Good morning, everyone. Welcome to St Paul's. My name's Steve. I've not met you. I'm a senior pastor here.
! And we, this term, what we're doing is we're looking back on what has been called Follow 25.
That is our five-year ministry plan as we draw that to a close.
And we are, at the same time, looking forward into what God is leading us into as a church and planning our future together,
particularly to see lives transformed by Jesus in our society, particularly in a society that nowadays doesn't see the Christian faith as true, as good, or even beautiful.
And so the Old Testament book of Esther that we're working through is really just helping us see what it means to follow God,
what does it mean to trust Him in times like this, a time when Christians are a minority, where Christianity has been sidelined.
So what does it mean to be that people in our society nowadays?
And what Esther is helping us to see, particularly today, that what we need is we need an element of boldness and courage
and something that really, for us on the North Shore, is not something that we have in a great deal of amount.
That is, the culture of the North Shore is settled.
You might have taken risks to get here, but once you're here, you're not going to take risks to lose it.
And so the North Shore is famous for that.
It's famous for it's being settled.
The risk, don't like change, doesn't like too much risk.
Don't want to put at all, any threat, what we have attained for ourselves.
And so how do we be bold and courageous in a culture right here that tells us not to?
So if you've got the St. Paul's app, open it up.
Keep the Bible passage there in front of you.
These are our points for today.
First of all, risking nothing and losing everything.
So if you've just joined us, Esther is the story of a young Jewish woman living as an exile in the Persian Empire.
And through a series of events that God is sovereignly and silently working in the background in all of this, all these events,
she is picked out of obscurity and chosen by Xerxes I, the most powerful man in the universe at that point, to be his new queen.
And the whole time that she has kept her Jewish identity, her culture and her God hidden.
She's kept that hidden away, screwed away secretly.
In chapter three, as we looked at last week, an edict goes out of the whole Persian Empire that on a particular set date,
the Jewish people are to be exterminated within the Persian Empire.
And so we pick up the story with the aftermath of that edict going out.
And so chapter four begins with Esther's cousin Mordecai.
He's in sackcloth and mourning in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate.
See how it reads there.
Chapter four, verse one.
He wasn't allowed to go inside the king's gate into the palace center because you're not allowed to have sackcloth and mourning in the palace.
So what we, when it's king's gate, Mordecai is at the gate, the palace gate.
Chapter one, verse two, names that palace as the citadel of Susa.
The citadel of Susa was a strongly fortified, elevated palace in the center of Susa,
the center of the Roman Empire, sorry, the Persian Empire.
And it was designed, the whole palace was designed to elevate the importance of the king and to guard the king.
It was to elevate the importance and to protect the king, his court and anyone who resided within the palace.
And in other words, to be in the palace, to be in the citadel was to be at the center of power and influence.
And Mordecai is at the gate of that complex.
Esther is inside that complex.
And he's trying to get her attention so that she might do something to save her people, God's people.
Now what we see here as in the first section of chapter four,
is that there is an enormous amount of danger of being settled in the palace, of living in the palace.
We see it in Esther's response in verse four.
When Esther's eunuchs and female attendants came and told her Mordecai, she was in great distress.
She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.
So Esther, her response to hearing about Mordecai is to send him clothes.
She's in great distress because potentially he's making a spectacle of himself, embarrassing himself,
maybe even embarrassing her by relationship.
Mordecai is distraught with the fate of God's people,
but it seems Esther is isolated entirely from the impending tragedy.
Every Jew from Ethiopia to India was mourning because of this edict,
and she did not have a clue.
Well, she didn't care because she was in the palace.
Perhaps she didn't have time between the manicures and pedicures and the facials.
In any case, she has done a brilliant job, a brilliant job by Mordecai's instruction
at concealing her identity.
So why would anyone in the palace be concerned to inform her of the edict?
It is so easy when we exist in our palaces of security and comfort
to be isolated from the needs of the world around us
and God's concern for his world and for people
when we live the good life in the palace.
So Mordecai begs and pleads for her to use her connections,
to use her position, her favour with the king to do something,
to work for God's justice and to save God's people.
But notice Esther's first response in verse 11.
All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know
that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court
without being summoned, the king has but one law,
that they be put to death unless the king extends the royal scepter to them
and spares their lives.
