You Are Blessed To Be A Blessing

In the movie, "Radio," Coach Jones and Radio’s mom have tea. She asks why Coach has spent so much time helping Radio. He responds that it’s the right thing to do. She replies that there’s a whole lot of right out there that needs to be done, but people don’t do it.

God places an innate sense of what’s right inside every person. People often suppress this knowledge, opting for selfishness and laziness rather than acting on what they know to be right. Hopefully after today, all of us will be encouraged to do what’s right in every situation, going out of our way to honor Christ with all of our actions.

Esther is the central figure in what is one of the most controversial books in the Old Testament because not once does the name of God appear in it. The book of Esther is also one of only two books in the Old Testament bearing the name of a woman around whom the narrative centers.

Some scholars call it a historical novel; others term it a festal legend. Either way, the courage of Esther becomes the dominating factor in the salvation of her people. In this short book her name appears 55 times, the name of no other woman in the Bible is recorded so often. For my young people, what you need to know about Esther is she came to power by winning a reality show called, “Who Can Win the King’s Heart.”

After winning and becoming Queen, the King set the royal crown on her head and changed her name from Hadassah, meaning “myrtle,” to Esther, meaning “star.” Now the second part of the reality show was once the woman was chosen as Queen, she also had to show that she could live by all the rules of the Kingdom. One main rule was no one could approach the King unless He asked for you, even his wife, the Queen.

Today we will discuss a woman who didn’t just have courage, but a sincere faith and a devotion to the cause of her people.

SERMON: YOU ARE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING

SCRIPTURE: ESTHER 3:13, 4:7-14

A. WE HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION TO ACT OR NOT ACT (ESTHER 4:8)

1. WE HAVE TO KNOW THAT THE PROBLEM WON’T TAKE CARE OF ITSELF

2. WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY THAT THE NEED WON’T GO AWAY

3. WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT NO DECISION IS A DECISION

TRANS: WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONCE WE ARE AWARE OF A KINGDOM ISSUE, GOD EXPECTS US TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

B. WE HAVE TO ACT REGARDLESS OF OUR LIMITATIONS (ESTHER 4:11)

1. WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR

2. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT IN OUR WEAKNESS, GOD MAKES US STRONG

3. WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT GOD WON’T TAKE US WHERE HE HASN’T PREPARED US

TRANS: LUKE 12:48 SAYS, FROM EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN MUCH, MUCH WILL BE DEMANDED; AND FROM THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH MUCH, MUCH MORE WILL BE ASKED.

C. WE HAVE TO ACT REGARDLESS OF THE RISK (ESTHER 4:15-16)

1. WE MUST BELIEVE GOD’S FAVOR IS OBTAINED BY PRAYER

2. WE MUST KNOW THAT GOD’S PEOPLE PRACTICE FASTING WITH PRAYER

3. WE MUST REMEMBER THAT GOD’S LAW, OVERIDES MAN’S LAW

ON THE NIGHT BEFORE MORDECAI SPOKE TO ESTHER, HE WAS GOING HOME WITH A HEAVY HEART AND HE MET THREE CHILDREN COMING FROM SCHOOL.

HE ASKED THEM WHAT THEY HAD LEARNED THAT DAY.

THE FIRST YOUTH SAID HIS LESSON WAS PROVERBS 3:25-26 – HAVE NO FEAR OF SUDDEN DISASTER

THE SECOND YOUTH SAID HIS LESSON WAS ISAIAH 8:10 – DEVISE YOUR STRATEGY, BUT IT WILL BE BLOCKED

THE THIRD YOUTH TOLD HIM HIS LESSON WAS ISAIAH 46:4 – I HAVE MADE YOU AND I WILL CARRY YOU; I WILL SUSTAIN YOU AND I WILL RESCUE YOU

WITH COURAGE AND RESOLUTION, ESTHER DECIDED TO INTERCEDE FOR HER PEOPLE. ESTHER SAID, “IF I PERISH, I PERISH. I CANNOT LOSE MY LIFE, IN A BETTER CAUSE. BETTER TO DO MY DUTY AND DIE WITH THEM.” HOW FAR ARE WE WILLING TO GO, TO BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE?