Our passage for today, just four verses in Esther
chapter 3, and you may be thinking, hold on a
second, didn't we cover these verses last week?
You're not crazy. We did. But I promise we're
going to come back and drill down a little bit
deeper on the choices that Mordecai makes in
these four verses. So we're going to look at
that. We're going to try to then bridge the gap
to our time period and ask some questions about
Did Mordecai make the right call? Did he do the
right thing? And how does that apply in our lives
in the church today? Now, in my research over
the past few days, I took a really deep dive
into some of the ancient historical Jewish perspectives
on this text. I looked at portions of the Talmud.
I looked at some collections of Midrash. I went
to one particular Targum. I even looked at Rashi's
commentary on Esther from the 11th century. And
I did all of that because there is so much material
about the book of Esther. If you don't know,
this is going to come out later in the series.
It is the basis for the Jewish holiday of Purim.
And so there's much material written about the
book of Esther, and it was so interesting to
get that background. Now, in all those things,
that's not the inspired word of God, so we have
to remember that, take it with a grain of salt,
but some really interesting perspectives rooted
in solid rabbinical scholarship. So we'll talk
about that as we go along. Let's look at verse
one. It says, after these events, meaning after
the events of chapter two, King Ahashverosh promoted
Haman, the son of Hamadethah, the Agagite, and
advanced him, advanced him in rank and established
his authority over all the princes who were with
him. So remember, Mordecai had just saved the
king's life, right? He exposed a plot to assassinate
the king that was happening with his security
team at the king's gate. And we would expect
then that Mordecai would be rewarded for that,
but no. Mordecai doesn't get promoted for his
good deed. Instead, we're told that Haman is
promoted to the position of what we would call
in Persian culture, the chief vizier. And he
gets authority over every other official there
at the palace. He's the number two guy now. Verse
two, all the king's servants who were at the
king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman.
For so the king had commanded concerning him.
So get this now. The command comes down from
on high, from the king himself. All the servants
must bow down in reverence and honor to Haman
the Agagite. Good job. Well done. So how is Mordecai
going to respond? End of verse 2. But Mordecai
neither bowed down nor paid homage. Now. Look,
we all love a good resistance story, don't we?
We love our George Washingtons who fights the
revolution. We love our William Wallaces. And
our first inclination here is, when we read this
verse, is to cheer Mordecai for taking this principled
stand. But we need to slow down for just a second.
From a civil perspective, we should be honest
about this. What Mordecai has done here is break
the king's law. He's broken the king's law. So
we should be cautious about just jumping on the
bandwagon and saying, way to go, Mordecai. It
takes a little bit of study to figure out what's
going on here. We should look at the situation
in context and try to decide, is this a godly
thing that he's done or is it an ungodly thing?
Because the way we answer that question, the
way we analyze Mordecai's choices here is probably
going to affect us because we have a government
and we have commands and laws that come down
from our government. State government, federal
government, local government, and how we answer
that question is gonna impact the way we respond
to our governing authorities. Okay, I'm just
gonna take that picture down. Now, Mordecai's
actions have his fellow servants concerned. Look
at verse three. Then the king's servants who
were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, why
are you doing this? Why are you transgressing
or disobeying the king's command? Now it was
when they had spoken daily to him, meaning they
were warning him, and he would not listen to
them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai's
reason would stand. I said it last week. This
is kind of, these are rats. They ran to Haman
to say, do you see what Mordecai's doing? Is
this going to stand? Will you tolerate the way
Mordecai is rebelling against the command? So
obviously this is something that is ongoing.
This isn't just a one time I refused about on
a regular basis. It seems like Mordecai is refusing
this command and it's drawing the attention of
other people. It's becoming a problem for the
whole staff. And when he's challenged and warned,
it just seems like his mind is made up. I am
not gonna budge on this. And we should take note
of this. This is a huge personal risk, right?
Mordecai's putting his life on the line here.
