[0:00] Take your Bibles and go with me, if you would, to the book of Esther, chapter 10. This has been one of my favorite books. I think I say that about every book I preach, but anyway, my next favorite book is going to be Job.
[0:11] Amen. And they're all good. I love it. But today I want to talk to you about this man, Mordecai, and he is one life making a difference.
[0:22] One life making a difference. I didn't know what the special would be. I put this in about my uncle because I just think of my uncle who died. All the letters he writes home, he's trying to solve family problems.
[0:37] He's trying to make a difference. And then he dies over Italy and maybe he didn't make any difference at all. You know, when you think about it, but God wants to use your life to make a difference.
[0:48] And if you would turn with me to the book of Esther, we're going to look at that before we do. Let me have a word of prayer and let's ask God to challenge us today to serve him. Father, I love you. I have no words to tell you how much I love you.
[1:02] I thank you for saving me and I thank you for loving me in spite of me. I thank you that you are such a wonderfully good and kind God. I thank you that I have gotten to know you better and there's so much more I don't know and I want to know you.
[1:16] I thank you that you've let me grow in my knowledge of you to know you as a good and kind and merciful and long-suffering and patient God that you are. The God who loved me when I didn't deserve to be loved and continues to love me when I don't deserve it.
[1:31] God, we want our lives to make a difference. We want to live with a purpose and I'm asking you, dear God, to help us today to see how we can do that from your book in Jesus' precious name.
[1:41] Amen. Well, we're finishing up the book of Esther. And in this book, you probably didn't notice it, but Mordecai's name was mentioned 58 times. Esther's name was only mentioned 56 times.
[1:54] So this could have been the book of Mordecai or the book of Esther. But Esther's the principal person, obviously, but Mordecai is the pivotal person in this book.
[2:05] Mordecai is going to take the worst possible situation and he is going to transform that. Mordecai is going to take care of Esther. Mordecai is going to save the king's life.
[2:17] Mordecai is going to challenge and equip Esther to talk to the king. Mordecai will send the news of salvation to the entire country. He will rise to the occasion.
[2:28] He will seize the opportunity and he will make a difference with his life. There is a lot we could learn today from this man. So if you would take your Bible, go to Esther chapter 2 and verse 5.
[2:39] And if you note things down, put this down somewhere to make a difference, you need the right outlook. To make a difference, you need the right outlook. You see, Mordecai doesn't let circumstances be an excuse to complain and do nothing.
[2:54] Mordecai doesn't let circumstances be an excuse to complain and do nothing. The Bible says in Esther chapter 2 and verse 5, Now in Shushan the palace, there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai.
[3:08] Verse 6, who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity, which had been carried away with Jeconi, the king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away.
[3:19] Here's a guy living in a country that's not his country, who has been a captive and a part of captivity. He's a foreigner and he's never allowed to forget it.
[3:29] If you've been reading the book, you know in this book we have seen constantly Mordecai the Jew. Mordecai the Jew. I mean, it's like Mordecai ethnicity. Mordecai, we don't like your kind, but there you are.
[3:41] There you are, that guy. Too many of us live talking about the circumstances and making excuses. We could and would do great things for God, but we would be faithful to God, but you just have to understand all the problems and the circumstances in my life that hinder me from doing something of value.
[4:04] Where you live and what happened to you is no excuse not to live a life making a difference. I grew up in a backwards country home. I grew up with an outhouse. I grew up taking a bath on a back porch in a tub.
[4:18] I grew up in quite primitive conditions, especially for all you young millennials that have always had that silver spoon in your mouth. Say amen right there. And, you know, I can remember complaining about that when I was a kid.
[4:32] I can remember thinking to myself, you know, I didn't want to invite friends over to my house to spend the night because I didn't know how many of them wanted to make it 50 yards to the outhouse. I didn't know how many of them wanted to take a bath in a tub on the back porch.
[4:45] My brother and I knew about all you rich people having showers. And so we would heat the water. We'd get it out of the well and heat the water on the sink. And then we'd fill up a bucket.
[4:56] And I would stand out in the yard, no problem, no neighbors for a half a mile. And I'd be out there, just me and Jesus in my birthday suit. And my brother would just pour water over my head. And I'd say, this is how the rich people live, taking showers, amen.
[5:12] And when I got to Peru, I realized that everything God had ever done in my life had prepared me to live in another country among a different kind of people.
