God of the Underdogs – Esther

MESSAGE TRANSCRIPTION: 

Well. Hey, everybody. How are we doing? All right. So good to see all of you here. Hey, today we are kicking off a brand new series, and I’ve been so looking forward to sharing the series with all of you. We are calling it God of the Underdogs. Now, I just think that there’s something inside all of us that just loves an underdog story. By definition, an underdog is someone who is, you know, little known and unlikely to succeed. But then they go on to do something amazing, and they accomplish great things in life. And how many just love an underdog story? Isn’t that great? I just I can almost guarantee you like your favorite movie. It’s probably a story of an underdog just like mine, whether it’s Rocky, you know how many love rocky, right? I mean, or maybe it’s Gladiator or Braveheart. Maybe that’s not your favorite movies, but some of my favorite movies. But these are stories of underdogs, and every underdog story is basically the same, right? I mean, it’s this little unknown, unlikely person to succeed. And then they go on to do something to blow us all away. And they win the day, and they do something great. And we go to the movies. By the way, do you remember going to the movies? Anybody remember? I know. Hey, it won’t be long. Come on. We’re coming back, baby. As a nation, we’re coming back. And, you know, you go to the movies, and you sit, and you watch one of these underdog stories, and there’s, you know, just something inside of you. It inspires you. And I believe that thing is putting your spirit by the very spirit of God. You walk out of that movie, right, and you’re just so inspired. And even if it’s just for a moment. Just, you know, for a second. You think, God, could you do something like that with me? And you walk out of that theater, and you’re so inspired or, you know, you shut off your home theater, and you go to bed, and then you wake up the next morning, and then life just has a way of slapping you in the face, doesn’t it?

And reality shows up the next morning, and you get screaming, kids, your phone’s blowing up with stuff from work. You’re not even out of bed yet. And, you know, maybe you’re not, you know, firing on all cylinders with your spouse and or something going at home or something at work. And all of a sudden that, you know, excitement and that feeling of inspiration that quickly fades to a sense of inadequacy or being overwhelmed or fearful, like I just don’t have what it takes to face what I’m facing today. And I don’t know maybe what area of your life you might feel inadequate in. Maybe it’s in your parenting. I don’t know. You know, you look at other people’s kids and their families; they just look like they’re so picture-perfect. Their kids are all dressed nice, are all buttoned up, and they are just so polite and so kind. They get straight A’s, and then you look at your own children, and then you look for a priest to perform an exorcism on your own kids. And you’re like, you know, you’re just like, oh, my goodness. You know, you just feel sometimes so inadequate as a mom or as a dad, or maybe you’re a student. And this has been a hard, you know, a couple of years with COVID and, you know, everybody’s on lockdown. And then we’re trying to figure out how to do school at home, and then we go back to hybrid, and then none of your friends come back, and then you’re back and forth, and you work so hard just to bring home B’s and C’s, and then you see your friend like they don’t even show up for class. You know, we log on, they don’t read any of the assignments, and they’re coming home as straight A’s. And you’re like, What is going on? What’s wrong with me? I could just never measure up. Or maybe it’s, you know, with your finances or how much money you make and you see all your friends, and you see the cars that they drive and the houses that they live in and how much money they’ve already got saved up for retirement. And you just feel like I could just never measure up, I could never catch up with them. And there’s just the sense of inadequacy. Or maybe it’s with your appearance and how you look, and how you see yourself in the mirror. Or maybe for you, it’s like there’s a spiritual inadequacy that you deal with, that any of you have like what I call, like a like a super Christian friend, you know, of like a like a super Christian friend. Like, you might just be telling them this story of like what God is doing in your life. And you just, you know, just telling them this simple little story, and then all of a sudden they kind of look at you and they tilt their head, and they say, you know, it reminds me, one my favorite verses in Habakkuk chapter one, verse three. And then they quoted for you like verbatim from memory, and you’re looking at them, and you’re like, I didn’t even know Habakkuk was in the Bible. Is that really a book in the Bible, Right? You know what I’m talking about, right? And there’s just the sense of spiritual inadequacy when you get it right, and then you hear them pray, and then you listen to yourself praying like, Man, I can’t pray like that. Does God even hear my prayers? I mean, wow, they sound so spirit-like. Right, and listen, here’s the deal. I don’t know what area of your life where you might be feeling a sense of inadequacy, but I do know that this series, the God of the Underdogs, is for everyone who, at one time or another, no matter how big or small, has wrestled with a sense of inadequacy. It’s wrestled with a sense of being overwhelmed and overcome by fear.

