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HopeLives365

Mark Finley

Sabbath School 4th Quarter 2023: God's Mission My Mission

01 God’s Mission to Us Part 1

02 God’s Mission to Us Part 2

03 God’s Call to Mission

04 Sharing God’s Mission

05 Excuses to Avoid Mission

06 Motivation and Preparation for Mission

07 Mission to My Neighbor

Unlocking the Secrets of Prayer

08 Mission to the Needy

09 Mission to the Powerful

10 Mission to the Unreached Part 1

11 Mission to the Unreached, Part 2

12 Esther and Mordecai

13 The End of God’s Mission


Welcome back. We are on lesson 12. We've really sped through this quarterly, this quarter. The title of our lessons, of course, is God's Mission, My Mission. The lesson today focuses on Esther and Mordecai.

Now the theme of this lesson is that God shows up in unexpected places. Who would ever expect God to show up in the idolatry and paganism of Egypt and have Joseph impact an entire nation. Who would ever expect God to show up in Babylon, a center of idolatry again in sun worship, and God to impact an entire nation through Daniel. And who would ever expect God to show up in Persia and God to impact an entire nation through Queen Esther? I am deeply impressed with our memory verse.

You know, I've read the Bible on numerous times and 1 of the indications that the Bible's inspired is there's so much there, you miss something. And when I read Isaiah 49, verse 6, I had not remembered reading that passage before and it really struck me with power this time. The memory verse, Isaiah 49, 6, I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Isn't that the purpose of life? Jesus says, I'm the light of the world.

He that follows me will not walk in darkness. Here, Isaiah says, I've given you as a light to the nations. God has called every 1 of us to be that light in the darkness, to light the lives of people around us with the glory of His love, His grace, His goodness. We're going to study in this lesson about how God uses people who at times are displaced from their environment, and he uses them to touch the lives of others. We'll especially focus on Esther and Bordecai, but to get into our study, to get into the theme of it, we look at Daniel.

In Sunday's lesson, Captive in a Foreign Culture, first paragraph, it's never easy to be expatriated to a foreign culture. It may be difficult for us today to comprehend what the Jews faced first under the Babylonians than the Persians. I want you to think of it. When the Jews are together in their nation before they're dispersed, when they're in Israel, Palestine, when they are there, each Jew is a Sabbath keeper. When the sun sets on Friday night, the Jews come to worship.

Each Jew has a basic kosher diet. They don't eat pork or unclean foods. Each Jew reads from the Torah. But When they are plunged into a foreign culture, Sabbath for them is gone. Sun worship is prevalent.

If they're going to keep the Sabbath, they have to stand out alone. The idea of a diet based on biblical principles, not drinking alcohol, not eating pork, unclean foods, that's gone. They're in a pagan culture. So how do you relate in a pagan culture? In Sunday's lesson, we look at 3 passages from the book of Daniel, Daniel 1, Daniel 3, and Daniel 6.

In Daniel chapter 1, you know the passage well. Daniel is taken captive, and there he's brought to the lavish wealth of Babylon. It appears that there's a great defeat for the true God. The temple at Jerusalem has been attacked by Nebuchadnezzar. It's been partially destroyed, ultimately 605 BC, the temple and the city were partially destroyed.

But when Nebuchadnezzar came back in 587, the destruction was much more extensive. But here in Daniel 1, verse 8, Daniel is ushered into the banquet hall of the king. There's a royal banquet, wine flows, unclean foods are on the table. For Daniel to participate in eating those unclean foods, he would have denied his heritage and compromised his integrity. He also would have acknowledged the gods of Babylon, particularly the chief god, Bel-Marduk, who is the sun god.

And in Daniel 1, verse 8, it says, but Daniel purposed in his heart, the word purposed is decided, he determined in his heart or in his mind that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." So here we see Daniel in a foreign culture, but Daniel does not allow the culture to shape him. It does not allow the culture to change his thinking. He purposes in his heart. He decides in his mind that he is going to serve the true God.

