The Power of Faithfulness

Church, hasn't it been a blessing to be among this all-generations choir today who's led us in worship?

We've been so blessed.

Thank you, boys and girls, men and women, for leading us.

You know, when I was in school and played sports, uh sometimes I'd go up against an opponent and we'd get beat, and I hated to lose, man.

And sometimes I'd get in the car after the game, and my dad would say, you know, on the bright side, son, that that loss built character.

And I learned to hate character.

You're like, I don't want to build character, I want a victory.

But it's true, some character is only built through losses, and character is something we really need.

Webster's dictionary defines character as moral excellence and firmness.

You see, character is revealed through times when pressure comes, when temptation lures, when life is an uphill battle.

I appreciate what uh Yale researcher Akash Chowkasi said when he distinguished, he distinguished between personality and character.

Here's what he said: he said, personality reflects our usual tendencies, how we show up on a typical day.

Character shows, shows up on difficult days or in challenging situations.

Do you see?

That's character.

Our world is starving for people of character.

Just want to talk about that today.

Let's turn in our Bibles to Genesis chapter 39.

Genesis 39 · chapter mention

Genesis 39.

As you're turning, let me remind you that our system of government does not work unless it is built on character.

You lose character, eventually you lose a democratic republic.

And we have an opportunity, as we often do in our country, to vote on our leaders coming up in just a few weeks.

And so this is the time to register to vote.

Listen, if you're a Christian, you need to use your opportunity to make your voice heard.

It's real simple today.

You can go to votetexas.gov, votetexas.gov, and you can register to vote.

And you say, well, what if two candidates are going against each other and neither seems to have character?

Okay, then look at the party platforms behind them.

Do your research and find out which of those represents somebody who has character.

All right?

Let me say another word to moms and dads.

We're diving into some passages today that talk about some pretty intense stuff.

And so I want to tell you up front, there's no need to panic, all right?

The wording I'm gonna use is rated E for everyone.

You're gonna be all right.

It doesn't mean when you get home, it might not be really important to have an age-appropriate conversation and unpack what some of these things mean.

Uh, but but you need to understand that temptation comes and we have to fight that temptation.

I promise you, I'll use wording that won't embarrass you today.

So we're gonna zero in on Joseph in Genesis 39, but it's really important first to give a summary of Genesis 38 because there's an important contrast.

It's obvious when you read the two together why God placed Genesis 38, the account of Judah, right before Genesis 39, the account of Joseph's trial.

So let me give you a summary.

After, by the time we get to Genesis 38, Judah has grown and he has a wife and three sons.

Now, uh he's moved away from home, he's there, and this is Joseph's brother, remember?

And so the first son did evil in the Lord's sight so much that he is taken out, he dies, leaving a widow.

That widow is Tamar.

Now, that brings up a custom at that time, a tradition found in the in the law.

Uh you might put us uh just a note in your notes, Deuteronomy 25, you'll look at later.

It's hard to get our minds around the concept of leverate marriage in the uh Western mindset.

But the idea is if a woman is left without a husband or offspring, then her uh the brother of her lost husband is to marry her to produce an offspring so that she has someone to care for her and also someone to extend the family name.

All right?

Sounds crazy to us, but it's really important.

And so the next son in line was supposed to do that.

He did evil in the Lord's sight and he ends up dying.

So now we're down to the third son, and Judah, the father, promises that son, but he's too young at the time.

He says, If you'll wait, Tamar, when he gets old enough, he will marry you and produce an offspring.

So she waits and Judah breaks his promise.

He ends up marrying somebody else.

Doesn't work.

So Tamar is left with no uh no inheritance, and she's she's she's very vulnerable.

And so what happens is, fast forward, she finds out Judah, her father-in-law, is making his way through where she lives.

And so she covers herself uh and takes on the form of a prostitute in order to disguise herself from Judah.

Judah shows up, thinks she's a prostitute, doesn't recognize her, and he propositions her.

