Greg Lorry and Harvest Ministries recommend a new resource from best-selling author Max Lucato dealing with your thought life.
So many people have Max Lucato books already in their library, but this is his brand new book to help you learn how to team your thoughts. Our thoughts really ultimately affect pretty much everything. And folks, we want to offer you this book by Max Lucato. Team Your Thoughts. for a gift of any amount at harvest.org.
Some reach out boldly for God at great personal sacrifice. Does the Lord notice? Today, Pastor Greg Laurie comments on that. There are times in our lives we did something for someone else and we weren't recognized. But the Bible says, your father who sees you in secret will reward you openly.
Listen, you will be rewarded for every act of kindness and every word of testimony you've given for the Lord over your life. God does not forget. This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.
But can you hear all the angels are singing? This is the day, the day when life begins.
Some do many great things, but talk very little about them.
Some do few great things, but talk a lot about them. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie presents a contrast between Mordecai and another man named Amon. They both appear in the story of Esther. One is a good man and gets little recognition. The other an evil man who's angling for great recognition.
But today, as the story continues, the winds of change blow. And these men get their just desserts. My wife came home from the market a while back and she asked me to unload the car.
Now I don't know about you, but I'm one of those guys that Wants to get as many bags of my arms as humanly possible. I don't want to make multiple trips.
So I've got all these bags. You know, in my arms, and I'm carrying them in many bags and many groceries in these bags: bread, and canned goods, and some vegetables, and some eggs. And I dropped one bag. What bag did I drop? Of course.
Why? Why of all those bags that I dropped the bag of eggs? Because there is a law of the universe, it's called Murphy's Law. Heard of it? Murphy's lie is: if anything can go wrong, it will, and usually at the most inopportune moment.
Well, we sort of joke that's not a real law, but there are real laws that govern our universe. There's a law of gravity. Which basically was discovered by Newton that says things tend to go downward. Or a simpler way to put it, what goes up must come down. There's a law of thermodynamics that tells us all things are breaking down.
Or another way to put it, you will have aged a lot more before the end of this service. And finally, there's a law of sowing and reaping. And that one is in the Bible. Galatians 6:7 to 8. And just as surely as there is a law of gravity and a law of thermodynamics, you better bet there's a law of sowing and reaping.
Here's what the Bible says: be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. If he sows of the flesh, he'll reap corruption. But if he sows of the spirit, he'll reap life everlasting.
Now, we tend to think of the love of sowing and reaping in a negative sense. Oh man, if you do that, watch out. You'll reap what you sow. And that's true. But the law of sowing and reaping is both positive and Negative.
Again, if you sow to the flesh, you'll reap corruption or deadness. That's negative. But if you sow to the Spirit, You'll reap life everlasting.
Now we see that played out in the story before us. Haman The villain in our story. Reaped what he sowed. and he reaped corruption. But then Esther and her cousin Mordecai reap life everlasting.
Let's see how it played out. Let's sort of pick up what we last left off. And by the way, if you haven't been a part of this Esther series, here's sort of a flyover of what we've seen so far. King Xerxes is ruling Persia. He decides to throw a giant feast.
So he invites all of his lords and leaders and government officials into town. And by the way, this feast, this party, lasted for six months. The king provided all the food, all the wine, everything. And I think he was sort of buttering them up for an invasion he was going to mount against Greece on the heels of this feast, which did not go all that well. And so the king is sort of showing all of his cool stuff.
Guys tend to do that, don't they? They want to show you all their cool stuff. And so he's bringing out all the things he owns and his beautiful palace and all the goblets and things that the wine is served in. But now he's going to bring out his crown jewel, the beautiful Queen Vashti.
So he gives the order: bring Queen Vashti in and tell her to come in wearing her crown. I want her to parade right through here, and I want all those guys to see what an awesome wife I have. Oh, Vajdi wanted no part of it.
Now we don't know exactly why.
Some commentators think that when the text says, bring her in wearing her crown, that King Xerxes meant only her crown.
Well obviously she wouldn't like that idea. But even if that wasn't it, the idea was he was sort of objectifying his wife, treating her more like a possession than the wife she was.
So she flat out refuses, and it's a scandal in the kingdom. The King's Eight say you cannot let Vashti. Act that way. Because if she gets away with this, none of our wives will ever do what we tell them to do again. You've got to get rid of her.
