0709 For Such a Time as This

Esther 4:14

Mordecai is like the Holy Spirit. He brought her up. Advised her. Cared about her. Honored the king. Did not bow to Haman. Grieved the future of people. Helped Esther. Defeated and replaced Haman in that kingdom.

1. Holy Spirit with us [before salvation] John 14:17

If you are orphan, captive, you are not alone.

Holy Spirit hovered over darkness - so when word is spoken you can see order

2. Holy Spirit is in us [at salvation] Rom.8:9

Advised her on how to speak, cared about her, reveal secrets about King.

Don’t follow your gut if your gut does not follow your God. Word & voice.

3. Holy Spirit is upon us [after salvation] Acts 1:8

Their lives are miserable but they are about to get worse.

Mordecai sees the future, Esther does not. He is in both world’s!

Hell is Gehenna - cosmic garbage dumb behind Jerusalem (filth, dead animals, dead criminals, fires burned, worms worked hard, dogs gnashed teeth)

- emotional anguish (gnashing of teeth - regret)

- physical anguish (fire, flames)

- relational anguish (no poker games, fraternity, orgies, darkness)

- spiritual anguish (bottomless pit)

- many are headed there who reject Jesus

- it’s eternal.

Hell is a joke. People in days of Noah thought the same. Lot’s people taught the same. Jesus died in vain. God is not just.

Your palace has a purpose

Ephesians 2:10 We are saved for good works

You can do everything better in heaven except evangelism

God raised you up, you are not here because you are cute, better!

If you make saving people your purpose, God will raise you up!

Jesus was the greatest Evangelist! Start with prayer. Desire. Giving!

Pay a price to make your purpose a priority

I love helping people as long as I don’t have to risk anything

Risk your comfort, selfishness, challenge your fears.

Don’t think about the price you have to pay to bring salvation, think about the price Jesus paid to earn your salvation!

Store up your treasure in heaven, here moth and rust will eat it!

Reward is greater than risk

I would rather be addicted to seeing people’s lives changed than being addicted to seeing my life ruined. (Liliya, Eder, my first salvation)

Jesus said it’s my food to do the will of Father (Stories of witnessing in sushi, Starbucks, gym, houses)

Life is like a game of TENNIS; the player who SERVES WELL SELDOM LOSES!

Story of Shavarsh Karapetyan.

A retired Soviet-Armenian champion swimmer. He is an 11-time World Record holder, 17-time World Champion, 13-time European Champion and 7-time USSR Champion.

September 16, 1976 on usual run 12 miles with His brother Kamo. Trolleybus carrying 92 people fell into side freezing water. That bus was about 80 feet offshore and 33 feet deep. He spend about 30-35 seconds for each person he saved. He pulled more than 20 but only 20 survived. This ended his career - cold water, multiple wounds, polluted water, he was unconscious for 45 days. Only 2 years later they mentioned that he was involved in that, he got crowns, and 60k letters.

February 19, 1985, he happened to be near burning building. He saved people out of the trapped building, again spend long time in hospital because of severe burns.

“I knew that I could only save so many lives, I was afraid to make a mistake. It was so dark down there that I could barely see anything. One of my dives, I accidentally grabbed a seat instead of a passenger... I could have saved a life instead. That seat still haunts me in my nightmares.”

Story of John Harper

Born on 1872 - 1912 in Scotland. Got saved at 14, started to preach at 18. At 25 became pastor at the church that grew to 500 members. At the age of 39 with daughter and niece, was going to preach at DL Moody church at Chicago.

On April 11 he boarded the ship. On April 14 ship struck the iceberg. Woke up his daughter and niece and put her on lifeboat 11. He gave his own life jacket. Survivors testified that he screamed “Woman and children and unsaved people into the boats”. They said they seen him on the upper decks on his knees praying for salvation. After midnight when the ship sunk, and over 1,000 people including him fought their lives in icy waters.

"I am a survivor of the Titanic. I was one of only six people out of 1517 to be pulled from the icy waters on that dreadful night. Like hundreds around me, I found myself struggling in the cold, dark waters of the North Atlantic. The wail of the perishing was ringing in my ears when there floated by me a man who called to me, ‘Is your soul saved?' Then I heard him call out to others as he and everyone around me sank beneath the waters. There, alone in the night with two miles of water under me, I cried to Christ to save me. I am John Harper's last convert." Aguilla Webb (four years later at Hamilton, Canada