“For Such A Time As This”
Topic: Obedience and Courage Text: Esther 4:9-17
Turn in your Bibles to Esther chapter 4.
In the movie Dead Poets Society the character played by Robin Williams is an english teacher in a private boys school. He leads his charges into embracing the motto “carpe diem” or seize the day. One of my favorite quotes.
It’s a challenge to make the most of every moment, every opportunity we have because…
Esther 4:10-14
Throughout the Bible we can see people facing a defining moment in their life - whether or not they are going to obey God. Some are big -
David & Goliath,
Noah & the Ark,
Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt,
Joshua & Jericho
Some seemed small at the time...
the boy with the small lunch that Jesus used to feed the 5000,
the women with the bottle of perfume that anointed Jesus,
the women at the well and revival sweeps a town.
A tax collector climbs a tree to see better and catches the attention of Jesus
These moments are the legacy of these people - these were the defining moments of their lives.
[Esther 4:14] For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
You Can Make A Difference in Your World
But, you can’t make a difference in the world until you first make a difference in yours.
Let’s take a look at five statements about this subject - “For Such A Time As This.”
1. God has given everyone a purpose for their life.
One specific purpose to fulfill, one task, a life ministry.
He has given you something that you are supposed to do that could change the course of the world.
More importantly, that will change the course of a life on it’s way to eternal judgment.
It is why you were born.
2. Every person has a defining moment - a “Such a time as this.”
Esther did many wonderful things in her life,
she didn’t just arrive at the palace one day for her moment,
she lived,
she had purpose every day;
but she had one defining moment;
she had her “Such a time as this.”
Each one of us has one time, one chance to do something really big for God.
We must always be faithful & ready for when that time comes.
3. God gives the time needed in order to accomplish the given life purpose.
Again, we must always be faithful and ready,
Ever obedient to God or we may miss our “such a time as this.”
We don’t know when we may have the opportunity to be the one to touch the heart of the next Billy Graham or Mother Theresa, or even George W. Bush.
Or maybe the one who will touch the heart of a David Ludwig who is accused of kiiling his girlfriends parents a couple of weeks ago in Philadelphia
It would have only taken one person to reach out to him and that atrocity might not have happened
We must always be there serving, obeying God, ready.
4. We may not know our one time, our purpose until we get to heaven.
It may pass us by in the routine of life.
The widow who gave the offering of two small coins was just doing what was normal for her.
It wasn’t the first time she gave or the last.
She was being faithful to God in the everyday routine of her life.
And it became one of Jesus’ most powerful illustrations of giving
It was her moment - what if she had stayed home that day and slept in instead.
She would have missed her “Such a time as this.”
Truth is, she probably never even knew what happened.
God didn’t put you here just to enjoy watching football.
He didn’t purpose for you to look forward to vacation at Disney World.
You are here because of God’s purpose for you, your life ministry and somewhere in that life ministry you can accomplish something big for God.
It’s a life ministry - not a moment ministry
I’m not saying everyone here is called to be a Rev., but you are all called to be minister’s of the Gospel - to share Christ with your world.
You don’t know when your moment will come
You may not even know when it does.
But when it does, will you be found faithful – serving God, doing what is right and trusting Him?
If so, others will be impacted and changed fro eternity because of what you have done.
We must remain as a faithful servant. Don’t miss the “big” purpose by not remaining faithful in the “little” things of an everyday walk with God.
The boy with the lunch - what if he had stayed home and not brought his lunch that Jesus used so mightily
What if Andrew had not started a conversation with that boy and reached out to him.
He didn’t know when he went that day that he was going to be a part of such an awesome miracle.
He just did what was his thing.
Being a nice guy and reaching out to kids.
When my time comes, I want to be so busy doing my life ministry, caught up in the faithfulness of daily living that I am ready and don’t miss my “Such A Time As This.”
Maybe my such a time has already come.
Maybe it was Charlie, a 12 year old in one of the roughest projects in Phoenix, and helping steer him away from gangs and getting him involved in the bus ministry
Or maybe it was going to visit a youth pastor friend who was discouraged and needed to be lifted up
Or maybe in New York during an outreach with a visiting church, the leadership was having conflicts and we sat down and worked through it
Or it could have been a youth convention I preached in Indiana and the young man who was so visibly touched and had a breakthrough at the altar
Or the time in Illinois when we held a week of school assemblies and nightly rallies and spoke to every middle school and high school student in our community
Or in reaching out to a football team and local school in Austintown and seeing hundreds come to hang out at a church after a football game and presenting them with the message of the hope of Christ
Or maybe it is here, maybe it is right now, maybe it is you.
There have been thousands of ministries not started and lives not touched because someone wasn’t ready for their such a time as this.
I may never know my Such a time until I get to heaven, I must be faithful everyday.
5. Keep your life clean & right with God so you’ll qualify for your “such a time”. Be a person of integrity & character.
God chose Mary as Jesus’ mother because she was pure. He needed a virgin with a heart sensitive to Him.
Suppose the boy was selfish and didn’t give up his lunch for Jesus to use...
Suppose Esther allowed her own fear to take over and kept quiet...
Suppose David didn’t pick up those five stones and face that giant...
God has a ministry for your life and somewhere in that ministry you will have a chance, a time, an hour, a defining moment, a such a time as this.
Where will you be, what will you be doing at your “such a time as this”? Will you be faithful? Will you be ready?
I’m not sure if my such a time as this was in Phoenix, NY, Indiana, KY, IL, or if it is in this room right now.
But God knows and we must trust Him and serve Him to the best of our abilities every moment of every day.
Altar –
Strength to live it out
Guidance for direction
Faith
