ESTHER
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 12th June 2016
Passage: Esther 4:1-5:8
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 two guys in their mid-20s tried to get tickets for a sold-out Metallica concert in the US.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 That was probably their first mistake.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:14 Having failed in getting the tickets to their concert to go and see their heroes,
00:00:14 --> 00:00:21 they decided instead to hang out in the venue car park drinking alcohol.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 And so eventually, fueled by alcohol, they decided that they would take a risk.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:33 And the plan was to jump the two-metre fence and to sneak into the back of the concert.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 However, the fence on the car park side was two metres.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:42 What they didn't realise was on the other side was a seven-metre drop below the two-metre fence.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 And so something that they couldn't see, obviously, in the darkness.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:51 And so the first guy jumps over the fence, falls about halfway down the distance,
00:00:51 --> 00:00:56 and lands in this large tree which broke his fall and his left arm.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:03 He also somehow managed to get his shorts stuck in a tree branch,
00:01:03 --> 00:01:07 and so he was dangling there in his shorts with his broken arm.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 And it was at that point that he remembered he had a pocket knife.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:15 Rips out his pocket knife and decides to cut his shorts free.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:21 In the moment of cutting his shorts free, he dropped the knife,
00:01:21 --> 00:01:27 and he fell through the rest of the tree and landed on some pretty hard concrete,
00:01:27 --> 00:01:32 some branches of some concrete down the bottom, which broke his fall.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:38 But he also landed on his knife that he dropped, which stabbed him in his left thigh.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:43 His mate decides to attempt a rescue.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:49 Throws a rope over the fence, ties his mate up, or gets his mate to tie himself up.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 Tries to pull him up, but he's too heavy.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 It's at this moment he has a stroke of genius,
00:01:54 --> 00:01:58 and decides to tie the other end of the rope to his pickup truck.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:05 And because of the level of alcohol in his system, he put it into the wrong gear.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:11 He put it into reverse, drove through the fence, over the tree,
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 and landed on his mates, which killed him instantly.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 He himself was thrown out of the vehicle
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 and died from internal injuries not much longer after that.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:28 Now, risk is any action that exposes you to loss or injury.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:30 That's what risk is.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:35 If you take a risk, you can lose money, you can lose face,
00:02:35 --> 00:02:39 you can lose your health, or you can lose your life.
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 And what's worse, if you take a risk,
00:02:43 --> 00:02:47 you may in fact be endangering other people and not just yourself.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:49 That's risk.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:56 And so would a wise and loving person ever take a risk?
00:02:58 --> 00:03:02 Is it loving to endanger others?
00:03:04 --> 00:03:05 It depends.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:11 You can throw your life away in a hundred sinful or stupid ways,
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 like trying to secure tickets for a Metallica concert,
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 and you can die as a result of it.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:26 But losing your life is not the same as wasting your life.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:35 What if successful risk brought enormous benefit to many people,
00:03:36 --> 00:03:41 and its failure would cause harm to only you?
00:03:41 --> 00:03:48 It may not be loving to choose comfort or security
00:03:48 --> 00:03:52 when something great may be achieved for the cause of Christ
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 or for the sake of other people.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:58 And that's where we find ourselves in Esther today.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 As we saw last week in chapter 3,
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 Edict goes out to the whole Persian Empire
00:04:04 --> 00:04:08 about the extermination of the Jews on a set date.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:14 And on that day, if you're a Jewish person in the Persian Empire,
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 your next-door neighbour, your school friends,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:22 your work colleagues are given permission by law to,
00:04:22 --> 00:04:23 as it says in chapter 3, verse 13,
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 to destroy, to kill,
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 and annihilate you
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 and plunder all of your goods.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 And so at the beginning of chapter 4,
00:04:35 --> 00:04:36 as Deb just read out,
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 Mordecai is in sackcloth and mourning
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 at the open square of the city
00:04:40 --> 00:04:41 in front of the king's gate
00:04:41 --> 00:04:42 because of this edict.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:42 It says,
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done,
00:04:45 --> 00:04:46 he tore his clothes,
00:04:46 --> 00:04:47 he put on sackcloth and ashes
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 and went out into the city
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 wailing loudly and bitterly.
00:04:53 --> 00:04:54 Now, if I was Mordecai,
00:04:54 --> 00:04:55 I've got to say,
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 I'd be feeling a little bit responsible at this moment.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 This all transpired
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 because I refused to give acknowledgement to Haman.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 Who could have predicted it would have gone this bad?
