Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. There come times in all of our life when we have to stand up. When we have not to be ashamed, when we are to be strong and courageous, that we're to take a stand for God. For Esther, this was one of those occasions. Welcome to The Verdict, the Bible teaching ministry of Pastor John Monroe.
In each of our lives, there comes a pivotal moment where we have the opportunity to stand for God. or play it safe and blend into the crowd. Today on the verdict, we'll witness the defining moment in the life of Esther. She must decide whether she will risk her own life to save her people.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with this message titled Life's Defining Moments. Last time we learned that when Mordecai discovered the plot to annihilate the Jewish nation, he challenged Esther. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? That's a famous statement now, for such a time as this. Do you ever feel that God has has put you in a particular situation for a particular reason.
for such a time as this. Here is a tremendous hatred of Haman, who wants to kill not only Mordecai, but all of the Jews. But God. with his invisible hand, has placed Esther in the palace of the king. Here is a defining moment for Esther.
What do you do in situations where you know the right thing to do But it's very difficult to do it. We continue our study in the little book of Esther. And if you have your Bibles there, turn to Esther. Chapter five. Esther is a book of high drama.
And our chapter, Esther 5. Contains great suspense. If I were a multi-millionaire, which I'm not. But if I were a multi-millionaire film producer, I I'd love to produce a movie on the story of Esther. But as I thought of that during this week, how could you ever capture the drama that we find in God's inspired word?
At the moment, your life may be very far from dramatic, maybe downright boring. Uh you certainly would like a little bit of excitement in your life, you think? On the other hand, some of you have too much excitement, too much drama, too much uncertainty. Too many surprises and tensions in life. And perhaps you long for a time of tranquility.
and stability. One of the great lessons that we've been learning in our study of Esther in this fascinating book. And it is a central truth of Scripture, and one that we need to remind ourselves of over and over again. And it is that God is in us. Control.
In fact, God is always in control. There are never any surprises. to God. We are surprised by events We are surprised by circumstances in life, unexpected situations come into all of our lives, but with God. There are no surprises.
Isaiah writes in in chapter 46, verse 10. this, declaring the end from the beginning. And from ancient times, things not yet done, saying, My council shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose. If life is a story. God knows the end of the story from the beginning.
He writes the story. And we don't know the end. Surprising chapters and events come into our life. That's never true with God. God is always in control.
and is saying that his council shall stand. And God always accomplishes. His purposes. He is All-knowing as well as all-powerful. And his hand, albeit as we're learning from this great book.
Sometimes invisible, God's hand is always at work. Do you have some drama or suspense or fear? Fear in your life. Because of an employer, a business partner, a parent, a child, a school teacher, professor, a friend.
Some other person, some situation that concerns you? God is at work. It's very interesting as we're going to read Esther chapter 5. That in what must have been a tremendously tense situation in the life of this young woman, this queen of Persia. Esther appears to show no sign of panic, no impatience.
But we see a woman of poise, a woman of dignity, a woman whose trust. is in God. God can handle. The most powerful person in the world, like King Ahasuerus, who's the kingdom of that, the king of the mighty kingdom of Persia. Proverbs 21 verse 1 reminds us.
that the king's heart is a stream of water In the hands of the Lord. He turns it wherever he wants. From the president, from the king, from the monarch. to the most rich, the most powerful person in the universe, God is able. to turn their heart.
Just like turning a stream. of water. That's good to remember, isn't it? And God is able to deal with a very wicked man. The wicked Prime Minister of Persia, this man called Haman.
And God is well able to deal with an evil edict to annihilate. His people the Jews. God is in control. And God always takes care of God. of his people.
Isn't that good to know in life? That God will take care of you. There is no circumstance that can come into your life or mine. But God is not watching over. God As Paul says, it's working all things together.
For good, and God can handle the most dramatic, the most unexpected, the most difficult, the most humiliating, and intimidating circumstance in your life. That which gives you great fear, God is there. I was privileged this morning to pray for some people who are going through. excruciatingly difficult circumstances in life. And remember this.
That whatever your circumstance, Remember Psalm 46, verse 10. Be still. I know. that I am God. But as we're going to learn this evening, God's sovereignty, the fact that God is in control, doesn't mean in action by us.
Doesn't mean that we do nothing. The Bible reminds us that faith without works is dead. God is at work, but we must also work out our salvation with fear and trembling. There's a time to wait, but there's also a time to act. And let's learn from Esther, this young Queen.
in the most dramatic and the most defining moment. of her life.
So we will see. From chapter five. Esther's request in verses 1 through 8. Let's read, first of all, verses 1 and 2, and read of Esther's audience. Esther 5, verse 1.