Now, he didn't bring along any payment for this prostitute, and so instead of the payment, he gives her collateral, if you will, promising that a payment's gonna come later.

He's gonna send a young goat for payment for his sins, and so he leaves his seal, his cord, and his staff as collateral.

Now, fast forward later on, a few months later, he finds out that his daughter-in-law, Tamar, has become pregnant through her promiscuity and he's furious, not realizing he's a party to the whole game.

And so he demands that she be executed.

Well, as a result, in response, Tamar sends back, guess what, the uh the three items that identify him and say, says, I am pregnant by this man.

So now he's in a real quandary.

She's basically saying, Examine these, Judah.

Can you think of a more humiliating way to have your lack of character exposed than what happened with Judah?

All right, now that's Genesis 38.

Genesis 39 talks about a different man in a worse situation, making a completely different decision.

So by Genesis 39, Joseph has been sold into slavery.

He ends up in the service of Potiphar, a high-ranking Egyptian official, and Joseph has become so faithful and so well known that he's risen to run the entire household of Potiphar.

But things get really complicated down in about verse 6.

You look on as I read.

It says, He left all that he owned under Joseph's authority.

He did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well built and handsome.

After some time, his master's wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, Sleep with me.

But he refused.

Look, he said to his master's wife, with me here, uh uh look with me, he said to his master's wife, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in this house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority.

No one in this house is greater than I am.

He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.

So how could I do this immense evil and how could I sin against God?

Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her.

Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there.

She grabbed him by his garment and said, Sleep with me.

But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.

Now, verse 10 reveals something that's really interesting about Joseph's challenge.

It says that Potiphar's wife's proposition happened day after day.

Did you catch that?

This wasn't a one-time thing.

Several days, if not weeks, of continued challenge.

Day after day he had to withstand temptation.

Day after day he could have rationalized that he had no choice.

And day after day he held fast.

Now that is character.

What a contrast between Judah and Joseph, between chapter 38 and chapter 39.

And the difference between these two men, the character of any man, is determined by how he answers three questions.

Now I've said from the beginning of this series that in Shaped at Home, we're reading the scriptures that apply to everybody.

There's no one in this room that isn't called to be a person of character.

But I've also said unapologetically, in this series, I'm taking dead aim at the men among us.

I'm praying for the hearts of our men.

This I think has special relevance to the men in our midst today.

I think there are three essential questions that every man and every person must answer that will determine the measure of his character.

Here's the first decision one.

Who am I?

Who you are, and your convictions about who you are will be the guiding force of your decisions.

Now watch this.

Chapter 38, 18, when Judah sold out, he handed over his seal, his cord, and his staff.

In the ancient world, what he handed to Tamar was basically his ID.

Those are the things that proved who he was.

So, in a sense, Judah gave away his name that night.

On the other hand, in chapter 39, verse 12, it says, leaving his, Joseph's garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.

So Joseph chose to cling to his identity as a child of God.

He left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house with nothing on his back.

So think about it this way: Judah surrendered his identity to satisfy his desires.

Joseph surrendered his desires to keep his identity.

That's why Joseph's answer in 399 is really an identity statement.

He doesn't say, How could we do this?

We might get caught.

He says, How could I do this immense evil and how could I sin against God?

You see, he knows who he is, and he will not step away from that identity or that high calling.

Do you see?

Ground your identity in how God sees you and not how you feel or the messages that the world gives you.

You know, it's interesting.

Research demonstrates that habits bear out the same principle.

If you choose, if you want to change your activity or your habits, you can't do so just by actions or even goals.

It doesn't work.

You're going to eventually have to change your belief about who you are.

So, for example, if you say, Well, I'm a smoker and I'm trying to quit smoking, your identity as a smoker is going to keep drawing you back.

But if you say, I'm a non-smoker, why am I still doing this?

It changes everything.

If you say, you know what, I'm just a lazy person and I need to get in the gym, it won't work for very long.

But if you recognize I'm a healthy person, why am I not working out?

