Sermon Tone Analysis

The big idea: Knowing who we really are changes who we honor and the way we live as Gospel people in the world.

Intro: Secret Agents: Bond as the example

Many people today are struggling with who they really are.

There are those who define themselves by their sexuality or who they imagine themselves to be.

There are others who define themselves by politics or money and power.

There are also others who are confused about what to honor or how things should be honored.

For both of these sets of questions, we need to know how should we as God’s people define ourselves or rather see how God defines us and how should we live in light of that definition?

We must start with the premise that pastor and author David Lomas starts with, “There is a fundamental difference between who we are and what we do.”

There are 3 ways we naturally find our identity: what we do, what have, and what we desire.

All of these things change with time and growth or change.

Think of people named Baker, Smith, or Miller.

They got their very names from what they or their family had been doing.

Still today when we talk about who someone is, it is primarily what they do.

But if you find your identity in what you do, it will be shaken when you change what you do.

Or maybe we root our identity in what we have.

We can see ourself as better or more valuable by how much we have or how much we give.

That also changes as our stuff or possessions or relationships change.

So when we say identity, we are talking about who we really are; the deep knowledge of where I come from, where I’m going, and to whom I belong.

“Identity is a complex set of layers, for we are many things.

Our occupation, ethnic identity, etc., are part of who we are.

But we assign different values to these components and thus Christian maturing is a process in which the most fundamental layer of our identity becomes our self-understanding as a new creature in Christ along with all our privileges in Him.”-Tim Keller

So what do we mean when we say honor?

Honor is the recognition of worth and and value in a person or persons and the resulting expression of appreciation.

We are called to and want to honor God because He is the greatest treasure in the universe.

We are called to and want to honor others because all people are image bearers and have value.

There are others that we will look at as well.

But something gets in the way of us honoring God and honoring others well.

We will look at that today.

Where do we find ourselves at this point in the story of Esther?

We are somewhere between the 7th year of the reign of Xerxes (when Esther was crowned queen) and the 12th year of his reign (when Haman casts lots).

It seems to be close to the 12th.

So Esther has been queen for several years.

Mordecai has seemingly been given greater opportunities at the gates to give advice and weigh in on courtly issues.

There is mention of a second gathering of virgins which could be a parade showing Xerxes’ power again.

But as a reminder of Xerxes’ ongoing selfishness and lack of satisfaction in who he was made to be.

We see Mordecai being consistent with the call to covert Jewishness he had commended to Esther.

But somewhere along the way, Mordecai wakes up, or remembers who he is!

This knowledge leads him to be more overt about his identity and to go against the king’s edict.

There are 3 ways we naturally find our identity: what we do, what have, and what we desire.

In the past, function and identity were more obviously connected.

Think of people named Baker, Smith, or Miller.

They got their very names from what they or their family had been doing.

Still today when we talk about who someone is, it is primarily what they do.

But if you find your identity in what you do, it will be shaken when you change what you do.

Or maybe we root our identity in what we have.

That also changes as our stuff or possessions or relationships change.

We also are tempted to find our true identity in our desire.

That what we long for is really most important about us.

This changes over time and life seasons as well.

So when we say identity, we are talking about who we really are; the deep knowledge of where I come from, where I’m going, and to whom I belong.

“Identity is a complex set of layers, for we are many things.

Our occupation, ethnic identity, etc., are part of who we are.

But we assign different values to these components and thus Christian maturing is a process in which the most fundamental layer of our identity becomes our self-understanding as a new creature in Christ along with all our privileges in Him.”-Tim Keller

So let’s see how knowing who God says we are changes who we honor and how we live in light of that.

Knowing your true identity changes who and what you honor.

We see again in this text the hidden presence of God.

From the start of Esther through chapter 2 we see someone who has assimilated into the prevailing culture and went along with it so much as to reap personal benefits from it.

There has been no indication till now that Mordecai was any different from anyone else living in Persia.

So what changed between the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3?

may have been the seeming ignoring of his life saving political savvy

may have been due to the promotion of Haman his mortal enemy

even if it was part of both of those, what this story reminds us is that God was the one working behind the scenes in Mordecai’s heart.

No one risks certain death without real heart change.

This heart change brought Mordecai to see clearly or maybe just to remember who he was as one of God’s people.

This remembrance led Mordecai to not bow to Haman, and in essence, any more to worship anyone but God.

The text uses the word for bow twice each time it’s mentioned but it always translated bow down and give honor to/pay homage.

This adoration is what Xerxes demanded of all his people and was now demanding for Haman as well.

Mordecai says very simply he would not bow to Haman because he is a Jew.

He knew who he was and that changed who and what he honored.

Thankfully God still works in similar ways in His people’s hearts.

God moves through His Word, by His Spirit, awakening us to new life in His Son.

It is in the revelation of your deep, sinful need and the great hope won by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as your only way of salvation and satisfaction.

You may remember when you came to not just know facts about God but to have real, vibrant faith and joy.

These moments are when God truly showed us who we are without him and by faith who we can be recreated to be in Him!

But we must start with what is our identity in Christ:

What is our identity according to Scripture:

You are redeemed from slavery to sin.

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You are reconciled to God. ()

You are forgiven all your sins.

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You are washed clean.

()

You are free.

(; ; )

You are adopted by God.

(; )

You are accepted by God.

()

You have become a child of God.

(,)

You are justified by Jesus.

(; )

You are united to Jesus.

()

You are whole in Christ.

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Knowing these powerful truths that only God could make happen and be true about us, leads us to honor and praise Him above all others.

When you know that you cannot fix yourself but by God’s magnificent grace He has declared you to be the beloved of God, your deepest desire will be to make much of His greatness.

As we come to see who we are in Christ, our lives begin to look differently in how we live and love.

This begs the question, how should we live in light of being a new creation in Christ?

As we come to see who we are in Christ, our lives begin to look differently in how we live and love.

This begs the question, how should we live in light of being a new creation in Christ?

Particularly, what are we to honor

We are often faced with a similar challenge: who should we honor and why we should honor them.

It may be a boss that is underhanded, mean, or selfish.

It may be with family members that you are supposed to love but yet can’t get along with or fundamentally disagree with.

The Bible gives some clear instructions on who and what to honor (the word honor appears 147 times in Scripture).

We are to honor God above all else.

We are to honor our parents.