Jesus Offers Us Greater Peace
Sermon Audio
Sermon Notes
Today’s the last week in our series on a book of the bible called Esther, it’s been about God’s hidden work in our imperfect world, and let me say 2 quick things before we get into today’s message. First I want to say thanks to Emmanuel for preaching last week. I preached at one of our partner churches in North Carolina, and Emmanuel did a great preaching last week, so special thanks to him for that. Second, I want to remind you that our Fall Kick Off is starting next week, and we’ll be starting things off next Saturday with a quarterly City Serve. We want to be a come and go church, not a come and sit church. We want to be a church that goes into our city and serves our city. So we’ll be serving our city next Saturday from 8:30-2:00, by helping new UCF students move into their student housing at The Verge on Alafaya. We’re also giving them free pizzas and drinks, and we’re giving away a few gift cards for groceries and supplies. We’re simply welcoming these new students to our city, and letting them know we’re here if they need anything. So take the connect cards on your seats, write City Serve on it, and put it in the offering baskets after the message, so we can give you more details later this week. But that’s what’s happening on Saturday, and on Sunday we’ll be starting a new series called Visible God, it’s about seeing God through the life of Jesus. We want you to take the invite cards on your seats, invite at least 1 person to church next week, and you can tell them we’ll be having free lunch and Jeremiah’s Ice after church. It’s all a part of our Fall Kick Off, and so let’s serve, invite, and keep growing our church...so we can reach people, reach the world.
Now as for today’s message you can start turning to Esther 9. We’ll be in Esther ch. 9:20-10:3, and as you’re turning there let me ask you this question. What’s your happy place?..What’s your happy place, the place or thing you turn to for happiness and peace?...For me it’s a cabin in the mountains, sitting in a rocking chair, hearing the wind blow, while smoking a brisket. That’s my happy place where I find peace, but as soon as that vacation’s over, my troubles return...For some of you it’s not the mountains, it’s going to the beach, toes in the sand, listening to the waves crash. But eventually you need to work or some kid throws a mud pie at you, probably your own kid, and your troubles return...For others it’s reading a fantasy novel or binge watching Netflix to escape reality, but eventually the novel and movie ends, and your troubles return. All of us have a happy place, a place or things we turn to for happiness and peace. We’re like “If I can just get another vacation, another job, another raise...If I can just get married, have kids, switch churches, move to another city, I’d finally be in my happy place, and have peace.” But all these happy places eventually come to an end, and your troubles return. It’s a cycle of life we’re in, but it’s a cycle we won’t always be in. This cycle of happiness, peace, and troubles won’t last forever, and we’ll see that today in Esther 9-10, so let’s get into it. The title of today’s message is Jesus Offers Greater Peace, and here’s the big idea. Life is hard, but Jesus offers greater peace...Life is hard, but Jesus offers us greater peace. He’s working to turn our mourning, into future rejoicing.
Context:
Here’s your context. We’re dealing with a period in history where the Persians are the most powerful empire in the world, they’re being led by the evil king Ahasuerus who’s also known as Xerxes, and he’s married to Esther who’s a Jew. Well Esther’s cousin Mordecai ends up having issues with a guy named Haman who’s Xerxes 2nd in command, and Haman issues a decree to kill Mordecai and all the Jews. But a great reversal happens where Xerxes kills Haman, appoints Mordecai as his new 2nd in command, which gives Mordecai the chance to create a new decree that counters Haman’s old decree. It’s a new decree allowing the Jews to act in self-defense against anyone who tries to attack them. Well in ch. 9 they’re attacked, they defend themselves, they have victory over their enemies, and now they’re celebrating. We’ll pick it up from there. I’ve broken the text down into 3 sections: The Providence of God, The Immutability of God, and The Shalom of God. I’ll explain those words as I go. But it’s the Providence, the Immutability, and the Shalom of God. We’ll start with the providence of God. Let’s check it out.
