AVBC - Sunday - 08/30/26 - Sermon Title: “Esther – For Such a Time as This” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” - Sermon Series - (Part 5 of 5) – Esther 2:15-23

 Sunday 08/30/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “Esther – For Such a Time as This” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” - Sermon Series - (Part 5 of 5) – Esther 2:15-23

(Cover Picture – Queen Esther - Picture)  

I have a question for us all to consider this morning. How many of us know or knew women that were “ordinary” people like us, but were people whom God used to do amazing and extraordinary things? Women that inspire you or have inspired you, and these women showed you what you were capable of. These women may have also shown you what all women are capable of. I ask all of this, because this morning I want to talk about the biblical character or person of Esther. Who has heard of Esther?

          Before diving in though, this morning we are completing our five-week sermon series, called “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God”. Specifically, we have been talking about characters or people in the Old Testament or Jewish Hebrew Bible that God used to do great or “Extraordinary” things. You might also be asking, “So Pastor Paul, we get four men or Patriarchs in this sermon series, and just one woman or Matriarch? This seems imbalanced and unfair!” Here’s the thing though, there are many important women in the Bible, such as Eve, Esther, Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Priscilla, the Ann the Prophetess, and etc., but these women often did not have the “lead role” in the story. In fact, while there are many significant women in the Bible, they are so often secondary or “supporting characters”. In movie terms, they are often “supporting actresses,” but not the main character.

          Many of the great Patriarchs or men in the bible, however, are much more often the “main character,” and often have many chapters and verses written about them. As a result, we have discussed Noah and the story of the Ark and the flood. We have discussed the great Father Abraham, the father of many nations. Of course, I mentioned Abraham’s wife Sarah, but once again, Abraham was the “lead actor” of that story. We then discussed Joseph and his “Technicolor Dreamcoat”, and how he saved his whole family and people from famine and death. Last week, we talked about the great King David, how he defeated the great giant Goliath, and how he became the king of the Kingdom of Israel. Was there more than one woman in David’s story? Sure, but, once again, he was the “main character”.

          This morning though, in this final instalment of this “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” sermon series, we have a significant “Matriarch” of the Bible. So significant in fact, that this Matriarch, Esther, has an entire book of scripture. Who here has ever read the Book of Esther in the Old Testament? Esther saved the Jewish people from destruction and death, and she my friends is the “main actress” and will become the “main character” of this story. Is the king in this story important? Yes, but he is more of a “supporting character”. Is Esther’s uncle Mordecai in this story important? Yes, but he is not the “lead actor”. Last I checked, the scripture reading for this morning was not from the “Book of Mordecai,” but from the Book of Esther. All of this to say, there are many more “Patriarchs” in the Bible than “Matriarchs,” but these women and all women matter. Lest we forget though that the empty tomb of Christ on that first Easter morning was not discovered by the men, but by the women. When Jesus hung on the cross on that first Good Friday, all the disciples, except the “Beloved Disciple” or John fled in fear. Where were all the women though? Right at the cross. The women of bible and all women are significant.

          In the time that the scriptures were written though, men oversaw just about everything. Enter, Queen Esther! In a time when women we not seen as being able to do anything a man can do, and further were often prohibited from trying, enter Esther! I am proud to pastor in a Christian denomination that ordains women as pastors and has women in the highest levels of leadership in local, district, regional, and national level, as women are significant. Esther reminds us of the strength of women of faith, and that women can do anything that anyone else can do. Yet, when Esther was alive this was often not the case. Even so, as I said, we have a Book of Esther.

          This morning, brothers and sisters, I want to talk about this great Matriarch Esther of the Jewish faith and by extension our Christian faith.

(The Making of Queen Esther – Picture)

          Queen Esther, or Esther was a Jew, and was an orphan. Her original name was Hadassah, and she was raised by her uncle Mordecai. Now when we discussed King David last week, King David’s son Solomon, built the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Some call this King Solomon’s Temple, which housed the original Ten Commandments that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. These were of course in the Ark of the Covenant, which once again housed the Ten Commandments. This temple was destroyed about 587-586 BC, when the Babylonian forces burned and looted the temple and the city of Jerusalem. King David’s son, King Solomon, reigned from 970 to 931 BC. The Babylonian kingdom will eventually become part of the Persian Empire.

I tell you all of this, to connect to our story of King David from last week, as the first temple that King David’s son Solomon had built in Jerusalem, existed for 350-400 years. In fact, the “wailing wall” in Jerusalem today where many people have and do go to pray and to put prayer notes in between the massive white stones, are the remains of the second destroyed temple, that Romans destroyed about 30-40 years after Jesus was crucified. The temple that King Solomon built was the first temple.

          All of this is important, because many of the Jews went back to what is today Israel, but some stayed in the Babylonian Empire or Persian Empire, after the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem, where many were taken as slaves. Hadassah who will become known as Esther lives with and was raised by her uncle Mordecai in the capital of the Persian Empire called Susa. There is no Jewish Temple there, as the primary temple is only in Jerusalem, Israel. Jews worshiped weekly, read scripture, encouraged one another, sang, prayed, and break bread together. This way of worshiping and being together has had some influence on how we as Christians worshipped historically and even today.

          Further Hadassah or Esther, and her uncle Mordecai lived in a very pluralistic city and empire, and their faith is one among many. Esther ends up married to King Ahasuerus (often called Xerxes I) of the whole Achaemenid Empire or Persian Empire. If anyone here has ever seen the movie “300” about the Spartans fighting the Persian Empire, that was King Ahasuerus or King Xerxes I. Which means Esther was married to King Xerxes I.

