Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. What's God doing? Working silently? and invisibly. He's a God who not only rules but overrules.
And events and circumstances and relationships and the disappointments of life are often confusing and chaotic. But we reminded ourselves in our study: in the midst of the storm, God's hand is always on the helm. Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. Life has a way of throwing curveballs that leave us reeling. Personal loss, financial struggles, health crises that seem to come from nowhere.
We wonder if God sees, if he cares, if he's even there at all. Today, as we conclude our journey through Esther, John shares three life-changing truths about God's invisible hand. Here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well today is the final broadcast in our series on Esther. I've always loved this story, the drama. the brilliant reversals, the twists and turns, the sheer excitement. and in studying it afresh I've deepened my appreciation of God furthering His purposes, even when, from our perspective, it seems everything is hopeless. chaotic and dark.
I realise all of us have some questions about the Book of Esther. I confess I can't answer all of them. But as we come to the end of our series on Esther, As we consider the wonderful resolutions and celebration in the last two chapters. I want to conclude with three lessons. Remember.
God is a God who sometimes seems absent, but He's always present, always at work. even in the darkest of times.
So here we have in these verses the institution of the feast of Purim. Institute led by Mordecai. And now, as we read, there is the practice of Purim. At the command of Queen Esther and Mordecai, the Feast of Purim was to be established.
So that this astonishing Deliverance from Persian hatred against the Jews would never ever be forgotten. And Purim today continues to be celebrated by the Jews one month before Passover. Reminder that God had delivered his people from this seemingly irreversible edict. which would have annihilated them. It's a story of triumph Out of tragedy, a story of gladness out of grief, as we read, a story of a holiday rather than mourning, of celebration out of devastation.
The triumph of good over evil. During World War Two and the Nazi, Prison camps, the concentration camps, any Jew possessing the Book of Esther was killed. Can you think why? What did Nazi Germany want to do? To annihilate the Jews.
It was not just that they didn't like the Jews. It's not even that they heated them. They wanted them all killed. And we think of the millions of Jews that were butchered during World War II, the Nazis. have gone.
That horrible regime that tried to take over most of the world was defeated, as we know, in World War II.
Now we don't celebrate today. They Feast of Purim, we remind ourselves of it as we're doing. We celebrate another feast, a simple feast called the Lord's Supper, the breaking of bread, communion, the Eucharist that's given different names in different church traditions. In Judaism Based on Exodus chapter 12. Every year there is the Feast of the Passover.
What's the Feast of Passover about? You know the answer? That the Israelites would never ever forget another deliverance. A deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. That once they were slaves, that once they were under a curse.
Once They were merely there to obey the command of the Pharaohs, and yet God, through the leadership of Moses, delivers them and they celebrate that freedom, freedom from slavery.
Now if that is true... If the Jews should celebrate the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Purim, how much more? Should we who are followers of Jesus Christ celebrate the victory accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ, our victor over the enemies of Satan and darkness and sin and hell itself? The Lord's Supper, I want you to understand, among other things, is a celebration. It's not just a meaningless ritual.
We're celebrating our great deliverance. And while there is certainly solemnity and reverence at the Lord's table, after all, we're reflecting on the death of our Savior, we also celebrate the victory. accomplished by him. We sang about the king of kings, the lord of lords, who is coming back soon. And so Paul puts it together in 1 Corinthians 11 and says, as often.
As you eat the bread and drink the cup. He says, we proclaim the Lord's death. Why would we proclaim the Lord's death? Because the cross is central to our salvation. Without our Lord Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins and being buried and Rising again, there is no salvation, there is no way into heaven.
We are eternally lost, but our Savior has come, and we celebrate the Lord's death. But also, says Paul, we do that until he comes. Aren't you glad Paula added that? He said, what's the point, John? We're looking forward.
Our full deliverance, our full redemption has not yet taken place. You think it's good now to be a Christian? I can imagine going through life without being a Christian. It's a wonderful thing to be a Christian and to follow Jesus Christ. But the best is yet coming.
If you think it's good now, just wait till that day when our majestic Lord Jesus Christ shall return. You say, Do you believe that, John? Absolutely. The trumpet will sound, and every true follower of Jesus Christ will hear that trumpet, and the dead will be raised in Christ, and will be we who are alive when He comes, will be gone up. to be forever with the Lord.
So as you take that bread, And as you take that cup, Look back. to the magnificent work of our Saviour. Here you are in the present. Examine yourself. Am I a true follower of Christ?
Am I living a life for the glory of God? Paul says, you're to examine ourselves, but also we look forward. Past, present and future, all here at the Lord's Supper. We celebrate his death until he comes. Once If I can personalize it.
I was heading to hell itself, eternal punishment. But my Lord Jesus Christ has come. And my eternal destiny is absolutely secure because I am eternally united with my Lord Jesus Christ. My salvation. It's not of myself, far from it.
It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And if you have not yet received Christ, I call on you, I beg you, I urge you. To repent of your sins and to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
Now, let me make three Summary statements as we conclude the book of Esther. These are. I'm making three summary statements, but really they're all related. They're really saying the same thing. in different ways.
