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Esther chapter 4 verse 14 and I know what some of you are probably saying is well he's

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preached on this passage multiple times over the last 10 years and you would be correct

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and I will probably continue to preach from Esther at least once a year but that ain't

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bad 51 other weeks you don't have to hear a story of Esther but it is such a good story

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in my opinion one of the best stories in all of the Bible and if you have never read the

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book of Esther then I would encourage you to read the story we will read this one verse

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and I'll tell you some of the story today and Lord willing we will finish the story

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next week but Esther is an interesting book and that it is one of only two books in the

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Bible that does not mention the word God God is not mentioned anywhere in the book of Esther

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are in the book of song of songs and that seems kind of like an odd thing that some

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of God's word would fail to mention God and even though God is not mentioned specifically

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it is clear that God is is in the store it is clear that God has worked in the story

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it is clear that the characters in the story are people who seek God and seek God's deliverance

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and so we'll read Esther chapter 4 verse 14 then we will pray and we'll get started if

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you keep silent at this time liberation and deliverance will come from the Jewish people

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from another place but you and your father's house will be destroyed who knows perhaps

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you have come to your royal position for such a time as this let's pray God we thank you

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for your good work I pray that you'd bless this word today God I pray that your Holy

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Spirit would free us from the worries and the pains and the distractions of this world

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dear Lord I pray that you would help us to know that that you help us to be where we

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are in life God sometimes it's not where we want to be but dear Lord you put us where

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we need to be dear Lord for our good and maybe for the good of others so God I pray that

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for us today that there may be a time and a place that we are right now in our life

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that you want to use us and I pray that you would help us not to miss that opportunity

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and I ask these things in Jesus name amen the story of Esther really begins when the

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people of Judah are overtaken by the Babylonians God had been very patient with his people

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for a long time and and part of his people that were known as Israel they were overtaken

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some years before and then the people of Judah they did pretty good and they had a couple

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of good kings that helped them to to kind of keep focus on God but but not really and

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ultimately due to their sinfulness and disobedient God was going to get their attention and he

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handed them over to the Babylonians and the Babylonians come in and and overtook the people

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and it kind of scattered them all throughout the surrounding lands and so God's people

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the Jewish people were were at all different places and some of them ended up in the land

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of the Medes and the Persians now now me the Medes and the Persians had a large portion

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of land that they had overtaken by this time much many of the places that you read about

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in scripture all around that area and all to the east of what you read about in scripture

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that was pretty much under the commands of the Medes and the Persians and the king at

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the time was King Xerxes now some of your translations when you read the book of Esther

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will say a Haceres same person went by multiple names but I'll call him Xerxes today that's

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what some of your translations will say and King Xerxes was the king of the day and some

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of the Jewish people were living there in the kingdom of King Xerxes and there really

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wasn't a problem there was no real issue with the Jews to speak of they just kind of lived

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their normal life no no real issues and the king of Persia King Xerxes it tells us in

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the beginning of the book of Esther that he had this big get-together for everybody to

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come and a big feast and for six months it says that King Xerxes showed off his great

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wealth everybody was there all the officials of the kingdom had come it was a big kingdom

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it covered a large portion of land but the capital of the city was in Susa that's where

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the king was and all of these people came to see the great wealth of the king that he

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desired to show off and at the end of this six months he held a massive party I'm talking

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about it was the best of the best everything was exquisite all the decorations were exquisite

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the wine was the best of the best the food was the best of the best and he was showing

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off his wealth and his power and everybody in the kingdom could see this well being a

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big party the king wanted to show off the queen of course the king has the most beautiful

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woman in the kingdom and at that time the queen was a lady by the name of Vashti and

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Vashti was a very beautiful woman and the king wanting to show off all the beauty of

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his wealth and of his queen summoned for the queen to come to the party well the queen

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refused queen Vashti said I am not coming to this party and this infuriated the king

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and he decided that something must be done and so he got together with his closest advisors

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and officials and said what do we need to do and they suggested king you better put

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her in her place because if you do not then the other women of the kingdom are going to

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see how she's acting and these wives of the other royal officials are going to stop listening

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to what they say to do and so king you better stop this woman and make an example out of

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her and so he agreed with that they said what we need to do is we need to find a woman in

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the kingdom to take her place so after the party had passed and things had settled down

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it had kind of slipped the king's mind because as we turn to Esther chapter 2 it says the

