Seek the Welfare of God’s People

Posted: August 27, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: compassion, Empowerment, Influence, Israel, Jesus, Legacy, Parenting, Peace, Relationships, Sermons, Sovereignty | Leave a comment

What will your legacy be? This is an important question for everybody here. What will your legacy be? Some of us who are younger may want to tune out and wait to get this message when you are eligible to attend our Prime Time Plus senior’s group. Don’t! None of us know when our fourth quarter in life will be, let alone the two-minute drill to use a football analogy. Two weeks ago, there was a packed church for a funeral for my friend, brother and former colleague Pastor Dwayne Francois. Dwayne and I served together for years on staff at Calvary Baptist Church in Oshawa and then I moved to Cambridge and he moved to Barrie. He was the Student Ministries Pastor and I the Adult Ministries Pastor at Calvary. Dwayne was a very godly man who made a huge impact for Christ, especially in the generation he served. This past March, Dwayne was diagnosed with colon cancer and he went home to be with the Lord earlier this month. He was 47 years old and left behind a wife and three children in their late teens and early twenties. I grieve the loss of Dwayne and didn’t get to see him much these last few years. I find comfort in the fact that in the new heavens and new earth, we will get to hang out together with Jesus and make up for lost time. Life here on earth is short.  We don’t know when our last breath will be before seeing Jesus, so what will your legacy be?

A lot of our life is spent accumulating position and possessions. But a good reminder is what Bob Goff says, “An inheritance is what you leave for your kids; a legacy is what you leave in your kids.” You could broaden that out to your family and friends. iPhone has a Legacy contact that once you pass away, all the apps, photos and files are accessible to your legacy contact. Being vulnerable with others provides a legacy contact while you are still alive. My brother-in-law Pastor Craig Trierweiler challenges people to leave a legacy in his book on Daniel entitled Bold in Babylon: “Leave a legacy! Think of legacy as:

L Leave it all on the field. 

E Endure trials with confidence. 

G Give verbal blessings. 

A Act with character. 

C Consider the cost of missed opportunities. 

Y Yield each day to a faithful Creator.”[1]

Which of these characteristics do you need to do more of? Giving it your all, enduring trials with confidence that God is in control, using your words to bless others, acting with character and taking the high road even when it seems treacherous, considering the cost of missed opportunities before you miss them and yielding everything to Christ. These are daily practices that have an eternal impact. As writer David French has said, “Legacy is planting a tree when you will not enjoy its shade.” Planting that tree also means nurturing it. Leave it all on the field, endure trials with confidence, give verbal blessings, act with character, consider the cost of missed opportunities and yield each day to a faithful Creator.

When he wrote that acronym for legacy, Craig was focused on Daniel, which we will be picking up again two Sundays from now, Lord willing. Today, we are finishing up the Book of Esther with three verses in Esther 10 that describe the legacy of both King Ahasuerus and Mordecai the Jew. Please turn in your Bibles to Esther 10 and if you don’t have a Bible, we would love to give one to you. Let’s stand and read Esther 10 to find out more about a godly legacy and more importantly, God’s legacy for us! Read Esther 10!

In some ways, the Book of Esther could be called the Book of Mordecai since he was often the prominent character in the story. However, part of leaving a legacy is sharing leadership with others and building into them. Mordecai and Esther both did that. As Bible Scholar Karen Jobes explains about the Book of Esther, “The author depicts a successful relationship of power sharing between male and female.”[2] They maintained their own gender and identity while complementing one another’s unique roles that God had assigned them. Those roles are examples to us of good gender dynamics. Think about it. “Mordecai was not a prophet, priest or king in Israel.”[3] He was the average Joe. We are first introduced to him in Esther 2:5-7, “Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother.”What was Mordecai? Mordecai was a captured slave caring for his younger cousin. His family had seen the horrific capture of Jerusalem and the last Jewish king, then had to walk in chains 500 miles (800 km) to Babylon along with people like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that we learned about in the Book of Daniel. Maybe part of your legacy is suffering? I read once the Puritan Thomas Watson who said, “Persecution is the legacy bequeathed by Christ to His people.” Recall Jesus’ promise in Mark 10:29-30, “Jesus said, ‘Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” Suffering is a legacy Christ gives us to know and become more like Him (Philippians 3:10). Maybe it is caring for your cousin or other family members and pointing them to faith in Christ? That can involve suffering. Parenting and discipling is hard labour. Lori and I often remind ourselves this quote by Andy Stanley, “Your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do, but someone you raise.” I hope this encourages you parents and guardians and disciple makers out there as raising others is not just physically, but spiritually. Be faithful! All those times you sing about God, read the Bible to the kids, take care of the poor and serve the Lord leaves an example. It is not a guarantee that your kids and others will follow Christ, but you are sure making it more difficult for them not to be attracted to Him. As Ruth Bell Graham taught, “As a parent, my job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible.”

