 Reading church, 11 a.m., everybody good? Yes, coffeeed up, we're ready to roll. All right, fantastic, we gotta get through a lot today, so I'll talk fast and you'll listen fast and it'll be good, so hey, we're glad you're here. My name's John, I'm the campus pastor here at Richland and as Caleb said, we hope you had a great 4th of July, everybody has both hands and 10 fingers still and here's the thing, this is pure Michigan weather, it's like 75, it's gorgeous and so I said to the Lord in my prayer closet, where was this weather when I was moving last weekend? And it was 187 degrees and God just told me that he disciplines those that he loves, so I just said, okay, fine, we did move into our house and we're getting settled, we have less boxes in the garage and we met our neighbors, we have incredible neighbors so we had this sweet couple across the street whose kids are grown out of the house with their grandkids are over, come over with an edible arrangement, like this beautiful fruit thing that we all ate and a card and just hey, welcome to the neighborhood and so we have this dog, Samson, he's a Bernice Mountain dog, he's like 110 pounds but he's a super lap dog, sweet dog but he's big so we've been letting him out and I don't have his harness right now so I've just been hoping, here's his obedience level, he'll come back in as long as there's nothing better for him to do, that's kind of, and so I'm like, I've been having this string of luck while I let him out and then he's almost ready to come back in but then this sweet lady who came over and brought us a fruit basket opens her door to let out her little like four pound 13 year old dog so it could go out and I was like, well, this is over and Samson runs across the street and he's so excited and he's trying to play with her and she's not really having it so I run across there, I'm like, oh sorry, he's really friendly, don't worry and we reintroduce ourselves and then like 30 seconds in, Samson bolts into their house, like the doors open a little bit and just runs in and then just starts running around their living room, they have like white carpet, I'm like, what are you doing? And then literally bolts upstairs, like make yourself at home, Samson, so they have this like butler thing that's like a mannequin but it looks real or whatever and he's like trying to get that thing to pet him because he's so starved for affection and I'm like, Samson, I'm like, I'm so sorry, he never does this, you know, and so I, which was true and I grab him and I bring him down literally at that moment, so this is like 7.30 in the morning, 8 in the morning. Eric, my five year old son, opens the front door and he's in the stage right now where he's like telling everybody he loves them and it's sweet but it's not always like contextual, you know what I mean, like I love you, I just love you and so I'm sitting there grabbing my dog by the collar, he's like choking it and I'm talking to the neighbor and then my son opens the door, screams across the street, dad, don't leave without me, I love you. And I'm like, no one's leaving without you, Eric, no one has ever left without you, so now my neighbors think my dog is vicious and my kids have separation issues but other than that, welcome to the neighborhood, everything's been good, so we're in a series, it's called Heroes, we're looking at the lives of people in the Old Testament, we're doing it all summer, we have a few more weeks left of, people that God used, normal I would say people that God used in supernatural ways to advance the kingdom of God and the plans and purposes he had for his people and every time that I've spoke, I've said, remember this is still how God uses people today, when God wants to introduce a movement, when God wants to do something in the earth, he doesn't just snap his fingers and make it happen, he uses people all the way up to the introduction of Jesus Christ, when God knew there was a sin issue that had to be addressed, he didn't just wave a wand, he didn't just snap his fingers, no, there was an incarnation, God became flesh, Jesus was born a baby and raised and discipled and God uses people to further the plans and purposes that he has, so we've been looking at the lives of these people and today we're gonna look at a young lady whose name is Esther, so if you brought your Bible, turn to the book of Esther, it's right after Nehemiah, that's before Job, go to Psalms maybe, back up a few books and you will find Esther and so Esther is a very unique, unique book of the Bible and so it's gonna be a little challenging but we're gonna get through it in several ways, first of all obviously Esther is a woman, there's only two books in the entire Bible out of 66 that are named after women, there's Esther and there's Karen, no it is Ruth, you're right. Esther and Ruth, that's it, so it's unique in that sense, also it is 10 chapters and it never mentions God by name, you never hear the word God, the word Yahweh, the word Jehovah is never mentioned and yet the fingerprint of God is all throughout the story as we'll look but it's the only book that doesn't do that and it's one of only three books where no author in the New Testament mentions Esther or the book, it's never quoted again in the New Testament so it has these really unique dynamics, it never mentions God in 10 chapters but it mentions partying in seven chapters so you tell me, I don't know what that means, why'd they give this one to me, no I'm just kidding. And so it's interesting also if you did read it which I said to do on Facebook and of course everyone listens on Facebook but I said it reads like a guiding light as the world