Esther 10 - The Mark of a Great Leader
Channel: Parkside Church
Date: 2015-01-12

Find sermon notes and more at: http://parksidechurchcamas.org/esther-10-mark-great-leader-2015-01-11/

We are all leaders in some capacity.  Great leaders consider their personal interests less important than those they lead.

Main Scripture: Esther 10:1-3

Blessed are the Peace Makers (Matthew 5:9)

Read Esther 3:15-4:3 again.  Notice the confusion and anguish, two things that seem all too prevalent in our fallen world; from Genesis 4 to the present.  But every once in a while, God raises up a man or woman who changes everything.  These are the peace makers.

You have several biblical examples in the book of Judges.  In more recent times, you have George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill.  Whether from  Judges or the 20th century, all of these leaders and peacemakers had a couple of things in common.

They had to go to war to make peace,
and they were willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of their people.
Take a look at Esther 10:3.  He sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all the people.  So, we can add Mordecai to our list.  Without him, Esther never would have been in a position to approach the king.  Mordecai had taken her in years before when her parents both died.  Later, Esther became the queen, and not just because of her good looks.

Notice in Esther 2:9 that she “Pleased Hegai and won his favor.”  It was her humility and graciousness that endeared her to others.  Also, the strong faith in God that resulted from the way that Mordecai had raised her (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

Deuteronomy 6:6–7, And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Even after she became queen, Mordecai continued to watch over her, and he never asked for anything personally.  “He sought the welfare of his people.”  Who are your people?

Your “near” people are your spouse and kids, or your parents and siblings
Your “far” people might include your dentist, or the cop that pulls you over to give you a ticket

Peacemakers vs. Peacekeepers

Peacekeepers are many, they strive to keep the peace at any price.  They would rather tolerate a little evil than confront it and stamp it out.  Now, conflict for conflicts sake is always wrong, but so is peace at any cost.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

We saw an example of this on Wednesday, in France.  No one in the world has bent over backwards for Muslims in their country more than France.  And look what it got them.

If your goal is peace at any cost you will never achieve it.  Nevil Chamberlin said after the Munich Agreement in September of 1938: “We have achieved peace in our time.”  Winston Churchill’s response was: “You have agreed on peace, you shall have war.”  One year later Hitler invaded Poland.  Depending on which statistics you read, between 50 and 80 million people were killed in World War II.

Mordecai knew, as did Churchill, that you cannot appease evil.

Jesus knew.  So did Paul (Ephesians 4:26).  Evil should make us angry.  Nevertheless, we must be careful, because there is a major difference between selfish anger and righteous anger.

Ephesians 4:26, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger"

Mordecai is Honored (Esther 10:2)

We can benefit greatly from seeing just what Mordecai is honored for:

The obvious: He delivered his people form the threat of extinction
The not so obvious: Humility, he did this at great personal risk, putting their needs above his own

In Mark 9:35, Jesus called the 12 and said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”  Compare Mordecai to Haman with Luke 14:7-11 and 1 Peter 5:6 in mind.  The mark of a great leader is humility.

Mordecai was faithful over time.  He progressed from a low level bureaucrat, to kings adviser, to second in command.  Luke 16:10, “One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.”

A leader is a peacemaker.  A peacemaker has humility, faithfulness, and loyalty.  Both to his superiors and to his subordinates.