Just SAy No, A Call to Duty Part 2 Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley

0:00 As you may recall from last week, as a follow-up to our sermon series, The Birth of a Nation, the Lord laid upon my heart a corollary series called A Call to Duty. And I've been inviting you last week and today to pause in some places of scripture where God calls women and men with a divine assignment to not only spread his glory, but to also speak against an evil that threatens the land. I believe that's exactly what the world needs most today. Christians who do more than sit in worship. Christians who do more than just read Bible and quote scripture. Christians who do more than just sing hymns. But Christians who sense and discern a call and assignment of God upon our lives. To use our presence and our voices to help make this land better. this past fourth of july weekend the new york times made a comment about black lives matter seeing how many protests there have been seeing how long the protests have lasted seeing the protests not only within our nation but also in our neighbors across the seas New York Times said on July 3rd, 2020, that Black Lives Matter may be the largest movement in the history of the United States of America.

1:30 Black Lives Matter may be the largest movement in the history of the United States of America. and how appropriate that is, because it will take the largest movement in the history of this nation to deal with the greatest sin of this nation, which is systemic racism. And as we heed our call and how God uses us in shaping our land, last week I invited you to dive into the book of Esther. And you recall from last week with context that we spoke about Haman and Haman's plot to kill all of the Jews. And we listened to Mordecai, Esther's cousin, who comes to her and says to her, this is your time, that God has brought you to this place for this reason in this season to use your voice to save your people. If you recall, Esther was hesitant to say yes to the call of God.

2:35 And I suggested to you that many of us will miss our divine assignment and the call of duty on our lives. If, like Esther, we misunderstand the purpose of favor. If, like Esther, we unnecessarily avoid conflict. And if, like Esther, we lack the courage to sacrifice our position to secure somebody else's protection. I want to stay in the book of Esther and listen to the call of God upon another person in the story. Not Esther, but another bad sister by the name of Vashti, or you may refer to her as Vashti. Won't you hear the story of Vashti in Esther chapter 1, beginning in verse number 1, as I read out of the New International Version of God's Holy Word. Esther chapter one, beginning in verse number one.

3:33 This is what happened during the time of Xerxes. The Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces, stretching from India to Cush. At that time, King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa. And in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. the military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes and the nobles of the provinces were present. For a full 180 days, he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. When these days were over, the king gave a banquet lasting seven days in the enclosed garden of the king's palace for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars.

4:35 There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry and marble, mother of pearl, and other costly stones. Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant in keeping with the king's liberality. By the king's command, each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished. Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes. On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, He commanded the seven eunuchs who served him, Mehumon, Bistha, Harbona, Biktha, Abtha, Zathar, and Karkis, to bring before him Queen Vashti wearing her royal crown in order to display her beauty to all the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. But when the attendants delivered the king's command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger. As we hang out with Vashti for a little bit, do me a favor, touch or text somebody and simply give them the title of today's sermon. Just say no. Just say no.

6:10 Hopefully you remember that the story of Esther revolves around five critical people. Haman, who plotted to kill the Jews. Mordecai, who challenges Esther. We'll talk more about him next week. Hadassah, also known as Esther, whose call is to speak up for her people.

6:36 Ahasuerus, or Xerxes, the emperor. and then finally the queen in chapter one who we speak about today Vashti. Now to understand Vashti's call to duty and the assignment on her life I need to give you some context so you can appreciate the content. A little background before the breakdown about the call of Vashti. When Asuharis Xerxes is on the throne in chapter one he has just completed a military campaign a campaign that has given him rule over 127 provinces all the way from India to Ethiopia. And in response to his great military success, he decides to host a party. He reaches down to the gospel of Kulin the gang and declares there's a party going on right here, a celebration to last throughout the year. The Bible says that Xerxes hosts a party for all the nobles, officials, and military leaders in Persia, and it lasts for 180 days. For six months, there's a party going on in the citadel called Susa. After 180 days, six months of partying, Xerxes decides to hold a banquet for all the people in the city of Susa. It is like none other. It is lavish to the extreme because after the party is the after party. And this after party is a show enough party.

8:27 The banquet hall is ornately decorated and the best wine is served for seven days. It is an open bar. Men are allowed to drink as much wine as they want for seven days without limitation. And each time they have a glass of wine, it is brought to them in a new golden goblet because nobody drank from the same goblet twice. This is a party. And the purpose of the party is because Xerxes wants the world to see his wealth. Xerxes wants everyone in the empire to know he's the man. He wants everyone to see he's conquered, that he's commanded, that he's in control, that he's got money, that he's got wine, that he can throw a party like no other party has ever been thrown. This is Xerxes' attempt for the world to see how wealthy he really is.