The Word:
Esther 9:20-10:3 states this, “And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” Okay so this is a celebration because of God’s providence, having turned the Jews “sorrow into gladness,” and their “mourning into a holiday.” God’s providence simply means God’s continually working in creation, to help fulfill His purposes. A. W. Tozer explains God’s providence like this. Tozer says, “Envision a ship with a captain determined to get his boat to port...Ultimately the captain’s in charge, he’s in control, he’s the sovereign. Now the passengers on the ship make lots of decisions, and they’re free to make those decisions...But ultimately, that captain will get that ship to its intended port. Now the people are morally responsible for all the decisions they make on this voyage. If they’re sinning, rebelling, causing mutiny, harming one another, they’re responsible for that! But the captain’s will cannot be overtaken, the captain will get that ship, to its intended port.” That’s how the providence of God works. We’re responsible for the good and bad decisions we make in life, but God’s still working in our lives and world to help fulfill His purposes. He’s still working to make sure we reach the intended port He wants us to reach. Isn’t that what’s been happening in the book of Esther? I mean the Jews were facing total extinction, all odds against them, things looked very dark for them, but God’s providence was working the entire time to turn their sorrow into gladness, their mourning into a holiday. God’s hand was working to turn their ship away from the port of genocidal death, to the port of salvation. I mean think about all the things that needed to happen for the Jews to be saved from Haman’s genocidal decree. Can we really say it was all random coincidence? Can we really say:
King Xerxes just so happens to cast out Queen Vashti for upsetting him, and searches for
a new queen. Then out of hundreds of women he could’ve married, Xerxes just so happens to marry Esther, who just so happens to be a Jew.
Then Esther’s cousin Mordecai just so happens to hear about an assassination plot against the king, just so happens to save the kings life, and just so happens to not get rewarded for it at that time. Then Mordecai faces issues with Haman who is Xerxes 2nd in command, Haman issues a decree to kill Mordecai and the Jews. But King Xerxes just so happens to not sleep one night, and just so happens to read a book that recorded Mordecai saved his life, and he just so happens to reward Mordecai at the perfect time, just before Haman goes to hang him.
Then Haman walks in and Xerxes says “Hey-man!”....He says “Hey-man, I want you to reward Mordecai.” So Mordecai is rewarded, Esther exposes Haman’s plot to kill the Jews including her, and Xerxes just so happens to execute Haman, which just so happens to create a vacancy for the kings 2nd in command, which just so happens to get filled by Mordecai, which just so happens to give Mordecai the authority to write a new decree, which just so happens to lead to the deliverance and salvation of the Jews here in ch. 10!
That’s way too many “just so happens,” way too many random coincidences, for God’s
hands to not be involved in this. I barely even scratched the surface of the numerous things that needed to take place for the Jews to survive Haman’s genocidal decree. It takes a lot more faith to believe all this happened by random coincidence, than it does to believe God’s providential hand was at work...God’s providential hand, His sovereign fingerprints are all over the book of Esther screaming God’s still on the throne! He’s still on the throne working to turn our sorrow into gladness, our mourning into a holiday like the text states. The Hebrew word for holiday means “a good day,” and it’s certainly been a good day for the Jews. They’ve been saved from Haman’s genocidal decree, and they’re celebrating. They’re celebrating, and vs. 23-30 tells us they named this holiday, this good day the day of “Purim.” Then in vs. 31 they make this day, they make Purim a permanent holiday for future generations to celebrate. Let’s go to vs. 31.
Vs. 31 states, “These days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. 32 The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.” All these events have been historically “recorded in writing,” which is why we’re still reading it today. The text says the reason they recorded it is because Esther and Mordecai wanted to make sure the Jews and their offspring, take celebrating the day of Purim just as serious as they take their fasting and weeping days. They know people have short memories, they forget what God’s done in their lives, and so they want this to be a day to remember, a holiday to remember and celebrated for generations, and it is. Purim is a holiday that’s still celebrated by the Jews today. They still gather together in synagogues, read the entire story of Esther, and every time Haman’s name is said the people hiss, stomp their feet, and rattle noisemakers. I was kind of hoping somebody would’ve done that in this series, but it hasn’t happened. The Jews however, they’ll hiss, stomp their feet, and rattle noisemakers whenever Haman’s name is read. They’ll also celebrate and party as they remember this historical time when God saved them, when God turned their mourning into a holiday.
