Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe, Pastor reminds us. that God is always present. Yes, God's hand may be invisible to you tonight. But I want to remind you that you're not forgotten. He may seem absent, he may seem behind the scenes, but he's always with you and he always, always cares for you and God always, always cares for his people.
Welcome to the Verdict with Pastor John Monroe. When your circumstances seem dire and life feels totally out of control, what do you do? What is your response in times of darkness and confusion? Today on the verdict, we're thinking of three final lessons from the book of Esther. and remembering that our God is always faithful and always at work.
Now with our series finale titled Absent But Always Present. Here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, Today is the final broadcast in our series on Esther. I've always loved this story, 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.
Now, I realize you've got some questions about the Book of Esther. I confess I can't answer all of them. But there are some clear lessons for us. which we can implement in our own lives. Last time we considered the first of these.
although God may seem absent, He's always present. and always cares for his people.
So There's no need to fear. God will never forsake you. No. Let's think of the other principles as we conclude our series today. Uh Esther chapter 10 only three verses in the concluding chapter.
Let me read it with you. King Ahasuerus. Impose tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea, and all the acts of his power and might. and the full account of the high honour of Mordecai to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank.
To King Ahasuerus. Isn't that remarkable? Second in rank. and most powerful man in the world. And he was great among the Jews and popular.
with the multitude of his brothers. For he sought the welfare of his people, the Jews, and spoke peace. To all His people. What I want to emphasize is that God is clearly at work in Esther. And uh this closing message on Esther, I want to kind of look back and to summarize and to recap three important lessons from the story of Esther, lessons we've seen before, but I want to emphasize them.
And here is the first lesson. When God seems absent, He is always present. and always cares for his people.
I want you to get that.
Sometimes it seems in our life that God is absent. He's not at work, he's abandoned us, he's forgotten us. But Esther reminds us. That God is always present. And God always always cares Yeah.
And as we read the story of Esther, God seems absent because his name is not even mentioned. He may seem absent, he may seem behind the scenes, but he's always with you, and he always, always cares for you, even. when you are unfaithful. Even when I'm unfaithful, God is at work.
So that's our first lesson, an important lesson. Here's the second lesson. When life seems chaotic, God is always in control. When life seems chaotic, God is always in control. God is never in a crisis.
God never has emergencies. There is never a situation that arises that God doesn't know about. And certainly life was chaotic and life was very, very confused for the Jews. Chapter three, verse fifteen: when Haman's edict was passed to destroy. To kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children.
It says the city of Susa was in confusion. Can you imagine if a law was passed today? Saying that all followers of Jesus Christ were to be killed. Can you imagine our panic? Can you imagine our Confusion.
And so they fasted and wept and wailed and put on sackcloth and ashes. The whole situation was chaotic. It was confused. An edict was against them. That they were going to be annihilated.
Every single one of them was going to be wiped off the face. of the earth. But isn't it good to know in the midst of chaos and confusion In our world, God is in control. And God does something remarkable. God raises up a young queen.
Esther Chapter four, verse fourteen, for such a time as this. And she's prepared to go before the king. She's prepared to intercede for her people, even although it was contrary to the law. And she says, If I perish, I perish. Here is a step of faith and courage as this young woman with dignity and calm does something remarkable, goes before the king.
to plead the case for her people. Because in the middle of the chaos, God is always. in control. And we're not surprised, are we, that the king hears her request. That's the second lesson.
The first lesson: when God seems absent, He's always present, always cares for His people. Second, when life seems chaotic, God is always in control. Third, When the gallows seemed to face us, God is always working for our good. Is that good to know? That God, all of the time, yes, all of the time.
Is always working for our good. Here in the story of Esther, Uh the Jews are facing seemingly certain death. Haman is at the pinnacle of career. He's the prime minister. Remember, he's at the private banquet with King Ahasuerus and Queen Esther.
And then the second banquet is. Is planned for the following day, and he's thinking it doesn't get any better than this. He goes home and he's bragging to his wife and his family how wonderful it is. Life couldn't be better. There's only one problem in his life, and that's that.
Juve. Modecai. But this wicked man, this agogite, Haman, He's at the crest of the wave. It seems as we look at Persia that the wicked are flourishing. And that Haman This wicked, evil man who hates the Jews, he's at the very top of his career.
And he is so filled with anger against Mordecai. That following the advice of his wife and his friends, he constructs the gallows of 75 feet. And he plans the next day to get the king's permission to hang that terrible Jew on it. That will be the end of Mordecai. Mordecai is facing the gallows, and the whole Jewish nation will shortly follow.
Mordecai to its Death. Seems black, it doesn't uh Good God's invisible hand is at work. It's a work for Mordecai's good and for the good of the Jewish nation. And the invisible hand of God keeps the king awake. Little bit of insomnia for a king of Hasieris.