But 30 days have passed since I was called to go to the king.
What she's communicating to Mordecai here is,
you don't understand what you're asking of me.
For me to go to the king is very risky.
And let's put this into context.
Esther's in her position as queen because Vashti was just a bit too bold
with Xerxes.
It's very fresh on her mind.
She was a little too courageous.
And notice too that Esther says here,
Xerxes hasn't asked me to come to him for 30 days.
So if he hasn't called her for 30 days,
then that's either a sign that he's had a month-long headache
or that he's entirely out of favour,
that she's entirely out of favour.
Because Xerxes does not sleep alone.
In other words, what Esther is saying here to Mordecai,
you do not know what you are asking of me.
I might lose everything.
And at this point, Mordecai sends back a message
that is, in fact, the high point of the book of Esther.
This is the turning point of Esther.
Verse 13.
Do not think that because you are in the king's house,
you alone of all the Jews will escape.
For if you remain silent at this time,
relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place.
But you and your father's family will perish.
And who knows,
but that you have come to your royal position
for such a time as this.
So, to paraphrase Mordecai,
if Esther doesn't risk losing the palace,
she will lose everything.
If she does risk losing the palace,
she might lose everything.
That's the choice that's in front of her at the moment.
If all the Jewish people are killed,
she will be discovered as a Jew,
and she too will be killed.
If the Jews aren't killed,
then she will be discovered to be a traitor.
Now, there are two remarkable principles,
I think, that flow out of here
that really have powerful applications for us.
The first principle is that
unless we use the influence we've got,
the credentials we've got,
the resources we've got,
the position we've got,
the skills we've got,
for the service of others,
as opposed to personal advancement,
personal security, personal comfort,
then those things
don't result in security, in comfort.
They actually result in slavery.
I've talked about this many times in the past.
Esther was queen to Xerxes I.
She lived in the palace in Susa.
But if she loved the palace
and she loved its comfort and its security
and its power and its influence,
so much so that she would not risk losing it,
then the palace becomes nothing more
than death row for her.
Nothing more than that.
She's as dead as anyone else.
In other words,
if we are unwilling to jeopardise
our place in the palace,
the palace that we might have built for ourselves,
our identity that we're built for ourselves,
then the palace has in fact taken over us
and it controls us.
We live to keep that comfort and security
and it's never enough.
And we're always looking over our shoulder.
We are consistently questioning
whether it's enough.
Mordecai seems to be saying here
that if you can't throw away the palace
or at least risking throwing away the palace
or risk your place in the palace
to do good for other people,
then you are owned by the palace.
You actually don't have comfort.
You don't have security.
You are owned.
You're enslaved.
The second implication here
is that the only way we would in fact
be prepared to risk everything
is if our identity has its foundation
somewhere else apart from what we have built
for ourselves.
So how do we do that?
How do you get an identity
that is not something
that we have built for ourselves,
something that we've achieved,
but it's in fact something that we receive?
And there is an answer to that
and it's hinted at in verse 14.
Who knows but that you have come
to your royal position
for such a time as this?
Now, the word come there in that verse
is in the passive form
in the original Hebrew language.
And so a better way to understand that
or to paraphrase that verse
is who knows but that you have been brought
to the palace,
to your royal position
for such a time as this?
In other words,
you did not make yourself queen.
You've been brought there for this moment.
This is your moment.
Esther got to the palace by grace.
Her beauty was something that was a gift to her.
She didn't create that for herself.
No one ever does.
It's a gift.
She didn't produce the door of opportunity
that saw her rise to the position of queen.
God has been silently and sovereignly working
to bring her for such a time as this.
This is her purpose.
This is her moment.
And that is the turning point for Esther.
This is where we get Esther stepping up.
And this is where she utters
what are the most remarkable words
in this entire book.
Verse 16.
Go gather together all the Jews
who are in Susa and fast for me.
Do not eat or drink for three days,
night or day.
I and my attendants will fast as you do.
And when this is done,
I will go to the king
even though it is against the law.
And if I perish, I perish.
That is the remarkable turning point
of this book
and the remarkable turning point
in Esther's life.
We go from Esther living
the high life in the palace
to Esther risking everything else
in her life
in order to save others.
Which brings me to the second point,
risking everything
and losing nothing.
