Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Amen. The man who conspired to murder the Jewish people is now himself going to be put to death. His fate is sealed. And the king said, Hang him on that.
So they hanged Haman. On the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai, then the wrath of the king. Abeda. What is sorta? Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
Today, we're continuing our journey through the book of Esther, where God's plan unfolds in the most unexpected ways. The tables have turned dramatically as Haman, who sought to destroy the Jewish people, now faces his own demise. even when circumstances seem hopeless. God is in control.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with his message: hanged on the gallows. In our study of the Old Testament book of Esther, we're learning That God is at work in the silences, in the darkness. though God's hand is sometimes invisible and we wonder what's going on. Faith in God sees the invisible. Trust God in the darkness.
Listens to God in the silence. He is sovereign over all. I think you'll find this message incredibly encouraging. as we see how God overcomes evil. the very wicked Haman ends up being killed on his own gallows.
Be sure to listen to the end of the broadcast. I have four concluding lessons. which will help you when you are in these dark situations of life. God is at work. And God was at work at the cross of Calvary, where seeming tragedy.
is turned to triumph. Esther six then verse one On that night, The king, King Ahasuerus of Persia. The king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable dates, the chronicles. And they were read before the king.
And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Big Thana and Teresh. Two of the king's eunuchs who guarded the threshold and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And the king said, What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this? The king's young men who attended him said, Nothing. has been done for him.
And this is one of the pivotal points. In the drama of Esther, isn't it? That's the first scene, a sleepless night. Secondly, A huge eagle. Verse four.
King can't sleep. Had the Chronicles read to him.
Now it's morning. And the king said, Who's in the court?
Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king's palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on a gallows that he had prepared for them. And the king's young men told him, Haman is there standing in the court. He's the prime minister. And the king said, let him come in.
So Haman came in and the king said to him, What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honour? Here's ego, a huge ego. And he even said to himself, Whom would the king delight to honour more than me? And Haman said to the king, For the man whom the king delights to honour, let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn. And the horse that the king has ridden.
And on whose head a royal crown is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honour. Let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor. Here's the third scene.
Pride. Before destruction. Verse 10. Then the king said to Amen, Hurry! Take the robes and the horse.
I mean, this is Haven's suggestion. Take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai The Jew. Who sits at the king's gate? Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.
So Haman took the robes and the horse and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour. Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate. and him and hurried to his house mourning. and with his head covered. And Haman told his wife Zaresh and all his friends everything that happened to him.
Then his wise man And his wife Zaresh said to him, If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him. but will surely fall before him. While they were yet talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived. and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.
So here is the fourth scene. Esther's Petition. Verses one through six.
So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. This is the second feast. And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, they King again said to Esther, what's your wish? Queen Esther, it shall be granted to you. And what is your request?
Even to the half of my kingdom, It shall be fulfilled. Then Esther answered, If I find favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request, for we have been sold. I and my people to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent. for her affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.
Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, Who is he? And where is he who's there to do this? And Esther said, A fool. an enemy, this wicked Haman. Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
The final scene. Today a king's decision, verse 7. And the king arose in his wrath from the wine drinking. and went into the palace garden. but him instead to beg for his life from Queen Esther.
for he saw that harm was determined against them by the king. And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine. As Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was, And the king said, Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house? As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman's face. Then Harbona.
one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king said, Moreover, The gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house. Fifty cubits high, that's seventy-five feet. And the king said, Hang him on that.
Amen. the man who conspired to murder the Jewish people is now himself going to be put to death. I don't know. Let me conclude with four. lessons as uh as I try to draw this.
uh together.
So here's the first lesson. God is at work. In the silences. and seemingly hopeless situations of life. God is at work in the silences and seemingly hopeless situations of life.
How could the Jews? Living in Persia. With this mighty king, King Ahasiaris. How could they Succeed. Against this irrevocable edict by the Persian superpower, which was passed into law, and the law of the Medes and Persians cannot be revoked.
And the law was to destroy, to kill, to annihilate all of the Jews, young and old, men, women, and children. It seemed totally hopeless. But what a dramatic reversal. in the chapters that we've read. Amen.
Number two in the kingdom. At the height of his pride, Experiences supreme humiliation, hanged on his own gallows. God, Is it work? In the silences and seemingly hopeless situations of our lives, we think of that nationally, internationally, but we also can bring it right down to our individual. Lives.
You ever been in a hopeless situation? with people who take the lives because they think life is hopeless. Life can't change. If you're such a person today, I want to tell you. The God is a God of hope.
