THE MAN WHO KEPT HIS CHARACTER

GETTING STARTED:

Whether you realize it or not, people are watching you. Friends, family, co-workers, even your kids are observing whether or not your words align with your actions. What message are you sending? Is it one that conveys consistency or confusion? Are you the same person outside of work? Do you live differently around different peer groups?  Does your environment determine your speech or is it consistent no matter what? People who value integrity are the same in every crowd.  Popularity is not important to them but being able to bring credibility to the table regardless of the setting is what matters.

ONE BIG IDEA!

CHARACTER IS NOT WHO WE SAY WE ARE. IT’S WHO WE ACTUALLY ARE.

STUDY:

GENESIS 41:39-49 (NIV) – 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command,[a] and people shouted before him, “Make way[b]!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,[c] to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.

LEARN:

LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM JOSEPH’S CHARACTER:

1. JOSEPH LEARNED TO VALUE THE PROCESS OF BUILDING HIS CHARACTER. (Romans 5:3-5)

Joseph understood exactly that character is built through endurance. Take note that there was never a hint in the bible that Joseph was angry about his difficulties. He knew that he didn’t have to become bitter, angry or succumb to an unforgiving spirit even during the most trying times of his life. He was composed and certain that God’s purpose in his trials was not to harm him but to develop his character. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

A lot of what happens in life doesn’t make sense but it doesn’t change the fact that God is in control of everything that happens to us (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). When the Lord sends us through storms, trials, times of sufferings and abuse, remember that He does so to develop our character because He is preparing us for a greater responsibility ahead. God knows our potential and deficiencies and he wants us to perfectly handle that responsibility He prepared for us and so He just have to test us first. We just have to endure as it takes heat, pressure and time to turn coal into diamonds, it takes much heat, much pressure, and much time to build character into our lives. Every challenge or trial we face on our journey to a better life has the potential to either take us down or make us stronger. There is no middle ground. When we face our problems and hard times, it’s the strength of our character that enables us not only to face them head on, but also to turn everything to our advantage.

2. JOSEPH WAS VERY CAREFUL NOT TO CONFORM.

Character is not who we say we are. It’s who we actually are. Character means doing the right thing regardless of what others think. It often means standing alone and acting courageously. If we define integrity as doing the right thing even if nobody is looking, character is who we actually are in the dark.

No one back home would have known if Joseph had decided to live like an Egyptian, walk like an Egyptian and give in to the ways and morals of that pagan land. In other words, he could have adopted the ways and customs of his new land. He could have abandoned his faith in the God of his father and embraced the multiple gods of Egypt. But through all the trouble he faced and through all the temptations that came his way, Joseph kept a tight grip on his integrity. He came through it all with his character intact. Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will (NIV).

His master’s wife seduced him day after day while her husband was away from home. He could have given in to this temptation. But Joseph chose to be faithful to his master and to his God. He was even put to jail for an offense he never committed yet never conformed to the ways of the people inside. Instead, he became the influencer as the warden put him in charge of all the prisoners.

It’s always easier to conform. 1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (NIV). Maybe the outcome is not that important or the stakes are not that high and it would just be easier all the way around to simply go with the flow.    No matter the smallness of the situation, conforming is a major blow to the maturity and strength of our character.

3. JOSEPH WAS THE SAME PERSON, IN FRONT OF THE CROWD, BEHIND THE SCENES, UNDER STRESS  AND DURING PROSPERITY.

Character is something that you hold fast to inside and that people see in you on the outside.  More importantly it is something that God sees in you always.

We saw the same Joseph wherever he was placed. He did his best wherever he was assigned to and was successful in everything he did even in the prison cell.  There was consistency in his pursuit for excellence. Mark 7:20-23 says “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these come from inside and make a man unclean” (NIV). When the pressure is on, what’s inside always comes out.  In a crisis or under stress, we don’t have the luxury of keeping up appearances.  It is at such times that our actions reveal who we really are- for good or for ill. Mat 12:34…” For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

Joseph was never vindictive or revengeful towards his brothers. He never hated them because he knew it was God’s hands working for a greater purpose.  He continued to be the same Joseph towards the wife of Potiphar who falsely accused him of attempted rape. He never took revenge because he knew that vengeance belonged to the Lord and if he did it his way, the Lord closes the door for revenge (Col 3:12-15).  He was the same Joseph even after he was promoted as the governor of the land. He exactly knew how to handle promotion. He was never overwhelmed by the power given to him instantly by Pharaoh, but he remained a loving brother, a loving son and an obedient child of God.

Being faithful to God in your private life is more important than public perception. He cannot bless you with big things unless you have proven to be upright in the small things. We should strive to do the right thing and to be the right person at all times.  

GROW:

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. What is your main takeaway lesson from the message “The Man Who Kept His Character”?
2. What situation or “pit” are you facing today that seems out of your control? How might the Lord be using some of these situations for His own purposes?
3. Have you ever felt like you were in a “prison” (emotional, spiritual or mental) and God abandoned you? If so, how did you recover from that? Are you still in the process of recovery?