WEBVTT 00:00:07.179 --> 00:00:10.839 Chapter 2, verse 21, we are going to conclude 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:14.300 the story of Queen Esther today. We looked at 00:00:14.300 --> 00:00:16.859 the first half of it last week, and you may be 00:00:16.859 --> 00:00:19.339 saying, well, we're going the wrong way. We were 00:00:19.339 --> 00:00:22.760 in chapter 4 last week, but we're going to read 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:26.199 Esther chapter 2, verse 21, and we'll eventually 00:00:26.199 --> 00:00:30.039 get to it at some point in the story. While you 00:00:30.039 --> 00:00:32.840 all are turning to that, I'll say a couple things. 00:00:33.579 --> 00:00:36.840 One is we'll be out of town this week, and so 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:39.640 if you try to get a hold of me and don't get 00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:42.219 me, that's why. If you need something while I'm 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:45.380 out of town, you feel free to call Ernest or 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:47.299 Jennings or Sonny, and they'll be glad to do 00:00:47.299 --> 00:00:49.759 whatever you need. And so if something happens, 00:00:50.020 --> 00:00:52.479 somebody's sick, you need something, please call 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:56.780 on them. and I'll be back Friday night, so I'll 00:00:56.780 --> 00:00:59.399 see you guys when I get back. Also, I wanted 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:05.060 to say, too, in regards to the new digital stuff 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:07.459 that we're going to be rolling out soon, that 00:01:07.459 --> 00:01:10.540 is also... Very kid -friendly. And so if you 00:01:10.540 --> 00:01:12.620 have a young child that has an email address, 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:15.680 it's something that kids will be able to take 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:18.019 a part in. It's going to be very kid -friendly. 00:01:18.219 --> 00:01:21.780 It's very safe. Good resources that we're about 00:01:21.780 --> 00:01:26.599 to make available to everybody. And if you are 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:29.859 planning to come to the game show night, I'll 00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:33.719 give you a little hint. If you are a couple or 00:01:33.719 --> 00:01:36.659 a brother or sister, you may want to make sure 00:01:36.659 --> 00:01:39.540 that you know each other. You might want to make 00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:41.780 sure that you know a lot about each other because 00:01:41.780 --> 00:01:45.879 that may be beneficial in some of the games that 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:48.819 we play. So we'll see how good everybody knows 00:01:48.819 --> 00:01:51.739 everybody. All right, enough of that clarification 00:01:51.739 --> 00:01:55.340 on those announcements. Esther chapter 2, verse 00:01:55.340 --> 00:02:02.959 21. Esther chapter 2, verse 21. We'll read these 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:05.620 three verses, then we'll pray, and we'll get 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:10.180 started. During those days, while Mordecai was 00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:13.500 sitting at the king's gate, Bicton and Teresh, 00:02:13.659 --> 00:02:15.939 two eunuchs who guarded the king's entrance, 00:02:16.259 --> 00:02:20.219 became infuriated and planned to assassinate 00:02:20.219 --> 00:02:23.020 King Ahasuerus, or King Xerxes, some of your 00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:25.860 translations will say. When Mordecai learned 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:29.039 of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:46.439 and she told the king on Mordecai's behalf. Let's 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:49.139 pray. God, we come to you this morning. We thank 00:02:49.139 --> 00:02:51.219 you for the freedom and the privilege to come 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:54.479 and to read your word and to hear your word. 00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:57.180 And I pray, dear Lord, that you would help me 00:02:57.180 --> 00:03:00.879 to... do a good job to preach and teach this 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:03.280 today. I pray that you help my mind to be sharp 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:05.659 and focused. I pray that you help the words that 00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:08.919 