Word of Salvation – Vol.42 No.4 – January 1997

 

A Book of Remembrance

 

A Sermon by Rev P G Van Dam on Malachi 3:16-18

Scripture Readings: Esther 2:21 – 3:11, 6:1-10; Revelation 20:11-15

Suggested Hymns:

BOW: 138; 157:1, 5-6 (with reading of the Law); 158:1, 4 (with Creed); 111:1, 3, 6-7; 517; Three-fold Amen in response to benediction

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in our Lord.

In the Book of Esther we read of a Persian king, Xerxes (or, Ahasverus), as well as of Haman whom the king had given a place of honour higher than that of all his other nobles.  But there is one man who refuses to bow before Haman: the Jew Mordechai who, with Esther, his cousin, had been carried into exile to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.

Mordechai’s refusal to recognise Haman in his high position had angered Haman no end.  As a result he had, thought of a way to deal with Mordechai; not directly, but indirectly, by seeking to destroy all of Mordechai’s people: the Jews.  He put it to the king that it would not be in the king’s best interest to tolerate the Jews in his empire.  Eventually, he had the king issue a decree to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews in his empire.  And upon the instigation of his wife, Haman had a gallows erected, 75ft high, to have Mordechai himself hanged on it.

But then, one night, shortly before his decree is carried out, the king could not sleep very well.  After a while he has one of his servants bring him the book of records’; that is, the book in which all the events of some significance in the history of the kingdom had been recorded.  And he tells his servant to read from the book.

In so doing he comes upon the record of the event in which two of the king’s servants had tried to assassinate the king!  But that assassination had been prevented by one man, and that man had been Mordechai.  The same Mordechai for whom all the Jews would now have to be killed.

Yes, king Xerxes remembers the event.  But then suddenly the question occurs to him whether Mordechai had ever been rewarded for having saved his life – only to find out that nothing had been done for Mordechai…!

From a further reading in the Book of Esther we know that the king was going to change that at once.  Let us now read in our own book of remembrance: Our own personal record of all the events, thoughts, words and deeds of our own lives.  We all have such a book; if not written, then in our minds or perhaps in our conscience, but we all have it!

Young people may only have a beginning of such a book.  They are still busy with the chapters of their ideals: what they might like to become, or do, or work for; what they might like to change.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with such ideas or ideals, says the Preacher (in the Book of Ecclesiastes), as long as you remember your Creator, and as long as you do not forget that the time will come when you will have to give account to Him of all you have done, thought or said (Eccl.11:9; 12:1).

But after we have become a little older, the memories start to fill the book; of what has become of our ideals and hopes; of how we have handled our lives.  And then you may ‘read’ of your successes, your gains, your good deeds and things to be proud of.  (Maybe, we are inclined to think of the ‘good things’ we have done, and of the ‘bad things’ others have done.  We all are a bit like that, aren’t we?)

But there will also be the difficult times, the failures, the sufferings; your defeats and the things you are now ashamed to think of or to mention; of experiencing values you cherished that have begun to lose their value as time went on.

All those events, experiences, etc, the good ones and the bad ones, they are all there.  By them the Lord may make us understand that no one is a failure all the time, and that no one is a success all the time.  After all, we all are what we are by His grace alone.

Indeed, in all your memories have you seen the hand of the Lord?  More so, on some very special occasions in your life?

The moment you made the public profession of your faith in Jesus Christ as your only Saviour and Lord, the Spirit convinced you that Christ Himself had guided you to that very precious and solemn vow; and that that confession was true!  Even if later you might not always have taken that vow – or have taken your faith – seriously.  But it was the occasion on which He Himself had assured you that He had saved you from Haman; that is to say: from the power and pride of sin.  Yes, He has!

And then, maybe, there was the day of your marriage!  With joy and much gratitude to the Lord, you confessed that He it was who had brought you together; a gift from the Lord in His love and care for you both.  And so, without any reservation you came before Him as your witness to the solemn vows by which you would commit yourself to each other, in the same way that Christ and His bride – the church – are committed to each other in mutual love and faithfulness.  Was not that so?!

