1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,160 Before we dive in, as with any kind of governance change 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,600 or organizational change, if you have any questions 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:10,440 or want to have a conversation about that, 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:11,760 please find your elder. 5 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:12,980 If you don't know who your elder is, 6 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:15,480 there's an alphabetized list on the bulletin board 7 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:16,300 on the east side. 8 00:00:16,580 --> 00:00:19,860 Feel free to contact your elder if you have any questions 9 00:00:19,860 --> 00:00:21,540 about that as we move forward. 10 00:00:22,020 --> 00:00:24,640 So I asked in the beginning of service maybe to think 11 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,420 about growing up your favorite superhero. 12 00:00:27,420 --> 00:00:30,600 And I know that's probably a pretty wide spectrum 13 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,380 and we may get a little nerdy this morning, but that's okay. 14 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,560 Who were some of the favorite superheroes of yours growing up? 15 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:39,100 Or maybe currently? 16 00:00:39,540 --> 00:00:40,180 That's fine too. 17 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:41,940 Spider-Man. 18 00:00:41,940 --> 00:00:42,800 Why Spider-Man? 19 00:00:44,300 --> 00:00:45,500 Why not Spider-Man? 20 00:00:45,500 --> 00:00:46,000 All right. 21 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:46,660 Fair enough. 22 00:00:46,660 --> 00:00:47,880 Okay. Others? 23 00:00:48,700 --> 00:00:49,860 Superman. Sure. 24 00:00:49,860 --> 00:00:51,020 Why Superman, Mike? 25 00:00:51,900 --> 00:00:52,980 Because you like the tights. 26 00:00:52,980 --> 00:00:53,900 That makes sense. 27 00:00:53,900 --> 00:00:57,220 Okay. Other? 28 00:00:57,220 --> 00:00:58,420 G.I. Joe. 29 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:01,740 The real American hero, right? 30 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:03,120 And what? 31 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:05,180 The Kung Fu Grip. 32 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:07,500 This took a turn. 33 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:12,220 Okay. She-Ra from He-Man, right? 34 00:01:12,220 --> 00:01:13,660 She-Ra. Right. 35 00:01:13,980 --> 00:01:14,680 She... 36 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:20,040 Yeah. Okay. 37 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:20,820 Anything else? 38 00:01:21,900 --> 00:01:22,620 No. That was it. 39 00:01:22,620 --> 00:01:23,000 All right. 40 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,200 But didn't...some with tigers, right? 41 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,060 Didn't she like ride a tiger or something like that? 42 00:01:27,060 --> 00:01:27,940 Yeah. Okay. 43 00:01:27,940 --> 00:01:28,500 Anyone else? 44 00:01:29,460 --> 00:01:30,100 The Hulk. 45 00:01:30,100 --> 00:01:31,320 How many did you have? 46 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:33,320 You like so many. 47 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:35,000 Okay. The Hulk. 48 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:35,460 Why? 49 00:01:37,140 --> 00:01:38,460 He's so big and green. 50 00:01:38,460 --> 00:01:39,200 Absolutely. 51 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:39,820 Okay. Yes. 52 00:01:39,820 --> 00:01:40,180 In the back. 53 00:01:40,180 --> 00:01:40,500 Over there. 54 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:40,700 Jenna. 55 00:01:42,100 --> 00:01:42,780 Captain America. 56 00:01:42,780 --> 00:01:43,780 Why Captain America? 57 00:01:43,780 --> 00:01:46,260 Because it's Chris Lyons, right? 58 00:01:46,260 --> 00:01:46,700 I get it. 59 00:01:46,780 --> 00:01:47,080 But yeah. 60 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:49,180 Just because? 61 00:01:51,180 --> 00:01:52,080 Huh? Chris Evans? 62 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:53,220 Who cares? 63 00:01:53,220 --> 00:01:59,480 Yeah. Oh. 64 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,320 So 19...he's not omnipresent. 65 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:02,980 That's Jesus. 66 00:02:02,980 --> 00:02:03,280 But yeah. 67 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,120 I mean 1900s into 2002 or whatever you said. 68 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:07,160 Good. Any others? 69 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:08,100 Maybe up in the balcony. 70 00:02:08,100 --> 00:02:09,180 Any superheroes up there? 71 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,420 Tina. The what? 72 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,160 The greatest...do they have a name? 73 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:17,160 No. No. 74 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:18,700 Just the greatest American hero. 75 00:02:18,700 --> 00:02:19,760 It could be anybody. 76 00:02:19,900 --> 00:02:20,340 All right. 77 00:02:20,340 --> 00:02:21,100 Yeah. Santa. 