The Downfall of Haman (Esther): Queen Esther displayed great wisdom and courage in facing King Xerxes to intercede on behalf of the Jewish people. And in a dramatic reversal, her plan works! Haman falls into his own trap prepared for Mordecai and gets the justice he deserved. In Esther’s story, and elsewhere in the Bible, God uses faithful people to accomplish his justice and rescue his people. Recorded on Aug 10, 2025, on Esther 6:12-8:14 by Pastor Nate Huber.
This sermon is part of our series, For Such A Time As This, from the book of Esther in the Bible. Twenty-five hundred years ago, a courageous young Jewish woman named Esther became queen of Persia. Far from home, Esther and her cousin Mordecai had to navigate palace politics, power, and danger to prevent the annihilation of their people. They needed humility, wisdom, and extraordinary courage. Esther’s story is dramatic, inspiring, and surprising. Because while God’s name is never mentioned, His fingerprints are everywhere. In our series, we’re reminded that God has faithfully worked behind the scenes in a lot of messed-up situations with messy people for a long time now. He did it then. He can do it again. But will we have the courage to do the right thing, whatever the cost?
Mordecai Honored (Esther): In response to Haman’s evil plot, Esther demonstrated remarkable wisdom and courage in making her appeal to King Xerxes. Then, seemingly coincidentally, the king remembered that Mordecai had saved his life and decided to honor him, much to the embarrassment of Haman! Was this God’s hidden hand at work? One thing is sure: God’s providence is never late. Recorded on Aug 3, 2025, on Esther 5-6 by Pastor Nate Huber.
For Such a Time as This (Esther): What do you do when your circumstances are messed up and you don’t have enough control to fix it yourself? The big question is this: Are you ready to do the right thing, whatever the cost? While Mordecai lamented the king’s edict, Esther demonstrated real courage by being willing to sacrifice herself to try to save her people. But would it be enough? Recorded on Jul 27, 2025, on Esther 4 by Pastor David Parks.
This sermon is part of our series, For Such A Time As This, from the book of Esther in the Bible. Twenty-five hundred years ago, a courageous young Jewish woman named Esther became queen of Persia. Far from home, Esther and her cousin Mordecai had to navigate palace politics, power, and danger to prevent the annihilation of their people. They needed humility, wisdom, and extraordinary courage. Esther’s story is dramatic, inspiring, and surprising. Because while God’s name is never mentioned, His fingerprints are everywhere. In our series, we’re reminded that God has faithfully worked behind the scenes in a lot of messed-up situations with messy people for a long time now. He did it then. He can do it again. But will we have the courage to do the right thing, whatever the cost?
Sermon Transcript
Well, we’re already halfway through our summer sermon series called For Such A Time As This, from the book of Esther in the Bible. And we’ve said, twenty-five hundred years ago, in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, the greatest kingdom on the planet at the time, a courageous young Jewish orphan named Esther became the queen of Persia. But despite this dramatic reversal, Esther was still very far from home, and she was still vulnerable. Last week, we saw the leadership failure of King Xerxes in promoting Haman, the Agagite, the villain of our story. When Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, who had raised her, refused to bow down to Haman, as the king had commanded, Haman’s wounded pride not only wouldn’t allow him to forgive this offense, but instead, Haman used his proximity to the king to get permission to kill all of the Jews in Persia. This is so messed-up. How would Mordecai respond to this existential threat? Was there anything Esther could do to prevent the annihilation of her people? We’ll see. But what would you do if your very existence were in question? Today, we have more of a big question given to us by the text than a big idea to share. If your circumstances are ever messed up (like this) and you face powers much greater than you, or you feel you only have the ability to control a tiny part of a huge problem, here’s the question: Are you ready to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Already, in our series, we’ve seen that God’s people need wisdom and courage to navigate the complexities of life in exile. And we saw last week that pride is the root of many other sins, so humility is also vital for life in exile. But will wisdom, courage, and humility be enough to overcome Haman’s plot? Well, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Esther 4:1. We’ll read through the whole chapter today and unpack it as we go.
Esther 4:1–5 (NIV), “1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.” Commentator Anthony Tomasino writes, “…in the book of Esther, changes of clothing typically reflect a change in circumstances.” (Tomasino, Anthony. Esther. Lexham Press, 2016, p. 241.) Talk about a bad change in circumstances here, right? Well, how would Mordecai respond? When he learned of all that had been done, about Haman’s plot, the approval of the king, and the couriers who sent the word throughout the kingdom that on the 13th day of the month of Adar, the Jewish people were legally able to be attacked, killed, and plundered, Mordecai tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out wailing loudly and bitterly. Now, all these actions were culturally normal for someone in mourning. Mordecai was mourning the evil of Haman’s plot, the injustice of the king’s decree, and the thought of the death of all his people throughout Persia. But it wasn’t just Mordecai. Jews throughout the kingdom joined him in mourning when they received the news. But it seems Esther remained insulated from the news while she remained in the palace. All she knew was that Mordecai was mourning some sort of great loss, and since he was in his sackcloth, he wasn’t allowed to come in the king’s gate to be able to tell Esther what had happened. But here, we start to see Esther taking action for herself. She summoned Hathak, one of her royal attendants, to go to Mordecai and find out what was going on. What would he say?
Esther 4:6-11 (NIV), “6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. 9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” So Mordecai told Hathak everything. He told him about the plot to kill all the Jews in Persia. He told him about the money Haman basically bribed the king with — a huge sum of money, by the way. Worth billions in today’s dollars! And he gave Hathak a copy of the edict to give to Esther so she would know what was happening. Hathak brought all this back to the queen, but Esther wasn’t thrilled about what Mordecai was asking her to do. Something like, “All you have to do is go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for your people!” And Esther basically responded, “Are you trying to get me killed? Me! Your own adopted daughter! Everybody knows that if I do that and the king fails to extend his scepter to me, I’m dead!” That’s a fair point, Esther. Plus, she says that it had been thirty days since she was called to go to the king. Maybe she was already wondering if the king was growing tired of her. Maybe she was wondering if she was about to be tossed aside like Vashti was before her. Again, despite her position as the queen, Esther was still vulnerable. It would be understandable that Esther wouldn’t want to do anything that might put her position in further jeopardy. Let’s see what Mordecai will say.
Esther 4:12–17 (NIV), “12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “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 attendants 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.” 17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.” This is God’s word. So, when Mordecai hears of Esther’s reluctance to go to the king, he responds with wisdom and humility. “Esther, you might see it as a risk to try to go talk with the king. But you’re already at risk by the nature of Haman’s plot. The word is out. People know that I’m Jewish, so they’ll know that you are as well. Do you think you’ll be able to escape this edict because you’re the queen? You won’t! But guess what? No one else could even get through the king’s gate. No one else could have the favor that you would have with the king. Maybe this is what all this craziness of becoming the queen was all about? Whether or not you ever agreed to this or wanted to be here, maybe, just maybe, you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” For such a time as this. It should be “for such a crisis as this.” Who knows? Only God knows. Only God knows if part of the reason for Esther’s wild story, and experiencing the messiness of certain situations and being involved with certain messy people, was to put her in a position of influence to alter the course of history. But if wisdom and humility came from Mordecai, the courage came from Esther. She saw the wisdom in what Mordecai suggested, despite the risks. But it was still risky. So, instead of Mordecai giving instructions and Esther listening, Esther started giving some instructions and Mordecai started listening. And Esther instructs Mordecai to gather all the Jews in the city of Susa to fast for three days. Esther and her attendants would fast as well, and when they had fasted, she would go to the king. “And,” Esther famously said, “if I perish, I perish.” She understands the risks, but has totally accepted them because of the needs of her people. She was willing to put her own life on the line for the sake of her people. And if she would be a sacrifice, so be it. That’s real courage. It’s not that Esther wasn’t afraid; I’m sure she was. She already voiced her fears of rejection from the king. But courage means you’re willing to do what is right, whatever the cost. Esther was vulnerable; she was still very far from home, but she had wisdom, humility, and courage. Would this be enough? For now, Queen Esther declared a time of fasting. They would all fast for three days. Why three? The number three is a meaningful number in the Bible. God himself is revealed as one God in three divine persons, the Father, Son, and Spirit. The prophet Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish before going to Nineveh. Jesus, of course, died on the cross but rose again on the third day. Now, aside from the personhood of God, the use of threes in Jonah and Jesus’ stories both reflect a dramatic reversal that took place after waiting for three days in death or in a death-like state in the sea. Will a dramatic reversal happen in Persia after three days of fasting? We’ll see. Now, before we get to the application, one of the curious features of this passage is that fasting is mentioned several times, but prayer is not. This is biblically weird. Wearing sackcloth and ashes, and fasting would almost always be accompanied by fervent prayer to Yahweh El Shaddai, the Lord God Almighty, to act. Fasting and prayers of lamentation in the Bible are often an expression of grief. But they’re also a common expression of repentance (Dan 9; Neh 9; Jon 3). This is mourning, not for the loss of a loved one, but as a humble expression of godly sorrow over the sin of an individual, family, or nation. So why wouldn’t the narrator mention prayer? Surely, that was the idea of fasting before going to see the king; it was a spiritual action. I believe the reason is that in Esther, the narrator intentionally leaves God hidden in the background. So it’s not a surprise that they might leave an explicit mention of prayer to God in the background, too. We almost had a reference to God when Mordecai delivered his famous line, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” God would know. And he is the one who could reverse this terrible situation. So God’s people would go to him in humility, fasting and praying for help, favor, wisdom, and deliverance. But would it work? Would the king receive Esther and listen to her? Or would she give her life for her people? Would Esther one day be able to say, like Joseph said all those years earlier, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Ge 50:20). Or could she quote the Apostle Paul years later when he wrote, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Ro 8:28). We’ll find out in the week ahead. But what do we do with Chapter 4 today? How might we apply this to our lives today? Well, as we often say about stories in the Bible, we most likely will never face the exact situation that Mordecai and Esther faced in Persia. However, we most likely will face times when our circumstances become messy, confusing, or are very much a threat. So, if your circumstances are ever messed up (like this) and perhaps you too face powers much greater than you, or you feel you only have the ability to control a tiny part of a huge problem, here’s the question: Are you ready to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Mordecai had to risk upsetting the king by loudly wailing and disrupting the capital city with his mourning. He had to have the courage to lament. But this hardly compares to the risks Esther faced and the courage she needed to face the king. “If I perish, I perish.” is such a tough response. Would that be your response? Esther was humble, but she wasn’t weak. Maybe, perhaps counterintuitively, her humility strengthened her. Why? Because humility means you do not think more highly of yourself than you should. This lends itself to a better, truer view of who God is. Humility says we must trust in the Lord with all our heart, and lean not on our own understanding, because our understanding is limited. We don’t have all the data. We can’t see people’s hearts. So, we must trust in the Lord and not pridefully in ourselves. This humble faith will help us do the right thing, regardless of the cost. But finally, as we close, let us not rush too quickly past what Mordecai and Esther did first. Let us not dismiss their fasting and mourning only as a strange cultural practice of ancient people. Because times of fasting and prayers of lament have helped God’s people throughout the ages of life, not only in exile, but in the exile of life in a broken world—a world of sin and darkness, a world of injustice, chaos, and death. Is there beauty here? Is there goodness and justice here? Yes. God made this to be a good and perfect world. But it has become corrupted by sin and death. This is the whole problem that Jesus came to solve. But even for us, his followers, men and women who have been saved by faith in Jesus, who have been forgiven for our sins, adopted into God’s family, and given life even beyond the grave, even for us, we can still feel the sting of the brokenness of this world. We can still feel the threat of evil. How do we respond? We do need wisdom, courage, and humility, but also, it might help to learn the ancient practice of lament. From the book, Dark Clouds Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop, Mark writes, “Lament is the honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness…It is a prayer loaded with theology. Christians affirm that the world is broken, God is powerful, and he will be faithful…lament is a path to praise as we are led through our brokenness and disappointment. The space between brokenness and God’s mercy is where this song is sung. Think of lament as the transition between pain and promise. It is the path from heartbreak to hope.” (Vroegop, Mark. Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament (pp. 26-27, 29). (Function). Kindle Edition.) The author encourages us to echo many of the psalms in the Bible when we are hurting. To turn to God in prayer and bring our complaints to him. To ask boldly for him to intervene/deliver/provide/protect us, but to remember who our great God is and affirm our trust/hope in him, even while we wait on him, even in the midst of our pain. So today, are we people who lament when we come face to face with the evil or injustice of this broken world? Are we a church where people can lament, but find hope, healing, and renewal in the midst of a community of believers? I pray this is true. Are you ready to do the right thing, whatever the cost? Let us pray.
