Pastor Allan Kircher
Shell Point Baptist Church
Feb, 2nd 2014
Genesis 41:45-57
The Gentile Bride
Intro: life/Joseph/amazing story/providence/power/Almighty God.
• Favorite son/Jacob/Betrayed/brothers/sold into slavery.
As a slave, Joseph demonstrates a godly testimony in the face of tragedy and temptation.
• Joseph is falsely accused of a crime/Thrown into prison.
Even/Egyptian prison, Joseph display/clear/consistent testimony of faith.
• As Joseph languishes in that prison
• Up in the palace, Pharaoh has/dream/could not interpret.
• Joseph is remembered and released from the prison.
• He interprets Pharaoh’s dream
• Pharaoh elevates Joseph.
• Removes him/prison/makes him Prime Minister of Egypt.
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We arrive/text, Joseph/exalted/position/great power/authority.
• Given Pharaoh’s ring/dressed/finest cloths/land.
• Given an expensive gold chain.
Everywhere he goes; the Egyptian people bow before Joseph and honor him for his position and his power.
• Slave/become/sovereign ruler
All this took place/life because/Unseen Hand of divine providence.
Our text tells us that immediately after Joseph was exalted to his new position he was given a bride.
• Soon after/family was born to Joseph/in Egypt.
• Take our time today to consider Joseph’s Gentile Bride.
• Woman/given/Joseph I see/wonderful picture/Bride of Christ.
study/Genesis/three brides stand out as types/Bride of Christ.
Let me share them with you now.
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Eve – picture Creation/Church.
• Adam/placed/deep sleep/God removed a rib from his side
• Eve was formed from this rib.
Church/formed/Jesus died/cross and His side was opened for us.
• We are a product of His sacrificial love.
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Rebekah – picture Calling/church.
• Abraham’s servant found her/pagan land
• Called her come be the bride of Isaac.
• They asked her, “Will you go with this man?” she“I will go!”
• Left her old life behind and set out with the servant.
It was a long journey, through a harsh land, but the servant was with her to encourage her along the way.
Eventually he brought her Isaac/they were married in his home.
• Church was also brought out of a pagan land.
• Holy Spirit came to us and called to come to Jesus.
• We accepted His invitation by faith and set out a journey to meet the Bridegroom.
• The way is hard and rough, but the Comforter is ever with us to guide us, encourage us and bless us.
One day, we will reach the end of the journey and we will meet our Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ in His home in Heaven.
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Asenath – picture/Coronation/church
• Became bride/man who was brought out a time of humiliation.
• Her husband was exalted/she was exalted along with Him.
• She/brought out/obscurity and made to live in a fine palace.
I will try to flesh all this out in the message
• Bride of Christ was called out of obscurity to share the glory of the Heavenly Bridegroom.
• One day, we will join Him in His heavenly home.
Take time today/consider/woman who became/bride of Joseph.
Don’t/lot of information regarding her life
• few details we do have speak volumes to us today.
In/woman we are allowed/see/few characteristics/Bride of Christ.
• point those characteristics out today
• Preach on the subject: The Gentile Bride.
• Let’s see if we can spot ourselves
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I. HER SINFUL PAST
• Woman Joseph received/bride/named Asenath.
• Name means “Belonging to the goddess Neith.”
• Known as “The mother earth of the Delta”
• Worshiped as mother/Egyptian gods Isis, Horus, and Osiris.
• Source of all wisdom.
Egyptians believed all other gods would go to Neith for counsel when they had a dispute among themselves.
• Asenath/raised to worship false, pagan gods
• Daughter/Potiperah/priest of On/means “Given by the sun god”
• Also/Heliopolis/one/most important religious cities in Egypt
• Great temple to Ra, the sun god, was there.
Ra/depicted/great falcon wearing a gold disk as a crown.
Temple also housed a sacred bull was worshiped Egyptians.
• Pharaoh/believed/incarnation of Ra
• Was worshiped as a god.
Asenath would have been raised in deep paganism and deep spiritual darkness.
• Oblivious/God of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph.
• She wasn’t aware of God, and even if she had been
• She would have cared nothing for Him!
• God knew her!
• Even in her lost condition, God was working to bring her to a place of salvation.
When she married Joseph, her pagan past was blotted out.
• no doubt Joseph told her all about His God
• true God--God of all the earth!
• Surely Joseph introduces Asenath to Jehovah!
• I have no proof, but I think this woman probably got saved!
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Asenath is a picture of lost humanity.
Like her, every human being is born in the depths of spiritual darkness.
• We did not know God
• We deserved nothing from God but judgment and Hell.
• Our condition is clearly revealed in Eph. 2:1-3; 12.
Just a reminder of what we were before we met the Lord Jesus.
• By the way, it does us good to look back!
• Deals/death blow/self-righteousness/spiritual snobbery!
• We need to be reminded of where we came from, Isa. 51:1.
If you are saved today it is because God delivered you from your sins by His amazing grace!
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Like Mephibosheth (mef-fibo- chef) you and I were wasting away in our Lodebar, when the King of Glory came and “fetched” us unto Himself, 2 Sam. 9:1-13.
• David’s grace/Mephibosheth/wonderful picture of God’s grace to us.
