“IS THERE HOPE FOR AMERICA #2: FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
“IS THERE HOPE FOR AMERICA #2: FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!”
ESTHER 4:14
INTRO: As we contemplate the idea of “America, A Christian Nation,” it seems
so hard for us to embrace because of the dramatic shift in morals
and ideas in this country in the last 40 years. America, as a Christian
nation sounds like an alien philosophy, an intrusion of religion into
the tranquility of a secular nation to many in our country today.
America’s moved toward atheistic ideals and dogmas have been taking
place at a time when most atheistic Communist states around this
world have been crumbling and people there are clamoring for the
Word of God. An incident at a book fair in Moscow about a decade
ago, when the Iron Curtain was dismantling, shows the hunger of
God’s word when a people realize the folly of unbelief and the fatal
results in people’s lives when God is ignored. Traffic lined up,
stopped in every direction, as people desperately tried to get a copy of
of one of fifty thousand Bibles being given away. Just as the rest of
this world is beginning to realize how foolish and fatal unbelief can be,
our country continues swiftly down a foolish and fatal path toward
godlessness and secularism.
Patrick Henry, a Christian patriot, the golden-tongued orator of the
Revolutionary period, said in his will, “I have now disposed of all my
property to my family. There is one more thing I wish I could give to
them. That is the Christian religion. If they had that and I had not
given them one shilling, they would have been rich; and if they had
not that and I had given them the world, they would be poor.”
Knowing the foundations of liberty, knowing the bedrock of Scripture
and the Christian foundations of this nation, Henry was willing to
sacrifice even his life to defend it. In March 1775, a month before the
shot was heard round the world ignited the Revolutionary War, Henry
said these words in his celebrated speech: “The battle, Sir, is not to
the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave…Why stand
we here idle? What is it the gentlemen wish? What would they have?
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know what course
others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” (D.
James Kennedy with Jerry Newcombe. What If America Were A
Christian Nation Again? p. 233).
Friends, our beloved nation founded upon God and godly principles
demands an equal sacrifice from all of us. Listen to Mordecai’s words
to Esther in Esther 4:14—“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at
this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the
Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be
destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for
such a time as this.”
IS THERE HOPE FOR AMERICA? Not if God’s people remain silent
and fail to fulfill the responsibility given to them by God. Our Lord
said in Matthew 5:13-16—“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt
have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good
for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye
are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven.” I want to speak on the subject
today: FOR SUCH A TIME IS THIS!
FOR SUCH A TIME IS THIS, IT IS:
(1) TIME TO FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS
ESTHER 4:14a—“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this
time…thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed.”
FOLKS, WE NEED:
A. THE COURAGE TO SPEAK UP. Do you recall when all the Jews of Persia
and beyond lived under the sentence of death? Esther 3:8-9 tells us, “And
Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad
and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and
their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws:
therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it
be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of
silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it
into the king's treasuries. And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave
it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. And
the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do
with them as it seemeth good to thee. Then were the king's scribes called on
the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all
that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the
governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of
every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their
language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the
king's ring. And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to
destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little
children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth
month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.
The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was
published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day.”
Haman was incensed because Mordecai the Jew would not bow down to
him. He devised an evil plan to destroy all the Jews in Persia and the
surrounding areas. He slyly talked King Ahasuerus into this plan. The date
was set. The plan was put into motion, and thousands upon thousands of
Jews were to die. There was nothing to stop this wicked plan except the
hand of Almighty God! But God, as He so often does, intervened and
delivered His people. And He worked through a person to do it. This
person was Esther. Unknown to King Ahasuerus was the fact that his wife
and beautiful queen Esther was a Jew. In those days, the king’s power was
so great that Esther feared for her life just coming into his presence to ask
for a hearing. Esther was at first afraid and apprehensive but Mordecai
reminded her, “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall
there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but
thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether
thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Folks, God’s people have kept silent too long! We are reaping the fruits of
our silence. Note Mordecai told Esther, “For if thou altogether holdest thy
peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the
Jews from another place…”. Mordecai said, “If you don’t speak up, God will
bring deliverance from another source.” But notice the last part of his
warning, “but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed…”. Folks, if we
don’t get involved, we will suffer loss! The reason our country is in the
moral crisis we find ourselves today is that God’s people have kept silent too
long! Saint Ambrose said, “Not only for every idle word must man give
account, but for every idle silence.”
