“Esther: The Diva God Used” (Part #6)

KEY PASSAGE: Esther 4:13–17 (NASB)

Thank you again [Worship Band] for the wonderful time of Praise and Worship. Father God, we give you total praise this morning. My prayer is, may we stop giving You part-time praise when we have a full-time God. May God give us ears to hear what the Spirit says to the church, and we will give You the glory in the name of Jesus. Amen. Let’s give God all the praise, honor, and glory.

Holy Communion Exhortation

Today is the first Sunday of the month, and we take communion on the first Sunday. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:26 that as often as we take the Lord’s supper, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He returns. Communion tells a beautiful story, and communion reveals the effect of the story. To summarize this story, Christ gave us His life, and He is coming again for you and me.

As we take communion this morning, I want us to look back because the broken bread we are about to eat reminds us of Christ’s body. I want us also to look ahead because the return of Jesus is the blessed hope of the church and the individual Christian. Communion is a time of thanksgiving and joyful anticipation of seeing the LORD JESUS! Jesus gave thanks even though He was about to suffer and die. Let us also give thanks as we take communion and fellowship with a living Savior as our hearts reach out to Him by faith. We will pass around the communion element as we continue with worship service.

Let us pray. Gracious Father, I pray that You refresh our souls with the joy of Your salvation. Bless the little piece of bread as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice and the unity of this Christ. Bless the cup as a sharing in the death of Christ, as we die to ourselves to live for You. Thank You for Your love and forgiveness. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.

Tithe and Offering

As we give our tithe and offering, I want to remind you and me that God desires our hearts. I want to share one verse to encourage you and me as you pay your tithe and offering. James 1:17 says, “Every good thing given, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” God wants to bless us spiritually, financially, and in many other ways. But God needs our hearts first. And so, paying our tithes and giving our offerings are essential principles for all Christians to follow. When we honor God with our tithes and offerings, it says to the world that God is first in our lives, and secondly, it helps the local church in so many ways. And one of the ways is to advance the work of God here on earth. So, thank you for being obedient. Please follow the instructions on the screen on how to give. Our ushers will pass the offering plates as we continue with worship.

Welcome

Please stand up, greet some folks around you, and welcome them to worship. We welcome you to our Sunday Worship Service. We also welcome all who join us online. Let's clap for our online viewers.

Announcement

Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. is our church’s weekly BIBLE STUDY. We are close to finishing the Book of Luke. So, please join us on Wednesday night to STUDY THE WORD OF GOD. Our weekly corporate prayer meeting at the church is on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Our next Men’s Breakfast is at the church on Saturday, July 27th, at 10:00 a.m. I want to encourage all the men to attend the Men’s Breakfast. This is a great place to fellowship and get to know other men in the church. Also, our Women’s Night is this Saturday, July 20th, at 6:00 p.m. here at the church. Women, please be sure to attend the Women’s Night. To all our leaders, our church’s monthly leadership meeting is July 20th at 12:00 p.m. here at the church.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

LORD, we thank You for giving us what we could never have gained on our own – the gift of eternal life and being part of Your family through Jesus Christ. I pray that You help us understand what it means to have been saved and the difference that makes in all our lives. I pray that the tithes and offerings be used to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. And may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, our Rock, and our Redeemer. Amen.

Declaration of Faith in God

Let us stand and say the Declaration of Faith in God together.

SERMON INTRODUCTION

In most kitchens, if not all, there are blenders (mixers, if you will). These blenders are designed to take independent foods and integrate them, coagulate them, unite them, and interface them to create something new, bigger, and better than any one item that could be on its own. A blender takes food, crushes them, and forces them together so that what started as separate unrelated things have now become amalgamated (merged and fused) into something extraordinary.

What a housewife does in a kitchen when she mixes the batter for a cake, pie, or smoothie, God does with the universe. God is the consummate blender. His ability to take unrelated things to create something bigger, better, more significant, extraordinary, and more beautiful than what He started with is amazing (remarkable). No story in the bible illustrates God’s ability to do that like the Book of Esther. The Book of Esther is unique in all of the Bible because it is the only book in the Bible where God’s name is not found.

When you start with the first verse and read the last verse of the Book of Esther, you will not see God’s name. That is not true of any place else in the Bible. You will not see people sacrificing to God. You will have no reference to the word of God or the law of God in the Book of Esther. This caused quite a stir when the books of the Old Testament were being compiled. How could God author a book where He didn’t even show up by name? But while the name of God is not present in the Book of Esther, (Watch this), His fingerprints are everywhere. The Book of Esther reminds us that there is nothing in this world that is outside the influence of the purpose of God.

