Sermon Central
-
Life's Great Moments
Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 17, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: There are at least six special, significant moments in one’s life that need examination. That’s what this sermon does.
LIFE’S GREAT MOMENTS
Synopsis of Esther
• Persian Queen Vashti is deposed
• Esther chosen to succeed her
• Uncle Mordecail uncovers a conspiracy
• Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews
• Mordecai persuades Esther to intercede
• Esther’s request to the king
• Mordecai is honored by Haman
• Haman hanged
• King’s edict on behalf of the Jews
• Triumph of the Jews
• Feast of Purim established
Key Verse: Esther 4:14: “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
There are the ordinary events of life and then there are the special, significant events that occur in our lives. Let me share 6 with you.
1. The Moment of Birth
Your moment of birth was great because of the door of opportunity it opened for you. You were created in the image of Almighty God. You were made for His delight, and with great potential.
We didn’t choose when we would be born or where we would be born, or who our parents would be. But, on the other hand, we are not bound by the circumstances of birth.
Perhaps we would have preferred to have been born into a wealthy or famous family. But we also remember that a Baby was born in a stable and became the Savior of the world! Another baby was born in alog cabin and became president of the United States. History is replete with the stories of men and women who overcame defeating circumstances of birth.
Someone said, “When you came into this world, you made love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bank rolls smaller, the home happier, past pain forgotten, and the future worth living for.”
Just think, if you hadn’t been born, you would never had the opportunity to see a sunset or taste ice cream or fall in love or smell a rose or love God or experience and number of things that we could mention today.
The second great moment in our lives is when we…
2. Realize That Someone Loves Us
Fortunately, for most of us that comes very early in our lives. Some say it begins the very moment our mother holds us and talks softly to us and feeds us and sings to us and rocks us to sleep.
But what I’m speaking of is that moment when we consciously become aware that we are loved and cared for. That’s a great moment—that feeling of belonging, ob being protected and secure—of knowing that someone cares deeply for us. Certainly to be pitied is the child who grows up without love. Our prisons and mental institutions are filled with just such.
Do you remember that first time that you became aware that you were loved and cared for? Maybe it was on your birthday or at Christmas. Maybe it was when your mom kissed that “owie” and tenderly put a band-aid on it.
Maybe it was when you had a nightmare and your folks let you come and sleep with them.
I know this: the earlier it comes, the better, because we tend to carry such moments with us into adulthood. To be raised in a home where love abounds is one of life’s greatest joys.
The THIRD great moment in life is when you realize that…
3. There Is a God Who knows You, Forgives You, and Gives You a Purpose For Life
That moment didn’t come for me until I was 18 years old. I believed in God. I knew He existed and was all-powerful and that He had created everything. But what I didn’t understand was that He cared about me and that He had a plan for my life.
How old were you when you first realized that God loved you personally and in fact suffered an awful death to pardon you and take you into His forever family?
Its hard for me to understand how anyone could resist such love and yet I know that there are multitudes of folks today who have such a realization and yet do not yield to the Father’s will.
Down in Louisiana, on I-10, there is a large billboard which catches your eye. It stands high above the city just as you start up the Mississippi River bridge. On it is a picture of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross, head bowed. The caption underneath says in bold letters, ITS YOUR MOVE!
If you have never prayed to receive Christ into your life, you are missing out on the greatest moment of your life. It your move.
The FOURTH great moment in life is when you…
4. Decide What You Intend To Do With Your Life
God made us in such a way that if we don’t have a purpose for living, we will shrivel up and die inwardly. We must have dreams, goals—a reason to live.