Remember what the Bible says, as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. So out of the heart or the mind spring the issues of life. Daniel makes this determined decision. Daniel chapter 3, we find a church state union. In Daniel 2, there's the vision of the great image that the king had.

Daniel interprets it, the image with the head of gold, breasts and arms of silver, thighs of brass, legs of iron, feet of iron and clay. Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome. King doesn't like that idea, Nebuchadnezzar doesn't. Doesn't like this idea, simply the head of gold followed by the breasts and arms of silver, 1 nation followed by another and another. He wants Babylon to last forever.

In fact, there's a clay tablet that was discovered in Babylon attributed to Nebuchadnezzar. It says, Babylon, the delight of mine eyes, the excellency of the kingdoms, may it last forever. So what does Nebuchadnezzar do? He makes an image all of gold and as he makes that image, the whole nation is to bow down before it. But the 3 Hebrew worthies will not bow down, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

They're thrown into a fiery furnace. Christ leaps into the furnace and protects them. In Daniel 1, Daniel stands against culture. In Daniel 2, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stand against culture. In, Rather, Daniel 3, they stand against culture.

Daniel 2 is the dream. Daniel 6, Daniel's thrown into the lion's den. Why? Because he will not pray to the king. He will pray 3 times a day to the true God.

He goes into the lion's den. God protects him. What do these stories tell us? The stories tell us precisely this, that even in a foreign culture, Even in a culture where there's secularism and godlessness, even in an immoral, idolatrous culture, you can make a choice to stand for God. Here in the 21st century, we live in a godless, immoral culture.

This is Babylon on steroids. This is Babylon to the nth degree, but yet through the grace of Christ and the power of Christ, as Paul says, where sin doth abound, Grace does much more abound. God calls us to stand at this time. We learn from the story of Esther the importance of standing for truth and right. Esther is in a foreign court.

Monday's lesson. Esther is in a foreign court. After the fall of Babylon, Medo-Persia reigned. Jews that were taken captive from Babylon to meet a Persia. Many of them didn't return, but they remained in Persia.

Esther and her uncle Mordecai remained there. Esther's parents had died. Mordecai, her uncle, brought up the girl. And there in that foreign court, Vashti, the queen of the Persia, married to the king Xerxes or Ahasuerus, displeases him. And as the result of that, they want to choose a new queen, 1 of many, no doubt.

What happens is very simply this. Ahasuerus is looking over these young women, and he sees 1 that pleases him, 1 of unusual beauty, not only physically beautiful, but 1 of beautiful character. And Xerxes or Ahasuerus senses something different about this young woman. She's chosen to be his bride. What's her name?

Her Jewish name is Hadassah, but her name in Persian becomes Esther. Hadassah is a Jewish name. So Mordecai is very careful to conceal her true identity. At times is it necessary to conceal your identity. At times is it necessary to be silent.

I think we get the example from Jesus, didn't we? Jesus, after healing people on a number of occasions in the New Testament, said, Don't tell anybody who I am. Why did Jesus say that? Why did Jesus want them to be silent? The scribes and Pharisees were so prejudiced against Christ's work that had those who were healed immediately declared that they were followers of Christ and Christ the Messiah had healed them, it would have limited Jesus' work because the prejudice against him was so great that his work would have stopped earlier.

So there is a time to be silent. We are never to be dishonest. We're never to be put in a place where we don't tell truth. But it's not necessary to tell everything. In fact, the Bible even says, Jesus even says in John 16, I have many things to say unto you, but I cannot say them now.

So Jesus very clearly tells us that there are times that he indeed cannot reveal all truth to us right away. So Esther was silent to conceal the fact she was a Jew so that it would not prejudice the court and the king, and they would not then, she would not then have been able to influence him so powerfully to help the Jews. Mordecai was a very, very faithful witness to Christ, and for Christ, and for the kingdom of God, And when I say for Christ, he's obviously a Jew looking forward to the Messiah, but he's faithful to his God, faithful to his people. Mordecai is asked to bow down to Haman. Haman, a royal servant of the king, is there in Persia.

