Tomorrow a couple of you will face the biggest change
in your young lives. Graduation! You probably have several emotions
fighting their way to take the fore; fear of the unknown, excitement for
a new beginning, relief that this challenge is past, perhaps pride in a
job well completed, or even confusion in facing the myriad of choices
ahead of you. Today I have found four stories from the bible where a
“Graduation” marked a major life change; in all cases, God was faithful
and used the person in question to further His plan. Remember that if
you are faithful; God can and will use you to further His plan if you
will let him.
We will start by looking at Esther. The Persian Empire
was at a kind of crossroad. Its King had banished his Queen, then lost a
series of major battles; and, now was looking for a new Queen. Esther
was one of many, just a face in the crowd, and yet the Bible tells us in
Esther 2:15 “Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail
the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go into the
king, She requested nothing but what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, the
custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight
of all who saw her.” A small aside the Persian Empire stretched the
bible tells us in Esther 1:1 from India to Ethiopia. We know that it
also extended all the way north into Europe and by the dates given we
know that aborted invasion of the Grecian Empire occurs between the end
of chapter 1 and chapter 2. This was the super power of its day, this
king, Ahasuerus, better known by his Greek name Xerxes I, ordered that
the most beautiful women from all the reaches of his kingdom. A kingdom
that stretched from India to Africa to central Europe, Imagine for a
second the number women he had to choose from; And, Esther, who was a
Jew whose family was brought to the capital city as prisoners and
slaves, who was not only beautiful in body, also had a spirit that
showed through and won her favor in the sight of all who saw her. She
had one night, the king had seen a different woman EVERY night for at
least 10 months, and in one night Esther “graduated” from pawn to
Queen. She even has perhaps the most dramatic “graduation” ceremony in
the Bible. The King delighted in her so much that he threw a citywide
banquet, and declared the day a national holiday and gave out gifts
throughout his whole empire to show his generosity. Now that is a heck
of a “Graduation” present. The bible tells us that the reason she
succeeded where so many others failed was not simply her beauty, nor her
faith, that would be tested much later, she succeeded because she
listened to, and learned from her teachers and advisors. Esther 2:15
again, She requested nothing but what Hegai advised.
We should point out that Esther had no choice in her
selection; she had no choice in her submission to the King’s desires on
that one night. She was powerless through it all, but through the favor
she won in the king’s eyes she saved the lives of all the Jews. God put
her in just the right place at just the right time so that when His
people were going to be destroyed she would be in place to fulfill His
purpose. The Bible tells us this explicitly in Ester 4:14, “For if you
remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise
for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will
perish. Yet, who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a
time as this?”
Your graduation ceremony is unlikely to be a national
holiday in the future, it is unlikely to be attended by kings and
queens; but, it will be a day filled with celebration. Hopefully you
can remember as you move forward the example of Esther, and submit
humbly to God’s plan knowing that someday you will be in just the right
place at just the right time to fulfill God’s purpose. In all our lives
there is “such a time as this.”
Now I think is the “Time” to move to Joshua.
Joshua had quite a dramatic “graduation” day. He was
Moses’ second in command. He had been a follower for more than 40 years
of wondering. He had had his meals provided for him as manna from
heaven for the last 40 years. He had always known his place, and his
role in his community; then Moses died. In Joshua 1:2 God speaks to
Joshua, “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this
Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them –
the children of Israel.” The bible does not tell us what Joshua is
thinking, it does not tell us his feelings. But we might guess. He
must have felt overwhelmed by the task that God had given him, to take
leadership from Moses who had saved the Jews and led them from Egypt.
He might have been excited; he would be leading God’s people out of the
wilderness into the Promised Land. Perhaps he was scared, after all
according to the report given in Numbers 13:32 “And they gave the
children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out,
saying ‘the land through which we have gone as spies is a land that
devours its inhabitants and all the people whom we saw in are men of
GREAT stature (Giants).” Perhaps he was just worried about how to feed
God’s people, after all the manna would stop coming. Perhaps he was
just a little lost, God had told him what to do, but not really how.
