WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.040 Our passage for today, just four verses in Esther 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:04.879 chapter 3, and you may be thinking, hold on a 00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:07.200 second, didn't we cover these verses last week? 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:10.419 You're not crazy. We did. But I promise we're 00:00:10.419 --> 00:00:12.279 going to come back and drill down a little bit 00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:15.320 deeper on the choices that Mordecai makes in 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:18.000 these four verses. So we're going to look at 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:19.879 that. We're going to try to then bridge the gap 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:23.000 to our time period and ask some questions about 00:00:23.629 --> 00:00:25.870 Did Mordecai make the right call? Did he do the 00:00:25.870 --> 00:00:28.289 right thing? And how does that apply in our lives 00:00:28.289 --> 00:00:30.910 in the church today? Now, in my research over 00:00:30.910 --> 00:00:33.509 the past few days, I took a really deep dive 00:00:33.509 --> 00:00:37.170 into some of the ancient historical Jewish perspectives 00:00:37.170 --> 00:00:40.409 on this text. I looked at portions of the Talmud. 00:00:40.570 --> 00:00:42.990 I looked at some collections of Midrash. I went 00:00:42.990 --> 00:00:45.929 to one particular Targum. I even looked at Rashi's 00:00:45.929 --> 00:00:48.920 commentary on Esther from the 11th century. And 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:51.439 I did all of that because there is so much material 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:53.479 about the book of Esther. If you don't know, 00:00:53.579 --> 00:00:55.200 this is going to come out later in the series. 00:00:55.420 --> 00:00:58.320 It is the basis for the Jewish holiday of Purim. 00:00:58.810 --> 00:01:01.450 And so there's much material written about the 00:01:01.450 --> 00:01:03.770 book of Esther, and it was so interesting to 00:01:03.770 --> 00:01:06.250 get that background. Now, in all those things, 00:01:06.310 --> 00:01:08.109 that's not the inspired word of God, so we have 00:01:08.109 --> 00:01:10.370 to remember that, take it with a grain of salt, 00:01:10.430 --> 00:01:13.090 but some really interesting perspectives rooted 00:01:13.090 --> 00:01:16.870 in solid rabbinical scholarship. So we'll talk 00:01:16.870 --> 00:01:18.709 about that as we go along. Let's look at verse 00:01:18.709 --> 00:01:22.189 one. It says, after these events, meaning after 00:01:22.189 --> 00:01:26.760 the events of chapter two, King Ahashverosh promoted 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:31.359 Haman, the son of Hamadethah, the Agagite, and 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:33.840 advanced him, advanced him in rank and established 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:37.640 his authority over all the princes who were with 00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:40.379 him. So remember, Mordecai had just saved the 00:01:40.379 --> 00:01:43.640 king's life, right? He exposed a plot to assassinate 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:45.760 the king that was happening with his security 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:48.680 team at the king's gate. And we would expect 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:50.760 then that Mordecai would be rewarded for that, 00:01:50.780 --> 00:01:53.670 but no. Mordecai doesn't get promoted for his 00:01:53.670 --> 00:01:56.230 good deed. Instead, we're told that Haman is 00:01:56.230 --> 00:01:58.650 promoted to the position of what we would call 00:01:58.650 --> 00:02:01.689 in Persian culture, the chief vizier. And he 00:02:01.689 --> 00:02:04.409 gets authority over every other official there 00:02:04.409 --> 00:02:07.109 at the palace. He's the number two guy now. Verse 00:02:07.109 --> 00:02:09.330 two, all the king's servants who were at the 00:02:09.330 --> 00:02:13.250 king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman. 00:02:13.710 --> 00:02:16.689 For so the king had commanded concerning him. 00:02:16.770 --> 00:02:19.789 So get this now. The command comes down from 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:22.449 on high, from the king himself. All the servants 00:02:22.449 --> 00:02:26.270 must bow down in reverence and honor to Haman 00:02:26.270 --> 00:02:34.189 the Agagite. Good job. Well done. So how is Mordecai 00:02:34.189 --> 00:02:37.030 going to respond? End of verse 2. But Mordecai 00:02:37.030 --> 00:02:42.889 neither bowed down nor paid homage. Now. Look, 00:02:42.949 --> 00:02:45.090 we all love a good resistance story, don't we? 00:02:45.710 --> 00:02:48.169 We love our George Washingtons who fights the 00:02:48.169 --> 00:02:51.469 revolution. We love our William Wallaces. And 00:02:51.469 --> 00:02:53.949 our first inclination here is, when we read this 00:02:53.949 --> 00:02:56.650 verse, is to cheer Mordecai for taking this principled 00:02:56.650 --> 00:02:59.629 stand. But we need to slow down for just a second. 00:02:59.669 --> 00:03:01.629 From a civil perspective, we should be honest 00:03:01.629 --> 00:03:05.030 about this. What Mordecai has done here is break 00:03:05.030 --> 00:03:08.900 the king's law. He's broken the king's law. So 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:11.099 we should be cautious about just jumping on the 00:03:11.099 --> 00:03:13.500 bandwagon and saying, way to go, Mordecai. It 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:15.919 takes a little bit of study to figure out what's 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:18.219 going on here. We should look at the situation 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:21.419 in context and try to decide, is this a godly 00:03:21.419 --> 00:03:23.840 thing that he's done or is it an ungodly thing? 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:26.080 Because the way we answer that question, the 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:29.039 way we analyze Mordecai's choices here is probably 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:31.539 going to affect us because we have a government 00:03:31.539 --> 00:03:33.900 and we have commands and laws that come down 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:35.860 from our government. State government, federal 00:03:35.860 --> 00:03:38.400 government, local government, and how we answer 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:40.759 that question is gonna impact the way we respond 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:44.319 to our governing authorities. Okay, I'm just 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:46.840 gonna take that picture down. Now, Mordecai's 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:49.659 actions have his fellow servants concerned. Look 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:51.740 at verse three. Then the king's servants who 00:03:51.740 --> 00:03:54.379 were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, why 00:03:54.379 --> 00:03:57.639 are you doing this? Why are you transgressing 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:01.319 or disobeying the king's command? Now it was 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:04.120 when they had spoken daily to him, meaning they 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:06.759 were warning him, and he would not listen to 00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:10.099 them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai's 00:04:10.099 --> 00:04:12.639 reason would stand. I said it last week. This 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:17.180 is kind of, these are rats. They ran to Haman 00:04:17.180 --> 00:04:20.019 to say, do you see what Mordecai's doing? Is 00:04:20.019 --> 00:04:22.660 this going to stand? Will you tolerate the way 00:04:22.660 --> 00:04:25.889 Mordecai is rebelling against the command? So 00:04:25.889 --> 00:04:27.769 obviously this is something that is ongoing. 