WEBVTT 00:00:00.430 --> 00:00:05.549 In a 1939 essay, get this, on the subject of 00:00:05.549 --> 00:00:09.830 fairy stories, J .R .R. Tolkien, the famous author 00:00:09.830 --> 00:00:12.990 of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, coined 00:00:12.990 --> 00:00:17.329 a term that to our knowledge had never been used 00:00:17.329 --> 00:00:21.329 up to that point. He invented a word. In fact, 00:00:21.410 --> 00:00:27.070 here's what that word is. Eucatastrophe. Say 00:00:27.070 --> 00:00:30.570 it with me. Eucatastrophe. Well done. The basis 00:00:30.570 --> 00:00:32.429 of that word comes from the biblical language 00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:34.990 of Koine Greek. You take the word catastrophe, 00:00:35.130 --> 00:00:39.109 which refers to a sudden turn, and then you put 00:00:39.109 --> 00:00:43.270 the prefix you on it, and it becomes a good turn 00:00:43.270 --> 00:00:47.829 of events. That's what he meant. He believed 00:00:47.829 --> 00:00:50.670 that this was the ingredient that makes a good 00:00:50.670 --> 00:00:55.869 fantasy story a great fantasy story. Eucatastrophe, 00:00:55.950 --> 00:00:59.359 he said, refers to, quote, a sudden... happy 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.380 turn in a story which pierces you with the kind 00:01:02.380 --> 00:01:05.719 of joy that brings tears. In other words, a massive 00:01:05.719 --> 00:01:08.900 turn of events from a seemingly impossible situation 00:01:08.900 --> 00:01:13.200 to an unforeseen victory and the reversal of 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:16.719 a tragic ending that ultimately prevents evil 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:20.200 from winning. And as I say that, maybe you can 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:22.560 recognize that in some of the books that he has 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:25.000 written. Well, guess what? That's exactly what 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:26.560 we're going to see this morning in the book of 00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:29.959 Esther. Up until this point in the story, things 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:32.359 have been pretty rough for Mordecai, for Esther, 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:35.359 for the Jewish people living in Persia. But with 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:38.340 last Sunday's revealing of the wickedness of 00:01:38.340 --> 00:01:42.359 Haman and his execution, there is now a new sense 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:45.260 of hope on the horizon. Today, we come to chapter 00:01:45.260 --> 00:01:48.099 8, and we're going to see God's eucatastrophe. 00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:51.019 We're going to see it unfold in all of its sovereign 00:01:51.019 --> 00:01:54.359 glory. And the people in the story who were once 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:58.840 condemned to death, will not only be saved, but 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:02.180 given permission to conquer and plunder the enemy. 00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:06.099 Does that ring a bell in your ear as I say that? 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:10.020 Listen again. A people who were once condemned 00:02:10.020 --> 00:02:14.139 to death are not only saved, but made conquerors 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:19.819 over their enemy. Grab your Bibles. If you haven't 00:02:19.819 --> 00:02:21.159 gone there yet, we're going to Esther chapter 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:24.639 8. That was just a wee bit of a hint on where 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:27.129 we're going this morning. Hopefully you picked 00:02:27.129 --> 00:02:31.590 up on it. Very subtle. So let's recall how chapter 00:02:31.590 --> 00:02:34.750 7 ended last week. Haman, the Persian king's 00:02:34.750 --> 00:02:37.629 chief vizier, was dragged from the palace with 00:02:37.629 --> 00:02:41.150 a bag over his head, taken away to face justice 00:02:41.150 --> 00:02:45.469 in the most ironic way possible. The last verse 00:02:45.469 --> 00:02:48.129 in the chapter, chapter 7, says, They hanged 00:02:48.129 --> 00:02:51.469 Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for 00:02:51.469 --> 00:02:55.830 Mordecai. That is ironic. Well, we shouldn't 00:02:55.830 --> 00:02:57.770 be surprised at the downfall of this man. The 00:02:57.770 --> 00:03:00.310 wisdom literature of the Old Testament describes 00:03:00.310 --> 00:03:04.050 the symptoms of a man like Haman. He follows 00:03:04.050 --> 00:03:07.509 the path of foolishness, not wisdom. He lives 00:03:07.509 --> 00:03:11.030 for himself. He pursues his desires and ambitions 00:03:11.030 --> 00:03:14.110 without concern for other people. He is greedy 00:03:14.110 --> 00:03:17.370 for his own honor and glory. But in the end, 00:03:17.469 --> 00:03:20.050 all that he desperately wanted in his life, all 00:03:20.050 --> 00:03:24.689 that he aspired to be, is taken from him. Pay 00:03:24.689 --> 00:03:26.610 close attention to the wisdom literature in the 00:03:26.610 --> 00:03:29.009 Old Testament. It will describe the wicked man. 00:03:29.189 --> 00:03:31.430 As we read last Sunday in Psalm 7, the wicked 00:03:31.430 --> 00:03:36.370 man digs a pit and ends up falling into it. The 00:03:36.370 --> 00:03:38.930 trouble that he creates returns upon his own 00:03:38.930 --> 00:03:42.169 head. So this morning what we're going to do 00:03:42.169 --> 00:03:43.669 is we're going to read right through the entire 00:03:43.669 --> 00:03:45.830 chapter, chapter 8. We're going to go straight 00:03:45.830 --> 00:03:47.669 through it. We're going to divide it into four 00:03:47.669 --> 00:03:50.250 sections. I'll give each section a title. I'll 00:03:50.250 --> 00:03:54.509 use some alliteration. Huh? Huh? I mean, I don't 00:03:54.509 --> 00:03:57.370 often do this, but man, this was good this week. 00:03:58.229 --> 00:04:00.949 I get so excited. I'm like, honey, I got alliteration 00:04:00.949 --> 00:04:03.449 this week. It's great. And then we'll come back 00:04:03.449 --> 00:04:05.189 to each one of these four sections and we'll 00:04:05.189 --> 00:04:06.990 work through them. So the first section we're 00:04:06.990 --> 00:04:08.569 going to look at is just verses one and two, 00:04:08.669 --> 00:04:11.810 and I'm calling this the reward. Look at the 00:04:11.810 --> 00:04:16.810 text. On that day, King Ahasuerus gave the house 00:04:16.810 --> 00:04:20.189 of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:23.920 And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:28.420 had disclosed what he was to her. The king took 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:30.860 off his signet ring, which he had taken away 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:34.420 from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther 00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:38.079 set Mordecai over the house of Haman. That's 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:41.560 the reward. The second section is the request, 00:04:41.779 --> 00:04:44.899 verses 3 through 8. Then Esther spoke again to 00:04:44.899 --> 00:04:48.540 the king, fell at his feet. Wept and implored 00:04:48.540 --> 00:04:52.620 him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:55.160 and his plot which he had devised against the 00:04:55.160 --> 00:04:58.639 Jews. The king then extended the golden scepter 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:01.379 to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:05.060 king. Then she said, if it pleases the king and 00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:07.600 if I found favor before him and the matter seems 00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:10.319 proper to the king and I'm pleasing in his sight. 00:05:20.110 --> 00:05:34.089 Verse 6. Verse 7. So King Ahasuerus said to Queen 00:05:34.089 --> 00:05:36.410 Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, behold, I have 00:05:36.410 --> 00:05:39.050 given the house of Haman to Esther and him they 00:05:39.050 --> 00:05:41.769 have hanged on the gallows because he had stretched 00:05:41.769 --> 00:05:45.209 out his hands against the Jews. Now you write 00:05:45.209 --> 00:05:48.189 to the Jews as you see fit in the king's name 00:05:48.189 --> 00:05:51.750 and seal it with the king's signet ring for a 00:05:51.750 --> 00:05:53.689 decree which is written in the name of the king 00:05:53.689 --> 00:05:56.589 and sealed with the king's signet ring may not 00:05:56.589 --> 00:06:00.029 be revoked. So we had the reward and now the 00:06:00.029 --> 00:06:02.870 request. Part three is the reversal, verses 9 00:06:02.870 --> 00:06:06.649 to 14. So the king's scribes were called at that 00:06:06.649 --> 00:06:09.350 time in the third month. That is the month of 00:06:09.350 --> 00:06:12.680 Sivan. On the 23rd day, and it was written according 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:15.819 to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, to 00:06:15.819 --> 00:06:18.339 the satraps, to the governors, to the princes 00:06:18.339 --> 00:06:21.300 of the provinces, which extended from India to 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:25.980 Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to every province according 00:06:25.980 --> 00:06:28.759 to its script and to every people according to 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:31.699 their language, as well as to the Jews according 00:06:31.699 --> 00:06:35.339 to their script and their language. Verse 10. 