Now, today, I get to tell you one of the best underdog stories ever told in human history. And her story is recorded for us in the Bible in the book that bears her name. This is the story of Esther. The story of Esther. How many of you really know the story of Esther? All right. Like ten of you. This is awesome. So for the rest of you, you’re going to get to hear the story maybe for the first time in a little bit different way because I’m going to tell you this story by using playing cards for each of the characters so you can keep the storyline straight and you can understand what all the characters are doing. So Esther is going to be the Queen of Hearts. Now, if I could only use one word to describe Esther’s underdog story, it’s this drama. I mean, this story is full of drama, Hollywood drama. There’s wild parties, there’s beauty pageants, there’s murder conspiracies. There’s just plot twists and turns with every turn of the page. Esther’s story is anything but boring. So as I begin with scene one of Esther’s story, I’m calling it after the great Hollywood masterpiece, The Hangover. All right. Well, we’re going to have some fun today in church, guys. We’re going to have some fun. All right. So the story unfolds in chapter one. One of the first characters we meet is this guy named Xerxes, represented by the King of Diamonds. Now, Xerxes is the king of the Persian Empire. This is a massive empire of 127 provinces. It’s the largest and most powerful nation on the face of the planet, making him the most powerful man on the face of the planet. And he knew it. And if you’re the most powerful man in the world, you know how to throw a wild party. In fact, as the story unfolds, we see Xerxes, King Xerxes, the king of Persia, throwing this massive party. And guess who honor’s himself, right? He declares a national holiday. It’s King Xerxes Day, and he throws. I mean, some of you guys think that you’ve been to some wild parties. Somebody’s got to go back a little ways. You’ve tried to forget some of these things. You know, go back to your college days; you get some all-nighters, some ragers. Listen, that party has nothing on this guy’s party. This guy’s party would make Vegas blush. I’m just telling you, this party lasted 180 days. You think you’ve been to some wild parties? Not this guy’s party. 180 days and everybody who’s anybody in the kingdom of Persia comes to the Citadel suits at a party, and it’s like an open bar. You can have anything, and I mean anything you want. And after partying for 180 days, the king says, Let’s go seven more days. They’re like, Yeah, let’s party. So they’re partying, and they’re just going after it real hard. And after seven days, the Bible says that the king was in high spirits. I think we all know what that means. And so the king he summons, he asked his royal officials to summon his wife. He says, bring her to me. And her name is Queen Vashti. Now, Queen Vashti is represented here by the Queen of diamonds. The Bible says she was a very beautiful woman. And the king says, bring her to me. Wearing her royal crown and only her royal crown.

The Bible says that the king wanted all of his buddies that were all in town to gaze upon the beauty of his wife. Well, when Vashti hears about this, she’s like, Oh, no way, Jose am I doing that? And she refuses the request of the king. To which now he’s ticked. I mean, he is embarrassed, he’s humiliated, he’s angry, and he banishes Vashti from the kingdom of Persia. He actually makes a law that she’s never allowed ever to return again. Talk about a guy with some anger management issues. This is this guy. And now he ends up. He’s lonely; he’s depressed. I mean, he’s miserable. Can I just tell all of you? I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not. But any decision that you make while you’re hammered is not going to be a good decision. Can I get an amen in church? I know it’s a little different kind of word. And now he’s miserable. He’s lonely, he’s depressed, he’s sad. Even all the girls in his harem are no substitute for his beautiful wife. Vashti. That is gone. So all of his royal officials in his court, they realized after four years of watching him mope around the palace, sad and depressed, they said, we got to do something. So they come up with this plan, and they go to King Xerxes, and they’re like, Hey, King, we’ve got a plan. We see how sad you are. See how lonely you are, how depressed you are. So here’s what we propose. Let’s throw a beauty pageant, and let’s gather all the most beautiful women in the kingdom and bring them before you. And you can choose which one is the most beautiful and she will become your wife. Now, this is only a plan that a group of men could actually come up with. Okay. But the Bible says here that when the king heard this advice, I think it’s an Esther chapter two verse four. This advice appealed to the king. And he followed it. He followed this advice.