Mordecai invested in orphaned Esther. True religion is taking care of widows and orphans in their affliction as James 1:27 reminds us. It paid off in Esther’s life. This beautiful refugee slave living in a very corrupt society made a huge impact herself.  And not in the usual way. Bible Scholar Karen Jobes makes this insightful observation, “The importance of most biblical women, such as Sarah and Hannah, lies in their motherhood. Esther’s importance to the covenant people is not as mother, but as queen.”[4] We don’t even know if Queen Esther had children. We cannot be certain that the mother of Artaxerxes I was Queen Esther. A 13th century Rabbi claimed Darius II was the son of Ahasuerus (Dan. 9:1) and Queen Esther, but this is unlikely due to the chronology. The Bible only asserts that “Esther was both queen and Jewish, effectively making her the Queen of the Jews during this crisis period. Esther willingly shared power with Mordecai, as he wore the signet ring of the Persian King, effectively making him king of the Jews. Mordecai was the highest-ranking Jewish man at that moment in history, bearing the authority of a pagan monarch.”[5] And all this was because God was working behind the scenes. This morning I am not giving a TED talk on legacy. My message is for you to find your legacy in the Lord’s legacy – in His story. This is why we had God stories in the service earlier. We can talk about King Ahasuerus whose Biblical legacy was one of alcohol and emotionally-driven decisions according to Pastor Kyle. We can talk about the legacy of “Mordecai the Jew, who did not brag about himself as Haman did (5:11-12), but this righteous man who continually looked out for the good of others was rewarded with a high government position and the high esteem of his people.”[6] We can talk about the legacy of Esther and the amazingly courageous woman she was, but behind the scenes was the Lord’s legacy. This is why I heard somebody say, “Be a footnote in people’s lives – a reference so that you can leave a legacy more in heaven than earth.” Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus!

What is the legacy of our Lord and King? We find this in the three verses in Esther 10 as they point back to the work God had done. The verses mention King Ahasuerus and Mordecai – a king and a lord. These point us to something greater. Let’s examine the 3 legacies our Lord and King Jesus left. The legacy of ourLord and King is: 1) a redeemed people (2:18; 5:14; 10:1-2). The Lord redeems His people. He buys us back from slavery. To understand Esther 10:1-2 we need to go back in the story to when Esther first became queen. Esther 2:18 describes the scene, “Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.” What was Esther before becoming queen? A Jewish refugee and enslaved orphan girl! Recall Daniel 2:21, “He (God) changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings.” Since we know that only God puts people in positions, it was God who redeemed Esther and turned her into royalty from refugee. Think about how God redeemed us from the slave market of sin and how as we learned last that week that we go from condemned to coronated. The legacy of our Lord and King is a redeemed people. 

But there is more. God was also redeeming Mordecai. Mordecai went from about to be hanged to being honoured. Recall Esther 5:14 and Haman’s wicked wife Zeresh and all his friends who counselled Haman, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” Mordecai was almost executed to amazingly exalted 3 times. He was reluctantly honoured by Haman who had to guide him along a donkey in front of the whole capital (Esther 6:11). Then Mordecai is given the signet ring of the king because Mordecai was one of the few men that the king knew could be trusted since Mordecai foiled a plot earlier on the king’s life (Esther 2:19-23). And then by Esther 10:3 we see that Mordecai is # 2 in the entire Persian empire. I remind you again that you may be on the verge of what appears to be your final day and our Lord and King’s legacy is to redeem you. He is in control. He is even in control over evildoers and evil deeds. Recall how Haman took over a year practicing dark arts to choose lots when the best day was to commit genocide of the Jews (Esther 3:7). God was sovereign over the wicked lots. This is stated clearly in Proverbs 16:33, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Don’t you find that encouraging? Evil doers, deeds and decisions are still overseen by God who turns what was meant for evil into something good. God redeems it all! That’s His legacy. But even more than redeeming possessions, He redeems people. He redeems you and me through His Son Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross.

