This is a part of a sermon series in the book of Esther. You can watch more here.
The Pain and the Purpose
Intro: Have you ever come to a place in your life where you knew you had to go on, but you didn’t know
how? You may have known somewhat how I felt in Oct. 2005. I’m meeting with the 12th eye specialist
since my accident, and he was the highest recommended. I am looking forward to getting some
answers as to why I can’t see.
I refer to this Dr. as Dr. Blunt because that’s what he was. After many tests, he returns to the waiting
room and blurts out, “You have optic nerve damage. There is no medicine for it, and it is considered
permanent. It may improve somewhat, but you will probably never drive or read again.”
If you have been alive for any amount of time, you know what it’s like to get bad news. To experience
pain in this life. What fascinates me is that some people think that faith is all about getting everything
you want, while others seem to think we need to deprive ourselves and be miserable. We know that
pain is part of life, but how should we handle it as children of God? Is there an answer for pain? I
believe there is, and God’s word is going to help us see that today. We will be continuing our talk on
the book of Esther. I titled this message, “The Pain and the Purpose.”
The Obedience:
Last Sunday we learned that Esther, a Jew, was chosen to be the Queen of King Ahasuerus . Now Esther
had a cousin who basically raised her and was like a father figure. His name was Mordecai.
Esther 3:1-4. When the King assigned a new high servant called Haman, the King ordered everyone to bow to Haman the high servant. But Mordecai did not. After being asked daily, the answer Mordecai gave was, “I am a Jew.”
The implication here is that Jews, because of their convictions towards God alone, were not supposed to
bow for Haman. What’s interesting is that Mordecai could have bowed and then prayed for God’s forgiveness. Right?
Have we ever done something like that? Oh, I’ll pray to God tomorrow about it and repent for this thing that I’m about to do…
Mordecai would rather face the wrath of the King than the wrath of God. Think about that for a second.
How would our lives change if we had a Mordecai approach to obedience?
What if in our minds, God’s way is the only way?
We are going to do an interactive exercise. I’m going to ask, “What are you going to do when it gets
hard?” I want you to respond, “God’s way is the only way!”
What I am talking about is obedience and seeing God’s will be done in our lives. I’m not talking about
Salvation. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus alone. As well as seeing God in the next life, don’t we
want to see as much of God in our lives today? When we do things God’s way, we see God’s power.
Let’s see what next steps Mordecai is taking…
They questioned Mordecai daily. He disobeyed the King’s command and was a criminal in their eyes.
Do you think they were nice to him? In my mind, I see a Chicago PD type of scenario. If you haven’t
seen Chicago PD, the police chief is rough with the criminals when he questions them…
But even through their questioning, Mordecai holds to his strong conviction. He is immovable.
Our vision of being immovable last year was about having risky faith. Mordecai was risking it all for his
faith. Where in your life are you tempted to compromise?
Let’s learn a lesson from Mordecai and obey God at all costs. What are you going to do when it gets hard? (God’s way is the only way)
Speaking of cost, let’s see what happens with Mordecai.
The Mourning:
Haman is enraged, so much so, that he decides not only to kill Mordecai, but the entire Jewish
population. We are talking about 15 million Jews; men, women, & children, and then they are going to steal their stuff after they kill them.
Not only that, but Haman cast lots to decide what day to kill them. Casting lots is kind of like rolling
dice. Could you imagine? Rolling dice to decide when to kill 15 million Jews? That’s prejudice, racism,
and pre-meditated murder. How evil!
Esther 3:8-9. Haman meets with the King and tells him that the Jews do not obey his laws and should be destroyed.
He also offers the King 10,000 talents for his approval.
Have you ever been on a team, and the whole team gets punished for what one person did? “Okay,
guys, since Zimmerman fumbled the ball, we are all going to run laps today.” Not a good feeling, right?
Can you imagine how Mordecai must have felt?
The King then sends out letters to all of the provinces telling them of the day of the slaughter.