9:30 Now, according to Persian custom, women cannot be in the company of men when they are drinking. So Xerxes' wife, the queen, Vashti, decides to hold a banquet for the women while the men are in the banquet hall with Xerxes. Don't you miss this. Vashti and the women are in her banquet hall, but Xerxes and the men are in his. And the Bible says in verse number 10 that after seven days, Xerxes heart was high with wine. And he sends seven eunuchs to go and bring Vashti into the banquet hall with the men so that he can show off her beauty. And the commandment she is given is to wear the crown.

10:26 Now, I want to make sure I say this again before we go PG-13. Xerxes is high with wine. he sends seven eunuchs to go bring Vashti into the banquet hall with the men because he wants to show off her beauty and she is told to wear the crown now if you got some little children around you now's the time to plug up their ears to put on their beats by Dre because I got to go pg-13 for you to understand the context pg-13 version xerxes spirit is high with wine You don't need much translation for that. Xerxes is intoxicated. And in his intoxicated state, he sends seven eunuchs to go call for Vashti to come into a room filled with drunken men so that he can show off her beauty. And she's told to wear the crown.

11:28 Now you got to read a little Jewish Midrash, do a little investigative work to find out that what really is going on is that she's asked to wear the crown and only the crown because Xerxes wants to show off her beauty. Don't you miss this PG-13. Xerxes is drunk. He calls for Vashti to come into a room filled with drunk men wearing nothing but her crown so that all the drunken men can see her beauty and Xerxes can claim her as part of his property. He wants to show off his wife in his drunken state to a bunch of drunken men, nude, only wearing a crown. And the Bible says that Vashti says no. She refuses to go. She refuses to show herself. She refuses to walk in naked in a room filled with drunken men. She refuses to reveal herself. She knows it may cost her her position, but she refuses to walk in that room and show herself like that. Vashti speaks up for herself. Beloved, I came by to tell you that the call of Esther is to speak up for her people, but the call of Vashti is to speak up for herself. Because every now and then in life, you're going to reach a Vashti position where you've got to speak up for yourself. Every now and then, you're going to have to defend yourself. Every now and then you're going to have to be your own cheerleader and the own president of your fan club. Every now and then you're going to have to stand on your own two feet and open your own mouth and speak your own mind. Every now and then the call of God on your life is to stand strong, open your mouth and speak for yourself and learn to just say no. You know who I came to

13:33 preach to you this morning, but I want you to know one of the reasons you've got to learn to say no is simply because of this. Life is filled with people who will continuously take advantage of you for their own well-being. Let me repeat that again. Life is filled with people who will continuously try to take advantage of you and use you for their own well-being. And what we learn from Vashti is that God has given us the ability to stand on our feet and open our mouths and say no as a way of preventing and protecting ourselves from being abused and being used by people who simply want to use you for their own well-being. If you would protect yourself from being used, you sometimes have to learn to speak up for yourself. Xerxes calls for Vashti. And I would suggest to you, my beloved, that what bothers him is not the embarrassment of his wife not coming.

14:41 no. What really bothers him is that she had the audacity to tell him no. This is the emperor. He gets whatever he wants. When he calls, people come. When he says jump, people say how high. And Vashti has the audacity to look at him and tell him no. And when she says no, she humbles him to recognize one real fact. You don't control me. Beloved, I want you to remember why Xerxes is having this banquet. He's having this banquet to show what he controls, to reveal what he has conquered, to let the world know what he commands. And when Vashti says no, what she's telling this emperor is that I am not a possession that you have conquered. I am not a resource that you control. I am not a life that you command, that I am not here at your disposal. I am not one of your resources. Every now and then you've got to speak up for yourself to remind people around you that you are not a resource that God created for them to use at their disposal.

15:54 I may work for you, but I don't belong to you. I'm connected to you, but you don't own me. I want us to work, but I can't be treated any old way. I want to make you happy, but I need to be respected as well. I love you, but I love myself even more. And every now and then, when there are those who are trying to use you as a resource, the call of God on your life is to open your mouth and declare no. I don't know who this is for in this sermon, but the Lord put me under divine assignment to share with you that you ought to be careful of sacrificing your emotional well-being catering to someone else's delusion of power. Can I say that again? You've got to be careful of sacrificing your emotional well-being catering to someone else's delusion of power.

