WEBVTT 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:10.759 verse 15. We'll read through these three verses, 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:16.140 then we'll pray and get started. Esther sent 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:20.300 this reply to Mordecai, go and assemble all the 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:24.539 Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. 00:00:25.219 --> 00:00:28.820 Don't eat or drink for three days, day or night. 00:00:29.239 --> 00:00:32.899 I and my female servants will also fast in the 00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:36.280 same way. After that, I will go to the king. 00:00:36.909 --> 00:00:41.409 even if it is against the law. If I perish, I 00:00:41.409 --> 00:00:45.549 perish. So Mordecai went and did everything Esther 00:00:45.549 --> 00:00:49.289 had ordered him. Let's pray. God, we thank you 00:00:49.289 --> 00:00:52.009 for your word. It is good, dear Lord. You are 00:00:52.009 --> 00:00:54.329 good to us. You give us the freedom to come here 00:00:54.329 --> 00:00:57.340 today and to study your word, and I pray. that 00:00:57.340 --> 00:01:00.100 your Holy Spirit would help us to grow in what 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:02.579 we see, that we can grow in this story, and that, 00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:04.780 dear Lord, that there would be something in this 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:07.500 word that we need to hear tonight. I pray, God, 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:10.299 that you would help us to be free of the worries 00:01:10.299 --> 00:01:12.760 and the stresses and the aggravations of this 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:15.400 world, and that in these few minutes, dear Lord, 00:01:15.459 --> 00:01:17.260 your Holy Spirit would just speak through me 00:01:17.260 --> 00:01:20.739 and to each one of us in this church. In Jesus' 00:01:20.859 --> 00:01:26.659 name I pray it. Amen. Now we saw in our sermon 00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:31.620 Sunday where Esther was called upon by Mordecai 00:01:31.620 --> 00:01:36.560 to speak up for the Jewish people. The evil man 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:39.700 Haman, who the king had kind of put in charge 00:01:39.700 --> 00:01:43.140 over everything, come up with this plan to kill 00:01:43.140 --> 00:01:46.659 all the Jews. And Mordecai had sent the word 00:01:46.659 --> 00:01:50.400 to Esther that she needed to speak up. And Esther 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:53.680 responded, look, I cannot go before the king. 00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:56.719 No one is allowed to go in the king's presence 00:01:56.719 --> 00:01:59.700 if the king has not summoned for them to come. 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:03.879 And she said, look, if I go into the king's presence, 00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:08.020 if he does not extend his scepter, then I will 00:02:08.020 --> 00:02:12.889 be killed. Then we see the famous response of 00:02:12.889 --> 00:02:16.810 Mordecai where he says, look, you've got to go 00:02:16.810 --> 00:02:20.569 because you have been placed here for such a 00:02:20.569 --> 00:02:25.509 time as this. And this is Esther's response that 00:02:25.509 --> 00:02:30.229 we see in these verses. Esther says, okay, I'll 00:02:30.229 --> 00:02:35.330 do it. But before I go, I need to be prepared 00:02:35.330 --> 00:02:39.870 to do it. This book never mentions God throughout 00:02:39.870 --> 00:02:43.449 the book of Esther. And even here, prayer is 00:02:43.449 --> 00:02:46.169 not mentioned. And you may say that I'm reading 00:02:46.169 --> 00:02:50.090 too much into this text, and maybe I am, but 00:02:50.090 --> 00:02:53.490 I don't think so. It is mentioned that they were 00:02:53.490 --> 00:02:57.110 too fast. Before Esther was going to do this 00:02:57.110 --> 00:03:00.389 thing that Mordecai had said you need to do this, 00:03:00.509 --> 00:03:04.330 knowing that her life was in jeopardy, she said, 00:03:04.330 --> 00:03:07.389 before I do it, I need you to get all the other 00:03:07.389 --> 00:03:10.830 Jewish people together