So Vajthi is out. And now they effectively have a beauty contest, the Miss Persia beauty contest, if you will, and the winner will become the next queen of the kingdom.
So all of these girls apply, and one girl kind of makes her way to the top. She was a young girl, an orphan. Her parents had died. She had been raised by her cousin Mordecai. He was about 15 years older than her.
Her name was Hadassah. We know her better as Esther, and she had extraordinary beauty. The king laid his eyes on her and he chose her and she became the queen of the kingdom. If this was a fairy tale, it would have ended right there with the words, and they lived happily ever after. But this is not a fairy tale.
This is a Bible story. And it's a piece of history as well. Enter the villain of the story, Haman. who hatches a plot to exterminate Mordecai and the Jews.
Now, this was a blood feud that went back a long way because the Bible tells us that Haman was an agagite. That doesn't mean a lot to us. Try even saying that word. Say it with me: agagite. Don't ever name your child agagite.
Or a gat. That meant he was a descendant of King Agag, who was an avowed enemy of Israel. And the Lord directed King Saul to destroy King Agag, and Saul disobeyed. And so now here's one of his blood descendants who hates the Jewish people. And here's Mordecai, also a blood descendant, a Jewish man.
So. Haman was elevated to be the second most powerful man in the kingdom. He's the prime minister. He comes walking by, and the order is given. Everyone bows.
When Haman comes by, Mordecai won't bow. And that just ticked Haman off. And he wanted to kill Mordecai. And then he decided he was going to kill the people of Mordecai.
So he goes to the king and gets the king to agree to sign a decree that all the Jewish people across the entire kingdom of Persia will be put to death. And they posted these signs: in one year, you will all die. It's very similar to what happened later in Germany. Remember when the Nazi Party came into power? and the way they treated the Jewish people.
They would go to their shops and stores, and they would have to put a Star of David there, identifying themselves as Jews. And then they began to destroy the stores and the property of the Jews. And then the Jews were wearing these little yellow armbands to identify themselves. And soon the Nazis were shipping the Jewish people off to concentration camps like Treblinka and Auschwitz and others.
So it's a similar thing. I'm going to have you all wiped off the face of the earth.
Well To K I found out about this, and there's only one person who can help. It's Esther, who's a Jew. And she's there in the palace. Maybe she can influence the king.
So he stands outside the palace, dressed in sackcloth and ashes, mourning this horrible thing. Esther didn't even know about it. And Esther heard about her cousin out there not dressed very well. She said, Here, send him some new clothes. Talk about missing the point.
Girl, I'm trying to communicate something to you. Your people are in trouble, and you're living in the lap of luxury up there in the palace. You don't even know what's going on. And then Mordecai says to Esther in Esther 4, and this is a signature passage from the book: don't think for a moment you will escape there in the palace. Because if the other Jews are killed and you keep quiet, deliverance will arise from the Jews from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.
But who knows that God does not place you where you are for such a time as this?
Now interestingly, Esther Had not revealed to the king she was a Jew up to this point because Mordecai told her not to.
Now he's saying it's time to Play your hand. It's time to declare yourself a Jew. It's time to appeal. For your people. And so Esther says to Mordecai, okay, I'm going to go to the king.
And by the way, If you go to the king when you're not summoned, you might be put to death. But I will go to the king. I will put it all on the line. And she says there in Esther chapter 4, I want you to be fasting. for me and I want you to be praying for me And I will die if I have to die.
If I must die, I will die.
So she says. Be in prayer for me. Effectively, she says, fasting, but it's really another way of saying, be praying for me.
So now Esther is showing her true colors. I mean, without question, she was extraordinarily beautiful. Drop dead gorgeous beautiful. but she had inner qualities to match. And that character was about to be revealed.
It's been said: character is not made in crisis, it's only exhibited. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Emails, phone calls, and social media messages from listeners are so encouraging to us. and they let us know the effectiveness of these studies. Pastor Greg, your teachings are enlightening and yet convicting.
Praise God for your gentle but firm reminders on how to live a life for Jesus. I appreciate that you're a man on a mission. and I've been blessed to be able to listen to your messages in person. I also love that you preach the Word of God in a humble yet witty way. I'm so grateful for your podcast, and I hope that your words will bring more people to Jesus.
Thank you, Pastor Gregg. All glory to God. Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop them an email and share your story? Send it to Greg at harvest.org.