[5:23] I mean, when I was a kid, my daddy used to put food on the plate. And when he put food on a plate, he never said, I know modern parents don't do this. You modern parents say, what do you want? You want a sucker for lunch? No problem.
[5:33] Here's a sucker. But when I was a kid, my daddy plopped down butter beans and liver. Both of those are from the devil. If you agree with that, say amen. And I would sit there and look at that stuff.
[5:45] And he'd say, you will eat it, boy. And I would sit there and just stare at it. I have sat there and stared at it for two hours, but I didn't get to get up. I've heard of some people trying to hide food. My daddy knew how to find food.
[5:56] You hid. And I learned to eat it. My daddy said, you'll eat it. I'll make you sorry you didn't eat it. And I arrived in Peru and I'm sitting at a house and this lady comes out and gives me my plate. And I'm the only one eating there.
[6:07] And the family's going to watch me eat, which is a very awkward thing to have happen. But they got this missionary in their home and they got me sitting there and they're sitting across watching me. And when I looked down, it was very dark colored meat.
[6:19] But there's not a lot of light in the house that don't have money to have the good electricity. So I thought, maybe I'm wrong, but that looks like liver. God, help me if that's liver.
[6:30] So I cut off my liver and I took a bite. I said, oh, God, it's liver. And they're watching me. I ate it. I put it down. I kept saying, God, I'll put her down if you can keep her down. And I got the food eaten.
[6:42] And when I got three eating, I was like, I wouldn't have eaten that if I didn't know daddy would beat the living slop out of me if I didn't eat it. Amen. And when I got three eating, I said, thank you so very much. It was so kind of you to prepare me that food.
[6:53] And she said, we knew you as a big man, so we've got you another plate. It was another liver. And I said, I really don't need that. She said, preacher, you must eat it.
[7:03] And I ate it. I went to one of the first places I went by myself. I'm the only white guy in this whole neighborhood, way out in the boondocks. And you had to bathe in an irrigation ditch.
[7:15] And she went by, and there was an outhouse up on the hill. The problem is most Peruvians are pretty short, and I'm not really short. So when they go up there and they sit down, you can't tell what's going on. But when I sat down, it was like.
[7:33] You need to get a hold of the fact that God has allowed everything in your life to prepare you to do great things for him. You just need to understand, I know you've dealt with junk. I know there's sickness in your family.
[7:44] I know there's financial hardship. I know that your parents weren't the best. I know that people have abused you and misused you and mistreated you. But the God of heaven is at work in your life. If you're a born-again believer, prepare you to do something of value.
[7:59] Mordecai, the Jew, Mordecai, the Jew, living in a country he doesn't choose to make his home country, is going to be used of God. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8 and verse 28, We know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them that are called according to his purpose.
[8:16] And so every little detail, all the things happening in my life, the eating of the food I did not want to eat, the bathing in a tub on the back porch, the going to an outhouse, every bit of that.
[8:27] I'm in Peru and I'm riding down the road. And one time I had 35 Peruvians in my Nissan double cab pickup with the back end was inside the truck. It was like a suburban Nissan. I know you've never seen such.
[8:38] But there were 35 of them in there. I'm riding and running and the cars, I mean, the wheels are flat and everybody's singing at the top of their lungs. And I thought I was born for this. You say, that's what God's doing in your life.
[8:48] Whatever it is and wherever you've been, the problem is you can't be used of God and your life can't make a difference. It's all about your outlook. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 3, Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.
[9:10] Why does he let me go through tribulation? And why does he comfort me? That we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort we're with, we ourselves are comforted of God. You need to change your outlook.
[9:22] There would be no book of Esther if Mordecai hadn't said, Hey, I might not be in the best place and everybody might be calling me a name that's meant to. By the way, when they used the word Jew, it was the same as used in the N word for him.
[9:34] When they used that word, they were not saying that like, Woo, we have no other Jew in our church. And we brag about that. They weren't saying that at all. They were saying the opposite of that. But he said, I will determine to use whatever's happening in my life with the right outlook.
[9:51] Go with me to Mordecai, Mordecai, Esther, not Mordecai. He might be mentioned most, but it's still the book of Esther. Chapter 2 and verse 7, if you would. To make a difference, you must take advantage of every opportunity.