turns episode meets Fabio Romance cover novel, it's a book about immorality, indulgence, it's about jealousy, rage, it's got all of these interesting components and yet here it is smack gap in the middle of scripture so there's something powerful about the story of Esther that God wants us to know and God wants us to reveal to us that this isn't just something that happened 2500 years ago that we just kind of skimmed through but there are principles and there are things within the story of Esther that is really God's story that we're involved in and that we gleaned from 2500 years later and so Esther is a book that has 10 chapters but the entire book is one story so you might go through like kings or chronicles where there's 39 or whatever chapters but there's all kinds of narratives, there's different kings and all these different people where you can kind of like pick and choose, we literally only have one story in all 10 chapters of Esther that we have to get through so hopefully no one made dinner plans, we'll be out here by seven at the late, no I'm just kidding we're gonna go through it and I'm gonna stop at a few points and I'm gonna highlight some things that I felt like God gave me this week for us corporately and for us as individuals to meditate on but I'm gonna sort of highlight the story of Esther to you so it's gonna be story time with Pastor John everybody have like a blankie, some warm milk, something like that, we're gonna jump into the story of Esther and it's gonna be good let's pray, Father, we love you, we ask you during this time, let the entrance of your word bring light and bring understanding to us, your people open the eyes of our hearts, reveal to us what you want to say, Holy Spirit you are intimately involved in our lives you know every single person in this room every situation we've entered the sanctuary with God and I ask you, do not let your word return void let it be sent out to heal, save, deliver, admonish and encourage your people in Jesus' name and everyone said amen. Esther, there's four main people in the book of Esther that we're gonna be introduced to, alright the first one in chapter one is called King Xerxes he's the Persian king, he's about 35 years old at this time, he's only been in power for about four years but he is the epitome of opulence, of indulgence, of wealth, he has 127 provinces that are under his care and he has every single thing at his whim, his disposal, his back and his call he's the ultimate like silver spoon Persian playboy he's never had to work a day in his life his dad was a king, he grew up in the palace he grew up having everything that he could possibly want and he lives that way, he's everything about wealthy people that we don't like that we stereotype, like he's bragging and he thinks he's all that and he has all of this going for him and he makes sure everybody knows that so in the very first chapter, he's in the middle of a party that he threw that lasted 180 days how many of you have ever thrown a party that lasted 180 days? Young man in the back, come here serious nonsense, no one does that and so in the last week of this party that he's throwing where he's just bragging about all that he has he says everybody I want you to drink without any limits I want you to just enjoy yourselves and the last week he gets this right idea where he says to his assistants, his eunuchs he says I want you to go and get my wife get Queen Vesti and bring her out here because I wanna brag about her I want everyone to see her, she's beautiful I wanna set her up like one of the other things that I own and I want everybody to just be like whoa, he must be pretty important because look at his wife so that's his plan, how many of you think that's a great plan? Guys, you with me? Okay good, no, terrible plan but he sends his eunuchs to go do that and guess what? Queen Vesti says how about no? No thanks, I'm not coming and King Xerxes is shocked literally like his jaw hits the floor she said no, she can't say no nobody says no to me, he literally this is humorous gets all of his counsel and advisors together like he calls Congress, what are we gonna do? My wife said no to me, what can we do? What are the laws? Like what do I have the right? I mean what, and so they say oh my, we can't have this what if other people's wives say no to them? What if this becomes a thing? All throughout the provinces we have to, something has to be done now and so they put their minds, I know what we'll do we'll pass a law and we'll send it out to everybody in the kingdom saying wives can't say no? I thought that was only my house where we had that law and I'm just kidding so that's what they do, it's ridiculous, right? And they send it out and they say well what are we gonna do about the queen? And they say I know what we'll do we're gonna banish her, she's never gonna be able to come in your presence again and we're gonna find you a better queen and the king's like that's a fabulous idea you guys are so smart, let's get me a better queen so that's the plan so and then in chapter two so that's King Xerxes, he's weird and then in chapter two we meet, the next character his name is Mordecai and he's a Jewish man, he's from the tribe of Benjamin and he came because he was exiled when the Babylonians siege Israel back in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar I talked about it last week and so he came with them because they were taken prisoner but now the Persian government has overtaken Nebuchadnezzar so now they're Jewish people living in Persia as Jewish people and he has a cousin whose name is Hadassah or Esther who lost both of her parents and