Pastor Allan Kircher
Genesis 43:1-10
Feb, 9 2014
It’s about time…to grow up!
Intro: If you will remember the story:
• Joseph’s brothers sold him in to Egyptian slavery
• Told/father he was dead/they/concerned, Joseph was dead!
They went on/their lives/though never see/brother again
• they never expected to
• God had other plans!
While they are living their lives in Canaan
• God is working in Egypt!
Down in Egypt….story from slavery to prime minister.
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• Joseph/developed a plan/store up grain/lean years ahead.
• Famine comes, it affects all/countries
• even/Canaan/Joseph’s brothers/father dwell.
Joseph’s brothers make a trip/Egypt/buy grain to eat
• They meet/brother they sold/slave some 20 years before.
• He recognizes them, but they do not recognize him.
God uses Joseph to awaken the dead consciences of his brothers.
• Joseph wants them to think about what they have done
• He accuses them of being spies
• Throws Simeon into prison until the other brothers return home and get their youngest brother Benjamin.
• The brothers return home/grain, but no Simeon.
• Jacob again grieves/refuses to allow/boys to take Benjamin
• After a while, the grain runs out/they/forced to get more.
• That is where our text begins today.
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In this passage, discussion Judah/fourth oldest and Jacob himself.
Judah is trying to convince his father they have no choice but to return to Egypt, with Benjamin, to get grain.
• Otherwise, they will all starve to death.
• Gist of what is taking place here.
• But, as is so often true/Bible/more here than meets the eye.
What we see in these verses:
• Rebellious man demonstrating/fact he beginning to grow up.
• How God used events/Judah’s life to bring him to maturity.
God uses/events/shape Judah/leader he will one day become.
• There is help for us in these verses!
• God/trying do same thing in your life/mine.
• He desires we reach a place of maturity.
• This truth/stated for us/NT.
Eph. 4:13-15…
Let’s examine this passage to see how the Lord worked in Judah’s life to bring him to the place of maturity.
We need these truths because God is doing the same thing in your life and mine.
• Might use different processes to achieve His goals
• But the end result will be the same.
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I. v. 3 JUDAH’S PROBLEMS
Judah is mentioned in verse 3.
Take/minute/remember what king/man we are dealing with here.
Gen. 37:26 –talked/brothers out/killing Joseph/selling him as a slave instead
Gen. 37:31-35 –part/lie broke Jacob’s heart
• Told/Joseph/dead/Jacob entered/extended time/mourning.
Gen. 38:1
• sought fellowship/Adullamite/Hirah/
• Sought a wife, he married an unbeliever.
• 7-10 raised two sons, Er/Onan/so evil God killed them both.
• 12-16 controlled/fleshly lusts.
• His wife died/sought female companionship/bed/woman he thought was a harlot.
• Guilty of committing incest/daughter-in-law.
• She tricked him, but he was still responsible for his actions.
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Gen. 38:24-30 – Judah/judgmental.
• Tamar/pregnant/incestuous relationship
• Ordered her to be burned for her infidelity.
• she exposed him as the hypocrite he was
• relationship produced twin boys
• One/become a distant ancestor/Lord Jesus, Matt. 1:3.
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We look at a man like that and we say, “He’ll never amount to anything! God can’t use a man that wicked.”
• The fact is, God had big plans for Judah.
• God was working in his life and on his heart to transform him into a leader among his brethren.
• God/working/Him make/blessing/nation/Israel Gen.49:8-12.
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• Judah was a rough piece of timber
• God had a plan to work him into shape!
• read your Bible/many of those God used/greatest of way
• They started lives wrong side of righteousness.
Rahab
• prostitute/came to know God
• Became an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ruth
• Gentile and a pagan
• Came to know God/became an ancestor Lord Jesus.
David
• committed adultery/lied/guilty of murder
• God forgave him and used him.
Matthew
• tax collector/employ/Roman government
• Thief, a liar/cheat/God saved him/used him/his glory.
Gaderene Demoniac
• demon possessed/lived in the tombs
• Entire region scared half to death.
• He met Jesus and became a powerful witness to God’s grace and life-changing power.
Paul
• Own testimony/guilty of terrible/gross sins Acts 26:9-11.
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Many more could be named!
• Not/single one/perfect when He found them
• all dirty, filthy and full of sin
• God knows how/clean them up/use them as vessels/honor.
• People in this room right now/ashamed of your past.
• You are right to feel that way
• Never think for an instant God can’t bless you and use you.
If you have been saved and washed/blood/Lamb
His precious blood has negated your past.
Every stain washed away
you are clean in His sight!
I praise the Lord He is the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” John 1:29.
• I don’t care how clean you live
• how close you get to the Lord
• There will always be someone out there who will hold what you were against you.
• Ignore them!