Then, maybe by the grace of the Lord, your first child was born.  A miracle of the Lord – for you.  His/her baptism was an occasion of great joy and gratitude!  The Lord claiming your child to belong to His people; to be his/her God.  With the assurance of all the promises of the covenant, in Christ.

There may also have been the times of suffering, of sadness when a loved one left us.  But almost always would those who had been bereaved confess (be it often at a later time) that at that time – and at the funeral – yes: the Lord was there, to keep and to comfort us!  Perhaps there were other occasions on which the Lord convinced you in a special way that He was near you; just as He always is.  To remind us that he will never leave us, nor forsake us.

Yes, open your book of memory – your photo album – once in a while, just to reassure you that the Lord is good; that He does love you.  That He is our Saviour and our Lord!  Younger or older, we all need that reminder, and that his care is anchored in God’s eternal purposes of His grace for you (Eph.1).  HAMAN will not destroy your life.  And just like queen Esther prevailed upon the king, so will Jesus Christ prevail upon the Father with His intercession on our behalf; always.

Indeed, in certain respects (be it, not all) we must in queen Esther and in Mordechai see the picture of Christ the Saviour of God’s people – as King and Priest on their behalf.  Most of the prominent leaders in the Old Testament must be understood – and explained to be – pictures of the Messiah (the Christ) who was to come as the Saviour-King of God’s people.

He has come to save us, and to keep us by His Spirit and Word.  That is what the special events which He prepared for us in our lives are to remind us of.  But here, too, the King will ask: what have you done for Him, my Son and your Saviour?  My Son, concerning whom I told you this is my Son whom I love…  hear Him!  (Mt.17:5), what have you done for Him?

Of course, you could say: I am always going to church twice, so as to hear Him speak to me as often as I can.  I am involved in church activities.  I care for others.  I live properly, etc.  And that is good and necessary.  We must show that we belong to Christ, for that is to the honour of my Lord and also strengthens my faith in Him!

But the true answer goes deeper.  It concerns the question of the condition of my heart.  For if it is true that Christ is my Saviour and my Lord; that I am His and that I do not live but that He lives in me, does this show – not merely in what I do, but in what I am – in my heart and life being controlled by His Spirit and His Word?  Is He my life?  Can others see this?  Can others see Christ Himself in me?

Am I living to the praise of the glorious grace of my God which he has freely given us in the One He loves (Eph.1:6, 12, 14)?  To testify to that grace – how and why our righteous God is the God of grace in Christ; but also in order that I will always be guided, controlled and comforted by that grace, as He wants me to be.

What have I done for Him?  Yes, it would be good and necessary to turn to your book of remembrance again.  Just so that – with heart and mouth – you may confess again and testify to others again all you are and have in Him.  Is that what you have done for your Saviour and Lord?

True, some may say: all this sounds like old-fashioned language.  Yet, it is the same language of Scripture and of true faith in Jesus Christ!  For not only did King Xerxes have a book of remembrance, and not only do we have one, but Jesus Christ has one too!  In fact, in Revelation 20 – speaking to us of the day of judgment – we read of more than one book.  We read that “the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (vs.12).

That is a rather uncomfortable thought; a book with everything in it which we have thought, said or done.  True, for in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 we read that we must “Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man,” the sole purpose of His existence.  For, “God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

In other words: God remembers us also.  And what should He do for us now?

We read of another book: the Book of Life; also with names written in it.  Whose names are they?  It is filled with the names of those whom Christ has written in this book with His own blood!

They are the names of those whom He has bought with His own blood and kept by His own Spirit; saved from God’s judgment and from the power of sinfulness, from my own sinfulness and from that of the unbelieving world.

In other words – in terms of our responsibility – it is the record of those who have shown that Christ is their life.  And who in that way have given the right answer to the question as to what they have done for Him Who has saved their lives.

They are those who – unlike the current trends – are not so very busy with themselves; as to what they, for themselves, would want to be or to have or to do or to say or to look like.  Instead, they are the ones who show, in all they do and say, that they are being conformed in the image of Christ.

The ones who – by the guidance of His Word – know how and why in every respect He alone is “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6).

Amen.