so he's basically raising her as his own daughter and the Bible says that she is beautiful to behold she's just a stunning young lady in every sense and so she catches the attention of one of the king's assistants who's trying to find the next queen because they sent a letter out hey we're looking for the next queen it's like the original bachelor show is happening we're looking for the next queen it could be you and we're gonna find so he notices Esther and he says whoa, whoa you could be the one come with me and this isn't like hey we'll stop at the mall and quick get a glamour shot this is 12 months of prepping before you even get to see the king the Bible says there's six months of just lotions and essential oils and then there's six more months of like perfumes and fragrances or something like that and then you get brought before the king and if he wants to keep you you stay in this house for future queens and wives and that's your new place of residence so Esther gets taken there and the Bible says that when she's presented before the king she has favor and so the king says oh my he's taken he's Twitter paid it immediately by her and says you're the one you're it puts the crown on her and instantly Esther goes from this nameless faceless obscure Jewish girl living with her cousin Mordecai to the queen of the most powerful empire in the entire world in one instance that's what happens to her and then Mordecai is also given a position as an officer so he has authority all of a sudden and he tells her here's what I want you to do don't tell the king about your nationality or your origin don't tell him that you're Jewish just keep that to yourself so she does and she enters the palace and this happens and then Bible says that Mordecai is outside the gates because he's one of the officers and he overhears two of the king's guards who are frustrated with the king and they're planning an assassination of the king they wanna kill him and so Mordecai overhears that tells Esther Esther tells the king on behalf of Mordecai an investigation happens those two guys are found guilty and they're impaled and killed in front of everyone and the Bible says that that's written in the book of the kings and the book of the Persian kings and laws and that's chapter two of the book and then in chapter three so we've met King Xerxes, right? We've met Esther, we've met Mordecai the fourth person in chapter three is a man named Haman Haman is a weasel Haman is the worst he's insecure he's a full of pride he wants power for all the wrong reasons and the king actually promotes him and says I want you to be my chief officer which kind of makes sense because King Xerxes is immature and insecure too so he's attracting people like him so I kind of like this guy and so he gives him this position and he says you're gonna be my number two guy and of course that all goes to Haman's head he's like yes I have power I have authority people have to bow down and the Bible says literally every other officer bowed down to Haman out of fear and out of respect every time that he walked by except for Mordecai Mordecai wouldn't do it and the other officers were like how come you don't bow down how come you don't bow down and he wouldn't answer them and so they went to Haman and said hey there's somebody who's not bowing down with the rest of us and Haman was so upset I mean this just ruined his pride and ruined his attitude so bad that he determined I'm not only gonna kill Mordecai I'm gonna kill every single Jewish person I'm gonna kill his entire race and so in chapter three he goes before the king and he tricks him and he says listen there's a people group who live within your kingdom who aren't like us they don't wanna acclimate to our culture they don't worship the same gods they don't do the same things and they're a threat to you king and we shouldn't keep them around and I'm willing to take them out I'm willing to annihilate and kill and destroy them in fact I'll give you 10,000 bags of silver into the treasury of the kingdom if you let me do it and the king says sure that's fine do whatever you need to do and he says a law is passed with the king's signet ring saying that on a certain day every single Jewish person is to be destroyed within all 127 provinces to be killed by the Persians and if you end up killing one of these Jewish people you get to keep all of their stuff too in one moment he seals the fate for every single Jewish person including Mordecai and including the family of Esther and so that's where we are in chapter four so if you're an Esther I'm gonna read out the new living translation this is the next part of the story so there's the backdrop that's where we began and it says in chapter four verse one that when Mordecai learned about all that had been done he tore his clothes he put on burlap and ashes he went out into the city crying with a loud and a bitter wail he went as far as the gate of the palace where no one was allowed to enter the palace while wearing clothes of mourning and as news of the king's decree reached all the provinces there was great mourning among the Jews they fasted, they wept, they wailed many people lay in burlap and ashes and when Queen Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai she was deeply distressed so she sent clothing to him to replace the burlap but he refused it then Esther sent for Hathak one of the king's eunuchs who had been appointed as her attendant she ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling him why he was in mourning so Hathak went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the palace gate and Mordecai told him the whole story