Sermon: Not Ruled by Fear

We continue our evening series through the book of Esther tonight. Turn with me in your Bibles to Esther chapter five. We will be reading the first eight verses of that chapter. You can find this on page four thirteen of the Pew Bibles if you would like to look there. As you're turning there, and then before we turn to the reading, reading of the Word, let's, let's pray for the Lord's, blessing. Father, we come before you again this

evening with humble and expectant hearts, wanting to hear from you and your Word. We, we pray that you would remove any distractions that we may have. Give to us ears that are attentive to your voice. Help us to receive and obey your commands, and help us to drink deeply of your Word and be transformed by the renewal of our minds. It's in the name of Christ that we ask. Amen.

Esther chapter five, verses one through eight.

On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight. And he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the

scepter. And the king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you, even to the half of my kingdom." And Esther said, "If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king." Then the king said, "Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked." So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther,

"What is your wish? It shall be granted to you. And what is your request? Even to half of my kingdom it shall be fulfilled." Then Esther answered, "My wish and my request is, if I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and to fill-fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has asked." Amen.

Before we dig into our text tonight, let's recall where we have been thus far in the book. Israel has begun to re-return to the promised land after the exile. The temple has been rebuilt, but not all the Jews have returned to Is-to Israel. Our story takes place after Ezra chapter six, but before Ezra returns in chapter seven and before the book of Nehemiah. The Jews are under Persian rule, and an unstable and impulsive Persian king,

Ahasuerus, has taken the, Jewish young woman, Esther, as his wife. Esther's uncle Mordecai, who raised her as his own daughter, appears to have held some kind of minor position at the king's gate. And he uncovered a plot to assassinate the king and notified Queen Esther of the plot, who then told the king. Soon after, Mordecai refused to bow down and pay homage to Haman, the king's right-hand man, who responded to this of-offense by

enacting a plot to destroy not only Mordecai, but all of his people in the whole kingdom. Every Jew, those returned to Jerusalem and those still spread throughout the empire, are targeted. Chapter three, verse sixte-- or verse thirteen, s-sorry, says, "Letters were sent out by couriers to the king's providences-- provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in

one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods." And we are told that this decree sent by the king at Haman's request throw-threw all of Susa into confusion. Mordecai and Jews in every province were thrown into a deep grief and fear. News of Mordecai's state reach Esther, and through messengers, Esther and Mordecai communicated about what had happened. Mordecai commanded his niece to go to her

husband, the king, and to plead for the lives of their people. Esther's initial response was to remind her uncle that doing so was illegal and would likely cost her her life.And Mordecai replied that an edict to kill all the Jews means her too, and that deliverance would arise for the Jews from another place if she did not act. But if she did not act, that she and her house would at least be killed. Esther is-- was persuaded to act

and asked Mordecai and all the Jews in Susa to fast on her behalf, and says probably the most memorable words in the book, "If I perish, I perish." These are words of courageous resolve in the face of a fearful and tenuous situation. And we've, we've heard this story many times and, and long familiarity with this story may dull our sense of the fear that she surely felt. This king is not just, nor is he stable. He has not requested her presence for a very long time,

and he has already issued a decree for genocide at a word from his advisor. And entering his presence unbidden might cost Esther her life. Uh, if she doesn't die then, what might be the consequence for requesting that the king rescind a decree that has already gone out to the whole empire? That brings us to our text this evening. Esther dresses-- dressed in her royal robes and goes to the inner court to stand in a very

visible place. Waiting in this way with, with those clothes on signified to whoever saw her in the palace that she was there to make an official request of the king. The first thing that she does is s- both-- It is, it is simultaneously bold and deferential. She does not send a request to see him. She does not rush to where he is. She signifies that she wants something, something important, and she shows honor to the king by waiting upon him.

Soon, the king notices her, and the text tells us that she found favor in his sight, and he invited her, and he extended his scepter to her. This, this sign indicated to those around that the king approved of her approach. Nobody just, just walks up on the king, right? The guards are there, and they are ready to protect him, and this extending of the scepter tells everyone to keep at peace. His greeting to her, the things that he says, shows that he

recognizes that she is making an official request. But his generous words, "Up to the half of my kingdom," are likely not literal. Instead, it's, it's, it's an indication idiomatically that he is favorably disposed toward her. This is a very careful dance of formality and royal negotiation. Even in her invitation to dinner, Esther's language is deferential, and she shows honor to the king. "If it please the king, let him

come with Haman to a feast that I have prepared." The king was pleased because he calls for Haman immediately to go, and they go, and they eat and drink what Esther has prepared. After the feast, when they were drinking wine, the king repeated his generous words and asks what her official request is. Now, we would expect her here to plead for the life of her people, but instead she requests that they return for another feast the following day.