          So once again, King David’s son. King Solomon builds the first Jewish Temple in the Jerusalem, which was in the Kingdom of Israel. After about 300-400 years later the Babylonian army conquers, sacks, burns, and destroys the first Jewish Temple in the Jerusalem. The Jews or the Israelites then go into Babylonian/Persian captivity. Within 50-100 years some Jews or Israelites return to Israel, and some stay in the Persian Empire. Esther stays in the Persian Empire capital of Susa with her uncle Mordecai, where she was raised.

(Book of Esther 2:15 – Picture)

          How then, does this orphan girl, who’s a Jew, become the queen of the entire Persian Empire? Further, how does Queen Esther save her own people from being destroyed?

(Queen Esther – Picture)

          Well number one, Esther was incredibly beautiful, and I am thinking today she might be in a Miss America pageant or something like this. The King of the Persian Empire King Ahasuerus or Xerxes I became displeased with his wife Queen Vashti, as she disobeyed him by not coming the last day of one of his banquets to show off her beauty. Since she refused, in a drunken rage, the king decides that he wants a new queen. Further, in this same drunken rage, the king degrees that all Persian men were now the masters of there own homes. I guess the king wanted all the Persian men to be the bosses of their wives and families.

(Book of Esther 2:17– Picture)

The King then holds a beauty pageant to find the next queen of Persia. Women come from all over the Persian Empire. Esther was one of these women, but Esther and her uncle Mordecai kept her Jewish identity secret. The King of the Persian Empire King Ahasuerus or Xerxes I choses Esther to become his new queen to replace Queen Vashti. The king is absolutely smitten and taken with his new Queen Esther.

          So now Esther, who was a Jewish orphan girl is the queen of the entire Persian Empire. She keeps her Jewish identity secret, as her uncle Mordecai tries to do to. Mordecai then informs the king of a plot to assassinate him, and this plot is stopped and Mordecai is praised. Also, God is mentioned no where in the Book of Esther, and the author of the Book of Esther is anonymous. In some Jewish texts there is a claim that Mordecai is the author, but we don’t know for sure. Some might ask, why is the book even in the Bible then? I will get to that.

(Esther – Chosen for His Glory - Picture)

          Where the plot thickens in the Book of Esther is that Esther’s uncle Mordecai refused to bow to a man named Haman who rose to power to be second to only the King. As a result, Haman asked the king of the Persian Empire that he wanted all Jews in the empire to be killed, or a genocide. The king agreed and made a royal decree. The King then has a big banquet and of course invites Haman. Mordecai and Esther come as they want to try to stop what is about to be the genocide of all the Jews in the Persian Empire. Haman rolled dice to decide the day that all Jews in the empire would be killed, and this would be the thirteenth day of the month of Adar or “Pur” where the Jewish holiday of “Purim” will come from. Purim celebrated the Jews survival in the Persian Empire. All the Jews in the Persian Empire were to be killed in 11-months though. Queen Esther’s uncle Mordecai is desperate to save his people from annihilation. Mordecai then tells Queen Esther, that this might be the very reason she became the queen of Persian Empire. Or as the sermon title is called, “Esther – For Such a Time as This.” Queen Esther tells the king at banquet that she hosted for him and for Haman, that she wants to host a special banquet the next day, as well, to make a special announcement. As Mordecai leave this first banquet Haman is furious and tells Mordecai that he plans to have him killed on a tall spike the next day. That night the king remembered that Mordecai saved his life from the plot to assassinate him. The next morning Haman enters to speak to the king and asks the king to let him execute Mordecai. Remembering that Mordecai saved the king’s life, the king orders Haman to parade Mordecai around the city of Susa on a horse, as a person that saved the king’s life. Haman had to tell everyone to praise Mordecai for saving the king. Further, Esther famously said to Mordecai of this reveal to the king about saving the Jews, in Esther 4:16, “If I perish, I perish”. Meaning Esther is ready to die for her people.

At this second banquet, the next day, Queen Esther tells the king of her Jewish heritage, and Haman’s plan to have Mordecai to put to death on the stake. The king is furious and has Haman put to death on the stake meant for Mordecai. When a counter decree is issue by Mordecai, the Jews are ordered to defend themselves. The Jews are successful, there is great praise and celebration, and all who were against them were defeated. So, Queen Esther saved her people, as she was called, “For Such a Time as This.”

(When Esther Saved Her People - Picture)

          Or as this book is called, “When Ethers Saved Her People”. Are you a Queen Esther? Do you know, or have you known any Esthers? Someone who was called for an immense purpose, and was willing to risk everything, even her own life?

          To make this a message that walks out of the church with us this morning, how does the Book of Esther apply to our lives today? What is the significance of learning about the great Jewish Matriarch Esther, and how can we take this message with us into our weeks?

          Here is how:

In Christian typology, Queen Esther is often seen as a type of Christ because she acts as a selfless intercessor and deliverer who risks her own life to save her condemned people. While the Book of Esther is famous for never explicitly mentioning the name of God or the Messiah, Christian interpretation frequently finds profound gospel parallels beneath the surface.

Key Parallels Between Esther and Christ

·         Standing in the Gap (Intercession): Esther approaches King Xerxes uninvited, risking immediate execution to plead for the lives of the Jews. This mirrors Jesus, who approaches the throne of God on behalf of humanity, standing in the place of sinners to avert eternal judgment.

·         "If I Perish, I Perish": Esther's famous declaration of sacrifice (Esther 4:16) foreshadows the ultimate self-sacrifice of Jesus, who willingly laid down his life to rescue others from destruction.

·         A Royal Position for a Purpose: Esther is elevated to the highest place in the kingdom—becoming queen—specifically to effect salvation for her people "for such a time as this". This parallels the incarnation and exaltation of Christ, who attained supreme authority to redeem humanity.

·         Reversal of Fate: Through Esther's intercession, a sentence of death and the wicked plots of Haman are completely overturned, bringing joy, light, and deliverance (celebrated in Purim). This mirrors the Christian belief in the cross reversing the penalty of sin and defeating Satan.