so that you can fast about 00:03:10.830 --> 00:03:12.930 what's about to take place. And she said, I'm 00:03:12.930 --> 00:03:15.289 going to do it too with all the servants and 00:03:15.289 --> 00:03:17.849 people around me. We're all going to fast for 00:03:17.849 --> 00:03:20.389 three days, day and night. Now, it doesn't say 00:03:20.389 --> 00:03:22.930 that they're praying there, but I don't think 00:03:22.930 --> 00:03:26.669 it's going too far for us to assume that that's 00:03:26.669 --> 00:03:30.389 exactly what was taking place. We often see... 00:03:30.759 --> 00:03:33.439 probably more times than not in Scripture, when 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:36.840 fasting is mentioned, that it involves praying, 00:03:37.020 --> 00:03:40.780 prayer, and fasting. These are Jewish people. 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:44.879 These are people of God. When they fasted, almost 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:48.879 certainly, I would guess, more times than not, 00:03:48.939 --> 00:03:52.060 they would pray, if not every time. And even 00:03:52.060 --> 00:03:55.139 though God is not mentioned here and prayer is 00:03:55.139 --> 00:03:58.259 not mentioned here, I believe that that's probably 00:03:58.259 --> 00:04:02.389 what was taking place. is that Esther was telling 00:04:02.389 --> 00:04:05.550 Mordecai and the Jewish people, y 'all need to 00:04:05.550 --> 00:04:08.849 pray and fast and y 'all need to seek the Lord 00:04:08.849 --> 00:04:12.590 because we're about to do this thing. I'm about 00:04:12.590 --> 00:04:14.849 to do this thing. I'm going to have to go before 00:04:14.849 --> 00:04:18.709 the king. It's a scary thing. My life is in jeopardy. 00:04:18.709 --> 00:04:21.930 So we need all the help we can get. And so we 00:04:21.930 --> 00:04:25.230 want to take this time to humble ourself before 00:04:25.230 --> 00:04:29.110 God before we continue through with this plan. 00:04:29.709 --> 00:04:33.370 Before I go and approach the king, I want to 00:04:33.370 --> 00:04:36.990 make sure, we need to make sure that we are prepared 00:04:36.990 --> 00:04:40.250 and that we are seeking God and that he is with 00:04:40.250 --> 00:04:44.850 us in this endeavor. And so Esther listened to 00:04:44.850 --> 00:04:47.389 what Mordecai said. He said, look, you've been 00:04:47.389 --> 00:04:50.069 placed here. Perhaps you're here for such a time 00:04:50.069 --> 00:04:53.990 as this. And she says, okay, I'll do it. She 00:04:53.990 --> 00:04:57.870 says, but the law is the law and the law states. 00:04:58.509 --> 00:05:01.529 That if I go before the king, I may die. But 00:05:01.529 --> 00:05:04.610 what does she say? She says, but if I perish, 00:05:04.850 --> 00:05:08.689 I perish. Now that's a beautiful example for 00:05:08.689 --> 00:05:11.689 us to follow. Because there may be things that 00:05:11.689 --> 00:05:15.490 God calls us to, areas for us to serve, that 00:05:15.490 --> 00:05:18.829 may be inconvenient, that may put us in harm's 00:05:18.829 --> 00:05:23.269 way, that may cost us our life. Now maybe that 00:05:23.269 --> 00:05:26.920 kind of teaching is... It's not heard enough. 00:05:27.019 --> 00:05:29.860 Maybe too much we say, oh, well, God only wants 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:32.879 to put us in good situations, and it's only going 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:36.199 to be good if we're serving the Lord. Maybe it 00:05:36.199 --> 00:05:38.339 is, and God's going to be with us, and maybe 00:05:38.339 --> 00:05:41.019 in that we experience God's grace and feel his 00:05:41.019 --> 00:05:43.939 presence in another way, but it's not necessarily 00:05:43.939 --> 00:05:46.819 always going to be good because sometimes doing 00:05:46.819 --> 00:05:50.339 the Lord's work is not easy. It is dangerous. 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:53.500 We put ourselves in harm's way. There are brothers 00:05:53.500 --> 00:05:56.120 and sisters in Christ around the world today 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:59.180 who are in prison because they've done right, 00:05:59.300 --> 00:06:02.060 not because they've done wrong, not because God 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:05.000 was not with them, but because God was with them. 