Now, it is not clear what earthly reason accounts for the request for the second meal. Perhaps a request like this needs two nights of buttering up for, for a vain king, or perhaps something went awry with her planning for that night. Perhaps her courage wavered. Whatever the case may be, we will see over the next couple of weeks that it was the hand of providence that guided her to make this delay. As I said when I preached on

chapter one, the main character of the book of Esther is the providence of God. This delay is a crucial part of God's plan, but we are not told how or why Esther made the decision to invite the king and Haman back for a second dinner. As you can already see, I think the action has just happened and is about to happen. The, the hand of God is about to bring salvation to his people in exciting and surprising ways, and we are in our text right

on the precipice of that great hill and the th-- and things are just about to get exciting. And we know that all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, correction, and for training in righteousness. And Esther's courage, resolve, and wisdom present for us a clear model to emulate. Her actions call us to a wise and controlled courage. Now, courageIs a widely misunderstood virtue. We tend to view courage as

the antithesis of fear calmly facing danger as if we are unbothered by it often it seems to be understood as a stoic disregard for danger, rushing in where angels fear to tread. Sometimes we will even use the word fearless as a synonym for courage. But we don't see that here in Esther and, and that is not what Christian courage is. Christian courage is not stoicism. Esther has not demonstrated fearlessness, rather she has done what is right, what is needful, what is most

important in the face of real danger. This is a far more biblical understanding of courage. Biblical courage is faithful action in the face of fear. Christians like Esther face fearful circumstances at times. Uncertainty of circumstance is a part and parcel of the Christian life. Perhaps there is a scary diagnosis. Perhaps the loss of a job. Perhaps the loss of a loved one or the sin of a loved one. And I'm concerned that, that we can think as

Christians that the stoic response is the Christian response. I remember a Q&A night once that I did at Dig. High schoolers were allowed to submit anonymous questions, and a question came in from a young person suffering with anxiety. Uh, the question said, "I don't know what to do. Can't make these feelings go away even though I know that God is displeased by my fear." My heart broke for this student reading this question.

Uh, I fear that he or she is not alone in the perception that fear and an-- this perception on fear and anxiety. Some of us, I think, hear Jesus' words in Matthew six or Paul's words in Philippians four, "Do not be anxious," as a condemnatory statement rather than what they are intended to be, a, the offer of a great comfort. It is true that the words do not fear are in the imperative mood, and usually the imperative demands our

obedience. But just, just as I, when my small children had nightmares, went to them and held them and said to them in the imperative mood, "Do not be afraid. I'm here. Do not cry." Our Father loves his children with that kind of tender, those kind of loving, deep... A, a deep love that is, even beyond our understanding.

He is a kind and tender and loving father, and y-you don't have to fear. He is with you. And what I want us to do tonight is to consider that when he says, when our Lord says, "Do not fear. Do not be anxious," he does not say so as an exacting master, but as a loving father. We, his people, have a right that no other humans have, which is the right to rejoice and hope in the midst of every fearful circumstance. What I want us to see tonight is why God would say to that

teenage questioner, "You don't have to be afraid." What I want us to leave with tonight is the comfort of our tender and loving Father clearly in our head and heart. So let's ask this question: What is true of the Christian that allows us to have even joy and freedom in the face of real fear? I want us to consider in answer to that question three truths about the interplay between our faith and our fear. First, the Christian fears rightly.

