Tomorrow we commemorate Memorial Day. Memorial Day is the day when we commemorate the sacrifice of many great people who died serving our country. We would not be here were it not for the sacrifice of these great Americans. Many people have sacrificed to make it possible for us to enjoy the many blessings we enjoy. I believe the need for great Americans is still present! As a nation we are facing some of the greatest challenges in our history. I want to mention a few that I see.
* The family is under attack
* Globalization is affecting the economic
structure of our country
* Apathy among our citizens
* Ideological division- we are a divided country
* Liberalism in our courts
* Removal of Godly influences such as the Bible
and prayer from the public arena
I do not mention these problems to be negative. I mention them to under-score the presence of many significant issues. Throughout history God has raised individuals who play a part when challenges arise.
• When He needed a spokesman and servant prior
to the flood He raised Noah.
• When He needed a man to establish a Godly
nation He raised Abraham.
• When He needed a man to lead the Israelites
out of Egypt He chose Moses.
• When He needed a spokesman to speak to His
people He raised the prophets.
• When He needed a spokesman to prepare the
path for Jesus he raised John.
• When He needed a preacher to start the world
wide spread of the gospel He raised Paul.
He still needs individuals who will make themselves available to be used in His service.
I want to show you a Biblical portrait of a great man. God used this man to save the lives of His people, the Israelites. The man’s name is Mordecai. He is found in the book of Esther. Mordecai is overshadowed by his cousin, Esther, for whom this book is named. Mordecai and Esther were among the group of Israelites who were living in captivity in Media/Persia. It was while living in bondage that Mordecai’s portrait came to be seen. Look at what the Bible has to say about him. “Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well-received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his kindred.” (Esther 10:2-3) Notice the words used in describing Mordecai: “power”; “might”; “greatness”. There is an interesting fact that surrounds Mordecai’s life. One Bible dictionary said his name means “little man.” He was far from a little man. He was a great man. There is a Jewish religious celebration that is still celebrated today, as a result of Mordecai’s heroic life. It is the Feast of Purim and it is celebrated in March. It commemorates the deliverance that Mordecai and Esther brought into the lives of God’s people. What was so special about the life of Mordecai? I want you to look at the portrait of a great person, as seen through the eyes of God. Mordecai was the man and you can be the same.
1. A Great Man has a Servant Heart (10:3). Look at chapter 10 verse 3 again. “Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well-received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his kindred.” Mordecai sought the good of his people. He served the Israelite people. Jesus said “He who would become great must be your servant.”
President John Kennedy once said “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
The greatest thing you can do in this life is to serve your fellow man. The human tendency is to desire to be served. However, the most miserable people alive are the people who selfishly wait for others to cater to them.
Throughout America’s great history we have witnessed political, religious and civic officials who served the needs of our country. God needs those kind of people in our government, in our schools and in our churches.
2. A Great Man is a person of Faith. A person of faith is not merely a person who believes in God. I believe we use the term “man of faith.” too casually. In our society if someone professes to be a believer we identify him as a man of faith. That is not the way the Bible uses this phrase. A person of faith is a person whose faith has changed the individual. In addition, that person is being used of God to change things in their corner of the world. Mordecai was such a man. Mordecai was in a difficult situation. He was a slave in a foreign land. However, God used him to change things.
Throughout history, God’s people have been used to shape events..
Illustration: This week I saw where someone had written a letter to the editor of the local newspaper chastising Christians for speaking out about the DaVinci Code. This person expressed an opinion that Christians should be involved in doing ministry but should stay away from controversial subjects. Friends, we need to be reminded that believers are not only to live in society but also shape society. Jesus said we are to be “the salt of the earth.” Salt is intended to give flavor. Next week there is going to be a marriage amendment on the ballot, here in Alabama. Believers should be shaping the outcome of that election.
Our country was shaped by people of faith who believed that Christians were supposed to influence society.
Illustration: In 1992, Governor Kirk Fordice, of Arkansas, stated unreservedly “America is a Christian nation” the response bordered on hysteria. We may not be a Christian nation in the sense that all people are believers; however, we were founded on Christian principles.
Consider these examples: Congress declared 1983 to be the year of the Bible— stating that the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the US as a distinctive and blessed nation....Biblical teaching inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the US (Public Law 97-280, Stat. 1211, approved 10/4/1982).