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king remembered all of these things and the suggestion was brought before him that you

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need to find the most beautiful woman in the kingdom to take queen Vashti's place and so

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word was sent out into all of the kingdom the whole empire that the king was looking

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for a new queen now this would have been exciting news all the young women were prepared to

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go and stand before the king so that they could be the one chosen as queen next and

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so there was a young girl in the community a young Jewish girl by the name of Esther

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now Esther had been raised by her cousin Mordecai her parents had died at some point at a young

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age and Mordecai had raised her and Mordecai said Esther here's what you need to do you

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need to go before the king and you need to be part of all these other beautiful women

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in the kingdom and so Esther did as Mordecai had instructed her and went to join this group

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of women the most beautiful women in all of the kingdom but Esther was more beautiful

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than all of the women and when Esther went before the king's official that was over this

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whole thing to see who was going to be the right woman for the job she found favor with

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him because she was extremely beautiful the scripture says and so Esther began to receive

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special treatment now this was not just a simple all right let's go meet the king oh

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no this was a big process before any of these women could meet the king they had to be ready

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and presentable for the king to see them and so they were they were took care of and they

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were pampered and their skin was pampered and they wore the finest of clothes and were

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given the finest of makeup and the best diet to eat so that they would be as healthy and

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as beautiful as they could be and the scripture says this process took one year so for one

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year these women received the best of the best of the best these were the greatest women

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in all of the kingdom and of all of these women Esther was the most beautiful and so

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the time came that the the queen was going to be brought before the king or the queen

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to be and all the women came and of all of the women who came the one that was chosen

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was Esther now throughout all of this it was unknown that Esther was actually a Jew the

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king didn't know and and nobody else knew and so a new king queen was established in

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the kingdom after some time the scripture kind of shifts gears on us we're introduced

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to a new character in the story the story tells us that the king chooses a man by the

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name of Haman one of his officials and he lifts him up into this great position of power

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and he gives him a lot of power and all of the people in the kingdom are supposed to

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acknowledge Haman and who he is and they're all supposed to bow down before Haman now

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the scripture tells us that Haman was an Agagite now that might not seem like it means much

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to you but he was a descendant of the king of Agag who was the king of the Amalekites

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and so really the story of Esther starts a lot further back than when the Bible onians

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came in and brought the Jewish people into the land the story actually really begins

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in first Samuel chapter 15 now if you read through the Old Testament you'll see that

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one of the greatest enemies of the Israelites repeatedly were the Amalekites led by King

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Agag and the first king of Israel was a man by the name of King Saul and he was a son

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of Kish he was from the tribe of Benjamin and it was King Saul who went in with God's

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people with the instruction from God to completely destroy the Amalekites to wipe them out Saul

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wasn't a very good king however and Saul went in but he did not completely destroy the Amalekites

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instead it said he let King Agag live now when the prophet Samuel heard this news God

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was furious that King Saul had done this and ultimately it was God's people who destroyed

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and King Agag destroyed King Agag and that was the end of the story but the Amalekites

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were always there in the scripture and now we flip over to the book of Esther and here

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we see an important clue mentioned for us a little bit of information that Haman was

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a descendant of Agag now everyone in the kingdom was supposed to bow down before Haman they

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were supposed to acknowledge his greatness and his new position of power but there was

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somebody in the kingdom that refused to do so and that person was Mordecai the cousin

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of Esther and this infuriated Haman that Mordecai would not bow before him that he refused to

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acknowledge Haman's new position and it tells us in the scripture that Mordecai was a descendant

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of Kish the father of Saul also from the tribe of Benjamin there was bad blood between the

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descendants of Agag and the descendants of Kish because after all that's who killed King

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Agag back in the day so when Haman found out about Mordecai and who he was and that he

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was a Jew this infuriated Haman now Haman knew that there were other Jews in the land

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and Haman said with my new position of power I will take care of this problem and so Haman

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goes before the king and he says Xerxes we have a problem in our kingdom we have a problem

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of a people group and they are going to cause trouble they are going to rebel against you

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they are going to cause chaos and you need to take care of them before this situation

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gets out of control and he says king if you will give me the permission I will put 375

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tons of silver into the treasury if you will just let me carry out this sentence against

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these people and the king said Haman whatever you need you got it go and do what you need

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to do and so the king takes off his signet ring this was important the king's signet

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ring had a symbol on it and whenever that symbol was stamped onto a document or a piece