come from my mouth to be words that are yours, 00:03:09.099 --> 00:03:12.080 dear Lord. There is no good word I can say if 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:15.199 it is not from you, dear Lord. So I pray that 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:17.919 our hearts would hear, that your Holy Spirit 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.219 will work on us, that you would meet us where 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:23.639 we are today. that you would help us to be encouraged 00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:26.780 and to learn from what we see in your word and 00:03:26.780 --> 00:03:29.620 the story of Queen Esther. And I ask these things 00:03:29.620 --> 00:03:35.120 in Jesus' name. Amen. We left the story last 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:39.280 week with Queen Esther with a decision that she 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:43.520 had to make. An evil man had risen to power by 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:46.319 the name of Haman, and the king had really given 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:48.879 him authority to do whatever he wanted to do. 00:03:49.370 --> 00:03:53.129 And Haman had a hatred for the Jews and particularly 00:03:53.129 --> 00:03:57.969 Mordecai. Because when Haman was called to this 00:03:57.969 --> 00:04:01.430 new position, everyone was to bow before him 00:04:01.430 --> 00:04:05.389 and celebrate him and all just talk good about 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:07.909 him and treat him like a king, essentially. But 00:04:07.909 --> 00:04:11.689 Mordecai refused to do so. And this had infuriated 00:04:11.689 --> 00:04:14.310 Haman. And Haman had sent a command throughout 00:04:14.310 --> 00:04:19.120 the land that on a certain day, All the Jewish 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:22.839 people in the land were to be killed. Now, Queen 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:25.839 Esther, who had come into this position, not 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:28.699 by coincidence, but by the very power of God. 00:04:28.779 --> 00:04:31.279 If you want to catch that sermon last week, you 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:34.860 can find it online, get more details. But Esther 00:04:34.860 --> 00:04:37.459 had ended up in the most unlikely of places, 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:42.519 a Jewish girl, to be the queen of King Xerxes. 00:04:43.209 --> 00:04:45.490 Of course, it was not known that she was a Jew, 00:04:45.589 --> 00:04:48.389 and her life as well was in jeopardy. And so 00:04:48.389 --> 00:04:53.449 when this word went out, this command from Haman 00:04:53.449 --> 00:04:57.389 to kill the Jews on this particular day, Mordecai, 00:04:57.389 --> 00:05:00.529 Esther's cousin who had raised her, sent word 00:05:00.529 --> 00:05:03.329 to Esther and said, you must speak up to save 00:05:03.329 --> 00:05:06.329 your people. And Esther said, wait a minute, 00:05:06.389 --> 00:05:08.629 this is dangerous. I can't just go talk to the 00:05:08.629 --> 00:05:11.410 king. If I go and I've not been summoned, he 00:05:11.410 --> 00:05:14.610 may have me killed. It's only if I go and he 00:05:14.610 --> 00:05:16.910 extends his scepter will he listen, but maybe 00:05:16.910 --> 00:05:19.050 he'll extend his scepter before me and maybe 00:05:19.050 --> 00:05:21.790 he will not. But Mordecai said, look, Esther, 00:05:21.949 --> 00:05:24.550 you have to go for maybe you've been placed in 00:05:24.550 --> 00:05:27.810 this position for such a time as this, that God 00:05:27.810 --> 00:05:29.970 has put you right here right now to do this. 00:05:30.069 --> 00:05:33.860 And Esther said, look, I'll do it. You get everybody 00:05:33.860 --> 00:05:36.100 together, all your people, all the Jewish people, 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:38.439 and y 'all begin to fast, and I'll get my people 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:41.060 together and we'll fast. And it doesn't say that 00:05:41.060 --> 00:05:44.100 they prayed, but I think it might be reasonable 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:47.100 to assume that when they fasted that they were 00:05:47.100 --> 00:05:49.620 praying. We often see that together. These were 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:53.180 God's people. It's almost certain, I believe, 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:56.079 that they were seeking God and humbling themselves 00:05:56.079 --> 00:06:00.000 before God on Esther's behalf before she went 