This is conviction. This is courage. especially
since we've just seen what happened to Queen
Vashti. Remember, when she disobeyed the king's
command, boom, she's out. And what could happen
to Mordecai could be much worse than that, because
remember, Xerxes loved Queen Vashti. So he doesn't
have that same kind of love for Mordecai, so
there's nothing really that would cause Xerxes
to overlook what Mordecai's doing here and spare
his life. So there's a great risk taking place
here. Now, finishing verse four, this is the
critical piece of information. why was Mordecai
refusing the command? End of verse four, it says,
he had told them, meaning the other servants,
that he was a Jew. And there is our only clue
in the text itself to explain why Mordecai will
not bow down to Haman because I'm a Jew, which
implies the obvious. There's something going
on in that command that runs counter to what
Jews are allowed to do according to Torah law.
And that means we can rule out ignorance, by
the way. He knows exactly what he's doing. He
is choosing to violate the king's commandment.
And that, of course, raises the question that
I want to ask today. And that is, in violating
this command, in refusing to bow, is Mordecai
honoring the Lord or is he sinning? Is he honoring
the Lord? Is he being faithful to the Lord or
is he in sin? So we have to figure out the why.
behind of all this, right? Why is, this is a
stubborn conviction that Mordecai's come to.
Why? Exactly what was so problematic about bowing
down to Haman that this man would take such a
big risk, and it is, again, a giant risk. Well,
last Sunday I made the case that the most probable
reason, really the only reason that the text
itself gives us, is the fact that Haman was,
what, an agagite. Okay, good, very good. He's
an Agagite, right? Now, I won't go back over
all that Old Testament history. If you missed
last Sunday, it'd be super helpful to go back
and listen. But we talked about who King Agag
was, and we talked about the cowardly Amalekites,
and how the Lord told his people to remember
the treachery of the Amalekites, and how he instructed
King Saul to deal with them. And it's interesting,
when you read the historical Jewish texts about
this, they do point out the Amalekite issue,
but they actually go much deeper. They talk about
how the descendants of Agog and the descendants
of Saul goes all the way back to Jacob and Esau.
This is a very ancient rivalry, very ancient
conflict. But I want to consider another possible
reason for why Mordecai does not bow, beyond
the Amalekite issue, because I think that's obviously
there. But many of the ancient sources believe
this was an issue of worship. Many of the ancient
rabbis say this was an issue of worship. Let
me explain. This theory comes, by the way, in
two forms. The first one I don't put a lot of
stock in, but some historians believe that Haman
must have been wearing some kind of idolatrous
icon somewhere on his person that set Mordecai
off. In other words, he's got, based on the Persian
culture of the day, he's wearing a medallion
around his neck. that has some kind of image
on it. Or some have said, well, he might have
been wearing a turban with some kind of an icon
that's right there in the front of the turban.
Some have said, well, there's the possibility
that there was an image embroidered into his
robe and that he was out there in the palace
flaunting his culture with this image, flaunting
his gods before Mordecai. And of course, if that's
true, you can see why Mordecai would have been
repulsed by this man. as a Jew, repulsed by the
idea of having to bow before him. Now, the reason
I find that to be a stretch is primarily just
historical logic. I find it hard to believe that
Haman would have some kind of medallion or icon
or image in his garment that Xerxes wouldn't
have or Vashti wouldn't have had. And for Mordecai
to become an official at the king's gate in the
palace of Susa, listen, I have no doubt at some
point he had to bow down to Xerxes. otherwise
he wouldn't be there, or to the queen. And I
can't believe that this guy Haman has stuff,
has gear that the king and queen didn't have.
So why would Mordecai bow down to some people
but not Haman? Strictly because of what he's
wearing. So I'm not sure that one holds a lot
of weight. But here's the second theory, and
I think this one's a little bit more on point.
The second theory is that Haman, in his pride,
no doubt he's a prideful man, and in his thirst
for power, He's been put in a very powerful place.
How many of you guys know somebody who gets a
big promotion and suddenly they change? Right?
All of a sudden the pride and the arrogance comes
out. In that thirst for power, that somehow Haman
was daily presenting himself to the servants
and to the officials in some kind of idolatrous
fashion, meaning that he's demanding from them
a level of honor and respect beyond simple etiquette.
He's demanding worship from them. Okay, Rashi
actually explains that Haman had this, quote,
he had made himself into an object of worship,
expecting not just deference, but divine reverence.
