The Man Who Kept His Character

7/28/2019 The Man Who Kept His Character

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THE MAN WHO KEPT HIS CHARACTER

Genesis 37:36; 39:1-6

Introduction: We are considering some special people who

found themselves in places they would never have chosen,

nor would have ever expected to be. We are looking at

some of the great Cellar Dwellers in the Bible. We are

considering people who found themselves in pits, prisons

and cellars. In other words, we were looking at people whoendured times of hardship, difficulty and pain. As I studied

these people, it dawned on me that every one of the Cellar

Dwellers in the Bible kept something very special. The man

in our text found himself first in a pit, and then in a prison. I

want to show you what this special young man kept in his

cellar.

Let me introduce you to a young man named Joseph. He is

seventeen years old. He is the favorite son in a family of

twelve sons. His father chose him to be the head of the

family, and his father gave him a beautiful robe to symbolize

his authority. Joseph was on his way to being the mostinfluential and powerful person in his family. He had even

had some dreams that were sent to him by God. These

dreams confirmed everything that was happening in his life.



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According to the dreams, Joseph was on his way to the

place of absolute leadership in his family, Gen. 37:5-11.

All 10 of Joseph’s older brothers resented Joseph because

he was their father’s favorite, and because of the dreams

Joseph shared with them, Gen. 37:19. One day, Joseph’s

brothers had the opportunity to deal with him. His brother

attacked him, threw him into a pit, and sold him as a slave.

Joseph was sold to some Ishmaelite merchants for less than$100.00, which was the price of a crippled slave! The deal

they made with the Ishmaelites revealed the contempt they

felt for Joseph. The Ishmaelites merchants took Joseph to

Egypt and sold him into slavery in that land.

So, here is a 17 year old young man.

• He is stripped of his coat.

• He is separated from his beloved father.

• He is betrayed by the very people who should have loved

him most.

• He is sold as a slave and carried off to a strange land to

live as a slave.

• Imagine the fear that must have filled his heart.



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• Imagine the hurt that must have shattered him.

• Imagine the lies Satan must have told him.

• Imagine the disillusionment over the shattered dreams.

Joseph was a country boy from an unsophisticated family,

and he found himself being transported to the capital city of

the most advanced nation on the earth. Imagine how Joseph

must have felt as the camels crested the last hill and thewonders of ancient Egypt spread out before him on the

plains of Giza. The great pyramids would have been standing

in Joseph’s day. In fact, they would have been over a

thousand years old when his great-grandfather Abraham

visited that land many years before. Joseph would have

seen the Sphinx, the great Egyptian temples and the opulent

palaces of the Pharaoh and his people. It would have been agreat shock to this young man’s system.

Every mile he traveled moved him farther away from his

home and from his father. Every new sight confirmed the

truth that his life was forever changing. Every new word,every new sound, every new smell told Joseph that his life

would never be the same.



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On the surface it seems that circumstances could not have

been worse for Joseph. In reality, those difficult days were

mere steps on the path God had planned for Joseph. It may

have appeared that all Joseph’s dreams had been shattered,but the God who gave the dreams in the first place was

working behind the scenes to ensure that they would all be

fulfilled in His time.

Joseph found himself in a pit, and then in a prison. Heendured much pain, sorrow and heartache in his young life,

but through it all, Joseph kept something very precious. In

spite of the assault by his brothers, the separation from his

father, the indignity of being sold into slavery, and the insult

of his later imprisonment, Joseph maintained a firm grip on

his character.

Character matters. Character is what you are when no one

else is looking. Joseph was away from home, in a strange

town. He was offered amazing opportunities. No one back

home would have known if Joseph had decided to live like

an Egyptian, and given in to the ways and morals of thatpagan land. But, through all the trouble he faced, and

through all the temptations that came his way, Joseph kept

a tight grip on his integrity. When he came out of the pit,



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and later, when he came out of the prison, Joseph came

through it all with his character intact.

Let’s follow Joseph through his time in the cellar and

notice The Man Who Kept His Character . The lessons taught

here will help us to hold on to our character when we find

ourselves in the cellars of life.

I. 37:36 HOW HIS CHARACTER WAS DEVELOPED

• It appeared that life had fallen apart for Joseph. When

you study the life of Joseph, it becomes clear that God was

personally directing all the events of Joseph’s life. It also

becomes clear that God was using the pain to develop the

person. God was turning a boy into a man. God was usingthe horror and hardship of Joseph’s life to develop him into

a man of integrity for His glory!

When you take into account all he faced, far too many

things fell into place for Joseph for the events of his life to

be mere coincidences.