On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace in front of the king's quarters while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, She won favor in his sight. And he held out to Esther the golden scepter. That was in. His hand.
Now during the three Days and nights that we thought of last week from chapter 4, verse 16. Esther was waiting on the Lord, no doubt praying for wisdom. praying that the king would hear her request. And after these three days of of fasting Esther puts on her royal robes, and stands in the inner court of the king's palace. in front of the king's Room.
She has fasted, no doubt she had prayed, but now was the time for action. I'm sure Esther took time. in preparing how she looked before going before the king. By putting on a royal robe, she's reminding the king that she is no ordinary person, she is his queen. And one can only speculate as to the emotions that she must have been experiencing.
as she as she was about To appear before the king. She knew the risk. We read in chapter 4 at the end of verse 16. Last week, then I will go to the king. Though it is against the law.
And if I perish I perish. She knew the risk. She knew there's a possibility she was going to be killed. But she went before the king.
Now, from a human perspective, The odds were against Esther. to go before the king. Unsummoned could lead to death. unless he extended the golden scepter. The king looked on Esther as a Persian woman, but she would now have to disclose that she was Jewish.
Would he be very angry that he had been deceived? for this time by his own wife.
Furthermore, this law that he had passed to annihilate all of the Jews was a law that couldn't be revoked. Remember, the law of the Medes and the Persians couldn't be revoked.
Furthermore, Esther was in direct opposition to the King's Prime Minister. The second most powerful man in the whole kingdom, this wicked man, Heyman. A man who is full of wicked hate. Against Her people.
So, in order. to persuade the king to save her people. Esther would have to explain to the king that he had been deceived by Haman. That was a possible blow to the king's pride. We saw in chapter 1 that this king is a very proud man.
Yet knowing all of these risks, Esther proceeds. And when the king sees Esther, He extends The Golden Sceptre.
So far, so good. And now she comes into His presence. Verses three through eight, we read her petition. Three. Let me finish verse four.
Then, Esther. approached and touched the tip of the sceptre. And the king said to her, What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of my kingdom.
And Esther said, If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king. Then the king said, Bring him in quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.
So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom it shall be fulfilled.
Then Esther answered, My wish and my request is: if I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king. has said. Seems rather strange, doesn't it? The king realizes that Queen Esther would never approach him in this highly unusual way. unless there was something of great importance.
And he acts very sympathetically to Esther. He says, Let me hear your wish. I'll give you up to half of my kingdom. And we would say, there's your chancester, he's in a good mood. You don't know by tomorrow.
Ask no.
Now, rather than immediately telling the king about the Jewish situation. and that she wanted her people to be delivered from the cruel edict. Esther merely asks the king and Haman to attend a private banquet. later in the day which he's going to prepare. And during that banquet, the king again asked her, Well, And what's your wish?
And he continues to show generosity and kindness towards her. Again, he says, I'll give you your wish, up to half of my kingdom. Esther seems very poised, doesn't she? She senses, she appears to be very unrushed. I wonder, does she sense?
That the Lord Yeah. We tend to rush into situations, don't we? Or on the other hand, fear paralyzes her. But Esther is unhurriedly and very surprisingly She doesn't really She doesn't immediately reveal the nature of her request. She simply says she wants the king and Haman to come to another banquet to be held the following day.
And we would have thought, wait a minute, Esther. Uh that's this king. can be fickle. Remember what happened Uh to Queen Vashta, you have your chance. Put in the request now.
What she do is she buying time? Is she conscious of God's guidance? Is she carefully laying a plan which is going to catch Haman, this evil man, completely unawares? Is she setting up Haman, the originator of the wicked edict against her people? What's going on?
We see the tension and the drama arising. Her request then, first eight verses. Humans' reactions Verses nine through fourteen. Haman went out that day joyfully and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.
Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home and sent and brought his friends and his wife Zarish. And Haman recounted to them the splendour of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. Then Haman said, Even Queen Esther, let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I've been invited by her together with the king.
Now notice verse 13. Yet all this is worth nothing to me.
So long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. Then his wife Zarish and all his friends said to him, Let a gallows fifty cubits high, seventy-five feet, be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast. This idea pleased him in. And he had the gallows.
Mate, what a fascinating story.
So Haman leaves the party full of joy and pride. He's delighted. He's attended a special banquet just with the king and the queen, and now he's invited to another one the next day.
Now Persian kings were very protective of their wives. This was a highly unusual honor for Haman. to be a private banquet. with the king and the queen of Persia. He considers himself the ultimate insider.
He's part of what C.S. Lewis calls the inner. Ring. The inner ring. People want to be part of the inner circle, don't they?
