"Get in the Game" | Sunday, July 18, 2021

All right, Cross Connection, let's jump right into Esther chapter 9, but before we do that, let's go ahead and pray. Heavenly Father, as we explore your word today, we seek to pull out what you would have for us. Lord, I pray that you would be glorified in how we study, that we would rightly divide your word, that we would rightly apply your word, and ultimately, Lord Jesus, that we would become closer to you and more like you. So be glorified as your people spend time in your word. We pray these things, Jesus, in your name. Amen.

Like I mentioned, we're going to be in Esther chapter 9. The thing with Esther chapter 9 is that it comes right after chapter 8, which is right after chapter 7, and so on and so forth, all the way back to Esther chapter 1. What we see here in chapter 9 is kind of the culmination of the book. All the things that have gone forward have led up to this point. All of the drama, all of the intrigue, all of the heartache—those things are wrapping up here in chapter 9.

Chapter 9 starts out saying, "The king's command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On that day, when the Jews' enemies had hoped to overthrow them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them." In each of King Ahasuerus' provinces, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them. Not a single person could withstand them, for fear of them fell on every nationality.

Now, the king's command and law that it's talking about here in chapter 9, verse 1, is the law that was passed, or the law that was created by the king, however you choose to look at it, that allowed the Jews to defend themselves. Remember, all the way back in chapter 3, that's when Haman convinced Ahasuerus to allow them to wipe out the Jews. Then they passed another law in chapter 8, where it says the Jews have the right to defend themselves. On this day, the day that Haman chose for the Jews to be attacked, the Jews instead were the ones who were able to defend themselves and wipe out their enemies. God has orchestrated here a complete reversal from what was intended originally.

In verse 3, it says that all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the royal civil administrators aided the Jews because they feared Mordecai. Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.

Mordecai goes from being marked for death and standing on deadly ground to proving that when you follow God, you are very hard to kill. Now he is powerful, and his fame is growing because he honored God in his work and in his family. Mordecai's prior actions have become his greatest defense and the key to building trust and finding favor with the people around him.

If you remember early on in the Book of Esther, Mordecai is the one who overhears the plot to kill the king. He tells Esther, and Esther tells the king. Later on, when Haman is seeking to honor himself, thinking this is going to be great, God puts it on King Ahasuerus' heart to remember who saved his life. That was Mordecai. All the honor that Haman thought was going to go to him instead went to Mordecai because Mordecai did what he was supposed to do. His prior actions have become his greatest defense, allowing him to build trust and find favor with all the people who served around him.

In Galatians chapter 6, verse 9, it says, "Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up." So, don't get tired of doing the right thing. When it feels unnoticed, or even worse, when it feels like the things you are doing—those that God has called you to do—are causing others to attack you, don't stop doing what God has called you to do. He has instructed you to do that in His Word. Trust the process and trust that God will be true to His Word.

Remember Mordecai. It seemed hopeless throughout the Book of Esther for Mordecai and for the Jews, but God came through for them, and He will do the same thing for us if we trust Him, trust the process, and do what He has called us to do. As it says in Galatians, we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up. So, don't give up.

In verse 5, the Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them. Remember that phrase: they did what they pleased to those who hated them. In the fortress of Susa, verse 6 states that the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, including...

Here are some rough names. We're going to try to pronounce these correctly: Parsindatha, Dolphon, Aspatha, Portha, Adalia, Aradatha, Pashmata, Arassai, Aradai, and Vizitha. They killed these ten sons of Haman, the son of Hamadatha, the enemy of the Jews. However, they did not seize any plunder.

That phrase shows up three separate times throughout this chapter for a reason. In chapter 3, the edict Haman authored instructed the enemies of the Jews to kill them and to plunder their possessions. So, kill them and take all their stuff. Then, in chapter 8, the Jews were given permission in the edict that the king passed to take possession of those they killed. They were allowed to take their stuff. But it says three times, starting here in verse 10, that they did not seize any plunder.