00:04:27.910 --> 00:04:30.730 This isn't just a one time I refused about on 00:04:30.730 --> 00:04:33.629 a regular basis. It seems like Mordecai is refusing 00:04:33.629 --> 00:04:36.110 this command and it's drawing the attention of 00:04:36.110 --> 00:04:38.050 other people. It's becoming a problem for the 00:04:38.050 --> 00:04:41.329 whole staff. And when he's challenged and warned, 00:04:41.509 --> 00:04:43.889 it just seems like his mind is made up. I am 00:04:43.889 --> 00:04:46.470 not gonna budge on this. And we should take note 00:04:46.470 --> 00:04:48.470 of this. This is a huge personal risk, right? 00:04:49.589 --> 00:04:51.350 Mordecai's putting his life on the line here. 00:04:51.449 --> 00:04:55.899 This is conviction. This is courage. especially 00:04:55.899 --> 00:04:57.720 since we've just seen what happened to Queen 00:04:57.720 --> 00:05:00.439 Vashti. Remember, when she disobeyed the king's 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:04.560 command, boom, she's out. And what could happen 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:06.420 to Mordecai could be much worse than that, because 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:10.300 remember, Xerxes loved Queen Vashti. So he doesn't 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:11.959 have that same kind of love for Mordecai, so 00:05:11.959 --> 00:05:14.519 there's nothing really that would cause Xerxes 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:16.779 to overlook what Mordecai's doing here and spare 00:05:16.779 --> 00:05:19.740 his life. So there's a great risk taking place 00:05:19.740 --> 00:05:22.300 here. Now, finishing verse four, this is the 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:25.759 critical piece of information. why was Mordecai 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.779 refusing the command? End of verse four, it says, 00:05:28.860 --> 00:05:31.120 he had told them, meaning the other servants, 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:36.399 that he was a Jew. And there is our only clue 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:39.579 in the text itself to explain why Mordecai will 00:05:39.579 --> 00:05:44.519 not bow down to Haman because I'm a Jew, which 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:46.060 implies the obvious. There's something going 00:05:46.060 --> 00:05:48.740 on in that command that runs counter to what 00:05:48.740 --> 00:05:51.819 Jews are allowed to do according to Torah law. 00:05:52.579 --> 00:05:54.480 And that means we can rule out ignorance, by 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:56.600 the way. He knows exactly what he's doing. He 00:05:56.600 --> 00:05:59.040 is choosing to violate the king's commandment. 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:01.800 And that, of course, raises the question that 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:05.819 I want to ask today. And that is, in violating 00:06:05.819 --> 00:06:09.819 this command, in refusing to bow, is Mordecai 00:06:09.819 --> 00:06:15.040 honoring the Lord or is he sinning? Is he honoring 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:17.139 the Lord? Is he being faithful to the Lord or 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:19.519 is he in sin? So we have to figure out the why. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:23.519 behind of all this, right? Why is, this is a 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:25.639 stubborn conviction that Mordecai's come to. 00:06:26.180 --> 00:06:29.600 Why? Exactly what was so problematic about bowing 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:32.100 down to Haman that this man would take such a 00:06:32.100 --> 00:06:35.740 big risk, and it is, again, a giant risk. Well, 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:38.399 last Sunday I made the case that the most probable 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:40.639 reason, really the only reason that the text 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:43.519 itself gives us, is the fact that Haman was, 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:49.240 what, an agagite. Okay, good, very good. He's 00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:51.040 an Agagite, right? Now, I won't go back over 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:53.040 all that Old Testament history. If you missed 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:55.300 last Sunday, it'd be super helpful to go back 00:06:55.300 --> 00:06:57.879 and listen. But we talked about who King Agag 00:06:57.879 --> 00:07:00.639 was, and we talked about the cowardly Amalekites, 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.839 and how the Lord told his people to remember 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:06.160 the treachery of the Amalekites, and how he instructed 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:08.970 King Saul to deal with them. And it's interesting, 00:07:09.050 --> 00:07:11.529 when you read the historical Jewish texts about 00:07:11.529 --> 00:07:13.970 this, they do point out the Amalekite issue, 00:07:14.050 --> 00:07:15.970 but they actually go much deeper. They talk about 00:07:15.970 --> 00:07:19.350 how the descendants of Agog and the descendants 00:07:19.350 --> 00:07:23.310 of Saul goes all the way back to Jacob and Esau. 00:07:23.670 --> 00:07:26.389 This is a very ancient rivalry, very ancient 00:07:26.389 --> 00:07:29.329 conflict. But I want to consider another possible 00:07:29.329 --> 00:07:33.069 reason for why Mordecai does not bow, beyond 00:07:33.069 --> 00:07:35.829 the Amalekite issue, because I think that's obviously 00:07:35.829 --> 00:07:38.660 there. But many of the ancient sources believe 00:07:38.660 --> 00:07:42.800 this was an issue of worship. Many of the ancient 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:45.980 rabbis say this was an issue of worship. Let 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:47.879 me explain. This theory comes, by the way, in 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:50.240 two forms. The first one I don't put a lot of 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:53.180 stock in, but some historians believe that Haman 00:07:53.180 --> 00:07:55.620 must have been wearing some kind of idolatrous 00:07:55.620 --> 00:07:59.699 icon somewhere on his person that set Mordecai 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:03.160 off. In other words, he's got, based on the Persian 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:05.060 culture of the day, he's wearing a medallion 00:08:05.060 --> 00:08:07.329 around his neck. that has some kind of image 00:08:07.329 --> 00:08:09.709 on it. Or some have said, well, he might have 00:08:09.709 --> 00:08:11.829 been wearing a turban with some kind of an icon 00:08:11.829 --> 00:08:14.170 that's right there in the front of the turban. 