Community & Discipleship

Esther : For Such a Time as This (Esther 4:13~14)

2016.10.09Dr.R.Paul Stevens

God placed Esther in the palace of Persia for a specific purpose, so that she could save her people at a critical moment. Likewise, God has placed each of us where we are, and we are called to know where we are, what we are doing, what time it is, where we are going, and whose we are.

God weaves our circumstances into his purpose

We are not a bundle of accidents, and God has a wonderful purpose for us right where we are. Esther was an orphan taken into exile from Judah to Babylonia, where her cousin Mordecai raised her as his own daughter in Susa. Later, the Persian empire stretched from Pakistan to Sudan, and the story unfolds there. Even circumstances we did not choose are woven into God's purpose.

Hidden faith meets a deadly plot against God's people

Esther kept her identity as a Jew secret while she became queen. Haman, a man who demanded honor from everyone, was enraged when Mordecai refused to bow to him. He planned to destroy all the Jews in the Persian empire, and a date was set by casting lots called pur. When the decree threatened her people, Mordecai reminded Esther that living in the royal palace would not spare her alone.

For such a time as this: silence is not an option (13-14)

Mordecai told Esther that if she remained silent at this time, relief and deliverance would come to the Jews from another place, but she and her family would be lost. He said she had come to royal position for such a time as this. Esther did not act alone. She asked for three days of fasting and prayer from her maids and her people, and then she declared, if I perish, I perish. Her courage was rooted in prayer and in a decision made at a critical moment.

Know where you are, what you do, and what time it is

Wherever you work, whether in a factory, office, hospital, school, or home, God has placed you as salt and light in a significant situation. All honest work, from art and business to homemaking and government, is part of God's ongoing work in the world, so no task is merely secular. Chronos time, the ordinary passing of days, can become kairos time, when decisions must be made and people can meet with God. Discern the time and respond faithfully when it comes.

Our destination and our true identity in Christ

The kingdom of God has begun with Jesus, and it will be fully realized when he returns to make all things new in a new heaven and a new earth. That is our hope and our destination. Our deepest identity is not our job, nationality, or family role, but our identity as a child of God. John 1:12 says that those who receive Jesus and believe in his name are given the right to become children of God. Never forget not only who you are, but whose you are.

Apply to Life

  • Let us recognize that God has placed us in specific workplaces, homes, and communities for his purpose.
  • Let us do our daily work as the Lord's work, offering it to God whether it seems significant or not.
  • Let us discern the kairos moments God gives us and respond with courage and faithfulness.
  • Let us believe in Jesus, receive him as Lord and Savior, and live as children of God.
  • Let us remember whose we are and live with hope in the new heaven and new earth.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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