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157: The Queen of Beauty and Courage
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Over the past few months, we've seen God come to the aid of His people over and over again. Whether through dreams or prophets, God guides the Hebrew people in times of war and times of peace. Perhaps you find it hard to relate to stories of people whom our God is constantly revealing Himself to. If so, Esther's story might be one you can identify with. And what a story it is! It's got palace intrigue, a petty villain intent on destruction, and a courageous queen who risks her life to save her people. What it doesn't have is God intervening. Or does it? In this week’s episode, Pastor Chuck Schlie explains how we are going to see how God is with us even when it feels like He isn't. In hopeless situations, He is working the good.
If you’d like to dig deeper, check out these discussion questions. You can complete them on your own, with your Community Group, or with family and friends.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Normal Goes a Long Way'
00:00:00
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The following podcast is a Jill dev Divine Media production.
00:00:19
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Thanks for hitting play on this week's episode of Normal Goes a Long Way. I'm your host Jill Devine.
Exploring 'The Queen of Beauty and Courage'
00:00:25
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And this week's episode is based off of chapter 20 from the story, The Queen of Beauty and Courage.
A Prayer from Andy Stanley
00:00:32
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I do have something for you that I think is very much worth remembering. It's a prayer, and I found this one in one of Andy Stanley's books, and i like it so much. This prayer is something that every single parent can put to use.
00:00:46
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Pray this one. Pray this one for your sons and your daughters. Pray this one for your grandchildren. You can pray this one for yourself, and here
The Story of Esther: Drama and Characters
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it is. Lord, Give my child, give me the wisdom to know what's right ah and the courage to do what's right, even when it's hard.
00:01:12
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That is a great prayer. And it fits perfectly with the part of the story that we are covering today. And oh man, what a story it is. Hollywood would have a tough time matching the drama that is found in the book of Esther, the queen of beauty and courage.
00:01:30
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And what a cast of characters. You have the evil Haman, who demanded that everybody bow down before him. You've got the gutsy Mordecai, who refuses to do so. Then there's King Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes.
00:01:46
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And of course, you have Esther, chosen to be queen for such a time as this.
Historical Context: Persia and Jewish Exile
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Okay, let's set the stage. This one takes place in Persia. um ah Babylon took the the folks away from Jerusalem, and now Persia has taken over Babylon. So we're in Persia now. um And this is about 100 years ago. The southern kingdom of Judah had been carried away into exile, which was a move which was orchestrated by God because of the people's disobedience. He had to wake them up and get back to who they really were.
00:02:20
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Well, according to God's plan, after 70 years, the Jews can go back home, and about 50,000 of them do so.
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The rest, however, have kind of acclimated and integrated themselves into the Persian culture. They stayed put. Now, again, let's review the players. There's just a handful.
00:02:45
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At the top, literally, is Xerxes. He is the king of Persia. At this time in history, he rules the world. We're talking like southern Russia, Iran, Iraq, all the way to Greece, Turkey. I mean, a big, big, he's in charge.
00:03:04
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This is 483 BC. Then there's Haman. This is the the king's
Key Characters: Haman, Mordecai, King Xerxes, Esther
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right-hand man, second-in-command. He's evil. Kids, you ever see the movie Aladdin?
00:03:15
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Jafar. Same guy. It's Jafar. There's nothing good about Haman at all. In fact, if you are a devout Jew, every year they celebrate this story. They read this story.
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It's the Feast of Purim, and everyone gets... They get trash, actually. they They have a great celebration. They have a great time. They celebrate, and they ah read the story. and um And every time the name Haman is read loud for the book of Esther, people boo, and they hiss. they write their and They write Haman on the bottom of their shoe, and they stamp their feet every time they hear the word Haman.
00:03:52
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Anyway, quite an ego on this guy, Haman. Boo. Well, as mentioned, he has this thing where he wants everyone in the kingdom to bow down whenever he walks down the street.