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.000 to the king. And so she did. After three days 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:06.120 went by, she got herself all prettied up and 00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:09.579 dressed and she began to go into the courtyard 00:06:09.579 --> 00:06:12.360 and into the area where the king was and the 00:06:12.360 --> 00:06:16.259 king saw her. And when he did, he extended his 00:06:16.259 --> 00:06:19.540 scepter to her. Praise the Lord. She now has 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:22.000 the king's ear and she goes before the king and 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:25.220 the king says, Esther, what is it that you want? 00:06:25.819 --> 00:06:30.040 And Esther said, King, if it pleases you, I would 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:33.680 like... to hold a feast, a banquet today for 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:36.699 just you and Haman, just the three of us. I would 00:06:36.699 --> 00:06:39.339 like you to come to this meal that I have prepared. 00:06:39.980 --> 00:06:44.079 And the king says, whatever you asked, Queen 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:47.740 Esther. So the news is spread to Haman that he 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:51.279 is invited to come into the presence of Esther 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:55.680 and the king. Now Haman is thrilled at this. 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:58.959 Haman loves the attention. He loves to be in 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:01.500 the spotlight. And so Queen Esther holds this 00:07:01.500 --> 00:07:04.639 magnificent feast. And all that is there is the 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:08.399 king and Haman. While they are feasting, the 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:10.759 king asks Esther. He says, Queen Esther, what 00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:13.920 is it that you want? He said, up to half of the 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:16.879 kingdom, I'll give you whatever you would like. 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:20.560 And Queen Esther said, my request to you, king, 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:24.129 is that... We do this again tomorrow. The tomorrow 00:07:24.129 --> 00:07:27.290 that you and Haman come back and that we have 00:07:27.290 --> 00:07:31.189 this feast once again. And the king said, may 00:07:31.189 --> 00:07:34.670 it be as you request, king. Now Haman was thrilled 00:07:34.670 --> 00:07:37.089 at this news. He wanted to be in the spotlight. 00:07:37.310 --> 00:07:40.029 He wanted everyone to know that he and he alone 00:07:40.029 --> 00:07:42.569 was having a feast with the king and the queen. 00:07:42.670 --> 00:07:45.790 And he left with great joy, but his joy quickly 00:07:45.790 --> 00:07:50.100 turned into rage. Because no sooner than he got 00:07:50.100 --> 00:07:53.079 out of the banquet with the king and the queen 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:57.100 did he see Mordecai, who refused to bow down 00:07:57.100 --> 00:08:01.060 and acknowledge him. This infuriated Haman. And 00:08:01.060 --> 00:08:04.819 Haman went home and he told his wife and he told 00:08:04.819 --> 00:08:08.139 his friends and all of this was taking place 00:08:08.139 --> 00:08:12.319 and he was just infuriated. And so his wife and 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:15.379 his friends, they... give him some instruction. 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:17.920 They give him some advice, not very good advice. 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:20.939 They said, Haman, here's what you need to do. 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:24.139 You need to make an example out of Mordecai. 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:29.160 You need to build a gallows 75 feet tall, and 00:08:29.160 --> 00:08:32.299 you need to have Mordecai hanged on it in front 00:08:32.299 --> 00:08:35.759 of everyone. Make an example of him. And Haman 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:38.879 said, that's a good idea. And so he told his 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:43.250 men, get to work. Begin to build this gallows. 