So, this is Esther, the Book of Esther, a great queen, and Matriarch of our faith. Amen.

AVBC - Sunday - 08/23/26 - Sermon Title: “David – A Heart for God” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” - Sermon Series - (Part 4 of 5) – 1 Samuel 16:1-13

 Sunday 08/23/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “David – A Heart for God” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” - Sermon Series - (Part 4 of 5) – 1 Samuel 16:1-13 

(Cover Picture – King David - Picture)

          For the last three weeks, we have been discussing significant figures or people in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible. Four of these figures or leaders are great patriarchs of the Jewish faith and by extension our Christian faith. The final Matriarch we will discuss next Sunday, Esther, is a significant figure or person, as well. God, centuries before Jesus Christ was on this earth, and even today often takes “Ordinary People” and can and does do “Extraordinary” things through them. Further, “Extraordinary” to me can defined as anything that points people towards Jesus and makes them more like Jesus. Whenever we serve, whenever we love, whenever we pray, whenever we help, transform, etc., we are allowing God to us to do extraordinary things!

          So far in this “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” sermon series, we have discussed Noah and the story of the Ark/Flood. We then discussed the father of many nations, and Patriarch over half the world’s population, Father Abraham. Last Sunday, we talked about Joseph, and how God used him in extraordinary ways. God used Joseph to save his own people, ensure their survival and future, even though his own brothers sold him into slavery. In fact, Joseph said to his brothers in Genesis 50:20:

²⁰ As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today                               (Gen. 50:20, RSV).

          Even when things are hard, when things are great, or in between, the God of the Universe is at work. The Lord is at work this day, and God can use all, ordinary people to do extraordinary things. God might be doing something right here right now in this service, as the Holy Spirit might be at work right here and right now. Do we see it, do we feel it?

          This morning, I want to discuss the great King David, a significant Patriarch in the Jewish faith, and significant in our Christian faith. Now you may have noticed the past few Sundays these figures, these people, these Patriarchs are hard to preach in one sermon. There are often many chapters of scripture for each of these people, so I am giving more an overview of these people.

(David and Goliath – Picture)

When many people think of King David, they probably first think of a young boy with a sling and a stone going up against the mighty Philistine warrior Goliath. We hear about the story of David in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Chronicles, 1 Kings, and he is also mentioned in many other Old and New Testament Books, as well. In fact, probably every Christmas or Christmas Eve worship service you have ever attended mentioned King David. Specifically, this morning we are picking up in the story of David, in 1 Samuel 16:1-13, who will unite as king, the Kingdom of Israel. David was the youngest son of Jesse, and in this story this morning he is anointed to become the king of all of Israel.

Our scripture from 1 Samuel 16:1-13 for this morning says, once again 16:1-4:

David Anointed as King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” ² And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me him whom I name to you.” ⁴ Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem (1 Sam. 16:1-4, RSV).

          Samuel is tasked with finding a king and it will not be Saul. Saul of course will not be happy about this. Yet, God told Samuel to go Jesse the Bethlehemite, who lived in what we now call Bethlehem, and anoint with oil one of his sons who will become the King of Israel.

          So, Samuel, instructed by God, meets all of Jesse’s son. Jesse and his sons invited Samuel to make a sacrifice before God with them. Samuel thinks that God will reveal which one of Jesse’s sons is to be anoint the king of Israel. As Samuel was looking over Jesse’s son, 1 Samuel 16:7 says, once again:

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”                           (1 Sam. 16:7, RSV).

God is telling Samuel that son of Jesse that he is calling him to anoint to be the King of Israel won’t necessarily be chose because of his exterior or outer appearance. The person who will be anointed as the King of Israel, might not be the tallest, the strongest, the best looking, the most popular, or voted most likely to succeed in their senior yearbook.

(David Anointed by Samuel – Picture)

          As it turns out, seven of Jesse’s sons get seen and looked over by Samuel, and yet none of these seven sons of Jesse are God’s choice to be anointed and to become the King of Israel. In response to this, 1 Samuel 16:11-13, says once again this:

¹¹ And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he comes here.” ¹² And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah (1 Sam. 16:1-13, RSV).

          Jesse had eight sons, and the Lord told Samuel that David, the youngest of these eight sons should be anointed to become the King of Israel. David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons. David was the smallest, and certainly not the strongest of Jesse’s sons. In fact, in Psalm 151, which is not in most Protestant Christian Bibles states that David was smallest among his brothers, in what we would call the Apocrypha. These are scriptures that not in our Bible but do contain some truth.

Why would God choose the youngest son of Jesse, who was probably about fifteen or so when he was anointed by Samuel? David won’t become king of Israel however, until age thirty. The answer to this question is 1 Samuel 16:1-13:

(The Lord Looks at the Heart -1 Samuel 16:1-13 – Picture)

          You see when God calls someone, God is looking at the spirit and the heart much more often the exterior of the person. The Lord looks at the heart more than the body. In Psalm 51, a “Psalm of David” we hear in 51:10 this:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me”     (Ps. 51:10, RSV).

(The Lord Looks at the Heart – 1 Samuel 16:7– Picture)

          David was chosen, who was ruddy, reddish, red haired, small, because in him was the right spirit. When God calls someone, He often is looking at the heart the spirit of the person. God is looking at the interior of the person, not the exterior. Now for those than know the story of King David, he made mistakes and was not perfect. Yet, in him was the right heart and the right spirit, as he had a heart after God’s heart.