But in this “graduation” speech God gave Joshua a final charge in Joshua
1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be
afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you
wherever you go."
Despite all the challenges ahead Joshua was obedient
to God. Yes if you read on you find that Joshua was a great military
leader, so much so that many military academies still study his military
strategies, but you’ll also see that he never forgot to be obedient and
faithful to God.
Your future may not include being one of the most
notable military leaders of all time. But the lessons we find in
Joshua’s life, his faith and obedience, we can apply to our lives and
each step we take can be taken strong and courageous, fearing nothing
because our God is with us everywhere we go.
And now we go to the New Testament and the story of
Peter.
Peter and his brother were fishermen on the Sea of
Galilee. Their lives were well entrenched. They we set to inherit
their father’s business and their lives would be much like his. Then
one day a great crowd gathered around a man who asked them to take him
in their boat a short way into the lake that he might teach the crowd.
This man sat on their boat and spoke to the crowd. The Bible never
relates that sermon, how strange, because in that sermon, Peter and his
brother would change the course of their entire existence. The man of
course was Christ. This story is found in Luke 5:1-11. In verse 10 Jesus
speaks saying, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” Talk
about a short Graduation speech. Two sentences, yet the decision Peter
made on this graduation day would change his whole being. He had been a
common fisherman, now he was a follower of Christ. In fact he would be
notable amongst the disciples; no man was more likely to confess the
truth of Christ. He had been impulsive and strong willed. Through
Christ he became a great leader, and in Matthew 16:18 Christ says, “And
I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
When Peter put out that boat he had no idea how his
life would change, but his decision to follow Christ that day changed
him and the world. Peter was just a man but God used him in mighty
ways. It wasn’t Peter who made that change in his life it was his
exposure to Christ. Acts 4:13 says “Now when they (the Sanhedrin) saw
the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated
and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been
with Jesus.” The final word of Peter’s epistle charges us with this,
“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To
Him be the glory both now and Forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18. Like Peter
you can allow yourself to be shaped into the person God desires you to
be.
We cannot meet Christ on this earth as Peter did, but
we can learn and grow as Timothy did.
In Acts 16 and 2 Timothy 1:5 we learn that Timothy’s
Mother and Grandmother were Jews and taught him the Old Testament
scriptures. He had the privilege of hearing the Word from this amazing
source. They passed down a love for God and taught him from a young
age. It was here at the knees of his mother and grandmother that he was
led to faith. He built the foundation of his character from the
strength he found in them. His faith is described in 2 Timothy 1:5 as a
genuine faith; and in 2 Timothy 3:15 his faith having been built from
his infancy. This made him a strong Jew, and then came Paul who taught
him about Christ, that was the day Timothy accepted that Jesus died for
his sins and was baptized.
He had been taught from infancy but on the day of his
baptism, he “Graduated” into life with Christ. In 2 Timothy 3:14-16,
Paul tells Timothy to never stop learning, “But you must continue in the
things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you
have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy
Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness.” The diploma you will be handed tomorrow
is not, and cannot be the end of your learning. Merely an end to a
chapter, you will have many more to come. Timothy became who he was
because of those who taught him. You will become the person you are to
become because of those who taught you, your parents, grandparents,
teachers, and ministers. Take time to say thank you to those who have
helped shape the foundation of your character as you take this step of
building on it. As you move forward, please remember, that there are
many roads in front of you, but, only one that leads to heaven. Matthew
7:14 tells us that the narrow path is difficult, but that the reward is
eternal life. The scriptures are the map to the redemption.
Whether today, tomorrow is something you are praying
puts you where you can be used in “such a time as this”, or it’s
something you are marching into “strong and courageous.” Then perhaps
it’s time to stand upon the foundation of the education you have, and
confess Christ boldly, and follow the scriptures down the narrow path,
being buried in baptism and restored to a new life in Christ.
If today you hear the call, please come as we stand
and sing.
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