Now, the question is, does the language here
in Esther 3 support that possibility? Well, the
first thing we should say is this, there's actually
no biblical law that forbids a Jew to bow down
to a king. or to bow down to somebody where it's
appropriate to show them honor or respect. It's
not forbidden in Jewish law. In fact, you can
go down a whole long list of biblical heroes
who did exactly that, bowed down to people in
authority. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Saul,
David, Daniel, Nehemiah, Ruth, and more. They
bowed down when it was appropriate because they
found themselves in those situations where that
was the right response. But now look back at
verse two and notice the two phrases. In English,
bow down and pay homage. We need to look at those
in the Hebrew. The Hebrew root words there, you
see on the screen, kara and shakha. The first
of those two verb roots, you'll find used 36
times in the Old Testament. And I looked at every
single one of them. And on many occasions, that
first verb refers to a physical posture. It'll
talk about kneeling down or crouching. Sometimes
it refers to being brought low or being subdued.
But in a number of places, it does refer to kneeling
in worship. And then the second word, shakha,
which you see there, is the most commonly used
word in Hebrew to describe the worship of Yahweh.
It's found 175 times in the Old Testament. In
its most literal sense, it conveys the idea of
physically bowing or kneeling as an expression
of reverence, humility, and honor. But sometimes
it goes beyond that to prostrating oneself. in
worship. So the language there is very strong.
And just as an example, by the way, you find
these two verbs put together in a very famous
verse, Psalm 95, 6, where it says, come let us
worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the
Lord, our maker. Is that worship? To Yahweh,
it sure is. It's very clear. So if there's a
core truth to this, what the ancient sages say
here, that Haman was presenting himself in such
a way that he was demanding prostration and worship
from the officials, then Mordecai is to be commended
here, right? Certainly, it would fall into the
same category that we saw Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego deal with the golden statue in Daniel
3, right? Now, that dilemma would be much simpler
because, I mean, there's a giant statue. I mean,
that's a little bit more obvious than Mordecai's
attitude and arrogance, right? You remember the
story, right? How Nebuchadnezzar built this massive
golden statue, put it on the plain of Dura, invited
everybody to come to the dedication, and then
said, hey, when you hear the music, everybody
better drop, and you better prostrate yourself
and worship the statue. And of course, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego will not do that. So that
was very, very clear. Much more so than Mordecai's
situation. But when you study ancient Jewish
life and values, especially for Jews who live
in the diaspora, which is what we're talking
about here, you see some common themes come out.
And one of them is, look, the Torah values life.
It's always about saving life. However, there
are certain commandments that are so fundamental
to the moral fabric of Jewish life that one must
be ready to give up their life for it. And the
number one thing on that list is idolatry. The
number one thing is idolatry. Bowing down and
worshiping anything or anyone other than Yahweh,
the living God. So if a Jew is told that they
have to choose between certain death and the
worship of a deity other than Yahweh, they only
have one choice, according to the Torah. They
cannot bow down. And you have to wonder, surely
Mordecai, as he's facing this dilemma about what
he does, does he have the story of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego in his mind? and how they
were faithful and how God rescued them by miracle.
Is that going through his mind as he thinks about
this? At the very least, I mean, we're beginning
to see, I know I've been hard on Mordecai up
until this point in the series because there's
definitely compromise there, but are we beginning
to see faith in Mordecai? At the very least,
whether he's taking a stand because of the Amalekite
issue or because he doesn't want to worship Haman,
at the very least, Mordecai is beginning to outwardly
and tangibly provide evidence that he cares about
his Jewish identity. And more importantly, that
he puts his citizenship in the kingdom of God
over and above his role within the Persian kingdom.
That's important, right? By the way, do we not
face the same thing in our world? Where we have
a choice, we live in the kingdom of Santa Clarita.
Is that a kingdom? The kingdom of California?
America, maybe? But above and beyond that's the
kingdom of God, right? Now again, before we cheer
too much for Mordecai, let me show you one other
possible reason for his refusal to bow. This
one is also found among the ancient sages. What
if Mordecai's primary motivation was his pride
and his anger? Consider that for a second, that
he was upset about A, the lack of a promotion
after he saved the king's life. B, He's frustrated
by the fact that this other guy, Haman, gets
this giant promotion right over the top of him.