Haman’s Plot (Esther): Bad leaders corrupt organizations. How? One way is by promoting all the wrong people. In Esther, this is when the plot thickens. When King Xerxes made Haman his second in command, Mordecai refused to bow to him. Haman’s wounded pride led to a plot to kill and plunder all the Jewish people of Persia. Would they survive this existential threat? Recorded on Jul 20, 2025, on Esther 3 by Pastor David Parks.
This sermon is part of our series, For Such A Time As This, from the book of Esther in the Bible. Twenty-five hundred years ago, a courageous young Jewish woman named Esther became queen of Persia. Far from home, Esther and her cousin Mordecai had to navigate palace politics, power, and danger to prevent the annihilation of their people. They needed humility, wisdom, and extraordinary courage. Esther’s story is dramatic, inspiring, and surprising. Because while God’s name is never mentioned, His fingerprints are everywhere. In our series, we’re reminded that God has faithfully worked behind the scenes in a lot of messed-up situations with messy people for a long time now. He did it then. He can do it again. But will we have the courage to do the right thing, whatever the cost?
Sermon Transcript
Well, this summer we’re going through a sermon series called For Such A Time As This, from the book of Esther in the Bible. Twenty-five hundred years ago, in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, the greatest kingdom on the planet at the time, a courageous young Jewish woman named Esther became the queen of Persia. And we saw the morally ambiguous way that came about last week with King Xerxes throwing a nationwide beauty contest, which Esther won. But despite her beauty, Esther and her older cousin Mordecai, who had raised her since Esther lost her parents, were very far from home. So, despite the dramatic turn of events that made a young, orphaned Jewish girl a queen, they were still vulnerable in some ways, as we’ll see today. Last week, we were introduced to our main protagonists, Esther and Mordecai. Today, we’ll meet the villain of our story, Haman the Agagite (boo!). So far, in the first two chapters of Esther, we saw that King Xerxes had some serious character flaws. And one thing we have about a million examples of down through history is that when you have a leader without godly character, wisdom, or maturity, they tend to corrupt the culture of whatever they are leading. A bad person is certainly not a good situation, but bad leaders are so much more dangerous because they will have a negative impact on others by virtue of their role. Now, you might find this kind of leadership crisis in a family, business, or church, but it’s especially damaging in something as big and complicated as the Persian Empire. One way this happens is that a bad leader tends to promote all the wrong people, people who aren’t necessarily known for their character, competency, or commitment to the greater good. This becomes a vicious cycle as the corrupt leader can’t or won’t hold their corrupt people accountable. But, how do we deal with situations like this that are (sadly) so common in a broken world? Is there anything we can do as followers of Jesus? This is the question of the day. Well, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to Esther 3:1. We’ll read through the whole chapter today and unpack it as we go.
Esther 3:1–6 (NIV), “1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. 3 Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.” Ok! Totally the appropriate response from Haman, right? In the next section, we learn that four years had passed since Esther was made queen. Whether or not she initially had a choice in the matter, she had probably settled into life in the palace of Susa. It was then that her husband, King Xerxes, decided to honor a man named Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. Remember that names in the Bible often matter more than just what someone was called. They often have deeper meanings. Last week, I mentioned that Mordecai appears to have been a descendant of King Saul of ancient Israel. Here, Haman appears to be a descendant of a man named Agag, who was an ancient king of the Amalekites, whom King Saul had defeated and captured some 500 years earlier. Going back even further, you might remember from our series on the Exodus this past year that when Israel was freed from Egypt, they were attacked in the desert by the Amalekites. When the Israelites won, Moses said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the LORD, the LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation” (Ex 17:16). Because of this history, ancient Israelites, when they heard the story of Esther, would’ve immediately understood that Mordecai and Haman were enemies. And we’re not told why Haman was promoted, but King Xerxes put him above everyone, second only to himself. But, and here is where the plot thickens, Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. He would not kneel down or pay him honor. It caused a stir. The royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai why he would disobey the king. They kept speaking to him about it, but he only said that it had something to do with him being Jewish. Uh oh. The secret was out. Mordecai and Esther had taken Persian names while living in exile. Mordecai had forbidden Esther from telling anyone about being Jewish. He wanted her to blend in. He was afraid her family heritage would be used against her. Maybe Haman’s response to Mordecai is proof that his fears were warranted. Because when Haman heard about Mordecai’s refusal to bow before him, and he discovered he was Jewish, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Haman wanted a genocide. But could he pull that off? We’ll see. But before we continue, we must ask the question: Why did Mordecai refuse to bow to Haman? What was it about his being Jewish that prevented him from doing something like that? Well, that is a tough question, because the narrator doesn’t explicitly say. Over the ages, several theories have been offered. First, and what I assumed, was that it was the Law of Moses that prevented him from bowing to Haman. Specifically, the first two commands of the Ten Commandments. You shall have no other gods before me. And you shall not make idols or images and bow down in worship of them. In other words, you shall not worship anything or anyone other than God. This would be the most noble reason why Mordecai refused to bow. And would make Haman’s over-the-top response only a result of his wounded pride. But would bowing in honor of Haman be considered worship? Maybe. But apparently, it also wasn’t that rare in the ancient Near East. Bowing to Haman could’ve been something more like giving a salute to a higher rank in the military. Nothing in the Law of Moses would necessarily prevent that. Another theory is that Mordecai was upset because Haman won the promotion that he felt he deserved. That Mordecai was jealous and refused to bow to Haman as a result. That could be, but it doesn’t say in the text. This theory also doesn’t make sense of Mordecai’s excuse that he was Jewish. The last theory connects the family backgrounds of Mordecai and Haman (which is in the text) and the fact that their people had been enemies for something like 800 years by this point. Was this why Mordecai refused the king’s order? As a Jew, he couldn’t bow down to an Amalekite? This does make a little more sense out of Haman’s response. He didn’t hate Mordecai alone for his wounded pride; he hated Mordecai’s whole people and wanted them all dead. How do we decide? One theory gives Mordecai the moral high ground. He’s trying to obey the commands of his God! But the other gives Mordecai a morally neutral motive at best and might even reveal the hatred in his own heart toward the Amalekites and his own pride in his people. This is messy.
Esther 3:7-11 (NIV), “7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.” 10 So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.” So, the pur, or lot, was cast. This was something like rolling the dice or flipping a coin to make a decision. But, just what would happen during the month of Adar? We’ll find out. But Haman casually brought up this troublesome people group in the vast empire of Persia. Basically, he’s like, “These people keep separate from other people groups. They have strange customs and beliefs and do not obey the king’s laws. Well, at least one of the Jews, this guy named Mordecai, who refused to obey at least one of the king’s laws, that is to bow down before me. Anyways, they should all die. How about this? What if I donated a huge amount of money? If it pleases the king, then would you let me destroy them?” Now, here would’ve been a great opportunity for King Xerxes to start asking some hard questions of his second in command. Who are these people that you want to destroy? What did they all do to deserve to die? But Xerxes again reveals his shallow character. He approves of Haman’s plot without any question or discussion. The signet ring of the king guaranteed that the king was behind any message that was sealed with it. Haman got a blank check. What would he do with it?
