A Renewed Mind. If you have experienced a revival of your soul then I want to make sure that you hear this…A Revived Heart needs the support and defense of a Renewed Mind. Maybe you are here today and you are struggling to hold on to the flame of your faith, the passion of your heart, and the determination of your soul. If that is you then I want to say the same to you in that “A Revived Heart needs the support and defense of a Renewed Mind.” What I mean by having a renewed mind is that we have our minds molded and shaped by the Certainty and Sovereignty of our God so that when everything around us seems like it is falling apart; our walk with Him does not.
Being Prepared for the Attacks. It has been my experience that one of the things that can quench the fire of revival in my own soul quicker than anything else is the trials and troubles of life. When things start going south around us the waters of worry, anxiety and doubt begins to drown out the fire of revival with us. Satan cannot do anything about the fact that the Church exists but the last thing he wants is for the Church to experience revival to the extent that we begin to turn this place upside down for the glory of Jesus Christ whereby we see people saved en masse, illnesses and diseases of all sorts healed, the most desperate of marriages restored, faith that began as the size of a mustard seed growing, and growing and growing more than you ever imagined it could especially being that it began so small, etc… Therefore, it comes as not surprise to us to understand that the more revived we are in spirit the more likely that it is that we are on the enemy’s radar for attack. It has been my experience that the closer I am walking with Jesus the more intense the attacks of the enemy are on me. The closer I walk with Jesus the more it seems like things seem to “go wrong” around me. The closer I walk with Jesus the more “bad news” seems to come my way. Think about Job! He was a man whom God was glad to testify about regarding his commitment to and love for Him and when He did that the enemy sent a whole lot of hell into his life in an attempt to “cool off” this man who was “on fire” for the Lord. Through it all Job never faltered in his faith in, devotion to and love for God because he lived from the foundation of a renewed mind. In the same way, if we want to maintain a revived heart for the Lord among us then we need to have a renewed mind.
Esther 4:14
A Quick Recap…If you are not familiar, or even if you are, with the message of the book that bears Esther’s name I want to provide for you the “cliff notes” of the book:
1. Chapter 1: The Queen Refuses to “Dance.” The king of Persia, King Ahasuerus, holds a party and he and all his “boys” get drunk. In his drunkenness he sends for his wife, Queen Vashti, and demands that she does a “dance” for the crowd. She refuses and the king, in order to save face, kicks her out of the palace.
2. Chapter 2: The Very First Episode of the Bachelor. The king needs a queen so a nation wide beauty contest is held. Esther, a Jewish girl who is living there with her people as exiles, is beautiful and selected to participate and she wins the whole thing!
a. An Assassination Plot Spoiled. Mordecai discovers a plot to assassinate the king. He informs Esther who in turn informs the king. The king is spared and will recall Mordecai’s kindness in the days to come.
3. Chapter 3: Haman Promoted and Plots. A man by the name of Haman the Agagite is promoted in the king’s service to a very prominent position. It is said of his promotion that his throne was set above all the officials that were serving with him in the king’s presence. All of the king’s officials are ordered to bow down and pay homage to Haman. They were to all do this at the gates of the king’s palace which is where Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, hung out during the day. Mordecai does not join in the procession of those who are bowing down to Haman and Haman gets mad. He is so angry that he does not see it sufficient to simply pour out his anger on Mordecai but devises a plan whereby Mordecai and all his people would be extinguished. It was not enough for Haman to take out Mordecai the Jew. His anger was such that he wanted to take out Mordecai the Jew and all the Jews.
a. The Long Range Impact of Disobedience. Haman is not your normal, everyday opposition for the Jews. His disdain for the Jewish people is in his blood and DNA. ESTHER 3:1 reveals to us that Haman is an Agagite the son of Hammedatha. In other words he is a descendant of Agag through the line of Hammedatha. We know something of Haman’s relative Agag. Agag was the king of the Amalekites who troubled the Israelites shortly after the Lord had brought them up out of Egypt. The Amalakites saw them as an easy target having just experienced this great escape out of Egypt and decided to take advantage of them. They did not succeed for the Lord delivered them. 1 SAMUEL 15—Years later the Israelites are organized as a nation and have a king, King Saul. The Lord instructs Saul to go out into battle against the Amalekites. The Amalekite king was a man by the name of Agag. The Israelite victory was to be swift and complete over the Amalekites but for some reason King Saul decided to not do as the Lord told him to do and spares the life of King Agag. Years later we find that DISOBEDIENCE IN THE PRESENT HAS AN IMPACT ON THE FUTURE.