God doesn't allow him. Uh to sleep. And because he can't sleep that night, he He thinks, I want to be caught up in the official history of my kingdom. I want it read to me. His history is red and it just so happened.
Just so happened that the story read to him relates to the conspiracy they had taken a few years previously to assassinate him. The very conspiracy which Mordecai had discovered. And the king discovers that. Mordecai had not been honored. for saving his life.
And sadly the morning The king having a sleepless night, heyman comes to the court. And he's coming to get the king's permission to hang Mordecai on these big gallows. And he thought that the king was going to honor him. When the king asks him, Now what would you do to the man? that I should honour.
His pride is preceding his fall. And the very gallows which Haman has constructed to hang Mordecai are the very gallows on which he hangs. Buenegalos. seemed to be facing Mordecai. God.
was working. for his good. And God sovereignly overruled the evil schemes against his people to demonstrate. That this was God, it was an act of grace, it was an act of mercy. It wasn't because of the faithfulness of His people.
It was to demonstrate that God is faithful to His promises and God works for our good amid the gallows of our life. Isn't that good to know? Even when you're away from the Lord, Even when you are unfaithful to the Lord, God is still at work. Through a Bible study. Through a church, through a circumstance, God is at work.
You're facing something Horrible. Tonight something disastrous One of the worst things you think that could ever happen to you? It's causing you great pain, anxiety, emotional distress. Problem at work, an individual there who hates you, who's plotting against you. Maternal illness.
A possible business collapse. A family situation, a health situation. What's what's Esther telling us? When the gallows seem to face you, remember that God is always working for your good. No, that's not applied to you.
I realize that's often invisible. I realize it's behind the scenes. It is, as Joseph said to his brothers, that what you meant for evil, God meant for good. Good. That God is at work.
For our good. Through the most difficult, painful circumstances of our life. God often works. Through the seemingly Insignificant, trivial events, such as a king's insomnia. God can work through that.
for his glory and for You're good. Do you agree that there's no coincidences with God? We don't talk about luck. We don't talk about being lucky. We don't talk about destiny as some immovable mechanistic force.
No, we don't believe that. We believe God's hand is all-powerful, is gracious, is loving. And God is at work through these seemingly chance circumstances. of life to accomplish his purposes and God in a split second Can turn the situation around. That we, in our own cumulative effort, could never do in a thousand years.
Behind all of the circumstances, God is at work for good. We call this the providence of God. God ruling and overruling all of life. He does this normally through the normal and ordinary course of human life. Paul says, we know.
That for those who love God, All things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose. And so at the end of Esther, as we read in in chapter ten, Mordecai, who is about to be hanged on the on gallows, is dispensing justice and equity throughout the whole Persian Empire and helping the Jewish people. God is in the business of the reversal of destinies. Supremely illustrated, of course.
In our Lord Jesus Christ, who conquered all of our enemies, Satan, and sin and darkness and death itself. And because He lives, we live also. Therefore, tonight Don't be discouraged. Don't be downhearted. No, don't be Pollyanna.
Face the circumstance. The seemingly impossible circumstance, but remember this: God with His invisible hand. is working all things for your glory. and for his good. I can testify of that in my own life.
Many of you could come up here and give particular circumstances of this very truth. That in the silences of life, And in the hopeless situations of life, God is at work. This week I had lunch. With a pastor I'd never met before. He happened to be Scottish, so we did have a bit of a connection.
And we'd heard about each other, and he met with me at the Great Lunch, and he told me. Just a few years back. In the church, he went through the most horrible circumstance of his life. And I said to him, How did you respond to that? He said, Well, it was very, very painful for myself and my wife.
But he said, I've learned, John. That God used that. to mold me. And to shape me. and to refine me.
God Taking what seemed to be disaster. and using it for his glory. And for his Good. Esther is telling us that, that God Reverses the unexpected outcomes of situations. He turns the triumph.
He turns the gallows to triumph. He turns the cross to glory, he turns death.
Now What's your response? I have three responses to you. First is, To trust them, to trust them. If what I'm saying is true and it is. What are you to do?
What am I to do? I'm to trust God.
Now I I realize that sometimes they're difficult. Easy to trust God when things are going well. Much more difficult, isn't it, to trust God in the darkness. But I have to trust them. Because God is for me.
He cares for me. He loves me. He's in control. He's working for our good. I'm therefore to trust him with all of my heart.
As we sang. about our hope. With such truths. This is what scripture does, doesn't it? It prepares us, it strengthens us.
Faith. Seeing the invisible. Trusting God in the darkness. Hearing God in the silences. Trust Him.
Will you trust Him even when you have no idea? how the situation will work out. Will you do that? That's that situation that that that you have. Whatever it is.