78 00:02:21,100 --> 00:02:21,800 I'm just kidding. 79 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:23,540 But yeah. Did I see a name? 80 00:02:23,540 --> 00:02:24,560 A hand up over here? 81 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:26,140 Tom, I know you got one. 82 00:02:26,140 --> 00:02:27,140 I have too many. 83 00:02:27,780 --> 00:02:28,540 You have too many. 84 00:02:28,540 --> 00:02:32,740 Who's on the Mount Rushmore of your superheroes? 85 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:35,240 Well, some are already covered. 86 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:35,620 Fair enough. 87 00:02:35,620 --> 00:02:36,120 Batman? 88 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:37,860 Batman. Yeah. 89 00:02:38,260 --> 00:02:38,900 Bruce Wayne. 90 00:02:39,020 --> 00:02:40,040 I mean absolutely. 91 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:42,980 And superheroes, right, if we...oh, we got one. 92 00:02:42,980 --> 00:02:43,720 Yeah. Go ahead. 93 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:44,960 Which one are you? 94 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:45,260 Maverick. 95 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:46,660 Maverick. Yes. 96 00:02:48,220 --> 00:02:49,020 Yeah. Your hand's up. 97 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:49,620 Go ahead. 98 00:02:50,140 --> 00:02:51,460 What? Is it you? 99 00:02:51,460 --> 00:02:52,240 Do you want to say your dad? 100 00:02:52,740 --> 00:02:53,540 Jeff Nadeborg? 101 00:02:53,540 --> 00:02:54,980 Right. Is he a superhero to you? 102 00:02:57,640 --> 00:02:58,800 Iron Man. 103 00:02:59,260 --> 00:03:00,540 Yeah. That's a good one. 104 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:01,660 Absolutely. 105 00:03:01,860 --> 00:03:05,100 And if we follow kind of the logic of Dwight Trute from The Office, 106 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:10,620 that a superhero comes to us after some kind of trauma, right, 107 00:03:10,620 --> 00:03:14,340 that they have some kind of childhood trauma that they have to avenge, right? 108 00:03:14,340 --> 00:03:17,620 So there's this understanding of...you think about Bruce Wayne 109 00:03:17,620 --> 00:03:21,440 and his parents being killed and then, you know, all of those things. 110 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:22,800 And I'm not going to go through all of them. 111 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:26,200 If you want all the detailed history on that, clearly go to Jess or Tom. 112 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:28,580 And so they'll have all the answers. 113 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,660 But we idolize superheroes. 114 00:03:32,500 --> 00:03:35,760 I mean it's...how do we know? 115 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:37,860 Just Halloween, right? 116 00:03:37,860 --> 00:03:41,740 Our trunk-or-treating, our fall family night, right? 117 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:47,020 We don't see a whole lot of just everyday people, right? 118 00:03:47,300 --> 00:03:48,900 Sam, what do you do for Van Jrunen again? 119 00:03:48,900 --> 00:03:51,500 Sales, right? 120 00:03:51,500 --> 00:03:55,600 How many of you have ever dressed up for Halloween as Sam Dykstra, sales at Van Jrunen? 121 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,000 You dress up like it every day, right, because it's you. 122 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,460 But we elevate these people. 123 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:08,440 The amount of supermans and ironmans and we don't have a whole lot of she-ras, 124 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:10,260 so clearly I think you made that up. 125 00:04:10,260 --> 00:04:16,400 But, you know, we put these people on a pedestal because of really their fiction. 126 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,600 Sorry to burst your bubble, but they are made up. 127 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:24,640 And so we want to be like them in some ways, right? 128 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:29,160 We want to either have the strength or they can fly or, you know, 129 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,160 they shoot things out of their eyes or whatever. 130 00:04:31,340 --> 00:04:36,720 When you really break it down, it's fairly ridiculous, but we attach to them. 131 00:04:37,220 --> 00:04:40,700 You think of the Marvel movies over the last 15 years. 132 00:04:40,700 --> 00:04:47,400 One of the, it grows some of the highest earnings, right, with Chris Lyons or Chris Evans. 133 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,200 They would still do fine, you know, as far as the money they raised 134 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:55,000 because people get lost in the adventure. 135 00:04:55,000 --> 00:05:01,100 I mean, no one said Indiana Jones, but I would put him in there. 136 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:04,240 I geek out on Indiana Jones, right? 