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 Feeling a little bit responsible.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:15 But here's Mordecai.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:17 He's at the palace gate,
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 chapter 1, verse 2.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 He calls it the citadel of Susa.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 It was a strongly fortified,
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 elevated position in Susa
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 and it was all designed
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 to exalt the importance of the king
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 and to guard his person.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 So this is Mordecai.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 He's at the gate of the palace complex,
00:05:39 --> 00:05:40 the high city.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:41 It's the palace.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 It's the citadel
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 and it's the place of power and influence
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 for the whole Persian empire.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 And this is where Esther is.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 She's on the other side of this gate
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 and Mordecai is trying to get her attention
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 to do something about this situation,
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 to save the people of God.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 Now the first thing we learn here
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 is that God doesn't just work
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 using missionaries and ministers
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 and church workers for his work in the world.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 Esther's not head of a congregation.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:16 She's not even in a congregation.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 She's not even out in the streets.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 She's here in the palace.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:22 And this, of course,
00:06:22 --> 00:06:23 is the problem with Esther
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 at the beginning of this chapter.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 There is a danger
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 of being in the palace.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 Notice Esther's response
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 to Mordecai's weeping in verse 4.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 When Esther's eunuchs
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 and female attendants
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 came and told her about Mordecai,
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 she was in great distress.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:44 Why was she in great distress?
00:06:44 --> 00:06:48 Well, we know.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 She sent clothes for him
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 to put on instead of his sackcloth.
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 But he would not accept them.
00:06:58 --> 00:06:59 She was in great distress
00:06:59 --> 00:07:00 because he'd torn his clothes.
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 And so she sends him clothes.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 Maybe he's making a spectacle of himself.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 Esther has become totally isolated
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 from the rest of God's people.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 Every Jew from Ethiopia to India
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 knew about this edict.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 Except Esther, it would appear.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 She didn't have a clue.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:30 Maybe she didn't have time
00:07:30 --> 00:07:31 between the matricules
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 and the pedicules and the facials.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 Maybe it was the shopping.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 In any case,
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 she'd done a really good job
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 at concealing her identity
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 and so who would bother
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 to inform her
00:07:44 --> 00:07:45 that her people
00:07:45 --> 00:07:46 are about to be executed?
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 How easy it is
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 to become isolated
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 from the needs around us
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 and for God's concerns
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 for his world
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 when we live
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 the good life in the palace.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 And Mordecai here begs her,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 he pleads with her
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 to use her clout
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 and her position
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 and her faith with the king
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 to do something,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 to work for justice
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 and to save her people.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 Notice Esther's first response
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 to Mordecai in verse 11.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 All the king's officials
00:08:25 --> 00:08:25 and the people
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 of the world provinces
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 know that for any man
00:08:29 --> 00:08:29 or woman
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 who approaches the king
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 in the inner court
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 without being summoned
00:08:33 --> 00:08:33 by the king
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 has but one law,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:38 that they be put to death
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 unless the king
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 extends the gold scepter
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 to them
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 and spares their lives.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 But 30 days have passed
00:08:47 --> 00:08:48 since I was called
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 to go to the king.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:54 She says there's risk here.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 Mordecai, there's risk.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 Now let's not forget
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 that this is the Esther
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 who got to where she was
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 because her predecessor
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 was a little too bold.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 Remember what happened to Vashti?
