with the love of our wonderful Lord, as we've been hearing from our brother Bob, is being prosperous in the things of the Lord. I believe being used of God as a channel of blessing is being prosperous in the things of God. And these things that we are speaking about do not depend upon circumstances. Circumstances might be adverse, but they should not interfere in any way with our fellowship with the Lord, with our communion with the Lord, and being used by him. John said to Gaius, in Third John, verse two, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. fellow believer, how are you prospering spiritually? Perhaps some would have to confess, I am spiritually bankrupt. Well, we are to be prosperous Christians, and keep in mind we're not speaking about material things, but we should be prosperous Christians. Joseph was a prosperous man, the Lord was with him. And so we find Joseph being trusted, and he is found to be the faithful steward. But as we come down to verse seven, we find Joseph is tempted, and he is found to be the loyal servant. When we read the words that God was with him, this would indicate to us that the hand of God was upon Joseph. But not only was God's hand upon Joseph, a young man, Satan's eye was upon him as well. And this is the way it is, isn't it? It seems that the closer we draw to the Lord Jesus, or the closer we are drawn to him, I should say, it seems that the more Satan comes to us and comes against us, tempting us in various ways. God was with him. God's hand was upon him. But Satan's eye was upon him as well. Now it is true that Joseph was stripped of his coat of many colors, but he wasn't stripped of his character. And thank God for that. He was tempted, but he came through triumphantly. Now as we think about Joseph being tempted, I think perhaps we should consider the temptation of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew's Gospel chapter four. Would you turn there, please? Matthew chapter four. We read in the book of Hebrews chapter four that the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. But in that portion, and I believe it's Hebrews four and sixteen, is it? Fifteen. That the Lord Jesus is well aware of our infirmities, our weaknesses. Some use that scripture to argue the point that the Lord Jesus Christ could have sinned. And they seem, some seem to interpret that verse, that the Lord Jesus is touched with our temptations to sin. That's not what the verse says. He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. That is, he is touched with our weaknesses. Now, when it comes to our weaknesses, we have a great high priest. When it comes to our sins, we have an advocate. And please distinguish the difference. We can go to the Lord Jesus and we can say, Lord, there are times when I feel so alone in a crowd. Now, he understands that. He could say, I know all about that when I was there on earth. They all forsook me and fled. And when I was upon the cross, I cried out, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? I know all about what it means to be alone. Or we could go to the Lord, our great high priest, and talk to him about these times we experience when it seems we don't even have the necessities of life. He understands that. He could say to us, I know all about that. When I was there upon earth, the birds of the air had their nests, the foxes had their holes. I had nowhere to lay my head. I know all about that. Or we could talk to him about physical pain and suffering. He knows all about that too, doesn't he? So when it comes to our weaknesses, we have a great high priest, and he's touched as we pour out our hearts to him concerning these things. But so far as our sins are concerned, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ, the righteous. But the Lord Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, It was a real test for him. It was a real temptation. And yet he was without sin. And as we examine these temptations of our wonderful Lord, I believe we will learn from this something of the temptation that Joseph experienced. You know, when we read about Joseph and this temptation that came to him from Potiphar's wife, We read, but he refused, and we pass over that. We can read it so quickly, we can pass over so quickly, but we don't realize the magnitude of that temptation. But as we consider the temptations of the Lord Jesus Christ, this one who was tempted in all points, like as we are, yet without sin, we can better understand the temptation that Joseph faced, and I believe that these scriptures will reveal to us something of the way in which Satan will come at us, and his objective in tempting us. In Matthew chapter four we read, Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devils. Now James tells us in his epistle chapter one that when we are tempted, count it all joy. That's about verse three, is it? And then in verse thirteen, he says, when you're tempted, don't say you're tempted of God. Now, some might think that's a contradiction, but one word means that God will put us to the test to bring out the good, but the other word indicates that Satan will solicit us to do evil. You see, God tests us to bring out the good, Satan tempts us to bring us evil. And so here we read of the Lord Jesus Christ being led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness. And it was there in the wilderness that Satan, the tempter, came to him and said in verse three, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written... Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. That's a quotation from Deuteronomy chapter eight. Verse three. And so Satan came to the Lord Jesus, tempting him to turn the stones to bread. Now I want you to please underscore the words he was led up of the Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ was in the will of God the Father. Everywhere he went, he was in the will of God the Father. Everything he said was according to the will of God the Father. All that he did was according to the will of God the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ was always in the will of his heavenly Father. We were reminded last night that he took upon him the form of a servant. And what is the one responsibility? of the servant. It is to obey. And the Lord Jesus always obeyed his heavenly Father. And so here we find the Lord Jesus in the will of God the Father, but Satan comes and seeks to get the Lord Jesus to depart from the will of God. He said, in essence, now listen, you're hungry. You are the Son of God, and on down in the chapter would indicate that. When Satan said, if you be the Son of God, there wasn't any question in Satan's mind. The wording is, since you are the Son of God, and so knowing that he was the Son of God, Satan said to Jesus in essence, now listen, why are you so dependent on God the Father? You have a need. Why don't you take the initiative? Why don't you exercise your own authority? Don't be submissive to the authority of God the Father. Exercise your own authority and go ahead and turn these stones into bread. We were reminded last night, too, about authority. Everywhere we go, we must recognize authority. Whether it's in the home, whether it's in the school, whether it's in our society, whether it's in the local church, whether it's in God's universe, we must recognize authority, wherever we go, and we must submit to that authority. But here is Satan seeking to get Jesus to depart from the will of God. And the Lord Jesus quoted Scripture. It is written. The Lord Jesus reaped into the Word of God, and he pulled out a particular verse, and he used it against Satan in this temptation. When we go to Hebrews chapter four and verse twelve, we read that the Word of God is quick, living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. There the wording indicates or speaks of the Word of God in its entirety. What we have in our hands is the Word of God. Some say that it doesn't become the Word of God until we open it and read a portion that affects us in some particular way. It's the Word of God if I never open it. But this is the word of God in its entirety. And this word is living. And it's sharper than any two-edged sword. Now when we go to Ephesians chapter six, we read about the armor of God that we are to put on. When you go to Romans chapter thirteen and verse fourteen is it, we read that we are to put on Christ. Well, you might ask, well, how do we put on Christ? I thought he was dwelling within if we were saved. Well, he is. But Paul tells us to put on Christ. And when we come to Ephesians chapter six and read about the armor of God, which is for our defense against the wilds or the tricks of Satan, we realize that in putting on this armor, we are putting on Christ. But down at verse seventeen, Paul said, And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. but the wording here does not speak of the Word of God in its entirety, different from Hebrews chapter four and verse twelve. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, or which is the sayings of God. Now you might say, what's the difference? Well, I can have in my hands the entire Word of God, but wouldn't know how to use it. Like a soldier going into battle, And this, please excuse this simple illustration, but a soldier might be going into battle, and the commanding officer might ask him, do you have your peace? Do you have your rifle? Yes, sir. Do you know how to use it? No, sir. Well, it's not going to be much good to him if he goes into battle and doesn't know how to use his rifle. It's not going to be any good to it. We can have the word of God in our hands, but not know how to use it. We sometimes say, oh, I believe this is the Bible, the Word of God from cover to cover. Well, wonderful. Amen. Do you know how to use it? Well, no, I don't. We are to be able to reach in to the entire Word of God and pull out a particular saying of God and use it when we are tempted by Satan. This is what the Lord Jesus did. He said, it is written. And so the Lord Jesus quoted Deuteronomy chapter eight and verse three in facing this temptation of Satan. Notice as we read on in Matthew chapter four. Then the devil taketh him up into a holy city and seteth him on the pinnacle of the temple and saith unto him, if thou be the son of God, or since you are the son of God, cast thyself down for it is written. He shall give his angels charge