00:08:14.430 --> 00:08:16.129 Some have said, well, there's the possibility 00:08:16.129 --> 00:08:18.709 that there was an image embroidered into his 00:08:18.709 --> 00:08:21.569 robe and that he was out there in the palace 00:08:21.569 --> 00:08:24.649 flaunting his culture with this image, flaunting 00:08:24.649 --> 00:08:27.930 his gods before Mordecai. And of course, if that's 00:08:27.930 --> 00:08:29.790 true, you can see why Mordecai would have been 00:08:29.790 --> 00:08:34.330 repulsed by this man. as a Jew, repulsed by the 00:08:34.330 --> 00:08:37.690 idea of having to bow before him. Now, the reason 00:08:37.690 --> 00:08:40.210 I find that to be a stretch is primarily just 00:08:40.210 --> 00:08:42.889 historical logic. I find it hard to believe that 00:08:42.889 --> 00:08:45.210 Haman would have some kind of medallion or icon 00:08:45.210 --> 00:08:47.830 or image in his garment that Xerxes wouldn't 00:08:47.830 --> 00:08:52.250 have or Vashti wouldn't have had. And for Mordecai 00:08:52.250 --> 00:08:54.990 to become an official at the king's gate in the 00:08:54.990 --> 00:08:57.889 palace of Susa, listen, I have no doubt at some 00:08:57.889 --> 00:09:00.830 point he had to bow down to Xerxes. otherwise 00:09:00.830 --> 00:09:03.610 he wouldn't be there, or to the queen. And I 00:09:03.610 --> 00:09:06.230 can't believe that this guy Haman has stuff, 00:09:06.309 --> 00:09:08.830 has gear that the king and queen didn't have. 00:09:09.169 --> 00:09:12.509 So why would Mordecai bow down to some people 00:09:12.509 --> 00:09:14.429 but not Haman? Strictly because of what he's 00:09:14.429 --> 00:09:17.230 wearing. So I'm not sure that one holds a lot 00:09:17.230 --> 00:09:19.210 of weight. But here's the second theory, and 00:09:19.210 --> 00:09:21.470 I think this one's a little bit more on point. 00:09:22.250 --> 00:09:24.570 The second theory is that Haman, in his pride, 00:09:25.330 --> 00:09:28.289 no doubt he's a prideful man, and in his thirst 00:09:28.289 --> 00:09:31.320 for power, He's been put in a very powerful place. 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:33.360 How many of you guys know somebody who gets a 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:36.720 big promotion and suddenly they change? Right? 00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:39.019 All of a sudden the pride and the arrogance comes 00:09:39.019 --> 00:09:42.639 out. In that thirst for power, that somehow Haman 00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:45.159 was daily presenting himself to the servants 00:09:45.159 --> 00:09:48.799 and to the officials in some kind of idolatrous 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:51.600 fashion, meaning that he's demanding from them 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:55.659 a level of honor and respect beyond simple etiquette. 00:09:56.299 --> 00:10:01.200 He's demanding worship from them. Okay, Rashi 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:03.279 actually explains that Haman had this, quote, 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.200 he had made himself into an object of worship, 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:10.740 expecting not just deference, but divine reverence. 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:13.559 Now, the question is, does the language here 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:16.120 in Esther 3 support that possibility? Well, the 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:17.840 first thing we should say is this, there's actually 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:22.000 no biblical law that forbids a Jew to bow down 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:25.870 to a king. or to bow down to somebody where it's 00:10:25.870 --> 00:10:28.470 appropriate to show them honor or respect. It's 00:10:28.470 --> 00:10:30.809 not forbidden in Jewish law. In fact, you can 00:10:30.809 --> 00:10:32.750 go down a whole long list of biblical heroes 00:10:32.750 --> 00:10:35.789 who did exactly that, bowed down to people in 00:10:35.789 --> 00:10:39.789 authority. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Saul, 00:10:39.970 --> 00:10:43.070 David, Daniel, Nehemiah, Ruth, and more. They 00:10:43.070 --> 00:10:45.629 bowed down when it was appropriate because they 00:10:45.629 --> 00:10:48.190 found themselves in those situations where that 00:10:48.190 --> 00:10:50.929 was the right response. But now look back at 00:10:50.929 --> 00:10:53.700 verse two and notice the two phrases. In English, 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:58.139 bow down and pay homage. We need to look at those 00:10:58.139 --> 00:11:01.220 in the Hebrew. The Hebrew root words there, you 00:11:01.220 --> 00:11:04.919 see on the screen, kara and shakha. The first 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:07.279 of those two verb roots, you'll find used 36 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:09.980 times in the Old Testament. And I looked at every 00:11:09.980 --> 00:11:12.600 single one of them. And on many occasions, that 00:11:12.600 --> 00:11:16.740 first verb refers to a physical posture. It'll 00:11:16.740 --> 00:11:19.700 talk about kneeling down or crouching. Sometimes 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:22.539 it refers to being brought low or being subdued. 00:11:23.159 --> 00:11:26.159 But in a number of places, it does refer to kneeling 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:30.460 in worship. And then the second word, shakha, 00:11:30.580 --> 00:11:33.580 which you see there, is the most commonly used 00:11:33.580 --> 00:11:36.759 word in Hebrew to describe the worship of Yahweh. 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:40.259 It's found 175 times in the Old Testament. In 00:11:40.259 --> 00:11:43.200 its most literal sense, it conveys the idea of 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:46.000 physically bowing or kneeling as an expression 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:49.419 of reverence, humility, and honor. But sometimes 00:11:49.419 --> 00:11:53.399 it goes beyond that to prostrating oneself. in 00:11:53.399 --> 00:11:56.899 worship. So the language there is very strong. 00:11:57.580 --> 00:11:59.600 And just as an example, by the way, you find 00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:01.960 these two verbs put together in a very famous 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:06.200 verse, Psalm 95, 6, where it says, come let us 00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:10.820 worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the 00:12:10.820 --> 00:12:13.820 Lord, our maker. Is that worship? To Yahweh, 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:17.539 it sure is. It's very clear. So if there's a 00:12:17.539 --> 00:12:19.720 core truth to this, what the ancient sages say 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:22.519 here, that Haman was presenting himself in such 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:25.840 a way that he was demanding prostration and worship 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:29.080 from the officials, then Mordecai is to be commended 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:32.120 here, right? Certainly, it would fall into the 00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:34.320 same category that we saw Shadrach, Meshach, 00:12:34.340 --> 00:12:37.399 and Abednego deal with the golden statue in Daniel 00:12:37.399 --> 00:12:40.720 3, right? Now, that dilemma would be much simpler 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:44.240 because, I mean, there's a giant statue. I mean, 00:12:44.259 --> 00:12:47.779 that's a little bit more obvious than Mordecai's 00:12:47.779 --> 00:12:50.600 attitude and arrogance, right? You remember the 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:52.840 story, right? How Nebuchadnezzar built this massive 00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:56.480 golden statue, put it on the plain of Dura, invited 00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:58.720 everybody to come to the dedication, and then 00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:01.360 said, hey, when you hear the music, everybody 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:04.580 better drop, and you better prostrate yourself 00:13:04.580 --> 00:13:07.940 and worship the statue. And of course, Shadrach, 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:10.720 Meshach, and Abednego will not do that. So that 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:14.659 was very, very clear. Much more so than Mordecai's 00:13:14.659 --> 00:13:16.460 situation. But when you study ancient Jewish 00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:19.360 life and values, especially for Jews who live 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:21.440 in the diaspora, which is what we're talking 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:24.340 about here, you see some common themes come out. 