00:06:35.959 --> 00:06:39.240 He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:41.860 it with the king's signet ring and sent letters 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:45.600 by couriers on horses riding on steeds sired 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:48.899 by the royal stud. In them, the king granted 00:06:48.899 --> 00:06:51.740 the Jews who were in each and every city the 00:06:51.740 --> 00:06:54.759 right to assemble and to defend their lives, 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:58.199 to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate the entire 00:06:58.199 --> 00:07:01.519 army of any people or province which might attack 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.860 them, including children and women. and to plunder 00:07:04.860 --> 00:07:08.759 their spoil on one day in all the provinces of 00:07:08.759 --> 00:07:12.279 King Ahasuerus, the 13th day of the 12th month, 00:07:12.379 --> 00:07:17.000 that is the month of Adar. Verse 13, a copy of 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:19.259 the edict to be issued as law in each and every 00:07:19.259 --> 00:07:22.180 province was published to all the peoples so 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:25.680 that the Jews would be ready for this day to 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:29.050 avenge themselves on their enemies. And the couriers, 00:07:29.149 --> 00:07:31.350 hastened and impelled by the king's command, 00:07:31.430 --> 00:07:33.870 went out riding on the royal steeds, and the 00:07:33.870 --> 00:07:37.709 decree was given out at the citadel in Susa. 00:07:38.370 --> 00:07:43.930 The reward, the request, and the reversal. Finally, 00:07:43.970 --> 00:07:47.810 we have rejoicing, verses 15 and 17. Then Mordecai 00:07:47.810 --> 00:07:50.069 went out from the presence of the king in royal 00:07:50.069 --> 00:07:53.110 robes of blue and white, with a large crown of 00:07:53.110 --> 00:07:55.750 gold and a garment of fine linen and purple. 00:07:56.399 --> 00:08:00.459 And the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. For 00:08:00.459 --> 00:08:03.319 the Jews, there was light and gladness and joy 00:08:03.319 --> 00:08:06.300 and honor in each and every province and in every 00:08:06.300 --> 00:08:08.939 city. Wherever the king's commandment and his 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:12.139 decree arrived, there was gladness and joy for 00:08:12.139 --> 00:08:15.259 the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many among 00:08:15.259 --> 00:08:19.399 the peoples of the land became Jews, for the 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:26.160 dread of the Jews had fallen upon them. Okay, 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:29.480 do you see the alliteration? Reward, request, 00:08:29.819 --> 00:08:32.740 reversal, rejoicing. Let's dig into these. Now, 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:35.179 before we get into the text, and we're not going 00:08:35.179 --> 00:08:36.860 to look at every single word this morning, but 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:38.879 we'll look at some of the big ideas here. Let 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:40.940 me make what I think is a really important observation. 00:08:41.620 --> 00:08:44.960 After spending a very long week this week in 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:47.740 the text, I'm convinced that when this was written 00:08:47.740 --> 00:08:51.440 down, God intended more here than what first 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:55.100 meets your eye. In this chapter, the human author 00:08:55.100 --> 00:08:58.139 has obviously given us sort of a compressed historical 00:08:58.139 --> 00:09:01.659 narrative, right? These are real things that 00:09:01.659 --> 00:09:03.840 took place in the Persian court of King Xerxes, 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:05.799 and we've already sort of walked through this. 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:08.000 There are so many historical markers that tell 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:10.639 us that this is actual history, things verified 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:15.039 by historians, verified by archaeology. So this 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:17.700 is real history, but... As we're about to see, 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:20.860 there's a whole bunch of gospel foreshadowing 00:09:20.860 --> 00:09:24.440 that takes place in this chapter. And so we'll 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:26.299 bring that as we go along. Let's start by talking 00:09:26.299 --> 00:09:29.720 about this reward, this immense reward given 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:32.639 to Esther and Mordecai in verse 1 and 2. So the 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:35.379 dust settles on this previous drama that had 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:38.340 taken place in the court, right? This is Haman's 00:09:38.340 --> 00:09:41.159 plot being exposed, and the king finally realizing 00:09:41.159 --> 00:09:43.940 what's actually going on, and Haman is led away 00:09:43.940 --> 00:09:46.639 to his death. And it says, On that very day, 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:50.700 that very day, the king, look at it, gave the 00:09:50.700 --> 00:09:55.840 house of Haman to his queen. Imagine this. That 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:57.399 doesn't, by the way, just mean his house, his 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:00.240 structure of his house. It's much more than that. 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:03.299 This is his wealth. This is his entire estate, 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:05.440 all of his possessions, which would have been 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:08.779 considerable for a man in Haman's position. This 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:10.860 is a living snapshot of the principle that we 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:13.539 read about in Proverbs 15, where it says, the 00:10:13.539 --> 00:10:17.220 Lord will tear down the house of the proud. He's 00:10:17.220 --> 00:10:19.120 done that, and he's given it to Queen Esther. 00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:22.220 Then it says that Mordecai came before the king. 00:10:22.379 --> 00:10:27.080 For the first time, Mordecai, who's been serving 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:29.460 at the king's gate, is allowed to come into the 00:10:29.460 --> 00:10:32.629 royal court and actually speak to the king. And 00:10:32.629 --> 00:10:34.870 why is this suddenly possible? Look at the end 00:10:34.870 --> 00:10:37.629 of verse one. It says that Esther had disclosed 00:10:37.629 --> 00:10:41.889 what Mordecai was to her, which likely means 00:10:41.889 --> 00:10:44.669 that she had explained to the king that Mordecai 00:10:44.669 --> 00:10:46.909 was essentially, he's essentially my adopted 00:10:46.909 --> 00:10:50.549 father. He has raised me. And so that combined 00:10:50.549 --> 00:10:54.330 with Mordecai's previous show of loyalty in saving 00:10:54.330 --> 00:10:57.009 the king's life, this elevates his status in 00:10:57.009 --> 00:11:00.220 the eyes of Xerxes. And that leads to the stunning 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:03.399 event described in verse 2. The king takes off 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:06.159 his signet ring, which he had once given to Haman, 00:11:06.220 --> 00:11:09.679 foolishly, right? And now he gives it to Mordecai. 00:11:09.980 --> 00:11:13.759 And that is not just symbolic. That ring represents 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:16.940 absolute authority to act in the king's name 00:11:16.940 --> 00:11:20.860 across the entire Persian Empire. It was a sign 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:23.879 that the king was making Mordecai his chief vizier 00:11:23.879 --> 00:11:26.740 in place of Haman. He is now the second most 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:30.460 powerful man. in the Persian empire. And then 00:11:30.460 --> 00:11:32.379 at the end of verse two, we see Esther making 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:35.360 another very wise decision. Rather than his queen, 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:38.399 her trying to manage Haman's estate, it says 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:42.200 Esther put Mordecai over the house of Haman. 