00:08:44.929 --> 00:08:48.169 Meanwhile, back at the palace, night had come 00:08:48.169 --> 00:08:52.049 and the king was trying to sleep, but sleep escaped 00:08:52.049 --> 00:08:55.429 the king that night. And so as he was laying 00:08:55.429 --> 00:08:57.629 there unable to sleep, he called to one of his 00:08:57.629 --> 00:09:00.009 servants and he said to him, would you go get 00:09:00.009 --> 00:09:03.649 the book of the historical records of the kings 00:09:03.649 --> 00:09:07.809 and read that to me? And so as he was there and 00:09:07.809 --> 00:09:11.649 being read to, Eventually, the story of Mordecai 00:09:11.649 --> 00:09:15.070 come up. The story where Mordecai, in the scripture 00:09:15.070 --> 00:09:17.690 that we just read, had found about this plot 00:09:17.690 --> 00:09:20.889 to assassinate the king. And Mordecai had spoken 00:09:20.889 --> 00:09:23.549 up. He had did the right thing. And he had let 00:09:23.549 --> 00:09:26.090 the proper authorities know. And as a result, 00:09:26.190 --> 00:09:28.690 the king's life was saved. And when the king 00:09:28.690 --> 00:09:32.429 was told this story, he said, what was done for 00:09:32.429 --> 00:09:35.990 this man? What was done for this man who saved 00:09:35.990 --> 00:09:39.320 my life? The servant who was reading the record 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:41.980 says, well, king, there was nothing done for 00:09:41.980 --> 00:09:45.320 this man. And so he says to his servant, he says, 00:09:45.419 --> 00:09:47.860 who's here? Is there anybody around in the palace? 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:50.440 Well, by this time, Haman has made his way into 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:52.440 the palace. And the servant said, well, Haman 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:54.580 is out there. And the king said, well, good, 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:58.580 send him in to me. And so Haman goes into the 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:01.059 presence of the king. And the king says to Haman, 00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:05.440 he says, Haman, if the king wanted to honor a 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:09.539 man, and really, really just lift him up in the 00:10:09.539 --> 00:10:12.799 presence of the community and do something great 00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:16.519 for him? What would the king do? What should 00:10:16.519 --> 00:10:19.659 he do? Now Haman, being full of himself, thought 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:22.039 to himself, well, who in the world could possibly 00:10:22.039 --> 00:10:25.529 the king be talking about other than me? Who 00:10:25.529 --> 00:10:28.309 could the king want to honor more than me? After 00:10:28.309 --> 00:10:30.629 all, he had just had this private meal with the 00:10:30.629 --> 00:10:33.549 king and the queen. And in not much time, he 00:10:33.549 --> 00:10:36.070 would be having another one. And so Haman thought 00:10:36.070 --> 00:10:38.990 to himself, the king is going to honor me. What 00:10:38.990 --> 00:10:42.809 would I like? And so Haman responded to the king. 00:10:43.649 --> 00:10:46.110 Haman said, king, here is what should be done 00:10:46.110 --> 00:10:50.639 for the man that the king wants to honor. He 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:53.740 says one of the king's wardrobes should be brought 00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:56.039 out. Some of the garments of the king should 00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:59.279 be brought out and placed on this man. And a 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:01.500 horse that the king has ridden should be brought 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:04.259 out and this man should be placed on top of this 00:11:04.259 --> 00:11:07.100 horse. And one of the king's highest officials 00:11:07.100 --> 00:11:09.799 should take this horse and guide it through the 00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:13.019 streets and parade this man around and yell out, 00:11:13.059 --> 00:11:15.740 this is what is to be done for the man the king 00:11:15.740 --> 00:11:20.879 wants to honor. I suspect Haman was probably 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:26.139 waiting for that honor to be placed on him, but 00:11:26.139 --> 00:11:29.139 he was mistaken because when he told the king 00:11:29.139 --> 00:11:31.419 what he thought should be done, the king said, 00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:37.370 good, go and do this for Mordecai. So here is 00:11:37.370 --> 00:11:40.250 Haman. Boy, he was so proud of himself. He's 00:11:40.250 --> 00:11:42.870 come up with this plan to destroy the Jews. The 00:11:42.870 --> 00:11:44.629 one that he hates the most, he's going to be 00:11:44.629 --> 00:11:47.970 getting rid of soon. In just a few hours, Mordecai 00:11:47.970 --> 00:11:50.850 was to be hanged. But instead of Mordecai being 00:11:50.850 --> 00:11:55.990 hanged, now Haman and all of this misery is having 00:11:55.990 --> 00:11:59.350 to guide Mordecai around on town on the king's 00:11:59.350 --> 00:12:02.710 horse and the king's clothes, yelling, this is 00:12:02.710 --> 00:12:05.370 what is done for the man the king wants to honor. 