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:07.459 them and they and they would seek God and they 00:06:07.459 --> 00:06:10.120 would feel that God said go and do this work 00:06:10.120 --> 00:06:12.800 and they said God I'll do it and they are in 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:15.519 prison and they are praising God and they are 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:18.139 still seeking God because they are where God 00:06:18.139 --> 00:06:20.759 wanted them to be doing the work that God wanted 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:24.680 them to do and sometimes when God puts us where 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:27.839 we are for our such a time as this moment it 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:32.170 might not be easy, and it may very well be dangerous, 00:06:32.250 --> 00:06:35.529 but we need to say, God, I'm going to seek you, 00:06:35.550 --> 00:06:37.449 and I'm going to be prepared. That's the first 00:06:37.449 --> 00:06:40.389 thing we need to do. is we need to do what Esther 00:06:40.389 --> 00:06:42.949 said. She wasn't just flying in here willy -nilly. 00:06:43.069 --> 00:06:45.050 She wasn't going in blind. She didn't say, okay, 00:06:45.230 --> 00:06:47.410 if this is what you want me to do, I'm going 00:06:47.410 --> 00:06:50.009 to do it. She said, no, I want to make sure that 00:06:50.009 --> 00:06:52.350 I'm prepared. I want to make sure that the Lord 00:06:52.350 --> 00:06:55.189 is with me in this, and I know it doesn't say 00:06:55.189 --> 00:06:57.310 that in the text, and maybe I'm reading too much 00:06:57.310 --> 00:06:59.750 into it, but I believe that that's what was taking 00:06:59.750 --> 00:07:02.509 place, that they humbled themselves before the 00:07:02.509 --> 00:07:05.569 Lord, and she wanted to make sure that the Lord 00:07:05.569 --> 00:07:09.009 was going to be with her before she went. and 00:07:09.009 --> 00:07:11.810 approach the king. And that's what the decisions 00:07:11.810 --> 00:07:15.170 that we make need to follow that same example. 00:07:15.290 --> 00:07:17.949 That as we make decisions in our lives, as we 00:07:17.949 --> 00:07:21.040 make decisions at a church, that we need to take 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:24.680 the time to pray and maybe even fast to say, 00:07:24.740 --> 00:07:28.100 God, we are humbling ourselves before you. We 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:30.899 are seeking you. We need help with this decision. 00:07:31.139 --> 00:07:34.500 We need help to know what to do. So God, let 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:37.480 me be bathed in prayer or bathe the situation 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:40.379 in prayer so that I'll be ready for whatever 00:07:40.379 --> 00:07:43.540 is going to come next. And then we need to say, 00:07:43.699 --> 00:07:46.639 but God, I'm going to do what your will is. And 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:52.930 if I perish, I... And so Mordecai and the other 00:07:52.930 --> 00:07:55.629 Jews, the queen and the ones who were around 00:07:55.629 --> 00:07:59.350 her, they prayed and they fasted for three days 00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:03.329 and for three nights. And then Queen Esther had 00:08:03.329 --> 00:08:06.649 to do what she was called to do by Mordecai. 00:08:07.029 --> 00:08:10.290 And that was approach the presence of the king. 00:08:11.089 --> 00:08:14.610 She had already told Mordecai, look, if I go 00:08:14.610 --> 00:08:18.060 and he does not extend that scepter, that I'm 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:21.600 in big trouble. And so after all this had taken 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:25.279 place, Esther got all prettied up, looking good, 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:29.379 and she went near the entrance of where the king's 00:08:29.379 --> 00:08:32.779 throne was, and the king saw her standing there. 