[10:05] To make a difference, you must take advantage of every opportunity. Esther chapter 2 and verse 7, the Bible says, And he brought up Hadesha, that is Esther, his uncle's daughter. For she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful, whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.
[10:24] You know, he takes in an orphaned cousin. You know, do you understand that? You got your own family. You got your own things. And here's this orphaned cousin. And why should you be burdened with taking care of them?
[10:36] But instead of looking at a reason to complain, instead of looking at it with a bad attitude, he said, you know what? God is putting an opportunity in my life. I'm just going to take advantage of the opportunity. And he brings this beautiful young cousin into his house.
[10:49] Then he teaches her how to act. This whole book of Esther is going to be about Mordecai discipling and training and preparing her. Look at Esther chapter 2 and verse 10. The Bible said Esther had not showed her people.
[11:02] She didn't tell people she was Jewish, nor her kindred, for Mordecai had charged her that she should not show it. So how's that happening? You know what's going on here? It says, hey, Esther, go down there and let this happen.
[11:15] And don't tell people, don't tell people that you are a Jew. I'm teaching you how to act. Then he checked on her every day. Every day when she's down there now, she's been basically kidnapped.
[11:27] And she's in the future harem of the king. And in chapter 2 and verse 11, Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house to know how Esther did. Here he is.
[11:39] Here Mordecai is. And most of us would be like, isn't there another uncle? Isn't there another kinfolk? Isn't there somebody else that could take care of them? Why should I be burdened with your problems? But not him.
[11:49] He said, I'll take every opportunity. Then one night he was listening and some of the guards began to talk about killing the king. And again, he was like, I don't know what's going on here.
[12:00] He doesn't know the book of Esther like we do. He doesn't know what God is going to do. He doesn't know the future. I know all about his life. But he didn't. And he took advantage of that opportunity. The Bible says in Esther chapter 2 and verse 21, Mordecai was sat there and he heard big then, big then, boy, that's a good name.
[12:16] And teresh of those which kept the door and they were angry, wroth, and they sought to lay hand on the king. And he knew it. And he said, nope, telling Esther. Esther can tell the king.
[12:27] Going to save the king's life. And then Esther is going to become the person God's going to use. But you know who's there to tell her that?
[12:38] The nation of Israel will be dead. There's one person that might could make a difference. But then there's one person who could make a difference. And that person's life to get them ready to do it. Look if you would in Esther chapter 4 and verse 1.
[12:50] And when Mordecai perceived all that was done. So Mordecai's in the palace. Mordecai's hearing what's going on in the lawmaking process. People outside the palace might not know.
[13:03] It could have easily been a thing where nobody in the country would have known except the private people as they spread the word. We're going to kill all the Jews in that one day. But Mordecai said, I know what's happening.
[13:14] I understand. And something has to be done. In Esther chapter 4 and verse 13. He commanded Esther. Think not that you can escape.
[13:25] He got word to his cousin. And he said, you may be married to the king. But you're not going to get away with this. You may be married to the king. But you can't live through this. They're going to kill all of our people.
[13:36] And you've got to step up and do what you ought to do. And in verse 14. The last part of the verse. If you've got your Bible open. He said, who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.
[13:47] He said, I don't know what's going on here. He said, but it just might be that God's bringing you here for this purpose. Maybe that's the reason you're here. Your one life could make a difference.
[13:58] Maybe that's what God's doing in our lives. So I have a question for you. What is your attitude when you hear about an opportunity to serve God? What is your attitude when you get an opportunity to do something for God?
[14:14] Now, I've been a pastor for a long time. I mean, 45 years. I've been doing this kind of work and working with people. And I can tell you that you would be surprised how quickly men can divert their eyes when you're asking for somebody to step up and do something.
[14:28] You can, it's always even funny when you go to take an offering. It's like, that's like the most awkward time of the service. Everybody in the room is like, don't look at the guy that's got the offering plate.
[14:40] He might put it in your hand. Say amen. He might expect you to give something. So we're all looking for a dodge, but not Mordecai. Oh, Mordecai did like Isaiah and said, here am I, Lord.
[14:52] Send me. And I'd like to know what your attitude is. I'd like to know what your attitude is when you're given an opportunity to make a difference. I'd like to know what your attitude is when you're given an opportunity. Or do you compare yourselves with others and think to yourself, he could do a better job than me.
[15:05] I can't do anything. That guy ought to do something. Everybody in this room ought to step up. How do you handle opportunities? The Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 12, we dare not make ourselves with a number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves.