00:11:42.299 --> 00:11:45.279 She honors Mordecai by making him the steward 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:48.159 of all the things that the king was now granting 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:51.740 to them. Very wise, right? So how is that for 00:11:51.740 --> 00:11:56.340 a reward? Does it get any bigger than that? Everything 00:11:56.340 --> 00:11:58.620 that Haman had accumulated through his power 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:01.600 and his position now belonged to the very Jewish 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:05.860 man that he tried to destroy. Talk about reversal. 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:08.820 And that Jewish man was now ruling as vizier 00:12:08.820 --> 00:12:14.919 from the very home in which Haman once had. See 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:16.980 what Yahweh has done here by his sovereign hand. 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:20.120 He's taken a man, Mordecai, who felt the need 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:23.070 to hide his Jewishness. A man who was recently 00:12:23.070 --> 00:12:26.009 sitting in sackcloth and ash, mourning outside 00:12:26.009 --> 00:12:28.909 the king's gate, facing a decree of annihilation, 00:12:28.970 --> 00:12:32.950 and purely by his grace, because Mordecai didn't 00:12:32.950 --> 00:12:36.190 deserve this, right? Purely by his grace, Yahweh 00:12:36.190 --> 00:12:40.850 has raised him up to a seat of great honor. From 00:12:40.850 --> 00:12:44.049 rags to riches, from death to life, from ashes 00:12:44.049 --> 00:12:47.169 of mourning to a place of royal power. This is 00:12:47.169 --> 00:12:49.049 what the sovereign of the universe is capable 00:12:49.049 --> 00:12:51.649 of doing. according to his will and purpose. 00:12:51.789 --> 00:12:54.490 Do we believe that? Do we believe that God can 00:12:54.490 --> 00:12:58.750 overturn things to that degree? This is what 00:12:58.750 --> 00:13:00.590 he can do. And again, this fits within the scope 00:13:00.590 --> 00:13:03.370 of the wisdom literature that we see all through 00:13:03.370 --> 00:13:05.929 the Old Testament. Consider, for example, if 00:13:05.929 --> 00:13:08.129 you're familiar with Hannah's song of thanksgiving 00:13:08.129 --> 00:13:11.750 in 1 Samuel 2. Listen to what it says about what 00:13:11.750 --> 00:13:16.590 God can do. It says, the Lord kills and makes 00:13:16.590 --> 00:13:20.000 alive. Sometimes we don't like hearing about 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:22.700 that, right? But the Lord has the right to do 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:26.320 both, to kill and to make alive. He brings down 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:30.940 to Sheol and he raises up. The Lord makes poor 00:13:30.940 --> 00:13:37.139 and rich. He brings low. He also exalts. He raises 00:13:37.139 --> 00:13:39.700 the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy from 00:13:39.700 --> 00:13:43.299 the ash heap to make them sit with nobles and 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:47.320 inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:50.740 earth are the Lord's. He owns it all. He's sovereign, 00:13:50.899 --> 00:13:54.100 right? They belong to him, and he set the world 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:56.580 on them. That's what the creator has. That's 00:13:56.580 --> 00:13:59.980 his right. He keeps the feet of his godly ones, 00:14:00.059 --> 00:14:02.480 but the wicked ones are silenced in darkness, 00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:07.559 for not by might shall a man prevail. Isn't this 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:09.799 exactly what's happened in the story of Esther? 00:14:10.659 --> 00:14:12.759 And look at that last statement that's on the 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:16.039 screen. That is so important. Not by might. Shall 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:18.360 a man prevail? And that is so true in this story. 00:14:18.500 --> 00:14:21.399 There is no way that Esther and Mordecai could 00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:23.759 have pulled off this shift in power by their 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:26.120 own strength, by their own might, or by their 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:28.960 own cleverness. The odds were so stacked against 00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:32.100 them. But what we learn is there's no enemy over 00:14:32.100 --> 00:14:36.299 which the Lord cannot prevail, none. No king, 00:14:36.419 --> 00:14:39.320 no politician, no nation, no army, no plot or 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:42.559 weapon can prevail over the Lord's sovereign 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:45.269 will and purpose. It's one of the things we're 00:14:45.269 --> 00:14:48.370 supposed to take from this great story. And so 00:14:48.370 --> 00:14:49.970 there's an important lesson here for us in a 00:14:49.970 --> 00:14:53.370 very practical way for us living today in a crazy 00:14:53.370 --> 00:14:55.289 world, right? Are you guys watching the news? 00:14:55.870 --> 00:14:59.889 It's bonkers. The chess pieces are being moved 00:14:59.889 --> 00:15:01.850 all over the globe right now. It's crazy. And 00:15:01.850 --> 00:15:05.710 in our own nation, chaos, confusion. This is 00:15:05.710 --> 00:15:09.990 a lesson here about facing long odds and facing 00:15:09.990 --> 00:15:13.210 desperate situations. A lesson about overcoming 00:15:13.210 --> 00:15:17.340 worry. about having patience and trust in the 00:15:17.340 --> 00:15:21.759 Lord's power and in his timing. The scriptures 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:25.539 call us as saints to endure hardship and to not 00:15:25.539 --> 00:15:28.539 lose heart. We're called to remember that God 00:15:28.539 --> 00:15:31.100 is both sovereign and good and that we shouldn't 00:15:31.100 --> 00:15:33.820 be surprised by the fiery trials that come our 00:15:33.820 --> 00:15:36.759 way as if something strange were happening. We 00:15:36.759 --> 00:15:40.659 should expect them. We're to be prepared to suffer 00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:43.779 well. To sit in the ashes as Mordecai did at 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:46.600 times. And even to rejoice in the fact that when 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:48.600 we suffer, we get to share in the sufferings 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:52.100 of Christ himself. And then as Paul says, to 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:56.460 keep doing good. In due time, he says, we will 00:15:56.460 --> 00:15:58.940 reap the benefits of this if we don't grow weary. 00:16:00.220 --> 00:16:02.139 That's part of the lesson of the book of Esther. 00:16:02.659 --> 00:16:04.440 And by the way, we've been given all these great 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.100 examples of scripture to look to, to see how 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:09.259 do we do this. Men and women who are patient 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:11.840 and faithful. in the midst of suffering, and 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.440 then we're rewarded for it. Think about Joseph 00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:20.580 and Daniel and Ruth and Job and Hannah and Jeremiah 00:16:20.580 --> 00:16:23.659 and Paul, and the list goes on and on. All of 00:16:23.659 --> 00:16:26.740 them suffered but kept their eyes fixed on a 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:30.100 much bigger prize that awaited them. And in these 00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:32.720 crazy days we live in, that's got to be our mindset. 00:16:32.779 --> 00:16:35.980 That's got to be our posture. And of course, 00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:38.419 here's where the story of Esther begins to foreshadow 00:16:38.419 --> 00:16:40.919 the gospel story. What's the ultimate example 00:16:40.919 --> 00:16:44.379 of suffering and reward? It's Christ himself. 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:50.159 Is it not? Here's God the Son, the Lord of glory, 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:55.080 rich beyond measure, becoming poor, condescending 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:57.519 to take on flesh, having to sit in the ashes 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:00.580 of humiliation and the dust of obedience and 00:17:00.580 --> 00:17:04.880 death for our sake. But it didn't end there, 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:07.680 did it? Having borne our sorrows and sins on 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:09.940 the cross, Paul says that Jesus received the 00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:12.460 greatest reward that any of us could ever imagine. 