As we reflect on what we've been learning through the Book of Esther. And let me do this very quickly. Number one. When God seems absent. He's always present.
and always cares for his people. I want you to grasp that brother today. When God seems absent, He's always present. He's always with us. And he always cares for his people.
God is never mentioned in the book of Esther. There's no voice from God directly or indirectly to Esther or Mordecai or to the Jewish people. But although God's name isn't mentioned, His hand is Everywhere. Have you found that in life? The God is sometimes absent.
I've been... Through these circumstances, I'm thinking, where is God?
Sometimes I don't even feel His presence. He seems absent, ah, but He's always present. God never, ever, ever abandons his children. He is a good father. Sang about God being our Father.
And God's hand, sometimes in our life, may be hidden. But we his people are never ever forgotten Let's read chapter 10. Here is Mordecai. You know his story, but think of what happens now at the end of Esther. Chapter Ten.
You'll be glad there's a short chapter, it is. King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. And all of the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honour of Mordecai to which the king advanced them. Are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew, notice how he's emphasized he's Jewish, Mordecai the Jew.
Was second in rank to King Ahasuerus. And he was great among the Jews. and popular with the multitude of his brothers. For he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace, shalom. Shalom.
to all his People. Wonderful. A God who cares for his ancient people certainly cares for those of us who have been redeemed by his precious blood of his Son. He is with you. Sister?
God is with you. His eye is on the sparrow. And I know he watches me, God always. cares. for his people.
Fathers, do you think you're a better father than God? Don't you care for your children? Don't you watch over them? Wouldn't you give your life for your children? Isn't that true if you're a good father?
Think of the goodness and perfection of our Heavenly Father. never abandons his children.
Sometimes seems absent. But he's always present. and always cares for his people. He's number two. When life seems chaotic, God is always in control.
Life here was chaot chaotic for the Jews. When Haman's edict was first passed, Chapter 3, verse 13. What was it? To destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children. And we read at the end of Esther chapter 3 that the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.
Can you imagine if there's an edict by our government that every follower of Christ was to be killed. Wouldn't it be chaos? You wonder what's going to happen. Yes, but in the midst of the confusion and chaos. Yeah.
was in control. He was already ahead of the situation. He raised up this young, beautiful woman, Esther. Put her in the palace. She becomes the queen.
And at the right time. She understands she was raised up for such a time as this, and she steps forward. Used by God. In the middle of the chaos, in the middle of the confusion and uncertainty. God is in control.
Our Heavenly Father never panics. You panic. I panic sometimes. I wonder what on earth is going to happen. God is in control.
A few days ago, I had the privilege of officiating. Uh at a funeral. And uh met uh And the woman, the um a daughter of the deceased. Spoke with her. And uh she called me, called me on Friday.
Don't really know this woman. Poznań here. And uh she she she talked, she thanked me for the funeral and so on. And then she said, I uh Pastor, I want you to pray for me. I said, I'll certainly do that.
As she said. You know, I not only lost my mother, I didn't like the term lost because we she's not lost, she's in heaven. But the passing of her mother, she said, I lost my mother. And she said, I lost my home. She said, I had a home up in the mountains of North Carolina.
And as you said, in the flood, My house was swept away into the river. I said, really? The whole house? Yes, she said. She said, my house is gone.
And From my legal training, I had to ask the question, were you insured? And uh she said, well She said, I had. A little flood insurance. But the flood insurance, I only took out a little flood insurance because if there's a flood, I would have enough to repair the damage, but certainly not. for the cost of my house.
Can you pray for me? And I said, yes. And I said to her, you know, You lost your mother, you lost your house. But you haven't lost Christ. She's a follower of Christ.
And in tears she said yes. I still have Christ. He's my rock. And I'm depending on him. How wonderful.
In a chaotic situation, in an unbelievable situation of your House washed away into the river. Here is a follower of Christ who says, I'm going to stand firm on Christ and Christ alone. What's our future? I don't know. But in the midst of the chaos, God is always in control.
Our lives are sometimes chaotic and confusing. What's God doing? Working silently? and invisibly. He is invincible.
He's a God who not only rules but overrules. And events and circumstances and relationships and the disappointments of life are often confusing and chaotic, but. We reminded ourselves in our study: in the midst of the storm, God's hand is always on the helm. God's always in charge. The scripture says he works all things after the counsel of his will.
Ephesians 1:11. When life seems chaotic, God is in control. Therefore, Trust them. When Goody and I went through the the passing of our of our son Someone sent us I guess it goes on the the table uh with this verse on it. John 14, verse 27.
Words of Jesus, you listening? Peace. I leave with you. My peace I give to you, not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled.
Neither let them be afraid. You know trouble? You know that churning in your heart? You know, devastation comes in all kinds of ways. Here is the promise of Jesus: peace.
Not just peace, he says, my peace. Do I give you? The peace of God. Jacob sang. A beautiful song.
Be still. And know that I am God. Be still. It means to stop fretting, stop worrying, stop being afraid. Look at me, I'm God.