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II. v. 3-6 JUDAH’S PLEA
• Judah states the simple, unvarnished truth
• cannot return/buy more grain unless they take Benjamin
• He begs his father to allow them to return to Egypt with Benjamin to buy more food.
• In these verses, it is clear that Judah is making spiritual progress.
• Let me show why.
No longer simply concerned about Judah
• No longer what he wants; how he feels and what he thinks.
• Concerned about rest/family
• Knows they have to have food or they will all starve
• Concerned about/future/family/about Simeon.
Know/can’t bring Simeon home w/o going back/Egypt/Benjamin.
• Up to now, Judah has cared only about Judah
• Do whatever it took to get what Judah wanted.
• Now, he wants to do things the right way.
• He is finally growing up!
• This progress hasn’t happened over night.
• Taken many years/many trials bring about these changes in Judah.
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Same token/Lord’s work/your life/mine has not been accomplished overnight.
If you are growing as you should, you are closer to Him today than you were when you got saved.
He has been/process of developing you since He saved you by His grace.
• His work in us is not something that happens overnight.
• God has plenty of time/He is willing to do whatever it takes
• as long as it takes
• To accomplish His eternal purposes in His children.
• A quick study of the Bible proves this to be true.
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Abraham
• Leave only home ever known to follow God into Canaan.
• His faith so shallow runs/Egypt for help during/time/famine.
• Yet, God keeps working on Abraham
• Willing/offer his son/burnt offering/Lord. That is progress!
Jacob
• Trickster/deceiver/man who lives down to his name.
• God used problems/family shape this man
• Allows Jacob to be tricked/deceived by his own uncle.
• Personal encounter with Himself beside a river to bring Jacob to where God could use him. That is progress!
Gideon
• God took/terrified man/called him to be a Judge of Israel.
• God gave him a mighty army/then God took his army
• battle with 300 against a multitude
• Sent him into battle without weapons.
• All he and his men had were clay lamps and trumpets.
• God gave them the victory. That is progress!
David
• God used everything/giants/kings, to pride
• to break and reshape this young man into
• “a man after God’s Own heart.” That is progress!
Simon Peter
• Here/man who/constantly getting into trouble
• Talked too much! Always putting his foot into his mouth
• Denied the Lord Jesus three times in one night.
• God took those tragedies and used them to shape Peter into a mighty preacher of the Gospel.
• Never have become/man w/o problems he endured!
• That is progress!
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Look at your own life. What has the Lord used to shape you into what you are today?
• He has used our sins, our trials, our valleys, our victories and everything else we have faced in this life
• Used it all to shape us into what He wants us to be.
• Lord’s shaping ministry is a powerful thing.
• something that every saint goes through
God’s desire is to take us like He finds us and then develop us into a vessel of honor for His glory Jer. 18:1-6.
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• We are merely clay in His hand, and like a potter
• He will keep the pressure on us
• He shapes us into what He wants us to be.
There will be times when He will:
• crush us and begin again
• Pound the clay.
• Add to us and take away from us.
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III. v. 7-10 JUDAH’S PLEDGE
As this passage closes, Judah begs his father to let them go to Egypt for food.
• Promises/trade his life/Benjamin’s should anything happen
• Judah is willing to lay down his own life for the good/family
• Good sign that Judah is truly maturing.
No longer:
• the same self-centered man he used to be
• The man who lives only for himself.
He is emerging as a leader among his brethren.
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Soon Judah will:
• bow before/offer himself as a slave, Gen. 44:33
• Openly confess his sins before Joseph/make things right/him, Gen. 44:16ff.
• Formerly self-centered man/humble himself before Joseph.
Do you want to know whether or not you are making progress as a Christian?
Do you want to know whether or not you are maturing in your faith? It’s real easy to tell!
• Just look/place others hold in your list of priorities.
• When we reach a place of spiritual maturity
• We find/consistently begin to place others ahead of self.
A sure sign that you are still a baby in Christ is when you are still number on in your life.
When we grow up:
• Our priorities will become vastly different.
• Jesus will come first, others will come next/self will come last.
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One/greatest examples of this selfless kind of life is found in the testimony of John the Baptist.
He/willing to play second fiddle as long as Jesus was glorified, John 3:26-30.
That is the attitude that the Lord wants to reproduce in your heart and mine!
We are living in a world that focuses all the attention on self.
• People are taught to gratify themselves
• Then they will be happy.
• God’s formula for joy is vastly different.
• God’s formula comes down to a simple acrostic based
J – Jesus
O – Others
Y – Yourself
• That is the secret to joy in this life.
• When you arrive/place of true joy
• You also find you have reached/place/genuine maturity.
We are all born as little spiritual babies.
• But, what a shame it is when we stay babies.
• Lord wants us/grow up to live lives of spiritual power
• Judah grew up.
• Have you?