Then all of a sudden things start to change.

It sounds silly, but it's true.

And it's especially true in your spiritual life.

Even more so.

If you're in Christ, sin is not merely breaking a rule, it's living contrary to who God says you are.

You see?

It's inconsistent with your identity.

Stop saying I am just the way I am.

No.

It may be your pattern in life, but it doesn't have to define your life.

Stop saying I'm not really a spiritual person.

I'm not the kind of guy who prays with his wife and kids.

Yes, you are.

Incidentally, the heart of the good news of what Jesus has done is born out of identity.

2 Corinthians 5 tells us if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old is gone, the new is come.

In other words, the identity changes.

Some of you need to find a new identity by running to Jesus and receiving the grace that only he can offer.

It changes everything in your life.

That's what you need to do.

Your identity needs to change.

Just a side note, it's not in my notes, but just like I just kept thinking about this morning.

This is one of the reasons why I think the church makes a grave mistake in placing a label on people.

The world does that.

We shouldn't do that.

So for example, when somebody says, Well, my uncle is gay, or so, or the gay uh people over here did this.

No, listen, if you're if you're of that persuasion, I'm so glad you came here to hear the truth, I'm gonna tell the truth, even if it's uncomfortable, that's not God's design.

But do you understand how how wrong we are when we identify somebody with that?

That's not who they are.

There's no such thing as a homosexual.

This exist.

They may make some decisions, but that's not how God designed anybody.

You understand?

That's not who you are.

And and listen, if you if you're watching this or you're here, that may be something that you struggle with, but it's not who you are.

So I'm gonna tell you something the world won't tell you.

You're far more than that.

You're somebody for whom Christ died.

Run to Jesus, you see.

Don't let the world tell you your identity.

Do you see?

Everybody must decide will my appetites determine my identity or will my identity govern my appetites?

Think about this.

The robe that was given by Jacob to Joseph, remember that long-sleeve robe, the coat of many colors?

It was given to give him authority.

The robe given by Potiphar was given to give him favor.

Joseph lost both robes by now.

Do you see?

The brothers took one, Potiphar's wife took the other.

They could take his robes, but they couldn't take his identity because it was based on something more.

Now listen, once you know who you are, that determines what you value, which brings us to the second decision.

Decision two.

What matters most?

It's directly related to your identity, do you see?

Because your conviction of who you are will ultimately determine what you prize the most.

When Judah gets busted, even before he recognizes how how messy the situation is, he doesn't know his Tamar.

Uh, in chapter 38, 23, when they say, Well, we can't find uh any prostitute in that area, here's what he says.

Judah replied, Let her keep the items for herself, otherwise, we will become a laughing stock.

After all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn't find her.

That to me sounds like reputation management rather than repentance, doesn't it?

He just wants to make sure that uh nobody finds out.

He's not worried about what he did, he's worried about how it will look.

What do your priorities reveal about you?

Listen, you need to decide in advance the decisions you'll make when the pressure comes.

You can't wait to when the pressure or the temptation or the testing or the trials come.

You need to decide now.

Or the urgency and emotions of the moments will carry you away from your priorities.

Several years ago, Lana and I moved to a new neighborhood.

One of the things that always happens when you move to a new house is you have all the extra trash in boxes and all that piled up.

So one night Lana reminded me, remember, on a new trash schedule, tomorrow morning, trash truck comes pretty early.

So you might want to get that stuff out tonight.

And I said, No, I'm tired, I'll do it in the morning.

She said, Remember, they come early.

And so now it was a battle of wills, you know.

Okay, okay, okay, but I know when the trash truck comes, I'm gonna get up early and I'll take care of it.

I'm not touching the trash tonight.

And so I went to bed and I woke up to two sounds.

First, the hydraulics of a trash truck in the neighborhood, and second, to the sound of my wife.

Do you hear the trash truck?

You know, yeah.

So I had a decision to make and I knew what I was gonna do.

I jumped out of bed barefoot, gym shorts.

