"No good deed goes unpunished." That's a phrase that's often used to explain the strange way that this sinful world often works. Good deeds, of course, are supposed to be rewarded. When you do something good, when you do what's right, things are supposed to go your way.
But sin came into this world and sure made a mess of things. Sin, going against God's commands, has turned everything we would expect to happen upside-down. No, good deeds are not a guarantee of a good outcome or reward. Sometimes, that good deed done with the best of intentions, ends up costing you -- and hurting you -- big time.
Think of a time when you did something nice for someone. A little favor here, a little help there. And instead of getting thanked for it, the person got mad at you. And now, when you started out trying to be nice, trying to do something good for someone -- this is the thanks you get! It turned into a big fight. And it's enough to make you think that maybe doing nice things for others isn't really worth it.
No good deed goes unpunished. That phrase sometimes rings true even as we look at our life of faith, even as we look at our relationship with our God. As Christians who rejoice in having a Savior, we try to withstand temptation. We try not to sin. And sometimes when we stand up to temptations in that way it works out really well. Maybe you were tempted to drive too fast on the 219, but you resisted, knowing that it's right to obey the law. And as you rounded the next curve, there was a police officer who would've pulled you over for speeding. But you weren't speeding, and because you resisted temptation, things went better for you.
That's not how it always works, though. Quite often, it works in the opposite way. You live out your faith, you let your light shine, and your life just gets miserable because of it. That's what happened to Joseph in our text from Genesis. Joseph's case is going to remind us of the problems we encounter. We'll be reminded of the crosses we are called on to bear as Christians. It makes us ask ourselves the question I'm asking you all today: Is living your faith really worth it?
Our text is right in the middle of the story of Joseph, which in my opinion is one of the best, most compelling stories of the entire Bible. And a lot had already happened by the time we get to our text. Joseph, son of Jacob, had 10 older brothers and one younger brother. And when he was young, Joseph was kind of a brat to his older brothers. He kept telling them about all these dreams he'd been having where he ruled over them. And it didn't help that Joseph was clearly dad's favorite. The older brothers couldn't stand him.
So they did something about it. At first their plan was to kill him, but one brother, Judah, convinced the others that killing wouldn't be the best idea. Instead, they could sell him! The slave-trade was big business in those days, so when the opportunity came along, they sold their brother as a slave. (Gen. 37:26-27)
Slavery was never easy back then. It's hard to imagine what it must have been like for Joseph to go from the favored young son to just another slave made to work. But, lo and behold, he was good at it. He worked hard and God blessed everything he did. He got noticed for all the good work he did, and ended up being promoted to the top position working for one of the most important men in Egypt, the captain of the guard, Potiphar.
That's where our text picks up, as Joseph runs into a big problem. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" (Gen. 39:6-7) Joseph was faced with temptation here, and it wasn't just the temptation to commit adultery. He may very well have been tempted by that, but he was also smart: he knew that Potiphar would be angry if he was caught. But he also knew that Potiphar's wife was powerful in her own right. And if he said no to her, it could be trouble.
The idea must have at least come to Joseph's mind. If he just gave into her, he probably wouldn't get caught, it would keep her happy, and no one would ever have to know. But Joseph knew that even if Potiphar never found out, someone else would know. He said, How...could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? Joseph knew the adultery wasn't just a sin against Potiphar, but against God himself.
But Potiphar's wife didn't give up. She kept putting the pressure on Joseph, day after day, even making sure that they were all alone. One day she went too far. She grabbed at the clothes he was wearing, and basically tore the outer clothing off. All Joseph could do was run away. (Gen. 39:12)
Of course, Potiphar's wife didn't like being rejected. So she used that piece of clothing to her advantage. When Potiphar got home, she told him a story. That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house. (Gen. 39:17-18) And just like that, a temptation has turned into an accusation for Joseph. Now, he's a suspected for attempted rape, and "innocent until proven guilty" was not the way things went in Egypt. Potiphar blew up, and it was all over. Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. (Gen. 39:20)
Don't you wish you could know what Joseph was thinking at that moment? I'd like to ask him a few questions. Was it worth it, Joseph? Was it worth it being so pure and living your faith and doing what was right before God? Look where it got you! Sure, you were a slave, but you were in a good place! You had it made! But because you were so pure, you lost it. Was it really worth it?