When you tag that with the phrase in verse 5, "they did what they pleased to those who hated them," we see that they did what they pleased, and they did not please to plunder their enemy. So, it's very interesting. Why not seize their possessions? After all, that's what Haman was planning. That's what the king thought would be the appropriate thing to do: kill them and take their stuff. But you see, God's definition of a win looks very different from our definition of a win.

God's definition of a win here is not to seize their possessions, not to indulge in greed. They didn't give people a reason to say, "Oh, they were just doing this to get rich." They didn't touch the stuff. You see, plenty of times we have a hard time even discerning what a win is in certain situations as we follow Christ.

This is where we get to what I call a totem pole perspective. The way this works is that depending on how high up you are on the totem pole—whether in life, business, or elsewhere—you have a different perspective. When you are low on the totem pole, your perspective is very limited, and the concerns are things that are very close to you. The higher up you get on the totem pole, the wider your view is, and the more concerns you have to balance, along with the more different factors that come into play.

I have a great example of this in my own life, albeit slightly painful to share.

There was a time, roughly 15 years ago, when we had an elders meeting, and the topic of buses for camp came up. Camp buses are expensive, but in youth ministry, camp is super important. Camp is where you spend as much time with the youth in a short period, usually about five days, as you do the whole rest of the year. Therefore, camp in youth ministry is crucial. From the ministry totem pole, it is one of the most important events that we put on.

When the discussion arose and it was mentioned that we didn't have the money for the buses, I had to figure out another way. Being young in the ministry and not having attained a certain level of wisdom—I'm not saying I have arrived there yet, but I have more than when I started—I was only seeing things from my position on the totem pole. I got upset and fired off an email. I said, "Alright gentlemen, since none of you want to help pay for the buses, I guess I can count on you to be drivers for camp." It was very snarky and snotty, and it's embarrassing and painful to think of.

I received a response from my pastor, who said that it probably could have been handled differently, which, yes, it could have been. The problem was that what seemed super important to me from my perspective was not as significant when viewed from a wider angle. When you're higher up on the totem pole, you have a broader view and there are many more factors involved. Youth camp is vitally important when you're in youth ministry, but as you widen your perspective, you realize there are many important things to consider. The further out your responsibility and outlook extend, the more complex the planning becomes.

Come into play, the further out that is, there are a lot of important things, and it's not just that one thing. We have to be careful. From our perspective, what we may consider the most important thing might not actually be the most important thing. We need to acknowledge that the higher up on the totem pole, the wider the perspective is.

Now, keep in mind that the top of the totem pole is God, and this is what He says about it. In Isaiah chapter 8, verse 9, He declares, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways." This is the Lord's declaration: "For as heaven is higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." We have this from the Lord, where He says that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. His thoughts and His ways are so much higher than ours that we can't even conceptualize what those things are. The view from His place on the totem pole encompasses everything, while ours is so limited. We need to be very careful about making decisions regarding what is important to God from our limited perspective.

With that in mind, how do we figure out what it looks like to win from God's perspective? Here are a couple of thoughts that I've assembled for us today.

First big thought: we have to know what game we're playing. We have to understand the game that we're playing. Like Paul, I will use a lot of sports metaphors throughout this because it helps me to understand, and hopefully it helps you to understand a little bit. If you hate sports metaphors, I apologize; maybe go back and watch the last chapter, but that's what we're discussing right now.

We have to know, first of all, what game it is that we're playing. Chess and checkers are both played on the same board, but everything else is different. In our world, it can seem like we're all playing the same game, but God's game is different from the one that the world is playing. If we don't know what game it is we're playing, we don't know the rules, we don't know the scoring, we don't know anything.

In Joshua 5, verse 13, it says, "When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand." Joshua approached him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" And that's the question: Are you with us, God, or are you with our enemies? He replied, "Neither. I have now come as a commander of the Lord's army." See, God is on His side, and He calls us to join His team with His goals, not to try to impose our own.