Which leads us to scene two, which I’m calling The Bachelor. In scene two, they go up and they round up all of the most beautiful girls in the entire kingdom and they bring them to the citadel of Susa. And for the next 12 months, How many months? 12 months? These girls undergo beauty treatments and therapy for 12 months. Go to the spa every day, facials, manicures, parties, and do all their hair and so that they can be a perfect specimen to be presented to the king. And one of these girls was named. Esther. And Esther was beautiful. Doesn’t she look beautiful? She’s the most beautiful woman, and here’s the deal with Esther. Esther was an orphan. She lost her mom and her dad, and her family. And she was also a Jew living in Persia when she lost her parents. Her cousin Mordechai. He’s represented here by the ace of spades. He took Hester in, or is this club’s isn’t that good that your pastor doesn’t know the difference between a spade and a club? All right, come on. Just. Just want to say thanks for your help. Remind me not to play cards with you. So, the ace of clubs and Mordecai was a good man. Also, a Jew. And he took Esther, and he cared for her. He loved her. He protected her. He provided for her. And when he learned that Esther was in the beauty pageant, he goes to Esther, and he says, Listen, don’t tell anyone that you’re a Jew. You keep that a secret? See, here’s what was happening. There was a number of Jews that were living and scattered all throughout the Persian Empire. How did they end up there? Well, during the Babylonian captivity, when King Nebuchadnezzar was the king over Babylon, he conquered the Jews, and he brought back into exile in captivity a number of the best and the brightest and the best looking and the smartest Jews, Esther, and Mordechai, were descendants of those people. Now, although they were now no longer living under Persian captivity when the Persians overthrew the Babylonians. The king had decided to release all of them from captivity. But they were still scattered among the Persian Empire. And so, although they weren’t living as slaves or in captivity, they also weren’t home either. And so Mordecai, he says to Esther, Honey. Don’t tell anybody that you’re a Jew. Don’t tell anybody. Your family background or your heritage or your lineage, You keep that a secret. And she did hang on to that because it’s important. A little bit later on in the story. Now, you know, God gives us all different kinds of gifts, talents, and abilities. And the Bible says that of Esther that she had a very lovely figure. And that she was beautiful. It’s literally in the Bible, right? Literally, in the Bible. Lovely figure. And she was beautiful. And when she comes before the king, he is immediately smitten with her. He falls head over heels in love with her. And of all the beautiful girls in the kingdom, King Xerxes gives Esther the red rose.

Oh, they throw a big party. There’s a big wedding. The king declares another national holiday in his honor. And they party. And they have a good time. They move into the fantasy suite. And life is good. Which brings us again. Remember, now the king does not know. But Esther, as a Jew. It brings us now to scene three, which I’m calling Criminal Minds. Criminal Minds soon after they’re married. There’s a story that takes place, seems, you know, insignificant, but it actually ends up playing a major role as you read the rest of the story. And it involves Esther and her cousin, Mordechai. One day Mordechai. He was hanging out at the King’s Gate. Apparently, he hung out there a lot. It was a place for people to congregate and talk. And so he was there a lot. And one day, providentially, Mordechai, he overheard two of the Royal Guards of the palace talking about a plot to assassinate the king. King Xerxes. Well, when Mordechai hears this, he quickly gets word to Queen Esther, and Queen Esther, in return, tells King Xerxes they launch an investigation, and they apprehend those that were involved in this plot to assassinate the king. And the king’s life is saved because of Mordecai. Well, the Bible doesn’t really tell us; you know, if they made a big deal out of thinking, Mordechai, for saving the king’s life, I mean, maybe somebody from the royal palace sent him a fruit basket on behalf of the king. Hey, thanks so much for saving our king’s life. It really doesn’t say. But the Bible does say that Mordechai, his name, and how he saved the king’s life was written down in the official records of the king. The annals of the king. That’s really important as well. You need to hang on to that. And so sometime later, King Xerxes he’s trying to find some help to help lead this massive empire. So he decides to hire his highest-ranking official. And his name is Hamonn. Now, Hamonn is represented here as the Joker, not because he’s a funny guy, but because he’s a really bad guy, like the guy that Joaquin Pheonix played in the movie The Joker. This guy was sick, he was twisted, he was a racist, He was an egomaniacal fool, he was a narcissist, he had hatred in his heart, especially against the Jews that were living in the Persian Empire. And it was in his evil heart that he wanted to exterminate and to kill all of the Jews, men, women, and children.

