Standing Firm

Introduction:

There are cultural waves that are always developing, and when our society decides that it’s opinion is law, it quickly refuses to give grace to anyone with an opposing position. Back when I was a kid, there was a massive battle fought in the courts between a Christian baker refusing to bake a cake for a homosexual event. One of the common things I heard thrown at this brother was that he should “just bake the ____ cake.”

Fast forward to today and that problem has only grown. From abortions and homosexuality, to transgenderism and preferred pronouns, and, I believe, a coming storm over pedophilia, which is now being called, “Minor Attracted Persons.” In short, our culture is graceless towards those who don’t quickly bow the knee to their idols. Because that’s true, you’ve got a decision to make and your decision has to be made now rather than later.

Text: Esther 3:1–15

Esther 3:1–15 NKJV

1 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. 2 And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage. 3 Then the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” 4 Now it happened, when they spoke to him daily and he would not listen to them, that they told it to Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew. 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai. 7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, the lot), before Haman to determine the day and the month, until it fell on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.” 10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money and the people are given to you, to do with them as seems good to you.” 12 Then the king’s scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded—to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, to the officials of all people, to every province according to its script, and to every people in their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions. 14 A copy of the document was to be issued as law in every province, being published for all people, that they should be ready for that day. 15 The couriers went out, hastened by the king’s command; and the decree was proclaimed in Shushan the citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed.

Now, while I listed some pretty radical things earlier, I recognize that you probably aren’t faced with those issues on a daily basis. So, for the sake of applying it to our lives, what are some pressures that you feel like your age group faces today?

With that being understood, today I want to look at the stance of Mordecai in the face of pressure and how he stood firm when the world demanded him to bow. The first thing we learn from him is to:

Stand for God When Everyone Else Conforms

Scripture: Esther 3:2–4

Esther 3:2–4 NKJV

2 And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage. 3 Then the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?” 4 Now it happened, when they spoke to him daily and he would not listen to them, that they told it to Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew.

The first thing that I want us to notice is that the rise of Haman seems to come quickly, so it’s not that Mordecai had days or weeks to think on his stance. The question I had as I read this text was, “Why didn’t he just bow?” In Israel it was a custom to bow to superiors as a sign of respect, which we see in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings. The issue here, however, is that in the Persian culture that Mordecai lived, they viewed bowing as more than simple respect. Instead, they viewed it as an act of reverence that was almost akin to recognizing the person as divine.

So, it seems pretty clear that Mordecai had a religious reason for refusing to bow to this man. He reason was that he refused to conduct himself in a way that made it seem that he worshipped anyone but the God of Israel.

Application:

Your faithfulness is tested when conformity is easier than obedience.

Ask yourself: “Where am I tempted to bow to culture, peers, or trends instead of God?”

Encourage concrete reflection: social media, school, workplace, or family settings.

Courage Is Not Always Safe

Scripture: Esther 3:5–6

Esther 3:5–6 NKJV

5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai.

Here we see that Haman is offended by Mordecai’s stand. One thing that is clear about Haman, and will be made more clear throughout this series, is that Haman is a prideful man who wanted human praise at any cost. So, in response to Mordecai’s refusal to bow, he decides that he’s going to murder the Jews throughout Persia. Although this is not the point of today’s lesson, I think we can easily learn a lesson here as it pertains to anger and pride and how it can consume us and turn us into animals.

The primary point, however, is that obedience is not always safe. It wasn’t safe for Abel, for Daniel, for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and it isn’t safe for Mordecai here either. The question at hand isn’t “Is this safe?” But, “Is this right?” Mordecai had two options before him. Either he was going to bow the knee to God who demands that we have no other God’s before Him, or he was going to bow the knee to a mere mortal like Haman.

Now, the likelihood of us facing a decision that could result in the extermination of a whole race of people is almost none. But the choice is the same: Am I going to fear God or men? Are you going to fear God over men when your friends invite you to do something you know is sinful? Are you going to fear God over men when your boyfriend of girlfriend bring temptation before you? Are you going to fear God rather than men when you’re demanded to accept and celebrate things that God hates?

These are real and present issues that all of us are going to face. But I want you to know that courage isn’t the miraculous ability to get rid of fear. It’s the acceptance of your duty to do what’s right even when it’s dangerous or uncomfortable.

Students must see that being faithful to God may be unpopular or even risky.

Encourage prayer and spiritual preparation before difficult decisions.

Your Faithfulness Has Far-Reaching Consequences

Scripture: Esther 3:6

Esther 3:6 NKJV

6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai.

As I mentioned earlier, Mordecai’s refusal sets the stage for Haman to pursue the genocide of all Jews in Persia. What he doesn’t know, however, is that this really sets the stage for God’s providence and ultimate deliverance. What Mordecai could see at this point is risk, what he couldn’t see, however, was that God had a greater plan at work.

Now, I don’t want to be super feel good and prosperity centered here. The reality is that there are men and women who stood and died for the Lord. But the lesson we pull from all of them and all of this is that God is using our lives of small obedience for a bigger plan that we don’t see yet. So, you may not see how God is going to use your bold stand against the popular sins of your friends at school, but God may see fit to use your courage to convict the heart of someone down the road.

Really, we’re not simply wanting to be like Mordecai though. We’re wanting to be like Mordecai’s savior. In Esther, we see that Mordecai refuses to bow, but he is simply foreshadowing Christ, who refused to bow to sin, Satan, or human pressure in the gospels for our salvation. So, when we resist sin and stand boldly, we’re not doing it because of a hero of ours, and we’re not doing it in our own strength. We’re doing it by grace alone for the glory of God alone, because we want to be like Jesus alone.

Like Mordecai, we are called to stand for God’s glory, trusting that the ultimate deliverance comes from Him.

Conclusion / Call to Action

Memory Line: “Stand when the world bows; faithfulness is never in vain.”

Challenge: Identify one area this week where you feel pressure to compromise, and take a concrete step to refuse to bow—through prayer, truth, or integrity.