Joseph's Other Coat

Genesis 39:1-12

The story of Joseph is one of the most loved stories in the Bible. His father loved him, and gave him a special coat, a coat of many colors to express that love. Of course this special attention did not endear him to his other brothers. They eventually sold him off into slavery and used that special coat to deceive their father into thinking Joseph had been killed by some wild beast. Now that is a great story, but it isn't the message for today. I want to talk about Joseph's "other" coat.

The coat that I want us to consider this morning is the coat he left in the hands of Potiphar's wife. It is the coat of his character. It is the only coat the Egyptians saw.

If you are a believer today, think about this. Only a few people were present at the time you were saved. So how do others know we are Christians? They either know we are Christians because we tell them verbally, or they know it by the way we live. They know it from our testimony. They know because of our Christian character. Joseph's other coat speaks of his character. What coat are we wearing as we live our daily lives before this lost world?

What determines whether we wear the coat of character or shame? It is determined by how we deal with temptation. There are some thoughts on this from our passage today that will help us if we will listen and apply God's Truth.

I. Temptation Comes To Everyone

II. How Did Joseph Handle Temptation?

The Bible is filled with examples of people who failed to resist temptation. Each story is one of broken hearts and broken lives. Today is Father's Day. Dad's do you realize that what you do today will have a great impact on your children tomorrow? There is not one person who has failed God who was able to look back and say that it was a good thing that brought wonderful results. Just the opposite is true! What will be our legacy?

Jas 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.