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of wax that was closing the document whoever read that document would know that this command

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and decree came from the king himself and the king gave his ring to Haman and said Haman

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take my ring you have my power and authority to do whatever you would like and so Haman

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is thrilled with this news and so a day is decided upon a day that's a few months down

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the road and on this day all the Jews and the land are to be killed and word of this

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is sent throughout the whole kingdom as the Jews and the kingdom begin to hear this news

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they are certainly concerned what are they going to do well Mordecai hears this news

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as well and Esther herself was a Jew it was unknown to the king and unknown to anyone

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else but Mordecai knew that trouble was a Bruin and so Mordecai sends word to Queen

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Esther and he says to her look you've got to do something because Haman has sent this

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command throughout the kingdom that all of the Jewish people are going to be killed on

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this specific day you must intervene for the people you have to speak up now Queen Esther

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certainly had probably a better opportunity to speak to the king than most but even then

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it wasn't easy for her for you see you couldn't just go and talk to the king whenever you

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would like you can only go and talk to the king whenever you were summoned by the king

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and if the king did not summon you to come in and speak with him if you entered into

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his presence you may very well be killed the Queen Esther knew this and she sent word to

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Mordecai she said look I haven't seen the king in over a month I haven't been summoned

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by the king I can't go in and talk to the king my life may be in jeopardy I will be

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killed if I go see the king and Mordecai said look you've got to do this because you're

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the only hope for the Jewish people and then Mordecai tells her the words that we just

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read in Esther chapter 4 verse 14 if you keep silent at this time liberation and deliverance

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will come to the Jewish people from another place but you and your father's house will

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be destroyed who knows perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as

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this Mordecai says you have been placed here and even though God isn't mentioned in this

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story it is clear that God is at work in this story that all these events had taken place

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as bad as it was when Jerusalem and Judah were overtaken by the Babylon's as bad as

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it was that God's people were taken into captivity in a foreign land and had been there for quite

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some time now as bad as that was as bad as it was to be living in a foreign country and

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to be a Jew in this land where the Jews were soon to be killed it was not going to be long

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that this decree would be carried out and the Jewish people would be killed and all

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of this was part of God's plan that the most unlikely of people a little Jewish girl would

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end up in the land of the Medes and the Persians and be queen to the king and this was because

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God had placed her there God had placed her there for such a time as this now Mordecai

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acknowledges look we still have trust in God there will be deliverance deliverance will

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come from someone but God has placed you here for such a time as this now God has a plan

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and God has a purpose and things unfold in this world according to God's plan and to

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God's purpose and in carrying out those plans God chooses to use people like Esther and

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God chooses to use people like you and I and there are things that God may be calling you

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to today that he has brought you to where you are he has placed you where you're at

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he has placed you around the people that you are around because God has chosen to use you

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God's plans won't be forwarded just because of our disobedience but wouldn't it be a shame

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today if God is calling you to serve him if God is calling you to be used by him in some

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way and you say no God no God and God has to use the next man or woman in line wouldn't

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it be a shame if God wants to use us to further his kingdom today and we choose not to be

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used by God and so maybe today we are not so unlike Queen Esther in your life and your

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story you have taken lots of twists and turns if you and you have ended up where you are

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today not by coincidence it's no coincidence that Esther ended up in that land at that

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time it's no coincidence that Haman and Mordecai are key players in this story to carry out

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and bring to a conclusion this feud that has been going on from the Old Testament back

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in the days of the first king it's no coincidence that God has us where we are right now we

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may have taken a crazy journey to get here we may not be in a place we want to be I suspect

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at that point in time that Mordecai didn't want to be there and Esther didn't want to

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be there and the rest of the Jewish people didn't want to be there and sometimes our

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journey takes us to a place we do not want to be but the place that we are may very well

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be where God wants us to be and so maybe in your life today wherever you are like it or

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not as easy as your life may be or as tough as your life may be today it may very well

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be that God has brought you to this place for such a time as this that God desires to

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use you today it may be that God has placed you in that dead-end job that you hate that

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you're miserable going to because he wants you to reach somebody at that place it may

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be that God has brought you to Enterprise Baptist Church because there's somebody you

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will meet here there's some ministry you'll be involved in here there's some sermon you'll

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hear here maybe this one today that will remind you that God has brought you here for such

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a time as this to use you for the furtherance of his kingdom it may be that you are in a