C, he's bitter that now he's got to serve an
Amalekite. And then D, he's really angry that
now he has to show honor and respect to what
he knows is a dishonorable man. And I wonder,
has that ever happened to anybody? in here, say
in the workplace or in some part of your life,
where this is wrong, it's unfair, it doesn't
make any sense, and yet here I am now, I'm forced
into this place where I've got to submit to this
authority that I don't respect, that is mean
-spirited, that maybe even is hostile towards
Christians, but this is the authority established
over you. What do you do in that moment when
things just look so unfair? When nobody's recognizing
your work and you're not getting that promotion.
There's no attaboys and it's just, you're just
hard. And then out of nowhere you're like, that
is not a good person and they just leapfrogged
over me. And it makes no sense. Have you responded
in that kind of situation? How would you respond
if you were faced with that kind of situation?
If Mordecai's pride is the driving force here,
I want you to think about the potential cost
of him responding in this way. He has put his
own life at risk. He's put Esther's life at risk.
He's put his entire people at risk. We talked
about it last week. Probably 750 ,000. Three
quarters of a million Jews living in the Persian
Empire at this time. Because in response to Mordecai's
rebellion, Haman's going to seek to destroy every
single Jew in the entire empire. So he's put
everything at risk. And for what? If pride and
anger is the issue, For what? Because he's got
a personal beef with his boss? Is that a good
risk? An ancient grievance that goes back generations?
Very good. So let me ask the acorns who are with
us this morning. Have you ever felt like you're
in a situation that just feels really unfair?
Maybe your mom and dad, you think, man, that's
not fair. And you get angry in your heart about
it. Here's the question for you acorns. Does
that anger help the situation or make it worse?
Does that anger in your heart, does it make mommy
and daddy happy? Does it make God happy when
you're angry like that? This is why we began
our service this morning in 1 Peter 2. talking
about our need to submit to the authorities that
God puts in our lives. For our acorns, Adam said
it earlier, what's your primary authority? It's
your parents, it's mom and dad. When you come
to church, it's your teachers and helpers in
your classrooms that you're in, right? This matters
in every one of our lives. Adam mentioned it.
Look, we're all under authority. The Christian
life is about submission in so many ways. There's
so many levels of it that we should know this
particular passage. So let me go back to it.
It's 1 Peter 2. I'm going to put it on the screen
for you guys. But I want you to notice as we
go back into this passage, at the outset, God
is calling us to fight two battles for the glory
of God. One is on the inside, and one is on the
outside. It starts, verse 11. Beloved, I urge
you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly
lusts which wage war against the soul. What that
means is the first battle we fight is within
us, right? Guarding our heart and mind carefully
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we're
able to restrain our ungodly passions and make
our love for Christ and our walk with him our
primary passion. But we got to win that war within
first, right? But those daily victories that
we get within in our soul, those things are going
to spill over into our outside life. And that's
what you see in verse 12. Keep your behavior
excellent among the Gentiles. That means the
unbelievers in your life. Live carefully among
them, remembering that you are always an ambassador
for Christ. And here's the purpose statement.
So that, here's why you should do that, in the
thing in which they slander you as evildoers,
they may, because of your good deeds, as they
see them, as they observe them, that they will
glorify God in the day of visitation. This is
how we magnify the name of Christ in our culture,
in our communities, in our neighborhoods. We
win them over with two things, with being zealous
for good deeds and manifesting the fruits of
the Spirit in our lives. We win the battle within
so it spills over on the outside. We're always
cognizant of how we speak and how we act around
unbelievers. And then comes the key. Verse 13,
Peter says this. Submit yourselves for the Lord's
sake to every human institution. Now he's making
a connection there about our outward lives. A
big part of that is submitting to authority.
And the key phrase is for the Lord's sake. If
you miss that phrase, you miss the whole thing.