00:09:12 --> 00:09:17 And notice too
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 that Esther says
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 that Xerxes
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 hasn't asked her
00:09:22 --> 00:09:22 to come to her
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 for 30 days.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 It's not like there's
00:09:29 --> 00:09:30 a bunch of stuff
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 on Netflix
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 that he's trying to watch.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 This guy does not
00:09:35 --> 00:09:35 sleep alone.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 And so if she has not
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 been called for 30 days,
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 then it could possibly
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 be a sign
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 that she is out of favour
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 with Xerxes.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 So she says to Mordecai,
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 you don't know
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 what you are asking of me.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 I could lose everything.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 And Mordecai sends back
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 a message in verse 13
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 which is the high point
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 of all of Esther.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:09 Esther.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 This chapter 4
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 is the main chapter
00:10:14 --> 00:10:14 in Esther
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 and this is the high point
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 of the chapter.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 Do not think
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 that because you are
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 in the king's house,
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 you alone
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 of all the Jews
00:10:24 --> 00:10:24 will escape.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 For if you remain
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 silent at this time,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 relief and deliverance
00:10:30 --> 00:10:30 for the Jews
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 will arise
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 from another place.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 But you and your father's
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 family will perish.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 And who knows
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 but that you have come
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 to your royal position
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 for such a time
00:10:43 --> 00:10:43 as this.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 In other words,
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 if you don't risk
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 losing the palace,
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 you will lose everything.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 If you risk
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 losing the palace,
00:10:59 --> 00:11:03 you might lose everything
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 but if you don't risk
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 losing the palace,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 you will lose everything.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 If all the Jews
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 were killed,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 then you'll eventually
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 be sniffed out
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 and you'll be discovered
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 as a Jew
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 and you will die too.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:18 And if the Jews
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 aren't killed,
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 there's some other one
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 who comes in
00:11:21 --> 00:11:21 and rescues
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 by God's hand,
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 then you'll just
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 be discovered
00:11:25 --> 00:11:25 as a traitor.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:29 Now,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 we're not in
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 the identical situation
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 as Esther here.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 Let's be clear
00:11:33 --> 00:11:33 about that.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:34 But it might be helpful
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 just to stand back
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 just for a moment
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 and generalise
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 a little for a moment.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 I think there are
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 two remarkable principles
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 that have powerful
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 applications for us.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 First,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 first principle here,
00:11:50 --> 00:11:50 unless you use
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 the cloud
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 that you've got,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 the credentials
00:11:53 --> 00:11:53 you've got,
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 the money you've got,
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 the position you've got,
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 the skills you've got,
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 for the service
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 of others,
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 rather than feathering
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 your own nest,
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 then those things
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 don't become
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 freeing for you,
00:12:09 --> 00:12:09 they become
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 enslaving.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 That's the first principle.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 the palace
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 was in fact
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 death row
00:12:19 --> 00:12:19 for Esther
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 if she used it
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 for her own comfort
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 and her own security.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 If you're unwilling
00:12:27 --> 00:12:27 to jeopardise
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 your place
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 in the palace,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 then the palace
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 has ownership
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 of you.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 It has taken
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 over you.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 The only way
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 that you're prepared
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 to risk life
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 in the palace
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 is if your identity
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 has its foundation
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 somewhere else.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 That is,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 something other
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 than your net worth
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 becomes your self-worth.
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 Mordecai seems
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 to be saying here
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 that if you can't
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 throw away the palace,
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 or at least
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 risk throwing away
00:13:06 --> 00:13:06 the palace,
00:13:06 --> 00:13:10 or risk your place
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 in the palace
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 to do good
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 for other people,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 then the palace
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 actually owns you.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 You don't own
00:13:20 --> 00:13:20 the palace.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 So how do you
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 get an identity
00:13:26 --> 00:13:26 that hasn't got
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 its foundation
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 in the palace?
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 And the answer
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 is actually hinted at
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 in these verses.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 Remember those words
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 he said,
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 who knows,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 but that you have
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 come to your royal
00:13:37 --> 00:13:37 position for such
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 a time as this?
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 The word come there
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 is in the passive
00:13:43 --> 00:13:43 form,
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 which means it's
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 probably a little
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 bit better to
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 translate it like
00:13:47 --> 00:13:47 this.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 Who knows,
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 but that you have
00:13:51 --> 00:13:51 been brought
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 to the royal
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 position for such
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 a time as this?
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 He's saying
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 that you got
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 to the palace
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 by grace.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 your beauty
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 was not
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 something that
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 your beauty
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 was something
00:14:10 --> 00:14:10 that was given
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 to you.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:12 She didn't
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 produce the
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 door of opportunity
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 that saw her
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 rise from
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 orphan girl
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 to queen.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 God has been
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 silent but
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 sovereignly working
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 to this point.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 Now,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:27 although it's
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 a general
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 statement from
00:14:29 --> 00:14:29 Mordecai,
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 Esther begins
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 to respond to
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 this message
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 here.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 The Esther
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 that we know
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 from chapters
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 one and two,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 the sweet,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 the pretty little
00:14:39 --> 00:14:39 Esther,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 who was compliant,
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 who never rocked
00:14:42 --> 00:14:42 the boat,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 who doesn't
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 ruffle any
00:14:44 --> 00:14:44 feathers,
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 goes away from
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 this moment and
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 starts to give
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 orders.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 It's Mordecai
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 giving the
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 orders at the
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 beginning of the
00:14:53 --> 00:14:53 chapter,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 it's now Esther
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 who starts giving
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 the orders.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 And this is
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 the turning
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 point for
00:15:01 --> 00:15:01 Esther.