Now there is a danger here,
let me say first of all,
in seeing Esther primarily
as an inspiration to be copied.
For instance,
for the Christian,
you might read this
and inspired
to taking risk
and getting more interested
in justice and mercy
in the world
and to start speaking up
about your belief in Jesus.
All of a sudden,
you've got this boldness
and I'm going to,
Esther,
God came through
and saved Esther
and it was a massive moment for her
and look at her,
we're talking about her
thousands of years later
and I'm going to be like Esther
and brah!
out there into the world.
There is always a danger
in being inspired
by another
because it tends
not to last
because the basic motivation
is one of
self-centeredness
or guilt.
Motivation by guilt
wears off
because guilt
doesn't actually
change you
on the inside.
When guilt
is our motive,
then we're still
getting our identity
from our performance.
I want to be great
like Esther
and therefore
I will do like Esther
so that I can be great.
It's performance-driven.
Self-righteousness
is always
the fruit
of performance.
I'm not going to be
like those other
half-hearted Christians
who won't risk everything.
I'm going to be
principled
and outspoken.
In fact,
I booked my
airfare right now
and I'm going to
fly to Susa,
I'm going to go to Iran
and I'm going to
be in the public square
and preach Jesus
and distribute Bibles.
It's not going to be
like the rest of these
North Shore Christians.
But there's not
actually change
in the heart
at that point
which is often
revealed
when we are
confronted
by others
not having
our same values.
We become
judgmental
of their choices.
Overreaction
is the danger.
That's where
we give to anything,
where we will do
anything without
any thought
of wise stewardship.
It's a misunderstanding
of how God
has brought us
to the place
where we are.
It's a misunderstanding
of how God
has made us
and so by guilt
and by self-righteousness
we will do anything
and absolutely
everything
and we don't
understand
who we are
in Christ
at that point.
Now there is
a time
to throw
abandon
in the air
and there is a time
to pull back
and regroup.
Notice
that it takes
Esther
a little while
before she
approaches
Xerxes
and not
without
calling together
her people
in three days
of fasting
for her
which is
three days
of searching
God
for her.
Reliance
upon God.
That's the idea
of fasting.
It's a reliance
upon God
in this moment.
The danger
of Esther
chapter 5
tells us
she was very
careful,
she was
considered
and she
was deliberate
in how she
went about
approaching
Xerxes.
Now the danger
of Esther
being an example
of risk-taking
will be a
tenderness
towards
fickleness,
doesn't last,
self-righteousness
and
potentially
downright
foolishness.
but what
if we
saw
Esther
not so
much
as
an example
to be
admired
but as
a sign
post
guiding
us.
Notice
here
that
Esther
in the
end
saved
God's
people
here
by doing
two
things
in
chapter 4
and chapter
5.
She did
two things.
She
identified
with them
and she
mediated
for them.
Identified
and mediated.
Her
people were
condemned
and she
identified
with them
in their
condemnation
and so
came under
the same
condemnation.
they
are
condemned
to death
as
Jewish
people.
She
identifies
as a
Jewish
person
and she
says
if I
perish
I
perish.
She
identified
with them
but it's
only because
she
identified
with her
people
that she
was able
to
mediate
for her
people.
That is
she could
go
before the
throne
of power
in a
way
that no
one else
could in
that moment.
That no
other Jew
could in
that moment.
The first
time that
Xerxes
understands
the gravity
and the
implications
of the
decisions
that he
has made
in condemning
the Jewish
people
was when
Esther
the one
to whom
he has
extended
his scepter
the one
who he
had
favoured
stands
before him
as favoured
and says
I'm
Jew
too.
I am
your favoured
one
and I
am
condemned.
That was
the first
time that
he saw
the Jewish
people in
an entirely
different
way.
Esther
went
before
the
throne
of
power
and
her
favour
with
Xerxes
was
attributed
to the
Jewish
people.
She
saved
them
through
identification
and
mediation.
Now
as I've
said
a couple
of weeks
ago
and I'll
say it
again
Esther
was a
flawed
saviour
but she
does
point us
to a
flawless
saviour.
She
points us
ultimately
to the
king of
the Jews
the true
Israelite.
Jesus
is the
one
who lived
in the
ultimate
palace.