There is a word for this in systematic theology. The word is “providence.” What is providence? Providence is the hand of God in the glove of history. It is the work of God whereby He integrates and blends events in the universe to fulfill His original design for which it was created. Providence is God sitting behind the steering wheel of time. Providence refers to God’s control (governance) of all events to direct them toward an end. Providence is God taking what you and I would call luck, chance, mistakes, and coincidence and stitching them together into achieving His program.

One of the realities of providence is that God’s providential dealings are done behind the scenes, unbeknownst to His people. You don’t see God; you see stuff happening. Sometimes, it happens and doesn’t look like it should be happening. It looks like it was a mistake. It seems like it happened by chance or luck. It looks like things are chaotic and out of order when the invisible hands of God are pulling strings to bring about His perfect plan for His people.

So, before I get any further into my sermon, the question is not, “Is God in control of this world?” But we should ask ourselves, “Is God controlling my life?” Are we cooperating with God so that we are a part of the answer and not a part of the problem?”

SERMON EXPOSITION

In one of our Men’s Breakfasts in May, we discussed the Book of Esther and the absence of God’s name. In the Book of Esther, God’s people live outside God’s will. God had told them to return to Israel from Babylon, but many did not return and decided to stay. Like many folks today, including Christians, they had become complacent and comfortable in Persia and took over Babylon. They were at home out of the will of God. And so, you can be at home and out of the will of God. Like Jonah, who fell asleep and was out of the will of God. You can get so comfortable being out of the will of God that it is too much trouble to get back into it.

So, God takes a step back in the Book of Esther. Watch This: God does not even allow His name to be used since its context is a people living outside of God’s will to teach us something about God through the life of a diva. Through the life of a young lady described in chapter 2 of the Book of Esther, verse 7 this way, “He was the guardian to Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young woman was beautiful of form and [a]face, and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.”

The word Esther means “star.” She was beautiful in form and her face. She was easy on the eyes, and she was good to look at. She was pretty, and she was gorgeous. She was a bad Mama-Jama. That is basically what she was. She may not have a lot going on for her. But we are told in Esther 2 verse 7 that she lost her mother and father at a young age, but there was one thing about Esther, named “Star”: she was beautiful. Whatever the gene pool was that brought Esther together worked for her because the girl was pretty and hot. Esther was a diva.

The story leads up to an understanding of Esther coming on the scene and becoming the star of the show (I called it the Esther’s Show). The Esther show was about the head of Persia, King Ahasuerus, having a banquet. There are about five banquets in these two chapters. King Ahasuerus liked to party, and he had a banquet. It was typical for the women to be in one place and the men to be in another when he had a banquet among his officials. His wife’s name was Queen Vashti. He told Vashti, his beautiful wife, to come in and display herself before all the men at the party (at the banquet).

The Bible says, “King Ahasuerus had become full of alcohol.” He had become drunk, and as many of you all know, when a person becomes drunk, intoxicated, and inebriated, when they lose that sense of rational thinking, they can say crazy things and do crazy things. So, the king summoned Vashti, his wife, and said, “Come on in here and let me show you off before all the men (all the guests) at the party.” This is not just an ordinary walk because we are told that Vashti was beautiful, and the king’s request indicates some uncovering and disclosure, perhaps a Playboy centerfold, if you will.

This was inappropriate, and Vashti said, “Oh, King, no. You are crazy. I am not doing that.” Ahasuerus says, “No, you don’t understand. I am the king of Persia,” to which Vashti responds, “You are a fool. I am not going to put myself on display out there,” to which the men told the king.” (Stay with me) I am summarizing the first two chapters here for you. The men told the king, “Well, King, if your wife can say no to you and get away with it, then the word’s going to spread through the kingdom that the King’s wife bucked up against him, and we are going to have problems with our wives.”

After hearing this, the king decided to get rid of his wife. There was pressure on the king, and he said, “I can’t have this rebellion.” Because he was the king, he got rid of his wife. A few days later, the king got sober. Remember now, all this happened while the king was drunk. When he gets sober, chapter 2, verse 1 says, “After these things the anger of the King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.”

In other words, the King came to his senses. Have you ever been so drunk with alcohol that you say something inappropriate that you regret later? You have lost your mind. There is a big problem for the king. Let me tell you what the problem is. In Persia, there was a law that said that when you make a decree, you can’t reverse it. When you make a declaration, you can’t change it. The King decreed that Vashti be banished (removed and expelled). The king is sad and having a bad day because he can’t reverse his decree, and now he is depressed.

So, the king’s attendants came up with a brilliant idea. In verse 2 of chapter 2, They said, “Let all the beautiful virgins be brought before the king, and let’s get a new Vashti.” Let’s get another fine lady to take her place. And there were a lot of beautiful women out here in Persia. They told the king not to get all depressed about Vashti. Let’s parade the most beautiful women in the kingdom.