Now this is where the Immutability of God comes in. The Immutability of God is being celebrated and passed down as hope for their offspring. The immutability of God simply means that God never changes. Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” God never changes, especially when it comes to His character and promises. The entire Old Testament repeatedly answers the question, “Will God keep His covenant promises to the Jews?” History tells us the answer to that is “Yes, He will!” He’s been repeatedly saving and delivering the Jews for hundreds of years like we’ve seen in the book of Esther. God doesn’t break His promises like us, and He’s promised to save us, deliver us, get us to our final port through faith in Jesus. It’s why we gather here every Sunday. It’s to remember who Jesus is and what Jesus did for us on the cross, then we respond with singing and celebration. Our Sundays are like the day of Purim, except we’re celebrating our eternal salvation, not our temporary salvation. We’re celebrating the fact that the God who saved and delivered the Jews back then, is the same God who came to save and deliver us on the cross. We’re celebrating the fact that the God who turned their mourning into a holiday, is the same God who can turn our mourning into a holiday. We’re celebrating our salvation and relationship with our immutable God. When we know God won’t change, it causes us to want to celebrate, because we know He’ll always save us, deliver us, get us to our final port like He did for the Jews in Persia. As the storms of life close in, you can still walk in here singing, because of God’s providence and immutability. He’ll get you to your final port, just like He did the Jews. Esther and Mordecai want us to remember that, sing about that, celebrate that, which is why they wrote it all down.
Again vs. 32 states, “The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing. Ch. 10:1 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. 2 And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.” Mordecai spoke “peace” to all his people, and the Hebrew word for “peace” is “shalom.” It’s a very popular word for the Jews, and it means peace. Shalom is what the world would be like without sin, without evil, without suffering... It’s what the world would be like without sadness, without depression, without oppression and poverty...It’s what the world would be like without health issues, sickness, and death. Shalom is what all of us want...We all want Shalom...But we live in a world that’s not shalom, instead our shalom is vandalized by sin. It’s vandalized by other people’s sin and our own sin. But what’s interesting is Mordecai speaks shalom, he speaks peace over his people even though they’re still living in Persia with sinful, evil Xerxes as their king, and the Jews are still celebrating. They’re still celebrating even though they’re living in Persia with evil, sinful Xerxes as their king, and still being taxed by him. I love ch. 10! It’s possibly my favorite chapter in Esther, because the author’s trying to show us we can still have peace and celebrate, even though we haven’t reached our final port. He’s trying to show us we can still have peace and celebrate, because of God.
Look just like the Jews, we’re living in a world that isn’t Shalom. I mean we have issues with our physical health, emotional health, spiritual health. We have sinful things taking place in our lives, governments, and countries. We have sinful things taking place in our cities: shootings, racism, sexism, human trafficking, homelessness...We’re faced with things like this every day, that remind us we’re living in a world that isn’t shalom, that isn’t our happy place! No matter how many presidents we vote for, self-help books we read, bottles we drink, pills we pop, CBD we vape, or money we make, it’ll never be our shalom. This place will never be our shalom, our happy place, until the Prince of Shalom returns. Jesus is the Prince of Shalom, and when he returns, he’s bringing his eternal shalom with him. He’s bringing his eternal shalom for anyone who repents and turns to him for the forgiveness of their sins. All of us have sinned, all of us have contributed to disrupting God’s shalom in this world. But the good news of the gospel is Jesus came to restore that shalom with us and our world. Jesus came to live, die, and rise again for the forgiveness of our sins, to give us eternal shalom in our relationship with him, and an eternal shalom for our world. The movie isn’t over yet, so don’t throw away the popcorn and skittles. The movie isn’t over yet, it’s still unfolding, and it’ll end with a holiday, a good day, a day of eternal Shalom. The bad news is we’re still living in a world that isn’t shalom, but the good news is the Prince of Shalom is coming, and he’s bringing his eternal shalom with him. Our happy place, our place of peace, won’t be found in this world, it’ll be found in Jesus.