including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews and Mordecai gave Hathak a copy of the decree issued that called for the death of all the Jews and he asked Hathak to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her he also asked Hathak to direct her to go to the king beg for mercy and plead for her people so Hathak returned to Esther with Mordecai's message so Mordecai's upset Esther hears about it she's a little isolated and insulated because she's been in the palace and she says what's wrong and so she sends an assistant and Mordecai tells him there's a decree we're all gonna be killed we're all gonna be wiped out our fate is sealed and I need you to tell Esther to go before the king and beg and plead for the life of her people and so in verse 10 it says then Esther told Hathak her assistant to go back and relay this message all the king's officials and even the people in the province know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter and the king hasn't called for me to come to him for 30 days so Hathak gave Esther's message to Mordecai so she hears what's happening she hears the charge that Mordecai gives her to go and talk to the king but she says look it's not that simple you don't just knock on the door and say hey can I talk to you if you're not asked if you're not summoned and you go into the king's inner courts you're killed the only hope you have is that if the king's in a good mood he extends his gold scepter and pardons your life and she tells Mordecai I haven't even been asked to see the king for 30 days so this isn't as easy as it sounds and then this is the part in Esther that most of us know it says Mordecai sent this reply don't think for a moment that because you're in the palace you will escape when all the other Jews are killed if you keep quiet at a time like this deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place but you and your relatives will die who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this and then Esther sent this reply go and gather together all the Jews of Seussan fast don't eat or drink for three days my maids and I will do the same and then though it is against the law I will go in to see the king if I must die I must die so Mordecai went away and did everything Esther had ordered him the reason we're gonna stop here and talk about this is because none of the miracles that we see happening in a few chapters in the book of Esther and the story of the Jewish people and the story of her family none of that takes place unless this moment happens in Esther's life none of that comes to fruition unless Esther makes a decision that I'm willing to risk something for the cause of Christ for God to move in my generation and to move in my family she hears this challenge from Mordecai and says to her look don't fool yourself into thinking you're gonna be okay you might be for a while but listen God might have to raise somebody else but think about this just ponder and wonder maybe it was for this season maybe it was for just such a time as this that you were made the queen that you went from obscurity to the palace that God made you beautiful that God gave you favor that you went before the king and he selected you maybe that isn't all coincidence maybe God saying this is the time for you to rise up and do what I've called you to do and I feel like in the church today the same message is being asked by God are you willing to risk something for the cause of Christ in your life Esther said if I must die I must die she had to make a tough decision and say I'm willing to risk something in order to fulfill the plans and purposes that God's asking me to do and the same thing is true this isn't 2,500 years ago and now God doesn't do that anymore God looks at every person in this room every person who professes Christ as Lord and says you are in Esther you are here for such a time as this it's not an accident it's not a coincidence I don't have you here by chance I have you here because you are called to reach where you work where you go to school your family, your neighborhood are all mission fields for you to do something in the kingdom of God and that's what we have to realize we're not just trying to get by we're not just trying to hunker down and hope things get better or hope we can just get through it we don't believe that for our kids no we start positioning ourselves and our children to be light to be influencers to be pillars in the kingdom of God but it's gonna take a measure of risk you're gonna be willing to maybe sacrifice some friendships sacrifice some people not agreeing with you or not liking you sometimes we measure our faith or our commitment by are we willing to trust God when we have nothing to lose you know it's our rock bottom or there's nothing else I can do nowhere else I can go God I trust you those aren't the real moments the real moments are when like Esther you have everything to lose Esther already lived in the kingdom she already was in the palace she'd already been elevated now she has a real decision to make because there's a lot of risk involved I could lose all of this I don't know if Mordecai's right maybe it won't get found out I didn't tell anybody I was Jewish I could be okay all that's going through her mind I'm telling you today 2018 the same thing goes through our minds when we're at work when we're at school maybe I'll just say nothing maybe I'll just go and blend with the crowd and God's saying are you willing to come out of your comfort zone to do something powerful for Jesus to be used in a way that the rest of the world might not understand the rest of the world might not see