He lived
for all
eternity
in the
very presence
of the
throne
room
of the
universe
in the
presence
of God
in the
kingdom
of God
as the
second
person
of the
Trinity
the
Son
of God.
And as
the second
person
of the
Trinity
the
Son
of God
he had
ultimate
beauty
and glory
and he
left it
to one
side.
No one
had to
manipulate
him.
No one
had to
put pressure
on him.
No one
backed him
into a
corner in
order to
do it.
Philippians
2 in
the New
Testament
says that
he had
equality
with the
Father
but he
did not
hold on
to that
equality
in order
for it
to be
used
for his
own
sake
to
feather
his own
nest
to secure
his own
comfort
for advance
his own
purposes
his own
identity
or glory.
It says
he emptied
himself
and he
came down
and he
came down
to identify
to take
on human
flesh
and identify
with sinful
humanity
under the
just
condemnation
of God
deserving
of annihilation
by God
for their
sins
against God
and he
did not
do that
at the
risk of
his own
life
but at
the cost
of his
own
life.
Jesus
did not
come
saying
if I
perish
I
perish
he
come
and right
from the
beginning
says
when I
perish
I
will
perish
he
went
to the
cross
and he
died
as our
substitute
the
one
of
infinite
perfection
and holiness
and moral
beauty
became
cosmically
ugly
as I
said
two weeks
ago
cosmically
ugly
to make
us
the
condemned
imperfect
ones
beautiful
acceptable
in God's
sight
his
atonement
for our
sin
means
that
his
that
it means
that as
he
stands
before the
throne of
the universe
right now
as our
mediator
favor
the favor
that has
eternally
extended
to him
as the
perfect
son of
God
is now
attributed
to us
who are
in him
that favor
extends to
us
the delight
the love
the approval
of the
praiseworthy
God
the power
the most
powerful one
of the
universe
everything
that Jesus
always had
and has
is ours
in him
so if
we see
Esther
as an
example
and say
well
you know
I just
need to
be like
Esther
it will
ultimately
crush us
because we
will never
live up
to it
but if
we see
Jesus
Esther
pointing us
to Jesus
as our
savior
not as
an hour
not even
Jesus
as our
example
to go
and do
likewise
but as
our
savior
doing
for us
what we
cannot do
for ourselves
that
ultimately
changes
our
identity
from the
inside
out
he becomes
our
ultimate
security
he becomes
our
value
he becomes
our
real
worth
he becomes
our
palace
suddenly
everything
else
in life
becomes
transitory
stuff
and we
are set
free
to risk
everything
for him
because
losing
everything
for him
means we
lose nothing
because we've
already got
everything
we do
not lose
him
we don't
lose
life
we do
not even
lose
ourselves
and that's
why Jesus
says to
his disciples
in Luke
21 verse
16 as
he sends
them out
to bear
witness to
him
he says
they will
put some
of you
to death
everyone
will hate
you because
of me
but
not a
hair
on your
head
will
perish
what
what are
you saying
Jesus
I may
perish
but not
even a
hair
on my
head
will
perish
that's
right
stand
firm
he says
and you
will win
life
what a
paradox
your reputation
can be
damaged
you can
go even
get as
far as
being
killed
but not
a hair
on your
head
will
perish
so
that
means
there's a
balance
here
right
that
means
there's
perspective
it
means
that
not
every
venture
for
Christ
that
we
pursue
will
go
well
as
we
perceive
it
to
go
well
but a
promise
here
is that
no
venture
for
his
glory
will
ever
destroy
us
it
will
simply
increase
life
and it
will
always
be
successful
God
is
sovereignly
silently
working
so the
apostle
Paul
puts it
like this
in
Philippians
1
to live
is Christ
and to
die
is
gain
as
American
pastor
John
Piper
famously
put it
it is
better
to lose
your life
than to
waste
it
for
Esther
to stay
in the
palace
was a
wasted
life
which
would
result
in a
lost
life
for her
to risk
her life
was to
gain
life
so
let's
wrap
this up
bit
risking
everything
and
gaining
everything
if we
see what
