Beacon Hill Church

HOW DO WE RESPOND TO THE AGE IN WHICH WE LIVE?

WE HAVE THREE CHOICES:

(1) Respond in shock and fear, and withdraw from the world

(2) Respond in anger and engage in a confrontational war of words on social media.

(3) Or, we can choose to reach out to the world around us and challenge its inhabitants with the truth of Jesus Christ


PERHAPS GOD HAS PLACED US WHERE WE ARE IN THIS SPECIFIC MOMENT IN HISTORY "FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS"


The narrative in the book of Esther takes place in a low moment in the history of Israel

· Due to her great sin, God had allowed Israel to fall to the empire of Babylon in 586 B.C.

· One-third of the inhabitants of Judah were taken captive and carried off into exile in Babylon

· God ordained that Babylon would itself fall to the kingdom of Persia. The Persian Empire was one of the largest and most influential empires in ancient history.


In Esther, chapter 2 we have the story of Xerxes, King of Persia and his quest for a new wife

While in the King’s harem Esther fell into favor with the king’s eunuch who allotted unto her special treatments and favors.

THIS WAS NOT A NICE WORLD

It was a world of sexual exploitation; and political intrigue

When Esther was finally chosen, she must have gone into a survival mode where self-preservation was her number one priority

She withdrew, kept her head down and secluded herself from the chaos around her - that is until world events forced her to act

Haman convinced King Xerxes that the Jews were a seditious people who threatened the sovereignty of his rule over the empire. The King issued an infamous decree.

Mordecai urged Esther to intercede on behalf of her fellow Jews. He urged her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him on behalf of her people.

Esther’ response: Esther 4:11

Esther had slipped into this self-preservation mode as a result she had no sense of the Lord’s providential call on her life.


Are we (Christians) going to slip into a survival mode?

Or will we open our spiritual eyes and see that God has a plan and a purpose in this time and this place in history?

The Greek word used here in Romans is "kairos": NOT the simple time keeping word, "chronos", from which we get the word chronology, which means a measure of time or calendar time.


"Kairos", the word used in the text, means in due measure or signifies a fixed or definite period, or season. It has a deeper theological meaning than the word "chronos".


ESTHER WAS WHERE GOD WANTED HER - BUT NOW SHE HAD TO RESPOND IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S PREORDAINED CALL.

Because she responded – the Jewish people in Persia were saved.


HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?