Esther 3:12–15 (NIV), “12 Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. 13 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. 14 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day. 15 The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.” This is God’s word. And what a mess this has become! Haman cast the pur to determine the day all the Jews in Persia were to die: the thirteenth day of Adar. When the royal edict, under the seal of the signet ring of the king himself, was translated into every language and sent out to the four corners of the kingdom, the Jewish people were given notice that in just eleven months, their neighbors and the people of their communities had the legal right to attack, kill, and plunder them, man, woman, and child. I can’t imagine how much fear and anxiety they must have felt that year. I’m sure there was anger at the injustice of it all, but what could they do? This was the worst-case scenario. But as fear, chaos, and uncertainty spread with the message of the couriers, the king and Haman sat down to drink, presumably to celebrate the wisdom of their leadership and governance. But the city of Susa was bewildered. Does it make a little more sense that Xerxes would later be assassinated by the captain of his own bodyguard? He was a king people like Haman could use, but not respect. Now, there are a number of parallels between this scene and chapter 1 that are helpful to notice. In chapter 1, King Xerxes became enraged because Vashti refused to honor him in the way he wanted to be honored. In chapter 3, Haman became enraged because Mordecai refused to honor him in the way he wanted to be honored. But there’s a serious escalation here. In chapter 1, Vashti was deposed as the queen, and a warning was sent to all the wives of the kingdom. In chapter 3, Haman didn’t just want Mordecai deposed or even killed; he wanted all the Jewish people in Persia to be put to death, and the decision was sent to everyone in the kingdom. We’re going from bad to worse. But this proves the Greek proverb, “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Co 15:33). When a bad leader like Xerxes promotes Haman and gives him a blank check to do whatever he wants to do with all the vast resources of the biggest kingdom on the planet, what do you think is going to happen? They’re going to make great decisions and work for the good of all people? No. You’re going to get corruption, decadence, injustice, and death. This chapter also serves as something like the opposite of the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Commentator Anthony Tomasino writes, “The irony here is that Joseph used his position to secure the preservation of the Israelites; Haman would use his position to attempt their destruction.” (Tomasino, Anthony. Esther. Lexham Press, 2016, p. 216.) Maybe Mordecai wasn’t wrong for refusing to bow to Haman? It’s hard to say. Again, it’s not black and white. It’s a morally ambiguous situation for Mordecai. However, it has quickly become a moral nightmare because of Haman. How will Mordecai and Esther, two Jewish people who would be killed in just eleven months, respond? Could they somehow reverse the edict of the king? We’ll see. But for now, how might we apply this passage to our lives today? How do we deal with not this situation, but situations like this that are (sadly) so common in this broken world? Is there anything we can do as followers of Jesus? Don’t be like Haman. I think we can confidently say that. Don’t be like Haman. Whether he was offended and started this whole murderous plot because only his personal pride was wounded by Mordecai, or whether his pride in his people group started this whole mess, either way, it was his pride that was the problem. And, as the Jewish proverb says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Pr 16:18). Pride is carbon monoxide; it’s a silent killer because it’s often the sin under other sins. Hatred was the fruit, genocide was the fruit, of pride, not the root. A simple definition of sinful pride is this: You believe you matter more than others. You believe your time matters more than other people’s time or your agenda matters more than other people’s agendas. If someone is slowing you down, it makes you angry. Why? Because how dare they have the audacity to get in your way? Don’t they know how much more important you are? Anyone ever felt that way besides me? Pride says your opinions/preferences matter more than other people’s opinions/preferences. Pride says you matter more. Period. So you deserve more, you’re entitled to more, and you need to make sure everyone is treating you in a way that meets your higher value. Friends, God hates this. The Apostle Peter writes, “‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Pe 5:5–6). This has been something of a life verse for me for the past few years. Will pride be our downfall? Will pride be Haman’s downfall? It was for our adversary, the devil. It was pride that made him aspire to be God. So, what do we do? Don’t be like Haman! Well, who should we be like, Mordecai? Well…we’ve seen that that’s questionable. We’re not exactly sure if his motives were pure; in fact, probably his motives were somewhat of a mixed bag, like ours often are. Well, it’s chapters like this in the Bible that should cause us to long for something more. And we’ve seen this in the first three chapters. Chapter 1, in Esther, with the way Xerxes tossed his wife Vashti aside so easily/quickly, didn’t that make you long for a better king? Or in chapter 2, with the answer to Vashti being a nationwide beauty contest, and we’re not even sure if Esther had a choice in whether she could participate or not, doesn’t that make you long for a better kingdom? Well, chapter 3 ought to make us long for a better leader, a better system of governance, and someone who can reign and rule according to what is right, good, true, and beautiful. Ultimately, for followers of Jesus, this should make us long for Christ and his kingdom. You see, when Jesus came, the Son of God sent from heaven, he could’ve come down in glory and demanded that we bow before him. But instead, he came humbly, becoming a human being and then further humbling himself by being willing to give his life on the cross for the sins of the world. And when Jesus saw his followers/disciples start to jockey for positions of power in his new kingdom, he rebuked them, saying the way up is down. The first in my kingdom will be last and the last will be first. If you want to be great in my kingdom, you need to be a servant of all. Pride is a killer, but humility is the path to life. And this is the way of Jesus. So what should we do as a church today? Well, I think we need to try and be like Jesus. And this really is what it means to be a Christian, to try and learn to follow his way. To see how the root of pride goes down deep in our hearts and affects things in ways that do not bring more life, love, joy, and peace. It brings corruption; it brings destruction. What if we were a church that was a humble church? What if we were a church that did not value pride? Instead, we were able to build up trust, and we were able to be honest with each other that when we see someone acting out of pride, we could say, “Hey, friend, your pride is showing.” Ultimately, I think we would be a little bit more like Jesus. So let’s do that. Let’s not be Haman. Let’s learn to follow the way of Jesus. And maybe, just maybe, in due time, the Lord will lift us up. Let us pray.
Esther Made Queen (Esther): What do you do when you aren’t sure what would be right in a complicated situation, conversation, or decision? Chapter 2 is full of morally ambiguous situations for Esther and Mordecai — not a lot of black and white, but lots of gray. However, the history-making result was that Esther was crowned queen of Persia. God’s people need wisdom and courage to navigate the complexities of life in exile. Recorded on Jul 13, 2025, on Esther 2:1-23 by Pastor David Parks.
This sermon is part of our series, For Such A Time As This, from the book of Esther in the Bible. Twenty-five hundred years ago, a courageous young Jewish woman named Esther became queen of Persia. Far from home, Esther and her cousin Mordecai had to navigate palace politics, power, and danger to prevent the annihilation of their people. They needed humility, wisdom, and extraordinary courage. Esther’s story is dramatic, inspiring, and surprising. Because while God’s name is never mentioned, His fingerprints are everywhere. In our series, we’re reminded that God has faithfully worked behind the scenes in a lot of messed-up situations with messy people for a long time now. He did it then. He can do it again. But will we have the courage to do the right thing, whatever the cost?
Sermon Transcript
Well, last week, Pastor Nate kicked off a brand new sermon series called, For Such A Time As This, on the book of Esther in the Bible. And he said that twenty-five hundred years ago, a courageous young Jewish woman named Esther became queen of Persia. We’ll see how this came about today. But Esther and her older cousin Mordecai, who had adopted her, were living in exile in Susa, the capital of the Kingdom of Persia, 1,000 miles from Jerusalem. They were very far from home and had to navigate palace politics, power, and danger. We saw some of this last week in the over-the-top display of King Xerxes’ wealth and power — a six-month-long celebration of himself, followed by a week-long drunken feast that resulted in Queen Vashti being deposed as the queen. As we continue, we’ll see that Esther and Mordecai needed humility, wisdom, and extraordinary courage to survive all this themselves, much less to prevent the annihilation of their people. Esther’s story is a wild story for several reasons. For one thing, it’s one of only a few books of the Bible that take place outside the Promised Land. Nate did a great job charting the history of ancient Israel from the time of the Exodus out of Egypt to the Exile into Babylon and then later Persia. If you missed that, you can always go back and watch or listen online if you’d like. But this was life in exile: many people died, families were scattered, temple worship was disrupted…life was disrupted. Life in exile was far from comfortable or predictable. Second, a lot of what happens in Esther is really messed up. We started to see this last week in chapter 1, when Queen Vashti was removed as the queen for having the audacity to refuse the king’s probably inappropriate request while he was on this cosmic-level ego trip, showing off all his wealth and power. Whatever happened there, that wasn’t right. It was messed up. But that’s just the kingdoms of this world, right? They’re a mess! But third, (and most significantly), Esther is the only book of the Bible where God’s name is never mentioned. This causes us to ask, “Where is God in this story?” Why is this even in the Bible? Well, one answer might be: what do you do if you ever find yourself living through a wild story? What do you do when you’re not experiencing the most comfortable or predictable time, and when you’re in the middle of some messed-up situations and very messy people? What do you do when God isn’t missing exactly, but his plan/purposes are not as clear as you’d like? When you could ask, “Where is God in my story?” Chapter 2 starts to give us a few answers to these big questions for how to navigate the complexities of life in exile. Let’s jump back into the story. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Esther 2:1.
Esther 2:1–4 (NIV), “1 Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. 2 Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.” So, last week in chapter 1, we saw how Vashti lost her crown. Maybe we can be thankful she didn’t lose her life (as far as we know), but it still wasn’t right. Eventually, King Xerxes got over the sting of losing Vashti and wanted to move forward. But with whom, exactly? Who would be Persia’s next top queen? Well, maybe not surprisingly, the young men who served as personal attendants to the king suggested the king hold a beauty pageant and bring all the most attractive young women to them, I mean, to the king. Just as in chapter 1, we have the king seemingly unable to think for himself. So he listened to this “wise counsel” from his young advisers and appointed a whole bureaucracy of commissioners to all 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush to find his next bride, the most beautiful girl in all the land. This is probably a good time to meet the two main characters of our story.
Esther 2:5-7 (NIV), “5 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, 6 who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.” So, Mordecai and Esther were likely from a royal family of ancient Israel. Mordecai’s grand-uncle was King Saul, and Esther was probably his much younger cousin. Esther lost her parents at some point, though we don’t know how. But fortunately, Esther had a relative who could care for her and protect/provide for her in Persia. Interestingly, both Mordecai and Esther’s names seem to be based on the names of the foreign gods Marduk and Ishtar. We know that Esther had a Hebrew name, and Mordecai probably did too. We know from the book of Daniel that Jewish exiles were given foreign names. This was to help them assimilate into a new culture. But as we’ll see, this might’ve also been a strategy of Mordecai’s to keep their Jewish heritage a secret. But our author lets us know that Esther had a lovely figure and was beautiful. In other words, she was exceedingly beautiful. Do you see where this is headed?
Esther 2:8-11 (NIV), “8 When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. 9 She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem. 10 Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. 11 Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.” Ok! So Esther was taken to the king’s palace along with many other young women. We are not told if Esther wanted to take part in this or not. The author keeps it vague. Surely, if Esther were picked to be the queen, her life would change dramatically, and probably in many ways for the better. She was a young woman who was a foreigner in a foreign land. She was an orphan, and we don’t know how well Mordecai could’ve provided for her. She was vulnerable. But as a queen, she would have all the vast resources of the kingdom supporting her. She would still be vulnerable, as Vashti proved, but much less so. But on the other hand, she was vulnerable. This whole thing could’ve been done against her wishes, and what recourse would she have had? If Vashti couldn’t refuse the king, how could she? Should Mordecai have tried to put a stop to this? It says that Esther was taken to the king’s palace, and I can’t help but wonder about how Esther felt about all this. Clearly, Mordecai was worried about her. Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her. I bet! Now, one thing Mordecai was worried about was that people would find out that Esther was Jewish. He had forbidden her from revealing her ethnicity. Perhaps he was embarrassed about his heritage, but I think it was more about protection. Next week, we’ll see the rise of the evil Haman, who hated the Jews and wanted to kill them all. Right or wrong, calculating or cowardly, Mordecai wanted Esther to keep her head down about where she came from.