We all have them. If you came up here and told us about them, some people might say, well, that's pretty trivial compared with mine. Yes, but to you. It's very, very painful. Will you trust them?
Remember, without faith... It's impossible to please God. Today, tomorrow, the next day, live by faith. Trust God. Secondly, Pretty sad.
Praise the God who's always in control. Don't complain. But praise God. Praise the God who has defeated death and darkness. Praise the God that through our Lord Jesus Christ has provided a way of salvation.
So that the sentence of death over us has been defeated. Our Lord Jesus went into death, he reversed it. Out of death, he brings life. Death, says Paul, is swallowed up in. Victory.
And if our Lord Jesus can do that for us, and He has. He certainly is well able to deal with the situation. That you find yourself in. Will you praise him? I know you don't feel like singing.
With the pain. With a difficult ace. But will you praise God? Will you thank God? For his grace.
to pray some third Tell it for him. Will you live for God? Don't allow these things to paralyze you. That's what Satan wants for you to. Be filled with self-pity and to lash out at other people.
No, well you live for God. Esther realized that she'd been brought into a position for Queen for such a time as this. The Lord puts you In a certain street, in a certain bank, in a certain hospital. He put you there for a purpose, for such A time. And in the midst of the difficulties and the darkness and confusion of life, do the right thing.
Live for God, shine for Christ. Leave the consequences to God. God has placed you in a particular circumstance. It may be very difficult. And you may feel because of the hardship and the suffering that you're just in survival mode.
I want you to do more than to survive. I want you to shine for Christ, to be a light for Christ, to live. for Christ and to love him with all of our heart, soul, mind. And strength. God's hand moves invisibly behind the scenes.
His hand, although invisible, Is always invincible, accomplishing his purposes, and God's invisible hand holds our hand. Isn't that a great way to go through life? I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand.
Just think of this: as you go through life, you're in the hand of the Lord Jesus. You're in the hand of God Himself. And he will never let you go. You may not feel the hand, you may not be aware of the hand, but God is holding you, and God is working and caring for you. your good and for his.
Glory. Can you stand with me? We're going to read a prayer. It's a Scottish Gallic prayer. If you don't like it, Um Tell me afterwards.
But I I I think I think this prayer neatly summarizes some of the lessons from the book. of Esther, and we're going to Say this, this will be our our prayer Tim. Let's read it together thoughtfully. 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. Yet If I may hold thy hand in the darkness, it is enough, since I know. That though I may stumble in my going, Thou dost not fall. Amen. 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 find We must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you 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.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
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 headaches of life forces us to come back to these foundational truths.
God is with us. God is a good God.
Well Do tune in next time as we begin a new series in the letter of Colossians. It's an incredibly encouraging book. As it presents the magnificence and preeminence of our Lord Jesus. Thanks, John. And today we're featuring another Q ⁇ A segment with John.
So, John, we don't talk a lot about money on the verdict. Most of our resources are free. But some have wondered why that is.
Well, Michelle, we do encourage people each day to give financially, as you know. And we want people to be part of the Verdict ministry, but money is certainly not our focus. We want people to receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
However, As listeners are blessed and helped in their spiritual journey, we're very thankful when they send a donation. That gift may be quite small or large, but it's deeply appreciated. And We're not a gimmicky ministry. We certainly don't exist for money. All of the money we receive goes right back into the ministry so we can continue the broadcasts and even go into new broadcast markets.
Our priority will always be to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And we've seen God bless His people in amazing ways.
So we're faithful to Him. And we believe that he will provide for our needs. But I would encourage our listeners to give if they feel so led. It's very interesting. As we recently studied in Next Steps in Following Jesus, money can be a sensitive subject, but Money in and of itself isn't evil, it's not sinful.
It's a tremendous blessing to have resources, and we all realize that money is part of life. But it's how we regard our resources. and how we manage our money. which reflects on our priorities. I would encourage all of our listeners to be giving faithfully and generously to the Lord through their local church.
and supporting ministries like the verdict as the lord leads. In Ephesians, Paul writes that in Christ we have redemption through his blood. According to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us, God has been generous to us beyond measure. He doesn't give us just a little grace, but grace upon grace upon grace he lavishes upon us.
So I believe if we're followers of Christ, we will be the most generous of people. We've experienced the lavish grace of God and know that all of our resources are His, and we want to use them for His glory and for His kingdom. Thank you, John. And if you are interested in supporting the ministry of the verdict, you can partner with us today by giving a financial gift of any amount at calvarychurch.com/slash the verdict. And if you have a question or topic that you'd like John to consider for future broadcasts, be sure to email us at the verdict at Calvary Church.com.
Thanks for joining us today. I'm Michelle Davies, and you're listening to The Verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Today's program was produced and distributed by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