[15:18] But they measured themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves. They're not very smart. And here's the real answer for every one of us. By the way, some of you have rejected the opportunity to be saved.
[15:30] Huh? Right in front of you, I've placed it week after week that the Bible says you've sinned against the Holy God. Week after week, I've taught you that because of your sin, you will spend eternity in a place called hell and you'll suffer.
[15:42] And I have laid out the opportunity. The friends that have invited you, you've laid out the opportunity. And you could be saved. All you would need to do is realize, I need God. I need what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary.
[15:54] And that opportunity is laid there for you and you reject it. And in Christians, so much work would be done for God. If every one of us said, seek first the kingdom of God and as righteous as God.
[16:06] Here is my life. I know you made me. I know you put everything together. How can I best serve you? I'm afraid Christianity has turned into a spectator sport. Hire some professionals and let them put on a show.
[16:17] Hire some professionals, let them sing and preach and teach and do. And don't get involved personally. Thank God. Mordecai didn't think like that. I have a question. Is your heart set on yes to whatever God has for you?
[16:31] Is your heart set on yes to whatever God has for you? Is it yes in the way you spend your life, your time, your money, and your talents? Are you surrendered to do whatever he would have you to do?
[16:42] Do you want his will to be done in everything in your life? You know, somewhere along the way, we got to back up and say, boy, this is not about me. It wasn't about Mordecai. Mordecai realized full well that there was a purpose bigger than him.
[16:56] And he spends the entire book of Esther. And by the way, old Mordecai never takes first place. Old Mordecai never gets mentioned except in all the stuff he's doing behind the scenes to help everybody.
[17:08] He took advantage of the opportunities, though. Go with me if you would to Esther chapter 4 and verse 13. The next thing is, you know, to make a difference, others, you got to help others accomplish their purpose in life.
[17:21] To make a difference, you help others. That's the story of Mordecai. When you read the story of Mordecai, you know why the book's named Esther? Because it's all about Esther. But Esther wouldn't be Esther if it wasn't a Mordecai.
[17:33] If it wasn't a Mordecai, Esther would have still been an orphan cousin of his. And she might not have ever been taken care of. If it wasn't a Mordecai, she wouldn't have known how to act when she got to the palace. If there wasn't a Mordecai, she wouldn't have known how to act when the time came up.
[17:46] If there wasn't a Mordecai, she wouldn't have stood in front of the king ready to deal with the issue. The Bible says in Esther 4.13, Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, think not that you can escape.
[17:58] Verse 14, if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, God will bring enlargement. Then shall there enlargement and deliver it to rise to the Jews from another place.
[18:09] Look, God can take care of this without you. God can get the job done without you. But do you really want that to happen, Esther? Esther, he said, do you know, who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
[18:24] In verse 16, Esther heard that. She'd been brought up in a family that taught her. Oh, Mordecai had adopted her like his daughter. He's her older cousin. And she'd been brought up to find and do what was right and not to live her life for herself.
[18:37] And when he said that to her, she said, okay, I'll go into the king. And if I perish, I perish. But I want to use my life for the purpose it was made for. And she stepped in there. This book is the book of Esther.
[18:50] It'll Mordecai has mentioned more times in it than she is. It's Mordecai that helps Esther make the best of a bad situation. It's Mordecai that helps Esther save her people.
[19:01] But it's Esther that gets all the credit. And here's a question for you as a church. This is what we're about here. How do you feel about equipping others to do what God has for them? You're a Sunday school teacher and you're liable to think about your Sunday school class.
[19:15] All I do is take care of these brats. All I do is take care of these people here. All I do and nobody appreciates me. In 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 2, that which we have heard, we commit to faithful men.
[19:26] We've heard among many witnesses, we commit to faithful men who are able to teach others also. And we take that class and we say, it's not about me anyway. It's not about who I am. It's not about what my purposes are.
[19:38] It's about me serving others. That's the Mordecai lesson. In Philippians chapter 2 and verse 3, let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.
[19:51] Are you willing to be recognized as a servant and nothing else? Because that's really what we're called to do. I mean, I don't know. But I think when I saw the book get published, I'd have said, Esther?
[20:05] Couldn't we put Esther and Mordecai? My name's in there 58 times, yours is in there 56. Couldn't we put Esther? Instead of Esther, let's just put Mordecai, the book of Mordecai. Mordecai's like, no, no, no.