Second, the Christian is the recipient of the promises of God. And third, because of these things, the Christian is freed to act in accordance with what is true and not merely how they feel. So first, the Christian fears rightly. Isn't it interesting that the Bible tells us that fear is an essential component of trustworthy knowledge? Isn't it interesting how the word fear is used in the Bible? Sometimes it's used as, as we commonly use it, to describe the

simple and natural response to danger. Sometimes it's used to describe the sin of trusting and valuing others more than God, the fear of man. And sometimes it is used, fear, to describe the most basic righteous act of the human mind. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To recognize our finite nature in relation to a holy and sovereign God is the way to any true understanding and to any trustworthy knowledge.The human being asks him or herself,

"What is the greatest danger that I face? Is it other people? Is it the natural world? Is it pain? Is it death?" Let me give a silly example. If, if I were to be locked in a cage with an angry cat and a rabid dog and a quiet bear, what is the greatest danger to me? The angry cat is likely a problem. That dog is probably a bigger problem. But if I don't keep my eye on that bear at all times, I am a fool. You have to evaluate and recognize

relative danger. The truth is that the greatest thing in existence that is to be feared is nothing that exists alongside me within creation. Let me explain that a little further. The greatest threat to anything is the one who holds existence in his hands. "Do not fear those who can destroy the body here on earth," Jesus told us, "but fear the one who can destroy body and soul in hell." A true understanding of the holiness, the majesty,

the power of God automatically produces great fear. We see this time and time again in the scripture when, when human beings actually encounter the living God. Moses in Exodus 3 and Elijah in 1 Kings 19 must hide their faces from the presence of God. Isaiah in Isaiah 6 pronounces his own great woe. The disciples at the transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 17 fall on their faces, terrified. John in Revelation 1 falls at Christ's

feet. It is the fool who says in his heart that there is no God. The fool does not have knowledge that is trustworthy in any ultimate sense because he does not possess this correct fear, this righteous fear, the kind of fear that is righteousness and leads to life. The fool is arrogant and sees himself as the center. He sees himself as sovereign. The cat and the dog are the biggest threats in his cage. To understand the omnipotence and freedom of

God and our utter dependence upon his gracious care is to understand the world as it truly is. To make this the lens through which you view the experiences of life is to rightly understand this world. Uh, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," and that is exactly incorrect. The only thing we have to fear, the only thing we have to fear, is the holy and living God himself.

And this reality that I've just described to you is simultaneously the most fearful and terrible of all truths and the most hopeful and joyful of all truths. The fear of God is the fear above all fears. To those apart from the saving work of Christ, nothing could be worse. But to those of us who trust in Christ, it is life and hope and peace. When God is in his proper p-place, all of our other fears find their proper place.

Next, the Christian is the recipient of the promises of God. Do you see, brother or sister in Christ, if it is the case that God is all there is to fear, and if it is the case that you have been united with Him, with Christ by faith, then He has taken upon Himself the horrible wrath of God that you deserved, and the reward of eternal blessedness that He earned is now yours. And so nothing, nothing that this earthly life throws at you

needs to be feared. In Christ, all the promises of God are yes and amen. Do you see how the love of God in Christ dissolves all of our other fears? Do you fear death? Christ has one eternal blessed life for you, and none will snatch us from His hand. Do you fear being unloved? Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. Do you fear being alone? He has promised that He will never leave or forsake

you. Do you fear pain and suffering? This light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Do you fear meaninglessness? But we know that in the Lord our labors are never in vain. Do you fear for those you love? Does not our Father give what is good to those who ask of Him?Do you fear for the f- your future? For those who call, who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.

Do you fear what evil men will do? If God is for us, who can be against us? The fear of God places all things in their rightful place, and the love of God for us in Christ breaks the power of every other fear. Oh grave, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting? Christian, what have you to fear? The resurrection of Christ pays the surety upon the promises of God. Do you see death could not keep him, and because of him,

it cannot keep you. Now please understand me. This does not mean that you will never experience the emotion of fear or that fearful things will never happen to you. It means, Christian, that you have been granted the right, the ability, to rejoice and hope in the midst of your fear. No one but the Christian has been granted that right. You have been given the right to know that even your fear will be used by God for something good

and f- in and for you. I contend that, that the great heroes and martyrs of the faith were not free from fear in their persecutions and sufferings. Stephen did not give a, a John Wayne snarl to the stones as they were thrown. No. What were his last words? "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." As, as those stones flew at him, as he stood there, and the cup of his heart was filled with dark

fear of death, and then the clear and beautiful glory of God was poured to overflowing into his cup until it was the only thing left in his heart. Do you see, Christian, when, when the worst comes, when the thing that brings you the most trepidation and fear comes, what you will see, what you will experience, is the very presence of the living God. What you will find is that as what you fear reaches you, God will not forsake or let go of you. He will sustain