Jesus
done
for us
in losing
his
ultimate
palace
for us
so that
we might
gain his
ultimate
palace
for all
of
eternity
then
and only
then
do we
have the
freedom
to risk
everything
for God's
glory
and the
sake
of others
it's
only
then
and there
are at
least four
implications
in that
statement
I think
from
Esther
if I
perish
I
perish
firstly
if I
perish
I
perish
it's the
language
of calling
God's
people
to
identify
with the
poor
and the
oppressed
in the
world
that we
ought not
to be
existing
in our
palaces
of comfort
like
Esther
did
in the
early
part
of
chapter
four
oblivious
to
what's
happening
in the
world
with the
poor
and the
oppressed
this
is a
call
for all
believers
having
seen
what
Jesus
has
done
for us
to
identify
with all
people
outside
of the
palace
to
not
walk
past
them
and
ignore
them
but
to
work
for
their
lifting
for
the
work
of
their
salvation
in a
holistic
sense
secondly
if I
perish
I
perish
it's
the
language
of
exciting
mission
can I
say
God
has
been
sovereignly
and
silently
working
throughout
all of
history
including
in
recent
history
and
that
wherever
you
are
right
now
right
now
in
your
life
and
I
mean
right
now
today
this
week
stage
of
life
whatever
it
is
for
you
have
got
certain
gifts
certain
abilities
certain
experiences
of
hardness
and
suffering
and
joys
certain
stage
of
life
that
make
you
uniquely
ready
to
help
certain
people
in
the
world
that
no
one
else
can
God
has
brought
you
to
where
you
are
not
for
your
security
and
comfort
but
for
others
and
for
his
glory
that's
why
you
are
where
you
are
with
all
the
hardships
!
with
all
the
sufferings
with
all
of
it
it's
where
you
are
Esther
chapter
2
sorry
Esther
Ephesians
it's in
the
New
Testament
chapter
2
verse
10
talking
about
those
who
are
being
saved
we
are
God's
workmanship
created
for good
works
that God
has
prepared
beforehand
for us
to do
the
word
workmanship
there
carries
the idea
of being
God's
artwork
every
single
one
of his
children
saved
in
Jesus
are
his
unique
artwork
you're
not a
stenciled
photocopied
version
of everyone
else
you are
his
unique
artwork
you
have
been
uniquely
crafted
by
God
with
gifts
talents
positions
and
strengths
and
weaknesses
blessings
and
sufferings
much
resources
no
resources
and
uniquely
placed
by
God
to
do
unique
works
for
others
you
have
not
been
brought
to
this
place
for
yourself
and
you've
been
brought
to
this
place
in
this
church
in
wherever
you
are
for
such
a
time
as
this
and
so
can
I
say
I
want
to
implore
you on
this
there
is
no
sense
at
all
anywhere
in the
Bible
in the
New
Testament
at
all
any
justification
for
it
at
all
for
what
you
might
call
stable
settled
don't
need to
take
further
steps
in the
Christian
faith
not
at
all
nowhere
if
you
have
not
taken
deliberate
intentional
steps
to
move
forward
in
trusting
God
in
going
further
with
him
in
rhythms
of
grace
in
any
way
if
you're
since
we did
this
series
at
the
beginning
of
this
year
if
your
church
attendance
patterns
haven't
shifted
if
you're
serving
if
your
devotional
life
hasn't
shifted
and
nothing
has
shifted
do
not
this
is a
warning
sign
God
is not
pleased
with
that
you
have
been
brought
for
such
a
time
as
this
and
so
what
is
it
for
you
to
take
this
next
step
towards
daily
devotions
corporate
worship
if
no
changes
have
happened
no
decisions
have
made
if
you're
not
serving
others
if
nothing's
changed
that's
not
healthy
take
your
next
step
if
you've
sat
there
even
not as
a
Christian
but
you've
sat
there
and
you've
wrestled
with
the
truth
of
the
Christian
faith
and
you've
but
you're
just
still
sitting
there
you're
still
sitting
there
where
you've
heard it
you heard
it
you heard
it
but
you
just
won't
take
that
next
step
risk
it
and
come
to
Christ
today
be
bold
and
say
right
I'm
just
I've
got
what I
need
to
know
I'm
just
going
to
take
that
step
and
I'm
going
to