137 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:09,140 In my mind, there's four because Crystal Skull should never have been made, and so I reject it. 138 00:05:09,140 --> 00:05:13,460 But, you know, at the end of the day, it's people that at the right time 139 00:05:13,460 --> 00:05:15,860 and the right situation, they rise up. 140 00:05:16,540 --> 00:05:21,100 They meet the occasion that they're in, and some do it very flamboyantly and big and fly 141 00:05:21,100 --> 00:05:24,740 like Iron Man and all these things, or someone like Indiana Jones, 142 00:05:24,740 --> 00:05:26,460 they just step into their intellect. 143 00:05:27,340 --> 00:05:32,240 They step into their wonder, into their knowledge. 144 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:38,280 And not to sound like super schoolhouse rock, but all of us are superheroes in some way. 145 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:41,780 That we all step into things at times, or at least we should, 146 00:05:41,780 --> 00:05:45,980 and we get that DNA in the scriptures. 147 00:05:46,980 --> 00:05:52,180 Because there is, and I would love it if you guys all Googled, not now, 148 00:05:52,180 --> 00:05:57,280 but later today, just don't judge me for it, just the band was called Pillar. 149 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:02,780 They came out in the early 2000s, and they wrote a song called The Original Superman, 150 00:06:02,780 --> 00:06:04,380 and it was all about Jesus. 151 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,780 Yes, it's an amazing, I know that silence, you're going, wow, that must be a great song. 152 00:06:09,780 --> 00:06:11,740 Maybe we'll do it in worship next month. 153 00:06:12,780 --> 00:06:13,580 No, we won't. 154 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:15,980 But that really is the heart of it. 155 00:06:16,380 --> 00:06:25,180 That Jesus is the original Superman in that sense, and understanding that the season of Advent 156 00:06:25,180 --> 00:06:32,180 every week is pointing us to the different superhero natures that is the Christ child. 157 00:06:33,180 --> 00:06:35,680 And that there's a time for all of this. 158 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:42,180 That all of the who, what, when, where, why, how of Jesus has been foretold hundreds of years. 159 00:06:42,180 --> 00:06:46,180 Come tonight at 430, you're going to hear more about that. 160 00:06:47,180 --> 00:06:52,180 But what we need to understand is that we also see this in the person of Esther, 161 00:06:52,180 --> 00:06:58,180 but it mirrors the person of Jesus. 162 00:06:58,180 --> 00:07:02,180 Esther 9, 21 and 22, and we're going to get into the story in a little bit, 163 00:07:02,180 --> 00:07:09,180 but obliging them to keep the 14th day of the month, Adar, and also the 15th day of the same, 164 00:07:09,180 --> 00:07:13,180 year by year, as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, 165 00:07:13,180 --> 00:07:20,180 and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness, from mourning into a holiday, 166 00:07:20,180 --> 00:07:27,180 that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another, 167 00:07:27,180 --> 00:07:30,180 and the gifts to the poor. 168 00:07:30,180 --> 00:07:32,180 Is that it, Hannah? Just that one? 169 00:07:32,180 --> 00:07:36,180 So what this is setting up is a specific time. 170 00:07:36,180 --> 00:07:42,180 That there's a time to celebrate this kind of what we call Advent, they call the days of Adar, 171 00:07:42,180 --> 00:07:47,180 that this coming of Messiah, they were celebrating this futuristic person, 172 00:07:47,180 --> 00:07:52,180 that they all had created their own kind of understandings about it, 173 00:07:52,180 --> 00:07:56,180 and they're pulling all of their information from the prophets. 174 00:07:56,180 --> 00:08:02,180 The prophets, big and small, or major or minor, do you ever know major prophets, minor prophets? 175 00:08:02,180 --> 00:08:05,180 It had to do with their stature or anything like that. 176 00:08:05,180 --> 00:08:07,180 It's the size of their book, so don't overthink it. 177 00:08:07,180 --> 00:08:13,180 You have your major prophets, your minor prophets, and so you see in the book of Jeremiah 31, 178 00:08:13,180 --> 00:08:17,180 it says, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant 179 00:08:17,180 --> 00:08:20,180 with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 180 00:08:20,180 --> 00:08:24,180 So this is looking forward. This is a Messianic text. 181 00:08:24,180 --> 00:08:31,180 It's looking for a solution, an answer to their problems. 182 00:08:31,180 --> 00:08:36,180 And if we're honest, we do this all the time, that we think of the certain situations we find ourselves 183 00:08:36,180 --> 00:08:40,180 and we look to a futuristic day, whether it's a futuristic raise, 184 00:08:40,180 --> 00:08:43,180 whether the hope that there will be a healing relationship, 185 00:08:43,180 --> 00:08:48,180 or that God's going to intervene in a certain aspect of life. 186 00:08:48,180 --> 00:08:54,180 But we are a people that look to things, and it's in our nature, because it's in our DNA. 187 00:08:54,180 --> 00:08:58,180 We see from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 9, 188 00:08:58,180 --> 00:09:01,180 the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. 189 00:09:01,180 --> 00:09:05,180 Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness, on them a light has shone. 190 00:09:05,180 --> 00:09:08,180 So not only is there going to be light, 191 00:09:08,180 --> 00:09:13,180 there's going to be this big thing is coming, that a new covenant is going to be made. 192 00:09:13,180 --> 00:09:16,180 And we've learned that from previous sermon series, that covenants were important, 193 00:09:16,180 --> 00:09:21,180 that this agreement, there was something active that was going to happen. 