Sermons

Gloom to Gladness

Here at the conclusion of the Book of Esther, we see the Lord transforming gloom to gladness -- just as He continually does throughout history. The Jews successfully turned the tables on their enemies and overcame them. Haman's sons were executed, and thousands upon thousands of those who wished to destroy God's people were destroyed themselves. Afterwards, there was a time of rest and a proclamation of a celebration, which became known as Purim. The reason for the gladness was that God had delivered His people -- He had not forgotten them! Just as the Jews of old celebrated the defeat of their enemies, we Christians should know how to celebrate as well. Like Mordecai and Esther's countrymen, we were doomed to a certain death sentence because of our sinful nature. But now our gloom and sadness and sorrow has been taken away, because Jesus Christ has defeated death and lives again! We should be celebrating His glorious Resurrection -- every Sunday! Let's pray for grace so that our focus may be upon Him and His accomplished work, and not on the circumstances around us; for we know that our God has not forgotten us, and He is working all things for our good!

The King's Protection

King Ahasuerus has now promoted Mordecai to fill the office formerly held by Haman, and Haman's estates are given to Esther. But the death sentence against the Jews still stands, and it can't be revoked. In response to Esther's pleadings, the king tells her and Mordecai to write a new decree in his own name -- giving the Jews the right to gather together and defend themselves against their enemies. This, of course, resulted in great rejoicing among Esther's people; and many others also became Jews, because the fear of the Jews fell upon them. Our enemy today is not the people around us. Yes, there will be persecution that is raised against us; but we don't use this narrative as a justification to go out and destroy the enemies of the Church. Rather, we need to realize that the real enemy is sin and death -- which have already been defeated by Christ! This means that we are free to go and spread the good news of the Gospel, as we go about our daily spiritual battle against the devil, under the protection of our Savior. And one day, at the end of this world, there will be a great and final battle -- in which Christ will clearly be seen as the ultimate Conqueror and King!

Darkness to Light

Haman is now brought in to the presence of the king and queen for the second banquet. It was here and now that the king asked Esther what her great petition was. What a difficult place for the queen to be in! Would the king really listen to her? What would Haman do next? But she does make her request known, and begs the king for her life and the lives of her people. And in answer to the king's astonished question, she reveals the name of the would-be assassin: "this wicked Haman!" And he met his just reward -- on the very same gallows that he had hoped to hang Mordecai on. Everything has been turned around! Very often, the Lord does not work in the way that we expect Him to. Here we see how Esther -- who had the death sentence upon her, just as much as every other Jew -- was saved by God and employed by Him to also save the lives of His chosen people. God has a plan for us, too! The Hamans and Ahasueruses of this world cannot thwart His Gospel-Kingdom. His plan for sinful humanity, which was under the death sentence, was for Jesus to come and take our place -- facing God's wrath upon the cross. He works in such a way that He turns darkness into light!

Nothing can separate us from the love of God

The extraordinary of the ordinary

Now we come to the part of the narrative in Esther where the king cannot sleep, the night before the second banquet that Esther had proposed. So he orders the record-book of the kingdom to be brought and read in his presence, in which he discovers that Mordecai had never been honored for exposing the assassination plot against him. In the midst of all this, Haman walks in and is asked how the king should honor a man who is in his favor; and, to his shock, he is tasked with the duty of publicly honoring Mordecai. Then Haman goes home in shame, where his wife and friends predict his doom and tell him that he is already done for. God's Providence often does not work in the way that we would expect it to. Usually He does not work in miracles; but very frequently, He uses common and ordinary things to bring about extraordinary results -- just as He was doing here, behind the scenes, in the narrative of Esther. Throughout the different twists and turns that we experience in life, we may rest assured that He has orchestrated them in such a way that they are indeed bringing us closer to Christ and heaven. He is sovereign, and He is in total control of all things; and He will not allow anything in the mountains, valleys, and deserts of life to separate us from Him, His love, and our heavenly home!