I don't know whether I had a shirt on or not, but I sprinted out the door, grabbed as much as I could in my hands, I'm pulling the cart behind me and I'm sprinting down the neighborhood, catching up with the trash truck.

He had to stop every 50, 60 feet, so I had a good advantage.

Finally, I caught him, you know, gave him the trash, and I don't think we exchanged any words, but we made eye contact, and I think he was saying, I got a wife too, dude.

I understand.

So he he takes the trash and I turn around, the adrenaline starts to subside.

I'm walking back to the house and it dawns on me that my brand new neighbors are probably having coffee, looking out the front yard, and they see this dude, you know, with his hair all messed up, straight out of bed, barefoot, walking down the street with a trash can.

Saying, What in the world have we invited into the neighborhood, right?

So I was known as the guy who chased the trash truck.

And guys, when when we're on our deathbeds, we don't want to be known as the one who chased garbage.

And that's what a lot of people are headed towards, you see?

That's what the world invites us to do.

We got to determine what matters most.

Knowing what matters most, though, when it doesn't cost anything, isn't what really determines what matters most.

Because you better know what matters most now, because there will be a day when you're asked to choose it over something else.

Which brings us to decision three.

What price am I willing to pay?

In other words, you find out what a man is made of when it costs him something to be that man.

Every person needs to make a decision about what he's willing to fight for and the price he'll pay for what he really wants.

When obedience becomes costly, what will be non-negotiable in your life?

You see, there's always a cost to our decisions.

I want you to look at the difference between the cost and the decisions that are made here.

Chapter 38, 26.

Judah recognized them.

Now, this is by the time Tamar has him busted.

Judah recognized them and said, She is more right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah, and he did not know her intimately again.

Judah was not willing to pay the price of self-control in the short term, so he chose the cheap route and it cost him an incredibly high price.

In fact, if you notice, it didn't just cost him, it cost his family.

It almost cost Tamar her life.

It cost his family their good name.

In contrast, listen to chapter 39, verses 13 through 20.

The rest of the story here about Joseph.

When she saw that he left his garment with her and had run outside, she called her household servants.

Look, she said to them, my husband brought a Hebrew man to make fools of us.

He came to us so he could sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could.

When he heard me screaming for help, he left his garment beside me and ran outside.

And she put Joseph's garment beside her until his master came home.

And then she told him the same story.

But when I screamed for help, he left his garment beside me and ran outside.

And when his master heard the story, his wife had told him, These are the things your slave did to me.

He was furious and had him thrown into prison where the king's prisoners were confined.

And so Joseph was there in prison.

I want you to notice something.

In the short term, Joseph paid an enormous price.

Men, it's not as though I can promise you, listen, if you'll just live according to God's way and be a man of character, there's no price to pay.

There'll probably be a price to pay.

But he honored God even as he made the price known.

His choice cost imprisoned time, but the price he was willing to pay revealed his character.

You see?

He didn't pass the high cost on to others.

One man passed the high cost down, and one man absorbed the cost.

A couple of weeks ago, I met some of our pastors for a workout in Pastor Brad's garage.

That's not that unusual.

You've heard sometimes we do that.

I hang with the young guys.

I can't keep up with them, but um, they try to torture me and get me back for whatever.

So we had a workout.

That particular day was an especially tough workout.

It was the anniversary, the 25th anniversary of 9-11.

And so we gathered and we thought, well, let's do a workout in memory of those that were lost that day.

And so uh it was it was brutal.

We had uh nine reps or nine sets, two exercises in each set, and uh there were 11 uh exercises.

No, I'd rather there were 11 reps, not you don't care about any of this, nine reps of the first exercise, 25 for the 25th anniversary reps of the next exercise, and between every rep, we would run down to the stop sign and back about 300 yards, and we were worn out.

Now, it was it was more brutal than normal on purpose.

I'm not saying it was anything near what took place that day, but it was just a reminder of those who gave so much on that day.

