THE POWER OF PRINCIPLE

GENESIS 39:9

A. "HOW THEN CAN I DO THIS GREAT WICKEDNESS AND SIN AGAINST GOD"
  1. The quality of true manhood reveals itself:
    1. When severe tests are brought to a person
    2. Such a test, according to our text came to Joseph - Gen. 39:1-14
  2. The promising greatness of Joseph was never more evident than when he steadfastly resisted the overtures of a lewd Egyptian woman:
    1. Circumstances conspired against the moral integrity of a promising young man
    2. Persistence of Potiphar's wife force Joseph to extreme efforts to escape the temptation
B. THE POWER OF PRINCIPLE
  1. Joseph's steadfastness in resisting sin reveals the power of principle:
    1. Had that young man not heeded the moral principles taught to him in his childhood, he might have succumbed and his future would have been marred by immorality
    2. The history of the human race is marked by the heroism of those who stood for principle which made the memory of them immortal; Examples: Moses - Heb. 11:24-28; Daniel - Dan. 1:8
  2. We say of man, "He is an unprincipled man" - by that we mean that he is unscrupulous:
    1. There is hardly a more damning epithet that can be applied to a human creature; Examples: Judas betraying his Master with a kiss - Luke 22:43; Simeon and Levi - Gen. 34:13-30
  3. It is impossible to acquire suddenly, virtue as it is to acquire sudden heroism:
    1. Behind every human act there lies a history
    2. Grapes do not grow on thorns, or figs on thistles
    3. Neither is character a virtue that comes at the spare of the moment
    4. We see this when we realize that great temptation comes suddenly and with great force
C. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE POWER OF PRINCIPLE
  1. Principle defined:
    1. A principle is a law of moral conduct
    2. It is that which guides the life of persons that believe in uprightness of conduct
  2. We find in the study of the Bible and also in our daily observations:
    1. That a person guided by high principles will stand out in the conduct of life: Examples: Joseph is a typical example of high morality which has made his name immortal; Daniel is still another person for whom we hold high esteem because his life was motivated by high principles; Job is still another example of high motivation
  3. The high morality of Joseph was built up over a period of years:
    1. He must have been virtuous in his youth because his father seemed to favor him in many ways
    2. He was able to look at his bitter experience as being a part of his training for his future
    3. All the battles Joseph had in his life, were allowed for developing and revealing the beauty of character guided by high principles
  4. There is always a rich reward for a person that seeks to live up to high moral principles; Examples: Abraham Lincoln is loved and admired by people in all nations because of his honesty; even Mahatma Gandhi is admired for his dedication and self-denial and sacrifice; it is the high principles that make Jesus Christ the morning star in a sin-sick and dark world
  5. Bible Christianity advocates the highest of all moral principles:
    1. The golden rule - Matt. 7:12
    2. Paul's rule for Christians - Phil. 4:8
    3. The ten commandments summed up in the two laws of spiritual morality - Matt. 22:34-36; Ex. 20:3-17
  6. What a wonderful reward came to Joseph because he applied the fear of God to his own principles:
    1. He became the father of Egypt
    2. He became the pattern for all who aspire to high moral principles


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