Sermon Tone Analysis

Greeting

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Andrew Augustine.

I’m a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and currently work as a janitor at Mercer County High school.

My father is Pastor Jim, here at Grace and that explains how I was allowed to preach today.

Just a joke, but in all seriousness I’m excited to come back to my home church and preach the word to you guys today.

So before we get started I have a little game for you guys, okay… So (FIND A GAME)

So, today, we’re going to be looking at the book of Esther as a whole, many of you guys probably know the story of Esther.

If not here’s a quick overview picture… (SLIDE 1).

i’ll give you an outline here real quick too.

In chapter one we’re introduced to King Ahasuerus or Xerxes and his first queen Vashti, she disobeys him and bang.

She’s no longer queen.

In chapter two we see him regret this decision so he holds a beauty contest, or if you believe Vegetables a talent show, to find his new Queen.

Esther, who was entered into the contest by her uncle Mordecai, wins so she becomes queen.

In chapter three Mordecai is lurking outside the castle and angers Haman by not bowing down to him and Haman becomes unhinged and requests permission to wipe out the Jews, Xerxes says yes, and there we have the conflict.

In chapter four Esther and Mordecai plot to reverse the plan and in chapter five we get Esther requesting the King to come to have dinner with her, and to bring along Mordecai as well.

Not really part of the plan but hey, whatever Esther.

In chapter six we get a get a plot twist and Haman is forced to praise Mordecai around the city because of the time he saved the Kings life. in chapter seven Esther throws another banquet and invites Xerxes and Haman, Esther tells the King about Haman’s plan to kill her and her people, the king gets upset, Haman goes crazy and attacks Esther, the king sees this and kills Haman.

In chapter eight Esther and Mordecai reverse the decree and Mordecai receives a promotion to Haman’s place as second in command to the king.

And in chapter nine and ten, a puff piece is written about Mordecai’s greatness and the festival of Purim is created and celebrated for the first time.

So… That’s a lot, I know, but it’s the book of Esther.

Don’t worry, we’ll break it down here as we go through.

But what I want us to look at is the details… okay?

How everything worked together, in sync, to bring about this crazy salvation plan of God.

I want to focus on three little details that had to go right in order for everything to work and come out the way it did.

Let’s hop right in at chapter one verse 10. “On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas—11 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.

12 But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come.

Then the king became furious and burned with anger.”

Jumping down to verse 19.

“‘Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes.

Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she.

20 Then when the king’s edict is proclaimed throughout all his vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest.’

21 The king and his nobles were pleased with this advice, so the king did as Memukan proposed.”

(Es.

1:10-12, 19-21 NIV).

The first thing that had to happen was for the position of Queen be vacant.

Vashti had to refuse to come before the King, right?

In order for Esther to enter the picture, for her to have the power to be used to save God’s people, Vashti had to be removed from the equation.

So she was.

The second thing that had to go right is down in chapter four and five lets take a look.

Mordecai is meeting with Esther and plotting how to change this edict from the King, right?

Mordecai wants Esther to go talk to the king but she says in verse 11, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives.

But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

But even though she knows that, she has faith