Well, What do you know?

Welcome:

Annual Meeting time of Discussion- Zoom at Noon!

Thank you for each of you who have continue to faithfully serve and give back to the Lord using the gifts, abilities and resources. There are too many to list individually, but you are a blessing, and you are blessed! May we continue to seek the Lord’s Wisdom and guidance to minister to one another and to our community.

Please pray for wisdom as we all, in our various roles seek to move forward, planning events and activities for the future.

Christian Education (VBS planning, Sunday School, Children’s Church, youth Group)

Fellowship (meals and events),

Worship (leading us, and guiding our attention to the Lord each Sunday)

Outreach (missionaries & community needs)

Elder Board- Ministry Vision and Oversight, Stewardship (various projects)

Call to Worship:

Colossians 3:1–3 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Opening Prayer:

Christian Education (VBS planning, Sunday School, Children’s Church, youth Group)

Fellowship (meals and events),

Worship (leading us, and guiding our attention to the Lord each Sunday)

Outreach (missionaries & community needs)

Elder Board- Ministry Vision and Oversight, Stewardship (various projects)

All Our Missionaries- as they each face differing challenges and that they would know your will and your way, as they minister and serve you each and every day.

Worship in Song-

God of All My Days-

I Will Follow

Kids’ Corner-

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 ESV

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Have you been Cheerful Givers this week? Were you able to cheerfully serve someone in some way in the past few days? Were you able to do things, cheerfully, without hesitation or being compelled. If you gave from a cheerful heart, you should have also reaped blessings as well.

This week, I want to give you a little something. We have bookmarks for you to help you remember the lesson for today.

Each bookmark has a puzzle piece glued to it. The puzzle piece represents you, and all that you will ever know, compared to our God who knows everything. We can only know a small portion of all that God knows. He only allows us to understand and know certain things. What we know is like ONE TINY PIECE OF A PUZZLE. Some puzzles have hundreds and thousands of pieces. When you look at one piece of the puzzle, can you tell what the whole thing looks like? Look at the puzzle piece that you were given. What is the picture? What it is a picture of? You probably can’t tell, because you can only see one little section of what the artist has drawn or one small portion of what fit into the view of the camera lens, what the photographer took a picture of.

Each book mark has a message on them, that says, “Puzzled?”which are intended to remind you, that we only see a small portion of the big picture that God has planned but when we are confused or don’t understand what is happening our what we should do, we can ask God to give us wisdom, so we can understand. I’ll let you know something, we are all lacking wisdom, each of us only have a small glimpse of understanding what is happening around us, and what the Almighty God is up to. He however, knows the whole story, and never forgets, what He needs to know or what He needs to do, or has to wonder how something will turn out.

James 1:5–6 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

This closely ties in with what I will be talking about throughout the sermon this morning . Well, What do you know? Not much. Maybe more than some people, maybe less than others. But certainly not anywhere near what God, the Eternal, All-knowing, All Present, Unchanging God knows!

Worship In Song-

Trust and Obey

Well, What do you know?

Esther 9:1–10 ESV

1 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. 3 All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, 7 and also killed Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they laid no hand on the plunder.

What seems to us, to be certain, is not always certain, so we should ask, “What do we know?” in such cases.

Esther 9:1 ESV

1 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.

We may form our opinions and our plans, but they may not always turn out as we expect.

Just ask the mainstream media about that. They were not expecting Donald Trump to become the 45th President of the United States

I wasn’t asked, but if I had been asked, last year at this time, if I would be a grandpa today, I would have said, it’s possible, but not probable. PRAISE THE LORD!! We had the incredible joy and blessing of meeting Reagan Rose Puckly this past week.

God often has plans in store for us, that are not on our radar. Sometimes those things are what we consider blessings/good things, while other times they are trials and difficulties.

If you would have asked me three months ago, would Calvary Baptist Church be hosting “Livestream” and Drive-In Church services for several months, I would have said, Nope, I don’t think so.

I don’t know about you, but as I have faced uncertain events, unplanned events or difficult events I find myself feeling lost, confused, without an understanding of what is going on. Like I don’t have my bearings. I am lead to believe that the Jews may have found themselves in such a state, as they were facing the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar. Which was the day they were to be executed.

In times like these in times of crisis, we always look for something solid, some truth, something sure, to hold on to. I often find myself asking, “What do I know?” Especially these past few months. I’ve been asking myself, “What are the facts?” When you build a puzzle, many people start with the edge pieces. Why? Because their one smooth side is easily identifiable, and it forms boundaries. There isn’t going to be another piece of this puzzle that goes outside of this piece.