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bad relationship today and maybe God has put you in that relationship for such a time as

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this maybe it's for your growth maybe it's for the growth of the one that is that you

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are with there are lots of places that we end up in life some we want to be and some

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we do not want to be but God puts us where we are he allows us to go through what we

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go through to build us up to help us to grow to help us to trust him to strengthen our

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faith and that so we can carry out his work and loving and caring for and helping those

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around us and helping them to know the gospel of Jesus Christ that Jesus loves them that

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he died on a cross for them that our sins can be forgiven today through Jesus Christ

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and so wherever you are today I don't know everybody's circumstances I don't know everybody's

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situation I don't know how God may want to work in your life but I can assure you that

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God works and he works sometimes in mysterious ways in ways that we cannot even comprehend

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and what we need to do today is we need to see God and we need to say God if you have

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brought me here for such a time as this God how do you want to use me and sometimes the

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ways in which God wants to use us are scary it is tough it was a scary time for Queen

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Esther Mordecai says look it's up to you Esther for such a time as this this is why you are

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here to speak up and despair your people and Esther listens to what Mordecai says and she

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says all right Mordecai so be it I'll do what you ask I'll take my chance I'll go before

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the king maybe I'll live maybe I'll die but I'll do it because I've been placed here for

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such a time as this what about you and I this morning where are we at in our life what might

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God be calling us to do in our life how might God be wanting to use us today there may be

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some things that instantly come to your mind or maybe not maybe you need to pray about

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it maybe there are some things that you know are there and they are so scary you know that

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there is something that God has placed on you to do that there is someone that he's

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called you to go and talk to that there is something that he has already burdened you

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with and you've been battling with it and you don't want to do it because it's scary

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and you're afraid and you don't know what the response will be but maybe today the Lord

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is telling you it is time and I've called you and I've placed you here for such a time

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is this if God is speaking to us today let us be those who are found faithful if we choose

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to be disobedient God's plans will continue on God will find another who will be obedient

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but wouldn't it be a shame if God had to use somebody else because we said no this morning

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let's pray God we thank you for your word we thank you for this good story I pray dear

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Lord that you would help us wherever we are God maybe we have ended up in a place that

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we don't want to be we've ended up in a place where it is scary we've ended up in a place

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where what is before us is scary we've ended up in a place where we don't know what the

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future holds but dear Lord maybe we have ended up in the place that we are at because you

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want to use this experience in some way to further your kingdom God maybe you brought

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us to where we are today because you want us just to seek you maybe you want us to call

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out to you today dear Lord maybe you're trying to get our attention maybe you're trying to

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strengthen our faith God maybe you brought us to where we are today as hard as it may

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be because there's something you want us to do there's some way you want to use us dear

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Lord and maybe there are some that's been on their journey for a long time and it's

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getting difficult and harder and harder by the day and they don't see any light at the

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end of the tunnel but God I pray that they would not lose hope today that God you are

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at work dear Lord sometimes your plans take a little longer to unfold than we would like

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but dear Lord ultimately they get us right to where we need to be and maybe today God

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we are right where you need us to be maybe you have placed us in this moment in our life

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just as you place Esther in this moment in her life that God you have something for us

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to do someone you want us to minister to some way that you want us to serve some way that

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you want us to speak up God I pray that you would help us to see clearly in the ways that

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you want to use us and I pray God that we would be prepared today that maybe you have

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brought each of us here for such a time as this a time that we could be used by you for

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the work of your kingdom God I pray that if there are any that do not know Jesus Christ

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this morning maybe they know about church and maybe they know about religion and maybe

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they even know a little bit of your word but maybe they don't know who Jesus is they've

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never trusted him they've never asked for forgiveness they've never put their faith

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in Jesus Christ they've never repented dear Lord I pray that today that maybe you have

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brought them here for such a time as this that today is the day of salvation for them

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dear Lord that even now that they would repent of their sins that they would turn from their

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ways of the world and turn from living for themselves and turn to Jesus Christ to live

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for him so I pray God that if there are any that do not know Jesus Christ today that they

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would God just as you are not mentioned in the book of Esther and it may seem like you're

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not there dear Lord I pray that you would help us to realize that you are even in our

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lives God it may seem like you're not part of the story but God you are working everything

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behind the scenes to work together to accomplish your will dear Lord so I pray God that we

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would not lose hope today that we would know that you are working and I ask these things

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in Jesus name amen.