[20:16] It's about others. It's about helping others be a success. It's about helping others do. You know, every one of us in this room want to get a hold of something. I want to help people come to know Jesus. I want to help people learn to live for Jesus.
[20:28] I want to give my life looking for others. Go with me, if you would, to Esther chapter 8 and verse 10. To make a difference, you help people prepare for the obvious disaster that's coming.
[20:39] The whole book of Esther is about an obvious disaster. You know what's happening. You've been around long enough to know. Haman has prepared a plot that will kill every Jew in one day.
[20:54] And one day, the king is allowing the Jews to go out and kill every, or the enemies of the Jews to kill every Jew in one day. They'll all be dead, exterminated, annihilated.
[21:06] All of their stuff will be taken, and all their stuff will go to this Haman guy who's promised to pay a bunch of it to the king. Mordecai finds out. I don't know if you've ever thought about this, but you know, there's a couple things I think old Mordecai could have done.
[21:19] He had a pretty comfortable life. He lived in the palace. All he had to do that night was sneak out and get Esther and head for the border. I lived in Peru, and days of terrorists, and there were bombs going off every day while we were down there.
[21:31] The American embassy told us every month, they'd say, full time, half a tank of gas at all times, the bag packed for everybody. This much money saved up, and your evacuation route planned.
[21:42] You're going to need to get out of the country. But that's not how Mordecai thought. Mordecai's like, that's not how I think. There's an obvious disaster coming. I could save me and mine, or I could make a difference.
[21:56] I hope you look in your Bible at Esther chapter 8 and verse 10. He wrote in the king's name, and he sealed it with the king's ring, and he sent letters to everybody. Here's a way we can protect ourselves.
[22:07] In Esther chapter 8 and verse 14, a copy of the writing was published to all people. In Esther 8, 14, what a great verse. It said, the post rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's command.
[22:23] There is life. There is salvation. The Jews can be rescued. Everybody doesn't have to die in one day. There has a solution been given. And as they rode out to tell people, they were like, we've got good news.
[22:35] We must ride. We must get there quickly. We must share the truth with them. We must make a difference. And you and I know about the obvious disaster that's coming. I mean, to think about my uncle dying in World War II.
[22:51] Every time I read that, I've read it probably a hundred times. It still gets to me. I never even met the guy. You know there's an obvious disaster.
[23:05] Everyone's going to die. It's been a rough week in my life. Three preacher friends are going to die. And I've heard about that.
[23:18] They're a little bit younger than me and a little bit older than me and they're all going to die. You can say, that's rough. Yeah, well, you're going to die too. And your neighbor's going to die.
[23:28] And your mother's going to die. And your uncle's going to die. And your brother's going to die. And everybody you know is going to die. And if they don't know Jesus, they will face God.
[23:39] And then they will spend eternity in hell forever. There is no opportunity for salvation at the end of life. After it's over. When you die, it's done.
[23:51] You can't pray them out. You can't pay them out. There's no way that you can't baptize them out. They will go to hell forever. And as born again believers, we know that.
[24:02] The whole book of Esther is about Mordecai and Esther saying, there's a problem and people are going to die and we can do something about it. And how can we as Christians not be witnessing to everybody we know?
[24:15] How can we not tell them that Jesus died on the cross to save them? Will you be pressed by the king's command to tell them how to escape the coming judgment? Go with me if you would to Esther chapter 10 and verse 2.
[24:28] To make a difference, you have to opt to use your success and promotion for the good of others. Now the story is coming to an end. We've now arrived in Esther chapter 10.
[24:41] And old Mordecai has been blessed. Look if you would at Esther chapter 10 and verse 2. The acts of his power and of his might and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai.
[24:52] The king has advanced him. It's written in the record books of the kings of Media and Persia. Verse 3. Mordecai the Jew, great among the Jews, accepted of the multitude, seeking the wealth of his people, speaking peace to all his seed.
[25:11] Mordecai is finally advanced. He's been the guy everybody wants dead. He's been the nasty word, Jew, the J word. He's been mistreated.
[25:21] His people have been almost annihilated. Everything in his life seems to be horrible. And now he's finally won. What's he going to do? Is he going to be like Haman and start getting a bunch of the houses?
[25:33] Is he going to go out and kill more people and steal more stuff? Is he going to make big over himself? Not old Mordecai. Not old Mordecai. He's promoted, but he never seems to think of himself.