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:27.019 And one of them is, look, the Torah values life. 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:30.320 It's always about saving life. However, there 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:32.759 are certain commandments that are so fundamental 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:36.399 to the moral fabric of Jewish life that one must 00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:38.919 be ready to give up their life for it. And the 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:42.240 number one thing on that list is idolatry. The 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:44.679 number one thing is idolatry. Bowing down and 00:13:44.679 --> 00:13:47.100 worshiping anything or anyone other than Yahweh, 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:50.960 the living God. So if a Jew is told that they 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:52.740 have to choose between certain death and the 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:55.340 worship of a deity other than Yahweh, they only 00:13:55.340 --> 00:13:59.259 have one choice, according to the Torah. They 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:03.539 cannot bow down. And you have to wonder, surely 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:06.899 Mordecai, as he's facing this dilemma about what 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:09.500 he does, does he have the story of Shadrach, 00:14:09.580 --> 00:14:12.379 Meshach, and Abednego in his mind? and how they 00:14:12.379 --> 00:14:15.539 were faithful and how God rescued them by miracle. 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:18.259 Is that going through his mind as he thinks about 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:21.559 this? At the very least, I mean, we're beginning 00:14:21.559 --> 00:14:23.639 to see, I know I've been hard on Mordecai up 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:25.879 until this point in the series because there's 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:29.080 definitely compromise there, but are we beginning 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:32.700 to see faith in Mordecai? At the very least, 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:35.200 whether he's taking a stand because of the Amalekite 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:37.159 issue or because he doesn't want to worship Haman, 00:14:37.220 --> 00:14:41.200 at the very least, Mordecai is beginning to outwardly 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:44.460 and tangibly provide evidence that he cares about 00:14:44.460 --> 00:14:47.919 his Jewish identity. And more importantly, that 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:50.080 he puts his citizenship in the kingdom of God 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:53.460 over and above his role within the Persian kingdom. 00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:56.299 That's important, right? By the way, do we not 00:14:56.299 --> 00:14:59.559 face the same thing in our world? Where we have 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:01.799 a choice, we live in the kingdom of Santa Clarita. 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:05.220 Is that a kingdom? The kingdom of California? 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:10.700 America, maybe? But above and beyond that's the 00:15:10.700 --> 00:15:13.740 kingdom of God, right? Now again, before we cheer 00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:16.460 too much for Mordecai, let me show you one other 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:19.399 possible reason for his refusal to bow. This 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:22.379 one is also found among the ancient sages. What 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:25.740 if Mordecai's primary motivation was his pride 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:30.759 and his anger? Consider that for a second, that 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:34.120 he was upset about A, the lack of a promotion 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:39.000 after he saved the king's life. B, He's frustrated 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:41.960 by the fact that this other guy, Haman, gets 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.559 this giant promotion right over the top of him. 00:15:44.899 --> 00:15:47.480 C, he's bitter that now he's got to serve an 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:50.480 Amalekite. And then D, he's really angry that 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:53.700 now he has to show honor and respect to what 00:15:53.700 --> 00:15:57.980 he knows is a dishonorable man. And I wonder, 00:15:58.139 --> 00:16:03.629 has that ever happened to anybody? in here, say 00:16:03.629 --> 00:16:05.230 in the workplace or in some part of your life, 00:16:05.350 --> 00:16:10.389 where this is wrong, it's unfair, it doesn't 00:16:10.389 --> 00:16:13.029 make any sense, and yet here I am now, I'm forced 00:16:13.029 --> 00:16:15.289 into this place where I've got to submit to this 00:16:15.289 --> 00:16:20.269 authority that I don't respect, that is mean 00:16:20.269 --> 00:16:23.009 -spirited, that maybe even is hostile towards 00:16:23.009 --> 00:16:26.549 Christians, but this is the authority established 00:16:26.549 --> 00:16:29.509 over you. What do you do in that moment when 00:16:29.509 --> 00:16:34.250 things just look so unfair? When nobody's recognizing 00:16:34.250 --> 00:16:37.129 your work and you're not getting that promotion. 00:16:37.289 --> 00:16:39.470 There's no attaboys and it's just, you're just 00:16:39.470 --> 00:16:41.610 hard. And then out of nowhere you're like, that 00:16:41.610 --> 00:16:43.830 is not a good person and they just leapfrogged 00:16:43.830 --> 00:16:48.090 over me. And it makes no sense. Have you responded 00:16:48.090 --> 00:16:50.029 in that kind of situation? How would you respond 00:16:50.029 --> 00:16:52.210 if you were faced with that kind of situation? 00:16:52.909 --> 00:16:55.509 If Mordecai's pride is the driving force here, 00:16:55.649 --> 00:16:58.090 I want you to think about the potential cost 00:16:58.090 --> 00:17:03.629 of him responding in this way. He has put his 00:17:03.629 --> 00:17:07.069 own life at risk. He's put Esther's life at risk. 00:17:07.170 --> 00:17:11.690 He's put his entire people at risk. We talked 00:17:11.690 --> 00:17:14.849 about it last week. Probably 750 ,000. Three 00:17:14.849 --> 00:17:16.789 quarters of a million Jews living in the Persian 00:17:16.789 --> 00:17:21.390 Empire at this time. Because in response to Mordecai's 00:17:21.390 --> 00:17:23.470 rebellion, Haman's going to seek to destroy every 00:17:23.470 --> 00:17:25.950 single Jew in the entire empire. So he's put 00:17:25.950 --> 00:17:29.789 everything at risk. And for what? If pride and 00:17:29.789 --> 00:17:33.089 anger is the issue, For what? Because he's got 00:17:33.089 --> 00:17:37.309 a personal beef with his boss? Is that a good 00:17:37.309 --> 00:17:39.829 risk? An ancient grievance that goes back generations? 00:17:44.990 --> 00:17:51.089 Very good. So let me ask the acorns who are with 00:17:51.089 --> 00:17:55.329 us this morning. Have you ever felt like you're 00:17:55.329 --> 00:17:57.190 in a situation that just feels really unfair? 