And is it worth it in your life? Now, I know, Joseph and Potiphar and Egypt is all quite the story and none of us will ever be in the exact same position as he was. But we are often in the situation when showing our faith, doing what's right, leads to bad stuff happening to us.
Think about being in school. (I know all you students out there are probably happy to be done with school for the summer.) But in school, when your friends are doing something wrong, do you want to be the one to tell them it's wrong? You might not keep them as friends. Is living your faith really worth it?
Or, you picture that ultimate situation: there's a big test and somehow you get a hold of the answers. Do you use them and cheat? If you do, you'll get a really good grade. If you don't, you'll be doing the right thing, but the class is really hard and you might not get such a good grade. So, is living your faith really worth it?
Those temptations don't end when you get out of school either. Sometimes it's your boss at work who cheats a bit. Maybe he can get away with not reporting some money for taxes. Maybe he's involved in some sort of business practice that's "technically" illegal, but it really just works out better for everyone this way. So, do you want to be the one to tell him it's wrong, to tell him you won't work in a situation like that? You might not keep that job. Is living your faith really worth it?
Or what about this politically correct age we live in. Simply stating what you believe to be the truth from God's Word has become terribly offensive to many people. Adultery, like Joseph was tempted to, is a sin. Homosexuality is a sin. Abortion is a sin. Jesus Christ is the only Savior. He is the only way to get to heaven, period. Saying those things are going to make some people very unhappy. Depending on the situation, you could get hurt, lose friends, lose your job... So is it worth it? Is living your faith really worth it?
We're tempted, of course, to think we can have it both ways. We think, "I can give in a little bit here, I don't really have to live my faith this time, but it's okay because I'm still a believer." It makes so much sense, doesn't it? "Yes, I know this is wrong, that my faith needs to stand out here, but that's just going to make things worse... At least I know I'm forgiven!" And so we use our faith as an excuse. We use it as a reason for sin.
Make no mistake: sin against better knowledge and saving faith in Jesus Christ, cannot both survive for long in one person. Those sins, when you know better, won't take your faith away instantly. Instead, it happens slowly but surely. It erodes. And before you know it, you're left with nothing but hell itself.
It makes us want to scream! Why does God put me into these situations? Why does he force me to withstand temptations, only to give me sadness and misery afterward? Why does he tell me I have to carry a cross and then make that cross so heavy, so difficult to bear? Why does God do this to me?
Sin has made a mess of this world, hasn't it? It's turned everything upside-down. Good seems evil and evil seems good. Satan seems to want us to be happy and God seems to want us to be miserable. Where does it end? How do we make sense of it all?
It only makes sense in one place: the cross of Christ. There God turned sin and death upside-down. There on the cross, Jesus died. Jesus, who had been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. (Heb. 4:15) There on the cross, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)
Jesus had done everything right. He was perfect! And what did he get? Pain, suffering, bleeding, death, and the pain and loss of hell. Was this just another case of good deeds being punished? No! Jesus was punished for our bad deeds, for our sins. And by faith, he's given us his good deeds. He's taken our sins away and given us his perfection so that we can stand before God confident and sure and heirs of eternal life itself.
So is living your faith really worth it to live your faith even when it hurts, even when pain and misery come after? You bet it's worth it. It's worth it because Jesus Christ thought we were worth it, thought we were worth the pain and shame of the cross, plus the sting of death itself. We were worth it to him, and that's why living our faith is worth it to us.
So, friends, take up your crosses. For you're going to be carrying crosses in your Christian lives. You will have pain and troubles and struggles because of your faith, because you did what was right. But as you do, Jesus will be drawing you closer to himself. He'll be comforting you with his Word. He'll feeding you with the bread of life, reminding you of your forgiveness, filling you with the sure hope of eternal life.
God ended up blessing Joseph despite his hardships in our text. He's promised to bless us, too. So take whatever crosses you are given with joy. Yes, joy! Joy that you are privileged to love a Savior who loved you more than you could imagine. Joy that you no longer are a slave to sin, that you no longer live for yourself but for him who died for you and was raised again! (2 Cor. 5:15) What good is it to gain the whole world yet forfeit your soul? (Lk. 9:25) No, in the shadow of Jesus' cross, take up your cross every day, deny yourself, and follow where he leads. He won't lead you wrong.
Posts