194 00:09:21,180 --> 00:09:23,180 Then it gets even more descriptive. 195 00:09:23,180 --> 00:09:26,180 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, 196 00:09:26,180 --> 00:09:31,180 the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called, 197 00:09:31,180 --> 00:09:36,180 Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 198 00:09:36,180 --> 00:09:40,180 Now notice, none of you mention that. 199 00:09:40,180 --> 00:09:43,180 When I said, favorite superheroes growing up, 200 00:09:43,180 --> 00:09:45,180 and maybe you haven't grown up in the church, so you're exempt, 201 00:09:45,180 --> 00:09:54,180 but no one said, Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 202 00:09:54,180 --> 00:09:56,180 I'm not going to lie, I would take, Jenna, don't get mad, 203 00:09:56,180 --> 00:10:01,180 I would take the Prince of Peace over Captain America. 204 00:10:01,180 --> 00:10:09,180 I would take Almighty God, I would take Messiah over Iron Man, and all of those. 205 00:10:09,180 --> 00:10:13,180 Because it's for a certain time, it was for a certain purpose. 206 00:10:13,180 --> 00:10:18,180 We see even in the book of Micah, one of the smallest of the books of the prophets, 207 00:10:18,180 --> 00:10:26,180 we see, but you, O Bethlehem of Paphra, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, 208 00:10:26,180 --> 00:10:32,180 from you shall come forth for me, one who is to be ruler in Israel, 209 00:10:32,180 --> 00:10:37,180 for coming forth is from old, from ancient days. 210 00:10:37,180 --> 00:10:44,180 And after that prophecy, it's radio silence for almost 500 years. 211 00:10:44,180 --> 00:10:49,180 500 years of a people waiting, a people wanting, a people expecting, 212 00:10:49,180 --> 00:10:52,180 a people with anxiety, a people with real struggles, 213 00:10:52,180 --> 00:10:56,180 a people that have been bruised and beaten with the Northern Kingdom, the Southern Kingdom, 214 00:10:56,180 --> 00:11:02,180 different rulers, different kings, they see, you know, they walk through the Saul's and the David's, 215 00:11:02,180 --> 00:11:08,180 the Absalom's, the Solomon's, all of these human entities 216 00:11:08,180 --> 00:11:13,180 that ultimately do not bring what they want to be accomplished, which is the Messiah. 217 00:11:13,180 --> 00:11:17,180 And there were people every day claiming to be Messiah, 218 00:11:17,180 --> 00:11:22,180 that this title Messiah was something that people would claim and they would always, 219 00:11:22,180 --> 00:11:28,180 it would always fall through. They would oversell and under deliver always. 220 00:11:28,180 --> 00:11:33,180 So when we talk about this anticipation and the expectation of Advent, of Christmas, 221 00:11:33,180 --> 00:11:38,180 of the Christ child, understand we do this year in and year out 222 00:11:38,180 --> 00:11:41,180 as the kids are looking forward to days off of school, 223 00:11:41,180 --> 00:11:44,180 the parents are terrified after day three and want school to restart, 224 00:11:44,180 --> 00:11:48,180 we go through the debt of buying gifts and the parties, 225 00:11:48,180 --> 00:11:52,180 the introverts are exhausted, the extroverts are excited, 226 00:11:52,180 --> 00:11:54,180 that's what we've turned Advent into. 227 00:11:54,180 --> 00:11:59,180 That is nothing to what the people of Israel were anticipating in that season, 228 00:11:59,180 --> 00:12:02,180 that feast of Adar that they would come. 229 00:12:02,180 --> 00:12:05,180 And I would think how disappointed. They'd go through the feast, 230 00:12:05,180 --> 00:12:10,180 the Messiah didn't come. That generation goes by, you know, go through the feasts, 231 00:12:10,180 --> 00:12:16,180 Messiah doesn't come. That generation goes by 500 years. 232 00:12:16,180 --> 00:12:19,180 And that's just after the prophets stopped speaking. 233 00:12:19,180 --> 00:12:22,180 And then you see in John 1 as we talked about last week, 234 00:12:22,180 --> 00:12:26,180 there was a witness that was John the Baptist, right, didn't write John, 235 00:12:26,180 --> 00:12:30,180 but you know, that was John the disciple, John the Baptist, different. 236 00:12:30,180 --> 00:12:34,180 And all of a sudden a witness comes to prepare the way. 237 00:12:34,180 --> 00:12:38,180 One of the stories I love about that is that even in utero, right, 238 00:12:38,180 --> 00:12:41,180 when Elizabeth is carrying John and Mary is carrying Jesus, 239 00:12:41,180 --> 00:12:47,180 he recognizes the Lordship. It's unbelievable. 240 00:12:47,180 --> 00:12:54,180 I don't know about you, but that's a superhuman, right, that is a superhero. 241 00:12:54,180 --> 00:13:03,180 But what's interesting to me is that this idea of rescue coming from a very obscure place 242 00:13:03,180 --> 00:13:06,180 is reflected in the story of Esther. 243 00:13:06,180 --> 00:13:14,180 That Esther, if we actually look to it, is actually a story of the rescue of the Israelites, 244 00:13:14,180 --> 00:13:21,180 where if you kind of compare that with Jesus, there is a lot of similarities. 245 00:13:21,180 --> 00:13:25,180 And so you have this stage set for the person of Esther now. 246 00:13:25,180 --> 00:13:28,180 I've done a lot of reading on Esther, read a lot of commentaries, 247 00:13:28,180 --> 00:13:32,180 but I don't know if there's a better retelling, 248 00:13:32,180 --> 00:13:37,180 and I wish we could just sit and watch it, is the Veggie Tales story of Esther. 