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um But there's a certain Jew named Mordecai who would not do it. Why not? First commandment, you shall have no other gods before me. So Mordecai, he's like, I'm not doing that.
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And this greatly ticks off Haman. Boo. And so he decides to exterminate not only Mordecai, but the entire Jewish population.
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he convinces the king that the world would be a whole lot better off if there were no Jews in it. And so a date is set for the genocide of God's people.
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Haman is the picture of Satan himself, sneaky, conniving, and who has no higher aim than to have every knee bow to him, no other plan other to persecute and destroy the promised people of God.
00:04:58
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Well, next character is Esther. Esther is Mordecai's adopted daughter, and she becomes the queen by winning a Miss Persia contest.
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and She is a one-of-a-kind beauty in the eye of the beholder, and she goes from nothing, from obscurity to royalty.
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And just a heads up here, she reminds me of someone, and it's you. Yeah, it's you.
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You are
Identity and Esther's Story
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a one-of-a-kind beauty in the eyes of the king. I'm not sure if you realize this, but in the eyes of God, you're a pretty big deal.
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You are, because the king of all the kings has claimed you, he picked you, he chose you, and he made you his, but it wasn't because of your beauty. Sorry.
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It's a grace thing. ah God so loved you he sent his son to perform the ultimate makeover. And I'm not sure if you realize this either, ah but you are royalty.
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I know you don't feel that way all the time, but God's word says so. He says you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. Why?
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So that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light. You're holy.
00:06:47
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You're chosen. You are royal. That is what God says about you. it's true. you see, and exchange was made.
00:07:00
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The sinless Son of God changed places with you and with me. and he took our sin upon himself, and he was wounded for our wrongs.
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He was pierced, crushed, stricken. Afflicted. And the punishment on him made us well.
Esther's Dilemma and Courageous Choice
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It was given to him.
00:07:25
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ah by his wounds, we are the ones who are healed. It's known as the wonderful or the happy exchange. It means we've been chosen. That's a privilege. It's an honor to be chosen, to be a disciple of Jesus. Wow, there's no way to think than that, to be a child of God.
00:07:44
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Believers in Jesus have been given this status. We've been given this title. Get this one. We're called the Bride of Christ, right which admittedly is kind of a strange title, especially for us dudes.
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It's hard to think of ourselves as brides But really, it's about love. It's about anticipation. It's about joy. Guys, I got a great way for you to think about this. Maybe today's the day.
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It's the same feeling you get when you're at a restaurant and you see your food coming.
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That's it, okay? Does that help? That's maybe a little bit better for you. It's the same look that a groom has for his bride. Seriously, check this out. This is so much fun. Next time you're at a wedding, I went to one yesterday, saw it again.
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Next time you're at a wedding, ah you want to see something really cool. Don't look at the bride when she walks in. You can look at her later. What you want to do is look at the groom as he is looking at the bride.
00:08:50
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Right, Phil? You were at that wedding, man. you were Yeah, you were standing up in that wedding. It'll get you. Everyone's looking at the bride. Don't look at the bride. Look at the groom as he's looking at the bride, man.
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right there, that look. Well, that's the way God feels about you. I know, right?
00:09:13
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As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. How wonderful.
00:09:26
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What great news that is. That is the kind of love that we have been given and have through Jesus Christ. We are residents of this future palace. We have been granted access to his throne.
00:09:41
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You remember this. When Jesus was dying on the cross, he cries out, it is finished. And then what happens next? Right then what happens?
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You remember what happens in the temple? That curtain that separated God from man, it was torn in two from top to bottom, allowing open access to all who would come right up to the throne, right up to the heart of God. mason And in this respect, you and I have a freedom that not even Queen Esther enjoyed.
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As strange as this might sound to us, in Esther's day, no one, no one, not even the queen herself could, i mean, this going back a ways, not even the queen could approach her husband, the king, without an invitation.
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Don't try this one at home, fellas. To enter his throne room uninvited, was to risk a visit to the executioner.