He's a living hope. But whatever The difficulty, however dark the night, or fierce the storm, or how fiery that furnace is, God is a living God and He's a hope. Do not despair. Look up, have faith in this living God. And whatever our circumstances, In the hopeless situations of life, and I'm sure all of us, if we've lived a few years, To a greater or lesser extent, have come up with seemingly hopeless situations in her life.
What are you to do? What am I to do? I'm to trust God. Do I understand how it's going to work out? No, I don't.
When that edict is passed in ancient Persia, did anyone know how it was all going to work out? No, but their trust is in God. And he's at work in the silences and seemingly hopeless situations of life. Here's. The second lesson.
God is at work. Through the seemingly insignificant circumstances of life. Much of life is routine, isn't it? Much of life. What happens to us seems rather Insignificance seems rather random.
And there are many coincidences in the story. From a from a human perspective, the king's insomnia. The king being read that very night, the account of Mordecai uncovering the conspiracy. Haman arriving at the palace that very morning at the right time. All of these things.
Seems rather insignificant. Who hasn't had a sleepless night? Who hasn't turned up a bit early? Through the seemingly insignificant Circumstances of life, God. Is it work?
You know, for the Christian, there are no coincidences with God. God accomplishes his purposes through all of the circumstances of life. We who follow Jesus Christ don't believe in luck. We don't believe in horoscopes. We don't believe in blind faith.
We believe we have faith in a living God and our life is surrendered totally to Him. He is our Creator. We're accountable to Him in His grace. He has saved us. He's our Heavenly Father and we are to surrender everything in life, including the seemingly insignificant circumstances, to Him.
He's sovereign over all.
Now as I say, for those of you who have lived a few years. Think back over your life. Don't you see some amazing circumstances? In your life, chance encounters. Seemingly insignificant circumstances, but when you look back.
The whole trajectory of your life seemed to change. At the time, it was insignificant. At the time, it just seemed a coincidence. But as you look back, You see that God I've been superintending. and taking these events and organize things and Life.
to bring us to a certain point. God, does it work? And God's timing is Perfect.
Soon after we arrived in the United States, Kenny and I had been Married a few years. and we inquire about Adoption. We're told different things. You're not American citizens. No, we're not.
Uh furthermore, you've got no income. That's true, I'm at seminary. I wasn't allowed to work. I was there as a full-time student. And then My dear wife, in conversation with one of the professor's wife at Dallas Theological Seminary.
She mentioned as well uh that they had no children and and had applied to an adoption agency and we're on their waiting list. They've got all of these rules and regulations that you have to go through. And so we rejoiced in that, and in a short time. Later. She says to Gudne, I'm pregnant.
Praise God. And she said, I'm going to mention the very small. adoption agents in Dallas. I'm going to mention your name to them. We thought, okay, but we're still No Americans.
I still have no income. I still have an uncertain future. What's changed? But God moved the heart. of the director of that small agency.
They reached out to her. We met her along with some other couples and it seemed very, very bleak, humanly speaking. And yet we look back and think And the purposes of God, God brings to us at the right time. And arranged in what, humanly speaking, to be a hopeless situation for God and His grace. Think of us a little baby boy.
in his purposes. And I'm saying That we have a wonderful God. And in the hopeless situations of your life. In the middle of the seemingly insignificant circumstances of life, do not give up. Do not despair.
Don't be bitter against God. This is an opportunity for you afresh. To put your trust in God, not knowing how the story is going to end, but knowing this. That God, even as we're saying, works everything. For his glory and our good.
Here's the third lesson. God is always faithful to his promises. Even Haman's wife and friends seem to realize that God cannot be opposed. Chapter 6, verse 13. If he's of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him.
Why is that? All of the might of Persia, the superpower of the day, could not stop. The purposes of God revealed in the Abrahamic covenant that those who bless Israel, God will bless. that those who curse Israel will be cursed. And this woman, him and his wife, And the advisors seem to realize that if you oppose the Jewish nation, it's you that's going to fall.
And that was the case. And when Haban opposes God's people, there's no place of safety for him, no place to hide. And if God, in his grace and love, watched over his ancient people Israel. As he continues to do, surely those of us Who through faith in his Son have God as our Father know. that God is always faithful.
There is not one promise of God that he will revoke. We have to claim that promise. Will you claim it? Him that comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. I will give you eternal life and you shall never perish.
I am with you even to the end of the age. Yes, even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil, for I am with you. And as the people of God, we claim these promises because God never ever goes back on His promises. He's always faithful to His promises. He's always faithful to His covenant.
And he works out his purposes in ways that we often don't see, certainly don't understand. But we as his people. No That we are loved with an everlasting love. Therefore, I'm to trust this God and I'm to love this God with all of my heart. Here's the last one.