249 00:13:37,180 --> 00:13:43,180 It really does my heart good, because what it shows, it raises up this person of Esther 250 00:13:43,180 --> 00:13:47,180 in a humble way, but that she was going to come down to be the rescue for God's people, 251 00:13:47,180 --> 00:13:51,180 an unlikely person and an unlikely source in an unlikely way. 252 00:13:51,180 --> 00:13:57,180 That there were so many things that had to intertwine in order for the people of Israel 253 00:13:57,180 --> 00:14:04,180 to be saved from Haman and the guards and the people under the king, 254 00:14:04,180 --> 00:14:08,180 that for such a time as that, Esther arose. 255 00:14:08,180 --> 00:14:12,180 As we celebrate in Advent, for such a time as this, Jesus comes. 256 00:14:12,180 --> 00:14:15,180 So we're going to do a little bit of the compare and contrast. 257 00:14:15,180 --> 00:14:19,180 We're going to kind of go quickly over the story of Esther. 258 00:14:19,180 --> 00:14:25,180 You have King Xerxes in some of your texts, it's King, oh, this one's hard, 259 00:14:25,180 --> 00:14:31,180 a Hacerus, but that sounds more like a dinosaur, so we're just going to say King Xerxes. 260 00:14:31,180 --> 00:14:37,180 King Xerxes is lonely, he wants to have a mate, he wants to have a queen, 261 00:14:37,180 --> 00:14:41,180 and because he's king, and he can, and it's back in this time, 262 00:14:41,180 --> 00:14:47,180 he kind of has a biblical view of the bachelor, which again, I don't watch it, 263 00:14:47,180 --> 00:14:52,180 and if you do, I'll pray for you, but understand that this was kind of that thing, 264 00:14:52,180 --> 00:14:56,180 that he had the authority to say, I'm going to have all the single ladies, 265 00:14:56,180 --> 00:15:05,180 Beyonce and all that kind of stuff, come in, and they're just going to be in the house for a year. 266 00:15:05,180 --> 00:15:10,180 Now, I could probably talk through the drama that probably goes through that, 267 00:15:10,180 --> 00:15:15,180 a year of all these single ladies that are all trying to spend a night with the king 268 00:15:15,180 --> 00:15:20,180 and catch the king's eye and all of that, and maybe that's where that dumb show got its take, 269 00:15:20,180 --> 00:15:25,180 that was the Bible, I doubt it, but maybe, and all of a sudden he picks one, 270 00:15:25,180 --> 00:15:29,180 it doesn't work out, right, and so there's this understanding, 271 00:15:29,180 --> 00:15:32,180 or I should say before all of that, that's one of the reasons why he has it, 272 00:15:32,180 --> 00:15:38,180 he finds a queen, it doesn't work out, right, and so now Esther's part of this group, 273 00:15:38,180 --> 00:15:46,180 and Esther gets, you know, kind of, the Lord kind of anoints Esther to be a part of this narrative. 274 00:15:46,180 --> 00:15:53,180 It's a narrative of pride, it's a narrative of shame, right, you have the King Zerches' right-hand Haman, 275 00:15:53,180 --> 00:16:00,180 who's got this really high position and wanted to be worshipped, he wanted people to bow down to him, 276 00:16:00,180 --> 00:16:07,180 and Mordecai would not do it, and so out of ego and pride and anger and pound of flesh, 277 00:16:07,180 --> 00:16:15,180 he wants to kill Haman, or Haman wants to kill Mordecai, and the Jewish people. 278 00:16:15,180 --> 00:16:18,180 So this is more than just a hit on Mordecai, this is a hit on everybody. 279 00:16:18,180 --> 00:16:24,180 This is, we're going to wipe them all out, Haman, an evil, evil man. 280 00:16:24,180 --> 00:16:30,180 And so we see Mordecai and the family come to Esther and say, we need your help. 281 00:16:30,180 --> 00:16:37,180 You have been put in a position of presence, you've been put in a position of prominence 282 00:16:37,180 --> 00:16:45,180 to change the story, to change the narrative, to save us. 283 00:16:45,180 --> 00:16:52,180 And as the story goes, right, we see that Esther, even though she chickens out a couple times, 284 00:16:52,180 --> 00:16:59,180 she makes a feast for the King, for Haman, right, does it do it the first time, gets scared, does it again, 285 00:16:59,180 --> 00:17:04,180 and then the plot, you know, the plot that Haman has to kill Mordecai, the King remembers, 286 00:17:04,180 --> 00:17:09,180 where Mordecai honored the King, and there was a wonderful interaction, 287 00:17:09,180 --> 00:17:13,180 which I think is so ironic, of the King going to Haman and saying, who was that guy? 288 00:17:13,180 --> 00:17:16,180 What do we do for people that I want to honor? 289 00:17:16,180 --> 00:17:24,180 And that Haman actually has to honor Mordecai, right, it's a beautiful, just kind of irony, if you will. 290 00:17:24,180 --> 00:17:28,180 And we know the story, right, Esther rises up. 291 00:17:28,180 --> 00:17:32,180 It's funny, she doesn't rise up, and then all of a sudden the Israelites, 292 00:17:32,180 --> 00:17:37,180 we're not going to be attacked because the King's decrees, you don't back off of those. 293 00:17:37,180 --> 00:17:41,180 But what Esther was able to do is say, okay, the Israelites will be able to, 294 00:17:41,180 --> 00:17:44,180 the Jews will be able to defend themselves, and they did. 295 00:17:44,180 --> 00:17:46,180 And the story continues. 