Notice the sovereign hand of God moving in Joseph’s life:



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• The intervention of Reuben. The other brothers wanted

to kill Joseph, but Rueben convinced them to put Joseph

into a pit. Rueben was planning to come back later and

release the boy. Gen. 37:21-22; 37:29-30.

• Judah came up with the idea to sell Joseph as a slave

instead of killing him, Gen. 37:26-27.

• The sudden appearance of the Ishmaelite traders – Gen.

37:28.

• The fact that the Ishmaelites sold Joseph to Potiphar –

Gen. 37:36. Potiphar is called “the captain of the guard”.

His position seems to have been that of chief executioner.

He was like the head of Pharaoh’s secret police. He was

responsible for protecting Pharaoh and for dealing with

those who dared attack the king. Potiphar, by virtue of his

position, would have been in contact with many of thedignitaries and political officials of Egypt. It is not outside

the realm of possibility that Joseph would have been

introduced to many of the influential people who would

later serve him.

• God set everything up just like it needed to be so that

Joseph arrived exactly where he needed to be at the exactmoment he needed to be there.



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• Joseph might have been just a young man, betrayed by

his brothers and sold into slavery, but he was safe in the

arms of divine providence the whole time. He might have

been separated from his earthly father, but his heavenlyFather went with him and before him into Egypt.

• You can see how much control the Lord has by looking at

the actions of the people involved in this account.

Joseph’s brothers, the Ishmaelite traders, and Potipharwere all serving their own selfish interests.

• His brothers wanted rid of Joseph and his dreams.

• The Ishmaelites were out for a profit.

• Potiphar was just looking for a good deal on a slave.

• What they could not see is that they were all unwittingly

accomplishing the purposes of a sovereign God.

Isn’t it a comfort to know that God can use lost people to

accomplish His purposes? Isn’t it a blessing to know that all

the events of our lives are part of God’s plan for us?



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While the events of Joseph’s life appeared to be out of

control, everything that occurred was controlled by God.

Joseph was being protected and matured by the Lord.

Notice how God developed him.

• By God’s presence – Gen. 39:2

• From a bitter spirit – There is no hint that Joseph was

angry about his difficulties.

• By God’s providence – The dreams God gave Josephin Gen. 39:5-11 had not been forgotten. They were being

fulfilled, in God’s time and in God’s way. Those dreams

surely sustained Joseph during the dark days of his

suffering and slavery.

You and I have the same protections that Joseph enjoyed.

• We have His presence – Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20

• We have His help to deal with our past, our problems

and our pain in His way – Eph. 4:29-32. We do not have to

become bitter, angry or succumb to an unforgiving spirit.

We can display a sweet spirit, even during the most tryingof times with our Lord’s help!

• We have God’s promise that all “things work together

for our good ”, Rom. 8:28. A lot of what happens in life



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does not make sense, but it does not change the fact that

God is in control of everything that happens to us, Eph.

1:11; Isa. 46:10; 2 Cor. 4:17-18; Rom. 8:18.

• God’s purpose in our trials is not to harm us, but to

develop us. We can trust Him to protect us and grow us

amid the hardships of this life, Jer. 29:11.

In everything Joseph faced, he was being developed for the

glory that was waiting for him down the road. His character

was developed in his father’s house, in his relationship

with his brothers, in the pit, in Potipher’s house and in his

prison experience. God used every good day and every bad

day to shape Joseph into the person God wanted him to

become. Joseph was in God’s University, and he was taking

an advanced course in character development.

By the way, then the Lord sends us through storms, trials,

times of suffering and abuse, He does so to develop our

character.

• He is in the business of transforming us into the people

He saved us to be.



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• He is in the business of transforming us into the image of

His Son, Rom. 8:29; Eph. 4:13-14.

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He is preparing us for the glory that lies ahead, Rom.8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17.

The character of Joseph was developed in the cellars of

pain, heartbreak, misunderstanding, betrayal and

separation. So is ours! Your time in the cellar is not in vain

if it makes you more like the Lord!

Phillips Brooks, a preacher from the 19th

Century once said,

“Character may be manifested in the great moments, but

it is made in the small ones.”

That’s a truth we must always remember. God is taking

sinners and turning them into saints. He is not building

shacks; He is building cathedrals. Just as it takes heat,

pressure and time to turn coal into diamonds, it takes the

same things to turn sinners into saints. It takes much heat,

much pressure, and much time to build character into our

lives.



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I. How His Character Was Developed

II. 39:2-3 HOW HIS CHARACTER WAS DEMONSTRATED

• When Joseph arrived in Egypt, he no longer had his coat

of many colors. He may have lost his coat, but his character

was very much intact!