the value but you know God's calling you to do something that's beyond what everybody else is doing are you willing to come out of your comfort zone because that's what it's gonna take and listen in American culture we're obsessed with comfort let's be honest everything is designed for our comfort our chairs right we don't come home from a hard day of work we want to sit down and watch TV we don't sit on a log cabin pine right no we have a chair it's comfortable you sit in you recline you kick your feet up it gets the paper for you it turns the TV it cracks your diet coke whatever it is we're obsessed with comfort the cars that we have they have these seats they have lumbar support oh my God oh that's perfect now we have cars that even parallel park for you heck no young people you have to feel the discomfort of running a few cones over trying to parallel park even our beds we have sleep numbers now no I need it four more up for a perfect oh yes there it is listen remember we were talking to you I think it was Kendra's great grandmother it was like 900 or something like that but she's older 90 and she was like I grew up with like 11 siblings and we all slept in the same room until I was 19 years old on the floor and I was like well one time I didn't adjust the sleep number and I had like a crink in my neck for like four no we don't know what uncomfortability is and when you're sleeping it's fine to be comfortable when you are being used by God it is the assassin of your destiny comfort is apathy it doesn't matter God will raise somebody else up I just gotta get by I'm not a mission I'm not a loud person I'm not we come up with all these excuses it's time to look at the life of Esther and say maybe just maybe God has you where you are for such a time as this it's not tomorrow it's not somebody else it's not the next generation right now today is the day of salvation today if you hear his voice don't harden your heart today the Bible says redeeming the time because the days are evil take advantage of the time that you've been given get outside of your comfort zone and believe God to use you to do powerful, powerful things for his kingdom so that's number one second thing so here's we continue the story it says on the third day of the fast chapter five Esther put on her royal robes entered the inner court of the palace and the king was sitting on his royal throne facing the entrance and when he saw the queen standing there in the inner court he welcomed her and he held out the gold scepter so Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter so this moment where she's scared she's been fasting everyone's been praying it's okay the king accepts her and the king asks her what do you want queen Esther what's your request I'll give it to you even if it's half the kingdom and Esther replied if it please the king let the king and Haman come today to a banquet that I've prepared for the king so the king turned to his attendants and said tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet Esther has requested so the king and Haman went to Esther's banquet so he says what do you want me to do she says I want to throw another party let's go let's have a banquet and you and Haman come to it and so they do they're excited and it's in this moment that Esther feels like is the time for her to tell the king everything look I'm a Jew Haman's trying to kill us he wants to kill all of my family and all of my people and I need you to do something about it like this is the moment so in verse six at this feast it says while they were drinking wine the king said to Esther now tell me what you really want what is your request I'll give it to you even if it's half the kingdom verse seven this is it this is the moment Esther replied this is my request this is my deepest wish if I found favor with the king if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask then please come with me and Haman tomorrow to another party she like bails this is it he's like I'll give it to you what is it okay this is it if I've ever pleased you if I've ever you know if you're gonna grant my request this is it I need you to come back tomorrow let's have another party isn't that weird I read that and I go this is so strange that was her moment this was the time and yet there for some reason she wasn't able to do it or she felt like she shouldn't do it or this wasn't the time and I'm trying to figure that out I tried to study it I don't know I wasn't there I'm not sure exactly what her reasoning was but here's what it in I guess inspired me to believe God for is that sometimes the timing of what God is doing in our lives is different than what we think it should be sometimes there's things we're going through there's situations where we're navigating in our lives and we think if I was God I would have done this already or this needs to happen if this situation my marriage my kids my family my finances my the things I'm struggling with if those are gonna get better then God's gonna have to do this and this is gonna have to be the timing and this is always gonna have to do it and sometimes we get so fixated on how we think God should be moving that we miss what he's actually doing in our lives we miss the timing we miss the process we miss the things that God is aligning in order to make victory happen in our lives so she doesn't do it she says I wanna have another party so I just want you to hear what happens in a sequence of 24 hours after she decides not to say something Haman goes home and he's on his way home and he's happy he's like I'm second in command I go to exclusive parties with only the king and only Esther I get invited