Now, the author of the Book of Esther wants you to know Esther was pretty. She was good-looking, and one of the ladies identified to be brought before the king for consideration to be his new bride. Stay with me: “So it came about …” in verse 8, “… when the command and the decree of the king were heard and many of the young ladies were gathered in the citadel of Susa …” verse 9 says (Watch this), “… the young lady pleased him …” Esther, “… and found favor with him so he quickly provided her with cosmetics and food and gave her seven choice maids from the king’s palace and transferred her and her attendants.”

In verse 10 of the text (Watch this), “Esther did not make known her people or her kindred for Mordecai …” her cousin “… had instructed her that she should not make them known.” I don’t have the time to go through the entire Book of Esther, but there is a guy in the kingdom of Persia named Haman. The king has promoted Haman in chapter 3, verse 1, to a high position. And, like lots of folks who get promoted at a job. Haman has a big head.

“The king commands that everybody give recognition to Haman…” verse 2 of chapter 3, “… But Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman. Then, the king’s servants at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, ‘Why do you transgress the king’s command?’ ” In other words, Mordecai wouldn’t bow to Haman, who had been promoted.

So here, we got this Jew who ought to be happy that he is alive, refusing to bow to Haman, who has been promoted. In verse 5 of chapter 3, we are told that Haman …” is filled with rage.” Haman is upset that Mordecai won’t bow before him. So, he decides, in verse 6, “… to kill all the Jews …”

Mr. Big Head Haman is ticked off at one man and wants to wipe out the whole race. He wants to kill an entire nation. He wants to commit genocide. That is the story to this point, and I just covered three chapters for you in the Book of Esther. Haman wants all the Jews dead because a law is passed in Chapter 3 by the king. In verse 1 of chapter 4, Mordecai got the news: “When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly.” That means Mordecai cried like a baby. Do you remember we talked about Peter crying like a baby last Sunday when he denied Jesus three times?

(Watch this) Mordecai sends a message to Esther, giving her a copy of the text. Remember, Esther has not told her husband she is a Jew. That is private information between her and her cousin Mordecai. Mordecai gives a copy of the text that the destruction of the Jews has been ordained, and then he sends the message to Esther. Verse 11 of chapter 4 says, “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law and that is to be put to death unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come before the king these thirty days.”

Mordecai sends a message to Esther, who lives in the palace with the king. He told Esther it was time to tell the king who you are. I told you to keep quiet before, but this is showtime and not the time to stay quiet. The Jews are about to be killed. Esther writes back to Mordecai and says, Mordecai, you don’t understand how things work up here in the palace because up here in the palace, you can’t go into the king like that. The king and I haven’t seen each other for 30 days. We are not even talking right now. And if a person walks in and the king doesn’t hold out that scepter, they are going to kill you.

Esther said to Mordecai. You don’t understand; I have come from rags to riches. I have come from the outhouse to the White House. I have come from walking to riding a Mercedes Chariot. I did come from Target to Neiman Marcus. I have come a long way, and what you are asking me to do is risk my future and my well-being for yours. I don’t live with you all anymore. I live in the king’s palace. My name is Esther, and I am a star. and I am living large.

Mordecai gets a note from Esther, and he has a prepared note. His note in verse 13 says, “Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, ‘Do not imagine …” because it is just your imagination running away with you. Let’s put it this way, “Don’t think for a moment that you are living in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent (remain quiet) at this time, deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?’ ”

Watch this now: Mordecai says, Esther, you do not understand. You think that because you are unwilling to act, God will not act and do something for His people. He says, “Don’t think you will escape by keeping quiet.” One good-looking diva is not going to stop God’s program. One good-looking woman will not stop God’s plan for His people. I don’t care how good-looking you are, how fine you are, how rich you are, or how upper-class you are; I want you to know that if God can’t use you, He will find somebody else. If God can’t use you, He will use the person next to you.

SERMON APPLICATION

Mordecai makes a powerful statement that everybody in this room needs to know: “God doesn’t need you.” As we ponder Mordecai’s words to Esther, we can learn some fundamental spiritual truths about God’s providence that are important for all Christians today. The first truth is: “God has divine purposes to accomplish in this world.” God’s purpose involves the Jewish nation and the Gentile nations of the world, and God’s purpose also involves the church. Watch this: God deals with individuals and nations, and He touches the lives of kings, queens, ordinary people, godly people, and wicked people.

Mordecai made it clear to Esther that “God accomplishes His purposes through people.” For reasons that we don’t fully understand today, God permits wicked people to do evil things in this world, but God can work in and through unbelievers and His people to accomplish His purposes. All I am saying to you is that God is the supreme ruler in great and little things. Don’t miss that.

The third truth that Mordecai emphasized was that “God will accomplish His purposes even if His people (servants) refuse to obey His will.” If Esther rejected God's will for her life, God could still save His people, but Esther would be the loser. If you and I refuse to obey God, He can do two things. He can abandon us and get somebody else to do the job; we will lose the reward and blessing. Or God can discipline us until we surrender to His will.