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 This is where
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 she steps
00:15:04 --> 00:15:04 up.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:05 This is where
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 she utters
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 those remarkable
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 words in
00:15:09 --> 00:15:09 verse 16.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:10 Go gather
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 all together
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 all the Jews
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 who are in
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 Susa and
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 fast for me.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:15 Do not eat
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 or drink for
00:15:17 --> 00:15:17 three days,
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 night or day.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 I and my
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 attendants will
00:15:20 --> 00:15:20 fast as you
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 do.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 And when this
00:15:22 --> 00:15:22 is done,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 I will go to
00:15:24 --> 00:15:24 the king,
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 even though it
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 is against the
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 law.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 And if I
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 perish, I
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 perish.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 We go from
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 Barbie doll
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 sex kitten
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 Esther to
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 the one who's
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 living the high
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 life in the
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 palace to
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 Esther risking
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 everything.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 Esther the
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 hero.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 hero.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 What an
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 inspiration.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 Let me just
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 pause again
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 there for a
00:16:04 --> 00:16:04 moment because
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 there is a
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 danger here as
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 well.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 There's a danger
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 that some of us
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 might be so
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 inspired by
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 Esther as
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 can I say
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 many feminists
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 are inspired
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 by Esther to
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 get out there
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 and do
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 something and
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 make change
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 for good.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 If you're
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 inspired by
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 Esther,
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 that is,
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 some here
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 might stop
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 seeing all
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 that God
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 has given
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 them for
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 their own
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 benefit,
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 feathering their
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 own nest and
00:16:36 --> 00:16:36 for their own
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 self-gratification
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 and start
00:16:38 --> 00:16:38 instead to
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 use everything
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 that God's
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 given them
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 for a means
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 to serve
00:16:41 --> 00:16:41 others.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 You might
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 start to
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 take risks
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 and get
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 more interested
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 in justice
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 and mercy
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 and mission
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 and others
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 might be
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 interested by
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 Esther just
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 to start
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 speaking up
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 and speaking
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 your mind
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 and confronting
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 the issues.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 Maybe you've
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 been too
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 quiet about
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 your beliefs,
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 you've been
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 afraid to
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 speak,
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 you're in
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 the background,
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 most people
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 don't know
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 who you are
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 so now,
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 come Monday
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 morning,
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 I'm on the
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 front foot and
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 I'm just
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 going to let
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 people have
00:17:04 --> 00:17:04 it.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 There's a
00:17:06 --> 00:17:06 danger in
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 this and
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 the danger
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 is it
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 won't last.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 The danger
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 is that if
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 you get
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 inspiration
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 by an
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 example,
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 even an
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 example like
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 Esther,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 then your
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 basic motivation
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 is guilt.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 Guilt because
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 of a past
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 life of
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 selfishness,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 oh my
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 goodness,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 I've been
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 living so
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 poorly and
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 I've got to
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 all change
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 now,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 I feel so
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 selfish from
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 where I've
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 been.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 It might
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 be guilt
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 over
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 elitism,
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 it might
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 be guilt
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 because I
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 live in
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 a really
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 nice part
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 of a
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 city in
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 a great
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 country.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 Motivation
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 by guilt
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 wears off
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 because guilt
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 doesn't
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 actually change
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 you on the
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 inside.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 Changes
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 actions on
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 the outside
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 but doesn't
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 change you
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 on the
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 inside.
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 When guilt
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 is your
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 motivation,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 then you
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 are still
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 going to
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 get your
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 identity
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 from your
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 performance.
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 performance.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 When guilt
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 is your
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 motivation,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 you still
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 get your
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 identity
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 from your
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 performance.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 And
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 self-righteousness
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 is always
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 the fruit
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 of performance.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 I'm not
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 going to be
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 like those
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 other so-called
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 Christians who
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 don't give a
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 rip about
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 justice and
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 mercy.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 I'm going
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 to lead
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 the way
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 in this.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 I'm going
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 to be
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 principled
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 and I'm
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 going to
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 be outspoken.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 It's not
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 actual change
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 in the
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 heart and
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 it's revealed
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 that when
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 you're confronted
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 by others
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 who don't
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 have the
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 same values
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 that you
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 have,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 you get
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 angry with
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 them.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 You become
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 judgmental.
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 That's the
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 outworking of
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 self-righteousness.