00:12:06.409 --> 00:12:10.370 Haman completes his task and scurries back home, 00:12:10.509 --> 00:12:13.909 angry as can be, and he tells his wife and his 00:12:13.909 --> 00:12:18.789 friends, he says, this is what happens. And his 00:12:18.789 --> 00:12:21.490 wife said, oh, you're in trouble. This ain't 00:12:21.490 --> 00:12:24.269 a good sign. Well, no sooner than he talks with 00:12:24.269 --> 00:12:27.690 them is he ushered back to the king. He's ushered 00:12:27.690 --> 00:12:29.990 back in the presence of Queen Esther and King 00:12:29.990 --> 00:12:32.350 Xerxes for the feast that has been prepared. 00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:36.600 And Esther has the king there and he has Haman 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:40.200 there. And the king, once again, asks Esther. 00:12:40.860 --> 00:12:43.279 He says, Esther, what is it that you would like? 00:12:43.740 --> 00:12:46.799 Ask of me anything. I'll give you up to half 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:49.539 of the kingdom. Just let me know what you would 00:12:49.539 --> 00:12:54.059 like. And Esther tells the king, she says, King, 00:12:54.340 --> 00:12:58.000 my request is that you would spare my life and 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:01.940 the life of my people. For there is an evil man 00:13:01.940 --> 00:13:04.779 who has put out an order. that all of the Jewish 00:13:04.779 --> 00:13:09.019 people should be killed. Well, when the king 00:13:09.019 --> 00:13:12.980 heard this news, he was furious. He said, what 00:13:12.980 --> 00:13:16.519 evil man would put out such a command to do such 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:22.580 a thing? And Esther says, your majesty, it is 00:13:22.580 --> 00:13:26.899 Haman. The king stormed out of the room in a 00:13:26.899 --> 00:13:30.500 rage. Haman knew that his time was getting short. 00:13:31.149 --> 00:13:33.570 Queen Esther was reclining on the couch there 00:13:33.570 --> 00:13:35.750 in the area where they were having this banquet. 00:13:35.909 --> 00:13:39.450 And Haman goes and begins to beg the queen that 00:13:39.450 --> 00:13:41.690 there would be mercy, that he would be spared. 00:13:41.889 --> 00:13:45.629 And he falls down on the couch on the queen begging 00:13:45.629 --> 00:13:48.330 her for mercy. And no sooner than he falls on 00:13:48.330 --> 00:13:50.809 the couch onto the queen, the king comes back 00:13:50.809 --> 00:13:53.750 into the room and he says, How dare you violate 00:13:53.750 --> 00:13:59.210 my queen in my presence? And after the king uttered 00:13:59.210 --> 00:14:01.289 those words, one of the king's servants said, 00:14:01.470 --> 00:14:06.289 King, there's a gallows at Haman's house, 75 00:14:06.289 --> 00:14:10.149 foot tall, that Haman had prepared to hang Mordecai 00:14:10.149 --> 00:14:17.929 on. And the king says, hang Haman on it. This 00:14:17.929 --> 00:14:22.350 story is a good example of how sometimes when 00:14:22.350 --> 00:14:24.730 we do the right thing and it seems as though 00:14:24.730 --> 00:14:28.620 it goes unnoticed, Sometimes people do the wrong 00:14:28.620 --> 00:14:31.940 thing and continue to do evil and harbor evil 00:14:31.940 --> 00:14:34.519 in every way. And it seems like that the one 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:37.240 that does evil always gets away with everything. 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:40.299 That everything always works out for them. And 00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:43.080 sometimes it feels for us that we do the right 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:46.080 thing and it goes unnoticed. But when we do the 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:48.840 right thing, it doesn't go unnoticed. And when 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:51.659 we do the wrong thing, it doesn't go unpunished. 