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The book of Esther reads like a good news/bad news story. Her story starts off like this... Bad News: She was born into slavery in a foreign land. Good News: Her family is together. Bad News: Both of her parents die, leaving her an orphan. Good News: She gets to have her kind cousin, Mordecai, raise…

Welcome Good morning everyone, today we are continuing in our Gospel Story sermon series. Today we are jumping ahead in time. The last two weeks we have talked about Daniel and how God spoke through him to the king of Babylon to interpret a dream. That was all taking place during Israel’s time in exile…

We all face different challenges in life, but one thing is common in all of them. Will we trust God in our circumstances and look for opportunity to serve him? Now the correct answer to that question is, “of course I will!” But the reality is that some circumstances are particularly difficult and the…

7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout…

Recap: The entire course of history for the Jewish nation was changed because a pagan king, hundreds of miles from the center of God’s activities in Jerusalem, could not sleep. 6 So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought…

Great opportunity can come unexpectedly, so it pays to be prepared! Last week we saw how Esther a young woman found herself in a situation she had no control over. She was a young woman under the protection of her older cousin Mordecai. Her expectation in life was probably that a suitable marriage would…

Genesis 25:19-28:9 Malachi 1:1-2:7 Review In our last Halftarah portion we spoke about Abraham and David getting old זָקֵן Grow Old = ‎ ( zā·qēn ) Strongs 2204 Abraham makes Isaac his heir and David Salomon, despite the attempts of Adoniyahu to take over Now it’s time to speak about and to the generations…

Recap: Queen Esther finds favor in the sight of the king. Queen Esther makes her Pre-request to the king…she seeks for the king and Haman to join her in a banquet that she has prepared. Haman is on cloud 9 at this point…thinking that the king and queen desire to honor him He walks away gloating about…

Recap: Queen Esther finds out, through Mordecai, the plan Haman devised to destroy both Mordecai as well as all the Jews Therefor, her and all the Jewish people begin to Pray and fast for Gods deliverance. 15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer , 16 Go, gather together all the Jews that…

Throughout my life I have heard tidbits of advice such as: Do what’s right and it will go well for you. Cheaters never prosper. What goes around comes around. And the universe will make all things level out. Is that true? I don’t know about you, but I know people in positions of power who have been dishonest…

Lets take a look at the result of this stand that has,will and must be made. 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. 6 He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for…

We are reminded that God graciously works through people for His people. We are encouraged to look for "times such as this."

Well, we have come to scene three in Chapter 4 of the book of Esther. If you are joining us for the first time, we have broken the book of Esther into 5 scenes answering a particular question that surrounds the application of that text to our daily lives. In Scene 1 - Chapters 1&2 we answered the question:…

Where is the Queen? “There is a picture of a chess game hanging in Paris. On one side of the painting is the Devil, and on the other side is a lad about sixteen years of age. They are playing chess. The Devil has a leering, triumphant expression on his face. He has just licked this boy at chess, and…

God’s Providence Thomas Watson said of God’s providence There is no such thing as blind fate, but there is a Providence that guides and governs the world. Providence is God’s ordering all issues and events of things, after the counsel of His will, to His own glory. The wheels of the clock seem to move…

We left off last week with Haman having prepared the gallows to hang Mordecai on. Before Haman could ask the king to hang Mordecai he was met with a question from the king about what should be done for the man that the king delights to honor. Haman thinking that the king would want to honor him gave…

Providence: Everything, good and bad, has a part in the overarching plans of God for good. When we can’t see God, he is working in the background. 1 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he…

Whom do you identify with? This is the question of the day, if you ask me. Who or what group do we “belong” to? We think this is a question for young people and teens, and it is, but the reality is all of us must ask and answer this question on a regular basis. The book of Esther is built upon the answer…

We live in uncertain times. This is the overall sentiment today of many. To some extent I am in this category. We don’t know whether the economy will continue to rebound, what will happen politically, or how the pandemic will continue to play out. We can be unsure of many things. The unknown typically…

On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing its entrance. As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she gained favor with him. The king extended…

Introduction The time has come for the second banquet with the King. If she fails in this she guarantees the murder of the Jews-including herself. She must have been wondering if she would succeed . Could she persuade the king to rescind his decree against the Jews? As we begin this chapter it is full…

Introduction As we read this chapter we are going to see things fall into place. Falling into place where it seems almost silly. Like one of those movies where the villain runs into the hero and that's why he gets caught. When we left off Haman is in a really good mood. He has been invited by the queen…

Introduction The book of Ester is a book that shows how to live according to God’s wisdom even during the most trying of times. Chapter 5 is all about that wonderful thing of pride. A sin that we all struggle with. St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) wrote, "'Pride is the commencement of all sin'6…

Esther Haman’s plan unravels 1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom,…

Psalm 135:5-6 says this: For I know that the Lord is great And that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. The difficult thing is when you and I do not see what the Lord is doing… we know He is working… but is He??? Purim…