Approaching the Throne

When Esther boldly entered King Ahasuerus' court, he mercifully held out the golden scepter to her as a token of his favor. She invites the king and Haman to a banquet; but when they come, she does not proceed to ask the king concerning the great matter that weighed heavily upon her mind. Perhaps she was afraid. At any rate, Haman leaves the banquet full of pride, but he becomes angry again when he sees Mordecai in the king's gate. When Haman gets home, he and his wife and friends concoct a plan to ask the king to hang Mordecai. Apparently this evil man felt confident enough now to deal with his hated enemy individually, instead of waiting for the destruction of all the Jews. And now, even more than before, it seemed as if God was not going to answer the Jews' prayers for deliverance! When we draw near to the throne of grace, our God holds out a scepter to us that is in the shape of a cross! Through Christ, we may freely draw near to Him and present our petitions; for we are clothed in our Savior's robe of righteousness. Without that spotless robe, we would have worse than a gallows awaiting us; but we may approach the throne in confidence, because of Jesus's perfect fulfillment of the covenant that was made between Him and His Father!

Ready to Die - Esther 4

Esther is now facing a position where she must make a decision: she must identify as either a pagan queen or a member of God's people. As the Jews are mourning and weeping over Haman's evil plans to destroy them, Mordecai tells Esther that she must go in and intercede on their behalf before the king. To go into the king's presence without an invitation was a dangerous venture that could very possibly cost her her life. After Mordecai reasons with Esther that the Lord has brought her to her high position for such a desperate time as this, she agrees to risk everything to plead for the lives of her people -- but only after Mordecai and the local Jews spend three days fasting. Just as the Jews were under the threat of destruction, we also have a death sentence hanging over our heads. And just as Esther stepped up to intercede on her people's behalf, Jesus stepped up to die in our place. Let's pray for grace to step out in faith, like Esther did; and to risk everything in order to publicly acknowledge our identity in Christ! Why would we not be willing to identify ourselves with our Savior, in light of the great love that He has for us?

Has God Forgotten Us?

In this passage of the Book of Esther, we find Haman being promoted by the king. Nevertheless, Mordecai refuses to bow down in reverence to him, because he was an Amalekite -- a descendant of one of the Jews' ancient enemies. In revenge, Haman formulates a plan to destroy all the Jews. Haman made his wicked plans in the Hebrew month of Nisan -- the month when the Feast of Passover was celebrated by God's people. As the Jews observed this Divinely-appointed feast after hearing the bad news of Haman's scheme, perhaps they wondered if God had forsaken them. Jesus also received His death notice on the eve of Passover. His disciples likely felt abandoned also. We, too, were under the threat of death because of our sin. But even though there are trials and troubles in this life, our God is still in control. He has set His eye upon us, and we rejoice that the Passover Lamb has already come to redeem us from the death sentence that we were under!

A New Queen - God is still in control

Esther

Defying the King

The Book of Esther opens with a grand, elaborate feast that King Ahasuerus is putting on to show off his wealth and his power. In the midst of the festivities, he ordered his queen to come in also and show off before the drunken crowd; but she refused. At the recommendation of his princes, he divorces Queen Vashti. No aspect of this picture has been given to Christians to imitate. But it is the first of many dilemmas that present themselves throughout this Book. Even though the Lord did not approve of what was going on here, He did use Ahasuerus' deeds to start a chain reaction of events that He was sovereignly orchestrating to preserve His people. The grand takeaway from this opening chapter of Esther is to see the contrast between Ahasuerus and the Lord Jesus. The former demanded respect and acted as a dictator over his wife; but the latter serves and loves His Bride, and thereby earns her respect without commanding it. And while Ahasuerus' grand monarchy is gone and buried in dust; the Kingdom of Christ still exists today, and He still rules in love!