And this Royal servant, this royal nobleman of the king is exalted to a higher position. And he wants everybody to bow down. Mordecai refuses. Now, why do you think Mordecai refused? I think there's a...

In Tuesday's lesson, there is a very good reason for that. Esther 3, verse 2 helps us to understand why Mordecai would refuse to bow down. Here it is, Esther 3, verse 2. Mordecai would not kneel down to pay him honor. Why not?

Most likely because Mordecai is not willing to pay homage to 1 who's a descendant of Agag, who was an Amalekite, and the Amalekites are the enemies of the Jews. So for Mordecai to bow down, he's gonna bow down to somebody who's an enemy of the Jews. He chooses not to do that. Here, you find an amazing statement by Ellen White. It's found in the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, May 13, 1884.

It's in Tuesday's lesson, second last paragraph from the end. From Daniel and his companions in Mordecai, a bright light shone amid the moral darkness of the kingly courts of Babylon." In other words, not only did Esther stand for truth, but Mordecai stood for truth. He would not compromise his integrity. He would not bow down. He's willing to risk his own life.

Haman becomes absolutely furious. And as Haman is furious about that, Haman goes to the king and he says, look, I'll put so much money into the king's treasury if we can pass a decree to get rid of these Jews. Not only Mordecai, but we can get rid of these Jews. I want you to look here at the book of Esther and we're going to look over at Esther chapter 4. We're looking at the book of Esther.

Chapter, well let's look at chapter 3 then we'll go to chapter 4. Because there's something fascinating in chapter 3 that I don't want you to miss. So We're going to go over to Esther 3. Let's look first at verse 6. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, that's Haman, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai.

Instead, Haman sought to destroy all Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, the people of Mordecai. So Haman wants to destroy all the Jews. So Haman goes to the king in Esther 3, verse 8, and I want you to see the argument that Haman uses because This argument will be used against the people of God at the time of the end. Esther 3, verse 8. Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "'There is a certain people scattered, "'dispersed among the people "'in all the provinces of your kingdom.

"'Their laws are different from all other peoples, and they do not keep the king's laws. Therefore, it's not fitting for the king to let them remain. What's the argument here? Here's a group of people, a small minority. They march to a different drummer.

They sing to a different tune. They don't obey the king's laws. They don't obey the state laws. They have a different master. And what does it say?

Their laws are different from all other people's. I want you to imagine the time at the end, church and state unite. A Sunday law is enforced. God has a group of people whose law is different. It's not man's law, it's God's law.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 6 days shalt thou labor and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work. Thou nor thy son, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle within thy gates.

For in 6 days the Lord made heaven and earth." So blessed it, sanctified it, made it holy. The Sabbath at the time of the end will be a test of loyalty. Seventh-day Adventist and those who keep the Bible Sabbath will be considered as violation of state's laws. Precisely what happens here in the book of Esther. A death decree hangs over the Jews.

And as that death decree hangs over them, Mordecai in Wednesday's lesson, appeals to Esther. And he comes to Esther. We find this in Esther chapter 4. And Mordecai appeals to Esther. I think this is 1 of the most powerful appeals in all the Bible.

Esther, chapter 4, verse 14 and 15, 16. For if you remain completely silent, so Mordecai sends Esther a message through a royal messenger. If you remain completely silent at this time relief and deliverance will arise from the Jews for another place But you and your father's house will perish Yet who knows? Whether you've come to the kingdom for such a time as this. If you remain silent, God still is going to accomplish his purposes.

And I say to you today, if you fail in the destiny that God calls you to. If you fail in being the light in the darkness, if you fail to be the salt of the earth, if you fail to be an ambassador for Christ, God's plan, God's purpose will still be accomplished. He will rise, he will raise up from another place somebody else to fulfill his purposes, but you will lose out. You will miss out on the opportunity that God gives you." And then those powerful words that come to Esther, who knows, who knows whether you are called to the kingdom for such a time as this. In the divine drama of destiny, God has brought you on the scene at this time to communicate his love and his grace.