to these and Jesus is happy as can be but then he sees Mordecai and Mordecai doesn't bow down to him again and it just flips the switch and he's so mad and he's so angry and he goes home and he tells his wife I was having a great day I go to cool parties and then Mordecai he won't even bow down to me and I can't even enjoy my life because I hate this guy he's a baby he's the worst baby and I don't know what to do and his wife I would want my wife to say something like hey I'll make us a huge ice cream sundae and we'll eat it and just go crazy I know or something like I know we'll binge on Netflix Haman you'll feel better just relax here get in this comfy chair something you know what she says to him she says I know what you should do you should build a 75 foot pole in the gallows and then you should put Mordecai on it and pail him and kill him on it and then go to your party and Mordecai Haman was like that's so sweet honey thank you that's a great idea that's what I'm gonna why didn't I think of that perfect so they build it 75 foot gallows with a huge pole and they're gonna put and he says I'm gonna go ask the king if I can do that I'm gonna get his permission so he walks over to the palace Bible says that the king has insomnia that night he can't sleep so he tells one of his assistants I want you to read me a book read me the book of the kings and help me go to sleep so he starts reading this book and by chance starts to read about the story of Mordecai finding out that those two guards wanted to plot an assassination and he tells the queen and the king is saved so the king's hearing this as he's trying to go to sleep he says whoa I forgot about that what do we ever do for that guy and his assistant says we didn't do anything what we gotta do something for him we gotta hook him up who's here right now and then Haman walks in asking permission to kill Mordecai and the king says Haman what should I do for somebody I really wanna honor somebody I just I wanna do something killer for what should I do and of course Haman thinks he's talking about him so he says here's what I would do king I would put your royal robe on him and then I would put him on one of your horses with the emblem on it and I would parade him around the city saying this is what I do for those the king wants to honor and the king like that's amazing idea here's what I want you to do go get Mordecai and I want you to do everything you just said that's don't leave anything out that was sweet great plan and so now Haman has to get Mordecai put the royal robes on him put him on the king's horse and go you did what the king does when he wants to honor someone and he's humiliated humiliated and he goes home and he tells his wife again you're not gonna believe this why does this keep happening to me and it says so Haman took the robes put them on Mordecai place them on the king's horse this is how the king honors someone he wishes and after Mordecai returned to the palace Haman hurried home dejected humiliated and he told his wife and all his friends would happen and they said to him look this guy's humiliating you he's of Jewish birth and none of your plans are gonna succeed I would stop opposing him and it says but while they were still talking the king's eunuchs arrived and quickly took him into the banquet so before he can process it before he can go maybe I should just leave this alone he's whisked away to the second banquet and now it says the king and Haman went to this banquet on the second occasion again they were drinking wine again the king said tell me what you want queen Esther what's your request I'll give it to you even if it's half the kingdom this time queen Esther replied if I found favor with the king if it pleases the king to grant my request I ask that my life and the lives of my people be spared from my people and I have been sold to those who would kill slaughter and annihilate us and if we'd been merely sold as slaves I could have remained quiet it would be too trivial to even bother the king with something like that verse five who would do such a thing King Xerxes demanded who would be so presumptuous as to touch you Esther replied this wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy and Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen then the king jumped through his feet in a rage and went out into the palace garden so she says it's him he's trying to kill me he's trying to kill all of us the king's like when he's so mad he runs out into the garden he's collecting himself he's saying okay get it together you're not gonna kill him right now and it says that he comes back in but Haman's such a wimp that he's begging for his life to queen Esther oh please don't let him kill me I'm sorry I'm so sorry and the Bible says that she's laying on a couch and he actually falls on top of her begging for his life right as the king comes back in from the garden so the king's like all right I'm just gonna talk to her whoa first you say you're gonna kill her what now you're all up on her oh heck no this isn't happening and the king grabs him and says you're gonna and they put the the mask over they put a bag over his head basically sealing his doom and in that moment he knows it's over for me and then one of the assistants says hey by the way he did build a 75 foot pole that he was gonna kill Lord of Chion just want to let you know it's available and the king says put him on it and they impale Haman and it wasn't even what Haman was doing he wasn't actually trying to assault her he just was begging for his life but sometimes God even in the midst of your enemies prepares this table before you and turns the