To recruit him to our team is an important perspective to keep in mind. My team has my goals, but if I'm joining God's team, I then look at His rules and His goals. Once we know the game, and the game is God's game, we have to know the rules of that game.

When my kids were younger, they loved playing football. They would get together with friends to play, and invariably, when a pass was broken up, the receiver would call, "Pass interference, man! PI! PI! Pass interference! Throw the flag on that!" The defender would always respond, "No way, that was clean." There is always going to be an argument about the rules sometimes. The thing is, it's super important that we know the rules and that we follow them.

Let me share another painful Jason story moment. This is a true story, by the way, and if you're going to ask me later if it was really true, yes, it is really true and embarrassing. There I was in sixth grade at a track meet, running the third leg of our four by 100 meter relay. It's interesting because the third leg is most of the time reserved for the slowest runner. When I found that out much later, I thought, "Hey, wait a minute. I'm the slow guy."

But at the time, I didn't realize that. We were running the relay, and I was set. The first leg went, and then the second leg went. When they passed me the baton, I started running, and oh, I felt good. I was dialed in, breathing well, and I was flying. I passed it off to our anchor leg, and they flew down the track and crossed the tape. We were first; we won!

Uh-oh. The word came down that we were disqualified because, while I was all excited with my head up and things were going great, I had left my lane, even if it was just for a step or two. But that was all it took, and it disqualified not just me, but our whole team. Instead of medaling, we were disqualified. That was, I think, the last track event in my short and illustrious career as a track athlete.

That was heartbreaking; it was embarrassing. If we don't know the rules and if we don't follow the rules, bad things happen. You look at Samson, you look at Saul, you look at David—these are all guys who knew the rules, and at various points in their lives, they chose to completely disregard them. It didn't just affect them; it affected everybody around them.

See, God gives us a playbook. He gives us His Word. It's our responsibility to learn it and to use it. The Bible tells us exactly what we need to know to honor God, to follow Him, and to do what He has called us to do. It's our playbook, and God has given it to us.

Some of you may know the name Jamarcus Russell. Jamarcus Russell was the number one pick in the NFL draft. He was picked as a quarterback by the Oakland Raiders, and they were excited for him. He had massive arm strength, his workout was great, his eyesight test was great—everything looked so good. However, most people have no idea who Jamarcus Russell is because he is now considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history. Most of the blame falls on him for his career issues.

His coaches suspected that he was not studying tape. You always give players tape to watch the opponent's team so they know what to expect. You get in your playbook, you study the tape, and you learn how the opposing team normally attacks so you can be ready for it. They suspected that he wasn't watching the game tape from his performance. So, they gave him game tape to watch, and the next day he came in and said, "Yeah, I watched their blitz packages, so I'm ready for it." But the tapes they had given him were blank. His lie was completely exposed before his coaches, which was embarrassing.

If we take the time to study the information that God has given to us, we don't have to be embarrassed by our ignorance. We might still fall short in how we perform and how we play, but it should never be because we didn't even bother to read the playbook. God lays out in His Word all that we need for life and godliness. If we spend the time in there, we'll be prepared.

Sometimes we'll fail, and I'm okay with failing. What I'm not okay with is not trying my best. I don't want to be the person that phones it in, and I don't think you want to be that person either, where it's like, "Eh, I don't really care."

Following Jesus is tough, but it's way better if we get the information that God has laid out for us. The big point here is that we need to know the rules of the game. Additionally, we have to understand that the plays and the strategy will change in our lives as God works out His victory. Just because God put you in a position at one point doesn't mean you will always be in that position.

