SundayJanuary 15, 2017 Phone: 570.829.5216
Pastor David Miklas e-mail:
Message: New Year 2017 Text: Esther 4:1-16; Exodus 3:1-4:13
Will You Use Your VOICE in 2017?
INTRODUCTION:I know you have heard this expression: "The straw that broke the camel's back." While it usually suggests a negative outcome, in general it illustrates the principle of a tipping point—the moment at which one event totally alters the future.
In any other context, a single event might make no difference at all. But in the right place, at the right time, with the right person, it can make all the difference.
Every Christianis qualified to be a “difference-maker” for Christ. If you are a Christian, born again into God's kingdom through faith in Christ, you are qualified to make a difference for Him in 2017.
I know, all of us think we're not qualified to do much of anything. That's the story of the kingdom of God:
Abraham and Sarah from Genesis 15:4 and 18:10-15 didn't think they were qualified to give birth to a son.
Gideon from Judges 6:15 didn't think he was qualified to defeat the Midianites.
Jesse and his seven sons from I Samuel 16:1-13 couldn't believe that David, the youngest son, was qualified to become king of Israel.
Ruthfrom Ruth 2:5-10 didn't think she was qualified to gain the attention of Boaz.
Maryfrom Luke 1:26-34 didn't think she was qualified to become the mother of Jesus.
Saul of Tarsusfrom I Timothy 1:15 couldn't imagine he was qualified to become an apostle of the Messiah he had been persecuting.
Truth be told, all of those people were right; all their skepticism was wellfounded. Their ages, skill levels, lack of bravery, unrighteousness—all that and more made them unqualified to serve God from a human point of view. Yet, God made them qualified, by His grace, to accomplish something important for Him.
What is impossible for man is always possible with God. If you truly believe in God's providential shepherding of your life, then you must believe that who you are and where you are today means you are qualified to make a difference for Him.
As an example, let's use what was a very complex situation.Many, many centuries ago, a woman almost underestimated the power and significance of one. She thought things were too far gone. And she certainly didn't think there was anything she could do. It was only a matter of time before all the Jews would be exterminated. Her name was Esther. In the Bible, Esther is a book of CRISIS.
By way of some introduction to the book of Esther, its canonicity has been challenged and its Divine Authorship doubted because the Name of God does not once occur therein. However, this is a weak argument, because the Power that controls the world of nature in Genesis is the same Power that controls the actions of men in Esther. God’s Name is not written on every tree that grows in the forest, nor upon every cloud that crosses the sky. Nonetheless, in all of these things, God is the CREATOR and CONTROLLER.
Chronologically this book comes before the book of Nehemiah by about thirty years. Nehemiah probably gained his position, as cup-bearer to the king of Persia, because of the influence of Esther. Esther had married the previous king of Persia and, although he had died, her influence continued to be felt in the next reign, which gave the Jews enough prestige to cause Nehemiah to become both a cup-bearer and a rebuilder of the walls of Jerusalem.
To sum this up, as someone said, “No Esther would mean no Nehemiah; no Nehemiah would mean no Jerusalem; no Esther would also mean no deliverance for the Jews at that time. Their extermination would have meant no Messiah, and no Messiah would have meant no Saviour for us, and no Saviour would have meant no Church and no New Testament.”
So, when a person says that the book of Esther has no place in the Scriptures, we discover that the removal of that little book removes almost the whole of the Bible. For that reason we must accept the Bible in its entirety.
The significance of the Book of Esther is that it testifies to the secret watchfulness and care of Jehovah over Israel.
The northern tribes of Israel were conquered and scattered by the Assyrians.
Then the two southern tribes were conquered and deported to Babylon for 70 years of exile. Persia conquered Babylon and the Persian king released the Jewish people to return to Judah.
But after a century of assimilation, more Jews remained in Persia than returned to Judah.
Haman, an official of the Persian king, saw an opportunity to rid the world of the Jews still living in Persia.
But Haman underestimated the courage of the young Jewish girl, Esther, who the king had taken as his wife. Now with fear and trembling, she approached the king and begged him to spare her people.
She exposed the plot of Haman and prevented what would have been an act of genocide comparable to the Holocaust that occurred in Germany centuries later.The king put Haman to death and preserved the Jews.
Please catch this. “Esther's words represented a tipping point that changed the destiny of the Jewish people.”
Esther spoke to the king at great risk to herself. Even though Esther was the king's wife, it was considered inappropriate to approach the king. Esther had a choice: speak up and hopefully save her people, or remain silent and see them exterminated. She chose to speak up, and the Jews were saved.
It was Esther's cousin, Mordecai, who convinced Esther she needed to speak to the king. In Esther 4:13-14a we read,
“Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. (14) For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed:and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
When we are God's person, in God's time, and in God's place, that is the time to speak for God!
One woman--only one voice--saved an entire nation. As is true of every person who stands in the gap, she was willing to get personally involved, to the point of great sacrifice. Or, as she said at the end of verse 16:
"If I perish, I perish, for such a time as this." What a challenge for you andI.