Look at the response of Esther. Then Esther told them, verse 15, to return this answer to Mordecai, go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, fast for me, neither eat nor drink for 3 days, night and day." So fasting then is fasting in prayer, it's not just fasting alone. So here Esther calls for a fast, and in that fast the Jews pray, and as they pray the king writes a different decree, The king's mind is impacted. Prayer can change human destiny. You know, when the Berlin Wall fell, there were prayer groups previous to that all through East Germany, and tens of thousands of people prayed.

The night the Berlin Wall fell, there were those that came out of these prayer groups in their churches with a candle in their hands. You can't have a rock to throw in your hands. The soldiers seeing those candles lighting the darkness, recognizing that these were their brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers stepped back. The Berlin Wall came down and freedom reigned again. Prayer and fasting made a difference in Esther's day, made a difference in the demise of communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

And it's making a difference today. Prayer and fasting. Are you praying and fasting for your city, your community, your son, your daughter, your husband, your wife? Esther, who knows whether you've been called to the kingdom for such a time as this. The king signs a decree, the Jews rally, they defeat the forces against them, and ultimately Haman is hanged or hung on the gallows that he prepared for Mordecai.

What's the eternal principle here? I think you find it in Galatians 6, verse 7. Galatians, the sixth chapter, the seventh verse. I think you find it here. Here's the eternal principle, a principle that Haman did not learn, but a principle that was carried out.

Galatians 6, verse 7, Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he'll also reap. He who sows to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. And he who sows to the Spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life.

Whatever a person sows, they're going to reap. If you sow violence, you're going to reap violence. You sow immorality by watching it on the internet, you're going to reap immoral thoughts. You sow selfishness, and it's going to come back to you again. But you sow kindness, you sow graciousness, and it's going to come back to you.

Haman was hung on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. He sowed violence and he reaped violence. He sowed death and he reaped death. He sowed the tremendous consequences that he reaped in his own body. And he died that day as a lost man.

But think about Esther. Her influence saved the nation. Think about Mordecai, who made a tremendous decision not to bow down to Haman and to influence his niece, Esther, to be a powerful influence in that nation. And Ellen White, again, in the book Education, quotes this story, page 263. To every household, in every school, To every parent, teacher, and child upon whom has shone the light of the gospel, comes at this crisis the question put to Esther, the queen at the momentous crisis in Israel's history, Who knows whether you are come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Wherever you are, God speaks to you. Who knows that you are called to the kingdoms for such a time as this? God has brought you onto the scene of history now. Nobody has the gifts you have. Nobody has the background that you have.

Nobody has the life experience that you have. You are unique. God has put you in your family, in your neighborhood, on your job, to be a powerful witness for him. Who knows? But you've been called to the kingdom for such a time as this.

Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for these Sabbath school lessons that move us deeply to be witnesses for you in this final generation. Oh Lord, we open our hearts to you. Guide us, direct us, give us a sense of your divine presence. Prepare us to be your witnesses.

Send us from our churches and our homes to be a light in the darkness of this world. In Jesus' name, Amen. This media was brought to you by Audioverse, a website dedicated to spreading God's Word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about Audioverse or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audioverse.org.

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Series

Sabbath School 4th Quarter 2023: God's Mission My Mission

12 Esther and Mordecai

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

01 God’s Mission to Us Part 1

19m

02 God’s Mission to Us Part 2

18m

03 God’s Call to Mission

19m

04 Sharing God’s Mission

22m

05 Excuses to Avoid Mission

17m

06 Motivation and Preparation for Mission

25m

07 Mission to My Neighbor

20m

Unlocking the Secrets of Prayer

21m

08 Mission to the Needy

25m

09 Mission to the Powerful

29m

10 Mission to the Unreached Part 1

19m

11 Mission to the Unreached, Part 2

25m

12 Esther and Mordecai

23m

13 The End of God’s Mission

25m

Sound Doctrine