00:10:45
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This concept is a very important piece in the Esther story. You'll recall that Haman had gotten the king to set a date to destroy all of the Jews. Well, someone has been keeping a secret and it's Esther.
00:11:02
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She has been concealing the fact that she herself is a Jew. but so now here is the dilemma. She can keep quiet and she can save herself, although there's going to be a massacre of God's people, or she can't risk.
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She can risk her very own life by approaching the king uninvited in order to plead for the millions of people who are sentenced to die.
Haman's Pride and Downfall
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Should she stick her royal neck out? That is the question.
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But what to do? Esther sends word to Mordecai, relaying her concerns about the king's law. Any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned, the king has one law, and that is to be put to death.
00:11:54
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The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But, she says, 30 days have passed since I was called to the king.
00:12:11
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Okay, Mordecai's response is along these lines. He says, Esther, my dear, think about this. Could you be in this royal position for such a time as this?
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Is this your moment? Is why you were created? Is this why, you know, you're in this spot?
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And Esther, you know, gets that message, and and she she comes the conclusion, you're right, you're right. I will go to the king, even though it's against the law. And here, get this, if I perish, I perish.
00:12:49
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Whoa. That's gutsy. That is gutsy there. And so Esther, she puts on her royal robes and she takes a long walk into the inner courtyard of the king's palace. And the king is sitting there. is holding court. He's doing all that kind of stuff.
00:13:07
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When out of the corner of his eye, he sees her. And when the king saw Esther, the Bible tells us that he was pleased.
00:13:20
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Hubba hubba. All right. Esther was welcome to approach. And he he asked, what is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you. Okay, but understand this.
00:13:36
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As John Ortberg points out, that up to half the kingdom stuff, that was just, that's a euphemism. That just means that the king was in a good mood. It was not to be taken literally.
00:13:49
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ah She couldn't just blurt out, okay, here's what I want. I want you to spare my people, and I want you to throw out your second-in-command there and throw him into prison. No. So instead, she comes up with something a little bit, you know, more.
00:14:01
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She says, my request is this. I'm going to have a dinner, ah dinner party, and I would like you and I would like Haman to come to my dinner party. Well,
00:14:12
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Okay, Xerxes, he's never turned down a party in his life. And Haman, well, Haman, of course, he's very excited to be included in all this. And and that night, Haman goes home and he brags to his wife and he he brags to his friends and he says, all the ways, the king and the queen, they honor me.
00:14:32
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And he's kind of going off. He's feeling good about how much the king and queen appreciate him. But then
Mordecai's Honor and Haman's Plot
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he starts complaining and he goes, and yet, Let me tell you something, honey, and yet it gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew, Mordecai, walking around town and not bowing down to me.
00:14:51
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And so Haman's wife comes up with an idea. She advised him, well, dear, why don't you build 75-foot, 75-feet-foot-tall gallows and hang Mordecai on it?
00:15:03
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Which actually, if you just want the, it's a long pike is what it is. And he says, thanks dear, that's a brilliant idea. That's exactly what I'll do. And so Haman has this gallows built.
00:15:15
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So things look bad for Mordecai. Things look bad for the Jews. um But that same night, the king could not sleep.
00:15:26
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And so he asked ah one of his servants to read to him, since there was nothing on TV, you know read to me the Chronicles of Persia.
00:15:38
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which is actually the record of his reign. In other words, he ordered, read to me that book about me. And so the servant just starts finding a spot and starts reading, and he gets to this part in the story about how there there was this man named Mordecai a few years back who once saved the king's life from an assassination attempt.
00:16:01
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Now, when the king asked, hey, how did we ever reward this Mordecai guy for you know this good deed that he did to me? And his servant responds, well, actually, ah Mordecai has never been honored for that.
00:16:16
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and And wouldn't you know it, at that very same moment, Haman walks in and to ask the king if he can hang Mordecai. Knowing nothing about the part of the story that the servant had just read to the king.