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:17.519 God highly exalted him, Paul says, and bestowed 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:20.319 on him the name which is above every name, so 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:22.480 that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:26.619 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is 00:17:26.619 --> 00:17:30.220 Lord. Suffering and reward. We have all these 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:33.779 great examples. And Paul says, look, have this 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:37.339 same mindset that Jesus had in both suffering 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:40.799 and reward. Now, as we leave that behind, the 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:43.619 reward part, here's the thing we have to realize. 00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:48.059 Yes, Haman is dead. That is true. But the effects 00:17:48.059 --> 00:17:52.240 of his sin go on. The effects of that first decree 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:55.599 of annihilation against the Jews, that's still 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:57.480 out there. And this is another great lesson for 00:17:57.480 --> 00:18:01.190 us. Even when sin is dealt with, The consequences 00:18:01.190 --> 00:18:05.750 of it can go on and on, right? So that brings 00:18:05.750 --> 00:18:08.230 us to part two, the request. Let's take a look 00:18:08.230 --> 00:18:11.829 at this. If you think all the way back to chapter 00:18:11.829 --> 00:18:15.809 one, back when Xerxes first deposed his queen, 00:18:15.930 --> 00:18:18.349 Queen Vashti, you might recall that the king's 00:18:18.349 --> 00:18:21.430 advisor said this. It said, let a royal edict 00:18:21.430 --> 00:18:24.630 be issued and let it be written in the laws of 00:18:24.630 --> 00:18:28.769 Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed. 00:18:30.190 --> 00:18:32.869 That was an unavoidable truth. The law of the 00:18:32.869 --> 00:18:36.430 Persian court, which by the way, just archeologically 00:18:36.430 --> 00:18:39.170 has been verified in the modern day digs in Susa 00:18:39.170 --> 00:18:41.410 and Persepolis over the last 200 years, they 00:18:41.410 --> 00:18:44.910 found these royal edicts buried in the dirt with 00:18:44.910 --> 00:18:48.650 signet ring marks on them. This is very historical. 00:18:49.329 --> 00:18:52.809 Royal edicts, once sealed by that ring, are set 00:18:52.809 --> 00:18:55.789 in stone. They cannot be overturned. We learn 00:18:55.789 --> 00:18:58.410 this from the text itself. So that means in spite 00:18:58.410 --> 00:19:01.119 of Haman's execution, In spite of Mordecai coming 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:04.759 to power, the Jews are still scheduled to be 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:08.279 annihilated in nine months' time. That's still 00:19:08.279 --> 00:19:11.000 out there. And the only way to avert that type 00:19:11.000 --> 00:19:13.160 of disaster would be for the king to issue a 00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:15.920 second edict that would sort of counteract the 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:19.359 first. But keep in mind, at this point, Xerxes 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:22.700 has acted in love for his queen and for his gratefulness 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:24.740 to Mordecai, but he still hasn't done anything 00:19:24.740 --> 00:19:27.859 about the Jews as a whole in the nation of Persia. 00:19:28.460 --> 00:19:31.200 So Esther is once again gonna have to come and 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:34.359 approach the king uninvited. We looked at that 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:37.380 months ago, right? To come uninvited by the king 00:19:37.380 --> 00:19:39.240 is to risk death. She's gonna have to do this 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:42.480 again to deal with this first edict that Haman 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.559 had issued. She's gonna have to beg him to do 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:48.000 something about it. And what we see in verses 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:51.279 three to six is Esther showing again, we've seen 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:53.400 this, right? This trajectory of Esther's wisdom 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:57.119 growing. We see her growing in her boldness and 00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:01.970 her trust. but also in cultural wisdom to say 00:20:01.970 --> 00:20:04.309 and do the right things at the right times. So 00:20:04.309 --> 00:20:06.549 first of all, it says that she falls at the king's 00:20:06.549 --> 00:20:09.809 feet in tears and she shows him the honor that 00:20:09.809 --> 00:20:13.150 he requires. And once again, he extends that 00:20:13.150 --> 00:20:16.150 golden scepter, which says that her request is 00:20:16.150 --> 00:20:19.269 being accepted. Now, here's the thing in this 00:20:19.269 --> 00:20:22.970 scene, at this request in the court, it's actually 00:20:22.970 --> 00:20:26.309 a dicier situation than you might think. I want 00:20:26.309 --> 00:20:28.390 you to think about this. Esther is about to ask 00:20:28.390 --> 00:20:32.509 the king to override a previous law that he had 00:20:32.509 --> 00:20:36.950 given approval to. Right? I know Haman fooled 00:20:36.950 --> 00:20:40.150 him, but he's still responsible. What if the 00:20:40.150 --> 00:20:42.329 king feels like Esther's request is going to 00:20:42.329 --> 00:20:47.579 cause him to lose face in his court? After all, 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:50.299 he did authorize that edict through Haman. He's 00:20:50.299 --> 00:20:53.240 responsible. And if he feels offended by Esther's 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:56.500 request that somehow she is questioning his judgment 00:20:56.500 --> 00:21:00.680 in that first law, this could backfire spectacularly. 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:03.880 So look, she chooses her words so carefully, 00:21:04.019 --> 00:21:06.940 right? And as we saw last Sunday, she uses this 00:21:06.940 --> 00:21:09.859 submissive court language to sort of flatter 00:21:09.859 --> 00:21:15.019 the king. If it pleases the king, she says in 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:19.609 verse five. If I've found favor before you, she 00:21:19.609 --> 00:21:23.009 says. She heaps it on. If the matter seems proper 00:21:23.009 --> 00:21:26.349 to the king, she's now going to defer to his 00:21:26.349 --> 00:21:29.410 wisdom. But last, she says, if I am pleasing 00:21:29.410 --> 00:21:32.910 in your sight, knowing that he loves her and 00:21:32.910 --> 00:21:35.529 she is going to plead based on that love that 00:21:35.529 --> 00:21:37.829 he has for his queen. If all those things are 00:21:37.829 --> 00:21:41.410 true, she says, then revoke those letters devised 00:21:41.410 --> 00:21:43.690 by Haman that were sent out to every province 00:21:43.690 --> 00:21:47.670 in the kingdom. In common language, do something 00:21:47.670 --> 00:21:51.890 about this, king. You got to do something. And 00:21:51.890 --> 00:21:54.009 then she pours out her heart for her people. 00:21:54.170 --> 00:21:57.130 How can I endure to see my people destroyed, 00:21:57.309 --> 00:22:00.190 she says through tears. And the king grants her 00:22:00.190 --> 00:22:05.230 request in verse 8. And he gives her and Mordecai 00:22:05.230 --> 00:22:08.289 authority to write the second decree and to use 00:22:08.289 --> 00:22:11.029 that signet ring. Now, before we go on to the 00:22:11.029 --> 00:22:13.799 reversal. I want to point out a couple aspects 00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:17.359 of what I see here as gospel foreshadowing in 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:20.000 this section. First of all, there's clearly a 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:22.299 picture of intercession happening here, right? 00:22:23.380 --> 00:22:26.619 Right? She is going before the king and interceding 00:22:26.619 --> 00:22:29.220 for her people. Now I want you to think about 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:31.259 the parallels here. The Jewish people in Persia 00:22:31.259 --> 00:22:35.720 are at risk of death. And they need to be saved. 00:22:36.599 --> 00:22:39.480 But they have a problem. They have no standing 00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:43.480 before the king. True. They have no opportunity 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:46.480 to plead their case in front of the one man that 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:49.579 can actually do something about it. So being 00:22:49.579 --> 00:22:52.819 unable to save themselves, they have no hope 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:57.140 except somebody intercede for them. Someone who 00:22:57.140 --> 00:23:00.079 does have standing to enter the throne room of 00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:03.839 the king where mercy can be found. Does that 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:08.420 sound familiar? Now, I don't want to carry the 00:23:08.420 --> 00:23:11.269 analogy too far. Esther is... not a high priest. 