The coat Jacob gave Joseph was a symbol of his position in

the family.

• It marked him as the overseer.

• It marked him as the head of the family.

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It marked him as the one in charge of all things.

• It marked him as a man with authority.

Joseph’s authority did not come from a robe. His influence

did not come from some piece of cloth. Joseph’s authority

came from his character! He was a godly young man whowalked before his father in absolute integrity.



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When Joseph lost his coat, he did not lose the ingredients

made him a great man. Joseph’s greatness did not come

from the clothes on his body, but from the character of his

heart. He may have worn the humble garments of a slave,but he was still a man of character and integrity!

We ought to have the same testimony! We need to do

everything in our power to guard our character and

integrity.

Some people are different depending on when you meet

them. You meet them at church and they are one person;

meet them in town and they are someone totally different.

I would suggest to you that we need to be the same person

regardless of where we go. We should strive to do the right

thing, and be the right person, at all times. We should

determine in our hearts that we will have a good attitude

and demonstrate Christlikeness every minute of the day!

• When Joseph arrived in Egypt, he could have taken

several paths. He could have adopted the ways and

customs of his new land. He could have abandoned his



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faith in the God of his father and embraced the polytheistic

religion of Egypt. But, Joseph just stayed the course! While

Joseph may have been purchased by Potiphar, he belonged

to God! He had already determined how things would be inhis life.

It made no difference to Joseph whether he was in his

father’s house, in a pit, in the possession of slave traders,

or in the house of his master; Joseph had purposed in hisheart that he was always going to do the right thing, and

that is just what he did! Joseph was a man of integrity

regardless of the situation in which he found himself.

Like Joseph you and I need to establish some boundaries

for our lives. We need to make up our minds that there aresome things we just are not going to do. (e.g. drinking,

drugs, bad language, premarital sex, adultery,

pornography, gossip, etc.) Then, when a situation arises,

we do not have to debate it, we already know what we will

and will not do. We have already made up our minds and

the issue is settled!

• We are told in verse 2 that Joseph was “a prosperous

man”. Verse 3 tells us that “the Lord made all that he did



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to prosper in his hand.” Some might have looked at

Joseph’s advancement in the home of Potiphar as “good

luck ”. They see a young man like Joseph and he has some

bad breaks, then things turn around for him. Things startheading the other way. People look at that and they say,

“Man. He sure is lucky.” I want you to know that “luck ”

had nothing to do with Joseph’s success. In fact, there is no

such thing as “luck ”. Luck is for fairies, gnomes, sprites and

other mythical creatures; not for the children of the living

God!

Joseph prospered because God blessed him! Joseph

prospered because God saw in Joseph a man He could

trust to do His will. What some would call “luck ” in a

person’s life may be nothing more than the manifestation

of a good, godly character.

Maybe God blesses some people more than He does

others because they have the right kind of character.

Maybe they enjoy His blessings because they have

integrity. Maybe they are blessed because He can trustthem to do right!



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What I want you to see here is this: Joseph was in a bad

situation, but he still lived a life that was blessed by the

Lord. I am sure that his life was a life of endless drudgery

and service, but he was faithful to his tasks. His charactercaused him to be faithful to his God and to his human

master. As a result, God blessed his life and his work.

Illustration. The great Baptist preacher John Bunyan was

thrown into prison in 17th Century England for preachingthe Gospel without a license. He spent twelve years in jail

because he would not promise the court that he would not

preach if he were released. He could have become

discouraged by so long an imprisonment, but John Bunyan

was a man of character and integrity.

While he was in jail he had a stool that had three legs. He

removed one of the legs and carved it into a flute. He

would use that flute to play Gospel songs. While in jail,

Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, which is an allegory of the

Christian life. It is the second largest selling book in history,

only the Bible has sold more copies.

John Bunyan could have given up. Instead, he used his

trials as a place to glorify his God. In turn, God blessed him!



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By the way, the Lord is still looking for men and women of

faith, character and integrity. He is still looking for peoplethat He can use in these days to get glory and honor to His

name!

• What you has a way of getting out on you! Your

circumstances will reveal your character. I challenge you to

do everything you can to safeguard your integrity and yourcharacter. God will bless and honor those who are real.

What does your character reveal about you?

What’s on the inside will eventually show up on the

outside.

• “ And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that

defileth the man.For from within, out of the heart of

men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications,

murders,Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,

lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,

foolishness:All these evil things come from within, and defile the man,” Mark 7:20 –23.

• “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…,” Pro. 23:7a.