00:17:58.449 --> 00:18:00.930 Maybe your mom and dad, you think, man, that's 00:18:00.930 --> 00:18:05.690 not fair. And you get angry in your heart about 00:18:05.690 --> 00:18:09.170 it. Here's the question for you acorns. Does 00:18:09.170 --> 00:18:12.829 that anger help the situation or make it worse? 00:18:14.230 --> 00:18:16.670 Does that anger in your heart, does it make mommy 00:18:16.670 --> 00:18:19.549 and daddy happy? Does it make God happy when 00:18:19.549 --> 00:18:24.490 you're angry like that? This is why we began 00:18:24.490 --> 00:18:27.210 our service this morning in 1 Peter 2. talking 00:18:27.210 --> 00:18:29.150 about our need to submit to the authorities that 00:18:29.150 --> 00:18:32.250 God puts in our lives. For our acorns, Adam said 00:18:32.250 --> 00:18:35.170 it earlier, what's your primary authority? It's 00:18:35.170 --> 00:18:37.750 your parents, it's mom and dad. When you come 00:18:37.750 --> 00:18:40.130 to church, it's your teachers and helpers in 00:18:40.130 --> 00:18:45.109 your classrooms that you're in, right? This matters 00:18:45.109 --> 00:18:47.410 in every one of our lives. Adam mentioned it. 00:18:47.430 --> 00:18:50.859 Look, we're all under authority. The Christian 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:53.440 life is about submission in so many ways. There's 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:55.779 so many levels of it that we should know this 00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:57.680 particular passage. So let me go back to it. 00:18:57.720 --> 00:18:59.500 It's 1 Peter 2. I'm going to put it on the screen 00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:01.700 for you guys. But I want you to notice as we 00:19:01.700 --> 00:19:04.200 go back into this passage, at the outset, God 00:19:04.200 --> 00:19:06.359 is calling us to fight two battles for the glory 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:09.579 of God. One is on the inside, and one is on the 00:19:09.579 --> 00:19:12.779 outside. It starts, verse 11. Beloved, I urge 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:15.900 you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly 00:19:15.900 --> 00:19:19.019 lusts which wage war against the soul. What that 00:19:19.019 --> 00:19:21.279 means is the first battle we fight is within 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:24.039 us, right? Guarding our heart and mind carefully 00:19:24.039 --> 00:19:26.420 so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we're 00:19:26.420 --> 00:19:29.420 able to restrain our ungodly passions and make 00:19:29.420 --> 00:19:31.799 our love for Christ and our walk with him our 00:19:31.799 --> 00:19:34.980 primary passion. But we got to win that war within 00:19:34.980 --> 00:19:37.680 first, right? But those daily victories that 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:40.460 we get within in our soul, those things are going 00:19:40.460 --> 00:19:43.720 to spill over into our outside life. And that's 00:19:43.720 --> 00:19:46.609 what you see in verse 12. Keep your behavior 00:19:46.609 --> 00:19:50.569 excellent among the Gentiles. That means the 00:19:50.569 --> 00:19:53.430 unbelievers in your life. Live carefully among 00:19:53.430 --> 00:19:56.009 them, remembering that you are always an ambassador 00:19:56.009 --> 00:19:58.470 for Christ. And here's the purpose statement. 00:19:58.650 --> 00:20:01.430 So that, here's why you should do that, in the 00:20:01.430 --> 00:20:04.190 thing in which they slander you as evildoers, 00:20:04.190 --> 00:20:06.829 they may, because of your good deeds, as they 00:20:06.829 --> 00:20:09.349 see them, as they observe them, that they will 00:20:09.349 --> 00:20:13.440 glorify God in the day of visitation. This is 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:15.640 how we magnify the name of Christ in our culture, 00:20:15.740 --> 00:20:18.160 in our communities, in our neighborhoods. We 00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:20.599 win them over with two things, with being zealous 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:23.019 for good deeds and manifesting the fruits of 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:26.279 the Spirit in our lives. We win the battle within 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:29.700 so it spills over on the outside. We're always 00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:32.140 cognizant of how we speak and how we act around 00:20:32.140 --> 00:20:35.420 unbelievers. And then comes the key. Verse 13, 00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:38.720 Peter says this. Submit yourselves for the Lord's 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:41.519 sake to every human institution. Now he's making 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:43.940 a connection there about our outward lives. A 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:46.059 big part of that is submitting to authority. 00:20:46.460 --> 00:20:50.180 And the key phrase is for the Lord's sake. If 00:20:50.180 --> 00:20:52.440 you miss that phrase, you miss the whole thing. 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:56.119 It's for the Lord's sake. So we don't submit 00:20:56.119 --> 00:21:00.319 to fallible, often corrupt, mostly wicked institutions 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:02.900 in this world because we feel like it or because 00:21:02.900 --> 00:21:05.480 it's easy. We do it as an act of worship for 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:08.190 the Lord's sake. And that's really hard, isn't 00:21:08.190 --> 00:21:11.269 it? It's really hard. But remember, Peter's just 00:21:11.269 --> 00:21:13.450 told us, look, you're an alien. You're a stranger 00:21:13.450 --> 00:21:16.089 in this world. You don't fit in. So you're going 00:21:16.089 --> 00:21:18.690 to look at those institutions and say, wow, that's 00:21:18.690 --> 00:21:22.329 a mess. That should be normal for believers because 00:21:22.329 --> 00:21:26.130 we're not of this world. And yet we're to submit. 00:21:27.230 --> 00:21:30.170 And that's not easy. So we're really not that 00:21:30.170 --> 00:21:32.509 different from Mordecai, are we? Remember, Mordecai's 00:21:32.509 --> 00:21:35.490 part of the diaspora. He's a Jew living in Persia. 00:21:35.569 --> 00:21:38.029 He feels like an alien. He feels like a stranger. 00:21:38.329 --> 00:21:40.430 He feels like he's living in two worlds, and 00:21:40.430 --> 00:21:44.289 so are we. We have to deal with the institutions 00:21:44.289 --> 00:21:47.029 of our culture, but while we do that, we have 00:21:47.029 --> 00:21:49.069 to prioritize our citizenship in the kingdom 00:21:49.069 --> 00:21:53.769 of God, in our heavenly citizenship. Why does 00:21:53.769 --> 00:21:55.990 Peter want us to do that? Look at verse 15. Drop 00:21:55.990 --> 00:21:59.809 down there. For such is the will of God, that 00:21:59.809 --> 00:22:02.049 by doing right, you may silence the ignorance 00:22:02.049 --> 00:22:06.220 of foolish men. So we're to live such humble 00:22:06.220 --> 00:22:09.819 lives, joyful lives, generous lives, sacrificial 00:22:09.819 --> 00:22:13.519 lives, that the unbelievers around us who, because 00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:15.680 of their ignorance, would love to just condemn 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:18.400 us and say, boy, those people are awful. They 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:20.700 can't do it because they don't have any ammunition. 00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:26.480 And in that, we point them to Christ. We win 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:28.980 the war within. It spills out in this way outside. 