It's for the Lord's sake. So we don't submit
to fallible, often corrupt, mostly wicked institutions
in this world because we feel like it or because
it's easy. We do it as an act of worship for
the Lord's sake. And that's really hard, isn't
it? It's really hard. But remember, Peter's just
told us, look, you're an alien. You're a stranger
in this world. You don't fit in. So you're going
to look at those institutions and say, wow, that's
a mess. That should be normal for believers because
we're not of this world. And yet we're to submit.
And that's not easy. So we're really not that
different from Mordecai, are we? Remember, Mordecai's
part of the diaspora. He's a Jew living in Persia.
He feels like an alien. He feels like a stranger.
He feels like he's living in two worlds, and
so are we. We have to deal with the institutions
of our culture, but while we do that, we have
to prioritize our citizenship in the kingdom
of God, in our heavenly citizenship. Why does
Peter want us to do that? Look at verse 15. Drop
down there. For such is the will of God, that
by doing right, you may silence the ignorance
of foolish men. So we're to live such humble
lives, joyful lives, generous lives, sacrificial
lives, that the unbelievers around us who, because
of their ignorance, would love to just condemn
us and say, boy, those people are awful. They
can't do it because they don't have any ammunition.
And in that, we point them to Christ. We win
the war within. It spills out in this way outside.
In fact, our consistency in living out good deeds
in the fruits of the Spirit will eventually force
them to acknowledge the goodness of God. Force
them to say that's actually a beautiful life
that that man or woman leads in their worship
of Christ. Verse 16, act as free men. Do not
use your freedom as a covering for evil, but
use it as bond slaves of God. Be careful about
your witness. You have freedom in Christ. Use
it wisely. Use it wisely. And then verse 17,
he summarizes, honor all people, love the brotherhood,
fear God, honor the king. Oh, honor the king,
Mordecai. Interesting, huh? Look at the progression
there. Start with all people. Christians have
a reputation of being just really mean -spirited
sometimes. Like, you're outside the kingdom,
so I can treat you poorly. We're to value. and
respect every human being made in the image of
God. They're sinners like us. We show them basic
respect and honor. But above that, then, we give
special honor and love to our brothers and sisters
in Christ. And then above our spiritual family,
we give God the fear and respect he deserves.
Look at the progression. All people, people in
the church, and God, but look at the last. You
would think Peter would stop there, but he doesn't.
He comes back full circle, and he says, honor
the king. Submit to the king for the Lord's sake.
Because that king has been placed there by the
Lord. How many of you guys believe that? Honestly,
you believe that God has established? Gavin Newsom
is our governor. I know, I just challenged you.
I know. Let's go to the screen. No. It's terrible.
Karen Bass, yeah. Listen, the king is not to
be feared in the same way we fear God. He's not
to be loved with the same commitment that we
love our church family, but we have to honor
the king. It's a huge part of how we win as ambassadors
for Christ, how we win the culture when they
see the way that we do that. Now, we're going
to come back to Mordecai's refusal to bow down,
and we're going to talk about times when we have
to refuse to bow down, but I want you to know
this principle first that comes out of Romans
13. It comes out of this passage here. As Christians,
we should be people who first and foremost are
inclined towards submission and obedience. That
should be our default setting, for the Lord's
sake, even when it's hard. We're not to be rebellious.
We're not to be pugnacious. We're not to be looking
for a fight all the time. We're not to let the
forces of the world drag us into division and
disunity and arguments. Has anybody seen that
on social media? How do we get manipulated? We
know better. And yet the forces at work in social
media, in the spiritual realm, just, I see Christians
just battling each other. It looks such a bad
look. And yet we allow those forces to drag us
into division. We know better. We don't buy into
every conspiracy theory that runs across our
desk on social media. We should be known as the
people who are slow to anger, who are thoughtful
on the issues of the day. We're not reactionary.
We're driven by truth, not by all the voices
out there that want to mislead us for profit
because they're everywhere. Slow. thoughtful,
wise, restrained. Paul says it this way. We should
not be acting like children who are tossed all
over by the waves and carried by every wind of
doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness
and deceitful scheming. That is the description
of the world we live in. So don't be children.
Be adults. So, now let's ask the question and
answer it. Slip on Mordecai's ancient sandals.
