Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. We discover how Esther had to decide to follow protocol and remain safe in her role as queen or risk losing her life by approaching the king, trying to retract an order for the annihilation of the Jewish people throughout the empire. But as Carter will point out in today's message, the real hero of this story was a man named Mordecai, who had a holy desperation moment by approaching the king's gate dressed in sackcloth and ashes.
But that was as far as he could go. So he reached out for Esther to take the baton in order to save the Jewish people from destruction. Esther then went to the king with this news, knowing her life would be in danger. Let's find out more as Carter begins.
Now let me just set the stage for you for Esther chapter 4. For those who are not familiar with it, now the people of God, because they dealt lightly and loosely with the things of God, actually some would say they dealt treacherously with the things of God. And because of that, they were taken into captivity. They lost their presence, they lost the provision, they lost the protection of God. And a nation called Babylon came in, conquered, almost unthinkable to them that they could be conquered because they were the people of God's promise in the earth.
I mean, they had that history of miracles. They had the scriptures, they had the promise, but they held it casually as societies are prone to do throughout history. Because of it, they were conquered and they spent 70 years in a geographical place called Babylon. Now Babylon itself was eventually conquered by another nation called the Medo-Persians. And the Medo-Persian King Cyrus allowed the people to start going home. God moved on his heart. He allowed the people to start going home to rebuild the testimony that they had lost in the earth, starting with, of course, the geographic location itself and the city, then the temple, and ultimately Nehemiah went back with a group to rebuild the wall. Now the first return, the first return back to the promised land, they began to rebuild their society that had kind of broken down. And in between the first and the second, which was a return of Ezra the priest with some people with him, this whole scenario evolves because you see, the devil himself is always trying to stop the testimony of Christ through his people in the earth. You find it all the way through scripture. When God has a plan for his people, the devil will come up with a counter plan and it always involves oppression, threats, the threats of darkness, the threats of retaliation, the threats of harm, and even death. And this is a common theme all the way through history, even today.
We're seeing it playing out. We just see that same spirit being animated by the same darkness, still going after the light of Christ in God's people. Now into this scenario, this scene in a sense, if those who plotted to kill all the Jewish people at this time had been successful, then it's a conclusion we can draw that the second and third return into the promised land would not have happened. The temple would not have been rebuilt. Jewish history would be different.
It would affect all of history. So what is God's plan to thwart this whole thing? Now we give Esther in a sense the marquee in this whole story because she was the queen. We know the story. She went in, she petitioned the king, she prayed, she fasted. But I want to suggest to you the real hero of this story is a man called Mordecai. He was a man who just began to intercede and it proves to us once again that the the holy desperation of one person can change both the future and can change history in this case.
The holy desperation of one man. This is what we're going to talk about. Now the decree has been issued by this king who's been convinced that the people of God are worthless to his kingdom and they should be eliminated. That's where this story begins. When the story falls upon the ears of this man called Mordecai, who's a family member in a sense of Queen Esther who's the the wife of the the Medo-Persian king at that time, this is where this particular chapter begins and this is where the victory of God's people gets to be known again in the earth. Verse one, chapter four.
I'm going to read the whole chapter. When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and a bitter cry.
He went as far as the front of the king's gate for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. In other words, he went as far as he could go in his prayer. Here's a man whose heart was gripped with a holy desperation, not for himself.
I don't think Mordecai at any point was looking to preserve himself. His prayer was outside of himself. It was about others.
This is where prayer really finds its power when we finally get away from our own struggles and trials. This wasn't just about God save me. This was about God save your people. Your people are your people are destined for the slaughter. There's a law that's been passed and people are going to be allowed on a certain day to kill the Jewish people and to steal all their possessions.
The Jewish people have no might against this. He began to cry out. It was just a lone voice. You can hear him.
He's all by himself. He's dressed himself in sackcloth and ashes. He's repenting for the sins of the people as much as he knows how.
He's repenting for the horrid condition they find themselves in and he goes as far as he physically can go. He goes right to the king's gate, but he's not allowed to enter because of the way he's dressed and because of his burden, obviously. Verse three says, and in every province where the king's command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews with fasting and weeping and wailing and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. So Esther's maids and eunuchs came and told her and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. And Esther called Haytak, one of the king's eunuchs whom she had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai to learn what and why this was. In other words, she just sent out somebody says, what is going on with my cousin Mordecai? What's happened to him?
Why is he doing this? So Haytak went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king's gate. And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries to destroy the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and that he might command her to go into the king and make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. So Haytak returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai. And Esther spoke to Haytak and gave a commandment for Mordecai. All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court of the king who has not been called, he has but one law, put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go into the king these 30 days.
So they told Mordecai Esther's words and Mordecai told them to answer Esther. Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place.
But you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you've come to the kingdom for such a time as this. Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, go gather all the Jews who are at present in Sushan and fast for me.
Neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise and so I will go to the king which is against the law and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him. We see this man Mordecai in verse two it says he went as far as the front of the king's gate for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. Like Mordecai is like a runner in a multi-person race. He ran as far as he could and stretched out the baton to someone in his family who was supposed to be the next runner.