Esther 2:12-18 (NIV), “12 Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. 13 And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name. 15 When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. 16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.” So, who here would like your young sister or daughter to go through a contest like this? Well, whether or not Esther had a choice in the matter, she came to play. And she impressed everyone. She won the favor of Hegai, who gave her the best treatment. She won the favor of everyone who saw her. And she impressed the king so much when she spent the night with him that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in Vashti’s place. All hail, Queen Esther! The king celebrated by throwing another great banquet, proclaiming a national holiday, and sending gifts to anyone who was anyone. Again, I so wish we could know how Esther felt about all this! What would all this have meant for her? She had to be wondering if she’d be thrown out like Vashti. If Mordecai was worried about her Jewish heritage being a liability, she must have been worried about that, too. Well, chapter 2 ends with a seemingly random scene, but this will set up an incredible turn of events in the weeks ahead for our story.
Esther 2:19-23 (NIV), “19 When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up. 21 During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. 22 But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. 23 And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.” This is God’s word. The story really took a turn there at the end, didn’t it? We aren’t told why Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. Gates were social spaces back then, but they were also places you could come and bring a legal dispute. Mordecai might have been acting as a judge, or maybe this was just a place that was close to the harem so he could pass a word to Esther from time to time; we’re not sure. But seemingly by chance, he overhears a plot against the king. Now, interestingly, historically, we know that King Xerxes would eventually be assassinated by the captain of his bodyguard in 465 BC. So this was a very real threat. Mordecai decided to intervene by getting word to Esther, and in doing so, he saved the king’s life. My guess is this was more for Esther’s protection than the king’s. Mordecai surely would’ve known that if the king was killed, he new queen would probably be killed as well. In the weeks ahead, we’ll see that there will be unintended consequences to these things that will not only save Esther and Mordecai but also all the Jewish people who were exiled in Persia. For now, how do we apply this text to our lives today? What do we do with this chapter of Esther’s story? Where is God in this story? What are we supposed to do with this for us who are trying to follow Jesus all these years later in a much different time and place? Well, a good place to start is by recognizing that the NT authors consistently use the metaphor of life in exile to describe what it means to follow Jesus in this broken world. Exile is one of the main images of life today for the Christian. In case you hadn’t noticed, we have not yet been made perfect, and this is not heaven. We, too, are far from our true and eternal home, just as Esther and Mordecai were so far from the homeland of their ancestors. The Apostle Peter in the NT addresses his first letter “To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces…” (1 Pe 1:1). Christians today are on a journey; we are not at our destination. We are pilgrims making progress through this world. We are exiles, not yet in the Promised Land. Now, as we’ve said, life in exile is anything but comfortable or predictable. And so the first takeaway is that we need to learn how to make our way through the complexities of life in exile. Now, friends, you will face many situations, conversations, and choices in your life, which, to some degree, are easy to make, easy to see what would be right or wrong in a particular situation, conversation, or choice. There are many things where it’s obvious, but life in exile is not always obvious. Think about chapter 2: was it right or wrong for Esther to participate in this beauty contest that would lead her to sleep with the king and maybe become queen (or maybe not!)? Is that right or wrong? Well, it’s hard to know if she even had a choice in the matter. That’s complicated. Should Mordecai have used his leverage there in Susa to interfere or prevent this from happening? It’s not clear if that was totally right or totally wrong. It’s complicated. Now, there are many situations as much as we would love to find a silver bullet, a magic pill, or just one bullet point to remember that would make every decision, situation, or conversation easy in the future. But that doesn’t exist in exile. Life is complicated, and the way forward for followers of Jesus is not always clear. So, what do we need? Well, I think through the whole book of Esther, but even in this chapter, we see Esther and Mordecai using wisdom to try and navigate the complexities of life in exile. Big idea: God’s people need wisdom and courage to navigate the complexities of life in exile. Now, why these two? Well, first of all, it’s not just two. We don’t just need wisdom and courage, and that’s it. But for this morning, this is what I’m focusing on today. So why wisdom? Well, I love the book of Proverbs in the Bible. It’s so practically helpful for life, and in the Proverbs it says, “Get wisdom…” (Pro 4:5). It’s a plea, “I’m begging you, God’s people!” Get wisdom! Why? Because it helps everything! Every situation in life would benefit from a little extra wisdom for the people involved. Esther needed wisdom for how to navigate life in the harem, with the king, and after. Mordecai needed wisdom for how to navigate all this and how to try and intercede and guide Esther in this unique function in which she was serving. God’s people need wisdom. The question then becomes, “Where do we get wisdom? How can we get wisdom?” in answer to the proverb. I’ll give you a couple of ideas here. First of all, in James, James the Apostle says if anyone lacks wisdom, you should ask God and he will give you wisdom. If you are lacking in wisdom, if you are looking at a situation and you’re saying, “I’m not sure if this is someone I should be dating.” “I’m not sure if this is a business I should try to get hired at.” “I’m not sure what career-path I should follow.” “I’m not sure whether or not I should be entering into this relationship with this person.” “I’m not sure when to retire.” and more. There are a huge number of questions that don’t have immediate, black-and-white answers. You need wisdom. And you need to start by praying to God, and he has promised to help give it. Second, God’s people need God’s people for wisdom. There is a ton of wisdom in this room right now. There’s a ton of wisdom in this church right now. And so, if you need help, if you need wisdom, pray about it, and then ask somebody around here. “Hey! I’ve got this situation, I’ve got this decision coming up, and I’m not sure what to do.” You could ask on Sunday morning before worship starts. You could ask on a Tuesday evening at someone’s house at a community group meeting. You could call someone or text someone, too. Either way, you could reach out to God’s people and get some wisdom. Third, read the Bible. The Bible is full of wisdom. It’s not just full of situations like this where we can learn from Esther and Mordecai’s situation and see how it turned out, it also contains specific instructions from God (do these things, don’t do those things). The more we can learn from God’s word, the more wisdom we can receive for God’s world. Finally, being a Christian means being a follower of Jesus. And the way of Jesus is a way that is infused with the wisdom of God. And sometimes, in my experience, when I’ve been trying to follow the way of Jesus, I haven’t always understood why his way was wise, until I did it and looked back and thought, “That was brilliant.” but I couldn’t see it until I trusted him and followed his way. Get wisdom. That’s the first point. God’s people need wisdom and courage to navigate the complexities of life in exile. So, second: courage. Why do we need courage? Well, if you get godly wisdom, not that many people in the world are going to agree that it’s wise. Wisdom is not common. Common sense isn’t common, right? Why do we need courage? Because if we gain wisdom, and we see what would be the wise decision in some situation or conversation, we’re going to need courage to do it, because there isn’t going to be this huge outpouring of encouragement from our culture to do things that are wise. Esther and Mordecai needed both wisdom to know what was right and the courage to do it. And we do as well. Now, we probably won’t face the exact situation that Esther and Mordecai faced. But, for us, there are going to be many situations, circumstances, and decisions where we will need God’s wisdom and the courage to be able to do it. Friends, this is one of the things I am most hopeful for about the future of our church. If, together, we can all grow in God’s wisdom and the courage to do what is right, then we too will grow in the way of Jesus. And I know this isn’t easy, so this is why we need to pray and ask for help. So, let us pray right now.
Queen Vashti Deposed (Esther): 2,500 years ago, in the Kingdom of Persia, King Xerxes hosted an extravagant party as a lavish display of his power and wealth, but instead revealed his foolish pride and insecurity. He demanded that his wife, Queen Vashti, entertain his guests, but she refused and was deposed. This sets the stage for Esther to become the queen, but also points to the need for a better King. Recorded on Jul 6, 2025, on Esther 1 by Pastor Nate Huber.
This sermon is part of our series, For Such A Time As This, from the book of Esther in the Bible. Twenty-five hundred years ago, a courageous young Jewish woman named Esther became queen of Persia. Far from home, Esther and her cousin Mordecai had to navigate palace politics, power, and danger to prevent the annihilation of their people. They needed humility, wisdom, and extraordinary courage. Esther’s story is dramatic, inspiring, and surprising. Because while God’s name is never mentioned, His fingerprints are everywhere. In our series, we’re reminded that God has faithfully worked behind the scenes in a lot of messed-up situations with messy people for a long time now. He did it then. He can do it again. But will we have the courage to do the right thing, whatever the cost?
7 Final Instructions for a Faithful Church (1 Thessalonians): Of course, we must be faithful as individual Christians. But what does a faithful church look like? A faithful church will pay close attention to how we treat one another, the attitudes we share, and the kind of people we’re becoming together in Christ. Isn’t this the kind of church you’d want to be part of? Recorded on Jun 29, 2025, on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 by Pastor David Parks.
This sermon is part of our series on 1 Thessalonians called Faithful to the End. Being a Christian in the Greek, first-century city of Thessalonica was tough. Thessalonica was a big and prosperous city, but it was full of idols. The Apostle Paul and the first Christians there faced fierce religious persecution and tremendous political pressure to conform. But despite their suffering, they remained faithful. Our culture is different today, but following Jesus can still be very costly. Will we be faithful to the end?
Sermon Transcript
Well, we’ve come to the end of our sermon series on 1 Thessalonians called Faithful to the End. As I’ve said, I’m very excited to start a new sermon series for July and August called For Such A Time As This from the book of Esther in the OT. Esther is a wild story. Have you ever been in a messed-up situation and wondered, “What is God doing here? Where is God in this story?” Esther teaches us that God has faithfully worked behind the scenes in a lot of messed-up situations with messy people for a long time now. That will start next Sunday. But today, as we bring this series to a close, the Apostle Paul closes his letter to his dear friends with a series of rapid-fire bullet points that I’m calling “7 Final Instructions for a Faithful Church.” Is this a good idea? Probably not. It’s usually best to only have one big idea for a sermon, not seven. But here goes. Throughout this series, we’ve said that the Greek first-century city of Thessalonica was a tough place for Christians. The big city was full of idols, there was fierce religious persecution, and tremendous political pressure to conform. But thankfully, the early Christians there remained faithful. Of course, our culture is different today, but following Jesus can still be very costly. Will we be faithful to the end? How can we stand firm regardless of the cost? Well, we’ve considered a number of lessons from 1 Thessalonians about that. If you missed any of those sermons, you can always go back and watch or listen online if you’d like. But today, as we bring this to a close, I’d like to remind you that if you say yes to Jesus, it’s not just you and Jesus; you get the church, too. And we can’t only think about being faithful as individual Christians. We must be faithful as a church! And a faithful church is going to pay close attention to how we treat one another, the attitudes we share, and the type of people we’re becoming together in Christ. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to 1Th 5:12.