tides and in that moment Mordecai went from a dead man walking literally to being honored to being placed in a position of authority and all of his enemies thwarted in one 24 hour period now listen to me if she had just said the day before when she was going to none of those things would have happened God again he's not mentioned in the book but you see his hand because in that moment Haman leaves the party so happy and then he sees Mordecai not bowing he's mad he goes home he tells his wife he builds the 75 foot pole and then the king can't sleep and just by chance the story about Mordecai saving his life is ready he says oh we should probably honor him we should do something and none of that would have taken place if she had said here's what I want you to do the first time every relationship had changed Haman's relationship had changed Mordecai's relationship with the king had changed and it was the timing of God that led to the complete victory and reversal in the lives of Mordecai and the Jewish people so never ever refused to not trust the timing and the goodness of God Isaiah 55 says his ways are higher his thoughts are higher everything that he does is for your good Bible says in Romans 8 28 God is working together for good all things to those who love him and are called according to his purpose so when it looked like the end was happening when it looked like there was no hope there was nothing that could be done God moves supernaturally because of the faith and the risk that Esther took in chapter 4 and suddenly all of the enemies of Mordecai were subdued it says on that chapter 8 on that same day Kings Urkies gave the property of Haman the enemy of the Jews to Queen Esther so all of his money and all of his property was given to the queen and to Mordecai then Mordecai was brought before the king for Esther had told the king how they were related verse 2 the king took off his signet ring which he had taken from Haman and gave it to Mordecai so in one day there's a financial reversal and one day there's an authority reversal where the king's given now to Mordecai and he has authority and where it looked like he was going to be subject to the enemy subject to the people who hated him in one moment God reversed his destiny and said no now I give you the ring of authority I give you the keys to the kingdom Bible says that instead of the morning remember he wore the sack cloth and all of Israel throughout the provinces wailed and cried now they're dancing they're shouting they're full of joy because God did a reversal in their lives but I think the most important thing is remembering how we did it so all of this happens but then the queen goes before the king and says look I need you to revoke the law that Haman made that all of us are to be killed on this day I need you to tear that up I need you to reverse it and the king says I can't I signed it the law the Medes and Persians can't be broken and I felt like what the Lord was saying and is saying to us is that just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you're not going to face some battles doesn't mean you're not going to go through dry seasons doesn't mean you're not going to have some some things in your life that are not ideal John 16 33 says in the world you will have tribulation so God doesn't say hey become a Christian and I'm going to protect you in this bubble and nothing bad's going to ever happen to you and you're not going to experience grief or pain or doubt or any of those things and if you hear people who say that they're lying to you it's not promised to us but what the king said to Esther is here's what I want you to do I want you to write a new law I want there to be a greater reality about what's going to happen and in this law you're going to give the Jewish people the right to defend themselves you're going to give the Jews the right to battle the right to stand up and say we don't just have to lay down we're going to fight for the breakthrough we're going to fight for the reversal we're going to fight for God to move on our behalf and I want you to put the signet ring on that and that's exactly what God says to us not that we're not going to face things but that he doesn't just erase circumstances he gives us a greater authority to live by he gives us a greater law to govern our lives by and as we read his word and as we face things when we have grief when we have pain we don't just ignore it we look and we say the bible says that God gives us a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness the bible says that sorrow may last for the evening but joy comes in the morning the bible says the joy of the Lord is our strength and instead of saying I need to get rid of these things it's no I need to declare a greater reality over my life there's a law there's things that God has spoken that supersede what the enemy has tried to plan for your life finances we don't just say God I need to win the lottery that's my only hope no we say God says no there's a greater law are you willing to be a giver are you willing to risk are you willing to budget are you willing to do the things that create momentum for God to do a miracle sickness we don't just deny it if you have sickness in your body it's not faith to say I don't have to no we don't deny what's the reality we declare a greater reality no there's another law in place by his stripes I am healed the wings of his healing have touched my heart touched my body and we develop in the secret place the faith to believe that God has something greater for our lives that's what the Christian victorious life looks like 1 Corinthians 1557 says thanks be to God who