The problem is the next runner didn't even know that there was a race let alone that she was supposed to be supposed to be the closer in this race and we can have that happen to us. So Esther's maids in eunuchs in verse four came and told her the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him but he would not accept them.
She called one of the king's eunuchs and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai to learn what and why this was. In other words Esther is saying this is the the type of of somebody that says well just cheer up it can't be that bad. Be happy when all around you you know that everything is going to be destroyed. The law of sin and death is on steroids. The society and those in authority have turned against the people of God and the people of God seem to be powerless to rise up and defend themselves and Mordecai would not accept this comfort. Mordecai had a holy desperation in his heart. He knew that this was going to be destructive. He knew it was going to take away the testimony of God in the nation and he couldn't have known but he must have suspected that it's going to have a deep effect on the future. Something dreadful was about to happen if this situation was not somehow countered by the power of prayer and thank God that Esther through the intercession of her cousin Mordecai took up the burden of prayer and threw her own life in as part of the answer and she opened the door to God's plan God's provision and God's power. She did take the baton but she took it because somebody else began to pray and it reminds me of the the situation where maybe you can say nobody in your family is walking with God you're the only one walking I want to challenge you go to the king's gate go there with the holy desperation go there with a prayer that is deeper than and with the knowledge that only God can make this happen and you'd be surprised who starts to take up the baton in your own home and in your own family. Supernaturally God moved upon Esther's heart and instead of preserving herself instead of being really uninformed she didn't even know she didn't even know this law had been passed she didn't even know the Jews were slated for destruction she didn't know why Mordecai was weeping and fasting and crying out in the city and at the king's gate but because of his intercession the baton now was passed through the gate to Esther and Esther took the baton and she turned to prayer you see people won't pray if we don't pray they won't have a burden if we don't have a burden it's it's not enough just to try to push somebody else into the into the arena and say you go and you get involved in the fight no you and I have to go to the gate all it takes to change history is one person with a holy desperation in their heart one person that says I'm not giving up until God moves I'm not drawing back because the word of God says if any man draw back my soul will have no pleasure in him I'm not drawing back I don't care who tells me to be quiet I don't care who tells me I'm too heavy I don't care how much they try to say you're too extreme I see something in the spirit I see a destruction coming to the people of God I see God's people crying out all over the nation unable to defend themselves but I see also something else that there is somebody somewhere that has access to the throne that can make a difference and if I can move those people to going to the throne of God the scepter of God will move in their direction because Jesus Christ still moves mountains today he told his people I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy not some of the power of the enemy or an ounce of the power of the enemy or a tiny portion of I give you power to tread on these demonic powers of hell and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you there's there's a fear of self-preservation in the hearts of so many people that will cause us in this hour in which we're not living now living rather it will cause us to draw back to preserve ourselves but Mordecai said to Esther don't be fooled into thinking you'll escape because you you carve out some nice little niche for yourself this evil is not going to pass over your house either you have a choice you either perish or you fight for the honor of God and you invoke the holy God to do what only he can do and suddenly after Mordecai's intercession Esther herself calls her friends to fast and pray three days and three nights don't eat anything and don't drink anything and after you've prayed and we've fasted I'm going to go into the king and if I perish I perish and I thank God that she threw her life in with her prayer and she said well I suppose it's better to die than to live to preserve to try to preserve myself didn't Jesus himself say if you try to save your life you lose it but if you lose what you have for my sake you will gain a life you could never have of any of your own choosing everything turned to victory God gave Esther incredible wisdom she came out of that time of fasting and prayer with a whole hearted dependence on God and God gave her wisdom and you read the rest of the book and you'll see she had a wisdom that could only come from God she didn't rush in to ask her favor she waited until I believe the Holy Spirit told her to speak I believe the Lord told her when to speak how to speak what to speak and why to speak and when you begin to pray and you begin to fast you watch the influence that God will start to give you over your family even if you didn't even know that you were supposed to be in the battle you're spending your whole time trying to preserve yourself many listening to me now you you've spent most of your life just trying to preserve yourself all your prayers are all about yourself but God is challenging you there's a bigger battle out there than just preserving yourself Esther there's a whole host of people that have no power to defend themselves against evil and you are in a place where you have access to the throne of the king they don't you do those people were not in proximity to the king there's all kinds of people in our society today they don't have access to the throne they don't even know that there is a king that would move his scepter forward towards them they have no knowledge of the goodness of God because they're so distant from the throne of power but Esther you aren't you are in a place where you can go to the king and the favor of the king will move towards you and he said Esther what is it that you would have me to do for you and you and I both know that Esther was seeking to have this law of sin and death canceled over her people and a new law written that would give them the power to stand up and not only fight back but to be victorious and it wasn't just about the people the people in Medo-Persia at this time you and I know historically that it was about those people that were going to leave Medo-Persia and go back into Israel and rebuild the testimony of God and rebuild the temple and rebuild the wall the the very