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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…

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…

Introduction *** TURN THE HOURGLASS OVER *** The week before last, I unveiled the theme for the year, and preached unto you a message titled ‘A Time for Consideration’. In that message I’d asked you just to begin the year in consideration of three things: Consider Time ( Itself ) I wanted us to ponder…

Introduction (Background) During this time, the COI were under the rule of the Persian king Ahasuerus. King Ahasuerus was married to queen Vashti, but she was a rebellious, stubborn woman, so the king put her away and sought another. The queen that he selected would be a Jewish orphan named Esther. Before…

Today we are wrapping up this six part study of the Good News called, “Life in 6 Words.” We get these six words by using the word “Gospel” as an acrostic. As a way of review, let’s walk through these six words one final time… G - God created us to be with Him. ( Genesis 1-2 ) O - Our sins separate us…

Title - Now is the Time Text - Esther Chapter 4 Introduction In Esther Chapter 4 the Jews are in trouble and they going through all their religious rituals to beseech God to intervene. In the first 2 Chapters of the book, things had been going pretty will for our protagonists, Esther and Mordecai, there…

Lent experiences? Lent is a period of 40 days, excluding Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter Represents Jesus’ time in the wilderness Supposed to be a fasting period Lexham Bible Dictionary defines fasting as A ritual of abstaining from food and/or drink for a predetermined period; Biblical basis…

Have you ever been in just the right place at just the right time? Years ago I was leading a mission trip the summer after 9/11. One particular student was “randomly selected” to have his luggage searched after a 30 minute ordeal at the ticket counter. He then was randomly selected to be re-screened…

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…

The Ground work the book of Esther narrates the actions of Esther and her cousin Mordecai as they save the Jewish people from genocide during the reign of King Xerxes (Ahasuerus King of Persia). these events take place in Persia’s capital city of Susa. Esther and many other Jews have settled here after…

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

You Were Created for Just this Moment Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Reads … 1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. 2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4…

Esther 4:1–17 (CSB) 1 When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly. 2 He went only as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate.…

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:…

Good morning Emmanuel Family. And to all of our moms, Happy Mother’s Day. We recognize that today for many of you is a really happy day! Many of us have already enjoyed the blessings of the hard work of Jim, Tricia, and many others this morning at the breakfast. And the unique reality of a church on…

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…

God’s Assurance A little girl was born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1822. Her nights in the slave quarters were most often cold, and she slept as close to the fire as possible. Sometimes she even stuck her toes into the smoldering ashes to avoid frostbite. By the age of six, she was…

Fasting — The God infused life! How many of you are tea drinkers? Now, let me clarify my question: How many of you like to drink Hot Tea? For those of you who don’t, let me paint you a picture… I have hot water… (pour water into a cup) and I have a tea bag… What would happen if I just dip this tea bag…

Last Week we look at lessons from Joseph’s Life. There are many more that we could study on his life. As we look at the birth of Moses, we will lean that even when it’s not apparent, God’s plan will be accomplished not matter what. We can either fight his will or we can be used by God to fulfill it.…

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…

Life stinks sometimes. M Scott Peck states, “Mental health is dedication to reality at all costs.” This is one of those “easy said than done” concepts of life. Throughout all of Scripture we see the people of God, whether individuals or groups, who are committed to God and this principle. In fact, I…

Why? Why Prayer? We don’t have because we don’t ask 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 22 “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Why Fasting? Fasting gets God’s attention because it changes your attention 22 For…