The Solution to the Post-Cross Dilemma

June 24, 2001 pm MF Blume

Our sermon tonight deals with the events that followed Haman's hanging in the story of Esther. Like Haman's death on the "tree" ("gallows" in Hebrew), Satan's defeat by the cross has given us great victory. But after Haman's death, the Jews yet faced a dilemma. Haman's law was still in effect and would threaten the Jews. After the cross of Christ many Christians are tempted and defeated by sin. There is a dilemma after the cross. Let us study Esther's manner of conquering Haman's law after his death, in order to learn the solution to our Post-cross dilemma.

After the hanging of Haman, Esther's problems were not over.
And after your experience of new birth through the cross of Christ, there is a dilemma that you must face also!

Let us recapitulate the story in brief as to the issue of Haman and his hanging in order to proceed to the events that followed his death.

Esther 5:14 Then said Zeresh his (Haman's) wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

Then Esther succeeded in thwarting Haman's plans as follows:

Esther 7:9-10 And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

But....

Esther 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.

Esther succeeded in seeing Haman, the enemy of the Jews, hanged on the very gallows that Haman built to hang the Jew Mordecai, Esther's uncle.

After that hanging, there were still many enemies of the Jews around the empire, for before his death, Haman had successfully arranged for a law to be validated in the king's name, that could not be reversed, demanding that the Jews be killed in the month of Adar on the 13th day.
After his death, that law still stood!
What a dilemma!

Here is where Haman instigated this law.

Esther 3:9 If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries.
Esther 3:12-13 Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.

Haman had the ring of Ahasuerus, with the king's signet emblem on it to validate any law that it never be reversed.

After Haman's death, the ring was given to Mordecai and so was the house of Haman given to Mordecai.

Esther 8:2 And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

But the mischief of Haman was still in the land!

The letters were issued forth demanding the Jews' deaths.
And they were sealed with the King's signet ring.
Despite Haman's death, the law was still in effect.

There was a dilemma after the death of Haman.

Haman died knowing that the Jews would still be destroyed, due to his law.

He knew the king himself could not reverse the law.
They might kill him, but he was not going down alone, in his mind.

What could be done?

What a dilemma!

Many Christians ask how it is that Christ defeated Satan on the cross, and yet after the cross there is such a great dilemma.

Christians are told these truths:

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

How can it be that we have such a great victory in the cross and yet CHristians backslide and are defeated in falling to temptations?

There is a dilemma after the cross as much as there was in Persia after Haman's hanging.
What can be done about Christians' defeats?
Satan was defeated, but it is as though he knew he would not go down alone, just as Haman.
Its as though there is a law that Satan instigated before the cross that still stands after his defeat at the cross.
What can be done about this Post-Cross dilemma?

The answer is found in the story of Esther.

Esther 8:3-5 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king, And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces:

Ahasuerus could not reverse the law.

But there was one way that the dilemma could be solved.

Here is the solution.

Read it carefully.

Esther 8:7-8 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.

He told Esther and Mordecai to write some letters, themselves.

The king would write nothing.
His work was done.
He told them to write whatever they wanted to see accomplished for them, and to use the king's name to validate it.
Anything spoken in the king's name cannot be reversed.

Esther 8:9 Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language. And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:

And here is what they wrote:

Esther 8:11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

Here is the answer, church!

An enemy of the Jews could confront any Jew on Adar 13th, and slay that Jew, for the law allowed it.

But a second law was instigated by the king and said that anything Mordecai and Esther wished to occur, would not be reversed.
And that law involved the permission given to the Jews to stand up against their enemies who sought to slay them according to the older law, and resist them and kill the enemies instead.
They were given authority to do that in the name of the king.

Church, the enemy will confront you and threaten you with temptations and lies of all kinds.

And a law exists in this world that allows him to do it.
And if you just stand there and not do anything about it, you will be defeated and your christianity will die.

But there is a new law, also.

And if you fulfill the requirements of the new law, then you do not have to be defeated!
You speak up whatever you have need of at the time of trouble, and demand it by the authority of the name of Jesus Christ!
And that command cannot be reversed, for you have used the name of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ!

Church, when the enemy comes against you, don't just stand there and take it!

SPEAK UP!
Go after him!
Call on the name of Jesus for strength against temptation and against the devil and attack him head-on!

I once spoke to a backsliding believer, and saw their weakening condition.

So I asked him, "Have you ever spoke to the devil and commanded him to leave you alone, and rebuked him?"
He answered, "Never."
I said, "No wonder you are backsliding!"

Church, we need to use the authority that we have and deal with the post-cross dilemma!

If you just stand there and take all the trash the devil has to throw at you, and not fight back, you will be defeated.
You can have the most powerful weapon in your hands, but if you don't use it you will be defeated by the weakest enemy.

Demons are not only restricted to bongo drums in Africa somewhere.

They are everywhere.
And they hate you and want to see you defeated.
But there is a higher law that has been given to you.
And you need to take advantage of that law and defeat the devil.

Esther 8:11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

THE NEW LAW SUPERCEDES THE OLD LAW!

All the Jews were commissioned to fight their enemies.

Paul the apostle experienced defeat in his christian life, but found the solution and witnessed of the same truth to the Galatians.

Romans 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

He discovered that whenever he tried to do good in his own human power, evil was present there to defeat him every time.