1 Thessalonians 5:12–13a (NIV), “12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.” Now, Paul isn’t writing this because he’s fishing for compliments, or because he felt unloved in Thessalonica. He’s talking about the local leaders of the church. Lesson 1: A faithful church has faithful leaders. Now, we’re not sure if these elders/overseers were appointed by Paul before he left, which we see in places like Acts 14. Or if perhaps Timothy appointed them when he went back to check on them. Paul had Titus do that for the church on the island of Crete. Nevertheless, Paul asks the members of the church, his brothers and sisters in Christ, to acknowledge/recognize them for their work. He says these faithful leaders work hard among you. They care for you in the Lord. And they admonish you. Faithful ministry is hard work. Spiritual growth is painfully slow. Life can come at you quickly, and sometimes the needs of even a small church can be overwhelming. But a faithful pastor or elder or ministry leader takes on this hard work because they care. They are motivated by their love for people and their desire to see people come to faith in Jesus and grow in their faith in Jesus. As the Apostle Peter wrote, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Pe 5:2–4). Whether it’s through being an example to the flock, as Peter says, or through admonishing the flock, as Paul says, we see that the primary work of ministry is teaching or instruction — this is what admonishing means, to exhort or instruct by the word of God. This is the ministry of the word. This primarily comes through the preaching of the word during worship, but it can also come through pastoral counseling, teaching in a class setting, in a community group at someone’s house, or through writing. Paul wrote letters; I write emails. Either way, we’re trying to admonish you. You won’t find a healthy, faithful church without pastors, elders, and other ministry leaders who are faithful to God’s word. Paul encourages the Thessalonian church not only to have faithful leaders but to hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. The author of the letter to the Hebrews writes, “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” (Heb 13:17). Now, we’re not to do this because every pastor or ministry leader is a perfect leader or is the smartest or the funniest leader, but because they work hard, they care, and they admonish you, because they are faithful. A faithful church has faithful leaders.
1 Thessalonians 5:13b-15 (NIV), “Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.“ As I said, a faithful church is going to care about how people treat one another, both how the leaders treat the members of the church and how the members of the body treat one another. Paul says to live in peace with each other, which leads us to Lesson 2: A faithful church is a place of peace. Now, this might sound easy until you actually try to live at peace with other human beings. This is tough! I don’t believe you can lose your salvation once you are saved, but some of you seem to be trying to test that theory. (I’m kidding!) But we all come into the body of the church from different places. Some of us grew up in church and have a lot of built-in Bible knowledge. Others of us didn’t and came in with very little Bible knowledge. That’s ok! But it takes years to learn and many more years to apply what we know to be true to our lives. Also, different people struggle with different things. Paul wisely urges the church to be thoughtful about how they treat different people. The church members who are idle and disruptive need to be warned. This probably goes back to the client-patron relationships that were common back in that day in Thessalonica that we talked about back in chapter 4. But those who are idle and disruptive need to be warned, not coddled. You need to mind your own business, work with your hands, and not rely on others unless you need to. On the other hand, those who are disheartened don’t need a warning. They don’t need a threat. They need to be encouraged. They need hope. They need someone to walk with them; they need a friend. For those who are weak, they need help! They don’t need to be told to pick themselves up by their bootstraps. But they might need to be gently shown how to do that if they are able. But if they are not able to grow in strength, then they just need patient help. In fact, Paul says to be patient with everyone. Let me ask you this: Is it easy or hard being patient with other people? It’s hard. At least it’s hard for me at times. I barely have patience for myself, much less for others. This is one of the things the Lord has been working on in me over the years. “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.” Being a place of peace means being patient, helpful, and willing to forgive when someone sins against you. A faithful church has faithful leaders. But a faithful church is also a place of peace, love, and unity for the sake of the gospel.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV), “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Ok! This is like the lightning round. Lesson 3: A faithful church is a joyful church. Listen, when you’ve gone from death to life in Jesus’ name, you’ve got a source of joy that can sustain you no matter what your circumstances are, amen? When you find out you’ve been loved by God from before the creation of the world, that he sent his one and only son into the world to seek and save you when you were lost, and who died and rose again so that you could be forgiven and freed from sin and adopted into his family for all eternity, it ought to change your attitude. How could it not?!? Christians ought to be the most joyful people on the planet. And a faithful church is a joyful church! It’s why we sing loud. It’s why we can’t wait to worship together. It’s why we love seeing people come to faith in Jesus. It’s the best! Lesson 4: A faithful church is a praying church. Rejoice always, pray continually. A faithful church is a praying church because a faithful church actually believes in God. We believe that God is alive and active in his world. We believe that God cares for us and hears us when we pray. We believe that God actually wants to talk with us and work for the good in our lives. We believe that God cares about the injustice and the evil of this world. He cares for our needs and loves to provide for us. For all these reasons and a million more, we pray. A faithful church starts everything in prayer. A faithful church ends by thanking and praising God in prayer. When we’re sick, we pray for healing, go to the doctor, and either thank God in prayer when we recover or trust him with our souls if we don’t. A faithful church is a praying church. Lesson 5: A faithful church is a thankful church. If we have been saved, loved, cared for, provided for, protected, and led every day of our walk with Jesus, we’re gonna be joyful, we’re gonna keep praying, but ultimately, we will be thankful. This isn’t so much about how we treat one another, like the first two lessons. This is more about our attitudes in response to the gospel. If you have an entitled mindset, you’ll never be satisfied. But if you have a grateful mindset, you’ll thank God for every blessing in your life, no matter how great or small. You’ll look for the good, even when goodness is hard to find. You’ll assume the best of others. And worship will come easily for you. Tears might even come easily for you. A faithful church is a joyful church, a praying church, and a thankful church. Isn’t that the kind of church you’d want to be part of?
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (NIV), “19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.” Only two more lessons, friends. Lesson 6: A faithful church is a discerning church. One of the most important responsibilities of the pastors and other ministry leaders of a church is to protect the flock. Protection most often isn’t against a physical threat, but against theological or doctrinal threats. False teaching has always been a threat to the church. The Lord Jesus warned us about the wolves of false teachers, false prophets, and even false messiahs. He said we will know them by the fruit of their lives. But what happens when someone comes to you or to us claiming to have a word from the Lord? Paul says we’re not to quench the Spirit. We shouldn’t reject someone who believes the Lord spoke to them outright. But instead, we must be discerning and wise. We should test so-called prophecies, hold on to what is good, and reject every kind of evil. How do we know if a word is not from the Lord? The best test is to see if what is shared agrees with God’s word already revealed in the scriptures. God will not contradict himself. If someone teaches something from the pulpit or shares something in a small group that disagrees with God’s word, they are wrong. But if someone teaches or shares something, especially if it’s helpful in applying God’s word to a particular part of life, it would be wise to consider the message. If it is true, take it to heart and try to obey it. One of the truly great distinctives of the EFCA is that we try to major on the majors and minor on the minors of Christian doctrine. But there are plenty of secondary matters that mature, Bible-believing Christians might disagree on. That’s ok! Those things shouldn’t divide us. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about testing and accepting or rejecting a word that supposedly is coming from the Lord. Of course, this is also true for things in our culture. We must be thoughtful and discerning about what we accept and what we reject from our culture. Either way, a faithful church is a discerning church.
1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 (NIV), “23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” Here we have our final lesson. Lesson 7: A faithful church is a holy church. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice we needed once and for all to pay the price for our sins. In Christ, we can be forgiven and freed from the power of sin. When we believe the gospel and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are declared righteous before God in an instant. However, this is just the starting line for a race that takes the whole rest of our lives. And we saw this unfolding work that God is doing in our lives, helping us grow, mature, and become holy, helping us become the men and the women he intended us to be, especially back in chapter 4. This process is called sanctification, and we said that you can be saved in a moment, but sanctified over a lifetime. We can help or hurt this process. We have the ability to say yes or no to the way of Jesus. We can listen to the Spirit or ignore him. But ultimately, sanctification is a work of God. Sanctification is the process that God the Father is working in the lives of his children, transforming them into the likeness of his Son, by the truth of his word and the power of his Spirit. Here, at the end of his letter, Paul gives us his third prayer. He started his letter with a prayer. He had a prayer serve as the middle turning point in the letter. And here he ends with a prayer. And his prayer is all about their holiness. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wants them to be sanctified in every way as whole people. May God sanctify you through and through! A faithful church is a holy church. Sin must be repented. Evil must be rejected. And any tiny part of life, including every thought, that is not aligned with the gospel must not be swept under the rug, but it must have the bright light of truth shone on it, and it must be brought to obedience in Christ. A faithful church is a holy church. This isn’t a harsh or oppressive truth; it’s a freeing/liberating truth! If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! Holiness is freedom. Holiness is life. But maybe you’ve been trying to be faithful, but you’ve been struggling. You’ve let sin win more often than not. Don’t forget, my friend, “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” You can trust him, lean on him. He will carry you home if he has to. We can be faithful because he is faithful first. Let’s finish this letter with v. 25.
1 Thessalonians 5:25–28 (NIV), “25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” This is God’s word. Do you think Paul knew this letter would be read and studied some 2,000 years later? I wonder. Well, my friends, it is my prayer that we, too, would be a faithful church. That no matter who the pastors are or who the elders are or other ministry leaders are around here, they would be faithful. That no matter what the needs are or whoever walks through those doors, this would be a place of peace. That no matter what our circumstances might be, even if we face persecution one day, we would be joyful, we would keep praying, and we would be thankful. That no matter what we might hear or might be shared, we would be a discerning church. And, finally, that God would finish what he started and would transform us in every way into the likeness of his son, that we might be holy and sanctified through and through. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Isn’t this the kind of church you’d want to be part of? I think so. Well, guess what? Let’s make this church that kind of church! By the grace of God, the truth of God’s word, the power of His Spirit, and for the glory of his name. Let’s be a faithful church. Oh, Lord, may it be! For your glory! Let us pray.