And let's look at our lives today. Did Mordecai
act justly or unjustly? Justly or unjustly? And
when do we refuse to bow down in our world today?
Some folks look at Esther 3 and they ask, would
it have been so bad for Mordecai to just grit
his teeth and bow to Haman out of respect for
the king, if only just to maintain peace and
to not put everybody at risk? As I shared earlier,
I think the answer to that question depends on
his heart. Depends upon what motivated him to
refuse to bow down. Guys, the motivation of the
heart is everything in our lives, is it not?
What drives us to make the choices we make? What
drives our decisions? So what motivated Mordecai's
heart? Was it his pride and anger? If so, he
put a ton of people at risk for a very selfish,
ungodly reason. Was it just about Haman was an
Amalekite? If so, I think he failed to discern
the situation rightly on a cost -benefit analysis.
And as much as I understand the Jewish perspective
on the bitterness of the Amalekites, wisdom in
seeing the bigger picture tells me that that
is a petty reason to take this stand and put
an entire people group at risk of being annihilated.
This is a lesson I think that all of humanity
needs to learn, including Americans. Living in
the past, living in the past and applying old
grudges in the present only stirs up wrath and
dissension. It furthers hatred across generations
and we shouldn't be a part of it. Because James
says the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness
of God. Lay it aside. Let that stuff die. It's
not healthy for you. It's not good for the church.
Let it die. But was Mordecai's motivation an
issue of idolatry? Was he being asked to worship
Haman in some way? That's an important question.
If so, I'm going to say it. If so, the state
was asking too much of him. Even for a Jewish
man who had probably compromised in other ways
to get where he was, worshiping Haman was too
much. That's an affront to the living God and
therefore it's an appropriate time to take a
stand and then trust God that somehow he is going
to work through that. But guys, we have to be
discerning in the stands that we take. And the
first thing is to look at my heart. Why am I
not bowing down? Is it a godly reason or is it
a selfish reason? Is it a rebellious reason?
What's going on? We always ask that question.
Why do I do what I do, right? Why do I choose
the way I choose? So what are the lines that
we need to identify when we stand our ground?
Are there times we just keep our heads down and
weather the storm? You are going to have difficult
presidents and you're going to have difficult
governors and mayors and you're going to have
bosses, some that might be incredibly hostile
towards you or towards Christianity. Have you
thought about this? You go work for a company
and they promote an Islamic fundamentalist over
you as a boss. And he's open about his hatred
of Christianity. He's actually open about jihad.
What do you do? That's kind of what Mordecai's
facing here. What do you do? And the answer isn't
black and white. It's going to be case by case.
And it requires wisdom and it requires prayer
and wise counsel in searching the scriptures.
Did we not just have to walk through this recently
with COVID? It's such a great test case. Don't
forget what we walked through with COVID. It's
a great test case for us. At the outset, at least
here at Oak Hill, we were inclined towards submission
and obedience because we were... Posturing ourselves
according to Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. Let's learn
more about this situation. But at some point,
after doing the research and listening to experts,
spending time in word and prayer and having important
discussions, we came to the conclusion the state
is asking too much of us. There are fundamental
things that stand opposed to our faith and our
worship that have to be confronted. But that
was not done quickly and it was not done as a
reactionary thing. So let me caution you again,
lest we all get William Wallace about this. The
default position of the Christian is to be a
law -abiding citizen, to find every reason to
live peaceably and quietly under the authorities
that have been established. But yes, there are
limits to our obedience, and there are lines
that can be crossed. And when the authorities...
command us to cross biblical boundaries, and
they ask us to do something that clearly violates
something in Scripture, that is when we have
to stand up. But we do it humbly, don't we? We
do it humbly, and we do it steadfastly with a
sense of confidence in the Lord, and we say,
I'm not going to bow down to that. It all comes
back to the heart. Peter and his fellow apostles
laid this principle out. So I'm so grateful for
this little passage in Acts chapter five. Remember
when the high priest in Jerusalem, remember he
scolds Peter and the apostles. He said, look,
we told you not to preach in the name of that
Jesus guy. And what did the Peter and the apostles
say? Sorry, Bob, we're gonna keep doing it. Actually,
that's not what he said. They said, we must obey
God rather than men. And that is the critical
caveat of the story, right? The resistance is
tied to God's command. So if our cause is a godly
one, listen now, if our cause is a godly one,
it's not selfish, it's not rooted in our anger,
it's not rooted in some personal beef with somebody,
it's not rooted in somebody's conspiracy theory
that they sold on us, but it's rooted in biblical
truth, then we can stand our ground and trust
that God will carry us through. But even in that,
does it guarantee that we're not going to suffer
for it? No guarantee. As we take a stand, we
deal with the consequences. And then we don't
shake our fist to God, right? We suffer the consequences.