It wasn't very long ago that I was out in the parking lot doing parking lot security. By the way, if you ever get a chance, parking lot security is some of the greatest stuff in the world. It's not as much fun now because we don't have an evening service. Evening services were pretty wild. However, it's so vital, and you'll have opportunities to glorify God without a huge amount of interaction with people. So, if you prefer to be a little bit on the down low, if you're that kind of person, it's a great place to be. I fondly remember my years in parking lot ministry, but I'm not there anymore because God has moved me to different places.

We need to be in constant touch with our coach, our heavenly Coach, to ensure that we're getting accurate direction. We don't want to be in a position that we're not supposed to be in when God has called us to do something else. Just like if you're making a recipe and you get stuck on the step that says "add salt," if that's all you ever do is add salt, you're making terrible cookies that no one is going to enjoy. We have to be willing to move as God directs us.

Now, sometimes those moves are going to feel terrible. Sometimes those moves are going to be scary. Sometimes they're going to be fantastic, and we're going to love it. But we have to understand that when God moves us, when God puts us in a certain place, when God gives us a certain direction, He does that because He has that perspective. He has that plan. He has that understanding of what's best for us and what's best for His plan overall. He chooses to use us to accomplish His ends, so we have to be ready.

A receiver that always runs the same route, knowing only one route, will never get past you and will probably never even play. Football players have huddles and signals to communicate with each other. Christians have the Word of God and the example of Jesus. That is where we get our coaching. We need to know those things, and we have to stay in touch with God.

We have to be in His Word. That's where we're going to find that information.

Next big thought: we have to understand that we are either players, spectators, or opponents. We have to choose to inhabit whatever role we have. Now, obviously, we want to be players. We should want to be players. However, there are a lot of people who are spectators but think they're players. You can see this often when you watch football with friends. Someone might say, "Oh, I could have made that pass," and you're thinking, "Not likely." I may have said that in the past, but guess what? It's not likely that I would have made that pass because I'm a spectator. I definitely don't want to be an opponent. So what I should strive for is to be a player and to inhabit that role, to make that role mine.

What do players have in common? Practice, teamwork, and effort. Take the New England Patriots, for example. I know everyone hates the Patriots; I hate the Patriots too. The Seahawks are much better than the Patriots. But anyway, let's park there for a moment. As you walk into the Patriots' headquarters, the first thing you'll pass is six Super Bowl rings. Then, as you go a little further to where the players' entrance is, there are four reminders inscribed in metal, posted on the wall at eye level next to the door that leads into the main players' hallway.

Those four things say: do your job, work hard, be attentive, and put the team first. I think this is fantastic information and fantastic advice for us as Christians. First of all, do your job. Know what God has called you to do and do those things. The Bible is full of references on what God wants us to do, so find those things in the Word and do them.

The next thing is to work hard. You have to put in the effort. Following Jesus is not just a wander or a stroll; it is a march. It is work. It is hard work. We have to be willing to practice and to dig in when things get tough.

Then, be attentive. Look for God-given opportunities. All around us, God provides us with opportunities. Look for those. Focus. God, what is it that I'm going to do today? How, Lord Jesus, am I going to glorify You as I'm here in traffic? Am I going to be one of those people who is just keeping pace and making sure someone...

Doesn't emerge in front of me? Or am I going to show the grace of God that He's shown me and go, "Yeah, go ahead and move in front of me"? An extra millisecond on my commute is not going to make that big of a difference. Easier said than done, I get it. Traffic is horrible. But be attentive. Look for ways that God can use you. Whether it's in the line at Costco, at the gas station, or whatever the circumstances are, it could be normal or completely abnormal. Be attentive. Look for the opportunities that God has given us to work in.

The final point is to put the team first. It's about God's goals, not our goals. This includes discipleship, bringing in rookies, and showing them the ropes. We need to bring in new Christians and say, "This is how we do this. This is why we do things this way. This is what God says about X, Y, and Z." Know your Word so that you can instill that in the next generation of people. Help develop crucial skills in those around us and be available. Make the time.