And so now that he becomes the prime minister, the second in control, he’s got even more power that’s going to his head. And so when he would walk through the streets, this guy was such a narcissist, he would literally make every man, woman, and child bow before him as he passed by. And so they all lived in fear of Hamon, and everyone would bow before him except one guy that only believed that a man should bow before his God. And that guy? Guess who was? Mordechai, Mordechai was a Jew, and he only believed you bow before. God, not before, man. So one day. Yeah. So one day, Hamon walks by, and there’s Mordechai at the King’s Gate. Everybody battles, but not Mordecai. Well, this infuriates Hamon. I mean, he is so mad. He’s so mad he wants to kill Mordecai, but he doesn’t stop there. He actually goes to the king, and he says to the king, I have a proposal. I have a request. Would you give me permission? There’s a lot of people that are living within our kingdom that don’t belong here. They don’t fit in here. They don’t look like us. They don’t talk like us. They don’t dress like us. They don’t have the same culture that we have. They don’t eat the foods that we eat. And, you know, it’s just about enough time that we’ve had them living here. We need to exterminate them. I’m asking you to give me permission to annihilate and slaughter them. I mean, this is like Hitler, Nazi Germany. To slaughter them, like literally in the streets and, you know, cuckoo for Cocoa puffs. King Xerxes decides to say, sure, go ahead. And by the way, you don’t even have to give me any money. Just keep your money. You can do whatever you want to do. So Hamon gets together with all the royal officials, and they roll dice, and they cash slots to choose. The day upon which this annihilation of the Jews would take place. And they landed on March 7th, a year from now, a year from when they had made the decision. So they got to I don’t know how they figured it out. Maybe their Google calendar was clear. Everybody was like, you know, dates lined up, and they decide a year from now, on March 7th, this is the day we will slaughter the Jews, men, women, and children, annihilate them, wipe them off. The face of the planet.

Well, Mordechai hears about this evil plot that was hatched in the heart of an evil man, and he goes into a season of weeping and wailing, and he puts on sackcloth, and he’s just heartbroken over this. And he quickly gets word to Queen Esther. Remember, she’s a Jew. And he says, Esther, here’s what’s going on. This is what Hamonn intends to do, and it’s going to happen on March 7th. And so, Esther, you need to do something about this. You need to go to the king. And you need to stop this. To which Esther replies, Hey, look, Cousin Mordechai, I understand. It’s terrible. And my heart really goes out to you. But I just. I just can’t. This is just too much to ask of me. I mean, the king and I have only been married a little over four years, and he hasn’t even summoned me in 30 days. And we all know what that means. This is just really not a good time in our relationship for me to reveal that I’m a Jew and all my family background and history. This is too much at risk here. I mean, after all, his previous Queen, Queen Vashti, when she broke protocol, it didn’t work out well for her. And if I just show up unannounced, uninvited to a meeting with the king, this is a capital offense, and it’s subject to execution. So it’s just too much that you’re asking of me. I just can’t. Do it. To which then Mordechai replies to Esther. Esther, don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace, you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this. Deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place. But you and your relatives will die. This is not what Esther was expecting to receive from her cousin. And Mordecai is trying to remind her. Listen, Esther, even though you’re now the Queen. Even though now you live in the palace in the lap of luxury and you eat the finest food off of the best China plates, and you have walk-in closets that are filled with designer clothes and shoes. You’re still a Jew, Esther. And this decree will apply to you, and you will be killed. And all of those that you’re closest to, including me.

Esther’s. Just beside herself, horrified by just the thought of everything. She feels like she’s caught in the middle. But in the midst of that, Mordechai, he reminds her. Of the purpose of God. The fulfillment of that purpose of God in her life. And he says this, and who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this. He’s reminding her, Esther. Could it be that God has orchestrated the events of your life? That you would go from a little lost, orphaned Jewish girl to the First Lady of the most powerful man who leads the most powerful nation on the face of the planet? Could it just be that God has orchestrated that He’s divinely ordered your steps to put you in a position of power and influence to save your people and to fulfill the plan and purposes of God in your life? You see. Mordecai remembers that God made his people a promise. It started all the way back with the father of their faith. Abraham and God made a promise to Abraham, and he said, Abraham, I am going to bless you, and I am going to make you a blessing to all nations of the world, that through you, through your line, your lineage, through your nation, there would come a savior who would be a blessing to all nations of the world, and listen, Esther. God is going to fulfill his promise. God always finishes what he starts. And if you say no, if you choose to say no and not participate with the providence of God, you’re like, God, God’s going to find another way to get this done, Esther.