The legacy of our Lord and King is a redeemed people and also 2) an empowered people (2:5-7; 10:2-3). In Esther 10:2-3, we see how Mordecai has gained position to being # 2 in the empire, only behind the king. However, when we look back, we see Mordecai not having much power as a Jewish refugee slave. My friends, God doesn’t just redeem us, but empowers us. This does not mean you are guaranteed the corner office or to climb the corporate ladder. But God empowers us to do what we need to do for His people. He gives us spiritual gifts to build up the body. He also gives us knowledge and ability in the moment. I’ll give you an example. Most of you know how I am not handy. Nevertheless, my mom had a job at her condo to put in some insulation. I was waiting for others to help her out who have more knowledge in such things. Last Sunday, as I was praying I sensed the Lord prompting me to take care of my mom, otherwise I was worse than an infidel, which 1 Timothy 5:8 warns in the midst of giving instructions about widows. So I prayed and then looked up online how to install insulation. It’s not that hard and God helped me. He empowered me. I boast in the Lord’s power in my weakness. Now if God can empower somebody incompetent as I am with repairs, God can empower us to do far greater things for His glory. 

The legacy of our Lord and King is a redeemed, empowered people and 3) a compassionate people (2:19-23; 10:3). Notice what Mordecai did with his power and position in Esther 10:3, “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 sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people. But this wasn’t just welfare and peace for the Jews, but also for what he could have considered his enemy and oppressor – King Ahasuerus. Remember, Mordecai was a refugee slave and he still foiled a plot against the king. We could sum that up as compassion. But this was not just for Mordecai, but for the Jews. If we go back to the end of Esther 9:22, we read that the Feast of Purim were “days for sending gifts to one another and gifts to the poor.” The legacy of our Lord and King is a compassionate people.

Our redemption, empowerment and compassion comes from the Lord. It is not just for ourselves, but for others. Pastor Robert Morgan tells the story, “In 1907, missionary Jesse Brand, young and unmarried, left for India, settling in the disease-ridden Chat Mountains. His friends shuddered at his descriptions of flea-covered rats, swarming through the hills and spreading plagues with abandon. But one supporter longed to join him – Evelyn Harris, belle of a fashionable London suburb. She journeyed to India and married him in 1913. The Brands labored tirelessly, giving medical aid to thousands. Jesse organized economic assistance and cooperative programs so farmers could get ahead. He negotiated with government officials to use unemployed workers for labor. He took every opportunity to share Christ, in one year preaching 4000 times in 90 villages. (That is 10+ sermons/day!) Churches were established. Congregations grew. And so did the Brand family. Son Paul was born and taught by his mother under a tamarind tree. His nature-loving dad showed him the wonders of nature. At age nine Paul was sent to England for formal education and his parents pressed on alone. In the spring of 1928, Jesse contracted blackwater fever, which is complication of malaria. His condition worsened, but he continued working. In early June, his fever reached 104 degrees. On June 9, he preaching from Isaiah 60: ‘Stand up! Shine! Your new day is dawning!’” On June 11, 1928, his temperature reached 106 degrees and he was forced to bed. Evelyn sat by him day after day, watching his skin parch, his color yellow, and his life drain away. Local Indians wrapped his body in a mat and carried it on their shoulders to a hillside grave. Word was flashed to 14-year-old Paul. Two days later Paul received a letter from his dad, mailed by boat before his death. (Can you imagine getting such a letter?) It ended, ‘and always be looking to God with thankfulness and worship for having placed you in such a delightful corner of the universe as the planet Earth.’ Evelyn remained in India, becoming a legend hiking over the mountains with her walking stick, doing the Lord’s work. ‘Granny Brand’ lived to see her son, Dr. Paul Brand, become a famed missionary physician excelling in the treatment of leprosy.”[7]This is part of the God the Father’s legacy for us. The greatest legacy God gave us was when He sought the welfare and peace of His people through sending His own Son. Jesus is the hope of glory. He is our legacy. Do you have Him as your legacy?

[1] Craig Trierweiler. Bold in Babylon: Living with Conviction in a Culture of Compromise (Traverse City: Books for Jesus, Kindle Edition, 2022), Locations 1579-1585.

[2] Karen H. Jobes, The NIV Application Commentary on Esther (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 226.

[3] Jobes, 227.

[4] Jobes, 224.

[5] Jobes, 228.

[6] Barry J. Beitzel, The NLT Study Bible (Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 2017), 847.

[7] Robert J. Morgan, On This Day – “Parent’s Footprints” (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997), June 11 page.