00:16:30
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But before Haman could ask his request, his question, the king has one for Haman. And he says, hey, what should be done the man who the king delights to honor?
00:16:42
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And Haman's immediately thinking, oh, he's talking about me He's like, my, my, my, okay, this is going to be good. And so Haman replies, well, if you really want to honor someone, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, whoever that may be, right? Then here's what you should do. You should dress this special someone in royal robes and have him ride a royal horse led by a royal official.
00:17:09
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And just for good measure, even the horse should wear a crown. Well, imagine the moment then when a king says, okay, good plan.
00:17:21
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The man I want to honor is Mordecai. And you, Haman, you walk the horse through the city and tell everybody about what a great guy he is.
00:17:36
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And well, the rest is history. Please read it for yourself. it's ah It's a great story, but I'm going to give you the highlights. Basically, it all goes downhill for Haman.
00:17:47
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He gets busted, and in an ironic turn of events, he is thrown, actually hung, on the very gallows that he had built to string up Mordecai.
00:18:01
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Haman gets Mordecai's rope. Mordecai gets Haman's job as second in command. The Jews get rescued and we get, yes, another dramatic reminder of the greatness
Divine Presence in Esther's Story
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of God. It is a happy ending.
00:18:19
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It's a fascinating story.
00:18:24
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The Jews are in danger. They are a religious minority living in Persia. They are living in a land that is very different from their spiritual and moral values.
00:18:39
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They have no king. They have no army. They have no land. And powerful forces want to destroy them. Now, if you have been reading along in the story...
00:18:53
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You've noticed that when God's people get into some serious trouble many, many, many, many many times over, God does the miraculous.
00:19:06
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But the story of Esther is a little different.
00:19:11
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Because in this story, God seems to be completely absent in it. In fact, read it, and you will find no mention of God at all.
00:19:28
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Not one mention. There's not a prophecy or a prayer or a dream or a vision or anything like that.
Parallels to Jesus and God's Work
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God is absent.
00:19:41
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Or is he? All right, let me ask you this. How is it? That out of all the women in the empire, a Jewish girl named Esther becomes queen.
00:19:57
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How is it that of all the people in the empire, Mordecai was the one who happened to save the king from an assassination?
00:20:08
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How is it that the king should have insomnia on the very night Haman built a gallows for Mordecai? How is it that of all the stories in the book, the one read to the king was about how this guy Mordecai had once saved his life?
00:20:22
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How is it that Haman, the scheming murderer, became the victim of his own evil plan? How is it that Mordecai, the intended victim, because Haman's replacement as the second in command?
00:20:35
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That's quite a group of coincidences, don't you think?
00:20:42
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Even in exile, even here, there is no Jerusalem, there is no temple, there is no sacrificial system in place, there is none of that.
00:20:57
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And yet God is present. He is still there. And he is working the good for his people.
00:21:11
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The story of Esther is fascinating.
00:21:15
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And the story of Jesus is all the more so. ah You see what this Esther story is doing? It's pointing us somewhere.
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It's pointing us to someone. And it is Christ.
00:21:33
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When Jesus arrives on the scene, he is not what anybody expected. Not a savior. He's from Nazareth. He's not from Jerusalem.
00:21:45
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He's a carpenter's kid. He's he's not a king. Based on appearances, there is nothing to write home about Jesus. He is not honored.
00:21:56
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He is ridiculed. They laugh at him. They spit on him. They nail him to a criminal's cross, and then they bury him in a borrowed tomb.
00:22:10
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And yet, my two favorite words in the Bible, and yet, God is present. God is there.
00:22:21
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He's on the cross. He's there. He's there. rising from an empty grave. God is there working, working, working, working. He never rests.
00:22:35
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Working in the ultimate good. The greatest enemies that we would ever face are sin,
00:22:47
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Satan, death.
00:22:52
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All of these enemies have been defeated It is finished.
God's Ongoing Work in the World
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Just like with old Haman, the destroyer gets destroyed.