Peter talks about this. He says, rejoice as you
share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you
may also rejoice with great joy when his glory
is revealed. If you're ridiculed for the name
of Christ, you're blessed. because the spirit
of glory and of God rests on you. Then he gives
a warning. He says, but look, let none of you
suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, a
meddler. Make sure that if you're suffering in
the name of Christ, it's for a godly reason.
But if anyone suffers as a Christian for the
sake of Christ, let him not be ashamed, but let
him glorify God in having that name, in having
that name. Are you willing to take a stand for
the name and the glory of Christ, even if it
costs you something? It costs you your comfort.
It brings about pain. Are you willing? I read
a great quote this week during my preparation.
Listen to this now. The paradox for the Christian
is that we need to obey better than the world
does and resist better than the world does. In
other words, doing both for the right reasons
and making that clear to the world. As a church,
we have to be prepared to do both of those things.
First of all, to shine like lights in the world
as we submit and obey the authorities. Right?
Shine like lights. But then when lines get crossed
and we muster up the courage to stand our ground
for a right reason, then we have to do that in
a way that the world looks at that and goes,
I get it. I see why they can't obey that. What
a testimony that would be, right? They see us
and go, wow, look at how those Christians submit
to the authorities. That's impressive. And then
when we resist, we do it for such a righteous
reason, they go, you know what? That's good.
We see that as well. But if we're all angry and
screaming and shaking our fists and writing social
media things, we're not being ambassadors for
Christ. Keep your behavior excellent among the
Gentiles. Now, the interesting PS to the story
about Mordecai is this, and we'll pick up on
it next Sunday. God appears to have honored Mordecai's
resistance, right? He honors his resistance.
Does that tell us something about why he refused
to bow down? Maybe, or maybe God just bailed
him out. We'll talk about it next week. But either
way, just know God is, we've said this in every
single sermon, God is sovereignly at work in
this whole situation. Every detail is being worked
out so that God will save his people. So, Mordecai's
defiance has, since that day, just so you know
this in Jewish tradition, Mordecai's defiance
has just been a source of encouragement for Jewish
people for centuries. The stand that he takes
is invoked time and time again in moments of
persecution, in moments of terror, and in moments
of survival. And that's what we're going to pick
up on next week. If I haven't been clear on the
lines on this, will you come talk to me? This
is such an important principle because we live
in a complex world. Isn't that true? Amen. Let's
go to prayer. Father, thank you for your word
that always instructs us and sometimes it instructs
us in ways where we are really challenged in
our mind and our hearts to look into the text
to see what the lesson is you have for us. But
Lord, we want to live these principles out well
in this complex world that we live in. And we
know as believers here in California that we
live in a tough place where it is hard to submit
to the governing authorities. Yet you call us
to be really cautious in the way we do this.
And you tell us to be cautious about it for your
sake, for your glory. And I pray that you would
remind us of this tomorrow when we go on Facebook
or we go on some social media site and we begin
to get angry, that you would remind us that we
need to submit. And we need to obey for your
glory. And Lord, as the things come up where
the state asks too much of us, that you would
make those things really clear in our minds.
But even then, Lord, that we would show humility
and love for our fellow man as we, like Mordecai,
just refused to bow down. These are hard things,
Lord. We need your wisdom. So help us do that
well. Thank you for time in your word this morning.
Thank you for baby dedications. Thank you for
all the acorns who are with us this morning.
And Lord, thank you that we now get to sing your
praises. Let's do that well for your glory. Thank
you, Lord Jesus. We love you. Amen.