Risk is Right

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.

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

Esther 5 · chapter mention

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

Luke 21:16

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

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

you

have

got

certain

gifts

certain

abilities

certain

experiences

of

hardness

and

suffering

and

joys

certain

stage

of

life

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

Esther 2 · chapter mention

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

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

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