00:22:30.089 --> 00:22:32.390 In fact, our consistency in living out good deeds 00:22:32.390 --> 00:22:34.730 in the fruits of the Spirit will eventually force 00:22:34.730 --> 00:22:37.509 them to acknowledge the goodness of God. Force 00:22:37.509 --> 00:22:41.049 them to say that's actually a beautiful life 00:22:41.049 --> 00:22:43.349 that that man or woman leads in their worship 00:22:43.349 --> 00:22:48.450 of Christ. Verse 16, act as free men. Do not 00:22:48.450 --> 00:22:51.349 use your freedom as a covering for evil, but 00:22:51.349 --> 00:22:54.549 use it as bond slaves of God. Be careful about 00:22:54.549 --> 00:22:57.789 your witness. You have freedom in Christ. Use 00:22:57.789 --> 00:23:02.660 it wisely. Use it wisely. And then verse 17, 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:06.339 he summarizes, honor all people, love the brotherhood, 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:11.259 fear God, honor the king. Oh, honor the king, 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:15.680 Mordecai. Interesting, huh? Look at the progression 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:18.799 there. Start with all people. Christians have 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:22.339 a reputation of being just really mean -spirited 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:25.279 sometimes. Like, you're outside the kingdom, 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:28.619 so I can treat you poorly. We're to value. and 00:23:28.619 --> 00:23:30.720 respect every human being made in the image of 00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:33.579 God. They're sinners like us. We show them basic 00:23:33.579 --> 00:23:36.380 respect and honor. But above that, then, we give 00:23:36.380 --> 00:23:38.900 special honor and love to our brothers and sisters 00:23:38.900 --> 00:23:41.819 in Christ. And then above our spiritual family, 00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:44.059 we give God the fear and respect he deserves. 00:23:44.299 --> 00:23:47.319 Look at the progression. All people, people in 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:49.779 the church, and God, but look at the last. You 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:52.119 would think Peter would stop there, but he doesn't. 00:23:52.119 --> 00:23:54.400 He comes back full circle, and he says, honor 00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:58.230 the king. Submit to the king for the Lord's sake. 00:23:58.690 --> 00:24:00.869 Because that king has been placed there by the 00:24:00.869 --> 00:24:04.650 Lord. How many of you guys believe that? Honestly, 00:24:04.750 --> 00:24:07.869 you believe that God has established? Gavin Newsom 00:24:07.869 --> 00:24:11.750 is our governor. I know, I just challenged you. 00:24:12.170 --> 00:24:20.230 I know. Let's go to the screen. No. It's terrible. 00:24:21.529 --> 00:24:27.599 Karen Bass, yeah. Listen, the king is not to 00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:30.299 be feared in the same way we fear God. He's not 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:32.019 to be loved with the same commitment that we 00:24:32.019 --> 00:24:34.420 love our church family, but we have to honor 00:24:34.420 --> 00:24:37.759 the king. It's a huge part of how we win as ambassadors 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:41.119 for Christ, how we win the culture when they 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:43.680 see the way that we do that. Now, we're going 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:45.640 to come back to Mordecai's refusal to bow down, 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:47.839 and we're going to talk about times when we have 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:50.180 to refuse to bow down, but I want you to know 00:24:50.180 --> 00:24:52.559 this principle first that comes out of Romans 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:55.680 13. It comes out of this passage here. As Christians, 00:24:55.779 --> 00:24:58.740 we should be people who first and foremost are 00:24:58.740 --> 00:25:03.200 inclined towards submission and obedience. That 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:06.359 should be our default setting, for the Lord's 00:25:06.359 --> 00:25:10.640 sake, even when it's hard. We're not to be rebellious. 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:14.019 We're not to be pugnacious. We're not to be looking 00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:16.359 for a fight all the time. We're not to let the 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:19.380 forces of the world drag us into division and 00:25:19.380 --> 00:25:22.099 disunity and arguments. Has anybody seen that 00:25:22.099 --> 00:25:25.000 on social media? How do we get manipulated? We 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:28.619 know better. And yet the forces at work in social 00:25:28.619 --> 00:25:33.220 media, in the spiritual realm, just, I see Christians 00:25:33.220 --> 00:25:35.680 just battling each other. It looks such a bad 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:39.220 look. And yet we allow those forces to drag us 00:25:39.220 --> 00:25:43.059 into division. We know better. We don't buy into 00:25:43.059 --> 00:25:45.240 every conspiracy theory that runs across our 00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:48.640 desk on social media. We should be known as the 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:51.740 people who are slow to anger, who are thoughtful 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:55.319 on the issues of the day. We're not reactionary. 00:25:56.039 --> 00:25:59.299 We're driven by truth, not by all the voices 00:25:59.299 --> 00:26:01.480 out there that want to mislead us for profit 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:07.120 because they're everywhere. Slow. thoughtful, 00:26:07.120 --> 00:26:12.460 wise, restrained. Paul says it this way. We should 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:15.019 not be acting like children who are tossed all 00:26:15.019 --> 00:26:17.799 over by the waves and carried by every wind of 00:26:17.799 --> 00:26:20.559 doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:22.940 and deceitful scheming. That is the description 00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:25.660 of the world we live in. So don't be children. 00:26:26.259 --> 00:26:30.539 Be adults. So, now let's ask the question and 00:26:30.539 --> 00:26:32.759 answer it. Slip on Mordecai's ancient sandals. 00:26:33.309 --> 00:26:36.009 And let's look at our lives today. Did Mordecai 00:26:36.009 --> 00:26:41.250 act justly or unjustly? Justly or unjustly? And 00:26:41.250 --> 00:26:44.269 when do we refuse to bow down in our world today? 00:26:44.609 --> 00:26:47.329 Some folks look at Esther 3 and they ask, would 00:26:47.329 --> 00:26:51.130 it have been so bad for Mordecai to just grit 00:26:51.130 --> 00:26:53.730 his teeth and bow to Haman out of respect for 00:26:53.730 --> 00:26:57.809 the king, if only just to maintain peace and 00:26:57.809 --> 00:27:03.329 to not put everybody at risk? As I shared earlier, 00:27:03.470 --> 00:27:06.009 I think the answer to that question depends on 00:27:06.009 --> 00:27:10.029 his heart. Depends upon what motivated him to 00:27:10.029 --> 00:27:13.410 refuse to bow down. Guys, the motivation of the 00:27:13.410 --> 00:27:15.089 heart is everything in our lives, is it not? 00:27:16.710 --> 00:27:19.109 What drives us to make the choices we make? What 00:27:19.109 --> 00:27:22.809 drives our decisions? So what motivated Mordecai's 00:27:22.809 --> 00:27:26.470 heart? Was it his pride and anger? If so, he 00:27:26.470 --> 00:27:28.829 put a ton of people at risk for a very selfish, 00:27:29.049 --> 00:27:34.140 ungodly reason. Was it just about Haman was an 00:27:34.140 --> 00:27:37.539 Amalekite? If so, I think he failed to discern 00:27:37.539 --> 00:27:40.400 the situation rightly on a cost -benefit analysis. 