Esther: Saying Yes to God
A Sermon on Esther 4 by Pastor Tyler Graftaas
Watch the sermon here.
Introduction
When making a potentially life-altering decision (employment, school, moving, dating, marriage, confronting a colleague, subordinate, boss, or neighbor about their behavior, etc.) How do you determine what the right decision is? When Esther became Queen of Persia she was faced with a decision fraught with life-altering implications. Although very few of us, if any at all, face a decision quite like Esther’s, like Esther we live in a world fighting for power, control, and self-satisfaction, which creates a great tension between whether we say, “Yes” to God, or to someone or something else.
Outline
God’s mission has to be the priority of God’s people (vv.1-3)
Personal pride, community standing, and self-interest, clamor for priority in your life (vv.4-12)
God is sovereign but He calls us to participate in his mission (vv.13-15)
Discernment is a community effort fraught with self-sacrifice (vv.16-17)
Life Application
There is an unending stream of things (people, institutions, entertainment, and more) clamoring for our time, energy, and resources. In order to say yes to God, we have to say no to all other things which want priority in our lives.
Everything costs something, every decision will come with associated costs. Saying yes to God is the only decision that eternally guarantees that the benefits outweigh the costs because God has paid the price upfront.
God does not need you, He loves you and wants you to become all he created you to be. Saying yes to God places you in a community of His people called to engage in His mission, which requires each of us to say yes to God over and over again.