God's Word and Your Family - The Blessing of Family Worship

The Word of God is not just something that we take out and use on Sundays; it's to be an integral part of our lives. Hence the responsibility that is enjoined upon God's people in this passage: we are to teach our children diligently from the Bible. Everything we do with our children on a daily basis can and should be tied back, in some way, to a core teaching of the Scriptures. Husbands and fathers, if a visitor was to walk into your house right now and take a look at your life, what would your home and family life say about who your God is? You are to wash your wives daily in the Word, and you are also to train your children in the ways of the Lord. Wives and mothers, please encourage and support your husbands in their endeavors to lead family worship! This responsibility is primarily for fathers, but it is not exclusively limited to them. The Lord still desires you to do the right thing, even if your husband neglects his duty. Children, when your parents instruct you in the Scriptures, it may not be easy to merely sit still; but God wants you to try. When you pay attention and participate in family worship, you are a blessing to your parents and a glory to God! Parents, let's pray for grace to train up our children "in the way they should go!" (Proverbs 22:6) Lead your families in Bible study, prayer, singing, catechism, and memorization. If we do not learn to walk in God's ways ourselves, and we don't teach our children to do the same; then why are we surprised when we see our church and our nation descend into chaos? Cry out to God for grace to learn His Word, to walk in it, to love it, and to lead our families in the study of it!

God's Word

In some places of persecution around the globe, the people of God who live there have to read their Bibles in secrecy, in danger of their very lives. Yet they are willing to take that risk. Why? Because they value and treasure the Word of God! We are called to love and value God's Word. The words in this portion of Scripture give us an insight into how the Psalmist looked at his Bible. It is a gift to His people. It has been tried and tested throughout the centuries by His children, and it has never once been found false. His words are a guide to keep us in the right way, even when others try to twist and turn them. His commandments are perfect and pure, and every word is important – even the grammatical parts! We can collect many physical copies of the Scriptures; but if we do not personally value the Word, the Bible will just be another book on our shelves. Just how much do we value the Word of God? In the days of the Psalmist, gold and honey were very precious – even more so than they are today. And yet he esteemed the Scriptures as much more valuable than those prized luxuries. Do we store up God's Word in our hearts, as David did? Are we so eager to dig into its unsearchable depths, that we fill our souls with the words of life before we even fill our stomachs with breakfast every morning? What does God's Word do for us? Well, it brings joy and gladness to our hearts when we need encouragement, and it warns us when we are in danger of slipping into the paths of sin. There are blessings in life that come as a result of knowing, memorizing, and keeping God's Word (Joshua 1:8). But we may also value the Bible for what it shows us. The Psalmist teaches us that it help

The Gospel Defined and Defended (Galatians 1:1-10)

The King Has Come - Isaiah 9:6

Invitation to Repentance (Hosea 6:1-3)

Five Departing Blessings (Ephesians 6:21-24)

The Book of Ephesians both begins and ends with peace and grace, and we also find it interwoven throughout the entire Book. Here in these concluding verses, Paul gives five blessings. First, he says, be blessed by brotherly encouragement -- that is, by friendship with individuals within the congregation; and by the wonderful news of God's workings in other places, as it is presented in congregational reports from other churches. Then Paul pronounces several more blessings upon the people of God: peace, love, faith, and grace. We have peace with God and God's children, for we have been purchased by Jesus' blood. This calls us to be forgiving of each other -- just as the Father has forgiven us. As for love, the Lord Jesus is the demonstration of God's love for us. He loves us with an everlasting love, so that we may enjoy everlasting life. And just as His love for us never ends, we are called to imitate this love by serving our brothers and sisters in the church. Faith is another blessing from God, by which we believe in Jesus Christ. When days are dark, faith in Him will give us hope. And last but not least, God blesses us with grace, even when we do not deserve it. Let's pray that the Lord would enable us to show grace to all around us, just as grace has been shown to us!

Persistent and Persuasive Prayer (Ephesians 6:18-20)