16:55 You know what this reminds me of? One of my classmates, the Reverend Dr. Elise Barrymore, who pastors outside of Chicago. Mark, we were in class one day and the assignments were getting hard. And Dr. Barrymore said this, and it stuck with my spirit. She said, I refuse to be complicit in my own oppression. That stuck with my spirit. I refuse to be complicit in my own oppression. I refuse to participate in your disrespect of me. I refuse to co-sign on your abuse of me. I refuse to participate in my own demise. I refuse to be part of my own destruction. And I come by to tell you that the world needs most are some Vashtis who refuse to be complicit in their own oppression. I can't stop you from trying to take abuse of me, but I can decide not to sit silent while you do it. I can't stop you from trying to use me, but I can speak against it because I refuse to be complicit in my own oppression.

17:56 God's call on your life is to simply say no. And when Vashti says no, she's doing something so critical. She's establishing boundaries. Someone say boundaries. Vashti says the room may want to see my nakedness, but there's some things about me. I refuse to show everybody. Beloved, I want you to know this. You can't show everybody everything about you. Can I say that again? You can't show everybody everything about you. I like it so much, I'm gonna say it a third time. You can't show everybody everything about you. Vashti decides there's some things about me everyone in this room cannot see.

18:50 I cannot trust you to know everything about me. I don't know if you can handle everything that I've got to reveal. So there's some things about me that I have to learn to keep private. And that's a word. Because we live in a world where social media has convinced you that you've got to show everything about yourself to everybody. Now, I don't know who I want to teach this to some young person or maybe some old. But one of the signs of maturing in life is when you realize that there are some things about me that I must keep private. I can't post everything. I can't show everything. I can't air everything. I can't tell everything. I can't reveal everything, that there's some things about my life that I must decide to keep private and put a boundary around, that some people are not worthy to see some things about my life.

19:50 Brooke I was sharing that with a group of young people right across the street in higher ground sharing them the need and the necessity of keeping some things private and one of the young ladies said this to me she said pastor that sounds like you live with a lot of secrets she said you keep a lot of secrets I said no I don't keep secrets I keep people out my business there's a difference I'm not keeping secrets. I'm keeping you out of my business. There's a difference between secrecy and privacy. Secrecy means there's some things I'm ashamed of. Privacy says I'm just too mature to share everything about me. Secrecy means there's some hidden things. Privacy simply means there's some things I've determined you are not worthy to see. And I came by to preach to someone today that you don't need to live in secrecy, but you have to learn to live in privacy. Privacy says there's some things about me I don't show to anyone else.

20:51 I believe that Vashti refuses to go in that room because she says everyone in this room doesn't need to know me in my nakedness. All these men don't need to know me like that because it will cause them to disrespect me. Beloved, one of the most dangerous things you can do in life is allow people to treat you with an inappropriate sense of familiarity. Let me go on and say that again. One of the most dangerous things you can do is let people treat you with an inappropriate sense of familiarity. You remember the cliche? Familiarity breeds contempt. the more familiar people are with you, the more potentially disrespectful they can be. The more they think they know you, the more they feel that they can disrespect you.

21:48 And every now and then you've got to put on a Vashti spirit and let some people know, you don't know me like that. We may work together, but you don't know me like that. We may sing in the same section of the choir, but you don't know me like that. We may work out at the same gym, but you don't know me like that. We may live on the same street, but you don't know me like that. Every now and then you've got to check some people in their sense of inappropriate familiarity because their familiarity will open the door for their disrespect. Every relationship you're in requires boundaries. It requires boundaries because boundaries are the way to protect yourself from disrespect and abuse. Can I go on to preach right here?

22:41 Boundaries are necessary because they let you see when someone has made a request that is inappropriate. And I want you to pay attention to inappropriate requests because inappropriate requests are often the precursor to inappropriate behavior. Don't you miss this? That when someone asks of you something that is outside the scope and the term of the boundary of your relationship, that often is the door for them to also engage in behavior that is inappropriate. Vashti knows that although this request seems harmless, if I walk naked in a room filled with drunken men, it could lead to my sexual abuse. And saying no to the request is the first step of preventing the abuse. boundaries are important because when you see someone making an inappropriate request it is the precursor to inappropriate behavior and so I live with this model in my life you can take it or leave it you can ask me whatever you want but I will only answer what I feel you have the right to ask can I say that again you can ask me whatever you want but I will only answer what I believe you have the right to ask me. If I don't think you have the right to ask it, I feel no obligation to answer it. If our relationship doesn't afford you the space to appropriately ask me, then I'm not ashamed to let you know that that question is inappropriate and the answer is none of your business. And I came by to declare to someone today that every now and then you need to check the question before the behavior gets out of hand. You need to stop the inquisition before the disrespect starts. You need to let people know that question is inappropriate so that they understand the boundary of your relationship. Vashti says no.