B. THE COURAGE TO STAND UP. The Christian values and Biblical
principles which made this country great at the beginning have been swiftly
slipping through our fingers like sand because too many Christians are
“engaged simply in personal peace and prosperity,” as Dr. Francis Schaeffer
used to say. Friends, we are losing the soul of American because of what
those on the opposite side of what is good and godly do and say and what
we don’t do and say! Friend, the sins of omission—failing to do what we
should do and say—may be the very things that create greatest amount of
evil in our world today! Esther took a stand for what she knew was right!
The question is: Will we?
The Church has been given a commission, a command from God to “Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15). All
we have to do to be disobedient is to do nothing! Say nothing, do nothing,
and we are guilty! By doing so we are indirectly to blame for the flood of
unbelief and wickedness upon our land.
ILLUS: One of the greatest military geniuses America ever produced was
General Douglas MacArthur. For fifty years he devoted his life to
this country. Do you remember what he said after he conquered
the empire of Japan? Was it “What is needed now are tax collectors
to collect taxes for the conquerors”? No. He said that what was
needed now was ten thousand missionaries for Japan. But they
didn’t come. Now we see how right he was.
Douglas MacArthur once made another very astute observation
that shows the importance of morality to our nation: “History fails
to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral
decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There
has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse,
or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.”
(D. James Kennedy with Jerry Newcombe. What If America Were A
Christian Nation Again? pp. 233-234).
Folks, if God’s people could only see clearly, we would see what a great
honor and privilege it is to be a part of what God’s grace is doing in our
world today. We have more missionaries in this world preaching the gospel
than ever before. This world has more access to the gospel than ever before
via printed Word, satellite radio and TV, internet, etc. Queen Esther was
privileged to take a stand for her people! And the privilege is ours when we
boldly take a stand for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Haman’s evil plot
backfired on him and he was hanged on the very gallows he had created for
Mordecai. Friends, I believe you and I have been called by God’s grace to
live in America and serve in America “For such a time as this”!
FOR SUCH A TIME IS THIS, it is TIME TO FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS and it is…
(2) TIME TO BE FAITHFUL TO OUR REDEEMER
ESTHER 4:14b—“ who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for
such a time as this?”
A. WE MUST BE CONCERNED. When the choice was laid before Esther
notice what she did. Vv. 15-16 tell us—“ Then Esther bade them return
Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in
Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or
day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the
king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” It took faith
upon Esther’s part to stand up for her people. Friends, I want you to
notice the difference that faith makes. Esther said, “…so will I go in unto
the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” At first
she was afraid and apprehensive but not faithful and fearless! What
caused Esther to act on the behalf of her people? CONCERN! One of the
things lacking in our Churches and country today is CONCERN. The
condition of our beloved country should trouble all of us! We are truly
living in a society today where many “call evil good, and good evil; that put
darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and
sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). Friend, “if you have come to the place
where the terror of the law of God will not move you, and where the
tenderness of God's love and mercy will not melt you, this in itself is an
indication that your heart is not right in the sight of God. Brother, if your
heart is not right you are all wrong; if you do not want good things and love
good things and have not the yearning after God that you ought to have
and that can be satisfied alone by God, you are wrong” (Bible Illustrator For
Windows. Version 3.0f. Copyright 1990-1998, by Parsons Technology, Inc.
All Rights Reserved) and living in UNCONCERN! What does UNCONCERN
do? :
➢ Unconcern causes us to neglect our spiritual responsibilities.
➢ Unconcern causes us to lose our vision for souls.
➢ Unconcern causes us to lose the vision of the importance of spirituality.
➢ Unconcern causes us to turn a deaf ear to the Word.
B. WE MUST BE CONSECRATED. Esther said, “…So will I go in unto the
king…and if I perish, I perish.” “If I lose my life in this attempt to save my
people, I shall lose it cheerfully. I see it is my duty to make the attempt;
and, come what will, I am resolved to do it” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary on
The Bible. e-Sword. Version 7.6.1. Copyright 2000-2005. Rick Meyers. All
Rights Reserved Worldwide). Folks, we must be consecrated to doing what
we can to contribute to the spiritual well-being of America. We must
resolve: “I may not be able to do everything, but I can do something, and
what I can do, I will do.” The sin of doing nothing at all—that is the great
sin of the Church today.
Folks, in the heat of the spiritual battle we are involved in for the heart and
soul of America, many have chosen to not be involved. 1 Timothy 6:12
encourages us—“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before
many witnesses.”
ILLUS: Someone wrote:
I am a soldier in the army of my God! The Lord Jesus Christ is my
Commanding Officer! The Holy Bible is my code of conduct! Faith,
prayer and the word are my weapons of warfare!
