Sunday Sermons
Such a Time
Such a Time
Every wonder why you were born at this time in history? Now and then I hear someone say that they wish they had been born in another time. By contrast Buck O'Neil was a first baseman in the Negro American League and played from 1937 to 1955. He played during a time when baseball as well as many other institutions in this nation were segregated. The question was presented to him as to whether he had wished he had been born later and was able to play after the time of Jackie Robinson, and to have played in the Major Leagues. He response to such a question was, "People ask me, ‘Buck, don’t you think you were born too soon because you didn’t get to play in the major leagues?’ And I tell them, ‘No.’ How could I have been born too soon when I played against Babe Ruth, I saw Lou Gehrig play, I saw Ty Cobb play, I played against Josh Gibson, I played with Satchel Paige, I played with and against Cool Papa Bell? If I had been born earlier, I wouldn’t have experienced all these things. And I tell you what: I met my wife playing baseball in Memphis, Tennessee. I was a Kansas City Monarch, one of the greatest teams in the country... Hey, I was right on time'" (http://buckoneil.com/articles/buck-his-own-words)
This Time Is Crucial Too
It is tempting to think that all the great moments and pivotal points in human history are in the past. Yet I remember that long after the time of Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, there was a huge moment in the history for God's people.
Enter Esther
What first impresses me about the book of Esther is that this young woman is simply caught up in all sorts of circumstances over which she had no control. It just so happens that the most powerful king at that time in the world had held a long period of feasting and drinking (Esther 1:3-9). He then commanded that his queen come and display her beauty to his nobles (1:10-12). The queen refuses and then panic sets in among the King's administrators, who feared that such a precedent would lead to chaos in the Persian home and family life (1:17). So the queen is removed, but then the king misses her and cannot just take her back (1:19; 2:1-2). The answer to this problem is to start the process of finding a new queen through an empire wide rounding up of the fairest of the land (2:2). Apparently, against her will, Esther is simply rounded up with the other fair maidens (4:8). The text does not say that Esther entered or signed up for this contest, but rather "she was taken" (4:8).
A Familiar Story Line
I believe we can safely conclude, that Esther's life goal or plan was something other than being the Queen of Persia. Yet the same is true of most heroes mentioned in the Bible. Noah's life goal had not been to build an Ark. Abraham's life goal had not been to the father of the Jewish nation. David had not planned on being the king of Israel. Amos had not planned on being a prophet (Amos 8:14). Nehemiah had not planned on rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (he already had a job). Joseph had not planned on being second in command in Egypt. Moses had not planned on delivering Israel in his 80's. Paul had not planned on becoming a Christian or being an apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:1). In like manner, many Christians and preachers that I have known other the years had not planned on being a spokesman for the truth in dark times.
Who Am I?
After Esther becomes queen life is not smooth sailing from then on. The Persian king promotes a very wicked man, Haman, who while he has everything materially, he cannot stand the fact that one single person refuses to bow before him (Esther 3:1-6). Instead of simply wanting to get rid of Mordecai, Haman is determined to exterminate the entire Jewish race in the Persian Empire (3:6). Amazingly, when Haman tells the King that he wants to get rid of an entire ethnic group, the King doesn't really ask any questions but simply goes along with the plan (3:10). At this point Esther finds herself involved. Mordecai informs her that she must use her influence with the king to save her people (4:8). Esther informs him that one just doesn't walk into the king's presence and ask for a favor. To enter in uninvited can mean death (4:11), and she hasn't been invited into his presence in over a month. I can sympathize with Esther on this point. She was not planning on being a queen. She had not been groomed for this. Her upbringing had been rather simple. She hasn't been a queen for that long, this is all very new to her. She is definitely not the best person for this job. Yet here is the reply from Mordecai that the Holy Spirit decided to record for our learning:
"And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).
Who Knows...
Too many people have this idea that you will just know by gut feelings what you were designed to accomplish. That you will just naturally feel what your "calling" is supposed to be. Observe that Esther is not feeling it! Neither does Mordecai feel it. Even the words of Mordecai are set within a "who knows". Neither one of them proclaims, "I just know". Even after Mordecai's speech, Esther while agreeing to put her life on the line, is not saying to herself, "I just know I can do it". Rather, she humbly says, "If I perish, I perish" (4:16).
You Are Needed To Preach The Truth
We live in a time when many people view the Bible as a book with some good ideas, but also a book that is rather dated, the words of mere men, and one that is not accurate scientifically. This book is not popular in our times, the truths in this book are being lost on the current generation. So who is going to stand up and say, "This is the truth" (John 17:17)?
You Are Needed To Correct: 2 Timothy 2:24-26
I find that much of my time now interacting with the public is spent hearing a lot of misinformation about the God and the Bible. So who will be willing to take the time and help people see the truth?
Will You Teach Without Big Results?
Too many young men who have went into preaching had the same thought. "In my time everyone is going to flock to the gospel". "If I just find the right presentation, the right visuals, and I have a great personality, I can fill up a building". Yet, where does the Bible ever say that? Many of the prophets in the Old Testament were inspired men and yet they were told, "You keep on preaching, even though no one listens" (Jeremiah 1:19; Isaiah 65:2; Ezekiel 3:6-7). In the New Testament, passages such as 2 Timothy 4:2-4 do not sound like Timothy is going to have a congregation of thousands. So in this generation, who is going to preach God's truth without compromise, simply because they love God? Who will be a lover of God in our time?
Who Will Be Clear About What God Has Promised?
Satan's goal is for us to embrace promises that are not in Scripture. Satan says, "God has promised that nothing bad will ever happen to you". Or, "God has promised that many people will flock to the gospel, so something is wrong with your message if there are empty pews". Who will be clear about what God has really promised? (2 Timothy 3:12).
You Are Needed To Serve
"My teenage son recently informed me that there is an Internet quiz to test oneself for narcissism. His friend had just taken it. 'How did it turn out?' I asked. 'He says he did great!' my son responded. 'He got the maximum score!' A 2010 study in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science found that the percentage of college students exhibiting narcissistic personality traits, based on their scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, a widely used diagnostic test, has increased by more than half since the early 1980s, to 30 percent. In their book 'Narcissism Epidemic,' the psychology professors Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell show that narcissism has increased as quickly as obesity has since the 1980s. Even our egos are getting fat" (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/14/opinion/narcissism-is-increasing-so-youre-not-so-special.html). Some say we are living in the most narcissistic culture that has ever existed. That might be an exaggeration, but what is true is that people today are definitely into themselves. In such a time, people who are willing to be unselfish and focus on helping others is critical. So who will pick up their cross in this generation, when you see so many around you who want to be served?
You Are Needed To Parent
Increasingly, disrespect towards parents on the part of children is being viewed as normal. As a culture we have virtually accepted that disobedience to parents is just a normal part of growing up, and yet God places it a list with really vile things (Romans 1:29-30). Remember, such actions brought the death penalty in the Law! As fathers and mothers, who is going to stand up in this time and say, "Not in my home". You see as a parent we are supposed to be reflections of our heavenly Father. If we say, "I am going to count to three". And then say, "I am going to count to six". We need to realize that our children are going to face a holy God that does not count to three.
Who Will Think Biblically?
Who will continue to link love for God with obedience to His will (John 14:15), being a good person with being a morally pure person (1 Peter 1:14), and baptism with salvation (1 Peter 3:21)? Someone noted, if your goal in this generation is to not offend anyone, then you will end up deceiving a lot of people. For we live in a time when if you want to engage in any sin, you can easily find an "expert" (who has often written a book) who will say that it is okay (2 Timothy 4:3).
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