Esther 4:1. Mordecai heard the news and put on sack cloth and ashes. He wailed bitterly in the streets.
This sack cloth and ashes thing seems to be a tradition with the Jews. It’s kind of ironic that in our
culture we tend to hide our faces or go to a room to cry.
But the Jews, when it’s time to sorrow or grieve, they do it all the way. They even dress up for it. They
don’t even go in a room. They take it to the streets! “WHYYYYYYY? WHYYYYYY?”
After that day in Dr. Blunt’s office, I would have worn sack cloth and wailed if I knew how. I had a wood
flooring business that I worked hard to build, and I knew I could no longer do that kind of work. I
thought to myself; I can’t see good enough to flip burgers, work in a warehouse, or even a grocery store.
Am I going to be a charity case for the rest of my life? At 26 years old? I was suffering.
During our suffering, I’ve learned that there is one message that repeats in the mind.
Here it is. “This should not have happened.” Or,” This shouldn’t be happening.” Think about it. If
there is pain in your life right now, what are you telling yourself? This should not be happening.
I am a bit of a MMA fan. One of the ways to win is by submission. You put the guy or gal in a hold until
they give up. They give up because they realize they can’t win. They are getting choked, or whatever.
So they submit and surrender. Well, guess what? Fighting reality is a fight you can’t win. So you may as
well surrender. The funny thing is, our Lord Jesus tells us right away to live a life of surrender. But we
tend to forget. When a person submits, the fight and the pain begin to subside.
What are you fighting with today? If you surrender, the pain will begin to subside for you also.
So what are you going to do when it gets hard? (God’s way is the only way)
So let’s see if Mordecai can pull himself together.
The Purpose:
Esther hears of Mordecai wailing outside of the King’s gates, and sends him a shirt so he can take off his
sack cloth. Ever offered a toddler a lollipop while they are throwing a fit? It usually doesn’t work out.
After he refused the shirt offered by Esther, Esther sends a messenger to find out what’s going on with
Mordecai.
Esther 4:6-8 Mordecai tells all that has happened, and gives the messenger the scroll with the bad
news on it. He sends him back to Esther asking Esther to plead for her people.
Esther 4:11. Esther replies, “It is not lawful for me to enter into the King’s gate without a summons.
Anyone who enters is subject to death, unless the King offers the golden scepter. The King hasn’t
summoned me in 30 days.”
So Mordecai somewhere along the line has come to realize that this is real and we have to do something
about it. My cousin is the Queen, so surely, she can persuade the King, right? After all, don’t wives tell
their husbands what to do all the time?
Except in those days, their culture was much different. What Mordecai was asking her to do could get
her killed. The King had concubines and other women, so replacing Esther probably would not have
been hard for him to do. But Mordecai’s response is my favorite part of this story. Are you ready?
Esther 4:13 “Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s
palace can escape any more than all the Jews.”
Esther 4:14 “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from
another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not
attained royalty for such a time as this?”
So Mordecai doesn’t go begging his cousin to help. On the contrary, he tells her if she chooses not
to go to the King, God will still deliver the Jews. So not only has he surrendered to God’s plan, but he is
standing strong in faith.
Mordecai didn’t know exactly how God was going to rescue them, but he had faith and knew God would
do it. We don’t have to know how God is going to come through to know that He will come through. You
don’t need to understand to believe.
Maybe there is something in your life that you are hoping God will come through on. You don’t have to
understand how to believe God will do it.
One other thing to note here is that Esther’s part in God’s deliverance is optional. She could say no.
God doesn’t force us to be a part of his story.
Remember the man Jesus asked to sell all he owned and follow Him? Whatever happened to that guy?
We don’t know because he refused to do what Jesus told him. How can God use us when we say no?
Listen to how Esther responds:
Esther 4:16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.
