A Rescuing God Esther 4 - 9

Introduction

Welcome my brothers and sisters! Kicking off Youth for 2023!

Alright, raise of hands, who has ever been in a situation where you needed God to come through for you?

Who here has ever had any drama with people?

Who here are just lying?

Everyone has had issues with people and if you haven’t had issues with people, when you start sharing the Gospels and taking steps of Faith you will!

This message is for you, today we are going over the story of Esther ch.4-9

Who here knows the story of Esther? If not you are in for a treat, this book has it all! Action! Drama! Suspense! Everything!

Today we are going to learn about a woman who took a massive risk to save her people, but it was worth any cost!

God’s Salvation comes through timely Risk

Esther 4:13–17 NIV

13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” 17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Here is the deal, no one could just barge into the King’s Court, you would have to be outside of your mind, there is actually a thing, it’s called death by cop or police. It is when people intentionally try to storm a military base or something, knowing that they will be shot.

Esther knew full well, she was dead anyways, she couldn’t hide her Identity, how did she know this because someone had the courage to tell her!

Sometimes we have to be a Mordecai and have the courage to say it like it is.

To be honest sometimes that is helpful, sometimes God will give us the situation that says, the only option I have is to be Bold, so let’s do.

Don’t be the person who just does nothing! All of you are way too important, way too skilled to do nothing, the world will miss out if you all stay on the sidelines, take the risk, be Bold.

Hear this heart, if I perish, I perish…I mean come on!

Esther did the work though, she didn’t just bust in there on a whim, she and the whole community prayed, they fasted, they sought God.

No one chose this circumstance to come upon them, but there they were, they had to respond!

Risk is good and God will often favour those who step in faith, but it is only a step most things of any importance must be walked!

God’s Salvation comes Through timely Action

Esther 8:1–8 NIV

1 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate. 3 Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him. 5 “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?” 7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up. 8 Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”

God clearly honoured Esther’s faithfulness, but the work was not done,

See, just going into the King’s court was risky but it wasn’t risky enough, Esther still had to expose Haman for his treachery, so God provided the way forward, but notice that God isn’t explicitly mentioned, often times it will seem that way!

Sometimes in our lives we can make the mistake of thinking that we are the ones doing everything or that what we are doing isn’t spiritual and I am here to say that is hogwash. God works His purposes through our actions! Remember, spiritually natural, naturally spiritual.

Persian law made it so that if something was decreed, then it was to be carried out, the danger had not passed, but now there was a way forward!

They now had to take action, they had to draft a plan and then even furthermore they had to defend themselves, enemies were coming,

but now God has armed His people! They could now fight back and fight back they did!

What Kind of God does this? Yahweh does, he works through and in His good world, working salvation!

Ultimately as good as any action is, the timing must be God’s and when it is, you know you will see the Victory!

God’s Salvation comes through timely Victory

Esther 9:1–2 NIV

1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. 2 The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them.

Timing was perfect, God had made Esther Queen for such a time as that, just as God has made you for this time and this hour, this age. You could have been born at any time to any family, but you were born here and now and that is with intent!

Has anyone ever struggled with God’s timing? I have.

Sometimes we want things now, sometimes we have to be patient, we must, we must seek God and wait on His timing and often that can be the hardest thing. When it is right, the Holy Spirit will tell you!

Look at what has happened in the Story, Mordecai and Esther are famous and the fear of them spread everywhere, they were in exile because of their unfaithfulness to God, but God used it for the salvation of all of His people.

This is our God, He redeems our situations, He is constantly turning Bad things for Good, constantly, but again, we participate in that!

So the real question is now, what can you do, here and now, where you are, with what you have to make a difference?

I guarantee it is more than you think! You just have to get moving, if you are wondering how do I start, start loving on some people and start talking about Jesus to others.

Conclusion

We need to see, that this is how our God works! He works through our Actions, our actions and his plans are not separate!

I’ll say that again, our actions and His plans are not separate!

All of you have a part to play! Every single one!

You... can and.... even I would dare say must! For the sake of the world take your stands! You must follow the example of Esther, the example of our Lord Jesus, take the stand, have faithful courage, don’t be fool hearty and just die on any and all hills!

No! but for the cause and sake of the Gospel, knowing Jesus and making Him known there are no limits to what ought to be done,

To be clear we are talking about saving this whole Cosmos! God hasn’t just saved you for nothing! He has appointed you for such a time as this, to take ground in your schools, in your families and in your communities!

When you do this, when you stand up for the truth, when you present Jesus as Lord, get ready for opposition, but like this story tells us, God says bring it on!

Did you know that even in this college here, only about 30% are Christian, likely it is even lower in other high schools. That means most people need to hear about Jesus! To be sure, you are the way that happens!

Think about this though:

Who can overcome the Lord of Heavens Armies?! Who has a Higher name than Jesus, who get’s the last Word other than Jesus!

NO ONE

There is no power greater than the power that is in you, right here and right now.