Our life's problems all lie within ourselves. Even if we became a monk or a hermit, we might be able to escape the corruption in the world around us; but we would still not be able to get away from the pollution within our hearts. This is one reason why the Apostle Paul tells us that we must have persistent and persuasive prayer-lives! He tells us to "pray without ceasing." That does not mean that we must never do anything but pray; but rather, we must pray in every kind of circumstance that we find ourselves in -- and not just in times of problems, either! Even when things are going well, we ought to pray and give thanks. Our hearts are to be overflowing with prayer. Jesus Himself is a great example of this. Why do we need to pray? Because there is an enemy lurking around us! But sometimes it is difficult to pray. We must avoid distractions as much as possible, and make prayer a priority. And even though we have no lack of things to be thankful for, prayer is not just thanking God for our temporal blessings. The Psalms are the prayer-book of the Old Testament, and they furnish wonderful thoughts to boost our own prayer-lives. Prayer-life requires diligence, watchfulness, and attentiveness. Jesus tells us to "watch and pray." Don't give up! Persevering through hard things is good. God is indeed listening to our prayers. So let's not hold back! Let's fall on our knees and lift up our hearts and voices in prayer! Let's intercede for our brothers and sisters in Christ. As soldiers in the great spiritual battle, our prayers are an attack on hell and the devil; and they do much good for the Body of Christ, as His people are lifted up by each other's prayers!

Standing Firm in the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20)

Paul is writing these words while he is in prison -- very likely chained to a soldier who was wearing armor. As Christians, there is a different kind of armor than that with which ancient soldiers used to protect themselves. This is the armor of God; and in it, we are to stand firm! And even though we may often feel like we can't stand, he reminds us that we are not standing in our own strength. Our eyes are not to be on ourselves; but rather, on the strength of Christ Jesus. Since this is God's armor, it is He Who puts it on us. First, He gives us the belt of truth, so that we may not be tripped up by the lies of the devil. Then there is the breastplate of Christ's righteousness; for without that, our heart and vital organs are exposed to Satan's darts. Third, our feet wear the shoes of the Gospel of peace, with which we are enabled to always be ready to give out the good news of salvation. Moreover, we are handed the shield of faith, which keep us from being attacked by the fiery darts of the devil. Then there is the helmet of salvation, which protects our head on all sides. And last but not least, we wield the sword of the Spirit -- that is, God's Word! The devil knows the Scriptures well, and he twists them in order to deceive us; therefore, the stated goal of the Church must be to know God's Word! We have the armor of God, but we also need to pray for one another; for without prayer, this armor is of no use. Throughout Church history, all great revivals and movements of the Gospel have been in conjunction with an increase in prayer among the people of God. Since God thus arms us, what do we need to be afraid of? Since He is on our side, who can be against us?

Be Strong in the Lord! (Ephesians 6:10-13)

After Martin Luther's famous declaration at the historical Diet of Worms, he hid in the Wartburg Castle. While in "exile" there for 11 months, he undertook the monumental task of translating the Bible for his countrymen to read; but it was still a time of great spiritual trials for him. We, too, are in a spiritual battle; and if we rely on our own strength, we will lose. Our strength must come from the Lord. Our culture tells us to "look within," and then we will be strong; but the Apostle Paul teaches us that it is in Christ that we can do all things. If we are outside of Him, we belong to the prince of darkness; but He has purchased us to Himself, and made us alive. And He is our source of strength -- just as He has been for all His saints and martyrs in all ages. Who is our enemy? The devil himself! In different ways and methods -- tyrannical governments, cultural pressure, advertising, trials, heresies, and even prosperity -- he is always working to attack and deceive us. We are also faced with many various temptations from inside of us, which is why we can't "follow our heart" and look for strength therein. But these attacks do not place us in a hopeless situation! We are to wrestle with the devil, but only in the power of our Lord Jesus. Because of His victory that He has already won, we can succeed in this battle -- even though some days may be harder than others. On the cross, Christ came out on top as the Conqueror; but as we wait for Him to come and consummate the victory, we must still continue fighting -- in His strength!

Working as to the Lord (Ephesians 6:5-9)

In this passage, Paul talks about the relationship between slaves and their masters. This does not mean that he was justifying slavery; but unfortunately, slavery did exist in those days. And so Paul was addressing how to live under such a system. Thankfully, in our culture, we live under the light and liberty of the grace of God. Paul was telling his audience that they might be slaves, but they were free in Christ! Even if they never had the opportunity to buy their freedom, they must still live the life in which they were placed. And their service must not be "eye-service" -- the kind of work that some people do well only when the boss is present, or when they are trying to ingratiate themselves; and not the sort of work which is the result of a desire to be pleasing to Christ. These words are still applicable to our lives today! We are not to do our work just to please men; but rather, we are to work in such a way that we please the Lord. No matter what work we are doing, it is holy work! Distractions will slip up on us easily, and try to keep us from doing our jobs. But we must strive to live in such a manner -- "unto the Lord" -- that our employers speak well of Christ because of our actions. On the other hand, masters/employers are to treat their workers differently than the manner in which they would handle a mere tool. The Lord redeemed His people when they were slaves in Egypt, and He showed no partiality. Masters are called upon to do the same. We were once slaves to sin, but now we have been set free! Our God brought us out of that slavery; and now, no matter who our boss is, we can serve him "unto the Lord!"