That there were there were there were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people, firefighters, emergency responders, who willingly ran up the stairs, knowing they might not run back down the stairs because they had determined they were willing to pay a price because of something they believed in.

And they they took the cost.

And I thought about this passage and this study, we were doing that that day.

Thought about the the ones who ran up those stairs and thought, you know what, God, whatever it costs, I want to be found faithful.

God, would you stir in our hearts the men of Kingsland that we would be men of character because there's always a cost, you see?

Strong character doesn't protect you from paying a price, there's always A price.

But the moment you forget who you are and you forget what matters, you start paying high prices for cheap things.

I know that some of you are listening to this today and you're thinking, Pastor, this is all great for some, but it's too late for me.

No, that's not this account.

If you read this account and say, Well, Judah, uh Joseph was a man of character and Judah uh had no character, then you haven't read the rest of the story.

It is not too late for you.

God takes you from where you are, not where you wish you'd been.

And God kept pursuing Judah's heart.

Do you know at the end of Genesis 38, Judah finally says some words that are very important.

He says, She is more righteous than I.

See how important that is?

That's a statement of repentance of a changed heart.

He knows for the first time he tells the truth about himself.

And years later, Benjamin, the new favorite son, because Jacob thought Joseph was gone, was now at risk of being taken prisoner and enslaved himself.

And something incredible happens that we'll study later.

Judah says, Take me instead and let the boy go home.

Did you catch that?

The man who once sacrificed his brother in order to save himself is now willing to sacrifice himself to save his brother.

That is redemption.

And God wasn't finished with Judah.

In fact, if you fast forward all the way to the New Testament in Matthew chapter 1, when we get the account of the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, Messiah, guess what's found in there in verse 3?

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

Judah fathered Peres and Zarah by Tamar.

The result of this very incident, you see, God did not erase Judah's failure from his story, he redeemed the story.

Through that broken family came the line of King David and ultimately the Lord Jesus.

Joseph shows you what God can do through a man of character, and Judah shows you what God can do to change the heart and character of a man.

So if you're more like Joseph today, you say, Pastor, I'm trying to, as much as I'm able, live by the power of the Holy Spirit and walk in his ways, and trouble still keeps finding me.

Keep going.

Don't settle for anything that the world has to offer.

You be a man or woman of character.

But if you you feel as though the story of Judah is more like what you're walking through.

God's not through writing your story.

Bring your heart to the Lord and say, God, I want to be more than anything.

I want to be a person of character after God's own heart.

I think the most fitting way for us to conclude this time is through the observance of the Lord's Supper, remembering what the Lord Jesus has done to rewrite all of our stories.

So I'm going to pray for us.

And then we'll have an opportunity to respond.

Let's bow together.

Church, I wonder if somebody walked in this room and you know you've never trusted Jesus.

Do you know you can do that right now?

Recognizing your own sinful nature, your desperate need for a savior.

The fact that Jesus came and died in your place.

Invite the Lord to come into your life, be your Lord, your King, save your sin.

Save you from your sin.

You can do that right now, your own words.

For all of us, this is an opportunity for us to invite God to show us anything that needs to adjust, to change in our hearts and our lives.

That it is shaping our character away from who God designed us to be.

So, Heavenly Father, as we enter into this time of observance, we invite your spirit to show us in our hearts anything that needs to change.

Any lie that we've received that's that's telling us the wrong thing about who we really are.

So, God, thank you that we can run to the cross and we can find hope and redemption, forgiveness, and life.

We pray this in Christ's name.

Amen.

Hey, Pastor Ryan Rush here, and I just want to thank you for being with us at Kings and Long Line today.

What an honor.

But I'll tell you what'd be even better.

We'd love to see you get connected with the physical church in the days ahead if you haven't already.

And that means maybe if you're local in the West Houston area, we'd love to see you at Kingsman.

Otherwise, regardless, we'd love to help you facilitate jumping into a local church near you, and we can do that together.

You can go to Kingsman.

Kingsman or finding the next episode of your journey.