We are:
• Mephibosheth.
• hiding, poor, weak, lame/fearful before our King comes to us
• separated from our King because of our wicked ancestor
• separated from our King because of our deliberate actions
Our King sought us out before we sought Him
David’s grace to Mephibosheth is also a pattern for us in serving and ministering to others.
• We are David.
We should:
• seek out our enemies and seek to bless them
• look for the poor, weak, lame, and hidden to bless them
• bless others when they don’t deserve it
• bless them more than they deserve
======================================== II. HER SPECIAL PLACE
• When Joseph came out of prison
• Elevated/position of great power and great majesty
• Made to sit at Pharaoh’s right hand.
• When Joseph was elevated, his bride was elevated with him!
Asenath:
• was from a prominent pagan family
• Daughter of a well-known priest
• When she became the wife of Joseph
• finds herself the bride/most powerful man/land
• Did not achieve this honor on her own.
• she had nothing to do with the matter
• Picked out by Pharaoh/given to Joseph.
In other words, there was no special merit in Asenath; she was merely the object of sovereign choice.
• Nothing said regarding her looks/talents, or anything else.
• Seems/her husband and not Asenath/center/attention.
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It is also worthy of noting Joseph did not succumb to the polygamous tendencies of the Egyptians. He only took one bride!
• Again/Asenath is a picture of the Bride of Christ.
Like Asenath, the Bride/Father’s gift to His Son, John 6:37.
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Every person who is saved by the grace of God was chosen by Him, handpicked for the honor of being in the Bride, John 15:16
There is no other explanation for His choice but His grace and His love for the lost, Eph. 2:4-5.
• God chose us in Jesus in eternity past, Eph. 1:4
• He called us to come to Jesus for salvation, John 6:44
• When we came by faith, we were saved out of our sins
• Our lost past was done away with forever.
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Not only did He save us from our sins, He elevated us! He did this in two precious ways.
First, He elevated us by changing our lives.
• He gave us a “new birth”
• Made us into a “new creature”, John 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:17.
• lifted us out of the muck and mire of our sins
• set us on a new pathway of holiness/glory of God
• lifted us out of the mess Adam left us in
• Made it possible/live lives/pleasing to God.
• Praise His name!
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Secondly, when we were saved, God put us in Jesus
• Made us to sit with Him in His throne.
• Our Savior, like Joseph, suffered/time/humiliation/rejection.
• died and descended into the grave
• He rose again and ascended to Heaven
• took up His place at the right hand of His heavenly Father.
• When we came to Him by faith
• He lifted us out of our sins and caused us to sit with Him.
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I was a wretched, dirty, rotten sinner, but today I sit in Heavenly places in Jesus Christ!
If you are saved:
• You are as good for Heaven as if you were already there.
• Your past is gone
You enjoy the blessings/power/presence/Lord God of glory!
Our Heavenly Bridegroom only has one Bride!
• redeemed her when He died for her sins on the cross
• Secured her eternity when He rose again from the dead.
• He has gone ahead to prepare a place for her, John 14:1-3.
One day soon, He will return and claim her unto Himself and take her home to the place she already is!
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III. HER SOVEREIGN PART
Asenath bore Joseph two children
• two boys were a special gift to Joseph from the Lord
• Choosing their names, Joseph acknowledged God’s hand at work in his life.
Joseph named the first boy Manasseh.
• Means “Forgetting”
• Lord had allowed him to forget the trials he went through
Joseph named his second son Ephraim.
• means “Twice Fruitful”
• Joseph’s faith in the Lord had not waivered at all.
• In spite of all he had endured, Joseph/still walking by faith.
Two boys would grow up/become the heads of two/tribes/Israel.
• Replace the Joseph and Levi as part of the twelve.
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Grace/God/lifted Asenath out/obscurity/made her/part of God’s sovereign plan.
• Given big part/formation/nation of Israel.
• Again, this is a picture of the Bride of Christ!
The redeemed saints of God have been made a part of God’s plan to bring the world to Himself.
• He saved us and called us into His service, Eph. 2:10
• Emphasize! Imagine that!
• He would take things like us and use us for His glory.
• He had placed His hand on these vessels
• He has placed His Spirit within these vessels
• He can use these vessels in ways we never imagined if we would only yield ourselves to Him, 2 Cor. 4:7.
• What an honor it is to serve the true and living God!
We are:
• His Bride!/His masterpiece, Eph. 2:10.
• His love letter to the world, 2 Cor. 3:2-3
• The living, breathing, moving proof God loves sinners.
• Commissioned and commanded to tell this lost world what the Lord did for us, He can do for them too.
That is our mandate!
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Conc: Life changed for Asenath forever when she was presented to Joseph.
• Sure she never imagined/wife/Prime Minister of Egypt!
• Given an honor above all others!
• I praise the Lord that I am part of the Bride of Christ!
• I praise His name for loving me, for dying for me
• For saving me
• for letting me a part of His work in the world today.
• What a blessing! But, I must confess, I do wonder, why me?
• Why would He choose me?
Do you know Him? If you don’t and would like too, you can. If He is calling you to come to Him, now would be a good time to do just that!
Are you serving Him like you should? The hour is growing late and the time to do something for Jesus is now!
