Sermon Snippet – The Holy Calling of God – Part VII
INTRODUCTION – From II Timothy 1:8-12, we have been considering some of the implications of the fact that God has “called us with [a] holy calling” (verse 9). As we have studied, this calling for all Christians extends to our homes and to our work, requires both patience and faithfulness, delivers us from fear, confirms the value of human life, adds purpose to our lives, counters the loud and unholy voices of the world, and kindly commands us to obey our Lord and labor for Him. The example of Esther from the Old Testament provides further insight into this subject.
1. SATAN HATES THE JEWISH PEOPLE
Of course, Satan hates everyone, even those who willingly and wittingly choose to serve him. I Peter 5:8 warns, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” The word “whom” is all-inclusive. John 8:44 says of Satan that “he was a murderer from the beginning.” The heinous and hate-filled plot to kill all of the Jewish people in Persia in 474 B.C. was thus inspired by Satan himself (Esther 3:8-9). We know that Satan’s particular hostility against the Jews has its roots in the promise of a Messiah that would destroy Satan’s power (Genesis 3:15). Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, was given a specific covenant from God ensuring that the Messiah would come from his line (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:8, 16). The attempts on the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph must be understood as Satan’s failed efforts to thwart God’s pledge of a coming Savior. In modern times, the Holocaust and the current climate of Western anti-Semitism are sad reminders of Satan’s abiding hatred, even though the Savior, Jesus Christ, has already come. Such antipathy has no place in a Christian’s life.
2. THE SILENT YEARS ARE NOT WASTED
Scripture provides us with vignettes from the lives of real people. This episodic approach is necessary, for we could not digest every minute detail of another person’s life – not even the earthly life of Jesus (John 21:25). We know very little about Esther (Persian for “star”; her Hebrew name was Hadassah, meaning “myrtle”). She was an orphan (2:7), extremely attractive (also 2:7 – it was this attribute which caught the sadly superficial attention of the pagan Persian potentate), and a young lady of faith and courage (as we will see in just a bit). We do not know about her aspirations of how she spent her time and energy. We do not know how she dealt with her personal grief or how frequently she yearned for a return to her native land of Israel. What we can be sure of is that these days and years were not wasted, for God was preparing her for a great moment. “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15b); our trust is in a God Who is always at work in and through us.
3. WE MUST SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY
Esther’s position in the palace enabled her to approach the volatile king. She could have been put to death for what might have been viewed as presumption, but Ahasuerus welcomed her and agreed to her request (5:1-8). The outcome is found in chapters 7-10: the Jewish people were spared. The feast of Purim (which this year began last Wednesday at sundown) commemorates their protection from Satanic slaughter. The words of Esther 4:13-14 are directly applicable to each one of us: we must seize the opportunities presented to us. To fellow believers (Ephesians 5:15-16) and to those who are currently without faith (Colossians 4:5-6), we are to be “redeeming the time.” The word “time” here does not refer to chronological time; rather, it is an opportune moment that must be used wisely, for it can be lost quickly.
CONCLUSION – Like Esther, we must be ready for the next opportunity. First, each one of us must seize this moment to be saved eternally, for “behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2b). The promised Savior is Jesus Christ, and we need to trust in Him for everlasting salvation. Second, whether it is a seemingly silent time of preparation or a seize-the-moment opportunity, we can be assured that Jesus is at work and will use us for His great good.