A SHEROE'S STAND - ESTHER 5:1

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 5)

5 On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing its entrance.

BIG IDEA: WHEN WE STAND FOR GOD, GOD STANDS IN US!

IT’S A SHOW-NUFF SHOWDOWN! THE EDICT TO DESTROY THE JEWS IS IN PLACE, WHILE THE ONLY PERSON OF INFLUENCE (ESTHER) HAS BEEN PUT IN PLACE. REMEMBER: THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME TO FULFILL THE RIGHT ASSIGNMENT...

ESTHER HAS COMMANDED MORDECAI AND THE PEOPLE: Y’ALL FAST (PRAY). WE’LL FAST. I’LL GO.

SHE’S COMMITTED TO DYING, BECAUSE THOSE ARE HER ONLY TWO OPTIONS...

AND THE STORY CONTINUES:

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 5)

5 On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing its entrance. 2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she gained favor with him. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

HERE IS OUR FIRST MOVEMENT:

ESTHER STOOD!

BELOVED, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN STANDING AND STANDING ALONE IS THE MOST YOU CAN DO: WHAT DO YOU DO, WHEN YOU’VE DONE ALL YOU CAN AND SEEMS LIKE IT’S NEVER ENOUGH…AND WHAT DO YOU SAY WHEN YOUR FRIENDS TURN AWAY. YOU’RE ALL ALONE...

ESTHER STOOD. BUT WATCH THE TEXT:

THE KING FAVORED ESTHER

THE KING EXTENDED (SCEPTER)

ESTHER APPROACHED

FAITH & FAVOR CAN GREATLY IMPACT THE FACTS!

THE DRAMA AND TENSION TAKING PLACE ARE REMARKABLE! AND YET, ESTHER TRUSTS...

SHE TRUSTS THE PROCESS…

SHE TRUSTS HER INSTINCTS.

SHE TRUSTS HER GOD!

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 5)

3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king asked her. “Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be given to you.”4 “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for them.”

ESTHER DOESN’T ASK FOR WHAT SHE NEEDS...

SHE DOESN’T BLURT OUT THE ISSUE - TIMING IS EVERYTHING!

ESTHER IS OPERATING UNDER THE PROVIDENTIAL HAND OF GOD (PROVIDENCE: GOD AT WORK IN THE DETAILS)!

POINT: HER DELAY IS GOD’S PLAN!

WHILE FEASTING WITH THE KING AND HER ENEMY, ESTHER IS ASKED AGAIN, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

WE DON’T KNOW WHY THE DELAY (AT THIS MOMENT), BUT AT THE VERY LEAST, ESTHER DISARMED HER ENEMY!

READ VS. 9-14 - WE ARE NOW GRANTED A GLIMPSE INTO HATRED:

HATERS WANT YOU AFRAID!

HATERS PLOT TO DESTROY!

HATERS HAVE ALLIES!

REMEMBER WE LEARNED, IF YOU WATCH TOO CLOSELY, YOU’LL MISS THE BIG PICTURE - WIDEN THE PERSPECTIVE - WIDEN YOUR GAZE: READ 6: (ALL OF IT)

ESTHER’S DELAY IS GOD’S PLAN!

DON’T LET FOLKS RUSH YOU! TRUST THE TIMING OF GOD IN THE DETAILS OF YOUR LIFE!

OUR FIRST MOVEMENT: ESTHER STOOD...

SECOND,

ESTHER STOOD UP TO HAMAN!

LET’S READ 7:1-6 - The king and Haman came to feast, with Esther the queen. 2 Once again, on the second day while drinking wine, the king asked Esther, “Queen Esther, whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek, even to half the kingdom, will be done.”

3 Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if the king is pleased, spare my life; this is my request. And spare my people; this is my desire. 4 For my people and I have been sold to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept silent. Indeed, the trouble wouldn’t be worth burdening the king.”

5 King Ahasuerus spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?”,

6 Esther answered, “The adversary and enemy is this evil Haman.”

Haman stood terrified before the king and queen.

VS. 3 - SIMPLE REQUEST (SPARE MY LIFE)

VS. 6 - COURAGEOUS REBUKE

VS. 7 - COWARDLY RESPONSE (BEGGING HAMAN) THE MERCILESS IS BEGGING FOR MERCY!

FINAL MOVEMENT:

ESTHER STOOD - ESTHER STOOD UP TO HAMAN...

HERE IT IS:

ESTHER STOOD UP FOR HER PEOPLE!

WHEN WE STAND UP FOR GOD, GOD STANDS IN US!

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 8)

8 That same day King Ahasuerus awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed her relationship to Mordecai. 2 The king removed his signet ring he had recovered from Haman and gave it to Mordecai, and Esther put him in charge of Haman’s estate.3 Then Esther addressed the king again. She fell at his feet, wept, and begged him to revoke the evil of Haman the Agagite and his plot he had devised against the Jews. 4 The king extended the gold scepter toward Esther, so she got up and stood before the king.5 She said, “If it pleases the king and I have found favor with him, if the matter seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let a royal edict be written. Let it revoke the documents the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how could I bear to see the disaster that would come on my people? How could I bear to see the destruction of my relatives?”

AWW, I CALL IT THE “YOU MEANT IT FOR EVIL CLAUSE!”

FROM THE GALLOWS

TO THE SIGNET RING

TO THE ESTATE...

EVERYTHING HAMAN STOOD FOR AND STOOD AGAINST HAS NOW BEEN REVERSED!

MORDECAI HAS GONE FROM ASHY TO CLASSY!!!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE:

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 8)

11 The king’s edict gave the Jews in each and every city the right to assemble and defend themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate every ethnic and provincial army hostile to them, including women and children, and to take their possessions as spoils of war.

THE EDICT: THE JEWS NOW HAD THE RIGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST ALL THEIR HATERS!!!

TAKE AWAY:

YOU CAN’T HURRY GOD: PATIENCE

YOU CAN HELP GOD: OBEDIENCE

YOU MUST ALWAYS HOPE IN GOD: ASSURANCE