The call . . . for such as time as this
Esther • Sermon • Submitted
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1 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.
2 He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.
3 And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.
People who hope to be used by God must boldly put themselves in a position where God can work through them, rather than sitting back, doing nothing, passively hoping or waiting for God to do something
1 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.
2 He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.
3 And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4 When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.
5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was.
6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate,
7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.
8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people.
9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say,
11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said.
13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.
14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai,
16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
Est
We are living in a time of crisis in the world today. The coronavirus has begun to spread throughout the world, and cases are increasing every day. Though we certainly mourn over the loss of any human life, thank the Lord, the death toll has not been worse. News sources are reporting that who have contracted the virus are recovering. We certainly can be thankful that the mortality rate from the virus in the US is at this point holding at about 1 and half percent. Praise the Lord!
hankfully, the death toll has not been worse,
That being said, experts tell us that we are not through the worst of this crisis yet and even if we are, there is always the potential for some other kind of tragic situation to occur in this sin cursed world.
So what is our response? How do we respond to these kinds of circumstances. By God’s Sovereign plan, is that he allows us to make choices. We make choices everyday, but in times of crisis, as all of us are facing to one extent or another, we begin to think about our responses, our behaviors and our attitudes.
I believe these kinds of situations are often the impetus, that cause us into action.
A Call to Action!
A Call to Action!
Even in recent days, if you haven’t completely tuned out, you’ve seen federal and state government officials and organizations in hard hit areas near NYC and in parts of California, asking for help, asking people to offer their resources to fight the fight against this invisible foe, the infamous COVID-19. Similarly, not too far back in history, when our nation was involved in the World War, our citizens were called into action, to make sacrifices, to offer their expertise, to enroll in the military, women were called to work in the factory. Rosie the Riveter comes to mind. Even as many of us are being asked to seclude ourselves, we are also being called to action. Each of us has a responsibility, not just now, when we are in crisis, but every day of our lives, God has a purpose and a plan for us. I hope that as we look further into the book of Esther this morning, that we will find some encouragement and instruction about how we ought to face the circumstances of our lives.
Actions exemplified in this chapter
Esther 4:1-16It is
People who hope to be used by God must boldly put themselves in a position where God can work through them, rather than sitting back, doing nothing, passively hoping or waiting for God to do something
I believe there are several illustrations of God-honoring, obedient acts, that we see in chapter 4 or Esther. Let’s begin in verse one.
1 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.
Now, I know that in recent weeks some people in American made a rush on the stores for toilet paper, (this may have been the grace of God protecting us, but I’ll explain that later) However, I haven’t heard or seen anyone running around, screaming and wailing, covered in sackcloth and ashes. I realize, I live in a small rural village in upstate NY, but I haven’t seen this on the news either.
Mordecai, is pouring out his heart and soul, and he isn’t afraid to show it.
He would not remove his sackcloth, even when Esther sent him clothes
What was behind Mordecai’s response?
It is very possible that he felt responsible for the situation they were in. Certainly, it was Mordecai’s unwillingness to bow to Haman, that caused Haman to seek vengeance against the jews. We aren’t sure from what we are told in the text, that Mordecai fully understood why the proclamation to kill the jews had been issued, but it is very possible that he did.
We don’t know what motivation or attitude was behind Mordecai’s choice to not prostrate himself before Haman?
His response leads me to believe, that he may have felt guilty about that decision or at least believe he was somewhat liable for the lives of the people of Israel .
Whether he was or wasn’t to blame, and whether he was or wasn’t aware of what caused Haman’s decree, he was grieving, he was full of sorrow and he wasn’t pretending any differently.
Sorrow is not wrong. We are told there is a time to mourn.
A Call to Grieve-
A Call to Grieve-
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A Call to Grieve-
A Call to Grieve-
Ec 3.4-5
Mourning- when was the last time that you cried out to God, out of a sense of guilt for a sin you had committed or for a hurt, a trial or a danger that you or someone you know is facing?
In the Old Testament, anytime sackcloth is mentioned it is either related to the loss of a life, or the anguish over one’s sin.
Both of which are good reasons for mourning, but my guess is that we are more likely to grieve over the loss of a loved one, than we are to grieve over our own personal sin.
Sorrow is not wrong. We are told there is a time to mourn and a time to rejoice.
We are so lopsided, when it comes to acknowledging the love of God and the grace of God, that we fail to remember His holiness, which when accurately understood, dramatically and clearly reveals our sinfulness and in turn causes us to more clearly see our need for Christ’s redemption and reconciliation.