Oh, but if you say yes. God can do in and through you, things that you never dreamed were possible. And I would just say to some of you today. You know, maybe you are a parent of a new child or an elementary child or a teenager, a high schooler, maybe as a mom or a dad, you just feel so like there’s just so much uncertainty when it comes to raising kids today. Isn’t that true? So much uncertainty. How things are going to turn out. And oftentimes, as parents, we just feel so helpless. I’m fearful for our kids. We just don’t know what the future holds for them. And sometimes, we can allow that fear to overwhelm us. And I say, I just can’t do it. But could it be that God has placed that little boy or that girl into your life, Dad? Into your life, Mom? For such a time. As this. You know, maybe today, maybe today you’re your business leader, maybe you own a business, or you’re a very influential position in a business. And it’s been so hard during COVID just to try to come back. And, you know, things might look a little tight right now, and maybe there’s a glimmer of hope, but it’s there’s still uncertainty about the future for your business. And, you know, you look around and see what other people are doing, and there’s things that you could do the same way that keep the needle moving up and to the right. But maybe it is that God has positioned you in that place to be a man or a woman, a leader of character and integrity, that you’re not going to settle for cooking the books, that you’re going to put your trust in God and he’s put you there, come on, for such a time as this. Well, maybe God is, your a senior in high school or a junior in high school, and maybe you’re in college, and God has put you in a place to do something special in that campus and that high school. And, you know, if you really begin to share your faith, invite your friends to church, that there could be some pushback and some blowback and there would be some, you know, ridicule. There could be some people that are going to say some things about you that that that that might not be very nice, but. But could it be that God has placed you on that campus? Could it be that God has placed you in that school, in that neighborhood for such a time as this, that if you’ll just step out with one bold decision of courage, that God could do immeasurably more than you ever dared ask? Think, Come on, or imagine; maybe it’s just that God is asking you to do. As a woman, as a man, something. Right now. And you know, he’s asking you to do it. It could be bringing a friend to church. It could be sharing your faith with somebody. It could be praying for somebody could be, I don’t know, stepping in and trusting him more and in starting to serve this community, starting to serve through your church family, starting to give even more generously. I don’t know what it is that he’s asking you to do, but there’s this kind of fear that rises up and this inadequacy, the sense of being overwhelmed that I just can’t do. No, no. Could it just be that God has placed you strategically? He has positioned you here right now. Come on for such a time as this.

You see, instead of being overwhelmed, instead of being overcome with inadequacy, underdogs, they stand with courage. They are clothed in courage. You see, Esther, she had a choice. Courage always has a choice. You can choose to shrink back and fold, or you can choose to step out boldly in faith and trust God with the courage always has a choice. Well, after he receives this message, she sends word back. She hears this inspiring for such a time as this speech from her cousin Mordechai, and she sends word back to Mordechai, and she says, Listen, okay. I’m asking you to get the whole family, all the Jews that are living in Persia. I’m asking you. To ask them. To fast and to pray for me for three days. Listen. Never underestimate the power of fasting and prayer. There’s power in fasting and prayer because when you fast and when you pray, here’s what happens. You get clarity. Life gets really simple when God speaks to you. This is right. This is wrong. And when you fast and you pray, you not only get clarity, you get courage. Because doing the right thing is usually means doing the hard thing. Anybody can do the easy thing. Anybody can swim downstream and go with the flow of culture. But it’s courageous underdogs that they fast, and they seek God, and they have other people fasting and praying for them. They get clarity, and they get the courage to stand in the gap and believe and trust in God. And so, Esther, she gets word back to Mordecai, and this is what she says when this is done when three days of fasting and prayer are done. Listen to what she says. I will go to the king even though it’s against the law. And if I perish, I perish, and if I perish, I mean. In five tiny verses, she goes, No, no, no, no. It’s too heavy. It’s too much to ask. I just can’t do it. She goes from that like there’s this internal shift that happens after a season of fasting and prayer to where she says, Well if I perish, I perish.

