Esther: A Type of Jesus

The Old Testament contains pictures of the coming Christ. These types and shadows prefigure the Lord Jesus. Consider the example of Queen Esther.

  • Both Jesus and Esther were beautiful
  • Both Jesus and Esther were compasionate
  • Both Jesus and Esther were intercessors
  • Both Jesus and Esther saved their people
  • Both Jesus and Esther defeated evil
  • Both Jesus and Esther were willing to sacrifice themselves (but only Jesus actually laid His life down)

Broken

This world is hurting. Every sector of American life is coming unhinged. Consider the following:

  • Health care is broken. 
  • Education is broken
  • Government is broken
  • Professional sports is broken
  • Media is broken
  • Relationships are broken
  • The entertainment industry is broken
  • Religion is broken
  • Families are broken
  • And eventually the economy will break.

The only One we can count on is the Lord Jesus. He is the only reliable One we can always trust. "All other ground is sinking sand."

The Greatest King

Jesus Christ is the greatest king of history. By comparing Jesus to other kings His superiority quickly becomes apparent. Notice these comparisons between Saul the first king and Jesus the final King.

See 1 Samuel 31

  1. Both Jesus and Saul had enemies, however Saul fled from his enemies, while Jesus faced His (verse 1).
  2. Both Jesus and Saul welcomed death, however Saul wanted to save himself from suffering, while Jesus wanted to save us from suffering (verse 4).
  3. Both Jesus and Saul died, however Saul's death brought defeat to his followers, while Jesus's death brings victory to His followers (verse 7).
  4. Both Jesus and Saul were buried, however Saul remains in the grave, while Jesus was resurrected from the grave (verse 13).

How to Evaluate New Ideas

When is a new idea good? And when is a new idea bad?

A new idea is good when it is God’s idea, see 2 Sam 5:23-25 (Have you sought the Lord through prayer? Has God led in this new direction?)

A new idea is bad when it violates God’s values, see 2 Sam 6:1-7 (He touched the ark. The ark had poles for carrying it.)

Remember Who You Are

"The people need someone to remind them who they are." I first heard this line in an old western movie. The hero of the film, an aged indian chief, worked to keep the indigenous people tied to their ancient culture. And it proved a difficult task as waves of settlers moved into their countryside. 

"The people need someone to remind them who they are," is applicable not only to Native Americans but also to Christians. Like the Native Americans who were losing touch with their culture, Christians need to stay rooted to their true spiritual identity as outlined in scripture. 

Consider the following truths all Christians must remember:

  1. I am no longer a slave, I am a son
  2. I once was far away, but now I am brought near to God
  3. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new
  4. I was enslaved, but now I am free
  5. I was defeated, but now I am an overcomer
  6. I was in darkness, but now I am in the Light
  7. I was a lawbreaker, but now I am justified
  8. I am not going to hell, I am going to heaven
  9. I was an alien, but now I am adopted
  10. I was poor, but now I am rich, a co-heir with Christ
  11. I was guilty, but now I am declared righteous in Christ
  12. I was dead, now I am born again

Live up to your true identity. Remember who you are in Christ.

 

Discipleship to Young Men

When I wrote my book "Discipleship Matters" God led me to aim it at young men. And indeed it has worked well with that demographic. Since publication I have led numerous young men through the book and it has been a rewarding experience.  Dr. Robby Gallaty says it is probable that the Twelve Apostles were teenagers. His seven reasons are as follows:

  1. Jesus used Greek words that suggest the disciples were young. See Matthew 10:42 "little ones" (mikros) and John 13:33 "little children" (teknion).
  2. According to the Mishna, Jewish boys were schooled on a particular schedule. During their teen years of education it would have been more likely for them to go follow a Rabbi. 
  3. Marital status. The only disciple we know who was married was Peter. Jesus healed his mother-in-law. The others were probably not married because they were under the age of eighteen.
  4. The Temple Tax is mentioned in Matthew 17:24. Exodus 30 says every Jewish man twenty years of age and older had to pay the Temple Tax. The only disciple who had to pay the tax was Peter.
  5. Traveling. It would have been highly unlikedly for married men to leave their families and follow Jesus. It would have been easier for teenagers.
  6. Longevity. Based on the dating of the book of Revelation, we know John lived until the late first century, therefore he must have been young when Jesus called him.
  7. Immaturity. The disciples being young and immature were unable to understand theological concepts, unaware that a devil was among them, willing to call down fire from heaven on their enemies, argued about greatness, and put their mother up to ask the Master for preferred seating.

Mark Clifton has written "Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches." Mark is widely seen as an expert in the field of church revitalization. In his book he mentions six imperatives for congregational renewal, one of which is focus on reaching young men. He properly notes that a dying church never says, "We have too many young men around here. We need to attract some older adults." But obviously all of us in church work have seen the opposite.

How fascinating. Jesus reached young men and Clifton says young men are the key to church revitalization. I know where I want to keep spending my time and energy. How about you?