Again, that's Greg at harvest.org.
Well, we're digging into a critical point in the story of Esther, Mordecai, and Haman. Pastor Gregg is presenting a message today called You Reap What You Sow.
Now the true character of Esther is going to shine, but she's waiting for the right time and the right place with the right words to appeal to the king.
So our story begins in Esther chapter five, verse one. Let's read together. Three days later. Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace just across from the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne facing the entrance, and when he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her, holding out the gold scepter to her.
So Esther approached and touched its tip. Then the king asked her, What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I'll give it to you up to half of the kingdom. She said, Well, if it pleases your majesty, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I prepared for the king.
So the king turned to his attendants and said, Tell Gaiman to come quickly to a banquet as Esther has requested.
So, King, the king and Haman went to Esther's banquet and they're drinking wine. And the king said to Esther, Tell me what you really want. What is your request? I'll give it to you, even up to half of my kingdom. Esther replied, This is my request and deepest wish.
If your majesty is pleased with me and wants to grant my request, Come back with Haman tomorrow. We'll stop there. This is amazing. Seems like she would have just closed the deal right there. You know, outed Haman and his plot.
Revealed that she was a Jewish girl. And this was an attack against her and her people. But she's waiting. She's waiting for the right time. Do you know timing is everything?
Because a lot of times we're impatient. Are you an impatient person? I can be. The other day, we had our grandkids, and they were going to school. And they had eaten something, but my granddaughter Allie was still hungry.
And my wife Kathy said, Can you make Allie some eggs? I said, Sure. I kind of pride myself on my scrambled eggs. And so Kathy sets the heat really low. She says that's the key to cooking scrambled eggs.
So they're fluffy.
Well, the heat was low, and I poured the eggs in the little pan, and nothing's happening. And the kids gotta go to school.
So I crank up the heat, and you know, now they're finally forming, and I put them on a plate, and I realize they're a little on the rubbery side. And Ali took one bite. She said, I'm not hungry anymore.
So That was her nice way of saying Papa, your eggs are horrible. But see, I didn't do it right. I was too impatient. And we can do that in life.
Well, I don't want to wait for this person to believe. I'm going to pressure them to believe. I don't want to wait for this to happen. I'm going to make it happen. I'm going to take things into my own hands.
But we need to understand: there's a time for every event under heaven, the Bible says: a time to be silent and a time to speak. And you know, we all may have a king in our life. And by that, I mean there's some person like the king that maybe intimidates us. They might be in authority over us. Am I be a boss?
It might be a professor. It might be that person that seems to have it so together, so above you, so tough, you think they would never listen to the gospel. Listen to this. No one is beyond the reach of God. Think of someone right now, you think, oh, they would never listen to me.
They would never Be open to the gospel. How do you know that? When don't you start praying for them? Think of young Stephen. As he stood before the Jewish Sanhedrin, which was sort of like the Supreme Court of the day.
He had been charged with preaching the gospel. And he stood before these gentlemen and he began to share his faith. And their anger began to grow, and they were so mad at him, and they finally gave the decree that he should be put to death. And he prayed for them as he was dying. He said, Lord, don't lay this sin against their charge.
He was the first martyr of the early church. But among those men in that Jewish Sanhedrin was the notorious Saul of Tarsus. And right on the heels of this event, Saul of Tarsus began to hunt down, arrest. And prosecute Christians, men, women, and children.
Well, you know the rest of the story. Saul of Tarsus ended up meeting Jesus on the Damascus road. He was converted and he became the Apostle Paul. But I suggest to you that seed was initially sown in Saul's heart by young Stephen, who did not back down from his faith because he thought God could reach that guy. Maybe he even prayed for Saul.
So now the moment has come. Esther can approach the king. It says, verse 3: the king says, What do you want, Queen Esther? What's your request? I'll give it to you up to half of my kingdom.
That's a good day when the king offers that, by the way.
So she's been waiting on the Lord. And she says, Well, if it please your majesty, Esther. 5'3? Let the king and Haman come. to a banquet today.
that I prepared for the king. Heman is soxided. He's thinking everything's going my way. All of my scheming, my plotting, my undermining is finally coming to fruition. The queen has invited me to a banquet with the king.
Verse 9: What a happy man Haman was as he left the banquet. He thinks everything's going my way. I'm going to wipe out the Jews. I'm powerful. Oh, it's awesome.