C.S. Lewis tells us that if you're going to be part of the inner ring, usually. You have to sell part of yourself. But Haman is the ultimate insider.
So he goes home, tells his friend, his family, his wife Zaraj, all of his achievements. He is the one person in the kingdom invited to the private banquets. His ego, his pride reached alarming proportions. Everything. in life centers on him and Life is wonderful apart there is one bitter pill.
which Haman finds very difficult to swallow. In fact, it causes him great anger and great hate. As he leaves the palace, his joy quickly turns to hate when he sees. That man Mordecai sitting at the king's gate. Once again, Mordecai won't stand up.
and bow before him. Once again, Mordecai will not pay homage to Haman. Mordecai is not at all intimidated by Haman. in spite of his high position of power. And Haman is furious at Mordecai.
But he manages to control himself and go home. No doubt he is gratified when he thinks that once this edict takes place, as it's going to come on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, this man is gone. He goes home and he brags of all of his riches, of all of his glory, all of his promotion, all of his invitations to the banquet. But he's got to concede, verse 13: all this is worth nothing to me. Isn't that quite a statement?
His joy and satisfaction in life are being spoiled by, verse 13, Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. We just think of that. Compared with Mordecai, Haman does everything, but he's still not satisfied. Have you noticed proud people are never satisfied? self-centered, thinking the whole world revolves around them.
Heman is a vivid example of what pride and hatred can do. in the life of an individual.
So his wife They're well matched with friends. of a brilliant plan to get rid of Mordecai. Why wait the thirteenth day of the twelfth month? Which was said in chapter 3, verse 13. Why we then have gallows constructed 75 feet high?
That's high, isn't it? It shows their ego. Even the gallows have got to be big. And just picture. this wretched Jew hanging.
on the gallows. And it will be a warning to all of the Jews and to anyone else who would dare defy Haman. the King's Prime Minister. And the pride of him and the pride of his family are seen in the construction of the height. of the gallows.
Remember what Solomon writes, Proverbs 16, verse 18: pride goes before destruction. and a haughty spirit before A fall. This verse, chapter five, verse fourteen. Is a key verse in Esther. I think it's the clux, the point in which there's going to be, as we'll see in the next few weeks, a dramatic reversal.
The very gallows built by Haman for the death of Mordecai, are going to be used for the hanging of him and Himself, talk about irony, talk about the reversal of fortune. And all of this is going to happen. within 24 Ours. Fascinating chapter. I want to suggest to you five lessons.
Five important lessons. This chapter And some of these lessons overlap in other parts. Of Esther. First of all, In life's defining moments, Take a stand. For God.
That was one of the lessons we learned last week from chapter four. Esther had attained royalty. Chapter 414. For such a time as this. There come times in all of our life when we have to stand up.
When we have not to be ashamed, when we are to be strong and courageous, that we're to take a stand for God. For Esther, this was one of those occasions. to do what is right and to leave the consequences to God. If you try to figure out the consequences of your actions, you'll often be paralyzed into inaction. But in these defining moments, which come to us all, how important it is that we are courageous, that we take a stand for God.
There comes a time when you have to speak up. There's a time when you have to say no in your business. There's a time when you have to say to your family, no, this is wrong. We are not going to do that. A time when you have to say to your boss, No, I am not going to do that.
A time when you say, This is what I am going to do. It's time to speak up for God. to take a stand For God. One of our themes For this year, that I've emphasized to our staff comes from the book of Joshua, and it is the injunction of Moses to Joshua: be strong and courageous. Are you strong and courageous?
Do you take a stand for God and your family? Do you take a stand for God in your relationships? Do you take a stand? For God at school, at work, in our society. God is calling us to take a stand.
We have millions of professing Christians in the United States. And yet one wouldn't know that when one Look at what is happening in our society. Why?
So many of us. appeared to be ashamed of the gospel.
So many of us appear to just blend in with the society. to just make life comfortable for ourselves. But there comes a time, a defining time, for all of us. When you just take a stand. for God.
Esther took a stand. For God. Secondly, And lives defining moments Pray to God. for guidance. and wisdom.
You say that's pretty obvious, John. Yes, it is obvious. But they ask you. Is that something? We always do.
This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help he do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World.
Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam.
It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Isn't it wonderful to know that we trust in an all-powerful, all-knowing God who knows the end from the beginning? Nothing can thwart his plans and purposes. And in His grace, He gives us an opportunity to serve Him for His glory. Think of it.
God uses us in our weakness, in our fear, in our stumbling. to further his purposes. Isn't that humbling? Isn't that encouraging to you? Don't forget to tune in next time.
We'll learn some important principles regarding life's defining moments. 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.