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 And there
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 is another
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 danger here
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 and that's
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 overreaction.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 This is
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 where you
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 give everything
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 away,
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 go home
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 right now,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 right now,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 out all the
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 checks,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 get everything
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 and put on
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 sackcloth
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 and mourning
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 and go
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 and sit
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 in the
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 mall.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 You do
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 anything,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 give away
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 everything
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 without any
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 thought,
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 any wise
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 stewardship.
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 Now,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 let me say,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 there is a
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 time to
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 throw a
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 band in
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 the air
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 and there
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 are also
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 times to
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 pull back
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 and to
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 regroup.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 You know,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 let's be
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 clear here,
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 it took
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 Esther a
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 little while
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 before she
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 actually
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 approached
00:19:32 --> 00:19:32 Xerxes
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 and when
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 she did
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 approach
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 Xerxes,
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 he had
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 to ask
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 her three
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 times what
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 her request
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 was.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 Three times.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 It's almost
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 like she's
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 about to
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 say it,
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 come to
00:19:46 --> 00:19:46 dinner.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 You see
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 that in
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 chapter 5.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 My point
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 is if you
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 just look at
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 Esther as an
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 example,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 it will wear
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 off or
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 you'll become
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 more and more
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 self-righteous
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 and more
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 pharisaical or
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 you'll just
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 become stupid
00:20:05 --> 00:20:08 if you just
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 look at her
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 as an
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 example.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 But what
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 if you
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 didn't just
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 look at
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 Esther as
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 an example
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 but saw
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 her as a
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 signpost?
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 Esther
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 saved her
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 people by
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 two things,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 by
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 identification
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 and by
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 mediation.
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 Identification
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 and mediation.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 She
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 identified
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 with her
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 people.
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 She didn't
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 take the
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 safe way.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 Her
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 people were
00:20:37 --> 00:20:37 condemned
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 and she
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 identified
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 with them
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 and in
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 fact came
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 under the
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 same
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 condemnation.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 She
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 risked her
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 life and
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 she says
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 if I
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 perish,
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 I perish.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 And because
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 she identified
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 with her
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 people,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 she could
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 mediate.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 She could
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 go before
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 the throne
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 of power
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 in a way
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 that no
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 one else
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 could.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 She went
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 before the
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 throne of
00:21:03 --> 00:21:03 power and
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 because she
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 was favoured,
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 that favour
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 was attributed
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 to her
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 people or
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 imputed to
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 her people.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 She saved
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 her people
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 through
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 identification
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 with them
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 and mediation
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 for them.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 Now Esther
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 was a
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 flawed
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 saviour,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 a very
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 flawed
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 saviour,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 but she
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 points us
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 to a
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 far
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 greater
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 saviour.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 Jesus
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 lived in
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 the ultimate
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 palace,
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 the very
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 presence of
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 God in
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 the kingdom
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 and as
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 the son
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 of God
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 he had
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 ultimate
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 beauty
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 and glory
00:21:38 --> 00:21:40 and he
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 left it.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 No one
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 had to
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 manipulate
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 him,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 no one
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 put pressure
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 on him,
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 no one
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 had to
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 convince him
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 for it,
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 he wasn't
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 getting
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 pedicules
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 and manicules
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 and facials,
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 he wasn't
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 backed into
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 a corner,
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 Philippians 2
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 says that
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 he had
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 equality with
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 the father
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 but he
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 did not
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 hold on
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 to it,
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 he emptied
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 himself,
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 became down,
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 he identified
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 with his
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 people,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 he took
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 on their
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 condemnation,
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 he didn't
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 do it
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 at the
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 risk of
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 his life,
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 he did
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 it at the
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 cost of
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 his life,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 he didn't
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 say if
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 I perish
00:22:10 --> 00:22:10 I perish,
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 he said
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 when I
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 perish,
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 I perish,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 he went
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 to the
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 cross,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 there he
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 died and
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 made atonement
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 for our
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 sins and
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 now the
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 Bible says
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 that he
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 stands before
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 the throne
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 of the
00:22:22 --> 00:22:24 universe and
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 his favour
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 is our
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 favour in
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 front of
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 the king of
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 kings,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 the lord of
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 all the
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 world.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 You see
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 if,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 you see
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 Esther as
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 an example
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 and say
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 be like
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 Esther,
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 it will
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 crush you
00:22:46 --> 00:22:46 because you
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 could never
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 do it.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 But if
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 you see
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 Jesus as
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 your
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 saviour,