          I feel that God has a great sense of humor because I picked this sermon out months ago, not knowing that today we would be honoring Pastor Bud’s 50^th year of ordination in the American Baptist Church. The reason God has a great sense of humor, is because of all the characters in the Bible, Pastor Bud reminds me the most of David. David was moral, ethical, self-sacrificing, virtuous, fair, and had a heart after God’s own heart. Further, when King David messed up, the prophet Nathan called him out, and David repented. As it turns out, not only do Pastor Bud and Marvel have a son named Nathan, but they also have a son in law named Nathan. I am not sure if this gives these two Nathans licenses to correct Pastor Bud or not, but if Pastor Bud is likened to King David, then I think these two Nathans are allowed to Pastor Bud to straighten up if they want to!

(2 Samuel 5:1-2 - Picture)

          A shepherd boy from the fields, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, chosen by God to unite and rule the Kingdom of Israel. Not because he was the biggest, the fastest, or the strongest, but because in him God found the right heart, and the right spirit. Not only this, but God also went a stepfather with the great King David. For not only would David united Israel and become its king, but one day once his decedents would emerge and claim the same thrown for eternity.

(The Eternal Kingdom of David – 2 Samuel 7:12-13– Picture)

We read this in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, that King David’s rule will lead to an eternal rule, and that throne of David will be occupied for eternity.

(The Eternal Kingdom of David – 2 Samuel 7:12- Picture)

This will a strong kingdom, as we often read in Christmas and or Christmas Eve worship in Luke 2:11 the gospel says:

(Today in the City of David – Luke 2:11 – Picture)

¹¹ for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Lk. 2:11, RSV).

          I remember when I was serving a church in the Southern Tier of New York State for six-years. I met a man who lived in the community that I was serving in, only to find out that his high school football coach was none other than Vince Lombardi. In fact, Gene’s brother had to go to summer school one summer, he remembered his brother doing some summer schoolwork in the basement of Lombardi’s house in New Jersey. This of course was Saint Cecilia High School in Englewood, New Jersey.

          Vince Lombardi famously said:

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog"

          Pastor Bud, I don’t believe that God had you ordained a pastor fifty years ago, simply because of your exterior, I believe that like King David, that he chose you, because you have the right heart and the right spirit. You have unbelievably high standards of ministry and service, and you know I do as well. I think this is one of the reasons we love and respect each other so much, not because we have the same hairdo. While I am more an Apostle Peter, and while I believe that you are more of King David, what a blessing it is to stand in the line of heroes, and on the shoulders of giants here at the Adams Village Baptist Church, as we celebrate your 50^th year of ordination. You know what else Pastor Bud, here is some data that I looked up for today to prove to you how significant today is:

“Only about 10% of Protestant pastors will eventually retire out of full-time ministry, and an even smaller single-digit percentage ever reach a 50-year "Golden Jubilee" milestone” (https://www.google.com/search?q=what+percentage+of+clergy+celebrate+50+years+of+service).

 

You know what this tell me Pastor Bud?

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog"

Today we celebrate the great King David, the decedent of Jesus, who lives and reigns forever, as promised. Today we also celebrate a friend, a fellow Chrisitan, a pastor, and of course a Michigan fan, who God has used to change countless lives. Bud what you have done, and what you continue to do matters, and lives have been changed because of you. Pastor Bud well done, good and faithful servant.

Once again, I also feel comforted knowing that there are two Nathan’s in your life that can call you out and keep you on the “straight and narrow” to! Happy 50^th Rev. Dr. Masters! Amen.

          Now Pastor Bud you going to come up and show this kid how it’s done. Thank you, sir!

(Pastor Bud and King David – Picture)

AVBC - Sunday - 08/16/26 - Sermon Title: “Joseph – From Pit to Purpose” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” - Sermon Series - (Part 3 of 5) – Genesis 37:1-28

Sunday 08/16/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “Joseph – From Pit to Purpose” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” - Sermon Series - (Part 3 of 5) – Genesis 37:1-28  

(Cover Picture – The Story of Joseph - Picture)

          For the last two weeks we have been discussing characters or people in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible. The people we are discussing were “Ordinary People” that God chose to call and to use to do “Extraordinary” things. For we have an “Extraordinary God,” that has called us all in many ways do extraordinary things through Him. Whether it is welcoming someone, loving someone, sending a card, or caring for your neighbor, to God, these are all “Extraordinary” things.

          Thus far in this sermon series, “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God,” we have talked about Noah, the Ark, and the Flood. Noah was a righteous and holy man, and God asked this holy and righteous man to serve him in an extraordinary way. Last week we talked about Abraham, who God called to be the Father of many nations. For over half the world’s population traces their literal and spiritual ancestry back to Abraham. Noah was an ordinary person, and so was Abram, who became Abraham, yet God used them. God can and is using us!

(Ordinary People – Extraordinary God – Picture)

How then has God used you, and further, how will you let God use you, as the world needs hope, love, healing, and restoration? Further who is someone that you can think that is an ordinary person, that God used to do extraordinary things? Lastly, who is a hero of yours that is an ordinary person that God used to do extraordinary things?

          With all of this said, this morning we are going to talk about our third biblical person or character, which is Joseph. In the Book of Genesis chapters 37-50, much of this is about Joseph, his life, and what God called him to do. Now Joseph was one of twelve brothers, as his father Jacob wrestled all night God, and God renamed Jacob Israel. There are twelve tribes in Israel, and Jacob or Israel’s sons were the patriarchs of these twelve tribes. In the story of Joseph, we pick up with him at seventeen years old, as he was the eleventh Son. Bejamin, which is where we get the Jewish tribe of Benjamin was youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob or Israel.

          What we also know is that of all of Jacob or Israel’s sons, Joseph was his favorite son. This was also not a hunch, as it was obvious and all the other eleven brothers, and all the other family members knew it. If we are honest, how many of us are in a family, where there is or was a favorite? Is there a child in your family that was or is the favorite? Maybe you were the “favorite” if your family had or has such a thing? If so, what does it do to family when there is a “favorite”?