00:08:33.500 --> 00:08:37.179 And when he did, he extended his golden scepter 00:08:37.179 --> 00:08:42.000 and asked her what she would like. God heard 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:44.100 those prayers. God was with her. God delivered 00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:49.379 her. And God gave her the king's ear. And so 00:08:49.379 --> 00:08:51.580 it is for us. There are things that we are called 00:08:51.580 --> 00:08:54.460 to that are scary, that look dangerous to us, 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:56.000 and we're not sure how they're going to turn 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:58.840 out. And maybe they turn out good or maybe they 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:02.159 turn out bad. But I guess they really don't turn 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:04.139 out bad. If it's the Lord's will and it's for 00:09:04.139 --> 00:09:07.139 the kingdom of God, it may be difficult, but 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:10.860 it will be good in the end. And Esther was willing 00:09:10.860 --> 00:09:13.320 to stand up for the Lord and to stand up for 00:09:13.320 --> 00:09:16.100 the Lord's people. But before she did anything, 00:09:16.419 --> 00:09:20.059 she wanted to make sure that all the people were 00:09:20.059 --> 00:09:24.240 together fasting. And I believe praying as well 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:27.720 that God would be with the situation. And he 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:31.379 was. And so it needs to be for us. That we need 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:34.529 to pray over all that we do. And our lives as 00:09:34.529 --> 00:09:36.690 a church, that we don't make any decisions on 00:09:36.690 --> 00:09:40.789 our own, but every decision we make is made by 00:09:40.789 --> 00:09:44.450 us coming to God and seeking his will and letting 00:09:44.450 --> 00:09:46.909 him lead us in what we need to do. Let's pray. 00:09:47.190 --> 00:09:49.330 God, we come to you. We thank you for this beautiful 00:09:49.330 --> 00:09:51.909 story. And there are so many things I believe 00:09:51.909 --> 00:09:53.929 that we can learn from this story. And I pray, 00:09:54.029 --> 00:09:57.490 God, that you would help us to be so bold as 00:09:57.490 --> 00:10:01.100 Esther was. that we'd be willing to go where 00:10:01.100 --> 00:10:04.019 you send us, even into the danger zones, even 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:06.419 into the tough situations, dear Lord, that we 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:08.879 would have the same resolve that Esther did, 00:10:08.960 --> 00:10:11.799 that we would say, if I perish, I perish. God, 00:10:11.899 --> 00:10:14.299 it would be better to perish doing your will 00:10:14.299 --> 00:10:18.190 than to live in disobedience to it. So God, I 00:10:18.190 --> 00:10:20.149 pray that you would help us to live by that truth 00:10:20.149 --> 00:10:22.730 tonight. I pray, God, that you would help us 00:10:22.730 --> 00:10:25.409 to seek you in every decision we make. Sometimes 00:10:25.409 --> 00:10:27.509 we get the cart ahead of the horse, dear Lord. 00:10:27.590 --> 00:10:29.909 We start making decisions and never ask you, 00:10:29.950 --> 00:10:32.669 not one time. Never pray for your guidance, never 00:10:32.669 --> 00:10:34.690 humble ourselves before you, never seek you. 00:10:34.850 --> 00:10:37.549 And I pray that you forgive me for that. And 00:10:37.549 --> 00:10:39.309 maybe there are others who struggle with that, 00:10:39.330 --> 00:10:41.870 that you would help us not to do that, dear Lord, 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:45.279 that we would be those who would seek you. and 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:47.580 that we would pray to you and that we would listen 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:49.980 and that we would be able to clearly hear and 00:10:49.980 --> 00:10:52.620 discern the ways that you lead and guide and 00:10:52.620 --> 00:10:55.279 instruct us, dear Lord, that we would be ready 00:10:55.279 --> 00:10:57.960 for the task before us, that with boldness and 00:10:57.960 --> 00:11:00.419 bravery, dear Lord, that we would be like Esther 00:11:00.419 --> 00:11:03.940 and prepare ourselves and go to do whatever it 00:11:03.940 --> 00:11:06.360 is you've called us to. And I ask these things 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:08.320 in Jesus' name. Amen.