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 not as
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 an example
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 doing
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 something for
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 someone else,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 but as a
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 saviour
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 rescuing
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 you,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 it changes
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 your identity.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 He becomes
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 your security,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 he becomes
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 your value,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 he becomes
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 your worth
00:23:09 --> 00:23:11 and suddenly
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 everything else
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 in your life
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 just becomes
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 stuff because
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 you've got
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 everything when
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 you've got
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 Jesus.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:19 you're set
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 free to
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 risk stuff,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 you're set
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 free to
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 lose stuff
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 because
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 your self-worth
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 is not
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 your net
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 worth and
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 when you
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 lose stuff
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 in Jesus,
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 you don't
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 lose
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 yourself.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 If you
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 see what
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 Jesus has
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 done for
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 you in
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 losing the
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 ultimate
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 palace for
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 you,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 then and
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 only then
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 will you
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 have the
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 freedom to
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 risk for
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 God's
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 glory in
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 the sake
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 of others.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 When you
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 see Jesus
00:23:56 --> 00:23:58 risk for
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 you,
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 there are
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 at least
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 four implications
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 for that.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 At least
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 four.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 So let me
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 go through
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 them.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 Firstly,
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 if I perish,
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 I perish
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 is the
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 language that's
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 calling you,
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 Christian
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 person to
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 identify with
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 the poor
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 and the
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 oppressed in
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 this world.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 Just like
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 Esther did,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:25 identifying with
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 her people,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 those in
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 great desperate
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 need.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 So if I
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 perish, I
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 perish is the
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 language calling
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 you, Christian
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 person, to
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 identify with
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 the poor and
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 the oppressed
00:24:35 --> 00:24:35 in this world.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 If this is a
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 call for us
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 as believers,
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 having seen
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 what Jesus
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 has done for
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 us to
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 identify with
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 the people
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 who are
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 outside the
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 palace.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 Scottish
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 minister
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 Robert
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 Murray
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 Mishane
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 preached this
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 message to
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 Scottish
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 Christians
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 living in
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 Scottish
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 cities in
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 1838.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 He said,
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 I fear
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 that there
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 are some
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 Christians
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 among you
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 to whom
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 Christ will
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 not be able
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 to say on
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 the last
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 day,
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 well done,
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 good and
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 faithful servant.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 He's referring
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 there to
00:25:08 --> 00:25:10 Matthew 25.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 Your
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 hearty
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 dwelling
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 rises
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 amongst
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 thousands
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 who have
00:25:19 --> 00:25:21 scarcely a
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 fire to
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 warn themselves
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 at and
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 have but
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 little clothing
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 to keep
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 out the
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 biting frost
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 and yet you
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 don't darken
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 their door.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 You heave
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 a sigh,
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 perhaps at a
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 distance,
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 but you do
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 not visit
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 them.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 My
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 friends,
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 I'm
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 concerned
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 for the
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 poor,
00:25:41 --> 00:25:43 but I'm
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 actually more
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 concerned for
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 you.
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 I don't
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 know what
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 Christ will
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 say to
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 you on
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 the great
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 day.
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 You say
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 you follow
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 Christ,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 but you
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 don't care
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 for his
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 poor.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 I fear
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 that there
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 may be
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 many hearing
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 me who
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 now know
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 well that
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 they may
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 not be
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 Christians at
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 all because
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 they don't
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 love to
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 give.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 To give
00:26:06 --> 00:26:06 largely,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 and generously,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 not begrudgingly,
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 requires a
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 brand new
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 heart.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 An old
00:26:14 --> 00:26:16 heart would
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 rather part
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 with its
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 lifeblood
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 than its
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 money.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 Oh, my
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 dear Christians,
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 if you
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 would be
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 like Christ,
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 give much,
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 give often,
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 give freely
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 to the vile
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 and the poor
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 and the
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 thankless and
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 the undeserving.
00:26:32 --> 00:26:34 Christ is
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 glorious and
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 he is
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 happy and
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 so will
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 you be.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 It is not
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 your money I
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 want but
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 your happiness.
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 Remember his
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 word.
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 It is more
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 blessed to
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 give than
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 receive.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 That's the
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 first bit of
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 if I perish,
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 I perish.
00:26:54 --> 00:26:56 Secondly,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 if I perish,
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 I perish is
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 the language of
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 exciting mission.
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 Wherever you
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 are right
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 now,
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 you've got
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 certain gifts,
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 certain
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 abilities,
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 certain
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 experiences,
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 certain
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 opportunities,
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 certain experiences
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 even of
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 hardship and
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 suffering
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 that make
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 you uniquely
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 ready,
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 uniquely
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 ready
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 to help
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 certain
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 people in
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 this world
00:27:26 --> 00:27:26 that no one
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 else can
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 help.