00:23:11.349 --> 00:23:14.329 She is not a savior. But the principle here is 00:23:14.329 --> 00:23:17.650 very real. None of us are righteous. We cannot 00:23:17.650 --> 00:23:21.329 save ourselves. So we are as helpless prior to 00:23:21.329 --> 00:23:25.569 knowing Christ as the Jews were in Persia. We 00:23:25.569 --> 00:23:27.569 need an intercessor. We don't have a standing 00:23:27.569 --> 00:23:31.390 before the king as unbelievers. So we need an 00:23:31.390 --> 00:23:34.130 intercessor. We need a high priest who can go 00:23:34.130 --> 00:23:36.769 into that throne room, go to God on our behalf. 00:23:36.869 --> 00:23:41.089 Otherwise, we perish. But thankfully, we have 00:23:41.089 --> 00:23:43.589 God the Son as our mediator, right? One who sits 00:23:43.589 --> 00:23:46.130 at the right hand of the Father and who always 00:23:46.130 --> 00:23:48.869 lives to intercede for us. Do you see the parallel 00:23:48.869 --> 00:23:51.970 here? It's very important. Second thing to see 00:23:51.970 --> 00:23:55.990 here. Consider how every sinner born into this 00:23:55.990 --> 00:24:00.470 world is corrupted by original sin and how we 00:24:00.470 --> 00:24:03.109 all stand guilty before the holiness of God because 00:24:03.109 --> 00:24:05.809 of our own personal sin, all of us having fallen 00:24:05.809 --> 00:24:10.710 so short of God's glory. And so for every unbeliever, 00:24:10.730 --> 00:24:13.650 prior to knowing Christ, every one of us, there 00:24:13.650 --> 00:24:18.789 is an edict of guilt hovering over our name that 00:24:18.789 --> 00:24:23.650 demands our death. Right? Just as the Jews in 00:24:23.650 --> 00:24:28.390 Persia were facing death. Romans 8 .2 actually 00:24:28.390 --> 00:24:31.970 gives it a title, the law of sin and death. And 00:24:31.970 --> 00:24:33.990 it's only a matter of time before the day comes 00:24:33.990 --> 00:24:38.730 when the debt is due. And listen now, it's a 00:24:38.730 --> 00:24:40.630 law established by the king of the universe. 00:24:40.769 --> 00:24:43.549 It's rooted in his holiness, in his perfectly 00:24:43.549 --> 00:24:46.369 righteous standard. That means it cannot be revoked. 00:24:47.470 --> 00:24:49.849 The law of sin and death cannot be repealed. 00:24:49.950 --> 00:24:54.529 It's rooted in his holiness. In a similar way 00:24:54.529 --> 00:24:57.049 to this first law established by Xerxes, it cannot 00:24:57.049 --> 00:25:02.589 be wiped away. There's an edict of death that's 00:25:02.589 --> 00:25:04.789 coming for every person born into this world. 00:25:05.849 --> 00:25:09.559 But, There's a remedy. God himself solved the 00:25:09.559 --> 00:25:12.180 problem. And he didn't solve it by compromising 00:25:12.180 --> 00:25:14.859 the first decree, which was utterly righteous, 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:18.200 right? The decree for eternal justice. He met 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:20.440 his own righteous standard by laying that debt 00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:25.099 upon his own son. Do you see it? He can't cancel 00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:28.160 out the old law. It's impossible. But he can 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:31.119 issue a new law that turns condemnation into 00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:34.700 mercy and turns death and defeat into life and 00:25:34.700 --> 00:25:39.619 victory. So catch this, Jesus is God's new law. 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:44.000 His counter decree, which saves us from the first 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:47.839 one, the law of sin and death. Isn't that fascinating? 00:25:48.119 --> 00:25:51.380 It's right, it's literally, the parallels are 00:25:51.380 --> 00:25:54.039 right here in this, what looks like just a normal 00:25:54.039 --> 00:25:58.660 historical narrative. This gets spelled out so 00:25:58.660 --> 00:26:01.660 clearly in Colossians chapter two. Paul writes 00:26:01.660 --> 00:26:04.740 this, when you were dead in your transgressions, 00:26:05.160 --> 00:26:08.380 And the uncircumcision of your flesh. He, Jesus, 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:11.299 made you alive together with him, having forgiven 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:13.859 us all of our transgressions. Look at this now. 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:18.339 Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting 00:26:18.339 --> 00:26:22.079 of decrees against us. Did you doubt that we 00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:25.160 had a decree at one time against us? It's right 00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:28.339 there. Which was hostile to us, he says. And 00:26:28.339 --> 00:26:30.700 he has taken it out of the way, having nailed 00:26:30.700 --> 00:26:34.059 it to the cross. Amen. Hallelujah. It's been 00:26:34.059 --> 00:26:37.440 nailed to the cross, but that was there. Or as 00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:39.819 going back to Romans 8, 2, very simply, it says, 00:26:39.900 --> 00:26:43.559 the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus 00:26:43.559 --> 00:26:47.859 has made me free from the law of sin and death. 00:26:49.319 --> 00:26:53.920 Amen and hallelujah, right? A new law, a new 00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:56.359 edict is now in effect for those who believe. 00:26:57.119 --> 00:26:59.440 And now we can say, I've been crucified with 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:02.539 Christ. It's no longer I who live. Right? But 00:27:02.539 --> 00:27:06.980 Christ lives in me. Man, the gospel right here 00:27:06.980 --> 00:27:10.420 in the Old Testament, right? Okay, so now beginning 00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:12.799 of verse 9, we come to the great reversal. Let's 00:27:12.799 --> 00:27:15.819 take a look at this. So Esther and Mordecai have 00:27:15.819 --> 00:27:18.180 now been rewarded. They've been honored by the 00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:21.259 king. Esther is now successfully interceded for 00:27:21.259 --> 00:27:24.160 her people. And the king, for his part, has told 00:27:24.160 --> 00:27:26.880 Esther and Mordecai that you are now in a position 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:29.500 to counteract the wicked deed of Haman by writing 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:33.440 your own. A second law. And so the royal scribes 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:36.279 are called, right? And Mordecai, the new vizier, 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:39.019 drafts a second law addressed to both the Jews 00:27:39.019 --> 00:27:43.200 and to the government officials across all 127 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:47.700 provinces of this vast Persian empire. And he 00:27:47.700 --> 00:27:50.299 seals this new edict with the king's ring and 00:27:50.299 --> 00:27:53.880 he grabs the fastest horses, right? And he sends 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:55.880 out the messengers so that everybody gets this 00:27:55.880 --> 00:28:00.140 new message. What does the second edict say to 00:28:00.140 --> 00:28:02.779 the Jews and to the Persian officials? Well, 00:28:02.839 --> 00:28:05.160 let's look at it. Look at verse 11. This is where 00:28:05.160 --> 00:28:08.799 the controversial aspect of this text comes into 00:28:08.799 --> 00:28:12.640 play. Verse 11, it says, in them, meaning the 00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:14.460 letters that were sent out to the provinces, 00:28:14.579 --> 00:28:17.859 the king granted the Jews who are in each and 00:28:17.859 --> 00:28:19.640 every city three things. They're on the screen 00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:22.900 as a summary. Three things. The right to assemble 00:28:22.900 --> 00:28:28.059 and to defend their own lives. Second, to destroy, 00:28:28.299 --> 00:28:32.680 kill, and annihilate any army or any people which 00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:35.660 might attack them, including children and women 00:28:35.660 --> 00:28:39.779 who attack. And third, to plunder their possessions, 00:28:40.099 --> 00:28:43.759 to take their possessions on one day, the same 00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:48.039 day, right? The 13th day of the 12th month. Now, 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:49.779 next Sunday, when we get into the next chapter, 00:28:49.880 --> 00:28:51.720 we'll look at what the Jews did with those permissions. 