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• “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are

these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,

strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders,drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell

you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they

which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of

God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,

temperance: against such there is no law,” Gal. 5:19 –23.

What does your character say about you?

I. How His Character Was Developed

II. How His Character Was Demonstrated

III. 39:4-6 HOW HIS CHARACTER WAS DECLARED

• Potiphar saw that the hand of God was upon the life of

Joseph, v. 3. He knew there was something special aboutthis Hebrew slave. As he watched Joseph work, and as he

saw the results of his work, Potiphar saw that everything

Joseph touched turned to gold.



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Potiphar promoted Joseph and made him the overseer of

his entire household. Joseph was in control of everythingthat happened in Potiphar’s home and in his business

interests. Potiphar learned that he could trust Joseph to do

the right thing. He soon discovered that Joseph was a man

of industry and integrity, a man of character and

conviction. He was a worker who did the best job that he

could for his master. Joseph served Potiphar like he was

serving the Lord!

• Like cream Joseph continues to rise to the top. Regardless

of the situation in which he finds himself, he walks with

integrity, seeking to glorify his God, and it showed in his

life.

Even Potiphar the pagan Egyptian saw something different

in the life of Joseph. Joseph didn’t have to blow his

trumpet and tell Potiphar was a great believer he was. The

life he lived proclaimed the glory of his God and Potiphar

saw for himself the influence of God in the life of Joseph!The touch of God on his life opened the door for Joseph to

share his faith with Potiphar.



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The same thing ought to be true of each of us! The lives we

life should be so different from the world around us that

the mark of God’s favor will be clear to see, Matt. 5:16.

Joseph lived a godly life, which glorified God.

• He lived for the Lord when he was home with his father.

• He behaved himself well in front of his brothers.

• He lived the right kind of life as a slave.

• He refused to give in to his flesh when he was tempted

by Potipher’s wife.

• He maintained his integrity when he was falsely accused

of attempted rape and thrown into prison.

• He lived a life of character and devotion when he was

promoted to a position of power and privilege.

• Because Joseph kept his character when most people

would have given in to the flesh, God openly blessed him

by promoting Joseph and using him in a powerful way.



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The Lord will do the same in your life and mine. If He can

trust us with the tasks He assigns to us, He will entrust us

with greater things down the road. “He that is faithful in

that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that isunjust in the least is unjust also in much,” Luke 16:10.

It pleases the Lord when His people walk before Him in

integrity. When we keep a tight grip on our character, even

in the worst of times, it honors the Lord, and He honorsthat commitment.

Conclusion: God used the sorrows of Joseph’s life to shape

him into the man He desired him to become. The trials we

face are never easy. While they are not easy, our trials are

useful in that they teach us many things.

• They teach us how to depend on God.

• They teach us how to maintain a tender and

compassionate heart.

• They teach us the value of tears.

• They teach us how to be useful to the Lord.



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We should never seek to shun the trials of life. In shunning

our trials, we are also shunning the best of God’s blessings

in this life.

A.W. Tozer once said, “It is doubtful that God ever used

anyone greatly without first hurting them deeply.”

God uses the cellars of life to build and refine the character

of our lives. He uses the hurt to make us more like Him.

When we, like Joseph, allow the Lord to build character intoour lives, we become the persons He saved us to be.

Here is how Chuck Swindoll said it:

THE WORLD NEEDS PEOPLE...

• Who cannot be bought;

• Whose word is their bond;

• Who put character above wealth;

• Who possess opinions and a will;

• Who are larger than their vocations;

• Who do not hesitate to take chances;



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• Who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;

• Who will be as honest in small things as in great things;

• Who will make no compromise with wrong;

• Whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish

desires;

• Who will not say they do it “because everybody else

does it”;

• Who are true to their friends through good report and

evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;

• Who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and

hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning

success;

• Who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truthwhen it is unpopular;

• Who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the rest of

the world says “yes.” _

Are you a person of character? Or, are there problems in

that area of your life?



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Trials will help build character into your life, but if character

is missing, trials have a way of exposing that too. Maybe

you’ve been through a trial and didn’t come through it with

your character intact.

The place to get help is to get before the Lord and ask Him

to move in your life to accomplish His perfect will in you.

• If the Lord has spoken to you about your walk with Him, I

invite you to come before Him to thank Him, deal with sin,

ask for His help in trials, or whatever else you may need.

• If you are lost, I invite you to come to Jesus for salvation.

Let Him transform your life and develop you into a person

true character and integrity. 1 Adapted from Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p.107-8.

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The Man Who Kept His Character