4. Esther 4: Esther and the Jewish Hope. Haman plans and plots and persuades the king to issue a decree to have the Jews annihilated and exterminated from the Persian Empire. The letter went out. The plans were laid out. The date was set. As the news of what was to take place began to spread fear and morning rose up among the Jewish people, Mordecai included. Having wrestled with the situation at hand he perceived Esther to be their only hope for she alone can approach the king on behalf of the Jewish people because she herself is a Jew. Because she had hidden who she really was from the king she was afraid to enter into his presence uninvited and so this discussion goes back and forth between Mordecai and Esther. The verse we read at the start of our time together is possibly the most well known verse of the entire book. Mordecai helps Esther see that it very well could be that the reason she is where she is as queen is because there was going to be a time like this where she would be used by God to bring about deliverance for His people!
5. Esther 5, 6, 7: The Jews are spared. Mordecai honored for making known an undercover plot to kill the king. Haman is hanged on the same gallows he had built for Mordecai when his plot is revealed to the king.
For Such A Time as This…
A DESIRE TO SEE GOD USE US TO DO GREAT THINGS. For just a moment I want to focus on the famous words of Mordecai to Queen Esther. As Mordecai surveys the situation going on, he is looking for God’s hand amidst the mess that is taking place and concludes that it could very well be that Esther has been raised to this place of power, prominence and persuasion for this exact season so that she could courageously approach the king, revealing her nationality to him and seek deliverance for her people who are living under a sentence of death. Mordecai was an external source of encouragement that walked alongside the internal encouragement that was rising up in her because of her identity as child of God. As a child of God Esther would have been well aware of how God’s forte was to use unlikely people to do and accomplish great things that were far beyond one could have ever accomplished or even imagined on their own. As a Christian there should be in us this desire to see God use us to do something great. Furthermore, Jesus is not in the business of saving us to be lazy in our walk with Him. The same words that were spoken to Esther as words of encouragement by Mordecai needs to be heard by us today. The Lord has great plans and purposes for our lives and will accomplish great things in and through us when we realize that we are not where we are randomly or by chance but for such a time as this! I want to make sure that we get this because what we are going to study together next could, in the heart of a wicked person, produce a sense of laziness in regards to their walk with Christ.
Relief and Deliverance WILL RISE for the Jews…
THIS IS NOT EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION. Mordecai is not trying to manipulate Esther’s emotions with a threat saying, “Well if you don’t do it then you are going to miss out on this great opportunity to be remembered as ‘the one’ who was used to bring about deliverance for the Jews from the sentence of death that was laid upon them at the hand of the Persians.” This is not an attempt to manipulate Esther’s emotions in order to get her to do what he wants and thinks to be best. Mordecai was not trying to play the puppet master pulling the strings of Esther’s heart so that she would move and act as he desired her to.
THIS IS A CONFESSION OF FAITH. Mordecai is actually making a statement of faith when he says that relief and deliverance WILL RISE for the Jews from another place. As a matter of fact, his faith is the foundation upon which he stands that prevents him from “throwing in the proverbial towel” when the decree is issued by the king of Persia. It is his faith that leads him to pursue a solution to the situation at hand which results in him encouraging Esther to pursue the deliverance of her people. Even though the current situation of the day appeared to be hopeless, and from a human perspective it was, Mordecai was not overcome by the situation because he had a mind that had been renewed by the Person, Promises and Purposes of God. When Mordecai says, “relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place” he is drawing upon the fact that God has promised and proven, over and over again, that He is both the protector and preserver of His people. When Mordecai says, “relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews…” he is drawing on God’s promises made through His prophets to His people that they will one day be restored to their homeland. When Mordecai says, “relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews…” he is drawing upon God’s past activity whereby He delivered them time and time again. Furthermore, God’s covenant with David was that his throne would endure forever which was ultimately a prophecy about the eternal kingship of Jesus who came to us through the line and lineage of David but historically played out in the succession of kings following his reign. When trouble came Mordecai’s was prepared for it because his mind was renewed by the promises of God his faith was kindled, even in the midst of trouble because he trusted that God’s plans, purposes and promises cannot be thwarted by the actions of man. If Mordecai did not have a mind renewed by his faith then he would have been overtaken by the apparent hopelessness of the situation but because his mind had been renewed by the promises and purposes of God his heart was guarded and protected from waning away in his relationship with God.
