Mercy Fellowship Sermons

What we see about ourselves and experience in the world does not always seem enduring, strong, or valuable. At a certain point, as we age, we begin to see greater decay not greater glory. As we experience difficulty, we seem weaker not stronger. As we experience loss, we can lose vision of what is valuable. To be prepared for eternity we need a power worthy to endure.

We can be easily satisfied with what we have or do if we think it “works” for us. When something new comes along that is intrinsically better in comparison we rightly want to upgrade. Yet, at times, we settle for the comfort of what we know, even if it is inferior to what is now available. We need courage to embrace the glory of what God has for us today and forsake what has become obsolete.

Few things are more able to change our experience in a room, a home, even a community like an aroma. Nearly nothing can contain an aroma from spreading beyond its original source to impact the environment around it. Our lives, actions, and attitudes contribute to the aroma of all we are involved with. 

We are not meant to be alone. Isolation reduces our ability to endure and robs us of joyful connection with others. We are made for community, yet when we are with other imperfect people there is always the opportunity to both experience harm or to harm others. For a flourishing community to endure it takes great courage. 

There are few things in life we find truly reliable. We plan, prepare, and promise but we are rarely able to provide a guarantee of significant flourishing on our own. If we are going to have courage, we need our faith placed where endurance can be guaranteed. 

We often think of endurance in terms of individual character not collective interdependence. When afflictions come, we begin to look inward hoping we have the strength to endure. Yet when our hope is in ourselves, or even others, we will be disappointed. We need our gaze shifted.

Preaching in Athens should have been a career highlight leading to significant impact in the city, region, and beyond. He studied the culture, made connections with influential people, and was given a significant and intrigued audience, only to be laughed out of the joint. While a few were persuaded, what could have been a great victory was both a personal disgrace and defeat.

Evil is defeated! The tables have been turned and justice, rather than vengeance, is being served. Several times in chapter 9 we see that "the Jews did not lay hands on the plunder." This means the Jews understand this battle as a holy war and no one should profit. The ten sons of Haman were also killed, leaving no one to carry on their father's legacy of hateful pride. Death’s legacy has been ext...

We don't have the ability to undo the wrongs done to us, that is a God- sized task. Our attempts at justice either go too far, or not far enough. Our desire for justice is from God, we should also expect that God will be the one who perfectly provides it.

Amid plots, injustice, and systemic wrong we are called to speak words to save. However, only God can truly undo all the injustice in our world. 

This is arguably the most ironically comic scene in the entire Bible. As Haman plans his glory and Mordecai's gruesome death, the King has something completely different in mind.

In this chapter, two plans are laid out. One plan is developed for the Jews' destruction, and looks formidable. Esther's plan, the plan with the look of weakness - is developed for the salvation of God's people. Esther's plan is destined for success not because Esther is beautiful and brilliant, but rather because God's plan is unstoppable.

Passivity is not humility. When we are faced with grave injustice, we are not to cooperate with it or capitulate to it. We are to be conformed to God’s will which may include confronting injustice.

We walk in entitlement. We believe we are due decadence, all our good actions should receive a reward, and all our transgressions should be overlooked. While pridefully demanding honor for ourselves we don’t see God as worth of honor. This has consequences for us and those around us.  

We all desire glory because we are all created to reflect glory. Yet when we search for glory in ourselves what we find will always be fleeting at best. Struck with reality, we can easily experience fear with our imperfect selves, when we are called to faith found in a perfect God.  

While we are of great value and worth, we are not meant to be kings and queens of our own kingdoms. In foolishness, we believe our greatest flourishing will come in rejection of God’s authority rather than in humble response to it.