That's it, isn't it? And his peace dissolves our fears. When life seems chaotic, God is always in control. Number three, the final one. When the gallows seemed to face us, God is always working.
For his good. For his glory rather and our good. We sang it. When the gallows seemed to face us, God is always working for His glory and our good. Here it is, the Jews are facing certain death.
Haman, the enemy of the Jews, is at the pinnacle of power. He's right under King Ahasuerus. Do you think God panics? God's invisible hand is working for the good of the Jewish nation. And him in pride precedes his fall The very gallows he constructs to hang Mordecai are used for his own hanging.
God. is working. for his glory and for our good. That's tough, isn't it, to accept sometimes? Easy to say, easy to sing.
But in the depth of her soul that's difficult. You're facing something frightening.
Something Disastrous. Your health. A business problem. Relationship, something in your own family, something in your ministry is just absolutely. Awful.
And you just feel you cannot go on. What on earth are you going to do? Remember this. And it's hard. I know.
I want you to grasp it. God is at work. Silently, invisibly. For his glory and for our good. That God is sovereign, not us.
You're not in control of your life. You like to be in control. I like to be in control, but we're not. God is sovereign. We are his people.
He loves us. He cares for us.
So do not be downhearted. Don't give up. When facing seemingly impossible situations, God, as we learned in Esther, is well able to reverse the expected outcome of a situation. He turns the gallows to triumph. He turns crucifixion to resurrection.
He turns the cross to glory. He turns death to life. He reverses the irreversible. That's the kind of God we have. That's my Heavenly Father.
That's my Savior. Always at work in ways I don't understand. And sometimes, if I'm not careful, I want to give God advice. Remember, Luther said, we must think God's a very poor student because we keep giving him advice. You've done that, haven't you?
You've told God how some situation should be worked out in our humanity, but remember this, God. Is it worked for our good and his glory? Therefore, do not be afraid. That's what Jesus says: I'm giving you my peace, don't be troubled. Oh, that's hard as Mm-hmm.
I'm to focus on this great God. And this peace that he gives me. And stop my fretting and my worrying. And yes, there's time for action. Of course, there is.
Faith without works is dead. I understand that, but you're not. Trust them. Praise him. Live for him.
Because he's a good God, and he showers his grace on us. Grace upon grace upon grace. Let me close with this. Scottish traditional prayer. Which summarizes, I think, some of the lessons we've learned from the book of Esther.
Here it is. As the rain hides the stars. As the autumn mist hides the hills, As the clouds veil the blue of the sky, so the dark happenings of my lot. Hide the shining of thy face from me. Yes.
If I may hold your hand in the darkness, it is enough. Since I know that though I may stumble in my going, Thou who dost not fall. It's not magnificent. Remember what our Lord Jesus said in John 10 or sheep. He says, I give you eternal life and you shall never perish.
Neither shall anyone snatch you out of my hand. My Father who gave them me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand. I and my father's are one. Those of us who follow Jesus Christ, we go through life. And he is holding our hand.
Sometimes we falter.
Sometimes you may try to pull away. But we are held with that all-powerful and that all-loving. hand and he will hold us fast. Father Thank you that although we may stumble You never fail. You are a faithful God, even when we are faithless.
You are faithful. Help us now. as we think of the man of sorrows, that he kept steadfast. Saying, not my will, but yours be done. And through his sacrifice, Father, we rejoice in the forgiveness of sins.
And the eternal hope we have that one day We think very, very soon. We're going to see him. As he is.
So we thank you in his name. Amen. Mm. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe and his concluding message about God's invisible hand. What a powerful reminder that our sovereign God specializes in turning our greatest defeats into triumphant victories.
The three truths John shared to day, that God is always present when He seems absent, always in control when life feels chaotic, and always working for our good when we face the gallows. These aren't mere platitudes. They're anchors for the soul when storms rage around us. To help you apply these life-changing principles, be sure to get your copy of our Esther Listening Guide. This resource will help you review the entire Esther study and provide practical applications for trusting God during your most difficult seasons.
Whether you're facing health challenges, relationship struggles, or financial uncertainty. Esther's story proves that our God delights in dramatic reversals. Download your free guide today. at the verdict.org. Through your faithful partnership with the verdict, you help extend this message of hope to others who desperately need to hear that God's hand is on the helm.
Your generous contribution enables us to reach hurting hearts with biblical truth. Would you stand with us in this crucial ministry? Every gift matters, and every dollar multiplies hope around the world. Give today. at the verdict.org.
Remember, you can access every message in this encouraging series through the Verdict Podcast. Plus, don't miss John's weekly Avizandam podcast, where he applies these timeless truths to the headlines of our day. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with closing remarks.
Well, what's your verdict? Remember, when life seems chaotic, God is always in control. I realize you don't know how your situation is going to be resolved. But God is all-powerful. Dealing with the excruciating heartaches of life forces us to come back to these foundational truths.
God is with us. God is in control. God is a good God.
Next time, listen as we return to our series in the New Testament book of 1 Peter. Peter is encouraging first-century Christians who live in a secular country. culture. There is much we can learn. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict.
I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