00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:43.140 And as much as I understand the Jewish perspective 00:27:43.140 --> 00:27:45.960 on the bitterness of the Amalekites, wisdom in 00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:48.160 seeing the bigger picture tells me that that 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:51.019 is a petty reason to take this stand and put 00:27:51.019 --> 00:27:54.299 an entire people group at risk of being annihilated. 00:27:56.839 --> 00:27:58.839 This is a lesson I think that all of humanity 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:01.819 needs to learn, including Americans. Living in 00:28:01.819 --> 00:28:04.960 the past, living in the past and applying old 00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:08.220 grudges in the present only stirs up wrath and 00:28:08.220 --> 00:28:11.660 dissension. It furthers hatred across generations 00:28:11.660 --> 00:28:15.380 and we shouldn't be a part of it. Because James 00:28:15.380 --> 00:28:17.779 says the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness 00:28:17.779 --> 00:28:23.059 of God. Lay it aside. Let that stuff die. It's 00:28:23.059 --> 00:28:24.940 not healthy for you. It's not good for the church. 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:29.640 Let it die. But was Mordecai's motivation an 00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:32.180 issue of idolatry? Was he being asked to worship 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:35.960 Haman in some way? That's an important question. 00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:39.660 If so, I'm going to say it. If so, the state 00:28:39.660 --> 00:28:44.059 was asking too much of him. Even for a Jewish 00:28:44.059 --> 00:28:46.559 man who had probably compromised in other ways 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:49.380 to get where he was, worshiping Haman was too 00:28:49.380 --> 00:28:52.119 much. That's an affront to the living God and 00:28:52.119 --> 00:28:54.619 therefore it's an appropriate time to take a 00:28:54.619 --> 00:28:57.839 stand and then trust God that somehow he is going 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:01.220 to work through that. But guys, we have to be 00:29:01.220 --> 00:29:04.759 discerning in the stands that we take. And the 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:07.680 first thing is to look at my heart. Why am I 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:11.240 not bowing down? Is it a godly reason or is it 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:13.740 a selfish reason? Is it a rebellious reason? 00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:16.019 What's going on? We always ask that question. 00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:19.019 Why do I do what I do, right? Why do I choose 00:29:19.019 --> 00:29:21.160 the way I choose? So what are the lines that 00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:23.799 we need to identify when we stand our ground? 00:29:24.539 --> 00:29:26.859 Are there times we just keep our heads down and 00:29:26.859 --> 00:29:29.299 weather the storm? You are going to have difficult 00:29:29.299 --> 00:29:32.099 presidents and you're going to have difficult 00:29:32.099 --> 00:29:34.539 governors and mayors and you're going to have 00:29:34.539 --> 00:29:36.779 bosses, some that might be incredibly hostile 00:29:36.779 --> 00:29:40.599 towards you or towards Christianity. Have you 00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:42.759 thought about this? You go work for a company 00:29:42.759 --> 00:29:45.559 and they promote an Islamic fundamentalist over 00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:49.359 you as a boss. And he's open about his hatred 00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:52.619 of Christianity. He's actually open about jihad. 00:29:53.220 --> 00:29:57.759 What do you do? That's kind of what Mordecai's 00:29:57.759 --> 00:30:02.309 facing here. What do you do? And the answer isn't 00:30:02.309 --> 00:30:04.230 black and white. It's going to be case by case. 00:30:04.289 --> 00:30:06.329 And it requires wisdom and it requires prayer 00:30:06.329 --> 00:30:08.750 and wise counsel in searching the scriptures. 00:30:09.190 --> 00:30:11.430 Did we not just have to walk through this recently 00:30:11.430 --> 00:30:15.170 with COVID? It's such a great test case. Don't 00:30:15.170 --> 00:30:17.390 forget what we walked through with COVID. It's 00:30:17.390 --> 00:30:20.549 a great test case for us. At the outset, at least 00:30:20.549 --> 00:30:23.049 here at Oak Hill, we were inclined towards submission 00:30:23.049 --> 00:30:27.289 and obedience because we were... Posturing ourselves 00:30:27.289 --> 00:30:30.609 according to Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. Let's learn 00:30:30.609 --> 00:30:32.990 more about this situation. But at some point, 00:30:33.029 --> 00:30:35.849 after doing the research and listening to experts, 00:30:36.109 --> 00:30:39.450 spending time in word and prayer and having important 00:30:39.450 --> 00:30:42.450 discussions, we came to the conclusion the state 00:30:42.450 --> 00:30:46.289 is asking too much of us. There are fundamental 00:30:46.289 --> 00:30:48.630 things that stand opposed to our faith and our 00:30:48.630 --> 00:30:52.589 worship that have to be confronted. But that 00:30:52.589 --> 00:30:55.789 was not done quickly and it was not done as a 00:30:55.789 --> 00:31:00.150 reactionary thing. So let me caution you again, 00:31:00.250 --> 00:31:04.029 lest we all get William Wallace about this. The 00:31:04.029 --> 00:31:06.109 default position of the Christian is to be a 00:31:06.109 --> 00:31:10.069 law -abiding citizen, to find every reason to 00:31:10.069 --> 00:31:13.230 live peaceably and quietly under the authorities 00:31:13.230 --> 00:31:17.009 that have been established. But yes, there are 00:31:17.009 --> 00:31:19.109 limits to our obedience, and there are lines 00:31:19.109 --> 00:31:21.549 that can be crossed. And when the authorities... 00:31:22.009 --> 00:31:24.549 command us to cross biblical boundaries, and 00:31:24.549 --> 00:31:27.190 they ask us to do something that clearly violates 00:31:27.190 --> 00:31:29.569 something in Scripture, that is when we have 00:31:29.569 --> 00:31:33.569 to stand up. But we do it humbly, don't we? We 00:31:33.569 --> 00:31:36.349 do it humbly, and we do it steadfastly with a 00:31:36.349 --> 00:31:39.190 sense of confidence in the Lord, and we say, 00:31:39.250 --> 00:31:42.910 I'm not going to bow down to that. It all comes 00:31:42.910 --> 00:31:46.930 back to the heart. Peter and his fellow apostles 00:31:46.930 --> 00:31:49.309 laid this principle out. So I'm so grateful for 00:31:49.309 --> 00:31:51.769 this little passage in Acts chapter five. Remember 00:31:51.769 --> 00:31:54.630 when the high priest in Jerusalem, remember he 00:31:54.630 --> 00:31:56.569 scolds Peter and the apostles. He said, look, 00:31:56.589 --> 00:31:58.950 we told you not to preach in the name of that 00:31:58.950 --> 00:32:02.309 Jesus guy. And what did the Peter and the apostles 00:32:02.309 --> 00:32:06.730 say? Sorry, Bob, we're gonna keep doing it. Actually, 00:32:06.809 --> 00:32:09.190 that's not what he said. They said, we must obey 00:32:09.190 --> 00:32:11.880 God rather than men. And that is the critical 00:32:11.880 --> 00:32:14.819 caveat of the story, right? The resistance is 00:32:14.819 --> 00:32:19.319 tied to God's command. So if our cause is a godly 00:32:19.319 --> 00:32:22.119 one, listen now, if our cause is a godly one, 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:25.900 it's not selfish, it's not rooted in our anger, 00:32:26.059 --> 00:32:29.319 it's not rooted in some personal beef with somebody, 00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:32.180 it's not rooted in somebody's conspiracy theory 00:32:32.180 --> 00:32:34.900 that they sold on us, but it's rooted in biblical 00:32:34.900 --> 00:32:37.960 truth, then we can stand our ground and trust 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:41.559 that God will carry us through. But even in that, 00:32:41.640 --> 00:32:43.440 does it guarantee that we're not going to suffer 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:48.880 for it? No guarantee. As we take a stand, we 00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:51.619 deal with the consequences. And then we don't 00:32:51.619 --> 00:32:56.039 shake our fist to God, right? We suffer the consequences. 