Christian Fathers (Ephesians 6:4)

Here the Lord is calling out fathers. A tragic result of the Fall is that men no longer want to be men. But that is not acceptable. Fathers are specifically called upon to raise their children; and in doing so, they are to model our Heavenly Father. The American crisis of the absence of fathers erodes the foundations of the family. Society is holding up the single mother as a model of virtue, but it shouldn't be that way. When mothers and fathers are together like God wants, the statistical numbers drop to nothing. There is indeed a benefit to following God's ways! However, even when fathers are present in the home, they can mess up. And unfortunately, our society makes it very hard for them to do what is right, by enticing them to seek after their own pleasures or hobbies or jobs. But if fathers don't invest in their children's lives now, they won't get it back later. Christian fathers, in particular, are called upon to not be consumed with themselves and their own lives. Fathers aren't to be their children's slaves, but they should be thoughtful of them and kind to them. This doesn't mean that discipline is not required. In fact, it is necessary; even our Heavenly Father disciplines us in love! And this is to be done with our own children by teaching and admonishing them with instruction from the Word of God (Deut. 6:6). Fathers, we must admonish our sons and daughters in the Lord! Let's pray for grace to not just think of their external joy alone, but may God also help us to encourage them to be in the Word and enjoy a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Christian Children (Ephesians 6:1)

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with promise: 'that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth'"(Ephesians 6:1-3). In the New Testament, we see plain proofs that Jesus cares for children. But what does the Bible have to say about children and their obedience? The world tells us that children aren't disobedient; they just go through "a phase." But the Word of God teaches us differently. Our hearts are marked by a pattern of stubborn disobedience, even before we are born! The Apostle Paul states that children ought to obey their parents. We don't obey simply because we fear bad consequences; but rather, because we fear the Lord God. Nevertheless, it is true that obedient children generally have a better life; for when the obedience structure is broken down, the blessings of the Lord are lost. We read in the Gospels of the good example that our Savior Himself set, for even He obeyed His earthly parents. God has created and ordained authority in all areas of life, and even in heaven; and this authority structure starts in the family! Our homes are to be like greenhouses, where little sprouts are growing up in our families for God's glory. Jesus loves children, and children can show Jesus how much they love Him by obeying their parents!

The Christian Husband (Ephesians 5:25-33)

Although our worldly society has distorted the marriage model, the Christian husband is called and commanded to love his wife sacrificially and faithfully. And here in this passage, Paul gives us the husband the model to follow -- and that model is Christ Himself! The goal of marriage is to sanctify the Bride. The godly husband will be constantly asking himself, "Does my wife look more in love with Christ today than when I married her?" "Is my home a place of holiness?" "Is my marriage being governed by Scripture?" "Do I open God's Word with my wife and study it together with her?" Society's view of love is filled with bad ideas! But the love that Christ shows for His Bride, and which godly husbands are to imitate, is a nourishing love. Husbands, are you committed to your wife's spiritual health, and not just her physical needs? Are you praying for her and with her? You don't cut off your arm when it hurts, so don't do that to your wife either! Christian husbands are also called to a separating love. When a man and woman are joined together, the love between them must be guarded from undue influences that may cause divisions and problems. Husband, do you live love in your life? No, life isn't perfect; but despite that fact, does your wife know that you love her? Are you committed to sanctifying her and seeing her grow closer to the Lord Jesus? Let's pray for grace so that Christ's amazing love for His Bride may be our model in our own marriages!

Acts 10 - God is no respecter of Persons