“COMEBACK – God’s Providence In Motion” Series
Lesson Eleven: “Courage To Answer God’s Call”
Esther 4:1 – Esther 5:8

Conquerors Sunday School Class – Sunday, July 4, 2021

Our Lesson’s Theme Verse is found in these passages of Scripture…
“Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”
Esther 4:15-16
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Today’s Lesson Thought can be summed up in this one Question…
“Are You Being A Courageous Christian Today?”
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Lesson: “Courage To Answer God’s Call”

As we celebrate our nation’s 245^th Birthday today, I am reminded of the sacrifices many of those men, who we so often refer to as our nation’s ‘founding fathers’, chose to make in order for you and me and every other American citizen to enjoy in this ‘land of the free and home of the brave’ that we call ‘The United States of America’!

A man named Lynwood Simmonds wrote these words of remembrance regarding the selfless sacrifices made by each of those men who placed their names upon our Country’s Declaration of Independence so many years ago that should stir the hearts of each of us, as born again children of God, today in our own stubborn and rebellion, and so forgetful world of liberty and freedom. He writes…

‘Sacrifice is an idea or concept we seldom hear about today. We discuss it even less. Yet, it’s a major reason why the United States of America became a free, prosperous and powerful nation. America was founded on sacrifice by men and women not unlike you and me. When I speak of “sacrifice,” I’m talking about “surrendering something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable or preventing some evil.” In other words, sometimes we must put aside our own desires and comforts in the present moment in order to gain something more valuable down the road. Furthermore, sacrifice involves risk. Sometimes those who sacrifice never regain what they gave up. Some don’t see the results that later generations see, enjoy or experience. And the risk might include the ultimate sacrifice – giving one’s life for the cause. Yet, that’s exactly what our Founding Fathers did. Many Americans don’t realize the extent of our Founders’ sacrifice. The Revolutionary War was more than a passing inconvenience – many of the Founders lost everything they owned, including their lives.’

‘All of the 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence made sacrifices. Allow me to share some examples:

• CARTER BRAXTON of Virginia was a prosperous planner and trader. His ships were destroyed by the British Navy. He lost his home to pay off the debts and died in poverty.

• THOMAS LYNCH, JR. was an aristocratic rice plantation owner in South Carolina who risked his substantial fortune by signing the Declaration. His health rapidly declined and his ship was lost at sea on his way to Europe to recover. No one knows what happened to him.

• THOMAS MCKEAN of Delaware was harassed mercilessly. His family went into hiding during the war, moving multiple times. He served in Congress without pay and died in poverty.

• THOMAS NELSON, JR. of Virginia put his own home up as collateral to raise $2 million for the French allies. The struggling French government was unable to pay back the loans and Nelson’s entire estate was wiped out.

• FRANCIS HOPKINS of New Jersey and WILLIAM FLOYD of New York both had their homes confiscated and used as housing by the British.

• FRANCIS LEWIS of New York had his wife imprisoned by the British where she died. He also lost his home and everything in it.

• JUDGE RICHARD STOCKTON was taken from his bed in the middle of the night and beaten by British Soldiers, followed by jail and starvation. His home and all of his possession were destroyed, forcing him and his family to live off of charity.

• JOHN HART had to leave his dying wife’s bedside and his thirteen children ran off in various directions to flee the British. For more than a year, he lived in caves and forests. He returned home to find his wife dead, his children missing and all of his property gone. He died shortly after of physical and mental exhaustion and a broken heart.

• LEWIS MORRIS and PHILLIP LIVINGSTON died of similar circumstances to Hart’s.

'Five of the 56 were captured by the British and tortured. Twelve lost their homes through looting, confiscation or burning to the ground. Seventeen lost their fortunes. Two lost sons in the military while another two sons were captured. And nine lost their lives. The sacrifice that was made by these 56 men and countless others to both establish and maintain our liberty has given us the privilege of living in freedom since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.'

'However, in recent years, I fear we have forgotten the price that has been paid and the requirements necessary to maintain our freedom have been lost due to our unawareness of our history.’

• What powerful words these reminders of courage and selflessness should be to each of us today, and not only as we celebrate our nation’s birth of independence and freedom from those who swore to destroy her so many years ago, but even today, in our modern world, as each of us must choose whether to stand against the fears of both physical and spiritual opposition or to simply surrender to our enemies of freedom and justice and simply succumb to the pressures of our adversaries and foes who desire only to take away all that God has so willingly bestowed upon us!
• Webster defines the word ‘courage’ as being, ‘the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous. The mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty’ in or while accomplishing a task.
• I remember well when the sweet Holy Spirit of God first began to deal with my heart about preaching God’s Word—I was so afraid of what God’s divine will was turning out to be in my life!
• And folks, ‘fear’ can either immobilize us and keep us from accomplishing a certain task for God, or it can enable us to trust God to see us through the danger we are about to face regarding that thing that we need to do or so desire to accomplish!
• As God began to deal with my heart about the fearful calling to preach His Word, I found myself fearing the reprisal of my parents!
• I not only feared the reprisal of my parents, but I feared the repercussions of my friends, and I feared even the rejection of my girlfriend, Lisa, if I fully surrendered and wholly submitted myself to the perfect will of God and answered his calling upon my life to preach His Holy Word!
• But folks, as I dealt with this situation and considered all the promises of God’s Holy Word that had already been fulfilled in my life regarding this calling of God in my life, I soon came to fear, more than anything else I had ever feared before, I came to fear above all things the matter of being put up on the shelf of ‘do-nothing’ by God if I refused to submit myself to God’s calling to do what He so desired for me to do for Him in preaching His Holy Word!
• And folks, quite honestly, I became more afraid of NOT doing what God wanted me to do than I was to actually just surrender my will to Gods will for my life and just ‘do’ what God wanted me to do for Him!
• Every child of God will, at some point in this life, come face to face with some great crisis of fear and indecision.
• But how we face that time in our life will determine whether that fear ‘makes us’ or ‘breaks us’!
• So now, let’s see how Esther faced this time in her life today…

I           : Esther’s Interchange with Mordecai 

              A: Mordecai’s Anguish of Heart
                  - Esther 3:15, Esther 4:1-9

              B: Esther’s Apprehension About the Situation
                  - Esther 4:10-12

              C: Mordecai’s Challenge to Esther
                  - Esther 4:13-14, Romans 8:28, Philippians 2:5-11,
                    Romans 5:6-8, Ezekiel 22:30

              D: Esther’s Answer
                  - Esther 4:15-17, Job 13:15, Joshua 1:5

II         : Esther Before King Ahasuerus
                  - Esther 5:1-8

Conclusion:

The old song says, ‘’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word! Just to rest upon His promise—Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord!" Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I've proved Him o'er and o'er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Oh, for grace to trust Him more!’

Invitation:

Child of God… are you trusting the Lord today so that you might do what He has commanded you to do? Learn to trust and obey, for there truly is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey!

And then perhaps you are listening to the lesson today and you do not yet know the Lord Jesus as your own personal Saviour…perhaps you are listening today and you have never experienced the great blessing of God’s loving grace in your life…why don’t you come to Him today and get saved! Come to Jesus and repent of your sin and simply place your faith and trust in Him as your own personal Saviour while He is speaking to your heart today and before it is eternally too late!