We're all busy. We live in a world of busyness, often up to our necks in it. Make the time for other people. Carve it out in your schedule, whether those people are your children, your spouse, co-workers, neighbors, or even someone who drives you insane—someone you would hate if you weren't a Christian. We are not supposed to hate people. Make the time for those individuals. God calls us to minister to the people around us.

Put the team first. Put God's goals ahead of your own. Remember, God's greatest example of a win was not a massive paycheck, championship trophies, the World Series, business success, or winning an election. His greatest example of a win looks like Jesus Christ on the cross, flayed and bloody, choosing to sacrifice Himself for the salvation of His people. That's God's greatest example of what a win looks like.

We see the same spirit in Esther as she approaches the king in previous chapters, knowing that it could be the end of her life, but she does it for her people. All of us who claim the name of Christians are called to take up our cross and follow Jesus. That's how we're scored. How well did we sacrifice our own time, our own treasure, our own blood for those that God has placed around us?

You become a Christian by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. You become a great player, a pro, by living like Him and giving up your life for the people around you. We have to choose, and it's indicated by our actions, whether we're going to be pros, amateurs, or hobbyists as we follow Jesus. I pray that we are all professionals and that we really want this, but it's going to be shown by our actions.

On that day, it says in verse 11, back in Esther chapter 9, the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa was reported to the king. The king said to Queen Esther, "In the fortress of Susa, the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men, including Haman's 10 sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Whatever you ask will be given to you; whatever you seek will also be done." The trust that the king has in Esther, where he says, "Whatever you ask from me, I'm going to give it to you. Whatever you want, that will be done," is built up because Esther has found favor and proven trustworthy.

She says, "Well, if it's okay with the king," and I’m going to paraphrase the next couple of verses here, "let us have one more day in the capital here in Susa, because there are some other people that we need to root out. Can we take the bodies of Haman's 10 sons and let them be hung on gallows?" The king says, "Yeah, go for it," makes it a law, sends it out, and they hung the bodies of Haman's 10 sons on the gallows. This served as a visual representation for everybody around to see what happens when we oppose God's people.

However, twice in this next section, it says they did not seize any plunder. In verse 15 and again in verse 16, it states they killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they did not seize any plunder. Jumping down to verse 20, it says Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews of King Ahasuerus' provinces, both near and far. He ordered them to celebrate the 14th and 15th day of the month of Adar every year because those days the Jews gained relief from their enemies. This was the month where their sorrow was turned into rejoicing and their mourning into a holiday, to be days of feasting, rejoicing, and sending gifts to one another and to the poor.

The reason for this celebration is outlined in verses 24 and onward, which explains that Haman, the son of Hamadathah the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them.

He cast the poor, that is the lot, to crush and destroy them. But when the matter was brought before the king, he commanded by letter that the evil plan that Haman had devised against the Jews return on his own head and that he should be hanged with his sons on the gallows. For this reason, these days are called Purim from the word "poor," because of all the instructions in this letter, as well as what they witnessed and what had happened to them.

The Jews bound themselves, and I want you to pay attention. This is verse 27 and 28; this is important. The Jews bound themselves and their descendants, and all who joined with them, to a commitment that they would not fail to celebrate these two days each and every year according to the written instructions and according to the time appointed. These days are remembered and celebrated by every generation, every family, every province, and every city so that these days of Purim will not lose their significance in Jewish life and their memory will not fade from their descendants.

Recording big events like this is important. It's more so for the people who come after us than for ourselves. Think about Christmas. How important is it? How much do we look forward to Christmas? What does it celebrate? It reminds the entire world of Jesus. We have people who don't have two seconds for Jesus the rest of the year singing Christmas songs, singing Christmas carols, and doing Christmas specials. Christmas is that time that we remember.

