Activating Spiritual Courage | Esther 8:1-17

• Sermon Transcript

  Good morning. Good to see you here this Sunday. Wow. Okay, good. I guess I'm just talking off. Man. Well, this past Tuesday, my four year old John David had his first soccer game. And he did okay, for four year old, he didn't quite know what he's supposed to be doing, he did kick the ball a few times. But he really, you know, he's still, he's still kind of having fun out there, he spent most of the game talking to his teammates and other players. So had to kind of let them know if that's not really what you're supposed to be doing. I had a gal a few times, I'm not coaching him, actually, which is nice. And I'm old enough now to where I don't have to do that. So I just say, Hey, Johnny, don't make sure you follow the ball. So he would talk a little bit and then he'd kick the ball, and then he would go, thank you, he would talk a little bit, and then he would kick the ball. And then he would also, he would, second half, he didn't realize that they changed sides. So he was going the wrong way a little bit, at least he was kicking the ball and winning the battles. And then he would kick the ball to the sideline. And he was multiple times he'd kick out of bounds. And then he would jump on the ball and roll around in the grass with it, which was actually a really my wife said it was really good delay tactic, because they were leading. And so every time he would do that, it would take about a minute from the game time. And so it was a stall technique for him. And so it kind of worked. And they won the game four to one, which is, which is fun for him to do. But you know, it didn't quite click in to him what exactly, he's supposed to be doing it one out, this is the first game by the sixth seventh game, he will have a better idea. Okay, the purpose of this game is to score and to keep other people from scoring and, and every game he plays, he's gonna be a little bit more have better idea about what exactly he needs to do click, and at some point, it's just gonna become this idea that I'm in a game, it's just going to be it's just gonna be activated, you know, some point it's going to click, but you know, He's four years old. So we did a lot of laughing watching the game, but at some point, it'll activate. That's what we're talking about today, we're talking about activating something that we don't know we need until we need it. And that's this idea of spiritual courage. And we see Christians all over the world who have courage. And we think to ourselves, gosh, could I have that same type of courage? Well, if you were in that same situation, if you have the Holy Spirit in you, I think you could. And I think you would, if you had were to activate the courage that God gives you through the Spirit. Today we are an ester, chapter eight, starting in verse one. Read with me, please. On that day, king, a half serous, some translations Caesar sees, I wish mine did the mine says a hazardous, gave to Queen Esther, the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther said Mordecai, over the house of Haman. Then Esther spoke again to the king king, and she fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman, the Agha guide and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. And when the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king, and she said, If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revote the letters devised by Haman, the aggregate the son of hamadeh, via which he wrote to destroy the Jews who were in all the provinces of the king. For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people are how can I bear that see the destruction of my kindred? Then King Hazaras said the Queen Esther, and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther, the house of Haman, and they have hang them on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring for an edict written in the name of the king, and sealed with the Kings ring cannot be revoked. Father in heaven, we thank you for this day. We thank you for being able to come here and sing your praises or to hear Your word today and hear from you. So Father, I pray that as I preached these and as I look at these words written on paper and electronic now, Lord, that came from my mind that you'll take these, and that you'll make them your words, and that your spirit will fill me in your preaching that the Spirit will be will receive it in this congregation today. And that we will leave changed, understanding what it means to to activate spiritual courage today, but we love you. We ask these things in Jesus name, amen. We've been reading through the Bible in a year like we do every year at First Baptist, and we've been going chronologically, and I had what I thought God impressed upon my heart last year, that wouldn't be cool if I preached every week with the reading plan. So we've been doing that every year or every week, because it seems like yours every week. And we've been the Old Testament all the way through nine months. So you have not heard a New Testament sermon based around New Testament passage for nine months. So congratulations anyway, anyhow. But that's going to change because in the fall, starting next week, we're going to be in the New Testament rest of the year, and then all of 2024, we're going to learn about the life of Jesus every single week of the year. So that's exciting. And so we're going to go through that next year. So anyway, but for now, we're finishing the Old Testament, this is a last Sunday in the Old Testament, and Saturday will be your last reading in the Old Testament. And next Sunday will be Luke one and John one. And I'll have a passage, a sermon from there. But the story of Esther today is what we're looking at. And the story of Esther is interesting story actually has a lot of parallels to the story of Joseph in the Bible with Egypt. Both were foreigners who are suddenly thrust into leadership positions. God's divine hand gave them opportunities to wield tremendous influence in their nation in their culture, if they would activate their spiritual courage and and now we pick up in the middle of the book of Esther. So what has happened if you haven't been reading along, what is the context, we're told that this man has serous, which was probably a title like Caesar or king or something like that, that he reigned over the lands as far as from Ethiopia, to India, and everywhere in between. He was the major world ruler of the day, as the Persians were the dominant world power now they would eventually be supplanted by the Greeks, who would be supplanted by the Roman Empire. But this is where we're at here the four hundreds BCE. And as because the cause he was a Caesar type of person and ruler, he had a complete autocratic power control, he decided to have a feast that would last 180 days. Now, in Jewish culture, you'd have a feast for a wedding would last a week. But this man wanted to have a feast where they would drink wine, they would eat food, and they would party for 180 days straight. Okay, you might have been to some parties or seen some wild scenes, but you've never seen anything like this 180 day feast. And the purpose of this was not to display the glory of God, it was completely narcissistic and selfish. It was to display his own glory for 180 days, we're going to eat, drink and be merry, so everybody can see how great I am. That was the reasoning for it. To make it worse, he told the people for them to do an act on whatever compulsion they had. Just do whatever you want. So it's gonna be a lawless time, basically for half a year. So it was an extremely morally wicked time. Now, one point during the feast, the king summoned his wife, a woman named vasti, summoned her to appear before him and his court, kind of his cabinet, his friends, and just kind of show her off. Now, we don't know what happened in the past, apparently, maybe this has happened before. Because Vashti refused. She would not be made fun of the made light of she would not be an object for them to look at. She refused to appear. And so because of this, she then it was barred to ever appear before him again, this is the queen. And he actually then the king passed a new law that now it was the law of the land that all women would give honor to their husbands at their command. Whenever husband said you were to honor me, that's the law to the wife within half to honor them so vast it wasn't popular among anybody in country at this point, because of what she had done. The king then decided to basically have a beauty pageant to pick out his new, new queen, and this would be now it probably been a reality show series or something like that, and paraded all these young virgins in front of them and did all sorts of things and he chose finally the winner, a woman whose Jewish name was Hadassah, but she didn't want people to know she was Jewish, for a lot of reasons. And basically her father who raised her, told him not to tell to keep that to herself. And we know her as Esther, Persian name, Esther. Now, Esther became queen. And because she was Queen, the man Mordecai, a family member who raised her both her parents had died, raised her as as her own daughter, as his own daughter. And Mordecai then was around the throne and spent a lot of time around the throne. There was another man named Haman, who was the second in charge, and he ordered that all men should should bound down to the throne, and Mordecai refused that he wouldn't do it because he was Jewish. He says, not only serve God, I'm not bowing down to any man. So Haman then little upset and embarrassed and came to the king and trick the king in a way to say, right, a decree royal decree, that all the Jews will be exterminated because of this man, Mordecai, they'll all be killed. So he wrote that decree. And that was law, that all the Jews would be exterminated. The king then had a change of heart. And he remembers that Mordecai had done some good things for him, he actually had uncovered a plot to assassinate him and, and was sorry for what he had done because because it was an edict that could not be reversed. Not even the king himself could reverse this edict that the Jews have to be exterminated. Right? Esther then has courage and comes to King Haman unannounced, which was against the law, and told the king Heymans plot to actually kill Mordecai on all do these things. Well, then, the king side with Esther and hanged Haman on the on the gallows, and he had made for Mordecai. And this is where our story takes place, the immediate threat of Haman has been disposed, but there's still this edict out there for the Jews to be exterminated. What are they going to do about that? Esther is in a position to help her people, but how is she going to do it? And this is where we pick up. Today, I want to give you three attributes of spiritual courage we see in this section three attributes of spiritual courage, number one, it takes spiritual courage to wait to wait. Now if you know me, you know I'm a very patient person. No, I'm not. I don't like to wait on anything. I like to get it done as fast as possible. You can even say I have ADHD, although I don't know if I do. But I don't like to wait. Now I've gotten better waiting when I get older. Right. And I think that's a hope that is a sign of