Divine Providence 2
Notes
Transcript
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 a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.
Righteousness angers Satan.
a. Haman epitomized the devil, and he even was willing to fund his wicked plan himself.
b. Just look to the radical Muslim world—the extent to which they are willing to go to promote their cause.
We see what is going on in Israel right now, here in the United States and across the world.
The bible tells us that in the last days perilous times will come
Perilous: strongly implies the immediacy of danger.
and that people will be asleep..spiritually
2. Many Christians have fallen asleep and need to awake.
quote:
“The heated dispute over values in Western nations is simply a continuation of the age-old struggle between the principles of righteousness and the kingdom of darkness.
this has been the case throughout all of time, from the very beginning of time.
Thus, when we oppose:
pornography
the killing of unborn babies
the strong and direct attacks on our teenagers
the promotion of alternate lifestyles.
Make no mistake....we are in a war…an epic battle for our souls and for the souls of our children.
granted, these things have been around for a while....but as the end times draw nearer....they are becoming more and more targeted and deliberate.
the devil knows his time is short....
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
—our battles are not primarily with our philosophical opponents—but against ‘Satan, who leads the whole world astray’” (Dobson, Christianity Today, June 19, 1995, 28).
“all to often, we as christians, stand by idle and choose to not stand up to the killing of babies, the spreading of homosexual propaganda to our children, the distribution of condoms and immoral advice to our teenagers, and the undermining of marriage as an institution? We must ask ourselves....Would Jesus have ignored these wicked activities?” (Dobson,
Christianity Today, June 19, 1995, 30).
3. This is not the time to let up in our fight against evil but rather a time to stand up and be counted.
a time to move with conviction and boldness like never before
to dramatically increase our commitment and dedication to God.
It is a refreshing thing when we see government officials in our country standing up and making a fight for our freedoms and making a stand against the evils that are attacking us now...
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
what this scripture is sayings is this:
we must know and discern the times we are in and must rise to the occasion.
If there is any worthy cause, it is worthy to be fought for
The fight must go on. The cause of civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of one or even one hundred defeats.
Abraham Lincoln
this fight we are engaged in must go on.......no matter how many times it seems to be defeat....it is a cause worthy of fighting for.
16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the Lord had been my help, My soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18 When I said, My foot slippeth; Thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.
when i was at the edge of my destruction, my God came and rescued me
he kept my feet from slipping, put them on that solid rock and became my Salvation.
The Preparation
The Preparation
When Mordecai would not bow, Haman, by deceptive words, persuaded King Xerxes to accept his evil scheme.
2. At this point, a deliverer would be needed if the Jews where to have any chance at all.
but we know that God is nigh unto them that call upon his name...
18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon him in truth.
3. but we can be assured, that Providence was already at work.
God already had a plan in place that would be made manifest to those that put their full faith and trust in him.
4. we look at the words that where told to queen Esther?
14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
we are here for such a time as this....are we ready to make that stand?
the bible says that the harvest is ready but the laborers are few.
4. we see that fast was declared by queen Esther.
5. Esther had already made up her mind but was evoking the power and deliverance of her God to go before her.
by recognizing God first in our lives, we are putting God before us and not behind us.
allowing him to take full control and direction in our lives…not to push us but rather to lead us....as the great shepherd does.
rather than always reacting…we must act
We must become the “tip of the spear”
What's the Tip of the Spear?
Traditionally, the term is used by military strategists, tacticians, and historians to describe the sudden and overwhelming use of combat force to pierce an enemy's first line of defense. It's the first and most meaningful action in an offensive.
when we take to our knees, when we fast and seek God first, when we put our shoulder to the grind stone (so to speak), when we give God everything that we have to give, we break down the enemies first line of defense and cripple his ability for victory or launch a successful offensive
16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”
Faith and Works
Faith and Works
We all know that faith and works go hand in hand....this is what we would call “faith in action”.
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead”
Esther had to do her part if her people were to be saved.
She declared her commitment to the work of God with the words, “If I perish, I perish.”
We see in the bible that (Luke 22:42) Christ set the example for us in that he put his flesh aside to fulfil the will of God.
he said “......nevertheless, not my will but thine be done”
Christ became the “tip of the spear”. our power, strength and deliverance...
he blew a hole through the enemies front line....he, once and for all, took away the enemies foot hold that he had gained.
Fasting and Prayer
Fasting and Prayer
Haman was but a tool in the hands of Satan.
Our real battle is against the invisible forces of Satan, and this battle is not ours alone to fight
2 Chronicles tells us this:
“.....Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s”
47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.
Esther called for every Jew in the city of Shushan to join her and her maidens in three days of fasting and prayer.
5. At the end of these days of preparation, Esther went in before the king.
regarding not her own life but in faith and trust in her God....
The Deliverance
The Deliverance
in the work that Esther had before her, She donned her queenly robes and boldly stepped into the king’s presence.
we see that God was with Esther and paved the way for her and his people…Victory was already won.
1 On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance.
2 When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.
again Queen Esther knew she was risking her life when she came unbidden into the presence of the mighty king of Persia in his throne room.
Even though she was his favorite wife, he did not know she was a Jew or that she was hoping to get Haman’s terrible order for genocide of the Jews reversed.
She knew that it was a capital offense for even a queen to go into the throne room without authorization, and that only the king—by holding out to her his golden scepter—could save her life.
we have been chosen for such a time as this, we do what we do because there is an urgent cause…a deperate need that exists.
we remember, what David said in 1 Samuel..”Is there not a cause”
God is our strength and deliverer and he upholds us with the right hand of his righteousness.
13 For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.
The Work of the Spirit
The Work of the Spirit
Once again, the Spirit of God intervened.
“That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him” (Esther 6:1).
2. In reading the chronicles, the king found that nothing had been done to reward Mordecai for having saved him when men tried to overthrow his kingdom.
a. So he decided to honor Mordecai for his faithful service.
3. The Lord, once again, turned the tables.
“So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’” (Esther 6:11).
4. It was a crushing blow to the ego of Haman
The work of Esther
The work of Esther
the work of queen Esther was completely upheld by her faith and trust in a God
Once Esther knew she had the king’s favor, she planned two banquets, and each time the king and Haman were invited.
1 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet.
2 On this second occasion, while they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared.
As a result of this, Haman’s evil plot was revealed, and he was hanged in place of Mordecai.
We serve a great and mighty God that can turn the tables of any situation in our lives.
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing” (Mills 1867, 36).
We have been called for such a time as this....to make our stand.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Lord is searching for those who will stand for His cause.
2. Today approximately 151,600 people died in the world (2011 statistics cited in Quora, n.d.).
3. Tomorrow another 151,600 people will die.
4. This month approximately 4,548,000 will face eternity.
5. Could it be that you have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this?
the world is proclaiming the signs of the times....Our time has come and now is, will we be found, when God returns, about our fathers business?
It has been said....If not now then when, if not you then who....
“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:30).
6. We must remain vigilant praying that Esthers will rise to the occasion.
a. “If I perish, I perish, but I am going to go before the king.”