You probably have situations and circumstances that have come and gone, where you may have said, “Well, What do you know?”

Either in an inquisitive sense, or in a sarcastic, or facetious way.

I believe, this passage in the Book of Esther and the greater context of Scripture, causes us to ask the question, “Well, What do I know?” or “What do you know?” or “What does He know?”

The Book of Esther Compels us to ask a lot of Questions.

Why was the king, so irresponsible and become drunk and make unwise choices?

Why were the Jews who were God’s Chosen people, living under the rule of a Persian King?

Why was an exiled orphan girl, chosen to become the Queen?

Why was Haman given the opportunity to right an edict in the king’s name to execute all the Jews?

How did Mordecai happen to overhear the plot against the king’s life?

Why isn’t God’s name mentioned anywhere in this book?

Why did Haman cast lots, to select the day on which the Jews should be executed?

Esther 9:1-10 caused me to ask a lot of questions

Why did the enemies, hate the Jews?

Why did they hate them so much that they not only wanted them killed, but they attacked them, to “gain mastery over them”

What gave Mordecai power and favor in the eyes of the king’s advisors and in the eyes of the king?

Why did God allow the Jews to kill people, when Christ told his followers to turn the other cheek, and He exemplified that in His willing sacrifice on the Cross? (I believe

Well, What do we know? according to Esther 9:1-10

God Made a Way to save His people.

Listen to the last phrase of verse 1

Esther 9:1 ESV

1 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.

This was not what the enemy hoped for, or expected.

The Jews gathered together to make a defense

Esther 9:2 ESV

2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples.

4. The Jews were only defending themselves, not on the offensive.

“to lay hands on those who sought their harm.” They were not seeking revenge. They were not seeking retribution, or restitution (Esther 9: 10) says, they laid no hand on the plunder. Esther 9: 16, states, that the Jews in the rest of the Persian Empire gathered to defend themselves.

5. Others rose up to defend the Jews

Esther 9:3 ESV

3 All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them.

Sometimes Scripture Leads us to ask Questions and it sometimes leaves us Scratching our Heads.

That isn’t a bad thing. That, I believe is intentional, on the part of the author, because, as we dig deeper, looking for answers to determine, what we can know, we find marvelous truths about God.

Article by Joe Rigney

Confronting the Problem(s) of Evil

Why was it always winter and never Christmas in Narnia? Because the White Witch enslaved the land.Why was it always winter and never Christmas in Narnia? Because that’s the way Lewis wrote the story.Why does Aslan have to die? Because Edmund was a traitor.Why does Aslan have to die? Because that's how Lewis wrote it.Who killed the White Witch? Aslan did.Who killed the White Witch? Lewis did.

Every aspect of the story—from plot to characters to background details—is under the sovereign control of the Author. And the actions of the characters are necessary for the resolution of the plot.

Well. . . What do you know?

Especially during times of uncertainty, this is a good question for us to ask ourselves, but we ought to always seek to be sure that our answers are founded upon truth and that we act in obedience to the Word of God, trusting and obeying Him.

You and I are only human (fallible, ignorant, and finite) Cause for humility (as we observed in Esther as she approached the king)

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:33 ESV

33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

We see only a PIECE of the puzzle!

God’s Word is Truth- Believe it

John 17:17 ESV

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

This is something that I gives me incredible joy, peace and comfort. Even when Scripture is difficult to comprehend or reconcile with my feelings, it is always true. Just like math fact- 2 + 2 = 4, all the time. That doesn’t change. It is substantiated fact!

James 1:5–6 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

God is Faithful and Trustworthy of all praise and glory

He is praiseworthy for the incredible blessings- like seeing a smile on the face of you infant grandchild, when she hears someone call her name.

Praise Him for times us uncertainty and trial, believing that His ways are higher than our ways, unsearchable.

Blessed is the Man who Trusts in God

Jeremiah 17:7 ESV

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

As much as it depends upon you, live at peace with all men.

Romans 12:18 ESV

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

God is Just- Vengeance is His, He will repay

Romans 12:19 ESV

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Those who believe and trust in Christ, have died with Him and have been raised to new life in Him.

Romans 6:6–11 ESV

6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

We are citizens of Heaven, who are guided in Truth by the Holy Spirit our Comforter, Counselor and Guide.

John 16:13 ESV

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Ultimately, we will answer to God.

Romans 14:12 ESV

12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

It will be marvelous to be found in Christ.

Hebrews 9:27–28 ESV

27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Worship in Song:

Great is Thy Faithfulness-

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Close in prayer