00:28:52.339 --> 00:28:55.420 But for today, I just want you to hear. When 00:28:55.420 --> 00:28:58.819 you see that, an echo of the edict that came 00:28:58.819 --> 00:29:00.759 from Haman in the first place way back in chapter 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:03.180 three. Look at the language in it. Here it is 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:06.119 again, chapter three. Letters were sent by couriers 00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:10.220 to all the king's provinces to destroy, to kill, 00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:13.480 and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and 00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:16.460 old, women and children, in one day, the 13th 00:29:16.460 --> 00:29:18.980 day of the 12th month, and to seize their possessions 00:29:18.980 --> 00:29:23.660 as plunder. You hear the echo? This second decree 00:29:23.660 --> 00:29:26.839 is written, For the purpose of demonstrating 00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:30.839 God's complete reversal. A complete inversion 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:34.119 of the plot that was laid out by Haman, who is 00:29:34.119 --> 00:29:38.799 called the enemy of God's people. And keep in 00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:40.980 mind, that first law had gone out. It had been 00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:42.779 out there for about two months now. So you can 00:29:42.779 --> 00:29:45.180 imagine, those who had received it two months 00:29:45.180 --> 00:29:47.819 ago, right, they were planning to attack and 00:29:47.819 --> 00:29:50.430 plunder the Jews. I'm sure they've been licking 00:29:50.430 --> 00:29:52.410 their chops. They're looking at all the assets 00:29:52.410 --> 00:29:55.130 that the Jewish people in their city own and 00:29:55.130 --> 00:29:57.230 thinking this is going to be easy. This will 00:29:57.230 --> 00:29:59.529 be a great day. We're going to grab a whole bunch 00:29:59.529 --> 00:30:02.630 of stuff. No problem. Now it's a problem, isn't 00:30:02.630 --> 00:30:06.170 it? Why? Because according to the second law 00:30:06.170 --> 00:30:08.630 that they just got in their hands, the king is 00:30:08.630 --> 00:30:12.190 now squarely behind the Jewish people. And that's 00:30:12.190 --> 00:30:16.690 a game changer. This is the eucatastrophe. This 00:30:16.690 --> 00:30:19.740 is the good turn. of events for God's people. 00:30:19.900 --> 00:30:24.519 Amen? And the reality is, guys, from the very 00:30:24.519 --> 00:30:27.279 beginning, things have not been as they would 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:30.660 have seemed in a physical sense. The beginning 00:30:30.660 --> 00:30:34.559 of the story, evil was prevailing. Do you see 00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:36.759 evil prevailing in our world today? Of course 00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:40.059 we do. It was back then as well. God's people 00:30:40.059 --> 00:30:42.299 were suffering. They were struggling. They were 00:30:42.299 --> 00:30:48.680 facing genocide. But friends, Learn this from 00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:52.119 Esther. An unseen reality was actually governing 00:30:52.119 --> 00:30:56.019 everything. The sovereign hand of God, the providential 00:30:56.019 --> 00:30:59.240 hand of God. Yahweh was keeping his promises 00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:02.140 to his covenant people even when things looked 00:31:02.140 --> 00:31:08.180 dire. All along he was doing this. He planned 00:31:08.180 --> 00:31:10.960 to punish the wicked. He planned to save his 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:15.150 people through the eucatastrophe. Just as he 00:31:15.150 --> 00:31:17.309 had done many times before, by the way, did he 00:31:17.309 --> 00:31:20.049 not do that with Joseph, who was at one point 00:31:20.049 --> 00:31:23.190 in a pit and then is raised to the palace of 00:31:23.190 --> 00:31:26.710 Egypt, right? Did he not do this in the Exodus 00:31:26.710 --> 00:31:29.230 where God's people were slaves and then they 00:31:29.230 --> 00:31:32.509 were taken to a promised land? Did he not do 00:31:32.509 --> 00:31:34.829 this with Job, who went from the most severe 00:31:34.829 --> 00:31:38.309 amount of suffering you can imagine and then 00:31:38.309 --> 00:31:42.059 is completely restored? God has a habit of doing 00:31:42.059 --> 00:31:47.920 this. And most importantly, the cross. The cross 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:52.140 from death to resurrection. Talk about a eucatastrophe, 00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:55.700 a turn of good events. From death to resurrection. 00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:59.559 In fact, Tolkien actually spoke of this. He said, 00:31:59.619 --> 00:32:02.819 quote, the resurrection is the greatest eucatastrophe 00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:06.559 possible. The event in human history that produces 00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:09.619 the most essential human emotion, Christian joy. 00:32:11.759 --> 00:32:14.019 Think of Haman for a second representing Satan, 00:32:14.200 --> 00:32:17.599 representing death itself. When he was executed, 00:32:17.839 --> 00:32:21.359 when death was put to death on the cross, when 00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:23.500 the great enemy of our souls was defeated and 00:32:23.500 --> 00:32:26.660 the grave's power of us was broken, that all 00:32:26.660 --> 00:32:29.900 happened when God the Son rose from the grave 00:32:29.900 --> 00:32:35.099 in triumph. The great reversal. The great defeating 00:32:35.099 --> 00:32:39.650 of Satan. In the future, guys, whenever you read 00:32:39.650 --> 00:32:42.210 the story about Esther and Mordecai and you see 00:32:42.210 --> 00:32:44.869 this great reversal, let it remind you of the 00:32:44.869 --> 00:32:48.369 greatest reversal of all time. When the Redeemer 00:32:48.369 --> 00:32:52.369 of our souls made satisfaction for sin. When 00:32:52.369 --> 00:32:57.170 he overcame death and rose in glory for our good. 00:32:57.289 --> 00:33:01.650 Amen? You see the gospel in this? Okay, lastly, 00:33:01.730 --> 00:33:04.349 we're going to come to rejoicing. Look at the 00:33:04.349 --> 00:33:09.450 last three verses. In verses 15 to 17, first 00:33:09.450 --> 00:33:11.450 of all, we see the Persian capital city of Susa 00:33:11.450 --> 00:33:14.329 come to life, and they celebrate with shouting 00:33:14.329 --> 00:33:17.309 and rejoicing. They're not only aware of this 00:33:17.309 --> 00:33:20.130 power shift dynamic that's happened, but they 00:33:20.130 --> 00:33:22.410 seem to approve of it. Remember, the last time 00:33:22.410 --> 00:33:24.289 they saw Mordecai publicly, what was he doing? 00:33:24.859 --> 00:33:28.559 He was at the front of the king's gate in sackcloth 00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:30.700 and ash, and he was mourning, showing his grief 00:33:30.700 --> 00:33:32.960 publicly. And that must have been troubling to 00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:34.839 the people of Susa. They couldn't understand 00:33:34.839 --> 00:33:37.180 what was going on. And then they hear about this 00:33:37.180 --> 00:33:41.690 genocidal order of the Jewish people. And it's 00:33:41.690 --> 00:33:44.910 just confusing to them. And now being aware that 00:33:44.910 --> 00:33:47.589 it came from Haman, that he's a wicked man, to 00:33:47.589 --> 00:33:50.470 see him die, to see Mordecai being promoted to 00:33:50.470 --> 00:33:53.130 that same position, this is a sign of relief 00:33:53.130 --> 00:33:55.569 for the people of Susa. And they are excited 00:33:55.569 --> 00:33:58.309 about it. They are celebrating with rejoicing. 00:33:58.809 --> 00:34:01.349 And then it says they see Mordecai then dressed 00:34:01.349 --> 00:34:04.049 in royal robes. He's got a golden crown on his 00:34:04.049 --> 00:34:06.269 head, which means that had to be given to him 00:34:06.269 --> 00:34:10.420 by King Xerxes himself. And they realize that, 00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:13.739 wow, the king is now 100 % behind Mordecai and 00:34:13.739 --> 00:34:16.519 the Jewish people, and they're very popular Queen 00:34:16.519 --> 00:34:21.760 Esther. This is the total reversal, right? But 00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:24.659 then verse 16, it gives us some really key words. 00:34:24.719 --> 00:34:28.159 It says, for the Jews, there was light and gladness 00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:31.880 and joy and honor across every province of the 00:34:31.880 --> 00:34:35.329 Persian kingdom. And I know, because I know that 00:34:35.329 --> 00:34:37.750 this text was written under the inspiration of 00:34:37.750 --> 00:34:40.289 the Holy Spirit, that those four words were chosen 00:34:40.289 --> 00:34:44.389 carefully. You have the word light, orah, representing 00:34:44.389 --> 00:34:47.730 God's presence and salvation. You have gladness, 00:34:47.809 --> 00:34:51.800 simcha, representing community celebration. You 00:34:51.800 --> 00:34:55.480 have joy, shashon, a word that carries messianic 00:34:55.480 --> 00:34:59.099 overtones. And you have honor, yachar, symbolizing 00:34:59.099 --> 00:35:02.380 the dignity and worth of God's people. And all 00:35:02.380 --> 00:35:05.199 of these words taken together, sort of compressed 00:35:05.199 --> 00:35:08.659 into this one sentence, reflects this stunning 00:35:08.659 --> 00:35:11.519 turn of events. The Jews who were once this vulnerable 00:35:11.519 --> 00:35:14.559 minority in the kingdom of Persia are now being 00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:18.079 recognized with royal dignity. What a turnaround. 