Events like Purim, events in Jewish history, lay out for us a pattern. When we see things that God has done, we need to make note of that. We need to let people know. You need to find a way to communicate this to your children, to your grandchildren, to your grandchildren's children, all the way down the line. I just saw on Instagram today that my brother-in-law posted a picture of five generations in his family. It was his granddaughter, his son, him, his mom, and his great-grandma. So you had five generations of people in one picture.

Now, Christmas happened a long time ago, but what do we know about the generation before us, the generation before them? This information, the things that God has done in their lives that were pivotal, the lessons that they learned, are so often forgotten. Find a way to communicate that to your kids, to your grandkids, to your great-grandkids. Whatever God avails you, write them down, make a video.

Don't leave them to try to discover it off of a completely cluttered Facebook feed in the future. Find a way to communicate those things to them so that they can learn from what we've gone through. My kids and my grandkids can learn what God has shown me, and what a blessing that is.

Last year, because this was a massive event, Haman said, "We are going to record this." Esther also wrote a second letter with Haman outlining all these things, saying, "We're going to remember this, and we're going to celebrate it." Now, how do we remember? How do we celebrate these things? I have three words for you, and they all start with R, because alliteration is awesome.

First, remember. When we celebrate a moment like this, we need to remember what God has done. Bring it to our remembrance. Think about it. Think about Christmas. Remember what happened. Then we need to reflect. What does this mean for me? What does this mean for my family? What does this mean for the world around me? We reflect on that, and then we respond. How do I then live in the light of what God has done for me? What actions do I take? How do I choose to glorify God, knowing what He has done for me?

The more times we have to look back on, not just Christmas and not just Easter, but if you can look back with your kids and say, "This is when I was saved, and this is what was happening, and this is what I learned. This was a pivotal moment in my life." When you make those milestones, in the Bible, they would often make altars. They would set up piles of stones; they would raise what's called an Ebenezer, a stone of remembrance. They would make these things to mark it out, saying, "We're going to remember this." The more of those things we have, the more touchpoints we have for people, especially the people we love, to learn from.

So before it's gone, write it down, record it, make a note somehow, so that you can communicate to the people around you. Maybe take a night, a week, a month, or a year—whatever it is—and just tell your story to your family. Tell your testimony to your children and grandchildren. You might think they know it, but I guarantee you there are things they have no idea about that they would profit from in their walk with Jesus. Take the time, put the effort in, and do that.

The importance of looking back on what God has done for us is so crucial. It is important for us and for those who will come after us. So we finish out chapter 9 here, where Queen Esther, the daughter of Abahiel, along with...

Mordecai the Jew wrote a second letter with full authority to confirm the letter about Purim. He sent letters with assurances of peace and security to all the Jews who were in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in order to confirm these days of Purim at their proper time, just as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the Queen had established them, and just as they had committed themselves and their descendants to the practices of fasting and lamentation. So Esther's command confirmed these customs of Purim, which were then written into the record.

You'll notice one thing in here, a last little point. When we started the book of Esther and we first met Mordecai and Esther, they were on the down low. They were not known as Jews. But now, at the end of the chapter, Mordecai the Jew and Esther the Queen are out front. People know who they are, not because they've been running around proclaiming how great it is to be Jewish, but because of their actions, the way they lived, the God they served, and how evident their service was in their lives. They took on that name.

We bear the name of Christ. We are called Christians. People should know that through how we live. So read your Bible, please, people. Read your Bible, find out what God wants from us, and live that way. If we can do that together, we will change this world, and we will have a win in God's eyes.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that we would be able, Father God, to spend time with You, to grow close to You, to become more like You, Jesus. And Lord, forgive us where we fall short. Forgive us where, instead of following You and what You've called us to do, we stray off into our own goals and our own priorities. Forgive us when we do that, Lord. Bring us close back to You. Give us opportunities to serve You. Thank You, Jesus, for Your grace. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your example. And thank You for the Word, Lord, which will show us what we need to know about You.

We pray these things, Jesus, in Your name. Amen. God bless you guys. Have a great week. Amen.