All told, with divorces and re-marriages, I have four brothers and two sisters. I have been accused of being the “Joseph,” or the favorite in my family. My older brother used to call me the “Golden Child,” and to boot, I was youngest of what I call the “original batch” of us three kids.

          One of the big reasons that Jacob or Israel favored and loved Joseph so much, was because Joseph was born to him in his old age and was the firstborn son of Rachel, Jacob's deeply beloved wife. So, Jacob or Israel just loved Joseph, or in my family, Joseph was the “Golden Child”. How do we know? Well Jacob gives his son Joseph a multi-color coat, or as the famous 1968 production “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, composed by Andrew Lloyb Webber.

          Jacob gives his eleventh of twelve-sons Joseph, an amazing fancy coat of many colors. As you can imagine, Joseph’s brother was angry, jealous, and envious of Joseph. I mean this is a culture where generally the eldest son inherits everything and is the most favored. How can Joseph, the eleventh youngest of twelve sons have so much favor with his father Jacob? Well once again, this is because Joseph was born to Jacob in his old age and was the firstborn son of Rachel, Jacob's deeply beloved wife.

(Joseph’s Dream of Hay – Picture)

          Now if this is not enough, Joseph, who might have been strutting around his brothers with his fancy multi-colored, letting them know how much their father favored him, then has a dream. In this dream, Joseph and his brothers are binding sheeves or hay in the field, as there were no bailing machines back then. In this dream that Joseph had, his brothers and himself then became sheeves of hay. Further, all the brothers that were now sheeves or lumped or bound hay surrounded Joseph and were all bowing to him in the dream. All the brothers encircle Joseph and are bowing to him, as if he is the king and ruler over them. So, was Joseph a little full of himself and a little arrogant (I think) with favor from their father Jacob, with his new multicolor coat, and his dream telling his brothers he is above them? Yeah, maybe just a little bit!

(Joseph thrown in the Pit– Picture)

          As one can understand, Joseph’s brothers were upset with him, and to the extent that they wanted to get rid of him. I mean how arrogant and full of himself was Joseph? We don’t know for sure, but I would guess at least some. So, they throw Joseph in a pit, or cistern. This pit is too big for Joseph to get out of without help. Should they kill Joseph? It is then decided that instead of killing Joseph, they can profit off their brother by selling him into slavery.

(Joseph Sold into Slavery - Picture)

As a result, this is exactly what they do. What was the cost of selling their young seventeen-year-old brother Joseph? Well twenty-pieces of silver of course, as Judas Iscariot sold Jesus out for thirty-pieces of silver. In the Book of Exodus, which occurs way after the story of Joseph, it says in Exodus 21:32 the standard price of a slave is thirty-pieces of silver. Maybe like we have had in recent years, it went from twenty pieces of silver to thirty because of inflation!

(Joseph Sold for Twenty-Pieces of Silver – Picture)

          So, they throw Joseph in a pit, and after consideration, decide killing him is not the best idea, so they sell him into slavery to the Ishmaelites for twenty-pieces of silver. In doing this though, there Father Jacob is certainly going to want to know what happened to his favorite son Joseph. How will the other eleven brothers get around this then? Here is how, Joseph’s brother took his multi-colored coat, dip it in goat’s blood, and tell Jacob that Joseph was killed by a wild animal.  

(Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife – Picture)

          Once young Joseph gets to Egypt, who once again, was sold into slavery for twenty-pieces of silver, he is sold to one of the Egyptian Pharoah’s or king’s officers, named Potiphar. With Joseph’s natural gifting and call from God, within no time Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his whole household. Unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife became infatuated with young Joseph, and since Joseph was interested in her infatuation, she falsely accused Joseph.

(Joseph in Prison – Picture)

As a result of this false accusation, Joseph was put in an Egyptian prison, where he quickly became the head of all the prisoners. The head warden of the prisoners put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners. You see, while it might have been possible that Joseph could have been a little arrogant and full of himself with his brothers, God called ordinary Joseph to do extraordinary things. As a result, whether in slavery or in prison Joseph quickly rose to a top leadership position. Further, while Joseph was in prison, he accurately interpreted dreams for the Egyptian Pharoah or king’s baker and cup bearer. The Egyptian Pharoah then had distressing dreams about Egypt have having seven years of plenty with great harvests, that would be followed by seven years of famine. The Egyptian Pharoah told his cup bearer of these distressing dreams, and the cup bearer told Pharoah that a man in prison named Joseph helped him and the Pharoah’s baker interpret the meaning of their own dreams.

(Joseph Second in Charge in Egypt – Picture)

          As a result, the Egyptian Pharoah lets Joseph out of prison, Joseph correctly interprets the Pharoah’s dream, and Joseph encourages the Pharoah to store up a lot of grain for when the seven famine after seven years of plenty would come. So impressed by this, and Joseph’s clear gifts, the Egyptian Pharoah put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt. Or to put it another way, the young kid who was thrown in a pit by his brothers, sold into slavery, and who’s death was faked, is now the second in command of the great kingdom of Egypt.

(Joseph’s Brothers Bow to Him – Picture)

          As Joseph correctly interpreted the Egyptian Pharoah’s dreams, the seven years of famine came, and there was mass hunger. This also meant that Joseph’s brothers that sold him into slavery, and Joseph’s whole extended family were hungry. Joseph’s brothers who sold him into slavery and who faked his death to Jacob or Isreal, came to Egypt hungry and begging to buy grain. There stood their brother Joseph, but it had been so long since they saw Joseph last, they did not even recognize him.

(Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers – Picture)

Even so, Joseph sold them grain, and took good care of them, in effect keeping his family fed and alive. Joseph put his brothers to the test and eventually revealed who he really was to them. Joseph forgave his brothers, and he told them that what they meant to do to him for evil, God who takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things, used what happened to him for good. For if God has called you, and He has called us all, in the end, God will use us to do good over evil. Even more, Joseph moves his whole family, including his father Joseph or Israel to Egypt, and because of this Joseph and his family survived and thrived. When the lineage then goes down the generations to Moses, Moses is then the person that God will use to lead the Israelites or Jews from slavery in Egypt to the land of Canaan, or “The Land of Milk and Honey,” or “The Promised Land,” which today includes in part the country of Israel.