00:32:56.299 --> 00:32:58.880 Peter talks about this. He says, rejoice as you 00:32:58.880 --> 00:33:01.259 share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you 00:33:01.259 --> 00:33:03.539 may also rejoice with great joy when his glory 00:33:03.539 --> 00:33:05.839 is revealed. If you're ridiculed for the name 00:33:05.839 --> 00:33:08.650 of Christ, you're blessed. because the spirit 00:33:08.650 --> 00:33:12.549 of glory and of God rests on you. Then he gives 00:33:12.549 --> 00:33:14.549 a warning. He says, but look, let none of you 00:33:14.549 --> 00:33:17.029 suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, a 00:33:17.029 --> 00:33:19.490 meddler. Make sure that if you're suffering in 00:33:19.490 --> 00:33:21.690 the name of Christ, it's for a godly reason. 00:33:23.069 --> 00:33:25.289 But if anyone suffers as a Christian for the 00:33:25.289 --> 00:33:27.549 sake of Christ, let him not be ashamed, but let 00:33:27.549 --> 00:33:31.890 him glorify God in having that name, in having 00:33:31.890 --> 00:33:33.890 that name. Are you willing to take a stand for 00:33:33.890 --> 00:33:36.009 the name and the glory of Christ, even if it 00:33:36.009 --> 00:33:39.880 costs you something? It costs you your comfort. 00:33:40.579 --> 00:33:43.839 It brings about pain. Are you willing? I read 00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:45.460 a great quote this week during my preparation. 00:33:45.700 --> 00:33:48.160 Listen to this now. The paradox for the Christian 00:33:48.160 --> 00:33:51.380 is that we need to obey better than the world 00:33:51.380 --> 00:33:56.099 does and resist better than the world does. In 00:33:56.099 --> 00:33:57.920 other words, doing both for the right reasons 00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:01.079 and making that clear to the world. As a church, 00:34:01.140 --> 00:34:03.000 we have to be prepared to do both of those things. 00:34:03.220 --> 00:34:05.240 First of all, to shine like lights in the world 00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:08.710 as we submit and obey the authorities. Right? 00:34:08.710 --> 00:34:12.829 Shine like lights. But then when lines get crossed 00:34:12.829 --> 00:34:14.869 and we muster up the courage to stand our ground 00:34:14.869 --> 00:34:17.630 for a right reason, then we have to do that in 00:34:17.630 --> 00:34:19.449 a way that the world looks at that and goes, 00:34:19.530 --> 00:34:23.269 I get it. I see why they can't obey that. What 00:34:23.269 --> 00:34:26.230 a testimony that would be, right? They see us 00:34:26.230 --> 00:34:28.389 and go, wow, look at how those Christians submit 00:34:28.389 --> 00:34:30.489 to the authorities. That's impressive. And then 00:34:30.489 --> 00:34:32.530 when we resist, we do it for such a righteous 00:34:32.530 --> 00:34:34.389 reason, they go, you know what? That's good. 00:34:34.989 --> 00:34:39.030 We see that as well. But if we're all angry and 00:34:39.030 --> 00:34:41.750 screaming and shaking our fists and writing social 00:34:41.750 --> 00:34:46.710 media things, we're not being ambassadors for 00:34:46.710 --> 00:34:50.809 Christ. Keep your behavior excellent among the 00:34:50.809 --> 00:34:54.090 Gentiles. Now, the interesting PS to the story 00:34:54.090 --> 00:34:55.949 about Mordecai is this, and we'll pick up on 00:34:55.949 --> 00:34:59.170 it next Sunday. God appears to have honored Mordecai's 00:34:59.170 --> 00:35:03.739 resistance, right? He honors his resistance. 00:35:03.880 --> 00:35:06.139 Does that tell us something about why he refused 00:35:06.139 --> 00:35:08.699 to bow down? Maybe, or maybe God just bailed 00:35:08.699 --> 00:35:11.840 him out. We'll talk about it next week. But either 00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:14.619 way, just know God is, we've said this in every 00:35:14.619 --> 00:35:16.800 single sermon, God is sovereignly at work in 00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:19.980 this whole situation. Every detail is being worked 00:35:19.980 --> 00:35:26.119 out so that God will save his people. So, Mordecai's 00:35:26.119 --> 00:35:28.699 defiance has, since that day, just so you know 00:35:28.699 --> 00:35:31.329 this in Jewish tradition, Mordecai's defiance 00:35:31.329 --> 00:35:34.869 has just been a source of encouragement for Jewish 00:35:34.869 --> 00:35:37.869 people for centuries. The stand that he takes 00:35:37.869 --> 00:35:40.550 is invoked time and time again in moments of 00:35:40.550 --> 00:35:43.409 persecution, in moments of terror, and in moments 00:35:43.409 --> 00:35:45.829 of survival. And that's what we're going to pick 00:35:45.829 --> 00:35:48.969 up on next week. If I haven't been clear on the 00:35:48.969 --> 00:35:51.369 lines on this, will you come talk to me? This 00:35:51.369 --> 00:35:53.630 is such an important principle because we live 00:35:53.630 --> 00:35:57.309 in a complex world. Isn't that true? Amen. Let's 00:35:57.309 --> 00:36:09.500 go to prayer. Father, thank you for your word 00:36:09.500 --> 00:36:12.719 that always instructs us and sometimes it instructs 00:36:12.719 --> 00:36:15.860 us in ways where we are really challenged in 00:36:15.860 --> 00:36:17.860 our mind and our hearts to look into the text 00:36:17.860 --> 00:36:20.840 to see what the lesson is you have for us. But 00:36:20.840 --> 00:36:22.800 Lord, we want to live these principles out well 00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:26.360 in this complex world that we live in. And we 00:36:26.360 --> 00:36:28.980 know as believers here in California that we 00:36:28.980 --> 00:36:31.659 live in a tough place where it is hard to submit 00:36:31.659 --> 00:36:33.840 to the governing authorities. Yet you call us 00:36:33.840 --> 00:36:35.719 to be really cautious in the way we do this. 00:36:36.420 --> 00:36:38.860 And you tell us to be cautious about it for your 00:36:38.860 --> 00:36:41.500 sake, for your glory. And I pray that you would 00:36:41.500 --> 00:36:44.719 remind us of this tomorrow when we go on Facebook 00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:49.380 or we go on some social media site and we begin 00:36:49.380 --> 00:36:52.219 to get angry, that you would remind us that we 00:36:52.219 --> 00:36:54.880 need to submit. And we need to obey for your 00:36:54.880 --> 00:36:57.840 glory. And Lord, as the things come up where 00:36:57.840 --> 00:36:59.739 the state asks too much of us, that you would 00:36:59.739 --> 00:37:01.820 make those things really clear in our minds. 00:37:01.860 --> 00:37:03.719 But even then, Lord, that we would show humility 00:37:03.719 --> 00:37:08.619 and love for our fellow man as we, like Mordecai, 00:37:08.619 --> 00:37:10.860 just refused to bow down. These are hard things, 00:37:10.980 --> 00:37:13.510 Lord. We need your wisdom. So help us do that 00:37:13.510 --> 00:37:15.909 well. Thank you for time in your word this morning. 00:37:15.969 --> 00:37:18.090 Thank you for baby dedications. Thank you for 00:37:18.090 --> 00:37:19.849 all the acorns who are with us this morning. 00:37:19.909 --> 00:37:22.030 And Lord, thank you that we now get to sing your 00:37:22.030 --> 00:37:24.670 praises. Let's do that well for your glory. Thank 00:37:24.670 --> 00:37:26.429 you, Lord Jesus. We love you. Amen.