00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:23.659 What a eucatastrophe this is. Now, let me point 00:35:23.659 --> 00:35:25.360 out another interesting foreshadowing of the 00:35:25.360 --> 00:35:28.360 gospel here. Notice that the gladness and joy 00:35:28.360 --> 00:35:32.500 of the Jews came long before the actual day that 00:35:32.500 --> 00:35:34.599 was appointed for them to defend themselves. 00:35:35.019 --> 00:35:38.599 That is still nine months off. But because of 00:35:38.599 --> 00:35:41.420 the king's decree in their favor, they celebrate 00:35:41.420 --> 00:35:47.559 in the present. Why? Because when the king is 00:35:47.559 --> 00:35:51.460 in favor of you, you're assured of victory. Ah. 00:35:52.119 --> 00:35:55.699 The gospel, right? What does it remind you of? 00:35:56.039 --> 00:35:58.860 In a similar way, Christ followers who've been 00:35:58.860 --> 00:36:01.960 saved by the king's decree, we can celebrate 00:36:01.960 --> 00:36:04.099 in the present. Even though the fullness of our 00:36:04.099 --> 00:36:06.739 salvation is still in the future, we rejoice 00:36:06.739 --> 00:36:10.519 in the present. We can rejoice now because of 00:36:10.519 --> 00:36:13.300 the confidence that we have in our king, the 00:36:13.300 --> 00:36:16.460 confidence we have in his edict in our favor. 00:36:17.449 --> 00:36:19.829 See, the moment Haman was exposed and defeated, 00:36:20.010 --> 00:36:22.570 the moment he was hung on his own stake, the 00:36:22.570 --> 00:36:25.309 people of God had already been rescued in principle. 00:36:25.590 --> 00:36:27.949 All that remained was for that redemption to 00:36:27.949 --> 00:36:31.610 be lived out in practice. The death of death 00:36:31.610 --> 00:36:36.809 at the cross. This confidence is what Paul described 00:36:36.809 --> 00:36:38.869 in Romans 8. We read it as part of our call to 00:36:38.869 --> 00:36:42.070 worship. Look how certain this is. Those whom 00:36:42.070 --> 00:36:45.710 God predestined, he also called. And those whom 00:36:45.710 --> 00:36:48.630 he called, he also justified. Those he justified, 00:36:48.909 --> 00:36:51.969 he also glorified. All of those terms are written 00:36:51.969 --> 00:36:54.349 in the aorist tense, meaning they are completed 00:36:54.349 --> 00:36:58.829 actions, completed by the power of God. We have 00:36:58.829 --> 00:37:01.789 been predestined, called, justified. We are already 00:37:01.789 --> 00:37:06.969 glorified. It's certain. Absolutely certain. 00:37:07.170 --> 00:37:10.869 And it's been sealed for us by the gift of the 00:37:10.869 --> 00:37:13.349 Holy Spirit within us as a promise of what's 00:37:13.349 --> 00:37:18.019 to come. All of that is done. And if the Jews 00:37:18.019 --> 00:37:21.280 living in Persia in 5th century BC could rejoice 00:37:21.280 --> 00:37:25.780 at an earthly promise of a military victory from 00:37:25.780 --> 00:37:28.300 just a political king, it's worth asking the 00:37:28.300 --> 00:37:31.199 question of us, who've been given so much more, 00:37:31.239 --> 00:37:34.539 an eternal spiritual victory from the king of 00:37:34.539 --> 00:37:37.139 the universe, the question should be asked, do 00:37:37.139 --> 00:37:39.920 we live with the same sense of confidence and 00:37:39.920 --> 00:37:45.969 celebration as Christians today? Should we? Are 00:37:45.969 --> 00:37:49.289 our daily lives filled with light, gladness, 00:37:49.349 --> 00:37:54.170 joy, and honor? Are we living with a deep sense 00:37:54.170 --> 00:37:57.570 of awareness of the glory that awaits us? And 00:37:57.570 --> 00:38:03.650 if not, why not? If not, why not? What enemy 00:38:03.650 --> 00:38:09.289 has caused us not to celebrate in this way? Last 00:38:09.289 --> 00:38:13.269 verse, verse 17. Many among the peoples of the 00:38:13.269 --> 00:38:15.570 land became Jews for the dread of the Jews had 00:38:15.570 --> 00:38:18.570 fallen on them. Now this, we could do a whole 00:38:18.570 --> 00:38:20.889 sermon on this because there's all kinds of opinions 00:38:20.889 --> 00:38:23.250 about what this actually means. And the opinions 00:38:23.250 --> 00:38:27.230 range from extremes, from, oh, this is true conversion 00:38:27.230 --> 00:38:30.349 to, no, this is just a pragmatic choice for the 00:38:30.349 --> 00:38:33.070 sake of survival. And the truth is probably mixed 00:38:33.070 --> 00:38:36.349 in between. As the verse seems to indicate, it's 00:38:36.349 --> 00:38:38.050 true. Many Persians would have been terrified. 00:38:39.000 --> 00:38:42.800 by this turn of events. There's the body of Haman 00:38:42.800 --> 00:38:46.639 sitting on the stake, and now Mordecai's in that 00:38:46.639 --> 00:38:49.739 seat, meaning the king is behind the Jews, and 00:38:49.739 --> 00:38:52.579 for them, this was terrifying. And so they made 00:38:52.579 --> 00:38:55.219 a political calculation. They tested the political 00:38:55.219 --> 00:39:00.300 winds and said, I want to be Jewish. Is it true 00:39:00.300 --> 00:39:03.079 conversion? No. It's a political calculation. 00:39:03.619 --> 00:39:06.039 But other Persians witnessing this turnaround, 00:39:06.760 --> 00:39:09.940 we're more than likely persuaded to come under 00:39:09.940 --> 00:39:12.539 the umbrella of the God of the Jews because this 00:39:12.539 --> 00:39:15.900 is a God that clearly protects his people. As 00:39:15.900 --> 00:39:18.380 I shared last Sunday, there was in Persia this 00:39:18.380 --> 00:39:21.179 well -known history about how their beloved King 00:39:21.179 --> 00:39:23.880 Cyrus had blessed the Jewish people and sent 00:39:23.880 --> 00:39:26.280 them back to their land. They understand who 00:39:26.280 --> 00:39:28.980 Yahweh is to some extent, so I have no doubt 00:39:28.980 --> 00:39:31.820 that some Persians recognize the true power of 00:39:31.820 --> 00:39:34.880 Yahweh in that day, and they did decide. that 00:39:34.880 --> 00:39:38.059 he was worth worshiping and trusting in. And 00:39:38.059 --> 00:39:39.679 by the way, it's a documented fact that since 00:39:39.679 --> 00:39:41.760 the days of the exile, there has always been 00:39:41.760 --> 00:39:45.079 a continuous community of Jewish believers in 00:39:45.079 --> 00:39:48.460 Persia. However small it might be, in Iran today, 00:39:48.659 --> 00:39:51.059 ironic in what's going on in Iran right now, 00:39:51.119 --> 00:39:53.960 correct? There is still a Persian, or it's still 00:39:53.960 --> 00:39:57.059 a Jewish population there, although they've suffered 00:39:57.059 --> 00:39:59.940 greatly under the hands of Muslim rulers. They 00:39:59.940 --> 00:40:02.579 still exist even today. God has sustained them. 00:40:04.939 --> 00:40:07.300 Okay, let's wrap up with a few closing thoughts. 00:40:07.860 --> 00:40:12.260 I'm gonna surprise you with one of them. That's 00:40:12.260 --> 00:40:17.239 called a teaser. I love this part of the story. 00:40:17.519 --> 00:40:19.820 I've been looking forward to chapter eight for 00:40:19.820 --> 00:40:22.519 so long. And again, I'm convinced that the language 00:40:22.519 --> 00:40:25.400 of eucatastrophe was given to us here to show 00:40:25.400 --> 00:40:27.880 us the beauty of the gospel that we have in Christ 00:40:27.880 --> 00:40:30.969 Jesus. to remind us of the law of sin and death, 00:40:31.110 --> 00:40:33.550 how it's been decisively defeated by the cross 00:40:33.550 --> 00:40:35.929 and by the empty tomb, and that a great reward 00:40:35.929 --> 00:40:39.750 awaits us if we refuse to grow weary in the days 00:40:39.750 --> 00:40:42.449 that we're given on the earth. It's all wrapped 00:40:42.449 --> 00:40:45.789 up here. Our God is in the business of reversing 00:40:45.789 --> 00:40:48.710 wickedness for the sake of his people. Amen? 00:40:49.489 --> 00:40:52.730 So we gotta be patient, and we gotta suffer well. 00:40:53.440 --> 00:40:55.340 And when various trials come into our lives, 00:40:55.420 --> 00:40:57.900 we want to learn from them because God's shaping 00:40:57.900 --> 00:41:00.360 our character. And we want to make sure that 00:41:00.360 --> 00:41:02.639 we're growing in our trust of his sovereignty 00:41:02.639 --> 00:41:05.039 and his goodness. Because as we read in the call 00:41:05.039 --> 00:41:07.360 to worship, if God is for us, who can be against 00:41:07.360 --> 00:41:11.079 us, right? Right? Just tape that verse to your 00:41:11.079 --> 00:41:13.760 mirror and look at it every morning. If God be 00:41:13.760 --> 00:41:17.039 for us, who can be against us? In the meantime, 00:41:17.360 --> 00:41:20.320 and this is the surprising part. Don't neglect 00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:22.280 to see that there's an important part of the 00:41:22.280 --> 00:41:24.820 reversal in this story, something we don't always 00:41:24.820 --> 00:41:27.420 talk about, and that is plundering the house 00:41:27.420 --> 00:41:31.280 of our enemy. Plundering the house of our enemy. 