00:14:54.179 --> 00:14:58.120 Mordecai, all that time ago, had did the right 00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:00.740 thing. He heard of the plot that was going to 00:15:00.740 --> 00:15:03.799 take the king's life, and he reported it, and 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:07.600 nothing was ever done of it. But as is the case 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:10.039 throughout the whole story of the book of Esther, 00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:13.580 it was no coincidence that sleep escaped the 00:15:13.580 --> 00:15:17.129 king that night. It's no coincidence that the 00:15:17.129 --> 00:15:21.309 king called his servant to read the book of the 00:15:21.309 --> 00:15:24.070 historical records to him. It's no coincidence 00:15:24.070 --> 00:15:27.309 that on that night, it was revealed to the king 00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:31.929 the work that Mordecai had done. It's no coincidence 00:15:31.929 --> 00:15:36.210 that God took care of Mordecai and Esther and 00:15:36.210 --> 00:15:39.549 the rest of the Jewish people. It's no coincidence 00:15:39.549 --> 00:15:44.250 that God delivers those... who are his, and punishes 00:15:44.250 --> 00:15:49.769 those who are opposed to him. Who are we in this 00:15:49.769 --> 00:15:53.730 story? Maybe we're like Esther. We're someone 00:15:53.730 --> 00:15:56.190 who's been placed where we are for such a time 00:15:56.190 --> 00:16:00.730 as this. Maybe we're like Mordecai. Maybe we're 00:16:00.730 --> 00:16:03.450 one and we say, We've done the right thing, and 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:06.110 it seems to have gone unnoticed. Our life still 00:16:06.110 --> 00:16:09.350 is in trouble. Mordecai's life, Esther's life, 00:16:09.389 --> 00:16:12.169 the Jewish people's life was in trouble. Their 00:16:12.169 --> 00:16:14.970 life was before them. It seemed as though that 00:16:14.970 --> 00:16:17.289 God was not listening or paying attention, and 00:16:17.289 --> 00:16:19.509 even though they had lived for him and appeared 00:16:19.509 --> 00:16:23.230 to be godly people in every way, it doesn't appear 00:16:23.230 --> 00:16:25.470 like God is there, but yet God is there through 00:16:25.470 --> 00:16:28.889 every step of the way. He's there when a little 00:16:28.889 --> 00:16:33.159 Jewish girl gets to be chosen. As queen. He's 00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:35.539 there when Mordecai is just at the right place 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:38.639 to make this report to save the king's life. 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:44.179 Maybe we're like Esther. Maybe we're like Mordecai. 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:49.179 Maybe we're like Haman. Maybe we are the one 00:16:49.179 --> 00:16:52.139 that wants the attention. Maybe we are the one 00:16:52.139 --> 00:16:56.080 that wants the focus. Maybe we are the one that 00:16:56.080 --> 00:16:59.779 is enraged at someone else today. What's driving 00:16:59.779 --> 00:17:03.480 us today? Is it a desire to live for God? Is 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:06.240 it a desire to seek Him? Is it a desire to trust 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:09.859 Him? Is it a desire to continue to do good, even 00:17:09.859 --> 00:17:12.519 when bad things are happening all around us? 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:16.980 Or are we driven by hate? Well, that was the 00:17:16.980 --> 00:17:20.039 only thing that was driving Haman, his hatred 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:24.039 and his pride. And it looked like the enemy was 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:26.920 going to win. And it looked like the bad guys 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:29.740 were going to lose. But when it comes to the 00:17:29.740 --> 00:17:32.539 word of God and it comes to the plan of God, 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:36.569 the enemy will never win. Because Jesus Christ 00:17:36.569 --> 00:17:39.369 has died on a cross so that our sins could be 00:17:39.369 --> 00:17:42.589 forgiven. Jesus Christ has died on a cross to 00:17:42.589 --> 00:17:45.269 give us a way of escape, to give us victory over 00:17:45.269 --> 00:17:48.250 sin, that we don't have to give in to our hatred 00:17:48.250 --> 00:17:51.269 and our bitterness in the way that Haman did, 00:17:51.410 --> 00:17:54.809 but that we could seek God and humble ourselves 00:17:54.809 --> 00:17:57.930 before him in the way that Mordecai and Esther 00:17:57.930 --> 00:18:02.259 and the Jewish people did. When we humble ourselves 00:18:02.259 --> 00:18:04.960 before God, it leads to our deliverance through 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:09.140 Jesus Christ. But when we live in our pride and 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:11.940 what drives us is our bitterness and our anger 00:18:11.940 --> 00:18:15.900 and our hatred, it will lead to our destruction. 