Lust: The Case of Joseph

Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

Tim Keller

Religion & Spirituality, Religion, Religion & Spirituality:christianity, Christianity, Spirituality

4.8 • 15K Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Joseph’s career was going along fairly well. He’d risen from servanthood to becoming, in a sense, the Chief Operating Officer of a huge estate. And then sex came. He wasn’t even looking for it, but it came at him. Things may be going very well for you, but sex will come—and it’s such a powerful force that how you handle it can make or break you. From Genesis 39, we can learn about what we’re going to call lust. We learn something from what we see Potiphar’s wife doing, we learn something from what we see Joseph doing, and we learn from what we see God doing. Let’s look at 1) how to understand lust, 2) how to handle it, and 3) how to heal it. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 12, 1995. Series: The Seven Deadly Sins. Scripture: Genesis 39:4-21. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Gospel in Life.
0:05.1	You don't have to look far to see that something's deeply wrong with our world and with us.
0:10.7	But is there an answer that gets to the root of why?
0:14.5	In today's message, Tim Keller explores the human condition through stories in the Bible,
0:19.4	uncovering what Scripture says about sin and why it's
0:22.7	the only explanation deep enough to face the truth about ourselves.
0:34.3	Let me read to you the teaching, scripture passage, the passage on which the teaching is based this morning.
0:42.6	It's found in your bulletins. It's Genesis 39, and I'm reading from verses 4 to 21.
0:50.6	The story of Joseph, Genesis 39, verses 4 to 21.
1:06.4	Joseph found favor in his eyes, that's referring to his master, Potiphar, an high official in the Pharaoh's court.
1:15.4	Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.
1:18.8	Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.
1:24.3	From the time he put him in charge of his household, of all that he owned, the Lord
1:28.5	blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything
1:34.3	Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph's care everything he had
1:40.0	with Joseph in charge. He did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph
1:48.0	was well-built and handsome. And after a while, his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said,
1:54.5	Come to bed with me, but he refused. With me in charge, he told her my master does not concern himself with
2:01.8	anything in the house. Everything he owns, he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this
2:07.4	house than I am. My master has withheld nothing for me except you because you are his wife.
2:14.0	How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?
2:18.9	And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
	...

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