Former Chief Justice Earl Warren, 1954, said, the history of our country and the documents/charter exhibit the same objective: “A Christian land governed by Christian principles...”
Abraham Lincoln on, April 30, 1863, appointed a National Fast Day and declared, “It is the duty of nations as well as men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history: that nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”.
On Oct 3, 1789 George Washington said “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore his protection and favor.”
But long before that Psalm 33:12 says, Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
(Adapted from Gregg Strawbridge’s contribution to Sermon Central)
3. A Great Man is a person who perseveres. Things are not always easy for those who seek to live for God. Mordecai did not have an easy life.
(1) Mordecai was living in captivity. (2:5-7)
(2) On one occasion he became a whistle blower as he reported two men who were conspiring against the king. (2:21-22)
(3) At one point, he and his people faced destruction. (3:6; 4:7)
(4) His cousin, who was a beautiful woman, was placed in the haram of the king, against her will. Mordecai was burdened for her safety. (2:11)
Life was not a bed of roses for Mordecai. However, he did not give up nor was he defeated.
On this Memorial Day I want to remind you that our country was not founded by a bunch of quitters. The people who established our country paid a huge price to secure our freedom.
The human tendency is to desire the easy route. When God lead the Israelite people out of Egypt He had two routes he could have chosen. The easy route was the coastal route. This was the shortest route. The harder route was through the desert. God chose the harder route. In fact, the Bible says there was a reason for this. “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ (Exo. 13:17)
A great person perseveres in the midst of trials.
Illustration: It has been stated that Thomas Edison tried 10,000 experiments with the light bulb before finding success.
Illustration: Michael Jordan was once cut from his junior high school basketball ball team because his skills were weak.
Illustration: Max Lucado, popular Christian writer, had manuscripts rejected before having one accepted for print.
Parents, let me encourage you to do your best to teach your children the act of persevering. Do not let them quit at the first drop of the hat. More and more I see our country becoming influenced by a spirit of easy defeatism. If marriage does not work, get a divorce. If you cannot pay your bills declare bankruptcy. If your team is not winning, fire the coach.
4. A Great man is a person of Courage. In Esther 3:2 we find an example of Mordecai’s courage. “And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage.” A man by the name of Haman had been promoted to a position of prominence. He required that all of his servants bow before him. The king put his authority behind this decree. Mordecai was a slave living in a foreign land. He was in the minority. Everyone was bowing and paying homage to Haman. However, Mordecai would not fulfill this demand.
As you study the Bible you will notice that God’s greatest people were people of courage. Noah built an ark. David faced Goliath. Daniel went into the lion’s den. Peter walked on the water. John was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos.
I remind you that the men and women who shaped our country were people of great courage. One of the popular pictures from our history is the picture of the men who erected the flag at Iwo Jima. Those men were immortalized for what they did. But for every man who celebrated the raising of that flag there were hundreds and even thousands who gave their lives to see that happen.
Illjustration: THEY PAID THE PRICE
Americans, you know the 56 men who signed our Declaration of Independence that first 4th of July--you know they were risking everything, don’t you? Because if they won the war with the British, there would be years of hardship as a struggling nation. If they lost they would face a hangman’s noose. And yet there where it says, "We herewith pledge, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor," they did sign. But did you know that they paid the price?
Of the 56 signers of the Declaration, few were long to survive. Five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes--from Rhode Island to Charleston--sacked and looted, occupied by the enemy or burned. Two of them lost their sons in the Army; one had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 died in the War from its hardships or from its more merciful bullets. I don’t know what impression you’d had of these men who met that hot summer in Philadelphia, but I think it’s important that we remember this about them: they were not poor men, they were not wild-eyed pirates. These were men of means, these were rich men, most of them, who enjoyed much ease and luxury in personal living. Not hungry men-- prosperous men, wealthy land
owners, substantially secure in their prosperity. But they considered liberty. They had learned that liberty is so much more important than security, that they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. And they fulfilled their pledge--they paid the price, and freedom was born.
Paul Harvey, Good Day.
SOURCE: Paul Harvey, News and Commentary. July 4, 1974
July 2, 2001. http://www.genealogyforum.rootsweb.com/specials/July4/TheyPaid.htm.