concerning thee. And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against the stone. What is this? Satan quoting Scripture? That's what he's doing. As if Satan said to Jesus, Oh, I see you quoted Scripture. When I tempted you to make these... stones and the bread. I see you quoted scripture. Now, that indicates to me that you have confidence in God. Now, if you really have confidence in God, why don't you cast yourself down? And I understand the distance from the pinnacle of that temple down to the Kidron Valley was something like four hundred feet. Oh, well, since you have confidence in God, Well, then let's put it to the test, and let's really see if he's going to do what his words have. You cast yourself down because he has said, and so he quotes Psalm ninety-one verses eleven and twelve. Now, you might say, what's wrong with that? Satan tempted Jesus to depart from the will of God. But he also sought to get Jesus to doubt the word of God. You see, if we believe God, if we believe that his word is true, then we don't have to put him to the test to prove it. The minute we think, the minute we determine to do something to prove if God is really going to follow through with this, then we have doubts concerning the word of God. And Satan wanted Jesus to depart from the will of God. Satan wanted Jesus to doubt the word of God. And as we read on, Satan wanted Jesus to fall down and worship him. He wanted to divert the worship belonging to God to himself. And this is the way he works. These are the three areas. Or should I say, his objective in tempting us as he tempted the Lord. He wants us to depart from the will of God. He wants us to doubt the word of God. And he wants to divert any worship and all worship belonging to God ultimately to himself. And as we consider these temptations of the Lord Jesus and think of Joseph and in turn think of ourselves, we find something of the magnitude of this temptation. Joseph was tempted. But thank God he was found to be the loyal servant. And we simply read, he refused. He said no. Now you might be asking, well now, in and through all of this, do you believe he still had confidence in God? I am convinced of that. Look at chapter forty and verse eight. Here he is in prison now, being Treated by his brothers the way he was was bad enough. Being sold to the Ishmaelites was even worse. Being sold to Potiphar and now in prison even worse. So he's in prison and two of the servants of Pharaoh, the butler and the baker, are put into prison. And they too had dreams. And in verse eight, They said unto him, We have dreamed the dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Does not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you. Now that tells me that his confidence in the living God was as strong as ever. You know, Joseph could have said, Now listen, don't you fellow start talking about any dreams? All of my problems came upon me because I had some dreams. You better keep your mouth shut. No. Joseph was confident of the fact that God was going to do exactly what he said he was going to do in speaking to Joseph in and through those dreams he had of one day exalting him to sit upon the throne and everyone bowing to him. And Joseph was learning the lesson. that we have such difficulty in learning that all things work together for good to them that love God. To them who are the call according to his purpose. And so he was simply waiting God's time. And so he was not only trusted and found to be the faithful steward and tempted and found to be the loyal servant, but Joseph was triumphant and he was found to be the godly saint. had that attitude, I believe, that God had that perfect will for his life, and he wanted to find that will for his life, he wanted to follow that will for his life, and he wanted to finish God's will for his life. And he was triumphant, and he was the godless thing. I pray that each one of us who names the name of Christ will realize that we are kept by the power of God. We're not our own. We're bought with a price. God has a perfect will for our life. That he is far more concerned about us than we could ever be for ourselves. And that God's plan and purpose will be fulfilled. All things do work together for good to them that love God. And we are to wait patiently for him, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of how people treat us. We are to be submissive to the Lord and to all of those whom God brings into our life who are put over us. We are to be submissive unto them as unto the Lord. And God will exalt us in due time. Shall we pray? Now, Father, we pray that these few thoughts concerning Joseph and these incidents in his life will be used to encourage us in the things of God. We have an enemy, the enemy of our souls, the accuser of the breath. But Father, we thank thee that no charge can be brought against us, for it is God who justifies. And we pray that we will realize that we are bought with the Christ. We are not our own. We are the temple of the living God, and we are to be channels of blessing. And we pray, Father, that we will allow the Holy Spirit of God to take the things of Christ and make them real in our life. For his name we pray. Amen.