The cross of Jesus Christ. is the greatest victory of all. When we think of Evil being reversed as it was, In the story of Esther. At the cross. It seemed as if Satan Evil and darkness triumphed.
He is the only innocent human being. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Truly God and truly man. The only one who never sinned. The only perfect man.
Think of his teaching, think of his miracles, think of his tenderness, think of his care. Think of him stretching out his hand to heal the leper. Think of him taking the little children in his arms and blessing him. This is our magnificent Savior. No spot, no stain, absolutely flawless, pure.
And everything he did, and everything he said, and everything he thought, and yet. Evil hands, take him. and nail him. To a cross. The Holy One is taken by unholy hands and crucified.
But what a dramatic reversal. From the darkness of the cross shines the glorious light of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, because our Savior rises from the dead.
Sorrow is turned to joy. Shame is turned to glory, condemnation is turned to salvation, death to life, and all of the evil of Satan, all of the evil of sin, all of the evil of hell can never ever stand against the purposes of God. He is victorious. Sin and death, and Satan could not keep him bound. And he rises, he bursts through the bonds and the chains of sin and darkness, and is alive forevermore, and calls on all of us.
To do what? to repent. of our sins to acknowledge That we have sinned. Or we may not be as evil as Haman. We probably have never conspired.
To murder someone? But even if we had Even the worst of sinners. like the thief on the cross is welcomed Into the kingdom of God, if we acknowledge our sin and look and look to Christ alone who comes. to save us, to wash us, to transform us. And to give us a life that nothing in this world can come close to.
And that is to have our sins forgiven. And of the joy of eternal life as I met A couple of days ago with the family of Carne Tinsley. Karen had had that dementia in Alzheimer's and even In the midst of that, she is confessing. her faith. in her Jesus Christ who loves her.
The wonder. that even the worst of disease, and even death itself, Cannot separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, I say to you, if you've never yet, Cried out to Christ for salvation. Will you do that? The Bible says, whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
But does that mean? Save from your sins, cleanse from your sin, given eternal life. A new life. The old is gone. And the new has Come.
And that now with us you can begin this wonderful adventure of faith. of day by day, trusting Our Saviour. and following him. Turning from the darkness. Following the one who still says, I am the light of the world.
He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light. Life. If you've been raised in Sunday school, in a Christian home, or in a church, you know, John 3:16, that God so loved the world. that he gave his only begotten son. that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Just think of the wonder of the gospel. Whoever you are. God's love comes to you and then Christ it embraces you. Will you acknowledge your sin? And look to Christ, the Son of God, who died for your sins, was buried, and rose again.
And call on Him. to save you and to cleanse you. And to save with his help. I will follow him. all of the days of my life.
And I will trust him, whatever the circumstances. Because I know But all of my life. is in the hands. of my God.
sovereign. Overall. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe and the conclusion of his message titled Hanged on the Gallows. What an extraordinary story of divine reversal the very gallows Haman built for Mordecai became the instrument of his own destruction. This remarkable outcome wasn't mere coincidence, but a demonstration of God's sovereign power.
When life seems to spin out of control, Esther's story stands as a powerful reminder that God is working even through seemingly random events. To help you follow along with our study, we're currently offering our Esther Listening Guide. This printable workbook walks through all the lessons, from the initial historical context of the Persian exile, to how God's sovereign hand orchestrates events even when He seems silent. Revisit how God transforms apparent defeat into divine victory. just as he did when Haman's plot was exposed and the Jewish people were saved.
Download your free copy by visiting theverdict.org. The Verdict Ministry reaches people worldwide with these timeless truths, and your financial support makes it possible. Every contribution, regardless of size, helps share God's Word with those seeking hope in difficult circumstances. Consider how your gift might be used to encourage someone facing their own struggle today. To partner with us in this vital gospel work, Visit our secure donation page at theverdict.org.
We also encourage you to explore the Verdict podcast, which includes these daily teachings plus John's weekly Avizandam segment, where he addresses current issues from a biblical perspective. It's the perfect way to continue growing spiritually throughout your busy week. Find us on your podcast platform today by searching for The Verdict with Pastor John Monroe.
Now, here's Faster John Monroe.
Well, but your verdict. Will you trust God in the silences, in the darkness, in these hopeless situations? God's timing is very different from ours. If you're like me, you want God to act according to your own timetable. But we're learning.
That God's ways are mysterious. We may not always understand. but we know God is at work, and He will never let you down. Don't compromise with darkness and evil. Make sure that your trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ, who went into the darkness, overcame it.
and is alive forevermore. 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.