Faithful to the End of the Age (1 Thessalonians): The Day of the Lord is coming, along with the resurrection of the dead, judgment day, and the beginning of the age to come. But our destination ought to shape our journey. Our future ought to shape our present. The hope of our future in Christ ought to help us remain faithful, even to the end of the age. Recorded on Jun 22, 2025, on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 by Pastor David Parks.
This sermon is part of our series on 1 Thessalonians called Faithful to the End. Being a Christian in the Greek, first-century city of Thessalonica was tough. Thessalonica was a big and prosperous city, but it was full of idols. The Apostle Paul and the first Christians there faced fierce religious persecution and tremendous political pressure to conform. But despite their suffering, they remained faithful. Our culture is different today, but following Jesus can still be very costly. Will we be faithful to the end?
Sermon Transcript
After today, we only have one more week of 1 Thessalonians in the Bible in our sermon series called Faithful to the End. As I shared last week, I’m very excited to start a new sermon series in July called For Such A Time As This from the book of Esther in the OT. But we still have a few more lessons to learn from 1 Thessalonians before we’re ready for Esther. Since 1989, Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has sold millions of copies because it’s a great little book. To start this morning, I’d like you to consider a little thought experiment Covey includes in the book. “Picture yourself driving to the funeral parlor or chapel, parking the car, and getting out. As you walk inside the building, you notice the flowers, the soft organ music. You see the faces of friends and family you pass along the way…As you walk down to the front of the room and look inside the casket, you suddenly come face to face with yourself. This is your funeral…All these people have come to honor you, to express feelings of love and appreciation for your life. As you take a seat and wait for the services to begin, you look at the program in your hand. There are to be four speakers. The first is from your family, immediate and also extended—children, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents who have come from all over the country to attend. The second speaker is one of your friends, someone who can give a sense of what you were as a person. The third speaker is from your work or profession. And the fourth is from your church or some community organization where you’ve been involved in service. Now think deeply. What would you like each of these speakers to say about you and your life? What kind of husband, wife, father, or mother would you like their words to reflect? What kind of son or daughter or cousin? What kind of friend? What kind of working associate? What character would you like them to have seen in you? What contributions, what achievements would you want them to remember…What difference would you like to have made in their lives?” (Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (pp. 103-104). (Function). Kindle Edition.) Isn’t that powerful? This little thought experiment helps illustrate Covey’s second habit, which is to “begin with the end in mind.” That’s very helpful. Well, in our series, we’ve been considering being faithful to the end, so a thought experiment like this helps us envision what this faithfulness might look like by the end of our lives. But today, we’re considering not just how to be faithful to the end of our lives, but what it might mean to be faithful even to the very end of this age. To be faithful until that great and cataclysmic day of the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, judgment day, and the beginning of the age to come. In both cases, of being faithful to the end of our lives or until the return of Christ (or, frankly, whichever comes first), it helps — to borrow the phrase — to begin with the end in mind. Or, in other words, our destination ought to shape our journey. Our future ought to shape our present. But what does the Bible teach about the end of the age and all these cosmic events? And how might that shape our lives today? Well, if you have your Bible/app, please open it to 1Th 5:1. Let’s find out together.
1 Thessalonians 5:1–3 (NIV), “1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” This is intense. But what the Apostle Paul is doing is found throughout the Bible. He is saying the age we are living in right now will one day come to an end. The OT prophets said the day of the Lord would come in a smaller way in times of judgment against certain nations or kingdoms, including Egypt, Babylon, or even Israel at times. But even then, the prophets promised a future greater Day of the Lord where it wouldn’t be just one nation or kingdom, but the Lord would judge the whole world. When Jesus arrived on the scene, he taught a lot on this in his ministry, too. He taught plainly and in parables on this Day. Let’s look at one teaching from Luke 12:35–40 (NIV), Jesus said, “35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” So, what’s the point? What was Jesus saying? We need to be ready. And there is honor or some kind of reward for the servants who are ready for the return of their master. Right! Isn’t this what Paul is saying? “…you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (No doubt Paul had heard the parable from Lk 12!) But Paul’s point is the same. We need to be ready. But this will be confusing, in some ways, because not everyone believes this. Not everyone believes in the Day of the Lord. Paul says, “While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly.” Like a thief in the night. Or, as Paul says, “as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” Unless you have a planned C-section, you don’t really know when that baby’s coming. You can have a due date, but the baby might come early or late. You just don’t really know. Paul says that the end of our age, the return of Christ, the great Day of the Lord, will be like that. We won’t know exactly when this will happen, but it will happen. Now, we saw last week that Jesus told his disciples that we won’t know the exact day or time of his return. But it’s coming. It’s sure. Ok. So, what do we need to do to be ready? How can we be good servants of our master, Jesus, until he returns?
1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 (NIV), “4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” So, Paul is writing to the church here. He started both v. 1 and v. 4 with the same address of brothers and sisters. This family language means these are Christians, and as such, they should not be surprised by the return of Christ. They should be ready! And here, Paul uses the common metaphor in the Bible of darkness and light to represent moral goodness and evil. The Bible says this world is a kingdom of darkness, influenced by the spiritual forces of evil, and filled with people who often choose deeds of darkness over light. The Apostle John wrote, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (Jn 3:19). But what happens when someone is saved, when someone becomes a Christian? A number of things change, but one is that God removes your heart of stone and gives you a heart of flesh, with new capacities and desires. Then he gives you his Holy Spirit to dwell within you, to write his law on your heart, and help you obey it, and strengthen you when you are weak. Being filled with the Spirit means you are united with Christ, who is the light of the world. Being united with the light means that you become the light as well. Paul is reminding these believers of their identity when he says, “You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.” This is about who you are in Christ. This is your true identity. But does this mean that Christians will never sin? Or that if a Christian does sin, they aren’t really a Christian? No, but living or walking in darkness is acting out of character for a Christian. That’s not who you are. This is why, in v. 6, Paul says, “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.” Commentator Gene Green writes, “…in the NT [the word translated being sober] always carries the metaphorical sense of exercising moral self-control or self-restraint and having clear thinking in the face of adversity or danger, especially as Christ’s revelation and the end of all things approaches.” (Green, Gene L. The Letters to the Thessalonians. W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos, 2002, p. 238.) Again, we must be ready. Being asleep or drunk means you’re not ready. Now, we need to actually sleep. This is a metaphor for being morally prepared, morally awake. We must be thinking people, not careless, careful to do and say what is right, to walk in the light. This is why Paul says in v. 8, “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” What does being sober/ready/walking in the light look like? It looks like this: to put on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. We’ve already encountered faith and love in 1 Thessalonians. This is what Paul rejoiced over back in chapter 2, that Timothy told him he saw when he returned to Paul. We said that these are the two main marks of a true believer and of a true believing community in the church. Faith in God and love for one another. Now, here, Paul adds one more aspect of the Christian life: hope, the hope of salvation. This can’t be the hope of being saved through hearing and believing the gospel, which is needed to become a Christian. These are Christians! So what salvation is Paul talking about here? The hope of final salvation that the people of God are waiting for, including the return of Christ, salvation from this kingdom of darkness, salvation from these bodies of death, and salvation from the influence of sin. In Christ, God has saved us, is saving us day by day through the work of his word and Spirit, and will one day return to finally save us, just as he promised. Praise God! But do you see how these three, do you see how faith, hope, and love, protect us? Faith in God and our love for one another serve as our breastplate; these things protect our hearts. And the hope of salvation serves as our helmet; it protects our head. Faith, hope, and love are what faithfulness looks like for the Christian, but also, faith, hope, and love help us remain faithful. This is a way of thinking and believing, it’s a way of life that is in the light. This is what it looks like to walk in the light as he is in the light. But the stakes couldn’t be higher. This teaching on being ready for the Day of the Lord is not so that our lives might be a little better or easier. It’s life or death.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (NIV), “9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” This is God’s word. Now, Paul is intense in this passage because he doesn’t want people to be confused or led astray on this point. There were some people in Thessalonica who were claiming “peace and safety,” but, Paul said, destruction was coming. Wrath is coming. This is the just wrath of God against all the evil, wickedness, oppression, and abuse in this broken world. God is the perfect Judge. He sees all and understands all, including the thoughts and motives of the heart. And he has promised to bring justice to bear on the evil of the world. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul describes it this way: “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2Th 1:8-9). This final separation from God is hell. Paul doesn’t play around here because this is serious. However, he doesn’t end this passage by using the fear of judgment as our main motivation to walk in the light. Paul actually points to the good news of Jesus as our motivation. He reminds these believers that Christ died for us so that, “whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.” Here, Paul is referring to what we looked at last week, of using the language of sleep to refer to a Christian who died before the return of Christ. In other words, whether we are alive when Christ returns or have already passed away, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins is the only sacrifice we need. His death pays the price of justice for our sins. His death allows us to be forgiven and freed from the power of sin. He suffered the wrath of God for all the sins of the world so that we do not have to. He suffered our death so that we might receive his life as a gift of God’s grace. And it is this grace that is the best motivation for us in walking and living in the light as he is in the light. Want more power to experience more faith, hope, and love? Don’t look to the wrath of hell. Look to the love and grace of heaven! Look to the grace and the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And if you do believe, then you should walk in the light because that is who you are in Christ. Flee sexual immorality. Mind your own business, work with your hands, be generous, and respectable. Tell the truth. Protect life. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. Learn the way of Jesus. Why? Because God loves you so much, he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. The gospel not only saves, it sanctifies, in fact, it strengthens our faithfulness. Because in the gospel, and only in the gospel, do we see the depth of God’s faithfulness to us. But part of the good news is yet to come. Jesus will return, the dead will be raised, judgment will come, and eternity will begin. Are we ready? Are we awake? “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Ro 13:12). We started with the thought experiment of what we would like people to say about us at the end of our lives. What about the Day of the Lord? What do you want God to say on that great and glorious day? Paul is trying to help us begin and continue with the ultimate end in mind, the end of the age and the return of our Lord. Our destination ought to shape our journey. Our future ought to shape our present. The hope of our future in Christ ought to help us remain faithful, even to the end of the age. And this should be an encouragement to us today. Things may or may not get easier today or tomorrow. Certain times may be quite difficult or painful. But these times will not last forever. This age will not last forever. Evil will not last forever. Death will not last forever. Jesus will return, and the best way to live, the best way to walk in the light, is to be awake and ready, quick with faith, hope, and love, and remembering our end is sure. Thank you, Lord. Let us pray.
Hope in Life and Death (1 Thessalonians): The sad reality of this broken world is that every one of us will one day walk through the valley of the shadow of death. How will we face it? How should we mourn the death of other Christians? Will we be consumed with fear or despair? The good news is that if Jesus died and rose again, then there is hope even in death. Recorded on Jun 15, 2025, on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 by Pastor David Parks.
