Don't Ignore The Symptoms of Spiritual Disease



Esther 6:1-7:10

I've known people, people I loved, family and friends, who would

probably still be alive today if they had not ignored symptoms of poor

health. If they had only gone for a checkup sooner. I'm sure some of

you have had a similar experience.



I think fear and misinformation keep a lot of people from getting a

checkup, when in reality, a checkup would allow their condition to be

diagnosed in time for them to do something about it.



The same thing is true spiritually. A lot of people ignore symptoms of

spiritual problems and they mistakenly think that by ignoring them

their condition will get better on its own. Not true. God is constantly

communicating to us – through circumstances, through the Bible, by the

Holy Spirit, and by Christ followers in the church – that we need to

deal with spiritual problems in our lives.



As we've seen in this series, God IS at work in our lives - but He

allows and expects us to work with Him!



God is communicating to us that He loves us and wants to help us

effectively deal with our problems. As we've been emphasizing in this

series, however, we need to work with God. We need to let Him diagnose

our spiritual condition and then work with Him to heal our hurts,

habits and hangups.



So that's why we're going to focus this week on "Our Symptoms Of

Spiritual Problems."



If you can remember we are in the book of Esther, So far, in the first

5 chapters of the book of Esther…



Esther, a Jewish orphan girl, became queen of ancient Persia because of

God's providence and also due to her inner, as well as outer beauty.



Esther's adoptive father, Mordecai, became an influential part of

Persian society in the capital city of Susa. He sits at the city's

gate, a sign of prestige and honor. He is Esther's godly and wise

mentor.



Haman, a petty and insecure hi-ranking member, perhaps Prime Minister

of King Xerxes cabinet, hates Mordecai because he won't bow to him. He

builds a huge platform on which to have Mordecai hanged. He hates all

Jews and manipulates the king into passing a decree that will have all

Jews killed on a single day.



Esther and her friends pray with fasting for three days and God touches

the heart of the king, allowing Esther to have an audience with him

without an appointment, a risky business, since appearing at the king's

court without being on his agenda is usually cause for execution.



We're not going to have time to read it today, but in chapter 6 of

Esther the undeniable hand of God is once again at work.



Unable to sleep one night King Xerxes ordered his royal records be read

to him. (Maybe he thought they were dull enough to put him to sleep.)

One entry describes how Mordecai, through Esther, 5 years earlier, had

forewarned him of an assassination plot by two of his attendants. He

further learned that he had done nothing to repay Mordecai for his

loyalty.



This is a truly fascinating example of God's timing. Sometimes we

expect God to do something for us now but He waits, knowing that later

will be a better time for us. "God's delays are not God's denials."



At the same time that the king was reminded of how Mordecai saved his

life and had not yet been honored for it, Haman has come to see the

king about having Mordecai hung on the platform he had prepared for

just such a purpose.



Since Haman is in the palace at this hour, the king asks him what

should be done for a man that the king wants to honor. The king of

course is talking about Mordecai but Haman thinks that he's talking

about him. So Haman lays it on thick. "Put a royal crown on his head;

let him ride on your own horse – even put a crown on the horse's head

(how over the top!); put a robe on the honored man and lead him through

the streets and have it announced, 'This is what is done for the man

whom the king wants to honor.'" (v9c)



Then…the poetic justice sets in. The king commands Haman to do these

things for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Haman's jaw

probably dropped so low it hit the palace floor! Humiliated, Haman has

to follow through. He leads Mordecai around the city streets on the

king's horse, crown and all, proclaiming Mordecai's greatness. Then he

goes home and tells his wife and friends what happened and before long

it's time to attend the banquet that Esther had prepared for him and

the king.



At the 2nd banquet for King Xerxes and Haman, Esther finally tells the

king that she's a Jew and that her request of him is to stop the plot

to have all Jews in Persia killed.



Esther chapter 7:



5 Then King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he? Who

has done such a thing?"



6 Esther said, "Our enemy and foe is this wicked Haman!"



[Haman finds himself in a "lineup" and he's the only one in the room!]



Then Haman was filled with terror before the king and queen.



7 The king was very angry, so he got up, left his wine, and went out

into the palace garden. But Haman stayed inside to beg Queen Esther to

save his life. He could see that the king had already decided to kill

him.



8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, he

saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was lying. The king said,

"Will he even attack the queen while I am in the house?"



As soon as the king said that, servants came in and covered Haman's

face.



9 Harbona, one of the eunuchs there serving the king, said, "Look, a

seventy-five foot platform stands near Haman's house. This is the one

Haman had prepared for Mordecai, who gave the warning that saved the

king." The king said, "Hang Haman on it!"



10 So they hanged Haman on the platform he had prepared for Mordecai.

Then the king was not so angry anymore.