always gives us the victory in Christ Jesus and the very next verse says therefore be steadfast in immovable the enemy wants to move you off of the reality that God has already gone before you God has already given you the victory we just have to receive it by faith and walk in the blessing and power that he has created through the blood of Jesus Christ divine reversals are exactly what God is in the business of doing in our lives I want to end with just this last verse so they send this decree out that the Jews are able to protect themselves and listen to this this encapsulates the whole book of Esther chapter 9 verse 1 so on March 7th the day that they were supposed to all be killed the two decrees of the kings were put into effect on that day and the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them but quite the opposite happened it was the Jews it was God's people who overpowered their enemies so on a day where it was the bleakest it was the darkest it was the worst day possible God superseded and said no on this day when you thought the enemy had control when you thought he was writing the script to your life no quite the opposite can happen God can open doors that no man can open God can move mountains in your life God does the impossible in our lives because he's that good and he's that strong and he loves us that much nothing is impossible when you align your life and walk with the goodness and an alignment with who God is and what he's done you guys stand up with me I want to just close in prayer and I just wanted to close your eyes and I want to ask you and I'm just going to pray is there things in your life where you know I have to trust the timing of God things that I hoped would have already happened I thought I would have met my spouse I thought I would have been beyond this I thought I could have moved past this in my life whatever it is God's saying trust me in the timing and the second thing the Lord wanted me to pray for is those in here who need a dramatic reversal in their lives who need to know that there is an authority that's greater than the circumstances you're going through and so maybe it's an economic one where you have to trust God for financial breakthrough maybe it's in your marriage where the enemy's saying it's over it won't last it's done and God says no there's a greater reality there's a healing there's a restoration that can happen maybe it's a healing in your body maybe the enemy's telling you your kids are never going to serve God they're never going to come back to the Lord and you need to declare a greater reality that says no the Bible says train up children the way they should go and when they're old they won't depart from it there's divine reversals like God's in the business of doing and if that's you and your head's bowed and your eyes are closed and you say just include me in that prayer I want you to raise your hand if there's something you're believing God for raise your hand high hands all over the room yes this is what God does we don't have to earn it we don't have to create it ourselves we say God come and do what only you can do and Father I pray over this church I pray God that there would be divine reversals that Father where the enemy has come in and tried to bring doubt and fear and worst case scenarios you would raise up a standard God and that the perfect peace of God surround and guard the hearts of your people God where there's been sickness we declare by faith that by your stripes we are healed there is wholeness there is a balm in Gilead that makes the sinner's whole God in the name of Jesus God you give us joy for our sorrow you give us worship for the spirit of heaviness you say God that nothing nothing can separate us from your love so God where there's been shame where there's been guilt where the enemies come with condemnation Father bring the spirit of life into our lives bring the spirit of truth that says we've not gone too far that your love is greater than anything we've done wrong in the name of Jesus and God I pray 2 Corinthians 4 the prayer of Paul over everyone in this room where he said I might be hard pressed on every side but I'm not crushed and I might be perplexed but I'm not in despair and I might have been persecuted but I've not been forsaken and I may be struck down but I will not be destroyed because greater is he who is in me than he that is in the world and we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony and Father our testimony is that Jesus Christ is Lord and every knee will bow every tongue will confess every slack every sickness every lie of the enemy bows its knee to the name of Jesus in this place and God I pray that you would send us just like Esker risking it all to see your kingdom come and your will be done in Jesus' name and everyone said amen let's get the Lord a hand clap can we do that today it's good amen amen listen we're going to dismiss you our prayer partners are going to be up here and here's all I want to say is if you're believing God for a miracle in your life there is a power that is released when we pray this is what we do at radiant churches we join our faith and we say let's believe God to move the mountains in our lives and so if you need to give your heart to the Lord if you're believing for a family member if you're believing for breakthrough in some area of your life find someone that you can pray and agree with God with and as you leave this place remember we don't leave the church we leave as the church where we're called to be salt and light to the world around us God bless you you're dismissed enjoy this beautiful day we'll see you back here next week