00:23:06
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God was there working the good. And get this, God is always at work.
00:23:17
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God is working, working, working, working on you, working with you, working for your good, working behind the scenes for your good.
00:23:29
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But let's admit it.
00:23:32
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Sometimes it doesn't seem like God is there.
00:23:39
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ever feel that way? Right? You look around a little bit.
00:23:48
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You look around at the world.
00:23:52
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Who's in charge?
00:23:56
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You look around at the country. but
00:24:02
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What is happening?
00:24:06
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Bring it on in You look at yourself.
00:24:12
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Why is it the good I want to do, i don't do? But the evil I don't want to do, that's exactly what I do. What?
00:24:25
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And we worry. We become discouraged. And we become fearful. And a lot of times things seem out of control. And when the threats come and things do not appear to be working out for the good, can feel alone.
00:24:48
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And we might even wonder, where is Where
00:24:56
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What is he What is he doing?
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If that is you,
00:25:06
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then you've got to read his story.
00:25:10
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You've got to. Go to Esther. He's not there, but he totally is there. Let's face it. There are things in your life and there are things in my life that are out of our control.
00:25:33
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We face situations in which we are totally unprepared. We're helpless. We are doomed. it is out of our control.
00:25:48
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But here's the thing. it is not out of God's control. The overarching story behind the troubling scenes is that we do have a king.
Call to Action and Spiritual Identity
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You have a king loves you and is with you and has the ability to work out your well-being. and he's going to do it with wisdom and he's going to do it power and he's going to do it with grace.
00:26:18
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And no, you won't always see his hand at work.
00:26:25
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Oftentimes, you and I just won't get it
00:26:33
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You won't understand what he's doing. And there will be times in your life when life just doesn't make any sense at all.
00:26:45
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And it's at those times, those times, you are faced with Esther questions and Esther decisions.
00:26:58
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And let me tell you, there's only really two ways to go on this. only two moves you can make. You can withdraw. can fend for yourself.
00:27:10
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You stay a night and we're
00:27:14
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Or you can approach the throne.
00:27:20
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That's the move to make.
00:27:22
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Approach the throne.
00:27:26
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He's the only one who can save you. got remember who you are. You're chosen. You're dearly loved.
00:27:38
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God looks upon you and he is well pleased. He is with you. He's working your story out for the good. and it ends well.
00:27:50
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and Speaking of endings, we're almost there. I just have one, um just one last point to make, but it's a big one. And I just want to do a little Mordecai on you.
00:28:01
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You are the bride of Christ. You have been put into a position of spiritual influence in this world.
00:28:13
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You too have been called for such a time as this. We live in a land and in a time when smart people aren't supposed to believe. And so they don't.
00:28:31
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And they are in danger of dying eternally.
00:28:37
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What will you do, Esther? You did not become the bride of Christ so that you alone could be saved.
00:28:50
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So just let me remind you, found people, find people.
00:28:56
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Stick your royal neck out. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
Conclusion and Invitation to Engage
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belonging to God. Why?
00:29:08
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So that you may declare the praises of him who called you out darkness. and into his wonderful light.
00:29:20
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Declare the praises of him for this generation, for the sake of your children, your grandchildren. Pray for them, show and tell them in your home, your school, office, workplace, your team, your neighborhood, show and tell them. If not you, who?
00:29:39
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If not you, who?
00:29:42
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If there's anybody who's been touched by God's grace, it's you. You get the gospel. So share it. And God will work the good.
00:29:56
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He always does. Even if you can't see it right away. And may God give you the wisdom to know what's right and the courage to do what's right even when it's tough.
00:30:14
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We've designed some questions to go along with each sermon. So if you're feeling that you're ready to go a little bit deeper, head to normalgoesalongway.com and you will see the questions for this week's sermon.
00:30:27
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And come back on Thursday because Ms. Hannah, Ms. April, they will present this sermon in kids form. Thanks for listening.