What went so wrong in Haman's life that he became such a blindly

egotistical cold-hearted and contemptuous man? Why had he become so

dangerous, so malicious, so much of a threat to society that God had to

judge him? What led him to the ending of being hung on the gallows he

built for another?



Somewhere along the line, Haman had ignored the symptoms of a disease

that was slowly but surely eating away at his life. We'll look at these

because we too can ignore these symptoms to our own peril.



Here's one Symptom Spiritually we should never ignore,



COUNTING CRAVINGS INSTEAD OF COUNTING BLESSINGS.



Haman was the second highest-ranking official in ancient Persia. He had

fame, wealth and power. When he traversed the streets of the capital

city everyone bowed. He should have been a very satisfied individual.



Instead he said,



"But all this does not really make me happy when I see that Jew

Mordecai sitting at the king's gate." (Esther 5:13)



Haman became obsessed with that one craving that he couldn't have and

it robbed him of peace and happiness in life. He was consumed by

Mordecai's continuous refusal to bow to him. It ate away at him that he

didn't have Mordecai's submission.



This has been a part of the human problem since the Garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve had everything! And yet they wanted more!



What is that one thing you crave in life that you think will make you

happy? Is it more money? Is it the respect or attention of that one

person you can't seem to please? Do you long to go on a reality show so

you can at least earn your "fifteen minutes of fame?"



Whatever you crave, don't ignore this symptom of counting your cravings

more than counting your blessings! It ruined Haman and it will mess up

your life too! If you're always seeing the glass half-empty, admit it

and do something about it. And here's what the Bible teaches we can do

about it.



"I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with

everything that happens. 12 I know how to live when I am poor, and I

know how to live when I have plenty. I have learned the secret of being

happy at any time in everything that happens, when I have enough to eat

and when I go hungry, when I have more than I need and when I do not

have enough. 13 I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me

strength." Philippians 4:11b-13



I shouldn't place my hope in things, other people, or circumstances. My

hope is in Christ! No matter what!



Don't place your hope in another person. Your spouse isn't perfect.

Don't expect a perfect mate. Don't place your ultimate happiness in

them. Don't go around all the time bemoaning his or her weaknesses when

you could be enjoying their strengths. Don't make the mistake of

harping on the weaknesses of your children. Brag on and help them build

on their strengths. Correct them when they need it, but be much more

positive than you are negative to them. You ask, "How can I do this?"

Christ will give you strength!



When it comes to the situation in the world around us, don't be like

the evening news, always focusing on all the bad stuff. Make it a point

in life to focus on the good.



Take notice of the symptom spiritually of counting your cravings

instead of counting your blessings. Do something about it. Don't ignore

it.



Another symptom we can't ignore highlighted in the story of Esther…



WISHING TROUBLE FOR OTHERS INSTEAD OF THEIR SUCCESS.



Be honest, have you ever maliciously wanted someone else to fail? That

may be a symptom of an inner spiritual problem.



Haman being hung on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai is a

classic case of something that actually happens all the time. Things

like jealousy, bitterness, envy and ill will toward others don't affect

them – they only poison us. And if they're left unchecked these

attitudes will boomerang on us! Listen to what the Bible says.



14 There are people who think up evil and plan trouble and tell lies.

15 They dig a hole to trap others, but they will fall into it

themselves. 16 They will get themselves into trouble; the violence they

cause will hurt only themselves. Psalms 7:14-16



Don't ignore this symptom! Something's wrong when I want someone around

me to have trouble.



We need to re-direct our attitude and our actions when we find

ourselves wishing trouble to others.



Ask yourself, "Is there someone I wish trouble upon? Is there someone I

want to see fail?"



The Bible doesn't instruct us to want evil men or evil plans to

succeed. But if the only reason we want someone to fail is because they

don't give us the recognition we crave – then the problem is with us –

not them!



Do you have a co-worker, a neighbor, or a family member that you have

fantasies of them having hardship or trouble because they don't jump

when you snap your fingers? Something is wrong with our heart when we

engage in this type of thinking, especially if we actually do things or

fail to do things that would cause them hurt.



It can be as subtle as not speaking to someone or acknowledging their

presence because we're harboring some bad feelings about them in our

hearts.



What should we do when this symptom appears? Jesus said something

profoundly simple about this,



"…if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in

heaven will also forgive your sins." Mark 11:25



Forgiveness was the most important lesson best-selling author Tony

Hillerman learned as a kid on his first job. His story goes…



"I was 14 when Mr. Ingram knocked on our farmhouse door in Sacred

Heart, Oklahoma (pop. 38). The old sharecropper lived about a mile down

the road and needed help moving an alfalfa field. It was the first time

I was actually paid for work – about 12 cents an hour, not bad when you

consider it was 1939 and we were still mired in the Great Depression.