296 00:17:46,180 --> 00:17:53,180 And so Esther being put in that position, as I was reading it this week, I thought to myself, 297 00:17:53,180 --> 00:17:59,180 how often, and maybe it's not as dramatic as life and death, but how often are you called, 298 00:17:59,180 --> 00:18:04,180 and I called, to be in a position of influence? 299 00:18:04,180 --> 00:18:07,180 And I thought about that understanding of influence. 300 00:18:07,180 --> 00:18:12,180 And some of you, I say the word influence, and you want to run and hide. 301 00:18:12,180 --> 00:18:15,180 You don't want that, there's nothing you need about that in your life. 302 00:18:15,180 --> 00:18:20,180 You know there's other people that can do it, and you want to go, you'll support it, 303 00:18:20,180 --> 00:18:22,180 but you won't be that individual. 304 00:18:22,180 --> 00:18:23,180 That's fine. 305 00:18:23,180 --> 00:18:25,180 We see them all the time, right? 306 00:18:25,180 --> 00:18:28,180 For every Moses in the Bible, you also have an Aaron. 307 00:18:28,180 --> 00:18:32,180 So understand that if you are more of a background person, your giftings are more in the background, 308 00:18:32,180 --> 00:18:40,180 understand that's amazing, because that is a beautiful compatibility of giftings. 309 00:18:40,180 --> 00:18:49,180 But our places of influence, I just want to take five seconds of silence, as best we can. 310 00:18:49,180 --> 00:18:57,180 And I want you to think about a relationship, maybe your job, or something else, 311 00:18:57,180 --> 00:19:14,180 right where you believe God is putting you in a place of influence as a believer. 312 00:19:14,180 --> 00:19:17,180 Because here's the kicker. 313 00:19:17,180 --> 00:19:26,180 Anyone that claims Jesus is Lord has been given a commission by Jesus himself to go and make disciples. 314 00:19:26,180 --> 00:19:28,180 No ifs, ands, or buts. 315 00:19:28,180 --> 00:19:31,180 You cannot say, you cannot come to me or your elder and say, 316 00:19:31,180 --> 00:19:35,180 when Jesus gave that commission, that's not me, I'll cook for them. 317 00:19:35,180 --> 00:19:37,180 Or, you know, I will do this. 318 00:19:37,180 --> 00:19:40,180 I am not called to go. 319 00:19:40,180 --> 00:19:42,180 Friend, you are, you are, you are. 320 00:19:42,180 --> 00:19:46,180 We are called to be influencers. 321 00:19:46,180 --> 00:19:50,180 Now there's a part of me that hates that term with what our culture has done online, right? 322 00:19:50,180 --> 00:19:53,180 I don't need to be those kind of influencers. 323 00:19:53,180 --> 00:20:03,180 But understand that we have, if we have Jesus, we have influence. 324 00:20:03,180 --> 00:20:06,180 But what does that influence look like? 325 00:20:06,180 --> 00:20:09,180 Well, let's take a page from Esther. 326 00:20:09,180 --> 00:20:13,180 Esther didn't do it with this command and authority. 327 00:20:13,180 --> 00:20:16,180 She did it with humility and passion. 328 00:20:16,180 --> 00:20:19,180 She made the most of her opportunities, right? 329 00:20:19,180 --> 00:20:21,180 She wasn't going to throw away her shot. 330 00:20:21,180 --> 00:20:23,180 She did it. 331 00:20:23,180 --> 00:20:24,180 It wasn't easy. 332 00:20:24,180 --> 00:20:26,180 God blessed it. 333 00:20:26,180 --> 00:20:28,180 But she walked through it. 334 00:20:28,180 --> 00:20:34,180 I often wonder, even in my own life, how many times I know that God's given this opportunity for me to speak into it, 335 00:20:34,180 --> 00:20:41,180 for me to do something about it, for me to share that Jesus, and I just, I turn and I go the other way. 336 00:20:41,180 --> 00:20:43,180 And I'm sure I'm not alone. 337 00:20:43,180 --> 00:20:51,180 That is, we spend all of this energy and time preparing for the next 14 days. 338 00:20:51,180 --> 00:20:57,180 Your office Christmas parties, your family Christmas parties, whether you're a New Year's Eve-er or a New Year's Day-er, 339 00:20:57,180 --> 00:21:05,180 or all of those things, you're going to pray for me and Roger as Michigan plays Alabama on New Year's Eve. 340 00:21:05,180 --> 00:21:08,180 Hail. 341 00:21:08,180 --> 00:21:16,180 Understand that we do this preparing, God is putting you in positions this next couple weeks. 342 00:21:16,180 --> 00:21:18,180 I'm going to focus on that because that's where we are. 343 00:21:18,180 --> 00:21:22,180 But the third week in February, God's going to put you in a position, too. 344 00:21:22,180 --> 00:21:25,180 Labor Day weekend, you got a position there as well. 345 00:21:25,180 --> 00:21:30,180 Fourth of July, you can do it with fireworks and you have a position. 346 00:21:30,180 --> 00:21:34,180 Or if you live in Indiana the entire month of July. 347 00:21:34,180 --> 00:21:37,180 Understand that you have influence. 348 00:21:37,180 --> 00:21:43,180 Understand that if you have Jesus, you actually have everlasting life. 349 00:21:43,180 --> 00:21:55,180 You have the message of grace, love, and forgiveness of all of the junk in your life that a world desperately needs. 350 00:21:55,180 --> 00:21:59,180 So how are you doing in that? 351 00:21:59,180 --> 00:22:06,180 Because not only do we want to stand on the truth of Jesus and we want to walk that out, 352 00:22:06,180 --> 00:22:11,180 but as I've said throughout this sermon series, what are you saying about the mess that is your life 353 00:22:11,180 --> 00:22:15,180 and how Jesus has come and cleaned you? 354 00:22:15,180 --> 00:22:18,180 Has cleaned up that situation? 