00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:20.039 None of us like to think of ourselves as the 00:18:20.039 --> 00:18:23.680 bad guy. We watch the heroes in movies and our 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.740 favorite TV shows and in our books and our Bible 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:29.720 stories, and we always see the good guy and we 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:32.480 always see the bad guy, but we always want to 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:34.500 think of ourselves as the good guy, and maybe 00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:37.299 sometimes we are, but maybe if we're honest with 00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:40.740 ourselves, sometimes we're the bad guy, and maybe 00:18:40.740 --> 00:18:44.660 more times than not. Maybe we don't want to compare 00:18:44.660 --> 00:18:47.539 ourselves to Haman, but maybe we need to reflect 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:49.960 on our life and say, God, are there any of those 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:52.359 tendencies in my heart? Maybe there are, maybe 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:56.700 there aren't. But sometimes maybe we're worse 00:18:56.700 --> 00:19:00.079 than we think. Sometimes maybe there are some 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:02.500 feelings like those of Haman that are in our 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:04.619 heart and we need to deal with those things. 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:09.059 Because the moment that seed of anger and bitterness 00:19:09.059 --> 00:19:13.660 and hatred begins to sprout in our heart, If 00:19:13.660 --> 00:19:16.299 we do not seek God and repent and humble ourselves, 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:20.559 then that seed is going to grow. And it's going 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:24.920 to grow into something ugly and nasty and dangerous. 00:19:25.619 --> 00:19:28.279 It's going to grow you into a person that only 00:19:28.279 --> 00:19:31.480 cares about themselves and does not care about 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:35.880 anyone else. And Haman had become that person. 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:41.680 What about you and I? If we're like Haman today, 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:44.920 then we need to repent. Then we need to ask God 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:46.960 to deal with those areas in our heart. And they 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:48.880 come up. We have to fight them all the time. 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:52.019 It's a lifelong battle. There's always those 00:19:52.019 --> 00:19:54.559 things in our heart that are trying to grow, 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:57.200 that are trying to make us into something that 00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:02.220 God does not want us to be. But we need to be 00:20:02.220 --> 00:20:06.079 those who would seek God today. Maybe we're like 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:09.779 Esther and Mordecai. Maybe we're in a place we 00:20:09.779 --> 00:20:13.019 don't want to be, in a situation that looks pretty 00:20:13.019 --> 00:20:18.960 dark, looks pretty hopeless. But in those situations, 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:23.000 we need to seek God even more. We need to humble 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.940 ourselves before God and say, God, if you've 00:20:25.940 --> 00:20:27.980 placed me here for such a time as this, then 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:31.359 help me to see what I need to do. God, help me 00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:33.539 not get tired of doing good, for at the proper 00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:38.029 time, I will reap, the Scripture says. Let us 00:20:38.029 --> 00:20:40.250 never wonder whether God is with us and cares 00:20:40.250 --> 00:20:42.890 about us and is paying attention to us. I can 00:20:42.890 --> 00:20:45.529 assure you the answer is yes. He is with us, 00:20:45.609 --> 00:20:48.329 he cares about us, and he pays attention to us. 00:20:48.430 --> 00:20:52.450 He knows where you are and your need. Let us 00:20:52.450 --> 00:20:55.089 be those who would seek God today. Let's pray. 00:20:56.410 --> 00:20:58.509 God, we come to you, we thank you for your word, 00:20:58.549 --> 00:21:00.569 and I pray, dear Lord, that you would help us 00:21:00.569 --> 00:21:05.509 to examine ourselves. God, maybe we are those 00:21:05.509 --> 00:21:08.380 and... And we feel like sometimes we do what 00:21:08.380 --> 00:21:10.240 we're supposed to do, and maybe we do. And God, 00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:13.619 maybe sometimes it feels as though it goes unnoticed. 