come
to
Christ
I'm
going
to
surrender
to
him
today
thirdly
and
this
is
connected
to
the
second
point
if
I
perish
I
perish
is
the
language
of
unconditional
obedience
it
means
I'm
going
to
do
everything
he
tells
me
to
do
and
I'm
going
to
accept
everything
he
sends
in
my
life
that's
unconditional
obedience
it
is
putting
our
lives
into
the
hands
of
the
one
who
gave
us
life
in
the
one
who
controls
everything
in
a
world
where
I've
got
virtually
no
control
at
all
and
that's
the
reality
of
life
when we
think
about
risk
let's
just
be
frank
here
we
don't
have
control
and
I
am
absolutely
convinced
that
God
intends
for
us
to
live
and
to
realize
the
uncertainty
and the
risk
of
life
and
that
is
one
of
the
core
reasons
why
we
want
to
seek
him
in
life
because
he
is
certain
and
powerful
James
chapter
four
in the
new
testament
puts
it
like
this
now
listen
you
who
say
today
or
tomorrow
we
will
go
into
this
city
or
that
spend
a year
here
and there
and carry
on business
and make
money
like
most of
the strategic
plans
I'm
assuming
in
North
Shore
why
you don't
even know
what will
happen
tomorrow
what is
your life
you're
a mist
that appears
for a little
while and
then vanishes
instead
you ought
to say
if it
is
the
Lord's
will
we
will
live
and
do
this
or
that
is
the
point
of
that
passage
is
we're
not
God
we do
not
know
what
tomorrow
is
going
to
happen
tomorrow
risk
is
in the
very
fabric
of
our
lives
every
single
moment
and
we
cannot
avoid
risk
even
if
we
wanted
to
all
of
our
plans
for
tomorrow's
activities
are
shattered
in
a
moment
with
thousands
of
unknowns
that
we
face
day
by
day
we
need
to
explode
the
myth
of
safety
and
security
and
to
somehow
be
delivered
from
the
seduction
of
security
and
comfort
in
our
world
it
is
a
mirage
it
does
not
exist
in
our
world
at
all
and
the
tragedy
is
that
in
the
myth
of
security
we
are
paralyzed
and
we
are
paralyzed
on
the
north
shore
to
take
risks
for
the
cause
of
God
because
we
are
deluded
into
thinking
that
it
may
jeopardize
the
security
and the
comfort
that
we
in
fact
does
not
even
exist
so
the
point
of
that
is
put
your
hands
in
the
hands
of
God
and
when
we
do
fourth
point
if
I
perish
I
perish
it's
the
language
of
greatness
so
many
of
us
in
our
world
do
not
take
risks
and
we
spend
our
life
trying
to
build
a
reputation
so
that
we
are
remembered
we
care
about
our
legacy
what
we're
passing
on
to
others
and
yet
it's
those
who
take
often
the
greatest
risk
are
the
ones
who
hand
over
the
greatest
legacy
14
times
in
the
book
of
Esther
14
times
Esther
is
referred
to
as
Queen
Esther
the
first
time
is
when
she's
made
Queen
Esther
her
title
the
other
13
times
she's
referred
to
as
Queen
Esther
when
she
utters
the
words
if I
perish
I
perish
She's
been
queen
for a
while
but
13
of the
14
occasions
are
after
she
utters
those
words
she
becomes
a
person
of
greatness
by
letting
go
of
her
life
and
placing
it
into
God's
hands
for
his
glory
and
the
good
of
others
and
as
we
look
forward
as a
church
here
to
the
next
stage
of
our
life
and
our
ministry
together
we're
doing
so
in
the
most
uncertain
and
unprecedented
time
in
this
church's
124
year
history
in
Chatswood
as I
said
Christianity
is not
accepted
as true
good or
beautiful
in our
society
and the
early
church
the first
three
centuries
of the
early
church
of the
Christian
church
faced
similar
circumstances
to what
we are
facing
now
that
is
where
Christianity
was
minority
where it
was not
regarded as
true
good or
beautiful
and yet
within the
first three
centuries
the
Christian
church
transformed
the
Roman
empire
for
its
good
because
they
were
captivated
by the
gospel
of the
glory
of the
Lord
Jesus
their
identity
was
attached
to
him
and
they
risked
everything
for
that
glory
including
their
own
lives
and
they
did
so
joyfully
like
them
eternal
greatness
awaits
those
who
take
those
risks
!