FAITH-FILLED MOURNING. What I do not want you to think that just because Mordecai’s mind was renewed by the Person, Promises and Person of God that he simply scoffed at the situation going on around him for that is not the case going on whatsoever. This was a seriously troubling time for Mordecai and the Jewish people—ESTHER 4:1-3. When the trouble of the day became known by Mordecai and the Jewish people there was real, serious and undignified mourning. Mordecai was undignified in his mourning and prayer when he got the news of the king’s decree. Even though his mind had been renewed the situation was still bad. I wonder if the answers to the prayers we have been praying are on hold because God is waiting to see just how bad you want it. Are you willing to become a little undignified and make your way to an altar during a service and seek Him with your pain and tears not caring what anybody else thinks about it. It is only to our own harm that we are so concerned with what others think. It is not like they can provide what we need! A renewed mind and a revived heart does not produce a “robotic” approach to life that does not bear the weight of the problems we face. There is nothing wrong with shedding some tears and crying out to God from an altar when things are falling apart around us. It may be the undignified response of crying and altar pounding that the Lord wants to hear from and see in us!
A Renewed Mind for a Revived Heart
While the situation surrounding Mordecai was bad he did not become a victim to the situation. While the fire of trouble surrounded Mordecai the fire in his heart for the Lord did not vanquish. When everything around Mordecai was falling apart his walk with the Lord did not because he had a renewed mind that defended and protected his revived heart. It is a good thing that our hearts be revived resulting in an renewed passion for, commitment to and love for Jesus but if our minds are not renewed by the promises of God then when everything around us starts falling apart the fire in the revived heart can quickly be quenched. Our great enemy will do what he can to quench the fire of revival in our hearts to let us have our minds renewed by the promises of God to fend him off. If we are going to protect and defend the revival fire brewing in our hearts then we need to have our minds renewed and set on the Certainty and Sovereignty of God.
PROMISES OF GOD THAT RENEW OUR MINDS:
1. God in me is greater than the enemy who is in the world—1 JOHN 4:4
a. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
2. God’s love for me is a never ending love—JEREMIAH 31:3.
a. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
3. All my days are known by God; nothing surprises Him—PSALM 139:16.
a. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
4. God knows my name and what I am going through—ISAIAH 55:1-5.
a. But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
5. I am valuable to God and can trust my care to Him—MATTHEW 10:29-31.
a. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
6. God knows what I need and will provide it—MATTHEW 6:25-33.
a. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
7. God will never forsake or abandon His children—HEBREWS 13:5-6.
a. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
8. God is working it out even if I cannot make it out—ROMANS 8:28.
a. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
9. The troubles and trials of this life are temporary—JOHN 14:1-3.
a. “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
10. My destiny can be heaven—ROMANS 10:9-13.
a. …because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord over all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Preach to Yourself… When we experience the troubles and trials of this life we need to have a mind that has been renewed by the purposes and promises of God so that the fire in our hearts are not put out. A renewed mind is about knowing something! These verses/passages I put before you today should be memorized by all of us so that when trouble comes our way, and it will, we do not lost heart. These verses/passages I put before you today should be memorized by all of us so that when everything around us appears to be falling apart we are not. If we put these verses to memory then when trouble comes our way you won’t have to wait for me to preach you a sermon, teach you a Bible study or send you a devotion by email but you will be equipped to PREACH TO YOURSELF. Sometimes the only preacher you need to hear from is the Holy Spirit inside of you so commit these promises to memory so that when the day of trouble comes the sermon is already there ready to be preached.