So she decides. To go see the king. She says, If I perish, I perish. And in using that sentence, I want us to fill in the blanks of the sentence. I want to ask all of you to do this. If blank happens, then blank. And I want you to fill in this first blank with your greatest fear. It could be a past fear, current fear, a future fear. If this happens, then blank. If the biopsy comes back positive. If he files for divorce. If I lose my job. If They foreclose on my house. If I’m pregnant. What is that greatest fear? I want you to think about it because I want to talk to you about something and tell you something about your fear and the enemy. The enemy will try to use your fear to jack up your life, to destroy your faith, and to convince you to believe that if the worst thing that could ever I can think of happens to me, it will be the end of me. There’ll be no coming back from this. I will never. If this happens, I can never, ever, ever recover. You see, that’s what the enemy wants you to believe. But here’s what God wants you to believe. That if the worst thing that ever happens that you can conceive of happening, I want you to put it in the second blank here. Then God, then God. Then if the worst thing I can imagine ever happening to me, then God, God will help me. God will be my source of strength. God will protect me like a strong tower. God will give me peace, and God will comfort me. God will surround me, God will strengthen me. And so, therefore, I will put my trust in God. That’s what it means to say. And if I perish. I perish. I put my trust in God. It always needs to remind ourselves as followers of Jesus. The second blank is more important than the first blank because the enemy is going to try to convince you that your fear is bigger than God. But I’m here to tell you God is greater than your greatest fear. Come on, then God, then God, then God. So Esther takes a step of faith, and she walks into the kings. Presence uninvited.

Can you just imagine her walking down that long hallway and those heels clicking and ricocheting off the marble floor hallway and knowing inside of her heart in her head that with every step I take? I could be one step closer to my death. Because remember, it was a capital offense to go uninvited to the presence of the king. She goes through those doors. Secret Service is ready to pounce, and the king sees her. And in that moment, he extends his golden royal scepter. Which is a sign to say, Come on in; it’s okay. And he looks at Esther, and he says, My Queen. What is it that you want? Just name it, and it’ll be done. To which Esther is thinking, Well, this is going much better than I thought. But she kind of stumbles, and she says. I would love to have a banquet with you. Tonight and also with Hamon. I would love for the three of us to get together, you and me and Hamon, and have a dinner party, just the three of us. And the king says, Sounds great. I’ll see you at seven. She walked out of there, right? Thinking, my goodness, I survived. But now she’s got to go to dinner. And so, she walks into dinner that night. She looks great, so beautiful. But now she’s not just clothed in royal garments. She’s clothed in confidence.

So they sit down. Esther King Xerxes, Prime Minister Hamon, and they have dinner, and the king says hey, you came to see me earlier today. Honey, what is it that you really want? Seriously? I mean, just tell me, and it’s yours. Yet again, she stumbles, and she hesitates. She says. I would love for us to have dinner again tomorrow night, just the three of us. And the king says, Done. And she gets out of there. The tension just it just it begins to grow as, like, when is she going to tell him? When is she going to find out that she’s a Jew? By the way, he’s plotting to annihilate all of the Jews, and nobody knows Esther’s a Jew. Nobody knows the one who raised her. Mordechai, the one that saved the king, is a Jew. Nobody knows this. So Esther leaves, and then Hamon leaves to go home that night. And as he’s, you know, he must be on cloud nine. He’s thinking like, Look at me. I mean, I get to have dinner two nights in a row with the royal family, man. Am I something else? And he walks out through the King’s Gate. Everybody’s bowing before him except one man. Guess who? Mordechai. He believes. That a man should only be held before his God. Well, when Mordecai refuses to bow before Hamon. I mean, Hamon is so overcome with anger. Veins are popping out of this guy’s neck and Temple’s forehead, and he gets home, and he’s so angry, jacked up, and he starts complaining to his wife and all of his friends that are in his big house, and they’re like, Hey, why don’t you just do this when you just go out the front yard? Get your staff together and build gallows 75 feet high. And tomorrow, hang Mordechai on it and then just go to dinner and have a good night. Enjoy yourself. He’s like That’s a great idea. So in the middle of the night, he gets all of the staff together, and they’re working all night long, building a 75-foot gallows to hang Mordechai on it. Well, that very same night, the king can’t sleep while Hamon is plotting the death and the execution of Mordecai. The king can’t sleep. He’s got, like, insomnia. So he goes to his assistant, and he says, Hey, would you bring the king’s official records and read for me from the annals? And then he would say, Now, why would he want his assistant to read like the board meeting minutes from meetings that he’s had?