[25:45] I wish you'd underline in your Bible, he seeks the wealth of his people. He seeks the wealth of his people. And he speaks peace to all of his seed.
[25:55] He wants them to have a better life. And could I just remind you this morning, you have been blessed beyond measure. How many of you know you're going to go to heaven when you die? I say amen.
[26:06] How many of you have eternal security in your heart? You know God saved me. He loves me. And he'll keep me. And I can go all the way through to after death, all the way to heaven. I'm already ready. Everything's right. Can you say amen?
[26:18] How many of you hold a copy of the word of God in your hand? How many of you are in a church that teaches the Bible and loves Jesus? You got all this going for you. You're blessed. We're the richest people on the planet.
[26:30] I'm not talking about your money. I'm talking about my wife's born again. My kids are born again. And the grandkids are old enough. They're born again. Now what are we going to do with all we've been given?
[26:42] We've been promoted. We've been lifted up. We've been advanced by the king. And the king is Jesus. And he has advanced us. Now what are we going to do with it? Enjoy it?
[26:54] Sit back and live the life of luxury because of it? What are you doing to seek the wealth of your people? How many people around the world are going to come to know Jesus because of you?
[27:09] How many times do you share the gospel? How often do you speak peace? Peace has been spoken to us. We have the peace of God and we have peace with God because of Jesus.
[27:20] It's time to share that. Esther chapter 10 and verse 3. To make a difference you have to live oblivious of self. All through the book of Esther I've read it dozens of times over the last few months as we've gone through it.
[27:35] When does Mordecai think about Mordecai? When does old Mordecai think, well, I mean, there's a little bit for me here. Somebody ought to do something for me.
[27:48] They ought to list me in this list or they ought to give me this or that. He never thinks about himself. Verse 3. Mordecai the Jew, great among the Jews, accepted of the multitude, seeking the wealth of his people and speaking peace.
[28:04] No mention is made of Mordecai thinking of himself. He's oblivious. I wish I could say I was, but I'm often thinking about myself. What are you going to do for me?
[28:15] What do I get in return? Not of Mordecai. You want to make a difference, you got to forget you. He doesn't seem to seek prominence or recognition. He's humbled himself, but God has exalted him.
[28:28] He used all God did in his life to serve others. He died to himself and lived to God and others. Haman used to walk around and say, y'all bow down to me.
[28:41] Everybody. Everybody bow down to me. I'm Haman. Bow down. Bow down. I'm Haman. I'm the man. Bow down. No mention of that. It's made of Mordecai. Oh, Haman was probably a fairly hated guy because everywhere he went, he stomped people.
[28:56] But Mordecai is accepted by the multitude. Not just the Jews. Everybody's like that. Mordecai is a good guy. Time to forget you and think about others.
[29:10] Let me finish by this. You need to order your life based on these principles that you see in Mordecai's life and then you can make a difference. Stop complaining about your lot in life and the circumstances of your life.
[29:24] Did you know that you're not an accident? You're not a product of evolution. You're not an evolved being that arrived where you are. You're not some animal. But God, from the diseases you have to the upbringing you had to the parents that might have been abusive to whatever's happened in your life, God's been working.
[29:43] That's what he did in Mordecai's life. Mordecai could have said, I don't belong here anyway. I'm running for Jerusalem. But Mordecai said, I got a different outlook. Consider that all your life has been orchestrated to make you valuable to God and to his people, his church.
[30:01] You realize you're not an accident? Did you realize that life is really not about you? Did you realize that if we learned anything from Mordecai, if we got the Mordecai principle in our life, we'd all be saying, boy, I need to find what God has in mind for me.
[30:17] Is there an Esther that needs adopting? Is there somebody that needs taking care of? What do I need to be doing with my life? Look for the way to be used by God, which in all the things he's taught you.
[30:27] Second, seize the opportunities that God puts in front of you. Most of us will complain our entire life that God never let us be used, but you've had opportunity after opportunity put in front of you.
[30:40] If you want your life to be valuable, do whatever God puts in front of you. You can't be the other guy. You can only be where you are and what God has for you. Tell God you are here to be used any way he wants to use you.
[30:55] I don't know what Mordecai thought. You know, I don't know if the guy's married. I don't know if he has other kids. I don't know if he went home and said, hey, babe, you know, my cousin or mom and dad died.