The Big Idea:
Let’s have the worship team come up and get to the big idea. Here’s the big idea. Life is hard, but Jesus offers us greater peace. He’s working to turn our mourning, into future rejoicing... He’s working to turn our mourning, into a future holiday. Look in the end God wins...In the end God wins, and we’ll have eternal Shalom. If you don’t remember anything else about the book of Esther, at least remember that. Remember that in the beginning and middle of the book it was dark, but at the end of the book it was a celebration. It was a celebration because God was continually working behind the scenes to turn their darkness, sorrow, mourning into a holiday, and the same will be true for those who trust in Jesus. Jesus promised he’ll return, and his immutability guarantees he’ll return. So let’s trust and rely on his providential, immutable, nail pierced hands, as we wait for him to take us to our final port, of eternal Shalom.
Communion
At this time let’s have those serving Communion start passing the plates...Just like Purim is a time for the Jews to remember and celebrate what God had done for them, communion is a time for us to remember and celebrate what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Jesus told us to do this in remembrance of him, in remembrance of who he is and what he did for us on the cross. So as the plates are being passed, take a few minutes to repent of your sins, to ask Jesus to forgive you of any sins you’ve committed. Then thank him for dying for your sins, and for promising you the future gift of his eternal Shalom. Let’s pray…...On the night Jesus was betrayed he was having a meal with his friends. He took some bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it saying “This is my body which is to be broken for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you eat it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done for you.” When supper was ended he took the cup, blessed it, gave thanks for it, and said“This cup is a symbol of my blood which is to be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you drink of it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done for you.” City Awakening let’s eat, drink, and worship Jesus as our Prince of Peace. He’s still at work in your life, even when you can’t see it...Let’s worship our Prince of Peace.
Tozer says, “Envision a ship with a captain determined to get his boat to port...Ultimately the captain’s in charge, he’s in control, he’s the sovereign. Now the passengers on the ship make lots of decisions, and they’re free to make those decisions...But ultimately, that captain will get that ship to its intended port.
Now the people are morally responsible for all the decisions they make on this voyage. If they’re sinning, rebelling, causing mutiny, harming one another, they’re responsible for that! But the captain’s will cannot be overtaken, the captain will get that ship, to its intended port.”
King Xerxes just so happens to cast out Queen Vashti for upsetting him, and searches for a new queen. Then out of hundreds of women he could’ve married, Xerxes just so happens to marry Esther, who just so happens to be a Jew.
Then Esther’s cousin Mordecai just so happens to hear about an assassination plot against the king, just so happens to save the kings life, and just so happens to not get rewarded for it at that time. Then Mordecai faces issues with Haman who is Xerxes 2nd in command, Haman issues a decree to kill Mordecai and the Jews. But King Xerxes just so happens to not sleep one night, and just so happens to read a book that recorded Mordecai saved his life, and he just so happens to reward Mordecai at the perfect time, just before Haman goes to hang him.
Then Haman walks in and Xerxes says “Hey-man!”....He says “Hey-man, I want you to reward Mordecai.” So Mordecai’s rewarded, Esther exposes Haman’s plot to kill the Jews including her, and Xerxes just so happens to execute Haman, which just so happens to create a vacancy for the kings 2nd in command, which just so happens to get filled by Mordecai, which just so happens to give Mordecai the authority to write a new decree, which just so happens to lead to the deliverance and salvation of the Jews in ch. 10!