spot that Jesus Christ himself was going to come into we all know it was it was an integral part it was a link in the chain that that couldn't afford to be broken in the in the redemptive history of God on the earth and this incredible link held and the people of God were delivered and families were given the power to stand up and fight back against this onslaught of hell that was coming against them all because one man wouldn't quit one man had a holy desperation in his heart if you're going to pray for something tonight pray God give me a holy desperation for your power give me a holy desperation for my family give me a holy desperation for this generation give me a holy desperation to see your power released and revealed one more time to to push back this this this weight of darkness that's trying to swallow a whole society it's trying to swallow our children if it doesn't kill them in the womb it confuses them in their schools and radicalizes them in their colleges and tries to destroy their minds and teach them how to hate God and hate their country and live for themselves and be completely self-focused not knowing they're fighting against powers of darkness that are taking away their strength you see this is why in this prayer in this prayer meeting on Tuesday night we say after the prayer meeting stay and pray stay where you are stay in the group you are stay in the home you're in stay in the park bench you're sitting on right now stay and pray whether it's two minutes five minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes an hour it doesn't matter stay and pray until the power of God comes upon you stay and pray until you see clearly what the will for your life is in the future stay and pray until you know in your heart that God is going to use you to reach your home and to reach your family pray for something bigger than your own need you and I have got to learn to escape having always just praying for ourselves and God help me in this area and that's necessary I get that we have to do that but there's a point where we have to branch out beyond that and it becomes about other people pray for the family of God and your family to become engaged in the spiritual battles for people today pray pray that your sons your daughters your brothers your sisters your mom your dad that they would get involved in the battle of God that they would they would pick up that sword of the spirit as it is and begin to fight the battles of God pray that those that are cowering would be given courage pray pray pray and let's believe God together that there's going to be a moment of mercy in this world and an end time spiritual awakening pray for power to stay faithful until the answer comes as Mordecai did it would have been so easy for him to give up people in the city were probably mocking him I can see the soldiers near the near the king's gate mocking him I can I can see Esther's servants coming out and say the queen says get up and take off these sackcloth and put on put on garments and wash your face and cheer up it can't be all that bad but Mordecai he stayed faithful until he got the answer and this is a time for the church of Jesus Christ to stay faithful until the answer comes not in our strength but in the strength of our Christ not in our zeal but in the zeal of the Lord of hosts who will perform this not in any strategy we can procure but just you and I going to the throne of God and believing that the scepter of God's power and mercy is going to move towards us in Christ and believing that our sons and daughters will take the baton from our hands and carry the fight ahead of us not even maybe at this moment even knowing that there is a fight to be fought praise God all these things in scripture the new testament tells us are given us for our instruction for our admonition for instruction in righteousness that the man of God might be the woman of God might be perfected coming to this full measure of knowledge in Jesus Christ let these things not just be stories any longer that you and I read in our Bible let's let's live this moment again we're in a dark time my brother my sister we're in a time when laws are being written against the people of God we're in a time where depression is abounding addictions are sweeping and destroying entire communities we're in a time when children are confused and crying as the scripture says for bread on every street corner we're in a time when you and I need to learn to pray again with the holy desperation my God I have been praying this way for the last season I sometimes find myself just groaning and crying out the name Jesus the prayer that's being birthed in my heart is deeper than words now I don't have words to express it I'm just crying out for him Jesus you have to come Jesus you have to show your power again Jesus you have to deliver this generation Jesus you said you would rise and defend the children when societies moved into the fields of the fatherless you claimed to be their father and you said you would rise and defend them Jesus you said you would confuse and confound those who believe they can cast off the word of God in their societies Jesus you said that if we would believe that we would have whatsoever we asked for believing you told us that mountains could still be moved Jesus you said that if we would tarry we would be filled with power and we would become witnesses where we are and where you send us all throughout the world Jesus you've got to take your right hand to power out of your bosom one more time and fight for this generation we come to the gate of the king we come with a groaning we come with a holy desperation we're not looking to preserve ourselves we're looking for you to be glorified in the earth and for your people to be given strength to stand up and fight back this is the cry of my heart this is the holy desperation that's got to be in the church of Jesus Christ again in this last hour of time it's time for all the partying to cease it's time for all the back patting to be put away it's time for all the stars to come down out of their lofty places it's time again in our hearts to put on sackcloth and ashes it's time to come to the throne of the king and say god i'm not going to rest i can't rest i can't stop i can't cease praying until i see your glory in the earth again until i see my family walking with you until i see my sons and my daughters my grandchildren my god until i i see my home taking that that baton of prayer and fasting and fighting for the glory of god i can't stop i'm not going to stop until somebody reaches through that gate and gives this baton to esther because it's now her turn to run you've been listening to carter conlon from times square church in new york city for more information and resources to help you in your walk in christ log on to tsc.nyc that's tsc.nyc and be sure to be with us next week for a call to the nation with carter conlon
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-07-09 21:00:55 / 2023-07-09 21:10:19 / 9