[31:06] I'm bringing her home. I want you to love her and raise her and treat her like she's one of us. And his wife might have looked at him and said, excuse me, can we have a family discussion about that?
[31:20] But old Mordecai, he said, whatever God puts in front of me, I'm going to take advantage of it. Are you surrendered to do whatever God would have you do? Do you want his will done in everything in your life?
[31:33] And I'm going to ask you a serious question. Have you trusted Christ as your savior? That's the greatest opportunity you're ever going to be given. There is not a greater opportunity ever put in front of anyone than that. If you don't know this, know it now.
[31:46] If you are a human being, you are on your way to hell. You are condemned already. There is no hope for your future but Jesus.
[31:59] The Bible says in John 3, 18, that they were condemned already. You say, I'm a Baptist. Baptists are going to fill hell up. You say, I'm a church member. Church members are going to fill hell up.
[32:09] The only people who are going to get saved are people that say, I need God and I trust Jesus. That's your opportunity today. In just a minute, I'll give you an opportunity. But you can do it right there where you're sitting right now.
[32:20] Say to him, Lord, I have sinned. Lord, I deserve to go to hell but I want to put my trust in Jesus. Realize that the ministry is about Jesus and others. Now, when I was a boy back on the old farm, they used to teach us that joy was Jesus first, others second, and yourself last.
[32:38] That's probably still pretty close to good and true. Say amen right there. Jesus first and then others. That means giving up much of you instead of making much of you.
[32:50] It means making much of others instead of making much of you. See what you can do to help others. Be the bridge to their success. We're like, if I do it, I get credit.
[33:02] But in the Bible, the people God uses sometimes the most are like Mordecai and they don't get the credit. The book's called Esther. I love this one. It's one of my favorites of all. Solomon never had it in his mind to build a temple for God.
[33:16] David did. David got everything ready. And David wanted to build a temple. He got all the money ready. He got the architects ready. He got all the laborers ready. And then he turned to Solomon and said, son, God doesn't want me to build it.
[33:28] He wants you to build it. And you know what? It's not called David's temple. I'm like, come on, God. You're going to call it David's temple, but he doesn't. How about Barnabas helping Saul who would become Paul?
[33:44] How about John the Baptist preparing a way for Jesus to have a great ministry? The Bible's full of Mordecais. I can be a Mordecai. I probably am never going to be anybody great. I'm probably always going to pastor a small church and preach to a handful of people, but I might could help somebody be great.
[33:57] I might could help an Esther be an Esther. Take the opportunity to share what you know with those who do not know Jesus. This isn't a game.
[34:11] This isn't a game. This isn't a game. Hell is real. And I know Baptists and Christians in America no longer want to believe that.
[34:22] We would like to think, we want to kind of push that off the pages of the Bible. But Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. Jesus came to get lost people saved.
[34:32] Jesus came to get people that didn't know him saved. Jesus died giving his life a ransom so people could be saved. Jesus didn't want you to go to hell or anybody else.
[34:44] He's not willing that any should perish. He wants you saved. So let's share Jesus. Hell's real. Hell. And it's coming. I can't remember who I was with this week.
[34:56] I was in Burlington, North Carolina preaching. And I asked this guy, I said, was your family Christian? He said, no, my dad's in hell. You can't say that without being sad.
[35:09] He said, but no one told us the gospel. I'm the first in the family. But we know Jesus. We know the truth. We're not just here to have us a little club.
[35:21] We love people and want them to be saved. Give everything you have to God to be used for his purposes. Die to yourself. Die to your goals and say, I want God to be magnified in my life.
[35:36] I want God's work to go forward. Mordecai is a guy whose life makes a difference. One guy whose life makes a difference.
[35:47] I want my life to make a difference. The greatest difference you could ever make is sharing the gospel with somebody. That's a greater difference than anything Mordecai does, actually.
[35:57] Because you save a human life, they're still going to die. But if they don't know Jesus, it's eternity without Christ. It must break our hearts. And some of you here, you're not saved yet.
[36:08] And you come regularly and you listen. But you do not know that your sins are forgiven. You do not know that you're on your way to hell. You won't accept Christ. I give you once again the opportunity to be saved.
[36:21] Trust Jesus. He said, today is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. Trust Jesus. And Christians, let's stand up and do what we are called to do.
[36:34] Let's make a difference.