"Mr. Ingram liked the job I did and ended up hiring me to dig

postholes. I even helped to deliver a calf. One day he found an old

truck that was stuck in the soft, sandy soil of the melon patch. It was

loaded up with melons that someone had tried to steal before their

truck got bogged down.



"Mr. Ingram explained that the truck's owner would be returning soon,

and he wanted me to watch and learn. It wasn't long before a local guy

with a terrible reputation for fighting and stealing showed up with his

two full-grown sons. They looked really angry.



"Calmly Mr. Ingram said, 'Well, I see you was wantin' to buy some

watermelons.'



"There was a long silence before the man answered, 'Yeah, I guess so.

What are you wantin' for 'em?'



"Twenty-five cents each."



"Well, I guess that would be fair enough if you help me get my truck

out of here."



Hillerman continues, "It turned out to be our biggest sale of the

summer, and a nasty, perhaps violent incident had been avoided. After

they left, Mr. Ingram smiled and said to me, 'Son, if you don't forgive

your enemies, you're going to run out of friends.'" (What I Learned on

My Paper Route, Daniel Levine, Reader’s Digest, March 2002.)



Instead of wishing trouble for someone we are to forgive him or her.

Any real or imagined hurt or affront we know or believe them to have

directed toward us, like Haman's anger against Mordecai for not bowing

to him, is to be handled by Christ followers in the same manner that

our Father in heaven handles our sins – forgiveness.



Here are just a few Symptoms you should never ignore:



Counting cravings instead of counting blessings.



Wishing trouble, instead of success, for others. And…



NEVER BEING SATISFIED WITH SECOND PLACE.



It has been said that the most difficult instrument in the orchestra is

"second fiddle."



Haman didn't just want Mordecai executed because he couldn't be number

one as long as Mordecai was around – he was the kind of person that

wasn't going to stop plotting until he had the king's throne - and even

then he wouldn't have been satisfied!



Our culture is "Hamanistic." In sports, entertainment, and business,

the all-consuming goal is to be number one. If you aren't number one

you're just not as important in the eyes of many. If you don't make the

most money, if you don't have the most, if you aren't the most

beautiful or most handsome, if you aren't the smartest or don't have

the highest level of education, etc., then you're out of the spotlight.



Tragically this warped thinking has crept into our spiritual lives as

well. And the symptoms don't have to be as overt as they were in the

life of Haman for us to exhibit this symptom.



Speaking at the 2008 National Pastor’s Convention in San Diego, John

Ortberg related a conversation with Dallas Willard in which John posed

the question: "How do I determine how my spiritual life is doing?"



Willard responded by saying you should ask yourself two questions:



"Am I growing more or less irritated these days?"



"Am I growing more or less discouraged these days?"



If your answer to those questions is "more," it may be that you have

allowed your own ego to become the driving force in your sense of

personal ministry identity. Instead, our lives and ministries should be

centered on a vision of God. As Willard observes, 'Our life is not an

object of deep concern' when we have abandoned ourselves to a vision of

the Kingdom of God." (Preaching Now, 3/4/08)



How about you? Are you more or less irritated these days? More or less

discouraged? Have you, like Haman, allowed your own ego to become the

driving force in your personal sense of identity? When someone else is

number one in some area – in wealth, or attention, or abilities, or

ideas, whatever – can you say, "Good for them! They've been blessed in

those areas and praise God for it!"



If being second place is a problem for you…then it's a symptom in your

spiritual being that shouldn’t be ignored.



I wonder...



What if Haman had realized his sins at any point during the process in

which God was showing him his wrongs?



Everything we know about God says that He would have given him another

chance.



I believe Haman could have repented. He could have admitted his wrong

to himself and to others – he could have gone to Mordecai in humility

and learned about the God that was responsible for Mordecai's happy

life.



He could have said, "Mordecai, how did you not complain for five years

while the king never rewarded you for uncovering that assassination

plot? I would have been petitioning the king for all kinds of favors if

I had done what you did! What makes you able to be so satisfied and

happy in life? What makes you content?"



Instead, Haman persisted to allow him self to be filled with bitter

hatred, pride and envy against Mordecai and the Jews. He had all the

symptoms of a spiritual disease that was robbing him of inner peace and

that would eventually violently end his life –



1. He counted his cravings instead of counting his blessings.

2. He wished trouble instead of success for others.

3. He was never satisfied with second place.



He wouldn't treat these symptoms.



God warned him through circumstances – but he wouldn't heed the

warnings.



"Proud people will be ruined, but the humble will be honored." Proverbs

18:12



People like Haman that won't make way for God's discipline…people like

Haman, who was about to hurt a lot of other people, had to be judged to

save others.



"Whoever is stubborn after being corrected many times will suddenly be

hurt beyond cure." Proverbs 29:1



Don't be like Haman. Don't ignore the symptoms of spiritual disease in

your heart and mind and spirit.