Responding to God's Blessings!
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Intro: Being blessed of God the way that we are here in America, it is very easy for us just to take for granted to goodness and blessings of God. It’s even easy to be complete unaware of it, if we are not careful. The Bible exhorts believers over and over again to take inventory of the blessings of God. For example...
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
The truth here is very simple. Do you believe God has been good to you? Then you ought to be growing in your faith! But oh, if we are unaware, or take for granted, I replace God’s blessings with my own hard work and ability which results in a lack of growth. If ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious? How do you know that you have tasted it? Take inventory of the blessings...
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Paul says God has been good and gracious toward us!
O taste and see that the Lord is good:
Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
In studying the conclusion of the book of Esther I can’t help but see the blessing and goodness of God! We see that the goodness of God ought to be celebrated! And that is exactly what we see! The Jews who understood that God had intervened on their behalf decided to have a celebration! But this celebration was not just a one time thing, and it wasn’t to be celebrated just for their generation but for every generation to come! It is a celebration that should remind them that their was a time that the child of God called upon their God and God triumphantly met that need!
I know, the world is in a tough place, I know we would rather be out of here… Listen, now is not the time to freight about the difficulty we face, now is the time for God’s people to rally together and celebrate the goodness, and greatness of our God, who in the midst of hardship has never one time let me down! What a help!!!
We should never grow tired about reading about God’s blessing upon His people, or tired of hearing about it, or tired of thanking Him for it!
In the book of Esther we never saw God’s name mentioned, or a prayer to God, or the Lord called upon in any way. But we see God working behind the scenes on behalf of Esther and Mordecai and the Jews, and they respond in the proper and Biblical way when God blesses! Well is this how we should respond? Isn’t He worthy?
Why are Christians some of the most miserable people we will ever meet! Think about what God has done for you in your life, think of the blessing of God and celebrate it and then think, do you really have anything to be miserable about?
Remember the Jews there were two days of fighting which led to two days of celebration. In Shushan one day, and in the providences the next day! They were united in victory, but divided in celebration!
Esther 9:18-20
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Although the circumstances between Nehemiah and Esther, the attitude of celebration was the same!
We should be quick to give the Lord praise! Do you realize God doesn’t have to do anything for us. He not blesses us but He gives us access to know and to spend time with Him, let us praise His name together!
Do realize that the Bible tells us that when we focus on the blessings of God, when God doesn’t even need to be bless us, it brings us JOY!
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in him, and I am helped:
Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;
And with my song will I praise him.
What a downer it is to be around believers that constantly are focused on the bad… What about the God that blesses your life! When I think of Him, I have nothing to complain, or to be sad over, or to boo hoo about! We should be celebrating our great God!
We should always respond to God’s blessings with rejoicing!
I think sometimes living in a world of misery and sinfulness, we almost feel bad about having joy. Listen, your joy isn’t in someone else’s pain, but in the fact that God has saved you! Praise Him!
Respond to God’s blessing by remember!
When we are waiting for an answer… Why doesn’t God care about me?
Esther 9:20-32 is the description of a new Jewish feast. In the law, there are seven feasts which all picture the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fulfillment of His first coming, and the kingdom here on this earth!
Passover - Death
Feast of Unleavened bread - Picture of his perfection and burial.
First fruits - Resurrection
Pentecost - Holy Spirit!
Months… On the seventh month - Picture of the time between His first coming and His second…
Feasts of Trumpets - The second coming of Christ when the nation of Israel will receive Christ as their king.
The feast of Tabernacle - Pictures when the Tabernacle of heaven comes and dwells here on this earth!
The Jews have two more feasts that they celebrate today.
Feasts of lights… Not Biblical but we see it referenced. Hanukkah
And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
During the silent years and in the second century b.c. the Jews were ruled by Antiochus Ephiphanes an Assyrian. He defiled the temple by slaughtering a pig upon the altar. Their was a group of priest called the Maccabees, who overthrew Antiochus Ephiphanes. Now that isn’t recorded in the Scriptures, but as a historical account it is found in the apocryphal writings. Not inspired Scripture, but historically, there is some truth.
The other feasts is found in Esther 9 called the feast of lots or the feasts Purim. It is based upon the lots that Haman had cast to determine the day that the Jews were to be exterminated. This day is a holy day unto the Lord or a Holiday. Originally here in America we had four days which were Holidays.
Christmas, Easter, Independence day, and Thanksgiving.
Birth, Resurrection, Providence in this country, and then our thankfulness to Him…
Now we have so many holidays, we have diluted the meaning…
VS. 20
Second letter Vs. 29
The first was passed in chapter 8...
Vs. 30-31...
Jewish congregations today have two days of celebration. They call it the Esther days, they gather in the synagogue to feast and hear the book of Esther read. Whenever Haman is mentioned, they bang, yell, have noise makers, hiss...
vs. 24-25
vs. 32… What book? The same book that was discussed in Chapter 2… but as it turns out it was also written in another book, the book of the Lord, your Bible!
The book that comes next...
Oh that my words were now written!
Oh that they were printed in a book!
Oh that one would hear me!
Behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me,
And that mine adversary had written a book.
The Lord not only recorded the trouble of the Jews in Job which is a clear picture… The 42 chapters of Job, clearly are a picture of the 42 months of the anti-Christ turning against Israel during the Tribulation period.
Do you know what is a blessing, although we understand Job to be older than Esther God put Esther before Job. Do you know why that is? There will be times that we will have to endure the trials like Job, and do you know how we will make it through? By remember the blessing and goodness of God, through our celebration that we learn about in Esther!
We understand our trials are meant to purify us… To chastise us, or sometimes to chastise a brother…
Don’t ever forget the days of Esther!
When your prone to forget the blessings of God… God back to the book.
Unless thy law had been my delights,
I should then have perished in mine affliction.
I will never forget thy precepts:
For with them thou hast quickened me.
I am thine, save me;
For I have sought thy precepts.
The wicked have waited for me to destroy me:
But I will consider thy testimonies.
I have seen an end of all perfection:
But thy commandment is exceeding broad.
Listen you read the Old Testament you realize that Israel doesn’t deserve anything God gave them, but oh, what joy that should bring you because your in the same boat as them…
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Responding to God’s blessing… What do we do with it? Return it, pass it on, share it!
Esther 10:1-3
That’s the way the story is going to end in the book of Revelation!
We see Esther last in chapter 9 and she is in favor with the king.
Mordecai is elevated to greatness!
How did Mordecai respond to God’s blessing?
…seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed!
Revelation 21-22 God is on the throne, the Lord Jesus Christ is on the throne on earth, tribute is being brought from around the world! The Jews have accepted Him as their Messiah! their is a book which records His greatness, all the world is given to the Jew for their wealth and we who are His seed, his given peace!
God’s preservation of the Jewish people, allows us to have a Bible, and a Saviour, and a reason for His return!
What are you going to do with the blessings of God? He blesses you, so that you can bless another!
If you here today, and God saved your soul! Share it with someone! Tell someone about what Christ has done for you!
We come to church, we are not doing God a favour, minister to the saints of God, be a blessing and show God how thankful you are fo rthe blessings he has b eswtowed upon you.