          Joseph, out of Jacob’s twelve sons, was Jacob’s favorite son, and Joseph could have very well be full of himself and big headed. His brothers out of jealousy and envy fake Joseph’s death and sell him into slavery. Yet, God had a such a call of Joseph’s life that no matter where Joseph ended up, he was going to rise to prominence. For God takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things!

(Joseph Dies – Picture)

Joseph, the young boy with the “Technicolored Dream Coat” then dies in the Book of Genesis chapter 50, having saved his father Jacob and his whole extended family. For what enemy meant for evil, God used for His good. God uses and calls ordinary people to do extraordinary things. God has called you, me, and all of us to serve and love like Him. When we follow Christ, and accept this call, God will use in a variety of ways.

          The big take away here then, is all of us are loved by God, and all of us are called according to God’s purposes. Or to say it, another where you are presently in your life, is not necessarily your future, and your past is just that, your past. God uses ordinary people, to do extraordinary things. Are we willing to believe that God can and will use us? I am willing, because I will tell you this my brothers and sisters, where are you are today, or where you were a year ago, can change drastically for the better through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. For what enemy means evil, either in this life or the next, God will use for His good. Keep pursuing Christ and keep asking God to use you and guide you. For a boy named Joseph who was sold into slavery by his jealous and envious brothers, ended up saving his entire family.

(Example of an “Ordinary Hero” – Picture)

          Someone sent me an example of an ordinary person who did extraordinary things through God. With the twenty-fifth anniversary of September 11, 2001, attacks rapidly approaching, here is a story of hero. Who is this hero? This hero is an ordinary person that God used to do some extraordinary. Who here has of Todd Beamer? Todd Beamer, an ordinary person, did something extraordinary. Let me tell you the story:

“Todd Beamer was 32 years old on September 11, 2001. Software sales account manager. Husband. Father of two. Third child on the way. Just another businessman boarding United 93 at Newark bound for San Francisco.  At 9:32 AM, four hijackers stormed the cockpit. They forced pilots Captain Jason Dahl and First Officer LeRoy Homer Jr. to the back. They locked the door. They claimed to have a bomb. Passengers started calling home. Todd Beamer called GTE Airphone operator Lisa Jefferson at 9:42 AM. She told him about the World Trade Center. The Pentagon. The planes. Todd understood immediately: his plane was a weapon aimed at a target on the ground. "I know I'm not going to get out of this," he told Lisa calmly. He asked her to pray with him. Then he asked her to tell his wife Lyz that he loved her. Then he said: "I'm going to have to go out on a limb here." He set down the phone. He gathered Tom Burnett, Mark Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and other passengers. Flight attendants CeeCee Lyles and Deborah Welsh organized them. They grabbed a beverage cart. They understood most of them would die. But thousands on the ground would die if they did nothing. Todd Beamer walked toward the cockpit and said words that would echo forever: "Are you guys ready? Okay. Let's roll." For six minutes, they fought. They pounded on the cockpit door. They heard screaming. They felt the aircraft pitch violently. They kept fighting. They weren't trained. They weren't soldiers. But they understood something essential: if they fought, they might save thousands. If they did nothing, they guaranteed mass death. At 10:03 AM, Flight 93 slammed into an open field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at over 500 mph. All 40 passengers and crew died instantly. Todd Beamer never saw his newborn daughter. He never grew old with his wife. But thousands of people woke up on September 12, 2001, because he chose to fight. He wasn't military. He wasn't trained. He was a software salesman who understood that heroism is a choice. That courage is what you do when fear screams at you to surrender. That sometimes you have to die so others can live. "Let's roll." Those words. That choice. That man. Ordinary person. Extraordinary courage.  Rest in peace, Todd Beamer. Your sacrifice changed America. Your courage showed the world what it means to be human”.

 

          Marian Higgins sent me this timely story, about an ordinary many who did something extraordinary. Brothers and sisters, God is still calling us all today to continue to be us, but to serve and love him in extraordinary ways!

          To make this a sermon one that walks out the door with us this morning, let me review and give some application points of Joseph who is mostly in the Book of Genesis chapters 37-50.

The biblical story of Joseph, found in Genesis 37–50, details how Jacob's favorite son was sold into slavery by jealous brothers, rose to become the second-in-command of Egypt after interpreting dreams, and ultimately saved his family from a severe famine through forgiveness. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The Favorite Son and Dreams

 

·         The Coat: Jacob gave Joseph a special, ornate robe.

·         The Jealousy: His 11 older brothers hated him because of this favoritism.

·         The Dreams: Joseph had dreams showing his family bowing down to him, which made his brothers even more angry. [1, 2, 3, 4]

 

Sold into Slavery

 

·         The Pit: The brothers plotted to kill Joseph, but instead threw him into an empty cistern.

·         The Sale: They sold him to traveling Ishmaelite merchants for 20 pieces of silver.

·         The Deception: They dipped his robe in goat blood and tricked their father Jacob into believing a wild animal killed Joseph. [1, 2, 3]

 

Rise, Prison, and Power in Egypt

 

·         Potiphar's House: Joseph was sold in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. God blessed Joseph, and he managed all of Potiphar's house. [1, 2, 3]

·         False Accusation: Potiphar's wife falsely accused Joseph of a crime when he refused her advances, landing him in prison. [1, 2, 3]

·         Dream Interpreter: In prison, Joseph accurately interpreted dreams for Pharaoh's baker and cupbearer. [1, 2]

·         Ruler of Egypt: When Pharaoh had disturbing dreams about seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, the cupbearer remembered Joseph. Pharaoh brought Joseph out of prison, listened to his advice to store grain, and made him ruler over all Egypt. [1, 2, 3]

 

Reunion and Forgiveness

 

·         The Famine: When hunger struck Canaan, Joseph's brothers traveled to Egypt to buy food, not recognizing him.

