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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…

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…

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…

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:…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

Last week we began to speak about prayer and action. Today you will often hear those seemingly benign words “Our thoughts and prayers” are with them. But are they benign? Are they empty words that don’t mean anything? The answer is “Yes”, they are absolutely meaningless if We don’t believe there is a…

Leviticus 1:1-6:7 Review TORAH GPS We continue to use the Torah as our guide to do our portions So far we have come from Genesis to now Leviticus, and God has been at work Let me summarize it like this: B’Reisheet, in the beginning, God creates Paradise, but we fail to rest. God begins again with Avraham…

Intro; One of the saddest commentaries of the “church” of our day is the lack of its spiritual power. Churches today have wonderful facilities, great networking technology, staff and finances, but struggle in spiritual growth and power. Paul recognized even in the early days of the church that a lack…

Genesis 3:14-15 Dec 17, 1927 8 year old S class submarine conducting tests off coast of MA. 2273 Any Hope Of Rescue? Someone has said that if you could convince a man there was no hope, he would curse the day he was born. Hope is an indispensable quality of life. Years ago the S-4 submarine was rammed…

Esther 5 (CSB) 1 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. 2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she gained favor with…

God dispersed the people for their own good, then later He united the peoples out of His mercy.

Does anyone know what this picture represents? This might be the most amazing data picture you see in a lifetime! It shows the 63,779 cross-references in the Bible. The white bars along the bottom represent each Bible chapter, Gen. 1 - Rev. 22 . The line’s color shows the reference’s distance from the…

Good morning, Gateway! Scripture: Psalm 31 . Prayer Intro Good morning, again! August 5, 2001 was a beautiful night in Cleveland, Ohio at Jacobs Field, especially if you were a Seattle Mariners fan. The Mariners coming into the game were 80-30, they had won the first two games of the series, and seemed…

Good morning, Gateway! Scripture: Lam 3:21-26 . God of creation. God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God of the covenant. You are merciful, and gracious, slower to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and sin, but you are also…

8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” Life is characterized by unexpected…

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them,…