Listen, if you’ve never read board meeting minutes, it’s a lot like taking out Ativan. It’ll just knock you right out. All right? They’re very boring. So the king asks for the assistant to read. So others having a little bedtime story. The assistant is just flipping through. Oh, let me read the story. He goes back four years and he reads the story of a guy named Mordecai that heard about the plot to assassinate the king. Saved his life. And the Kings like, oh my gosh. Oh, is this guy Mordechai? We need to honor him for saving my life. He’s like, You’re right, boss. Get some rest. So he goes to sleep. The next morning, the king goes into the office and Hamon’s already there, man, because this is like his big day. He’s going to finally take out Mordecai, and he’s going to annihilate all of these Jews. So he’s up. You know, he’s got a spring in his step, and he walks into the office, and the king asks Hamon, Hamon, In your professional opinion if the king ever wanted to honor someone like really honor them. What would you advise the king to do? To which Mordecai, in his egomaniacal brain, thinks he’s obviously speaking about moi. You know, I mean, so he really lays it on thick, and he says, Here’s what I would advise the king to do. If you want to honor someone, you would take your royal robes and place it around them, take your royal crest and put it on their chest, and set them on top of your royal horse and on top of their head. Place your royal crown and lead them throughout the entire city so all can see him and pay honor to him. To which the king says, Great idea. I want you to go do that for this guy named Mordecai. Hamon is like, you know, he keeps himself together, but in his heart, he’s like, what just happened? This was supposed to be a good day. I just wish I could have stood there on the streets as their line ten deep all through the city. And there’s Mordecai sitting on top of the royal horse with the royal robes and the Royal crown. And who’s leading him? Hamon, I wish I could have seen the look on his face. I mean, the humility and, you know, just the loss of his pride have burst. He was there all paying honor to Mordecai. What a sight that would be. Have been well. Later that night, they all show up for dinner for the second banquet. It’s King Xerxes. It’s Queen Esther, and it’s Hamon. Soon after the dinner. King Xerxes says, Honey, Esther, my Queen. Now, remember. The king still doesn’t know. That his wife is a Jew. Hamon doesn’t know. That Esther is a Jew. Hamonn doesn’t know that Mordechai is the one who took Esther and raised her. So the king says, Honey, what is it that you want? Just say the word. It’ll be done. So there she is again, not only clothed in the royal robes of the king but clothed in confidence. She says. If I have found favor with the king. I would ask. That the king spares my life and the life of my people. For my people have been sold for destruction, for annihilation, and for destruction and slaughter. And we will all be killed.

The king hears this, and he’s like, What? What kind of man? Who decided this? What kind of men would ever do such a thing to kill my precious wife and. And her family? And Esther. She says just the man is right there. His name is Haymon. Haymons like, My day could not be getting any worse right now. What is going on? This is awful. Well, the king is so out of sorts he cannot believe it. It’s the prime minister, who is the second most powerful man in the kingdom, to think he doesn’t know what’s going on. So he runs out of the room to collect himself. The king never does this. Everybody else leaves, but not the king. But this time, the king left. He runs out of the room. Hamon For the first moment, he realizes, Oh my God, Esther’s a Jew. He realizes now his fate is sealed. He gets up from his seat at the table and he rushes over to Queen Esther. Any trips? We don’t know what he tripped on. It’s probably a Persian rug. And he trips, and he falls right on top of Esther. At the very moment, the king comes back into the room, and the king is like, Bro, what are you doing on my wife? Are you making a move on my wife? Get off, my wife, at the very same moment. This is crazy. One of the king’s assistants is like a king on my way to work this morning. I was passing by Hamon’s house, and we’re on the street. Is he’s built the 75-foot gallows, and he tends on a hanging Mordechai on it. And Mordechai is Esther’s cousin, and he raised her. To which the king said. How convenient. And in that moment, the Joker was gone, and he was hung on the very gallows that were intended for Mordechai. You just can’t make this stuff up. You just can’t make this stuff up. This is a true story. It’s not even done. Esther, She is given all of Hamon’s riches, and Mordecai is elevated. To the Prime Minister of the Persian Empire. Can’t make this stuff up. What a story. And some of you really needed to hear the story today. Jews are saved. Esther steps out in courage and faith. God moves in a mighty way. And some of you today, you needed to hear this because some of you look at your life, and you just don’t like the hand that you’ve been dealt. And you look at what’s going on in your life right now, and you’re like, Come on, God. What’s going on? Where are you? Why aren’t you moving on my behalf? Where are you? God. My marriage, my family, my work, my business. Life of my kids. Where are you? God. You know what’s really interesting? That the Book of Esther is the only book in the Bible where the name of God is never mentioned. Not even once did you know that it’s the only book in the Bible where God’s name. It’s never mentioned. It’s interesting, isn’t it? I think God made it that way so that you would know. But just because God’s name isn’t in it doesn’t mean that God isn’t there.