·         The Test: Joseph tested their character and eventually revealed his true identity to them.

·         Reconciliation: Joseph forgave his brothers, telling them that while they meant it for evil, God used it for good to save many lives. He moved his entire family, including his father Jacob, to live safely in Egypt. 

Brothers and sisters, most of us, including myself, can say we are ordinary or regular people. Yet through us, God can and is still doing extraordinary things. For what enemy meant for evil, God in the end will use it for God. Keep serving, keep loving, keep seeking Christ, and keep doing the extraordinary for God! Amen.

AVBC - Sunday - 08/09/26 - Sermon Title: “Abraham - The Reluctant Patriarch” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” - Sermon Series - (Part 2 of 5) – Genesis 12:1-3

 Sunday 08/09/26 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “Abraham - The Reluctant Patriarch” – “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God” - Sermon Series - (Part 2 of 5) – Genesis 12:1-3

(Cover Picture – Abraham, Father of Faith - Picture)

          Last Sunday, we started a five-week sermon series called “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God.” In this sermon series, we will continue to take five people or figures from the Old Testament, or Hebrew or Jewish Bible, that God used in extraordinary ways. These people were “regular” or “ordinary people” like many of us are, but God used them, as God can and does use us in extraordinary ways!

          Last Sunday, we talked about the story of Noah, and the Ark. That God made a “Covenant” or an agreement with Noah. If Noah built the Ark, stayed righteous and faithful, after the earth flooded for forty-days, God promised to never again fully flood the earth. This “Covenant” is called the “Noahtic Covenant,” because God made this “Covenant,” or promise with Noah. The big take way from the story of Noah and Ark is faith, righteousness, holiness, and obeying God.

          Does anyone remember what God put it the sky when the flood ended to show Noah as a sign of the promise that there would never again be a world-wide flood? The answer is of course a rainbow. A dove also flew to the Ark with an olive leaf in its beak as a sign of peace, and renewal. This is loosely in part where we get the term, “extending an olive branch.” The power of faith, righteousness, and devotion to God.

          This morning though, our “ordinary” person that God used to do extraordinary things is Abraham. In fact, his name was originally Abram, and his wife Sarah’s name was originally Sarai, before God told Abram that he would now be called Abraham, and that Sarai would now be called Sarah. Like Noah, God made a “Covenant” or a promise to Abraham. We call this promise the “Abrahamic Covenant”. As I also said last Sunday, at the Last Supper Jesus made a “Covenant” or a promise with us, when he took the cup and said, “this is the blood of the New Covenant”. The promise of Christ is that we have forgiveness and salvation in Him. These “agreements,” or “promises,” or “covenants” from God are all throughout the Bible.

          While I do not want to rank the five ordinary people that we are learning about from the Old Testament that do extraordinary things in this sermon series, Abraham is a name that many of us might have heard a lot lately. In fact, who here has heard of the “Abraham Accords?” The Abraham Accords of 2020 were designed to created better trade and relationships with the country of Israel, that is in the majority of the Jewish faith, and the country of the Middle East, which in the majority is of the Muslim faith. Further, our country, the United States has been very involved in the “Abraham Accords,” and we are a country that is majority Christian. About two-thirds of the people of the United States identify as Christian. We certainly have a variety of beliefs or lack of beliefs in this country, but by far the majority religion in this country in Christianity.

Christians, Jews, and Muslims though, all claim spiritual descendancy from Abraham. The “Abrahamic Religions” of the world then, are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In total this makes up about 55% of the population of planet earth. Christianity is the world’s largest faith, followed by Islam, and there are only about 16-million people of the Jewish faith in the whole world. With a current world population about 8.3 billion, Christians, Muslims, and Jews then make up about 4.3 billion people.

(Ordinary People – Extraordinary God – Picture)

          So, this morning, once again, we are going to look at Abraham, an ordinary person, that God used to do extraordinary things.

(Genesis 12:1 – Picture)

In looking at our scripture reading for this morning, once again, from Genesis 12:1-3, we hear this, once again:

The Call of Abram

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves” (Gen. 12:1-3, RSV).

(Genesis 12:1-3 – Picture)

          Further, God tells Abram, who will be called Abraham, this of the land of “Canaan” in Genesis 13:15-17:

¹⁵ for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants for ever. ¹⁶ I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted. ¹⁷ Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you”               (Gen. 13:15-17, RSV).

This, once again, is land of “Canaan,” or as it is called in the Book of Exodus 3:8, “The Land of Milk and Honey,” or “The Promised Land” as it is listed in scripture too. This of course in Exodus 3:8 is when Moses is preparing the Jews to leave slavery under the Egyptian Pharoah, to go through the Red Sea, to wander the wilderness for 40-years, and eventually get to “The Promised Land.”

          God calls Abram, soon to be renamed by God Abraham, and God tells Abraham that he will be the father of countless people, of more people that there are starts in the sky. Now Abram, soon to be Abraham was very wealthy and affluent, but if God never talked to him and made a covenant with him, I doubt any of us would know anything about him today. In the time of life, he was not ordinary, but today, we would not even know who he is without the covenant that God made with him. So significant is Abraham, that one of our most beloved Unites States Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, was named after the great “Father Abraham.”