I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
I went out for a fun time swimming at a river when I was a teen. There was about 6 of us together
there, with the rope swing, the sounds of delightful play and swimming, etc. I was sitting on the rocky
bank and I hear, “HELP!!! SHE’S DROWNING!” One of the younger girls had gotten pulled away in the
current, and had been swept into deep waters. I looked around at the 2 boys next to me, who appeared to be frozen in time.
Before I could even think about it, I’m in the water. I was no boy scout though. Before you start thinking this is a story of heroism, listen to the genius plan I had…
You know how people say that if you don’t know how to rescue a drowning person, they’ll drown you
too? We’ll they are not kidding. My plan was, “grab me around the neck and I’ll swim to shore.”
For 1 thing, she’s pulling me under, and secondly, even when I’m above water she’s choking me. After
having enough of that, I desperately told her again to hold on. I lowered my head into the water and
swam as hard and as long as I could. Then I pushed even more. And again one last time. I began to see
starbursts and colors, and the pain and struggle feeling started to fade. “This is it,” I told myself.
I gave up, and to my surprise, when my feet fell, they touched the river bottom. We were okay!
I share that because in my mind there was no option. Watching that girl drown and not do anything was
out of the question. I may not have thought it consciously, but I would have rather died with that girl
than to have her drowning memory haunt me for the rest of my life.
I believe that may be something like what Esther felt. Watching her people perish was not an option.
So she says, I’ll will do whatever it takes to save my people, and if I perish, I perish.
So how does obedience connect with God’s purpose? We obey through the pain because we believe
God has a purpose. Even when we can’t see it.
God put Esther where she was for a purpose. God does things in our life too. We don’t always know
that purpose until the time comes. So like Mordecai and Esther, we obey out of faith.
Pain and purpose play a role in all of our lives. Maybe the pain is where you are today. The good news
is pain is temporary. This too shall pass. Will you stay in mourning, or will you surrender and obey
through the pain? We can resist, stay in sack cloth, and say “why God why” forever. Or we can
surrender. We can obey. We can start trusting God again.
When we obey God and have faith through the pain, God is able to fulfill His purpose in our life.
So what are you going to do when it gets hard? (God’s way is the only way!)
Conclusion: (Call Worship Team up)
So back to when I was 26… While I was still figuring things out, the Lord brought Ruthie into my life.
One day we had a talk that changed both of our lives. We decided to pursue the Lord and get involved
in Church again. One thing I knew I could still do was play music. I asked the Lord to help me write music and I would give Him all the Glory.
In 2009 we released “Walking Home,” our first album. We had 3 songs, glory to God, that made the top 20 on the inspirational country music charts.
We were invited to Nashville toplay during their Awards week celebration.
Ever since, Ruthie and I have been involved in local ministry, and I have been able to live out my
childhood dream as a musician. Here in Austin, I play pretty much daily at Retirement Communities, and
the Lord puts bread on the table through that. Along with Worshipping with you on Sunday mornings.
Any day can be an adventure for me. If I get toothpaste on my brush easily, I know it’s going to be a
good day. You should see me try to plug something into a wall outlet. It can bring me to tears, not to
mention an expanded vocabulary. It’s a miracle when I find the Ranch dressing when I’m looking for it.
Vision loss follows a person every minute of every day. But you know what the Lord has given me?
Purpose. From all that has happened, the Lord had a purpose. And that’s why I endure. It’s worth it.
Jesus endured His suffering for a purpose too. That purpose was saving you and me. Are you a part of
that purpose? Have you committed to following Him? He is opening the door for you today. Don’t
wait. Come to your Lord who loves you.
North Village Church
This sermon is brought to you by North Village Church, a non-denominational church in Austin. established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like more information.
NVC Online
Unable to attend this Christian Church in Austin? Don’t worry, because, through God’s provision, we have created NVC online, an Online Church streaming a worship service every Sunday from 10:30am Central Time. You can also watch our short, powerful sermons on demand and follow us on Instagram for daily Christ centered content.