355 00:22:18,180 --> 00:22:22,180 Has made what was wrong right? 356 00:22:22,180 --> 00:22:26,180 Maybe what was sinful into something forgiven. 357 00:22:26,180 --> 00:22:32,180 Maybe you are here this morning and you go, I'm too broken to have influence. 358 00:22:32,180 --> 00:22:38,180 Friend, let me turn that on you today. Your brokenness is your influence. 359 00:22:38,180 --> 00:22:42,180 Because the world is broken. 360 00:22:42,180 --> 00:22:47,180 But if we want to think that we have it all together, we want to have this high lofty Christianity 361 00:22:47,180 --> 00:22:52,180 that does a great job of looking down on people, you are going to waste your influence 362 00:22:52,180 --> 00:22:55,180 because who wants to be a part of that? 363 00:22:55,180 --> 00:22:59,180 Who wants to see the hurt and the pain? 364 00:22:59,180 --> 00:23:05,180 Jesus doesn't. How do we know? He tells us what to do. 365 00:23:05,180 --> 00:23:12,180 He tells us to go out and make disciples. 366 00:23:12,180 --> 00:23:17,180 And for 80% of you go, man, that's a job for a pastor and the elders. 367 00:23:17,180 --> 00:23:24,180 My job, the elder's job, we are helped to encourage you, equip you that you are making disciples. 368 00:23:24,180 --> 00:23:31,180 Let me say that again, we are assuming you are taking your shots of influence. 369 00:23:31,180 --> 00:23:34,180 Not in a way of and you are gone. 370 00:23:34,180 --> 00:23:38,180 No, you didn't do it. No. Because we have to do it as well. 371 00:23:38,180 --> 00:23:46,180 That we understand as the church, as the people of God, especially in these next two weeks, 372 00:23:46,180 --> 00:23:51,180 the world, though it doesn't recognize Jesus, the world is going to talk about it. 373 00:23:51,180 --> 00:23:57,180 The world is going to sing about it. The world is going to connect all of these kind of Christmas holiday ideas 374 00:23:57,180 --> 00:24:00,180 and the church is on display. 375 00:24:00,180 --> 00:24:07,180 We know this Christmas, Easter, highest population in churches, though that is going down over the last 50 years, 376 00:24:07,180 --> 00:24:16,180 which should shock nobody, the church has influence. 377 00:24:16,180 --> 00:24:21,180 Last week, Paul Katz and I were invited to go to a meeting with small business owners. 378 00:24:21,180 --> 00:24:28,180 To talk through a lot of the codes and all these little things that the town of Munster is known for, 379 00:24:28,180 --> 00:24:33,180 and not in a great way, but having a good relationship with the town and wanting to be a servant in the town, 380 00:24:33,180 --> 00:24:35,180 Paul and I went. 381 00:24:35,180 --> 00:24:39,180 And what was interesting is they talked about oppression. 382 00:24:39,180 --> 00:24:44,180 They felt that some of the codes and all these things, they felt oppressed by the town of Munster. 383 00:24:44,180 --> 00:24:50,180 And I think Paul would agree. I don't think we've ever felt oppressed by the town of Munster by any means. 384 00:24:50,180 --> 00:24:53,180 Yes, could that sign one day be an electric sign? Yes. 385 00:24:53,180 --> 00:24:57,180 And that might be a good thing and a way to get the message out, even though Henry does a great job. 386 00:24:57,180 --> 00:25:04,180 And just so you know, complete sidebar, like seven of you texted me that counselor was spelled wrong two weeks ago. 387 00:25:04,180 --> 00:25:07,180 Understand, Henry does that for a reason. 388 00:25:07,180 --> 00:25:10,180 It's not because Henry doesn't know how to spell, he does. 389 00:25:10,180 --> 00:25:14,180 But I had a bunch of community people text me and go, candlelight spelled wrong. 390 00:25:14,180 --> 00:25:17,180 And I go, you looked at the sign though, didn't you? And you remembered it. 391 00:25:17,180 --> 00:25:20,180 That's exactly why Henry does it. 392 00:25:20,180 --> 00:25:25,180 I didn't get it at first because I called him and said, man, like, do I have to spell this for you? 393 00:25:25,180 --> 00:25:30,180 And he's like, no, this is why I do it. It's brilliant. It's strategic. 394 00:25:30,180 --> 00:25:32,180 And it's going to stay that way. 395 00:25:32,180 --> 00:25:38,180 But understand, we were in this meeting and we're hearing all of these people and it was negative. 396 00:25:38,180 --> 00:25:40,180 I mean, Paul, it was negative, right? 397 00:25:40,180 --> 00:25:42,180 Like, it didn't feel good. 398 00:25:42,180 --> 00:25:49,180 But we could stand up and say, well, we've been the longest small business, by the way, 153 years. 399 00:25:49,180 --> 00:25:52,180 But we want to bring the community together. 400 00:25:52,180 --> 00:25:56,180 We want to have opportunities for the community to be engaged by us. 401 00:25:56,180 --> 00:25:58,180 Think about what I just said. 402 00:25:58,180 --> 00:26:07,180 The church was invited to a town meeting to talk about codes and a lot of the different rules to be in a town of Munster. 403 00:26:07,180 --> 00:26:13,180 If that's not a seed of influence, then you don't understand influence. 404 00:26:13,180 --> 00:26:19,180 Now, were Paul and I going to stand up, just, you know, throw holy water on everybody, pray and run out? 405 00:26:19,180 --> 00:26:23,180 No. That would be the last meeting we ever get invited to. 406 00:26:23,180 --> 00:26:29,180 But we have to understand that we have a place of influence in the system of Munster. 407 00:26:29,180 --> 00:26:31,180 Is that not being part of the community? 