you and strengthen you even until the end. Brother or sister, do you know that your God delights in your trust? Do you know that-- Do you realize that l- this is what literally what gives him pleasure, that you would call out to him in the midst of your distress? Psalm one forty-seven, verses eleve- ten and eleven say this: His delight is not in the strength of a horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear

him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. In a fearful situation, which you may find yourself in even now or, or someday, do you-- Perhaps you think that the Lord would prefer you to be calm before you call out to him. Perhaps you think, as that, that dig kid did at the Q&A night, that he would be more pleased with you if your heart was steady. No, he takes pleasure in your hope in him. When you realize that the only thing that you can do

and the only thing that you need is to reach out to him and ask him for your help, when you re- his help, when you realize your utter dependence and reliance upon him and you reach to him in desperate prayer for deliverance, it gives our Lord joy.

When the Philistines captured David at Gath, he was in great fear, and he composed Psalm fifty-six to express his prayer to God. Brother and sister who may be facing fear today, let this be your prayer as well. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? You have kept count of my tossings. Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

And my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? We've not been promised freedom from fear as believers in Christ. Moreover, Christianity is not stoicism or some kind of opiate that numbs the sharp edge of fear. We have been given the promises of God, and they place

every fearful sur- circumstance in its proper place. The promises of God to his people have been givenThe surety of the resurrection of Christ himself, and thus in every fearful circumstance, the believer can stand firm.

Finally, the Christian, because of these things, is enabled to act in accordance with what is true, in accordance with what is right. For the Christian, fear is not the opposite of faith, it is the proving ground of faith. It is the place where we-- what we say we believe is put to the test. It is the fire in your life that gives you the opportunity to trust and obey God. The model that Esther gives to us here is one of acting in

accordance with what is right, with what is true, in spite of her fear. Some of us are, are, are facing actual fearful circumstances, and some of us are beset with even punishing anxiety. And the temptation that accompanies these emotions is l- to allow them to dictate our actions, to, to allow them to become our master. Anxiety can call-- cause all kinds of wreckage in a life. When we allow it to rule, it will lead us

into despair or desperation, either to shut down or to act rashly. But, but notice that Esther, in her fearful situation, she does neither of those things. Esther determined what was right to do. She knew what she had to do. She established a plan based in wisdom, and she acted upon that plan. She acted deliberately and with wisdom. So brother and sister, in a fearful place, you must remember everything that we've said so far, that God is the only actual thing

to be feared, and because of Christ, God is for you, that He delights in you calling upon Him for help. So you must call upon Him in faith, then you must determine what is right to do, determine to act in accordance with what you know to be true, and then you must move forward in faith. And when and if panic sets in, you say to yourself, "I know what is true. I know that God is for me and nothing can be against me," and you move ahead in faith.

Now, I know that this is far easier said than done. I know that some of you are facing very real and fearful circumstances. But what I'm asking you to do is place your trust upon the one who is trustworthy above all else. The message of the scripture repeated over and over and over is that our Lord is faithful and is able and willing to help you. This is exactly what the, the Bible means when it says on forty-one separate occasions that His

steadfast love endures forever. You can trust Him in the midst of your uncertainty. He delights to help you. He will be present with you and help. This is a day-to-day fight. For those of you who are in a fearful circumstance, who suffer with anxiety, you wake up, you feel that sense of dread, and you lift your heart to the Lord for help. You say with David, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." You remember, you remind yourself that He delights to help

you. You remember that all of the promises of God are yes and amen to you in Christ. You remember what is true about the day ahead of you, and although you may want to hide, you move forward knowing the Lord has mercy upon you and is with you, knowing that nothing will be able to separate you from His love. Like Esther, you consider what is wisdom, what is the true path, and you do that thing. Even as-- Even if your heart wavers, you move

forward in obedience to the one who holds you in His hands. He is worthy of your trust, and He delights in your prayers for help. He is gracious. He is compassionate. He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love to His people. Let's pray together.

Father, we come to you as weak and finite children, dependent upon you for all things. We come to you needy and without hope, apart from your mercy and your sustaining grace. We come to you as those who cannot change the circumstances around us, and we come as those tossed to and fro by the ravages of sin upon this world. And we come as those who have been given the right to call you Abba Father by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We come as those who sit firmly in your favor because of our union with this Savior. We come as those redeemed, bought with a price, adopted into the family of God. We come as those who are deeply loved and are treasured by their Father. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors

through you because you have loved us. Lord, we are in awe, and we thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.