This sermon is part of our series on 1 Thessalonians called Faithful to the End. Being a Christian in the Greek, first-century city of Thessalonica was tough. Thessalonica was a big and prosperous city, but it was full of idols. The Apostle Paul and the first Christians there faced fierce religious persecution and tremendous political pressure to conform. But despite their suffering, they remained faithful. Our culture is different today, but following Jesus can still be very costly. Will we be faithful to the end?
Sermon Transcript
After this week, we only have two more weeks of 1 Thessalonians in the Bible in our sermon series called Faithful to the End. I’m very excited to start a new sermon series in July called For Such A Time As This from the book of Esther in the OT. Esther is such a wild story! But we’re not quite there yet. Well, for the last few months, we’ve said that the early church in the Greek city of Thessalonica faced persecution and social/political pressure to deny Christ. It was tough, but they remained faithful. We’ve been trying to learn all the lessons we can from these ancient brothers and sisters to help us remain faithful today. Over the last few weeks, we considered two unique aspects of the way of Jesus that help us remain faithful, including our commitment to sexual holiness and our ambition to lead a quiet life. If you missed either of these sermons, you can always go back and watch or listen to the audio podcast if you’d like. Today, we’ll start the first of another little two-part series focused not as much on our moral conduct (work/sexuality), but on our hope. We’ve seen over and over that following Jesus may not make your life easier. In fact, as the Thessalonians learned, sometimes it makes life a lot more difficult. But what if the worst-case scenario happens? What if you have to give your life for your faith? Men and women have been martyred in the past. Well, the Apostle Paul doesn’t play here. He’s not talking about hoping things might get a little easier for the Christians in Thessalonica. He’s talking about a strong enough source of hope to sustain us in the face of death, even beyond death! We may not be in the same situation that the Thessalonians were in all those years ago, but every one of us will one day walk through the valley of the shadow of death. How will we make it? How will we face it? Will we be crushed with fear, or will we have the hope and the courage followers of Jesus ought to have? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to 1Th 4:13. As we usually do, we’ll read through it and unpack it as we go.
1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 (NIV), “13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” The practice of describing a believer not as dead but as asleep is found throughout the Bible, including with Jesus. In at least two different situations in the gospels, Jesus used this language. In Mt 9, a man named Jairus asked Jesus to heal his daughter, but before Jesus could get there, she died. Jesus came anyway, and when he saw her, he said, “The girl is not dead but asleep,” and then, “…he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.” (Mt 9:23-25). Or in Jn 11, when Jesus’ close friend, Lazarus died, Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” (Jn 11:11). And Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, even after he had been dead for four days. Now, it’s possible that someone who has died might look like they’re sleeping. But the language of sleeping in death in the Bible reflects more of a belief about death than the appearance of death. Sleeping implies that death is not the end. Someone sleeping can wake up. So at this point in the letter, Paul wants to teach on this subject of death and grief, and the hope that Christians have. Now, we might ask, did someone in the Thessalonian church die? Did Timothy bring back as part of his report that they were in a state of mourning over one of their own? There are a number of theories about the context in Thessalonica that Paul was addressing. Some have wondered if there had been false teaching about life and death, the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and so on. We do know from Paul’s second letter to Timothy that there were false teachers leading people astray on the resurrection. Without more details than what we have here, it’s hard to say. What we can say is that Paul felt it was necessary to either teach (or remind them of what he had already taught) about these things because some believers had died. We don’t know if they were martyred for their faith or if they had passed away from more normal causes, but the Thessalonian church was grieving a real loss. And Paul says he doesn’t want them to be uninformed about Christians who have died. Why? Because Christians do not have to grieve like the rest of mankind. Why? Because Christians have hope. We’ll see a number of reasons for this hope as we continue, but the first reason is given in v. 14. “For (because) we believe that Jesus died and rose again,” these historic events, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, are at the heart of the good news of the gospel. The gospel is the good news of who God is and what he has done through his Son and Spirit to bring salvation to all who would believe. And the central work of salvation was the atoning death of Jesus on the cross for the sins of the world. His sacrifice means we can be forgiven and freed from the power of sin and restored in relationship with God. But then, on the third day, Jesus rose again, fully alive, fully God and fully man, never to die again. “…and so” Paul says, if the gospel is true, and if Jesus died and rose again, then “we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” God will bring these Christians who died where exactly? He will bring these believers back to us when Christ returns.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-16 (NIV), “15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” Jesus taught on his return in a lot of places throughout the gospels. Just one example is found in John 14:1–3 (NIV), “1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” That Jesus would return and would take us to be with him to live in his Father’s house is a clear promise in God’s word. This is why Paul says that “according to the Lord’s word,” the believers who passed away before the second coming of Christ will not miss it. And maybe this was the situation that had affected their grief. Maybe this is why they were grieving without hope. They thought some of their loved ones were going to miss out on the return of Christ and life everlasting. But Paul says, on the contrary, not only will the dead in Christ not miss out, they’ll have a front-row seat! The dead in Christ will rise first. The Lord himself will come down from heaven. (Can you imagine that?) In Acts 1, when Jesus had ascended into heaven, two angels told the disciples that Jesus “will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Ac 1:11). So the Lord will come down from heaven, not because heaven is in outer space, but because heaven is transcendent, it is outside time and space. And Paul envisions the return of a victorious king when he says that Jesus will return with a loud command (probably the command to raise the dead) with the voice of the archangel. In Jude, we’re told the archangel is named Michael. But along with Michael will sound the trumpet call of God, typical of an approaching king, and the dead in Christ will rise first. This is called the first resurrection in Revelation 20. But if the Christians who have died before the return of Christ will rise first, when will the believers who are still alive be resurrected?
1 Thessalonians 4:17–18 (NIV), “17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.” This is God’s word. So, after some period of time, either immediately after the first resurrection, or after a longer period of time, “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with those who died to meet the Lord in the air.” This verse, along with a few others, is where the idea of the rapture comes from, that believers will be caught/snatched up either during or before the return of Christ. Different believers today have different theories about the timing of the rapture, this catching up. But the focus of this passage is not to give details about a rapture so much as it is focused on the reunion of believers at the return of Christ. Remember, the context is a teaching on Christian grief and the hope that we have for those who have died. And Paul expects the believers who are still alive to encourage one another with these words. In other words, this teaching was to be immediately helpful, not just helpful for some future day. Even if that day was very soon. We see that Paul expected the return of Christ to happen soon when he says, “…we who are still alive.” Now, it’s not that Paul was mistaken. Again, Jesus taught in several places to be ready, be expectant, for his return. Now, he also explicitly taught, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” (Ac 1:7). Even though every generation has some self-proclaimed prophet who says they figured out when Jesus will return, according to Jesus we won’t know — it could be tomorrow or another 2,000 years from now. However, the best way to live is as if Jesus will return very soon. We’ll come back to this thought next week (that is, unless the Lord returns). But for now, if we are alive when Christ returns, or if it’s some future generation, what will happen when we are caught up and reunited with those who have died and with Christ himself? In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he describes it this way: 1 Corinthians 15:51–53 (NIV), “51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be changed—52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” So, the dead in Christ will rise first, but then we who are left alive will be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye. Our moral bodies in this broken world full of sickness and sin and death will be changed to be immortal and imperishable. And our Lord will dwell with us and we with him and one another forever and ever in the new heavens and the new earth. Just as our bodies will be re-created, so all things will be renewed and re-created. The return of Christ will change everything. If you notice, every chapter of 1Th has a reference to the return of Christ. Why? Well, first of all, this is such a big piece of news, and it’s so different from the world’s expectations for the future; it’s no wonder that Paul refers to it so often. But second, remember how tough it was to be a Christian back then in Thessalonica. The more you feel that this world isn’t our home, the more you long for the world to come. And the closer you get to death, the more you long for the life that is promised beyond the grave. This teaching would’ve been so helpful, so encouraging for the Thessalonians in their grief. But what about us? How might we apply this teaching to our lives?
How can we face the reality of death without losing hope? The resurrection of Jesus is proof that believers we know who have died are not lost forever. They will return with Christ when he returns, and we will be together forever. Big idea: If Jesus died and rose again, then there is hope even in death. The death of a loved one can be sad or even tragic, but it is never hopeless. But why do we have hope even in death? Paul mentions four reasons here. We have hope in death because, first, death is not the end of the story. At funerals, I always say it this way, “It’s not that our experience of loss today isn’t real. And it’s not that we won’t have sadness and grief when we think about this loved one and miss them in the days and years to come — it’s just not the end of the story.” Some modern people believe that death is simply nothingness. Consciousness simply ceases. There is no awareness, just something like a dreamless, eternal sleep. Now, that is truly hopeless — there’s no hope of salvation, no hope of justice, no hope of life, and no hope of reunion in the future. But if there is life beyond death, then there is hope because death is not the end. Second, we have hope even in death because death itself will come to an end. Death is only temporary. One day, Jesus will return. And he will bring an end to our current age and will usher in a new age with a new heaven and a new earth. When Jesus returns, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:4). So, we not only have hope for life after death, but we have hope for the death of death itself, the death of mourning, and the death of grief. He will wipe every tear from our eyes. Even death will come to an end. Third, if Jesus died and rose again, then there is hope even in death because the separation between the living and the dead will be no more. No longer will there be people alive on the earth and souls alive in the immediate state after death and before the resurrection of the dead. We will be reunited with our loved ones in Christ and will live with them forever after in the kingdom where Jesus is King. “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (v.14). Therefore, “…we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (v.17). Finally, if Jesus died and rose again, then there is hope even in death because this means that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Not even death. Jesus told the criminal on the cross, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk 23:43). Today, not at some point in the future. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Php 1:21), because if he did die, then he’d be with Christ, which would be far better than even the best part of life here and now. This is our hope. He is our hope. Without Jesus, there is no hope. But with Jesus, and if Jesus did in fact die and rise again, then there is hope even in death. Therefore, we do not have to grieve like the rest of the world, without hope. We can have hope no matter what. Come what may. So we say, “Come quickly, Lord.” Let us pray.
Living a Quiet Life (1 Thessalonians): What could it look like to “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life”? Whether in the ancient client-patron relationships of first-century Thessalonica or the rush of modern life, the Apostle Paul reveals that there is a way to slow down while still being productive, respectable, and generous. This Christ-like way of life reflects Christian love out into a world of busyness. Recorded on Jun 8, 2025, on 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 by Pastor David Parks.