And when you look at your own story, you look at the story of Esther, I want you to think, man. The hiddenness of God doesn’t mean that God’s not there. I think God initially, as he’s the writer of the story, I mean, he’s all over the story. He’s the author. He’s the screenwriter. He wrote every line. He knows every scene. He knows how it ends before it even starts. God is all over the story. And just because his name isn’t in it doesn’t mean God’s not working behind the scenes to make the story turn out so that you and I can both be encouraged today. You might not even be able to see God in it right now. Oh, but he’s working behind the scenes. I’m here to tell you to listen to me. Spielberg, Scorsese, Spike Lee. Come on. They have nothing on our God. He knows how to write a story like no other. I mean, seriously, think about it. Could it be that Vashti is banished from the kingdom at the very time that Esther comes of age to enter the beauty pageant? I mean, could it just so happen that of all the beautiful women in the kingdom. King Xerxes finds Esther as the most beautiful of them all could just so happen that the Jewish nation that is facing certain annihilation at the very moment when the Queen of the Kingdom is Jewish herself. I mean, could it just so happen that even though the king has no tolerance for someone coming uninvited into his presence, Esther finds favor with the king and could just so happen that while the plot is being carried out to kill Mordecai the very same night that the king can’t sleep and his assistant chooses a story from four years prior to read to the king that he would be reminded that it was Mordecai that saved his life. I mean, could it just so happen that all of this would take place during the time where the Jewish people were scattered and displaced all over the kingdom.That as a result of this story, they would come back closer and stronger together as a people than they had ever been before. No friends. It’s not happenstance, and it’s not circumstance. It’s not a coincidence. It’s the providence of God that orchestrates the events of all of our lives. Because what God has planned come on, no king can thwart and no boss can thwart, no ex can thwart, no judge can thwart when God is for you, and he is orchestrating the events of your life, all he’s asking for you. Step out in faith. Some of you sit here today, maybe filled with regret for missed opportunities. When you feel that God has asked you to step out and do something and you missed it. Let me be the first one to tell you if you feel that way today. You’re only one brave decision away from going on the most amazing adventure with God in your life. You can’t change the past, but you can stand today and make one simple, brave decision like Esther and watch God work in your life and work miracles and do things that you never thought were possible. You’re one brave decision away from God, breaking out in your life on your behalf. And I don’t know what it is that he might be asking you to do. He might be asking you to share your faith, regardless of the blowback and consequences, and the ridicule you might face. He might be asking you to invite somebody to come to church. He might be asking you. You look around and see. You don’t see somebody that used to be around here to pick up the phone and send him a text or give him a call and say, Look, I miss you. You got to get back to church. I don’t know what he might be asking you to do to step into greater areas of generosity in your life or to, I don’t know, to step into greater areas of serving. Maybe you’re not serving around here. And he’s asking you to get into the game. Maybe he’s asking you to do, you know, up your level of, I don’t know, sacrifice for your family or to serve in some other area of this community. Whatever it is, you’re only one brave decision away from being used in a mighty way, just like this little orphan girl named. Esther, listen if we’re going to live. Underdog stories. We understand that we don’t need to be the hero of the story. God is the hero of the story. All we need to do is to hear his voice, to listen to the whispers of the Holy Spirit, and step out in obedience and listen to me, gang. Whatever he’s asking you to do, no matter how overwhelming or the odds seem to be stacked against you, all he’s looking for from you. Is yes. Just like Rachel’s story earlier, one simple, Yes. You have no idea what’s on the other side of that. Yes, of that step of faith. Come on. Of that act, of obedience to God. You have no idea. And it just might be that God has put you here right now for such. A time as this? Let’s pray together.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for Esther’s story today. And it inspires us. It humbles us. Thank you. That you gave her the courage to say yes. Thank you for moving on her behalf. It gives us faith today. It emboldens us that you’re the same God yesterday, today, and forever. And what you did for Esther, you can do for us. And, God, I just sense your spirit is moving in our hearts that would say something like this. God. Can you do something like that with my life? Friend. You have your head bowed and your eyes closed. The answer to that is yes. Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Yes, he can. All he’s asking for you. Yes. Will you say yes to God today? Yes, to faith. Yes. To whatever it is that he’s asking you to do. God. Give your people courage. Give your people faith. Trust. In your name, I pray. Amen. Amen. Love you, guys.