What a challenge for those in full times Christian service.
What a challenge for our church and each and every one who is a part of Green Street Baptist Chapel.
What a challenge for each and every Mom, Dad, Grandparent and individual in this service.
I believe with all my heart, THIS IS THE PLACE, NOW IS THE TIME, and you are where you are in the sovereignty of God.
Sometimes we feel: "It's neither the time nor the place—and I am certainly not the person—to speak out for God." We often feel inadequate for the task, but what would have happened to the majority of the Jews dwelling in Persia if Esther had thought it was "neither the time nor place" to speak out?
This goes back to the issue of God's providence. Who are we to think that God has not brought us to a particular time and place to speak out for Him?
Take a few moments to create a personal profile of your own life asking these questions
Who are you today?
Where has God placed you in your family in your community, on your job?
On the path of your life so far, how has God equipped you?
What difference are you making for Him today?
What differences could you make tomorrow in 2017?
Today, think how many opportunities there are to speak for Jesus. How many people do we encounter who simply need a word of consolation or counsel, a word of friendship or favor, a word of gratitude or grace? I dare say each of us encounters people in those situations multiple times every day.
Besides the fear of speaking out in difficult situations, we often remain silent for this reason: "What difference could I possibly make?" To think that way is to take upon ourselves far more importance than we deserve.
It is God who uses our obedience and ourfaithfulness to change the future.We can't see the future but God can. We can never presume to know what difference our words might or might not make.
Our job is not to evaluate our eloquence, knowledge, level of influence, or any other factor. We need to speak as God gives us utterance and boldness and leave the results to Him.
But if we are God's person, in God's place, at God's time and argue with God about using our voice for Him ... Let Moses' example show us how unwise a choice that is.
Forty years had passed since Moses fled Egypt to save his life.Four decades Moses had hidden in Midian where he was safe from the long arm of Egyptian justice. He thought he would live out his days in safe obscurity with his Midianite family. Now in Exodus 3:2-5 we read,
“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (3) And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. (4) And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. (5) And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”
Out of this event, God called Moses to speak for Him in Egypt. Moses' worst nightmare had arrived: Return to Egypt, go into the royal court, and tell Pharaoh to let God's people go.
Moses tried five different ways to convince God that He had the wrong man, the wrong time, and the wrong place:
First in Exodus 3:11 Moses said, "Who am I?" Moses couldn't possibly imagine that he, a Midianite shepherd, was the appropriate person to go and speak to Pharaoh.
God answered in verses 11-12, "Certainly I will be with thee…” When we focus on ourselves, we will never believe we are the person to speak for God. But if God is with us, we always are that person.
Second in Exodus 3:13 Moses said, "The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?”In other words, Moses thought he lacked authority. He thought neither the Hebrews nor the Egyptians would be impressed.
God's answer came in verses 14-15, "I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (15) And God said moreover untoMoses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” When we speak for God, He is our authority.
Third in Exodus 4:1 Moses said, “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.” Moses was focused on the possible outcomes of his speaking forGod instead of focusing on obeying God.
God's answer came in verses 2-9 which in summary God said: "When you speak for me, they will be without excuse."
Fourth in Exodus 4:10 Moses said, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”Again, Moses was focused on himself instead of on God.
God answered in verses 11-12, “Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? (12) Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.”God was saying "I will give you the words to speak."
Fifth in Exodus 4:13 Moses said,"O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.”Moses crossed the line and in verse 14, "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses"
We all have offered up some version(s) of Moses' five objections. As we know, his objections were unfounded. God used Moses to speak for Him and to secure the release of the Hebrew slaves.
When God calls us to a time and place, we are in His time and place, not ours.
Jesus never refused to speak for the Father. Because Christ is living in us, neither should we. We are the voice of Jesus to those who need to hear the words of grace, love, and salvation. May we never say, "Lord, please send someone else."
Feeling a little overwhelmed? Maybe you've fallen into a well of comparison and you're drowning in discouragement because "Compared to " you're not making nearly the difference he or she is.
To all who feel overwhelmed by the feeling of being insignificant, or who are tempted to take a much too critical look at their lives and feel insignificant, take heart! Do what you can!
You may be what someone has called a "Nobody.” Yet in the vast kingdom of God we need to realize that we are a bunch of nobodies trying to exalt someone.
Take heart Dad, take heart Mom.
Take heart Teacher in Sunday school.
Take heart you who are unnoticed behind the scenes.Who knows?Your faithful prayers could be the means to transforming this place for the glory of God and could bring the refreshing rains of revival to this ministry.
Take heart dear one.You may be in your place with what you have in your hands.“For such a time as this," you may be the most significant in the kingdom of God.
Do what you can for the Kingdom and Glory of God! And when you do, remember the words of Hebrews 6:10, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
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If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon “Will You Use Your Voice in 2017?”right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.
Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in
Acts 16:31,“...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...”
Romans 10:13,“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”
If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, please let me know. Please send an e-mail to and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.
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