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 Ephesians 2
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 verse 10
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 says that we
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 are God's
00:27:33 --> 00:27:33 workmanship
00:27:33 --> 00:27:35 created in
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 Christ Jesus
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 to do good
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 works that God
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 has prepared
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 in advance
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 for us to
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 do.
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 And the
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 word workmanship
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 there carries
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 the idea
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 of
00:27:45 --> 00:27:47 the original
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 root meaning
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 is poem.
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 It's where we
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 get our word
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 poem form.
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 And the idea
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 is that we
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 are God's
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 artwork.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:55 We have been
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 uniquely crafted
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 by God with
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 gifts and
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 talents and
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 positions and
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 strengths and
00:27:59 --> 00:27:59 weaknesses,
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 even weaknesses
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 and blessings
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 and sufferings
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 that make us
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 uniquely placed
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 by God to
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 do unique
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 works for
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 other people.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 Every one
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 of us.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 You've been
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 brought to
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 whatever place
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 you've been
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 brought to
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 for such
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 a time
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 as this.
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 Ask God
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 what it
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 is.
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 Ask God
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 what it
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 is.
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 Thirdly,
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 if I
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 perish,
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 I perish
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 is the
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 language of
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 unconditional
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 obedience.
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 It means
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 I'm going to
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 follow God
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 whatever
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 happens.
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 And it's
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 really essential
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 for us to
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 understand who
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 it is that's
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 calling us
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 to
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 unconditional
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 obedience.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 Imagine
00:28:53 --> 00:28:55 the distance
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 between the
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 earth and
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 the sun,
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 approximately
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 149.6
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 million
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 kilometers,
00:29:03 --> 00:29:05 is represented
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 by the
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 thickness of
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 this sheet
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 of paper.
00:29:07 --> 00:29:10 that represents
00:29:10 --> 00:29:12 149.6
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 million
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 kilometers.
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 The distance
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 between the
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 earth and
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 the nearest
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 star to
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 earth
00:29:20 --> 00:29:23 is,
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 would,
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 a stack
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 of paper
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 like that,
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 360
00:29:30 --> 00:29:33 reams of
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 paper high.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:36 that's the
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 distance from
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 the earth
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 to the
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 nearest
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 star.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 That's
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 about a
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 20 meter
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 high stack
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 of paper.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 The distance
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 across the
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 little galaxy
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 that we
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 exist in
00:29:48 --> 00:29:51 would require
00:29:51 --> 00:29:55 3
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 million
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 stacks,
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 reams of
00:29:58 --> 00:29:58 paper.
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 That's a
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 stack of
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 paper,
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 I think,
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 roughly
00:30:04 --> 00:30:08 192
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 kilometers
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 high.
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 This
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 universe is
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 but a
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 little
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 speck
00:30:17 --> 00:30:19 amongst
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 all the,
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 this galaxy
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 is a little
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 speck amongst
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 all the other
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 galaxies in
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 our world,
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 our universe.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 It's pretty
00:30:25 --> 00:30:27 impressive when
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 you consider
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 this is the
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 thickness between
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 here and the
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 sun.
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 Frankly,
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 the sun
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 wasn't close
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 enough this
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 morning to
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 us.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:35 And the
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 point is that
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 Hebrews 1,
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 2 and 3
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 says that
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 this Jesus
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 is the
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 one who
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 spoke it
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 all into
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 existence
00:30:43 --> 00:30:45 and he's
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 the one
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 who upholds
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 it by the
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 power of
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 his word.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 Or another
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 way, my
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 translation,
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 he holds
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 it up by
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 his pinky.
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 This is the
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 Jesus who
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 calls you to
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 unconditional
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 obedience.
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 This is the
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 one who
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 calls you to
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 unconditional
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 obedience.
00:31:04 --> 00:31:04 This is the
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 one who gave
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 his life for
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 you.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 He's not
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 your personal
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 assistant.
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 He doesn't
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 fit with your
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 program and
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 follow you when
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 you can fit
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 him in.
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 You don't
00:31:20 --> 00:31:22 RSVP with
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 Jesus and
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 wait for a
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 better offer.
00:31:24 --> 00:31:28 friends,
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 take your
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 hands off
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 your life
00:31:31 --> 00:31:33 because you
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 don't have
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 control of
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 it anyway.
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 You don't
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 have control
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 of it.