AND HE CALLED IT A LAW!

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Satan set in motion the law of sin and death.

And it could not be reversed by God.

Back in Eden, Satan hated mankind and tempted man, causing man to voluntarily relinquish the dominion over the earth, that God gave to man, over to the devil.

And God could not simply say, "Okay, Satan, you're now zapped out of existence, and Adam, you have the dominion back again."
God is righteous and since He gave dominion to MANKIND, and mankind lost it, then MANKIND has to get it back.

It reminds me of the analogy of giving my son a new car for a gift.

And should my son take those keys and gamble them away in a foolish card game, and lose the car, I cannot go to the winner and demand the car back again.
I gave my son the responsibility and authority when I gave the car to him.
And he lost it of his own free will.

Similarly, the Bible says:

1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

But the problem is that every man was born in sin and could simply not resurrect from any death!

What a dilemma!
But God solved the answer by INCARNATING IN FLESH AS A MAN, HIMSELF!

Satan was thus defeated on the cross.

But the law of SIN AND DEATH still existed in the world.
And MAN would have to deal with that also.
YOU AND I must deal with it.
God cannot wipe that law out.
BUT GOD CAN MAKE ANOTHER LAW THAT SUPERCEDES THE OLDER LAW.

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

The new law is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

It counter attacks the law of sin and death.
But you have to fulfill the requirements of the new law in order for it to help you!
YOU CANNOT JUST STAND THERE AND LET THE DEVIL BEAT YOU.
You have to do something.

You might ask, "I though that by doing something on my own energy was what Paul said caused evil to be present with him! What do you mean we have to do something?"

What we have to do is not combat anything in our own power.

We have to SPEAK FORTH AND DEMAND WHAT WE REQUIRE and SAY IT IN THE NAME OF THE KING, JESUS CHRIST!!
That is what Esther and Mordecai were told to do!
Resort to Christ's power and call upon His name to strengthen you.

Satan does not fear your name one bit.

And not only that, but you have to be living a holy and righteous life in order for the name of Jesus to be of benefit to you, also.

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

These men used Jesus' name but did not preach Christ themselves, nor experience the born again blessing.

The solution to the post-cross dilemma is to speak against the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ and command him to go and conquer his efforts against you!

But you have to submit your life to God, first.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Notice that submission to God must occur before you resist the devil.

And notice what occurred when the Jews acted upon the new law.

Esther 8:17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

Want to win souls?

Live a life of victory where you enjoy every day as a good day.

Ever have a bad day?

Its because you did not call upon the higher law and claim victory even in troubles.
Both sides of the bed can be good sides of the bed.
You don't have to wake up on the wrong side of the bed and see your entire day ruined.
Go forth in Jesus' name.

You might say, "Well, Bro. Blume, the devil should be able to kick me in the head every now and then! We can't live a perfect life!"

OH YES WE CAN!

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

So long as you walk in the Spirit, leaning on the power of Christ, fulfilling the HIGHER LAW, you can stay above fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and sinning!

Granted, it takes time to learn to do this in life.

But its there!
Don't excuse your fleshliness and laziness in not learning to walk after the Spirit by saying you simply cannot have that kind of victory.
Its in the Book and we need to believe the Book!

And this is how the following verses are enjoyed by us!

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

The solution to the post-cross dilemma!

Its similar to trying to defeat the law of gravity.

There is another law that defeats the law of gravity.
Its called the law of aerodynamics.
You fulfill this second law and you can defeat the law of gravity.
Gravity demands that objects suspended in the air must fall.
But aerodynamics teaches us that if we get ourselves in a certain shaped object with wings shaped a certain way, and air blown beneath those wings fast enough, that we can remain suspended in air and not fall!
We can defeat the law of gravity!

Its the same in the Spirit.

The law of sin and death says that when you try to do good, evil is present with you.
(Haman hated the Jews who served God -- and Christians who try to live right are the objects of Satan's hatred also.)
This was the devil's way of destroying God's church.
But the law of the Spirit of life says that if you refuse to live by your fleshly powers, and choose to call upon His name for strength and victory, and then yield yourselves to that power from God, waiting for it, you will overcome the law of sin and death and enjoy life above sin!

THE SOLUTION TO THE POST-CROSS DILEMMA!

I had preachers ask me how can it be that we can live above sin without sinning if so many believers are defeated by sin.

These people need to know as much as you do that there is a higher law that we must abide by in order to see the victory we need.

Israel was ready to enter Canaan, and could have taken it.

But they didn't.
Why?
They FEARED the enemy and DOUBTED.
And the reason they did that was because they looked at their weak abilities alone as their means of victory, and they knew their power was not strong enough.
GOD COULD HAVE EMPOWERED THEM HAD THEY ONLY LOOKED TO HIS POWER AND ENTERED CANAAN!
But their unbelief caused God's hands to be bound in helping them.

Church, loose the power of God in your life by fulfilling the law of the Spirit of life!

When the day arrived for the slaying of the Jews, the Jews had taken advantage of the NEW LAW!

Look what happened!

Esther 9:1-5 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;) The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people. And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater. Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.

Its in your hands!

Will you take this truth and live by it this week and win the battles?
Or will this sermon go in one ear and out the other before you get home?
Its in your hands!
SPEAK UP!