408 00:26:31,180 --> 00:26:34,180 So take that to your life. 409 00:26:34,180 --> 00:26:39,180 Take that to family and friends that are unbelievers. 410 00:26:39,180 --> 00:26:46,180 If you don't think you have a seed of influence, friend, I don't think you understand influence. 411 00:26:46,180 --> 00:26:54,180 I don't think you understand that when Esther says to Mordecai and to her people that God has put me in such a time as this, 412 00:26:54,180 --> 00:27:02,180 and if I perish, I perish because she knew it was illegal for her to call a meeting of the king. 413 00:27:02,180 --> 00:27:06,180 And she does it twice. 414 00:27:06,180 --> 00:27:12,180 Do we have that same mentality when it comes to sharing the gospel? 415 00:27:12,180 --> 00:27:18,180 To be an influence for Jesus, to shine the light. 416 00:27:18,180 --> 00:27:25,180 Now, I understand in your relationships, I doubt you have an understanding that if I share the gospel with this person, 417 00:27:25,180 --> 00:27:27,180 they're going to kill me. 418 00:27:27,180 --> 00:27:32,180 If that is the case, please, let's talk because there's some things we probably need to talk about. 419 00:27:32,180 --> 00:27:34,180 But my guess is that's not. 420 00:27:34,180 --> 00:27:43,180 However, a more realistic understanding of that is, well, if I bring up Jesus, if I talk about my faith, 421 00:27:43,180 --> 00:27:47,180 that relationship might be over. 422 00:27:47,180 --> 00:27:50,180 That relationship, that connection might perish. 423 00:27:50,180 --> 00:27:59,180 And so I think for a lot of us, we then hang back for the sake of something and not shine the light. 424 00:27:59,180 --> 00:28:02,180 Or we can fall into, pastor, I totally agree. 425 00:28:02,180 --> 00:28:03,180 Amen. 426 00:28:03,180 --> 00:28:08,180 But I'm going to do it in my thoughts. 427 00:28:08,180 --> 00:28:10,180 Okay. 428 00:28:10,180 --> 00:28:17,180 And maybe you're thinking good thoughts and praying good prayers, but what are we actually stepping into when it comes to sharing the gospel, 429 00:28:17,180 --> 00:28:24,180 when it comes to evangelizing, when it comes to taking all of the mess and the miracle of our lives in the season of Advent 430 00:28:24,180 --> 00:28:30,180 to someone that desperately needs it? 431 00:28:30,180 --> 00:28:40,180 Twice this week I was sitting at the bedside of Reverend Besine as he is 97 and exhausted and he needs your prayers. 432 00:28:40,180 --> 00:28:46,180 And if you want to visit, not a lot of you all at once because he's sleeping a lot. 433 00:28:46,180 --> 00:28:49,180 But I thought that was going to be hard. 434 00:28:49,180 --> 00:28:52,180 But Bill Boltman and I, we went once and then I went again. 435 00:28:52,180 --> 00:28:54,180 I walked away unlifted. 436 00:28:54,180 --> 00:28:56,180 Or I'm sorry, that doesn't make any sense. 437 00:28:56,180 --> 00:28:57,180 I walked away unburdened. 438 00:28:57,180 --> 00:29:04,180 I walked away lifted up because that was a guy that took his shot. 439 00:29:04,180 --> 00:29:10,180 That for double the amount I've been alive, he's been preaching the gospel. 440 00:29:10,180 --> 00:29:11,180 He's been shining the light. 441 00:29:11,180 --> 00:29:15,180 He'd tell you didn't do it perfectly. 442 00:29:15,180 --> 00:29:19,180 But he had the mentality, if I'm not going to do it, who will? 443 00:29:19,180 --> 00:29:24,180 And I walked away going, man, what a testament of faith. 444 00:29:24,180 --> 00:29:31,180 What a testament of understanding and the maturity that comes with being a believer that I'm going to take my shot. 445 00:29:31,180 --> 00:29:36,180 I'm going to take my opportunity to bring this person to the cross, to talk to them about the baby, 446 00:29:36,180 --> 00:29:46,180 to open up the understanding of God's word of why I live my life this way and why you believe it matters. 447 00:29:46,180 --> 00:29:48,180 Friend, they may reject you. 448 00:29:48,180 --> 00:29:50,180 They may persecute you. 449 00:29:50,180 --> 00:29:54,180 They may say all kinds of things against you. 450 00:29:54,180 --> 00:29:58,180 Well, I think that comes from a pretty good place. 451 00:29:58,180 --> 00:30:04,180 It comes from the book of Matthew, chapter 5. 452 00:30:04,180 --> 00:30:07,180 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. 453 00:30:07,180 --> 00:30:14,180 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 454 00:30:14,180 --> 00:30:24,180 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 455 00:30:24,180 --> 00:30:29,180 And this is where I walked away peaceful, though burdened with Reverend Besine. 456 00:30:29,180 --> 00:30:33,180 Rejoice and be glad. 457 00:30:33,180 --> 00:30:45,180 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 458 00:30:45,180 --> 00:30:47,180 So, friend, take your shot. 459 00:30:47,180 --> 00:30:49,180 Speak into it. 460 00:30:49,180 --> 00:30:51,180 Don't shy away from it. 461 00:30:51,180 --> 00:30:55,180 Step into it knowing that God's got you. 462 00:30:55,180 --> 00:30:57,180 But, Pastor, I'm too afraid. 463 00:30:57,180 --> 00:30:58,180 I get that. 464 00:30:58,180 --> 00:31:00,180 Maybe you don't do it alone. 465 00:31:00,180 --> 00:31:03,180 Maybe you take another person. 466 00:31:03,180 --> 00:31:10,180 But understand that we have been given a place of influence. 467 00:31:10,180 --> 00:31:30,180 That needs to be taken seriously because Jesus calls us to do that for kingdom's sake.