Break Out of Our Comfort Zones—Part 5
You see, the real King might soon be saying, “I have a dream I want you to share in. Does that sound good to you? Do you think that if necessary, you could break out of your comfort zone? Could you put all you have at My disposal?” Twenty million dollars—that’s a lot of money. Well, it wasn’t really $20 million as such, it was 10,000 talents of silver. But 10,000 talents of silver in the citadel of Susa would have been worth about 20 million dollars today. That isn’t what the Lord was asking of Esther. He wanted her to put her very life on the line.
An evil man, Haman, had offered out of his fortune to place 10,000 talents into the royal treasury. The sum was enormous because the request that accompanied it was also. What Haman wanted was the privilege of killing all the Jews in the 127 provinces ruled over by King Xerxes. This monarch took the signet ring from his finger—his symbol—and gave it to Haman with the fateful words, “Do with the people as you please” (Es. 3:11).
It was then that cousin Mordecai made contact with the grown orphan girl he had raised. Esther had become queen of the land without revealing that she was Jewish. Mordecai encouraged her to beg her husband, the king, for mercy for her people. Mordecai wanted her to risk all she had been given-the comforts of the court, the title, the crown. This is the message he sent Esther.
Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place [God will do His “thing” no matter what], but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? (Es. 4:13-14)
Esther had no problem seeing God’s hand in all that was happening. This is why I’ve been given what I have, she reasoned, my beauty, my marriage, my throne. She replied to Mordecai, “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Es. 4:16).
So often we learn from Scripture that to be a part of God’s dreams for us we must become spiritual risk-takers. We have to break out of our comfort zones. We need to dare to dream.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