00:41:31.440 --> 00:41:33.920 What do I mean by that? I'm going to close with 00:41:33.920 --> 00:41:36.559 this thought. Again, we live in crazy times right 00:41:36.559 --> 00:41:38.960 now, right? I've shared this before. The battle 00:41:38.960 --> 00:41:42.619 for truth and civilization is literally on our 00:41:42.619 --> 00:41:45.400 doorstep right now. Are we just going to play 00:41:45.400 --> 00:41:48.960 defense? Are we going to go on offense and plunder 00:41:48.960 --> 00:41:53.119 the house of the enemy? Once again, think of 00:41:53.119 --> 00:41:56.400 Haman representing Satan. See him as a man who 00:41:56.400 --> 00:41:58.820 embodies satanic opposition to the people of 00:41:58.820 --> 00:42:02.559 God. In this book, the king delivers him over 00:42:02.559 --> 00:42:05.579 to destruction. And then all that remains is 00:42:05.579 --> 00:42:09.179 for his house to be plundered. All of his possessions 00:42:09.179 --> 00:42:12.199 to be given to the people of God. And that's 00:42:12.199 --> 00:42:14.920 where we find ourselves in history today. Christ 00:42:14.920 --> 00:42:18.219 has won the war in principle. Satan was defeated. 00:42:18.420 --> 00:42:21.500 Death was overcome. And what remains now is for 00:42:21.500 --> 00:42:24.199 us as Christ followers to live out that truth 00:42:24.199 --> 00:42:26.860 in practice, plundering the house of Satan and 00:42:26.860 --> 00:42:29.639 the kingdom of darkness. Who's up? Who's up for 00:42:29.639 --> 00:42:32.500 it? Who will ride into that battle with me? Now, 00:42:32.559 --> 00:42:35.400 I don't want you to think wrongly about what 00:42:35.400 --> 00:42:37.019 I'm talking about. I'll describe what I'm talking 00:42:37.019 --> 00:42:39.280 about in just a second. But sometimes I hear 00:42:39.280 --> 00:42:41.219 Christians speak as if the battle hasn't been 00:42:41.219 --> 00:42:44.639 won. That somehow we're getting pushed around. 00:42:44.780 --> 00:42:47.420 We're on the defensive. We need to shy away from 00:42:47.420 --> 00:42:50.320 hard conversations because we might lose to Satan. 00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:54.079 I hear that defeatist language a lot. That is 00:42:54.079 --> 00:42:58.460 not the case. The victory is won. We've got to 00:42:58.460 --> 00:43:00.760 get that through our heads. And now every day 00:43:00.760 --> 00:43:03.260 we have opportunities to advance the kingdom 00:43:03.260 --> 00:43:06.880 of God in personal ways. And slowly but surely, 00:43:06.980 --> 00:43:09.860 moment by moment, day by day, we take ground 00:43:09.860 --> 00:43:12.599 from the enemy. Remember, the gates of hell cannot 00:43:12.599 --> 00:43:15.179 prevail against the church. Gates are defensive. 00:43:15.219 --> 00:43:21.340 We're charging those gates. Are we? Are we charging 00:43:21.340 --> 00:43:23.900 them personally? By the way, Satan hates to hear 00:43:23.900 --> 00:43:27.059 this preached because he wants you deluded. He 00:43:27.059 --> 00:43:29.380 wants you weak. He wants you to feel defeated. 00:43:30.079 --> 00:43:34.000 But you're not as a Christ follower. Every time 00:43:34.000 --> 00:43:37.579 you repent of sin, you plunder his house. Did 00:43:37.579 --> 00:43:41.210 you know that? Every time you repent of sin and 00:43:41.210 --> 00:43:44.150 you get up and you walk in the light again, you're 00:43:44.150 --> 00:43:47.570 plundering the house of the enemy. Every time 00:43:47.570 --> 00:43:49.929 you come to the throne of grace and you pray, 00:43:50.150 --> 00:43:53.449 you're plundering his house. Every time you share 00:43:53.449 --> 00:43:56.409 the gospel with somebody, the word goes out, 00:43:56.429 --> 00:43:59.090 truth goes out, you are plundering the kingdom 00:43:59.090 --> 00:44:02.250 of darkness. Every time you love your spouse, 00:44:03.420 --> 00:44:05.480 Every time you put the needs of others before 00:44:05.480 --> 00:44:08.119 your own and you serve them, every time you teach 00:44:08.119 --> 00:44:11.139 your children by word and example what it means 00:44:11.139 --> 00:44:13.840 to walk with Christ, you are plundering the house 00:44:13.840 --> 00:44:19.159 of the enemy. Let me remind you of how we fight 00:44:19.159 --> 00:44:22.900 from 2 Corinthians 10. For though we walk in 00:44:22.900 --> 00:44:25.400 the flesh, we don't war according to the flesh. 00:44:26.340 --> 00:44:28.719 For the weapons of our warfare, by the way, this 00:44:28.719 --> 00:44:32.579 assumes that you're fighting. This assumes that 00:44:32.579 --> 00:44:36.219 you have the weapons of warfare. They're not 00:44:36.219 --> 00:44:39.039 of the flesh, but they're divinely powerful for 00:44:39.039 --> 00:44:40.920 the destruction of fortresses. We're destroying 00:44:40.920 --> 00:44:43.760 speculations and every lofty thing raised up 00:44:43.760 --> 00:44:45.699 against the knowledge of God, and we're taking 00:44:45.699 --> 00:44:47.820 every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 00:44:48.099 --> 00:44:50.239 This is a description of how the believer goes 00:44:50.239 --> 00:44:53.679 on offense. We destroy fortresses that are set 00:44:53.679 --> 00:44:57.079 up by the enemy. We tear down his lies. We destroy 00:44:57.079 --> 00:45:00.280 falsehoods with truth. we take ground from Satan 00:45:00.280 --> 00:45:04.380 and we plunder his house. We practice what we 00:45:04.380 --> 00:45:07.159 know is true, remembering who we are, children 00:45:07.159 --> 00:45:11.019 of God, who overwhelmingly conquer through him 00:45:11.019 --> 00:45:15.219 because of his unbreakable love for us. We are 00:45:15.219 --> 00:45:19.739 overwhelmingly conquering, are we not? This is 00:45:19.739 --> 00:45:21.539 what we do every Sunday when we gather together 00:45:21.539 --> 00:45:25.119 with one spirit in unity in the name of the Lord 00:45:25.119 --> 00:45:28.250 Jesus Christ. we go on offense and we celebrate 00:45:28.250 --> 00:45:32.809 his victory with rejoicing. This is what we do 00:45:32.809 --> 00:45:35.530 and together we come and we start as Adam led 00:45:35.530 --> 00:45:37.250 us this morning, when together we confess our 00:45:37.250 --> 00:45:40.030 sins, first of all, and we repent of those things. 00:45:40.329 --> 00:45:42.530 Then when we join our hearts together in prayer, 00:45:42.809 --> 00:45:46.849 when we lift our voices in worship, when we do 00:45:46.849 --> 00:45:49.309 what we're doing right now, listening to the 00:45:49.309 --> 00:45:51.949 proclamation of biblical truth as the Holy Spirit 00:45:51.949 --> 00:45:54.909 teaches us, we're plundering the house of the 00:45:54.909 --> 00:45:58.480 enemy. Whether you realize it or not, right now 00:45:58.480 --> 00:46:01.039 we are feasting together on God's word and we 00:46:01.039 --> 00:46:04.300 are celebrating King Jesus over the smoking ruins 00:46:04.300 --> 00:46:09.440 of Satan's defeated kingdom. How many of us think 00:46:09.440 --> 00:46:13.659 that way? We're walking out in practice what's 00:46:13.659 --> 00:46:16.900 been done in principle. And so friends, realize 00:46:16.900 --> 00:46:21.670 that Sunday worship is no mundane thing. Realize 00:46:21.670 --> 00:46:23.590 that every daily choice that you make as you 00:46:23.590 --> 00:46:26.090 abide in Christ and walk with him, it is not 00:46:26.090 --> 00:46:29.670 insignificant. Quite the contrary, all of it 00:46:29.670 --> 00:46:32.510 has cosmic significance in the hands of a God 00:46:32.510 --> 00:46:36.289 who's in the business of reversing things. Do 00:46:36.289 --> 00:46:38.630 you believe it? That's the question. And if you 00:46:38.630 --> 00:46:43.969 believe it, live it. Amen? Let's pray about that. 00:46:48.279 --> 00:46:50.579 Lord, thank you for hearing our prayers this 00:46:50.579 --> 00:46:52.500 morning. Thank you for being in our presence. 00:46:52.659 --> 00:46:55.219 Thank you that we get a chance to glorify you 00:46:55.219 --> 00:46:58.199 in our hearts and minds as one people, that we 00:46:58.199 --> 00:47:00.340 get to plunder the house of the enemy as we confess 00:47:00.340 --> 00:47:04.400 our sins and just reiterate our trust in you 00:47:04.400 --> 00:47:07.539 and the blood shed on the cross, how it cleanses 00:47:07.539 --> 00:47:10.519 us from all unrighteousness. As we do that, Lord, 00:47:10.719 --> 00:47:15.079 the enemy shakes. And we sing praises to you 00:47:15.079 --> 00:47:18.300 and we love each other in fellowship and all 00:47:18.300 --> 00:47:21.079 of it, God, is such an incredible opportunity 00:47:21.079 --> 00:47:24.840 that we've been given. Father, I pray that we 00:47:24.840 --> 00:47:26.719 will continue to see the beauty of the gospel 00:47:26.719 --> 00:47:29.139 in this chapter in the book of Esther, that your 00:47:29.139 --> 00:47:31.199 spirit would continue to show us these things. 00:47:31.980 --> 00:47:34.800 and seal these truths in our hearts and convict 00:47:34.800 --> 00:47:36.800 us and encourage us all the things that the Spirit 00:47:36.800 --> 00:47:39.880 does. And God, that we would step into the world 00:47:39.880 --> 00:47:42.679 this afternoon realizing that the victory's been 00:47:42.679 --> 00:47:44.780 won, that we don't have to shy away from it. 00:47:44.820 --> 00:47:47.940 We can step into it and have conversations and 00:47:47.940 --> 00:47:50.780 we can step into it, Lord, and proclaim your 00:47:50.780 --> 00:47:53.599 goodness with confidence. Thank you that you've 00:47:53.599 --> 00:47:55.719 given us the victory. Thank you that death for 00:47:55.719 --> 00:47:59.710 us has been put to death. And so now we overwhelmingly 00:47:59.710 --> 00:48:02.150 conquer. Lord, seal these truths in our hearts. 00:48:02.670 --> 00:48:05.190 Strengthen us, God, to walk with confidence and 00:48:05.190 --> 00:48:08.329 strength this week. Thank you, Lord Jesus. We 00:48:08.329 --> 00:48:10.849 love you. We praise you in your precious name. 00:48:10.949 --> 00:48:11.349 Amen.