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 It seems to
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 me that God
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 intends for
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 us to live
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 with uncertainty
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 and risk in
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 our lives,
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 whether we're
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 Christian or
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 not.
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 James 4
00:31:48 --> 00:31:50 verses 13
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 to 15
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 says this,
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 now listen,
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 you who
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 say today
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 or tomorrow
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 we will go
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 to this
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 city or
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 that city,
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 spend a
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 year there,
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 carry on
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 business and
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 make money,
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 why you
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 don't even
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 know what
00:32:04 --> 00:32:04 will happen
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 tomorrow.
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 What is
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 your life?
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 You are a
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 mist that
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 appears for a
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 little while
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 and then
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 vanishes.
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 Instead,
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 you ought to
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 say if it
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 is the
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 Lord's will,
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 we will
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 live and
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 do this or
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 that.
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 You don't
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 know,
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 frankly,
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 friends,
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 if your
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 heart is
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 going to
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 stop before
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 this meeting
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 is over.
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 You don't
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 know if
00:32:29 --> 00:32:29 some
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 oncoming
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 driver will
00:32:31 --> 00:32:33 swerve on
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 the wrong
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 side of the
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 lane and
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 hit you on
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 the way
00:32:35 --> 00:32:35 home.
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 You don't
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 know if the
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 food that
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 you've eaten
00:32:38 --> 00:32:38 this morning
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 is some
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 sort of
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 wicked
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 bacteria and
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 virus thing
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 in it that's
00:32:41 --> 00:32:43 going to
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 kill you.
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 You don't
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 know if a
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 man with a
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 gun is
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 going to
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 shoot you
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 down the
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 mall in
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 Chatswood
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 before the
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 afternoon's
00:32:48 --> 00:32:48 over.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 We are
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 not God.
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 we do
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 not know
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 what tomorrow
00:32:52 --> 00:32:54 is and
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 risk,
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 therefore,
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 is built
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 into the
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 very fabric
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 of our
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 lives.
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 You cannot
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 avoid risk
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 even if you
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 wanted to
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 avoid risk.
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 All of our
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 plans for
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 tomorrow's
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 activities can
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 be shattered
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 by a thousand
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 unknowns.
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 Whether we
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 stay at home
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 in bed or
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 we walk
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 along a
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 footpath,
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 we need
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 to explode
00:33:17 --> 00:33:19 the myth
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 of safety
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 and to
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 somehow be
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 delivered from
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 the seduction
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 of security
00:33:24 --> 00:33:26 that exists
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 in our
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 culture.
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 It's a
00:33:30 --> 00:33:30 mirage.
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 Security
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 doesn't
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 exist.
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 Don't
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 listen to
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 the retirement
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 ads.
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 It
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 doesn't
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 exist.
00:33:41 --> 00:33:47 And the
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 tragedy is
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 that in
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 the myth
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 of security
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 we are
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 paralyzed to
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 take any
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 risk for
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 the cause
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 of Christ
00:33:53 --> 00:33:57 because we
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 are deluded
00:33:57 --> 00:33:59 and we
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 think it
00:33:59 --> 00:34:01 will jeopardize
00:34:01 --> 00:34:01 the security
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 that doesn't
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 exist.
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 Take your
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 hands off
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 your life
00:34:07 --> 00:34:09 and put
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 them
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 into his
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 pinky.
00:34:11 --> 00:34:15 fourthly,
00:34:17 --> 00:34:17 if I
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 perish,
00:34:18 --> 00:34:18 I
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 perish
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 is the
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 language
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 of
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 greatness.
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 There
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 are 14
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 times in
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 the book
00:34:26 --> 00:34:26 of Esther
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 where
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 Esther is
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 referred to
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 specifically
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 as Queen
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31 Esther.
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 13 of
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 the 14
00:34:35 --> 00:34:37 times
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 occur
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 straight
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 after she
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 says,
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 if I
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 perish,
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 I
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 perish.
00:34:41 --> 00:34:45 she
00:34:45 --> 00:34:45 becomes a
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 person of
00:34:46 --> 00:34:46 greatness
00:34:46 --> 00:34:48 by letting
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 go of
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 her life
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 and placing
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 it in the
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 hands of
00:34:52 --> 00:34:54 God for
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 his glory
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 and the
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 joy of
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 all others.
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 If I
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 perish,
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 I perish.
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 perish.
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 It's
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 the language
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 of risk.
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 It's
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 the language
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 of
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 greatness.
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 It's
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 the language
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 of
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 greatness.