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried
by adversity and tested by fire! I am a volunteer in this army, and I
am enlisted for eternity! I will either retire in this army at the
rapture or die in this Army; But I will not get out, sell out, be
talked out, or pushed out! I am faithful, reliable, capable and
dependable!
If my God needs me, I am there! If He needs me in Sunday School,
to teach children, work with the youth, help adults or just sit and
learn, He can use me, because I am there!
I am a soldier! I am not a baby! I do not need to be pampered,
petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up or pepped up!
I am a soldier! No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit
me, entice me or lure me!
I am a soldier! I am not a wimp! I am in place, saluting my King,
obeying His orders, praising His name and building His kingdom!
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy or give me
handouts! I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for or
catered to!
I am committed! I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to
turn me around!
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside! I cannot lose
enough to cause me to quit!
When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing! If I end up
with nothing, I will still come out even! I will win!
My God will supply all my needs! I am more than a conqueror! I
will always triumph! I can do all things through Christ!
Devils cannot defeat me! People cannot disillusion me! Weather
cannot weary me! Sickness cannot stop me! Battles cannot beat
me! Money cannot buy me! Governments cannot silence me and
HELL CANNOT HANDLE ME!
I am a soldier! Even death cannot destroy me! For when my
commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to a
captain and then bring me back to rule this world with Him!
I am a soldier, in the army, and I'm marching, claiming victory! I
will not give up! I will not turn around!
I am a soldier, marching heaven bound! Here I stand!
WILL YOU STAND WITH ME?
Submitted by: Patty Cutler Email - jwort77@
-J. Michael Walls
Friends, IS THERE HOPE FOR AMERICA? There is if God’s people will be CONCERNED and CONSECRATED. Will you do that? FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS, it is TIME TO FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS, TIME TO BE FAITHFUL TO OUR REDEEMER and finally it is…
(3) FULFILL OUR RESPONSIBILITY
ESTHER 4:17—“So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that
Esther had commanded him.”
A. EMBRACE CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us—“If my
people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” If America has
any hope at all it must begin with God’s people fulfilling their responsibility
to be what they are called to be: CHRISTLIKE! Herein lies the Christian
motive; it is simple. We cannot live without Christ and we cannot bear to
think of men living without him. ... We believe in a Christlike world. We
know nothing better; we can be content with nothing less. -- From the
International Missionary Council, Jerusalem, 1928. Christianity Today, Vol.
30, no. 10. 2 Chronicles 7:14 gives us four characteristics we must
possess to be CHRISTLIKE and see revival spread across our land:
➢ A Humble Spirit. “humble themselves.”
➢ A Hungry Soul. “Pray, and seek my face.”
➢ A Hearing Heart. “If my people, shall…”.
➢ A Heeding Mind. “turn from their wicked ways.”
Esther 4:17 says—“ So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that
Esther had commanded him.”
B. EVANGELIZE CHRISTLESS PEOPLE. Our Lord’s last command to His
disciples was “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” If every Christian in America
would simply win one person to Christ this year, this nation would be well
on its way to be the Christian nation that it once was and most all of our
problems as a society would vanish.
ILLUS: The world's great heart is aching,
Aching fiercely in the night.
And God alone can hear it--
And God alone give light.
The men to hear the message
And speak the living Word.
And you and I, my brother,
And the missions who have heard.
We grovel among trifles
And our spirits fret and toss.
While above us burns the vision
Of Christ upon the Cross.
And the blood of Christ streaming
From his pierced hands and side.
And the lips of Christ are saying
Tell the lost that I have died.
No power of man shall thwart us
No strongholds shall dismay.
When God commands obedience
And love has led the way.
- Unknown
If every Christian would become involved in our culture and boldly proclaim
the gospel of Jesus Christ, this beloved nation and this world would be
transformed almost overnight. It would be glorious! Friend, will you do it?
CLOSING: Friend, if you are saved today, Christ has commanded, “Follow me,
and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19). As a believer,
are you doing that or are you living in silent rebellion, day after
day, year after year? The problems we see in America today are
the price we are paying because of this rebellion! FOR SUCH A
TIME AS THIS, it is TIME TO FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS, TIME TO
BE FAITHFUL TO OUR REDEEMER, and TIME TO FULFILL OUR
RESPONSIBILITY. Will you friend contribute to the problem or
Work toward a solution? The choice is ours! We are living in a
special hour and “who knoweth whether thou art come to the
kingdom for such a time as this?”
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