spiritual maturity of God changing my heart, I get a little I've gotten better. But it takes spiritual courage to wait especially in the face of extreme danger, which we see Esther in verse one says that that day that the king gave to Esther, the house of Haman and me the Jews, right, and Mordecai came before the king and for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his ring which he had taken from Haman. And he gave it to Mordecai. And Esther said Mordecai over the house of Haman, so So now this has gotten Mordecai is now second in command because Haman has been killed. Esther had waited for the right time to come to the king to speak to him unannounced. Now remember, this was the same man who dispose of the former Queen because she was simply not appear before him because she embarrassed him and unannounced visits were punishable by death. But Esther had no choice. But she waited for the right time to approach the king. Then he gave the Kings right hand man became Mordecai and she approaches them again, doesn't wait any further realizes this is the time to go. And she visits him again. Verse three. She spoke to the kingdom because she's got to figure it out. How can we save my people? How can I save God's people? This edict cannot be reversed. That she fell his feet wept, pleaded with him to avert the evil plan. Verse For the king held out the golden sceptered Esther. She rose and stood and here's what she said. She said if it pleases the king, if I found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and if I'm pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the aggregate now she knows that it's not possible for this to happen, but she's asking for it anyway. She said As verse six, for how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred? Now, Esther gives a master class here of how to ask for a favor to a man who is evil and insecure. She takes the way that maybe you wouldn't take it. She does so with respect. This was supposed to be the man that was feared and respected by all but he was very immoral. She does it with respect. She does it with humility. She doesn't demand She's his wife, right? She does not demean. She's polite. She's courageous. But she doesn't beat around the bush. She gets right to the issue. She asked exactly for what she needs politely, nicely, courageously, and explains why reflector says, I can't imagine please reverse this. If you love me, if you were pleased with me. I cannot see my people suffer this right for seven. Hazara says this, I've given Esther, the house of Haman. And they've hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. He says verse eight, but you may write as you please, with regard to the Jews in the name of the king and seal it with the Kings ring for an edict written in the name of the king and see what the Kings ring cannot be revoking saying this, I cannot revote what I've done, but I can give you the power to make a new edict. What's that? He's gonna say we're not real sure yet. We don't really know. Right? But she waited for the right time to ask the first time. Then she struck immediately. And she asked again. And it worked because she had courage in waiting, because God was behind her request. Now there's the Bible has a lot to say about waiting for him. And the right time, look at Psalm 37. Seven. These still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him, waiting to me, I've already assumed that he's going to be patient, right? This is kind of doubling down on it. Wait patiently for Him. Fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way over the man who carries out evil devices. Don't worry about the evil man in your life. Wait patiently on God. I wonder if Esther Mordecai prayed this prayer. prayed over this verse. They had the psalm book I'm guessing they had it that David wrote before they display their courage, fret not over the man who carries out evil devices, but the still and wait patiently for God. Look what Isaiah 4031 says. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, not hummingbirds, eagles, big wings, and they shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Sometimes I look at those little four year olds and wish that I could run that far not faint. We put we put him in soccer. So he got his energy out. It didn't help. He told us he was going to play soccer, by the way. And he told us he's playing T ball in the spring. So he has his whole life planned out before. But didn't really it didn't really make him tired. He's not growing weary. And this is saying that when we wait on God's timing, when it's God's timing, God then renews our strength in his timing. He, he allows us to mount up, he renews our strength, we will walk and not have faint will have the spiritual energy to keep going. Because there's some times where you have nothing left in you. You have no physical energy, you have no mental energy. The only thing that's getting you up and getting you through whatever you're going through is the spiritual energy of the Lord that He gives you. When you're facing extreme problems, and Esther and Mordecai were facing this and they were weeping and crying over it. And they had to wait for the right time to approach this man who they had who is completely unpredictable and had no idea what he was going to do. Out of balls like that before you ever had one of those just never knew what he was going to do. You're always on eggshells. They have to be patient for that. Jude 120 says this and New Testament that you beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, at least eternal life. We're called to wait for the mercy that Jesus gives us. It takes