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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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord , even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day. I. Consecration a. As used in the Scripture. i. מָלֵא mâlêʼ, maw-lay'; or מָלָא mâlâʼ; ( Esther 7:5 ), a primitive root; to fill or (intransitively)…

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…

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…

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,…

What do you believe about God? What God do you serve?

Last Spring, we studied through the Sermon on the Mount. One of the great themes of Matthew is the coming kingdom. The Book of Revelation speaks of the time when that new kingdom is fully realized. I shared with our Elders a week ago an observation that I gleaned about songs describing Heaven. Historically…