This sermon is part of our series on 1 Thessalonians called Faithful to the End. Being a Christian in the Greek, first-century city of Thessalonica was tough. Thessalonica was a big and prosperous city, but it was full of idols. The Apostle Paul and the first Christians there faced fierce religious persecution and tremendous political pressure to conform. But despite their suffering, they remained faithful. Our culture is different today, but following Jesus can still be very costly. Will we be faithful to the end?
Sermon Transcript
For the rest of June, we’ll be working through 1 Thessalonians in the Bible in a sermon series called Faithful to the End. The early church in the Greek city of Thessalonica faced persecution and social/political pressure to deny Christ, but they remained faithful. There are many lessons here for us in how we can remain faithful today. Last week, we started the first of a little two-part section of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians with Living a Holy Life from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. And we asked, “Why can’t you just look at someone and tell that they’re a follower of Jesus?” Well, one answer is that there are many things that Christians and non-Christians do pretty much exactly the same way. We said, there isn’t a Christian way to wash your car or fill out a spreadsheet. However, there are some areas of life that are going to be very different. Last week, we saw one area that will be different and will look different is in the area of our sexuality. The Christian sexual ethic challenged Roman culture 2,000 years ago, and it challenges our culture today. Remaining faithful means remaining faithful to the way of Jesus. And this includes our sexuality, our holiness, and, as we’ll consider today, our motive for and the way we do our work, finding that we too can lead a quiet/generous life. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to 1Th 4:9. This is a short passage, so we’ll read through the whole thing, and then we’ll go back and unpack it.
1 Thessalonians 4:9–12 (NIV), “9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” This is God’s word. Ok! So, this is a very positive passage. It’s similar to the start of chapter 4, where Paul reminded them of the instruction he had given them when he was with them, praised them for following his instructions, and encouraged them to do so more and more. Paul has used this kind of tone throughout the whole letter. Something like, “You’re doing great! Keep going!” Again, this would be so helpful to encourage their faithfulness when they were getting so much opposition and trouble from other people in their community. We see this positive encouragement again in vv. 9-10.
1 Thessalonians 4:9–10a (NIV), “9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia.” Wow! Most people love somebody. You people love everybody! I can’t think of a way to make a bigger deal out of the way people are treating one another than to say that they have “been taught by God to love each other.” Back in chapter 1, Paul said, “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Th 1:2-3). I think the work/labor that Paul mentions is their ministry for one another, which, Paul says, was produced by faith and prompted by love. Paul knew the Thessalonians were loving each other well because of the “good news” Timothy brought back about their “faith and love” (1 Th 3:6). He could see it. It was evident. And the Christians throughout the whole region could see it, they could feel it, too. Paul says, “And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia.” Now, Macedonia was the region of which Thessalonica was the capital. And we might ask, how did the Thessalonians love other believers outside their city? Paul doesn’t say explicitly. But we know from the other places in the NT what these works of love might’ve included. They could’ve been seen in the evangelistic work of bringing the gospel out from Thessalonica to other parts of Macedonia. This happened in the city of Ephesus, so that over the course of just a few years, Luke writes in Acts 19 that “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” (Ac 19:10). Love could’ve led to gospel mission. Or, these works of love could’ve been seen in providing financially for the poor and those in need. Perhaps the Thessalonians gave some of their resources to provide for people in need throughout Macedonia. This happened in a lot of places, but one place was the city of Corinth. The Corinthians gave above and beyond what they had to because the Jerusalem church was desperately poor. But from OT gleaning laws to the NT teaching of Jesus on serving the least of these, you can’t read the Bible and miss God’s heart for the poor and the most vulnerable among us. Love could’ve led to care for the poor. Or, these works of love could’ve been seen in their willingness to embrace people from all sorts of different backgrounds. The difference between Jew and Gentile back then was huge. But the gospel “is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Ro 1:16). Or maybe they did any number of things to love one another beyond the borders of their city. Let’s keep going and see if we can get any clues about what kind of love Paul is talking about. Let’s pick up the second half of v. 10.
1 Thessalonians 4:10b-11a (NIV), “Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life…” This is so countercultural for us today. But I would guess this would not have been common advice for people back in Thessalonica almost 2,000 years ago, either. Remember, Thessalonica was a big city. It was also a port city, and it was located on the famous Via Egnatia, the main east/west road used for trade. There were all kinds of businesses happening there. Lots of goods and services, and people flowing in and out. But remember, it was also the capital of Macedonia. This made it a center for politics as well. None of this sounds like the background for a quiet life. But I think Paul knows what he’s asking of them. Did you notice the word he uses to encourage them to a quiet life? Ambition. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. Ambition? It just doesn’t seem to fit, unless Paul was being ironic. However, commentator Gene Green writes that what was going on is that Paul was addressing the common cultural practice of the client/patron relationship. He writes, “Clients were attached to patrons of higher status and economic solvency, hoping to receive from them benefits such as food and representation, while they gave their patrons honor and augmented their status in society by showing up for the morning greeting at their home and giving them public support. The more clients a person would have, the more important he or she would appear to others. Honor was the name of the game.” (Green, Gene L. The Letters to the Thessalonians. W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos, 2002, p. 208.) This practice just doesn’t fit with the way of Jesus. It’s not that we can’t show honor to others, we certainly can! It’s that we shouldn’t base our work or our worth on taking advantage of others. If God doesn’t show favoritism, then we shouldn’t either. We are all one in the church because of our faith in Christ, not because we all belong to the same group or class. But back then, it would be easy to see how you could have the ambition to gather more and more clients in order to boost your own status or ego — to get a better seat at the table yourself. All you had to do was keep your clients happy, and they would serve your purposes. But this is really the opposite of Christian love and honor. We love because Jesus has loved us first. And how did Jesus love us? He died on the cross for our sins. He served our needs long before we could do a single thing to boost his status or ego. He served us, he came for us, he died for us because he loved us first. Period. This wasn’t a transaction; this was an act of unconditional and undeserved love. This was Jesus’ ambition. This is what he set his face to do. This is what he wouldn’t be distracted from, no matter how great the temptation was, even by Satan himself. And if this was Jesus’ ambition, maybe, then our ambition shouldn’t be as much about us as it is about others. And about loving others. But how can you best love others in such a hostile environment? How can you love people when you’re fighting to stay faithful yourself? Lead a quiet life. What does that mean? Like, don’t be talkative? Don’t play loud music? Look back at v. 11.
1 Thessalonians 4:11b-12 (NIV), “You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” What does it mean to live a quiet life? Two things. First, it means you should mind your own business (MYOB). I’m pretty sure I heard my elementary school teachers say that more than once. (To others, not to me!) It’s so easy to focus on other people’s flaws, isn’t it? We all have blind spots. The problem is not everyone is blind to them, only we are! It’s easy to see what other people struggle with, but it can be pretty difficult for us to see or understand these things for ourselves. Without a mirror, it’s easier to see a pimple on someone else’s face than on your own. Nevertheless, you should mind your own business. Now, this doesn’t mean we are never to teach someone or gently correct them or confront them if they are doing real harm to someone else. There are other passages that teach us how to do those things. But against the backdrop of the cultural practice of client/patron relationships, I think what Paul is talking about is minding other people’s business so as to boost someone else’s status or ego, or expecting others to do the same for you. So first, MYOB. Second, work with your hands. Do something meaningful. Don’t be idle, expecting others to take care of you. Go build something new. Go fix something that’s broken. Go create something people need. Go heal someone. Go grow something important. Now, this is good advice for many reasons. During the pandemic, like many people, I built two big raised bed garden boxes in my backyard. I bought a book called “The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible” (which is mildly sacrilegious) and some grow lights for my tomato plants that I’m pretty sure were made for people who wanted to grow weed at home. I promise I’ve only used them for tomatoes. But I made it my ambition to lead a quiet life. Some people learned to make bread, others started gardening (remember that time?). With all the anger and anxiety flying around the world and around our social media feeds during that time, I don’t know about you, but it really helped me to do something helpful with my hands, to work with my hands. And to see/enjoy the fruit of what my hands and my hard work produced. That was good; it was a better way to live. And I’ve kept it up ever since. Minding your own business and working with your hands is good for your mental health. But Paul doesn’t mention this benefit. He says the Thessalonians should do this for two reasons: First, because then their daily life might win the respect of outsiders, and, second, so that they will not be dependent on anybody. These early Christians faced intense persecution for their faith. The Jewish believers were thrown out of the synagogue and were ostracized by their fellow Jews. The Gentile believers were accused of teaching unlawful practices in the Roman Empire and of undermining the authority of Caesar, both very dangerous accusations. They surely lost friendships and relationships in their families and in the community. Some might’ve lost businesses and even their very lives for their faith in Jesus. The last thing these Christians needed was to unnecessarily cause people to be against them. Mind your own business and work with your hands. This is a good life. This is a respectable life. You don’t need a bunch of paid clients to pump up your ego or boost your status. That’s an artificial form of respect. Being helpful and reliable and honest leads to true respect. Remember, you represent Christ and his church, even in your daily life. Second, they should live like this because then they won’t be dependent on anyone. Now, there are seasons of life where every single one of us, no matter how strong/successful/wealthy we might be, will be dependent on others. When we are born, we are totally dependent on others. Very often, before we die, we are again totally dependent on others. And this is a broken world. Sometimes, because of illness or injury or for some other reason, you may not be able to work with your hands or provide for yourself. Paul isn’t condemning those situations or people with special needs. Again, I believe he’s addressing the client/patron relationship there in Thessalonica, where the clients were working like crazy for their patron so that the patron could sit back and enjoy the good life at the expense of others. This was not good. And it was not compatible with the Christian commandment to love one another just as Christ loved us. Now, just like last week with sexuality and holiness, this text has so many applications for us today. What does it look like to make it our ambition to lead a quiet life in the age of social media, where self-promotion is normal and you can get rich just by being famous for any reason (good or bad)? It seems that this would lead us to a different way of acting on social media. But what about real life? Paul’s teaching would enable us to live not only a holy life, but also a life of generosity, the generous life. If we pay more attention to our issues than others, and if we work hard and do something meaningful with our time and maybe with our hands, and if we win the respect of others and are not reliant on others unless we have to be, then we will have the capacity to be generous. We will have the capacity for generosity. And generous people truly represent Christ and his love and his works of love at the heart of the gospel. Is this our ambition? To be holy and generous? Is this the ambition of our church? May we be people whose work is produced by our faith, and our labor is prompted by our love, and our endurance is inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray.