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:16.960 But dear Lord, you know every work we do, good 00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:20.680 or bad. And so dear Lord, you are with us no 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:23.519 matter what we go through. It may not always 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:25.839 seem like it. It may not always feel like it. 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:28.480 We may be in places that are scary, that are 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:31.359 tough, that are aggravating, dear Lord. But even 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:34.819 in those places, you are with us. So dear Lord, 00:21:34.900 --> 00:21:36.819 I pray that you would help us just to hold on. 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:42.240 Maybe we have a Haman in our life, someone who's 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:45.599 against us, that causes us trouble, dear Lord. 00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:49.480 Let us continue to do good even to people like 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:52.619 that. And dear Lord, maybe, just maybe, if we're 00:21:52.619 --> 00:21:56.200 honest, maybe we are the Haman in somebody else's 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.680 life. Maybe we are the one that's filled with 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:02.000 hatred and bitterness and jealousy and anger, 00:22:02.019 --> 00:22:05.509 dear Lord. Let that not be what drives us today, 00:22:05.650 --> 00:22:08.670 dear Lord. Let us be driven by the love of Jesus 00:22:08.670 --> 00:22:11.869 Christ, that that is what we seek. God, it is 00:22:11.869 --> 00:22:15.069 hard. This world is hard. Sin is ever before 00:22:15.069 --> 00:22:18.009 us. Temptation is ever before us. And sometimes, 00:22:18.390 --> 00:22:20.569 dear Lord, we let our anger and our bitterness 00:22:20.569 --> 00:22:23.410 and our hatred get the best of us. But God, you 00:22:23.410 --> 00:22:25.869 have to help us because we are hopeless without 00:22:25.869 --> 00:22:29.250 your help. But dear Lord, today we can have victory 00:22:29.250 --> 00:22:32.299 over those thoughts, over those feelings. through 00:22:32.299 --> 00:22:35.299 Jesus Christ who has given his life on a cross 00:22:35.299 --> 00:22:37.519 so that we could be forgiven. So God, wherever 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:40.500 we may be today, if you've placed us here for 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:42.579 such a time as this, then help us to see what 00:22:42.579 --> 00:22:46.480 you've placed us here for. And God, if we see 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:48.460 some things in our heart that should not be there, 00:22:48.539 --> 00:22:51.380 I pray today that we would repent, that we would 00:22:51.380 --> 00:22:53.460 confess those things to you, that we would ask 00:22:53.460 --> 00:22:55.279 for your forgiveness and that we would seek your 00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:58.170 help, dear Lord. Not just today, but every day, 00:22:58.210 --> 00:23:00.950 dear Lord. It is a daily struggle for us to try 00:23:00.950 --> 00:23:02.950 to walk in accordance to your will. God, it is 00:23:02.950 --> 00:23:07.869 not easy, but the result is joy and peace. So 00:23:07.869 --> 00:23:10.809 God, let us not walk in the path of Haman and 00:23:10.809 --> 00:23:14.390 experience destruction today, but God, let us 00:23:14.390 --> 00:23:17.309 walk in the path of Jesus Christ that we would 00:23:17.309 --> 00:23:20.190 experience deliverance. God, just as you were 00:23:20.190 --> 00:23:22.390 there with Mordecai and Esther and the Jewish 00:23:22.390 --> 00:23:26.710 people, God, you are here with us today. So God, 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:28.470 you know our needs. You know where each one of 00:23:28.470 --> 00:23:30.150 us are. You know what our struggles are. You 00:23:30.150 --> 00:23:32.509 know where we need deliverance today. And I pray 00:23:32.509 --> 00:23:36.230 that we would seek you to find that and be strengthened 00:23:36.230 --> 00:23:39.509 by you. And I ask these things in Jesus' name. 00:23:40.130 --> 00:23:40.490 Amen.