24:54 And part of the reason she says no, watch this, is because I believe Vashti is fully aware of who she is. And an awareness of self-worth will always cause you to reject anything that degrades you, devalues you, or disrespects you. Stay with me here. Vashti is the queen, and she knows it. But Xerxes' invitation to come show off her naked beauty is not behavior for a queen, it's behavior of a concubine.

25:39 And Vashti says to herself, how can I be the queen if I answer the call of a concubine? Oh, I love this. How can I be the queen if I answer the call of a concubine. Queens don't say yes to concubine invitations. Vastie understands what I'm going to press on you today, and that is that there must be some integrity between who you claim to be and what you respond to. There must be integrity between who you claim to be and what you respond to. My mama put it like this, it ain't what they call you, is what you answer to. And I came by to speak to some queen and tell you stop answering to the call of a concubine. I came by to remind someone that there's too much God in you. There's too much blood of Jesus in you. There's too much Holy Spirit in you for you to answer the call that is beneath what God has created you to be. Can I push this? Vashti is the granddaughter of Nebuchadnezzar.

26:48 Vashti is the granddaughter of the former emperor. Vashti knows she has royalty inside of her. And I'm just a believer that when the call to walk naked in a room of drunken men comes, that Vashti says to herself, you don't know who I am. I've got too much royalty to act like that. I've got too much queen in me to degrade myself like that. I know my value too much to be disrespected like that. There's something powerful about knowing the royalty in your blood, about knowing the value in your ancestry, about knowing the prominence in your DNA that changes how you act in life. You need to know where you come from.

27:41 beloved that's why I believe our brother Carter G. Woodson was right on target when in beginning in 1916 he began to press for the study and the publicity of African American history because he understood that as a people as long as we were detached from our history We can never rise up to the call of our creation. He understood that Brother Marcus Garvey was right, that a people without a knowledge of their history is like a tree without roots. And so Brother Woodson began to press for it eventually became African-American History Month, Black History Month. And there's some people that got upset that it was February. You know that February was meant to line up with Abraham Lincoln's birthday and Frederick Douglass' birthday, but there's a current generation, Mark, who's upset that Black History Month is the shortest month of the year.

28:43 I came by to tell you that those ancestors of ours knew something. They didn't care that it was only 28 days because they knew that if you just got a glimpse of your history, if you just got a snippet of what God has been doing in your people, if you knew a little bit about your past, that's all it would take to cause you to rise up to the calling of your creation. They understood that if you didn't know your history, dangerous things would happen. That if you didn't know your history, you would think that slavery was all we had. If we didn't know your history, you would think that the curse of Ham applied to us. If you didn't know your history, you would really begin to think that Martin Luther King was the only hero of our history. that the civil rights movement and electing Obama was the only great thing we did. If you don't know your history, you might be ignorant of your past and dangerous to our future. Standing up talking about Harriet Tubman didn't free the slaves, but surely freed slaves to work for other white people.

29:44 If you don't know your history, you would think that we are indebted to slave masters, that somehow they introduced us to Christianity and were it not for slavery, we wouldn't be saved in the blood of Jesus. If you don't know your history, you can be elected a Republican senator and in the death of John Lewis because you can't tell black folk apart. You have the audacity to post a picture of Elijah Cummings because you don't know history. That's why I'm so proud to be part of a church that gave a million dollars to the foundation of the African American Museum of history and culture so that here in the nation's capital, there would be a Smithsonian monument to remind this nation of the history of African-Americans in this land. Because like Vashti, something happens when you know where you come from.

30:42 When you know about Nat Turner and C.J. Walker, something will happen. When you know about Rosa Parks and W.E.B. Du Bois, something will happen. When you know about Booker T and Ida B, something will happen. When you know about Thurgood Marshall and Shirley Chisholm, your attitude will change. When you know about Barbara Jordan and Benjamin Banneker, your esteem will rise. When you know about Mary McLeod and Frederick Douglass, you'll stand strong. When you know about C.T. Vivian and Elijah Cummings and John Lewis, something will change about the way you live your life. Vashti reminds us, when you know your history, things will change. But wait, it gets gooder, it gets better. Can I tell you something? here's what I really want you to know. African American history did not start in America.