The fourth lesson I want to share is that “God isn’t in a hurry but will fulfill His plans in due time.” If you were reading the Book of Esther for the first time, you might become impatient with God and inadvertently conclude that God was doing nothing. In chapters 1 and 2, we have an intoxicated king and his flattering advisers who seem to be in charge. From chapters 3 to 6, it looks like a wicked man named Haman is in control. The question is, “Where is God?” God is never in a hurry. God knows the end from the beginning (that is why He is called the alpha and omega – the beginning and the end),, and His declarations (decrees) are always right and on time.

Today, we live in a world of pomposity, where people get the big head because they have a little something. Folks who all of a sudden, because they got a nice job. We all know folks who drive a nice car expect to be treated in a certain way. They have developed a wrong view of themselves. Do you want to know who a great person is?

A great person is one whom God has blessed, but that person never forgets where the blessing came from. A great person has been blessed and seeks opportunities to be a blessing to other people. They want to be used by God as a conduit, and not only as a cul-de-sac. God is looking for conduit Christians and not cul-de-sac Christians.

God is looking for servants. God is not looking for folks who want their names in lights, their names on the front of the newspaper page, and their names on the television screen. The Bible says, “The greatest of you shall be my servant.”I want our church to be known as a church of servants. This church has no superstars; we are all servants of the true and living God.

Illustration

The problem with this blessing today is that it is always for me. Nothing is wrong with the blessing being for you, but it can’t be only for you. The blessing can’t be so self-centered that the kingdom of God can’t use it. You have been called to royalty (popularity) for this unique position for such a time as this. (Watch this) Your value to God, brothers, and sisters, and my value to God is in our usefulness.

If you go to the beach and you walk on the beach sand, the sand on the beach is free. Sand is free when you walk on a public beach. But if you take some of that sand, and you need it for a playground, it will cost you 25 dollars a bag. If you need sand for sandpaper, it will cost you about five dollars a sheet. In Silicon Valley, California, where they use sand to make computer chips, that is 500 dollars for using the sand for the computer chip. That is the same free sand that is on the beach. These folks take free sand from the beach and charge you 500 dollars when it gets linked to a computer chip. Why? Usefulness.

See, as a Christian, your value goes up when your usefulness goes up. See, one of the reasons God can’t hang out (abide with us) with us is because our usefulness goes down, and when God can’t use you, God is not interested in blessing you. Or God will allow you to have it; it will just decay in your hands. What good is having my house and being miserable going home? What good is having a job that is stressing you out so bad that you have to be popping pills? What good is having stuff when you don’t have peace of mind? Mordecai told Esther you have attained royalty for something bigger than you. You are blessed to be a blessing to other people.

Conclusion

If God can use you, He can turn it around. The Bible is full of people who God used. When Moses’ mother didn’t know what to do with her baby boy and put him in the water, it was when Pharaoh’s daughter was taking a bath. God worked it out. Yes, Moses’ mother became his nanny and got paid to raise her son Moses. Joseph was sold into slavery, but God worked it out, and he became the Prime Minister of Egypt. All I am saying is, "God can work it out for you; It is Not Too Late.” Don’t quit on God. Don’t throw in the towel. Don’t throw your talent on God. God can work it out. Don’t you stop praying? Don’t you stop witnessing? Don’t you stop testifying? God can work it out. He can work it out for you.

Faith Appeal and Call to Action

So don’t get too cute up in here today. Praise God if you are a doctor. Praise God if you are a lawyer. Praise God if you are an engineer. Praise God if you are an accountant. Praise God if you are pretty. Praise God if you are driving a nice car. Praise God if you live in a nice house, but don’t get too cute up here. Don’t you get too cute here because God can work it out? God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

And if you are here today and you are not a Christian and you are floundering around – It is Not Too Late for You. You can stop all the floundering around right now if you ask God to forgive you for your rebellion against Him based on what Jesus Christ did on the cross by dying and paying your sins in full. When you surrender your life to Jesus, tell Him you want to follow Him. He will come into your heart right now, and you will be a new person.

Let’s stand on our feet, pray to God, and trust Him to work out in our lives.

Benediction

Father, may we be a church that is not so sophisticated that we don’t believe we have a God who works it out behind the scenes? A God who is constantly moving and turning things around unbeknownst to us. Father God, thank You for Your patience with all of us. I pray that everyone who hears this message will face up to reality—that there are only two ways to live—out of God's will or in God’s will. There is only one way to get into God’s will: through His Son, Jesus. And there is one way to live in God’s will: by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in every believer. We love You, Father, and thank You for Your Word. Keep Your Word on our lips and hearts because we want Your best. You provided it, and we thank You for it in the name of Jesus name. Amen.

God bless you. We will see you next week at 10:30 a.m.