(Abraham and Family - Picture)

          The other interesting part of the story of Abraham was that Abraham, and his wife Sarah had only one biological son, who they named “Isaac,” which means “he will laugh,” or “laughter”. The “Covenant” or promise of God through Abraham then passed on to his son Isaac. This same “Covenant” or “Birth Right” then continued down the line, to Moses, to then the great “King David,” who God promised a decedent that would be eternal or forever ruler. This promise of a savior is Jesus Christ, who once again at the Last Supper took his cup, and said, “this is the blood of the new covenant”. When you eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord’s Supper or Communion, we are remembering this “Covenant,” this promise through Christ that started with God, to Adam, to Abraham, the great “King David,” and lastly to Jesus Christ.

(Abraham and Sarah – Picture)

          Now getting back to Abraham, according to the Bible Sarah gave birth to Isaac when she was about ninety-years old, and Abraham was about one-hundred years old. Part this promise from God to Abram, soon to be Abraham having a line of decedents that today, once again, make up over half of the world’s 8.3 billion people. Part of the promise of God, or the “covenant” of God, that we call the “Abrahamic Covenant,” was that Sarah and Abraham would produce a male heir. At one hundred years old and ninety years old, by the way!

(Abraham and Isaac – Picture)

As you can see from this portrait, Abraham and Sarah don’t look a day over twenty-years old do they?!

          Without getting too deep into this story this morning, we as Christians claim our decent though Abram, who soon will be called Abraham. Muslims claim the same decent, but not through Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac, but instead through Ishmael. Who is Ishmael? Ishmael is the son of Abraham and his wife Sarah’s servant Hagar. So, Jews and Muslims both claim decent from the great Father Abraham, but Jews and Christians claim decent from Isaac after Abraham. The Old Testament, the Jewish Torah, the first five book of the Old Testament, which is the Jewish or Hebrew Bible says that Jews decent is from Abraham to Isaac and so on, as Christians do. Muslims, once again, claim there decent from Abraham to Ishmael, and claim that Mohammed, the founder of Islam is a direct decedent from Ishmael.

          All this matters, because this figure in the Old Testament, or Jewish Torah, which is the first five books of the Old Testament, or the Books of Moses, as they are sometimes called, explain that Abraham, through God is the “Father of many nations.”

          Since God promised that Abraham would be the father of many, have more descendants than the stars in the sky, and since we as Christians trace our lineage back to him, God’s promises then matter. If the land of Canaan, the promised land, Jerusalem were promised to Abraham and his decedents, and since Jews and Christians trace our ancestry from Abraham, then Isaac, and so on, then Israel is clearly Jewish land. Yet, Muslims who claim their ancestry through Abraham and Ishmael have a different understanding of this. An unavoidable reality though is the centuries of persecution, slaughter, and prejudice towards Jews. After the Holocaust nearly killed all Jews in World War II, many survivors than said they wanted to return to the land that God promised to them through the great “Father Abraham”. Muslims, however, do not see “Canaan” or the “Land of Milk and Honey” as promised land to the Jews. As a result, Jerusalem and surrounding lands are “hot” real estate.

          Efforts to create a Jewish country of Israel and majority Muslim country of Palestine have been ongoing since the Jewish State or country of Israel was formed in 1948. President Jimmy Carter, a good American Baptist tried fervently to create a two-state solution, or a country for the Jews, and one for the Palestinians. To this day, this problem has not been solved.

          This goes back to “Father Abraham” and the “promise,” or the “Covenant” that God made with him that he would be the father of many nations. Further that his people would inherit “Canaan” or the “Land of Milk and Honey”.

(Abraham – Picture)

 Brother and sisters, this is Abram, who God renamed Abraham, “The Father of Many Nations,” to whom God promised his decedents Canaan or “The Land of Milk and Honey”.

          So does Abraham, one of five “Ordinary People, Extraordinary God,” do something extraordinary? Well, if over half of the world’s population claim decadency from the great “Father Abraham”, then I would say, yes indeed God took an ordinary person, Abram, soon to be Abraham and did something extraordinary!

          To make this a sermon that can walk out the door with us this morning, let us look at some application points of why Abraham was an ordinary person with and extraordinary God:

Genesis 12:1-3 records God's call to Abram, containing a divine command to leave his home, a promise to make him a great nation, and the ultimate vow that all peoples on earth will be blessed through him.

 

The Call and the Promise

·         The Command: God tells Abram to leave his country, his people, and his father's house to go to a land that God will show him.

·         The Blessing: God promises to make Abram a great nation, bless him, make his name famous, and make him a source of blessing to others.

·         The Protection: God states He will bless those who bless Abram and curse anyone who treats him with contempt.

·         The Global Scope: The covenant concludes with the promise that all families and peoples on earth will be blessed through Abram

 

Abraham is important in the Bible because he is the first Hebrew patriarch, the receiver of God's covenant, and the ultimate model of faith. Most users on Quora agree that his obedience shaped the entire history of salvation. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Covenant and Promises

·         Great Nation: God promised to make Abraham's descendants into a great nation.

·         The Land: God promised the land of Canaan to his family.

·         Universal Blessing: God promised that all families on earth would be blessed through him, pointing forward to Jesus. [1, 2, 3]

 

An Example of Faith

·         Total Obedience: Abraham left his home and idols to follow a call from God without knowing where he was going.

·         Justification: His trust in God was counted to him as righteousness.

·         The Test of Isaac: He showed supreme trust in God by being willing to offer his son Isaac on the altar. [1, 2, 3]

 

Father of Many

 

·         Ancestry: He is the physical ancestor of the Jewish people through Isaac and Arab peoples through Ishmael.

·         Spiritual Father: The New Testament calls all who believe in God the "children of Abraham". [1, 2]

 

Brothers and sisters, God made a “covenant” or “promise” to Abraham that we believe passed from Isaac, eventually to Moses, eventually to the great King David, and eventually was eternally fulfilled through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We all might feel “ordinary,” but through God, He can use us to do extraordinary things! Be blessed this day and always children of Abraham! Amen.