Esther 3:8-10 – Stand – Bible study

Esther 3:8 Stand Today is Grandparents Day and, while I want to speak to all, I especially want to direct my words to the grandparents. There is a movement which has been on-going for decades but has reached a fervor today. It is an anti-movement. "Against what?" you ask. Basically, against everything that you and I were taught and have stood for throughout our lives. (That may sound like an exaggeration, but it is not.) There is an anti-God movement. They took prayer out of school, Bible teaching out of school, Bible reading out of school, and even the posting of the Ten Commandments out of school. Not only so, but they rewrote American history, changing God and His people from being the heroes of the story to being the enemies of the story. That began more than 50 years ago so that now we are on our third or fourth generations of adults who have no understanding or even exposure to the truth. That is what has made it so easy for the other anti-movements to rise. There is an anti-American movement. Our country has and does have its faults. I cannot say that there were not some horrible things done to the natives of this land; but all along the way, there have been some who tried to stand for right and, by doing do, this country became the most tolerant, the most peaceful, the most powerful, and the most blessed in the history of the world. Many of the more recent generations have no idea how blessed they have been to be born and to live in this country and are determined to desecrate and destroy everything that is America. There is an anti-capitalism movement. America is the only country in the world where rich sports figures, actors, and politicians condemn those who work and try to make a living for having too much. They trample the flag, kneel during the anthem, and insult everyone from the police who protect them to the soldier who fights to protect their freedom. They have no love for this country, but they wont leave it! They praise Islam and socialism, but wont move to a country that is socialist or Muslim. Instead they leech off the hard workers of this country while insulting everything that makes it possible for them to do so. With that background in mind, I want to share three thoughts with you from the Bible. I. It is time to stand. A. In a time when so many are taking a knee, it is time for Christians to take a stand! B. I am talking to everyone but especially to the grandparents. 1. I know you thought you had done your bit and were due for a comfortable retirement, but you are not. 2. You are still alive and some of you probably will be for another 30 to 40 years yet. 3. If you start or keep sitting on the sidelines, America is liable to be destroyed long before you die and your comfortable retirement life may be spent in a concentration camp, a prison, or a sanitarium somewhere. C. If you dont think that is where things are headed, then 1. Go look at the people that are pushing these agendas. s. They are hate-filled, rage-filled, venom-filled individuals with no logic, no civility, and no self control. b. In my opinion, the only thing that is holding them back is the Holy Ghost and the consequences of their actionsand I am not certain how much longer either one will continue to do so. 2. Go back and read the Bible description of what happens. a. The Bible speaks of persecutions, prisons, beatings, and death. \#Matt 5:10-12, 2Tim 3:11-13, Romans 8:35\ b. It talks of a time when no one will be able to buy or sell unless they have a number granted to them by the political powers that be. c. It is not a question of IF these things will come but WHEN. d. Granted, I do not know when these things will start and have no Biblical grounds to say anything but that they are imminent, that is "could happen at any moment," but I feel that the time is close. D. Consider the book of Esther. Read \#Esther 3:8-10, 4:6-14\ 1. Some say that preachers should not meddle in the political and cultural arena. 2. Everything in this book deals with the political and cultural wellbeing of the Jews. a. In fact, God is never mentioned in the book of Esther. b. Not at all. Not once. c. It is strictly a book about the people of God and what they had to do to stay alive. 3. Esther, through no efforts of her own, became queen. 4. An evil man, Haman by name, wanted to kill the Jews and put into effect a plan to kill to do so. 5. Mordecai, Esthers uncle, encouraged Esther to do something, but her first thought was, "There is nothing I can do." 6. \#Esther 4:14\ Mordecais answer was clear. a. Deliverance (enlargement) is going to come from some place. (1) Mordecai knew that because he knew God had a plan for the Jews. (2) I cannot tell you this country will be delivered from the anti-movers. (3) In fact, quite the opposite, I can you tell you that one day, they will win. (4) But I will tell you that America is worth standing up for! b. If you do nothing, you will not be spared and your family will not be spared. (1) This is why I want to speak the grandparents. (2) It is not just you and me and our generation that is going to go down. (3) We stand for our children and grandchildren! c. And then he challenged her. (1) Who knows but this is what you were born for?! (2) Grandparents, in this time of life when you thought you were finishing, who knows but what you have just found the real reason God created you. II. There are some things for which we need to stand. A. In fact, they are many. Some we need to stand for and some we need to stand against. Let me give you but three. B. Stand for God. 1. I realize God does not NEED us to stand up for Him. a. He is God, and God can certainly take care of Himself. b. However, I have had occasions where others stood for me, and I greatly appreciated it. 2. God has called Christians to stand for Him. a. That is what every command to preach and teach is about. b. That is what the church exists to do. c. And training the church to stand is the purpose of every office within the church. 3. God called us to stand for Him in our churches, in our communities, in our places of work, in our culture, and in our politics. 4. A Christian who does not stand for God will deserve the kind of nation he gets. C. Stand for work. 1. I know that sounds strange but work is not just a social issue. a. It is a Scriptural issue. Gen 3:19 cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; (1) Like it or not, when sin came in work came in. (2) Paul said that if we do not work, we should not eat. (3) If God tells us something and we dont do it, that is a sin. b. That means it is also a spiritual issue. (1) God has always intended man to work. (2) Adam workednot as hard, but he workedbefore sin entered and I suspect that we will work in the life to come. (3) It is just Gods plan. c. After those two, not working becomes a social issue. (1) The social implications of a people that will not work is NOT the churchs first priority, but it is a priority nonethe-less. (2) No government can supply for a nation of people that do not produce, and no government is so foolish as not to know that. (3) Any government that advocates socialism knows it is going to fail. (a) Their goal will never be to take care of the people. (b) It will always be to take control of the people. (c) In the end, they will cast away whoever they deem unnecessary to make themselves full, fat, and flourishing. 2. I know we all make jokes about work and there are certainly times when we need a break, but a person who can work and will not hurts himself by not working. D. Stand for America. 1. I do not know that I can give you a Bible reason to stand for America, but I can tell you that on the path this country is traveling, our freedom to share Christ or any truth from the Bible with anyone will end. 2. America was the church to world for 150 years. She may not be what she once was but, to this date, there is no nation or people who have risen to the challenge. 3. The world needs America. III. There are some ways to stand. A. How do we stand? 1. I am not speaking of violence or terrorism or wars or even being rude, hateful, or angry. 2. The Bible tells us that we have a different set of tools at our disposal. 2Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 3. The weapons of this world will not aid us in accomplishing our mission. 4. We stand by doing what God has told us to do. B. What? 1. We stand by praying. 2. We stand for God by sharing salvation. a. That is the only hope for the lost. The lost has, is, and always will be the primary calling for every Christian. b. Jesus Christ is the only Hope for America. (1) No argument, no nugget of wisdom, no personality, and no politician is going to change the direction of America. (2) We might slow it down a little but the only Power which can change its course is Jesus Christ. c. And if we cannot change America or win the multitudes, we will keep preaching Jesus for the sake of the individuals. 3. We stand by teaching truth. 4. We stand by believing God will. Last, why do I preach this message on Grandparents Sunday? There are many reasons, but let me share a few. 1. Most of you are old enough to see how our country has turned. 2. Most of you care enough to want to help. 3. Most of are wise enough to realize time is running out.