spiritual courage to wait. Right? Secondly, it takes spiritual courage to trust. That's what our faith is. That's what the Christian life is trusting God daily in our decisions, not trusting ourself, not necessarily trying harder, unnecessarily doing better. trusting in Him, verse nine, the king's scribes were summoned to that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan on the 23rd day, and a new edict was written. Remember, Mordecai has the power here now. A new edict was written according to all the more to COD commanded concerning the Jews, to the st. Traps, and the governors and the officials of the provinces from in in Ethiopia, 127 provinces, we have 50 states that 127 provinces stretched over land, probably about as large if not larger, the United States of America. And they wrote this to each province in his own script, to each people and its own language, and to the Jews and their script and their language. And he wrote in the name of King has risen, because he had the authority to do so. And he sealed it with the king's signet ring. Now remember, the king had written an edict that said the Jews would be exterminated or like a holocaust, so to speak, that could not be revoked, but now a new edict has been invoked. This is the hope of the Jews. What did it say? How did God move in the life of Mordecai to write this edict liquidy said that he sent letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses ever using the king service bred from the Royal stood. And here's what I said in verse 11, saying that the king allowed the Jews who in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them. Children and women included into plunder their goods, said we can't revoke the edict. But now I'm making it legal for you to defend yourselves to kill if you have to do whatever you can to defend your families and your children in your women. He's saying arm the kids arm the women arm everyone. If there is going to be an extermination of Jews, there's going to be a fight, there's going to be a battle you're going to be able to defend yourselves. Anyone looking at doing evil to the Jews would now be faced with stiff legal opposition. Now, they didn't want to fight. But it's certainly they want to be exterminated. Amen. So they had to muster the courage to trust God's plan, even working through Mordecai, in this royal edict verse 13, a copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. So the couriers are mounted on their horses, they were using the king service, they wrote out, and they urged the command and the decree was issued in Susa. The senator this was now it would be a breaking news. Newsflash, it would be on social media, it would be everywhere, it would hit immediately. Because this is of course, the government getting this out. This is God's plan. You can defend yourself. Now, this might sound like a fun thing to do. But it's better than doing nothing. Do we have the courage to trust God's plan in our lives? Especially when there's Option A and Option B? They don't seem you don't see them that great. When they will we chose even when they're when things seem like there's no way out. When things can't be reversed. It takes spiritual courage to trust God's plan and not to try to do things on our own power. We see this all through that Old Testament and how the Jews tried to do something on their own power they would lose. When God was behind them, they would win. Look at Psalm 27 Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we trust the name of Lord Oregon. It's a matter of how many horses you have how many chariots how many tanks, how many F 30 fives to get lost, right? By the way, if If F 35 can get lost in Williamsburg County, you probably can too. So be careful when you drive through. Do we put our do we put our trust in those things? We put our trust in the name, the character of God whose ways are not our ways. Look at Proverbs three, five through six. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not lean on your own understanding doesn't matter if you get it or not, doesn't matter if you understand it or not. You still trusting the Lord doesn't make sense. Trust in God. I don't quite understand. You don't have to trust in the Lord, and all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Esther and Mordecai had no idea how God would make this right. They had no idea how God would protect him specifically. But they knew if they went to the man, the king who had the power to make the decisions, God could influence him. And God did. This is why we need to always pray for our leaders. Amen. Pray for our mayor, our governors, our senators, good Lord, our president. I mean that they can think correctly that they can think right they can make good decisions. These are people with as much power as we'll give them. We need to pray for them want to like them. We need to pray that God would be working through them. Amen. I mean, if God can work through this man a hazardous problem on this wicked self centered leaders ever. He can work through anyone, and he can put Christians and believers and places of government where we couldn't even imagine he's done it before. When we trust God, he makes what seems like a crooked path. Straight up proverbs 2925. The fear of man lays a snare. But whoever trusting the Lord is safe. See, when we fear people are more worried about people, even powerful people that can hurt us. Since we lay a trap for ourselves, somehow, but by trusting the Lord somehow, someway, it it leads us to safety. It leads us to safety. It takes spiritual courage to trust in God. And three. It takes spiritual courage to celebrate. This is actually a funny passage here. Look at verse 15. Mordecai went out from the presence of the king and royal robes of blue and white, with it with a great golden crown. He came out dressed like a king, right? fine linen and purple in the city of Sousa shouted, and rejoiced. You can defend yourselves that like the battle is already won. And they have light and gladness and joy and honor. And in every province for 17, in every city, wherever the king's command, and as it reads, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. Now again, the EDID wasn't reversed, but they had had hope that they could defend themselves hope that they could be on the proactive hope that they could do something about it, and they rejoiced about it. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them. Were Jewish to were Jewish to Hey, sometimes it's going to be popular to be a believer of God. It's all based on how the politics turn. God's true people believe God. True believers are believing God, when it's cool, to be a Christian. And when it's not, Amen. All of a sudden, the power changed. Now the Jews were essentially running the country, right? Oh, we're Jewish to are you really it takes spiritual courage to celebrate, and they celebrated. And the celebration is you affirming that God has done something great when we come in here and worship, and we can overcome with emotions, we raise your hand or if we do like this, or whatever we do, or if we just close your eyes, whatever it is, we are affirming that God has done something great. And it takes courage on some level, to admit that God has done it. And not something you did and it takes courage to celebrate when the battle hasn't even been fought yet. They didn't know what to expect. They didn't know they're gonna be given their four year old disorder not. But they celebrated like the victory was already over because it was because they knew that God was behind these things. What's the Bible say about celebration? Look at Psalm 118 24. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. You know, I remember when I was a little boy, get out of the bath, my dad would bathe me or whatever and put my pajamas on. In the morning, sometimes he'd wake me up. And he would sing this song to me in the morning. I guess he made the tune up. I don't know where he got it from. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it Sunday school song. You know, it's not just a wake up song. It's a reality. This today, September 24 2023, is the day the Lord has made. Why are we not rejoicing and being glad in it? This is the day he's made. Look at First Thessalonians five, rejoice, always pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God and Christ Jesus for you. If you ever come to me and say what is God's will, for my life, I will give you about five or six verses that say specifically, this is the will of God. And this is one to rejoice always to pray without ceasing to give thanks in all circumstances. It takes courage to be that way. Because the world doesn't want you to do or want you to worry, and to fear and to think, well, this conspiracy is really happening, or this is happening behind the scenes and you have no power, you have no control, and the world is getting worse and worse. We live in this horrible situation. I don't know if that's true or not. But I do know that that I know who is actually really controlling the world, and that is God. He is sovereign, he holds the whole world in His hands, and he with a snap of his fingers can make any change he wants to. We don't put our fear in man per fearing God. Unless we really believe he's not in control. That's a whole nother sermon. Romans 1212 says this, rejoice in hope, be patient, in tribulation, be constant in prayer. They celebrated this day the Jews, because for the first time in a long time, they had hope. You take someone's hope away. You take a lot of away a lot of stuff away from them when their hope is gone. But Jesus Christ, because what he's done for us on the cross, there was death, there was burial, there was resurrection, we have a hope that is everlasting. Amen. It takes courage to celebrate that in the face of what we go through on a daily basis. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for what you've done for us. Little we're not in a world that in situation that resembles Persia. Sometimes it feels like it. Sometimes it feels like you're swimming upstream with our culture. We're able to worship freely. We appreciate that blessing that benefit. And Lord, you want us involved in our culture, and you want us involved in government and pray for more believers to be so. Because the Lord your welfare is for your people, your wills for your people to thrive. You've told us we'll have tribulation. But your plan is for your people to reach the world. So Father, there's one in here today has never placed their faith in you never trusted you for salvation. That today they would do so that today they would give their life to you that you would come to their hearts. You'd save them they'd be born again. And they would rejoice in the hope that you give them. Father, maybe there's one out here today just needs to pray. They just need to come down to these steps. Just spend time with you today, Lord, that they would have the courage to do that today. Just have that blessed time with God's people. No judgment. Just celebration, Lord, that people are worshiping you. Father, maybe there's someone that needs prayer. I'd be glad to pray with them. Whatever it is, Lord that they need that today. They'd have the courage to give it to you. We love you. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.