A Deep Seated Response

God at Work Behind the Scenes: Message Six of Esther Series

Esther 4:1-17.

ETS: The Jews responded to the news of their coming death.

ESS: We should act on things we feel strongly about.

OSS: [MO: Consecrative] {So: I want the hearers to respond to their death letter both for themselves and the rest of the world who is lost.} Cognitive: I want the hearers to know how the Jews respond so that they might make a connection of an appropriate response to their own death letter. Affective: (a) I want the hearers to feel the urgency and necessity to respond. (b)I want the hearers to feel the Holy Spirit’s conviction regarding the reality of the destiny of the lost. Psycho-Motor: I want the hearers to act in response to the reality of the destiny of the lost.

PQ: What is the response of the Jews?

UW: Response

Intro.: [AGS]: When something happens that we feel strongly about, we respond. You hear of the sudden, unexpected death of a close relative or friend; You hear of a natural disaster such as a hurricane or tornado that has destroyed a whole community. [TS]: That’s exactly what happens in today’s text. Mordecai and the Jews respond to the death letter that was sent out regarding their coming death. [RS]: We each have the responsibility to respond to the truths of the Bible- that those who are lost and live in unrepentant sin will perish. It is for each of us to respond.

TS: Let us examine together the response of Mordecai and the Jews.

The first response was mourning. (vv. 1-3)

Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes.He cried loudly and bitterly. He was broken and desperate for God’s help.

The Jews mourned in every province. They fasted, wept, lamented, and wore mourning clothes.

APPLICATION: As believers, we should feel strongly about our death letter and what it means for our own life and the lives of the lost people. We should cry out in desperation pleading with God for mercy- interceding on behalf of the others that they might repent and believe in the Gospel.

The second response was group effort. (vv. 4-9)

The female servants, the eunuchs, Mordecai, Esther, and Hathach all began to work together, relaying messages and creating a plan to response, to do something.

APPLICATION: When people feel strongly about something, they come together to do something about it. As believers, we should feel strongly enough about the lost that we bind ourselves together and do something about it.

The third response was prayer and fasting. (vv. 15-17)

Esther then commands a fast on her behalf for three days and three nights.

She did not take lightly the action being taken or the risk involved.

After fasting and prayer, her conclusion was, “I’m going. If I perish, I perish.”

APPLICATION: We should not take lightly eternity. We ought pray for others to receive it, fast for them, and go to them. Count the cost, and commit to serve.

Closing:

An African pastor was warned and threatened “if he continue to speak of Jesus’ name.” He went in his house, knowing what it would cost him, wrote this poem, and tacked it to his doorpost. He was later martyred. It is titled, “My Commitment as a Christian”

It reads,

“I’m a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me…my banner will be clear!”

Conclusion:

[1] Each of us have the responsibility to respond, and we will be held accountable for how we responded.

[2] What hinders you from responding today? Do you lack conviction? Do you lack concern? Do you lack commitment?