So now going back a little bit in the book. Uh there was a threat against the king. This became known to Mordecai, who was an aid to the king. He told the king. The plot was foiled.
The bodyguards were executed. But Mordecai was never rewarded for this wonderful act of sacrifice.
So one night the king. Can't get to sleep. We've all had nights like that. And so you try counting sheep or drinking warm milk, and sometimes reading will help put you to sleep.
So the king. had something read to him. When you're the king, you have people read to you. And he says, pull out that book, The History of the Persian Empire, just start reading.
So they're reading to him and they come across the story of the averted plot against his life. He goes, wait, wait, go back over that again. What happened? Yeah, I remember that. Who was the guy who helped me there?
That was Mordecai. Was he ever rewarded for that? No king, he wasn't, really.
Well, we need to right that wrong. And then she just reminds us that there are times in our lives We did something for someone else and we weren't recognized. But the Bible says, Your father who sees you in secret will reward you openly. Listen, you will be rewarded for every act of kindness and every word of testimony you've given for the Lord over your life. Hebrews 6:10 says, God is not unjust.
He will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue. to help him.
So listen, God does not forget. And so now Mordecai is going to be rewarded. And here's what the story: just, I love it. It's classic.
So the next morning, King wakes up. All right. Listen, we got to do something about this guy that saved my life. Who's out in the court right now? Haman is, okay, bring him in here.
So Haman is brought into the presence of the king. King says, Oh, Haman, I have a question for you. What should I do if I really want to honor someone? If I really want to show them how much I appreciate what they've done, what is the best thing that I could do? Heyman was so narcissistic.
And wicked He thought the king was talking about him and he says, well. If I were in your shoes, what I would do as I would put him on your royal steed I would put royal robes on him, and I would have him led through the kingdom. This is what happens to the man that the king wants to honor. The king says, excellent idea. Do that for Mordecai, Kai, Kai, Kai, Kai, Kai.
What would be no? Mordecai. Oh. He can't, this is like he's dying inside.
So he, Mordecai, got on the horse. Put on the robes. Let's go. He's walking through the kingdom. This is what would be done for the man that the king wants to honor.
Mordecai is sitting up there. All right, very nice. And Amen is burning up inside. Talk about poetic justice.
Well, as you know, we're only partway through the story. Mordecai is reaping the fruits of his good character. But when the story continues here on a new beginning, Pastor Gregg Lawry points out how Haman is about to reap what he has sown. You know, Pastor Gregg, when it comes to where we'll spend eternity, It all comes down to our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That's right.
What would you say to the person listening who just doesn't know if they have that kind of relationship? They can't think of a time that they've made a deliberate decision for the Lord. It's not a good idea to assume everything's just going to work out okay, is it? Trevor Burrus: No, this is one area of your life you want to be sure about. Where you're going to spend eternity.
The Bible says these things we write to you that you may believe on the Son of God and that you may know that you have eternal life. Listen, I know I have eternal life. I know I'll go to heaven one day. And I hope that doesn't sound boastful. And if it does, I'm boasting in what God has done for me, not in what I've done for God.
The reason I know these things is because I've turned from my sin and I've put my faith in Christ, you see, and if you do the same, you can have this same hope. You just need to call out to the Lord, an admiturous sinner, and ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and come into your life. The Bible says, whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Will you call upon Him right now? I'm going to pray a simple prayer.
And I'm going to ask you to pray this prayer. after me if you would So, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, if you want to know for certain that Christ Is living in your life. Then pray this prayer with me. Just pray these words. Lord Jesus.
I know I am a sinner, but But I know you are the Saviour. Who died on the cross for my sin? I turn from my sin now. and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. as my Saviour and my Lord.
As my God And my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer with Pastor Gregg and you've meant those words sincerely. The Lord has forgiven you of your sin, and you're now a Christian. And we want to help you get started living this new life of faith. Let us send you Pastor Gregg's New Believer's Bible.
It's in an easy to understand translation, and there are scores of features to help a new believer build a solid foundation.
So get in touch and ask for the New Believer's Bible. We'll send it free of charge. Just call 1-800-821-3300. You can call any time, 1-800-821-3300. or write a new beginning box 4000.
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Well, next time, as we continue our study of the story of Esther, Haman, and Mordecai. We'll see how Haman finally reaps what he sows. more from this fascinating account. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins.