My question for us today, is if we are grieving, what are we grieving about?
Are we sorry that we have to stay at home, sequestered from our family and friends during this pandemic?
Are we sad that we aren’t able to choose the exact cut of meat that we want at the grocery store?
Or are we sad, over the loss of lives from the coronavirus?
Are we grieving over the souls, that need to come to know the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? This is worth grieving about.
When Mordecai was wailing and lamenting and crying out, he would also have been considering all the things that we might find ourselves wondering if we found ourselves in a similar situation. Some of these questions, I have mentioned in the past few sermons.
Questions like:
What have I done to deserve this?
Have I sinned and this is God’s way of punishing me for my sin?
Did someone sin and I am suffering as a result of their sin.
So my second point for today, is that we are called to: humble reflection.
A Call to Humble Reflection and remembrance-
A Call to Humble Reflection and remembrance-
Verses that call us to reflection-------------------
Humble reflection is often associated with repentance because we often make mistakes or outright disobey God’s commands, but even when we are right with God, and our circumstances are not the result of our own sin, we may find ourselves unable to handle a situation, that is not the result of our sin. Yet our response to those situations, may reveal our own pride and desire for control.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah
Humble reflection is often associated with repentance because we often make mistakes or outright disobey God’s commands, but even when we are right with God, and our circumstances are not the result of our own sin, we may find ourselves unable to handle a situation, that is not the result of our sin. Yet our response to those situations, may reveal our own pride and desire for control.
Yet, the next step is that we need to trust and hope in God.
A Call to Sincere and Certain Hope in God-
A Call to Sincere and Certain Hope in God-
Verses that call us to faith------------------
Trials and testings often reveal our worship or trust in things other than God, who is the only One worthy of our faith and worship. And as we have already seen in our study of Esther, those who appear to be in control, like King Ahasuerus, are not actually in control. While, to the contrary, God often uses those whom we perceive to be insignificant or less gifted, ..... to accomplish His desired work and bring about change.
He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Ps 78:5-
The call . . . for such as time as this
The call . . . for such as time as this
A verse that calls us to all three of these things
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Here is the cool thing about this Livestream thing. People can watch this video, anywhere in the world that has internet service.
So I don’t know everyone who may see this, My guess is that most of you, who are watching this video, are quick to agree that there are parts of the world that need to accept the various calls to action that are mentioned here. A call to action, a call to humility, a call to faith.
If you are watching this as a member of Calvary Baptist Church, my assumption is that you agree that there are people in our state and in our community that should take these steps.
My question to each of us. Myself included, is What are you going to do with this call to action?
A Call to Grieve
Be willing to grieve over the things that grieve God. Our sins are certainly worthy of sorrow.
Next I ask you to take some time for humble reflection.
A Call to Grieve
A Call to Humble Reflection and remembrance-
Will you take the time to reflect upon your own life, as Mordecai, and the other Israelites were likely doing and see if there are things that you ought to repent from? What in your life needs to change? If you as you reflect upon your life, and find sin that exists, will you repent of it? That means turn away from it. Do an about face.
If you can’t think of anything, let me encourage you to take the next step. Will you accept the call to humble reflection? In so doing, I believe you will also be encouraged as you see the many blessings and provisions that God has granted to you and to previous generations.
We as Americans have so much to be thankful for.
Someone posted a quote on Facebook the other day, that said something to the effect of, “when this is all over (meaning the COVID 19 pandemic) we are all going to realize how little we need, how much we have and learn to become Thankful for God’s many blessings.”
Give thanks in all things!
A Call to Grieve
A Call to Humble Reflection and remembrance
A Call to Sincere and Certain Hope in God-
And finally, will you examine where you are placing your trust? Can you say with all certainty, that you are not trusting in something other than God, who IS the Provider (Jehovah Jireh)
Are you trusting fully in God, who is our Sustainer. Have you trusted Him for salvation, but now have begun to turn back to trusting in your own strength, in your job, in your President, in your ............ anything other than God.
Next week, we are going to take another look in the book of Esther, to see how she responded to the call from Mordecai.
16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
We’ve talked about the idea of “chance”, when we saw the way the Israelites divided up the Promised Land among the various tribes, as they settled there.
What are you actually risking?
Is it wrong to take risks?
Is trusting in God, taking a risk?
What risk was Esther willing to take?
What steps are wise, prior to “taking risks”