31:46 African American history does not start in America. Our first chapter is not 1619, and our story doesn't begin with the Amistad and the Middle Passage. Now, I know some of you may think a little differently about this and you wouldn't have done it, but I did that 23andMe DNA research. I did 23andMe. I want to know a little bit about my DNA background. And y'all, I found out that my DNA is not from the south side of Chicago. I believe that I was proud to be from the south side of Chicago, only for me to find out I am 76% sub-Saharan African. That's right. I am mended with Nigerian and Ghanaian and Sierra Leonean and Syngambian that my DNA is not rooted in America. My DNA is rooted in Africa. And I came by to declare to someone that our forefathers and our foremothers may have been slaves, but our ancestors are kings and queens. Our foremothers and forefathers may have been slaves, but our ancestors are kings and queens.

33:01 And I came by to give you a little Vashti moment this morning and give you some 23andMe DNA wake up. I came here to tell you about the kings and queens in our DNA, to tell you about Alfonso, the king of the Congo, who resisted slave trade and whose people were practicing Christianity a hundred years before they were enslaved. I came to tell you about Hatshupset, the first female queen of Egypt who ruled over 30 years and was so revered that her body was buried in the Valley of the Kings. I came to tell you about Mansa Musa of the Mali, who was so wealthy that even to this day, Forbes magazine says he was the wealthiest man in the history of humanity. I came to tell you about Queen Inzagua of Angola, who fought off Portuguese slave owners, of King Mosueswe of Basutaland, one of the greatest diplomats of peace in the history of the world, to tell you about Akiya the Great, and Osei Tutu of the Ashanti tribe in Ghana, to tell you about some bad sisters.

34:08 Some sisters like Makita, the Queen of Sheba, or Cleopatra, who almost divided the Roman Empire, or Tai, the Nubian queen, who was regarded as a pharaoh herself, to tell you about those military warriors like Hannibal, whose strategies are still studied today, to tell you about Shaka Zulu, who united all of southern Africa to fight against colonial rule, to tell you about Samore Toure, who was so feared by the French, they called him the black Napoleon, because when you recognize that there are kings and queens in your ancestry, you will be like Vashti who stands and opens your mouth and knows how to say no. Do me a favor, touch somebody, tell them we come from kings and queens. Vashti knows who she is. So watch what happens. Let me go on and finish this sermon. Vashti says no. And watch what happens. All heck breaks loose.

35:14 Because Xerxes fears what Vashti is really gifted with. Influence. Xerxes and all of his counselors know that women all around the empire will hear about Vashti and will be inspired to use their voice. So watch what happens. Xerxes and his rulers have to create a law that's sent out around the entire empire demanding that husbands rule their homes. Watch this. A law has to be enacted through the entire empire because one woman used her voice. Don't miss this. The entire empire of Persia is shaken up because one woman used her voice. I'm going to say it until you get it. The entire nation is shaken by one woman who uses her voice and says no.

36:19 the reason that's the call of God on your life is because you never know how much influence God has really given you you never know how your voice can shape a nation you never know how your words can resonate in the life of someone else you never know how your exhibition of strength will give someone else strength. Vashti changes the nation she lives in, and her influence lives on after she's lost her position. Esther comes to the throne, and Esther disobeys the king the same way Vashti did. Why does Esther disobey the king? Because she knows what Vashti did. So Vashti not only changes the land she lives in, but she influences women who come after her.

37:21 Her voice not only shaped her today, it changed the nation's tomorrow. When you use your voice, you not only shape the world you live in, but you might possibly be shaping the land that comes after you. I close with a quote you're well familiar with Marianne Williamson that famous poem that begins that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure towards the end of that poem this is what she says that moves me as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same as you use your voice you give others permission to do the same. As you stand in your strength you give others permission to do the same. That's why you've got to stand Vashti. That's why you've got to say no because there's a little girl coming up who needs to know she can say no. There's a young man coming up who needs to know he doesn't answer to the n-word. There's a generation that needs to know they've got the strength to fight. There's a generation coming who needs to know the royalty in their blood. Be aware of who they are to know that they are queens and not concubines. When you stand, you give others permission to do the same. Just say no. Esther's call is to speak to her people. Vashti's call is to speak up for herself. And next week, we're going to look at the toughest assignment, and that's Mordecai. Esther has to speak for her people. Vashti has to speak for herself.

39:16 But Mordecai has to speak.