Alright brethren, let's open
the Bibles to the book of Esther. If you find Psalms, go to the left
a couple books to Esther. Just a poor joke. Many times I try to explain the
text that we're looking at in practical terms and in spiritual
terms. We'll look at practically how
we walk in this world, how this affects us in our daily life,
and then we'll see spiritually what this means. Tonight, we're
going to look just at the spiritual. We're going to put our spiritual
eyes on and start from the beginning. It's going to go pretty quick,
but I pray the Lord will bear with us. I pray He'll teach us
and show us this wonderful story. And that's the title of my message,
The Story of Salvation. This is the story of salvation.
There are so many people in this world who see stories in the
Old Testament, and they think it's nothing more than bedtime
stories for children. It's a nippy story. There's some
type of moral lesson to be learned. Now, in these Scriptures, there
are plenty of moral, practical lessons. If we learn them, it
will greatly benefit our walk in this life. It will benefit
us. But if we miscrossed in those,
if we see these practical applications and we don't see Christ in them,
we might as well be reading philosophy. This message is unlike anyone
I've done before. I did my notes different. I certainly
did the text different. The style I'm going to do it's
different. But I pray the Lord will bless it. I was looking
up a verse last week in Esther, and I decided to read just a
few verses before it so I could get the context. And I thought,
well, I'll just read to the end of the chapter. And I thought,
man, that was so good. I'm just going to read the book.
It's just 10 chapters. It's pretty short and quick.
But we'll go quick, and I hope you can hang on with me. And
there's so much here that's so beautiful, so true, and so comforting. And I hope the Lord allows us
to come back to this book in the future. But tonight, I want
us to look at the whole book. Now, there's five main characters
in this story. We're going to see King Ahasuerus,
Queen Vashti, Esther, Mordecai, and Haman. King Ahasuerus, that's
God the Father. We're skipping that practical.
We're going straight to the spiritual. That's God the Father. He's God's
judgment. God's holiness. The strictness
of His law. And we're going to see Queen
Vashti. That's the world. It's all of
mankind to see to Adam. She lost it all and was cast
away from the King. Now Esther and Mordecai, both,
will see His Christ. Christ our Savior. Both are pictures
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Esther as Christ and His deity,
as God Himself. And Mordecai as Christ as the
God-man. He was with His people here in
this world. And then lastly, we're going
to see Haman. This is the enemy. This is the
adversary. Prince of darkness. Savior. Chapter 1, verse 1. Now it came to pass in the days
of Ahasuerus, this is Ahasuerus which reigned from India even
unto Ethiopia, over 107 and 20 provinces, that in those days
when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which
was in Shushan, the palace, in the third year of his reign,
he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants, the
power of Persia immediately. the nobles and princes of the
provinces being before him, when he showed the riches of his glorious
kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days,
even a hundred and four score days. King Ahasuerus sat on his
throne of his kingdom, and he showed the riches of his glorious
kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty. Who is this
great noble ruler? This is our God, God the Father. Also, Vashti, the queen, made
a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to
King Ahasuerus. She was there in the king's presence,
but everything was his. She was with him, but the king
owned everything. Vashti came and went as she pleased,
and she served in that king's house. Who started off in the
presence of the king? Who started off in the presence
of God the Father? Adam was born in the garden, wasn't he? He
talked and walked with God. He had responsibilities. He had
some authority. He named all the animals, didn't
he? Vashti is Adam in all his race. Verse 10. On the seventh
day, when the heart of the king was married with wine, he commanded
Mahum, Bistha, Harbona, Biktha, and Agbiktha, Zethar, and Karkas,
the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus
the king, to bring Vashti, the queen, the king with the royal
crown to show the people and the princes her beauty, for she
was fair to look on. We had communion with God in
the very beginning of this world, and we were fair to look on.
We were very fair. God said in Genesis 1-31, God
saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
That was us before the following. Now, the king gave a command.
He wanted Vashti to come to his feast. The commandment was given.
Verse 12. Esther 1-12. But the queen Vashti
refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains. Therefore was the king very wroth,
and his anger burned in him. Adam was given one commandment.
Do not eat of the tree of life. And he didn't obey that commandment.
He hated his wife. And what happened? There was
a casting out. King Ahasuerus Ask his wise men,
the ones that knew the law there in verse 13. Then the king said
unto the wise men which knew the times, for so was the king's
manner toward all of them that knew the law and the judgment.
Verse 15. What shall we do unto the queen
Vashti according to the law, because she has not performed
the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chambers? What are we
going to do to her? Verse 19. If it please the king, Let there
go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the
laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered,
that Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus, and let the king
give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. Genesis
3, 23 says, therefore, the Lord God sent him forth from the garden
of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove
out the man, and he placed at the east of the garden eaten
cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep
the way of the tree of life. We were banished from the presence
of God in the garden and that royal estate that we had was
given to one far better. Chapter 2 Esther 2 verse 2. Then said the king's servants
that ministered unto him, let there be fair young virgins sought
for the king. and let the maiden which pleased
the king be queen instead of vassal. And the thing pleased
the king, and he did so. His servants will bring all the
fair virgins before the king, and he's going to choose the
one that pleases him most. And that is exactly what he did.
He chose the one that he wanted to choose. 1 Samuel 12 says, For the Lord
will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, because
it had pleased the Lord to make you His people. There was a firstborn,
the first elect. It was Christ. And in Him, He
chose the people He wanted to choose. Alright, Esther 2, verse
5. Now, in Shushan, the palace, there was a certain Jew, whose
name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the
son of Kish, of Benjamite. Verse 7. And he brought up Hadesh,
that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, his cousin. For she
had neither father nor mother, And the maid was fair and beautiful,
whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for
his own daughter. They were family. We'll see this better. They were
together. They were one, just like us now. We can be within
six feet of each other if we're of the same house. Why? Because
we're one. We're of the same home. All right, verse 8. And
so it came to pass when the king's commandment and his decree was
heard, and when many maidens were gathered together in Shew
San, the palace to the custody of Haggai, that Esther was brought
also to the king's house to the custody of Haggai, keeper of
the women. And the maiden pleased him. She
obtained kindness of him, and he speedily gave her her things
for purification. And with such things as belonged
to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her out
of the king's house, and he preferred her and her maids unto the best
place of the house of the women. All the people in the palace
loved Esther, and they thought very highly of her. And the king
was well pleased in her, preferring her above all else. All else. Verse 10. Esther had not showed
her people nor her kindred, for Mordecai had charged her that
she should not show it. Mordecai told Esther, his cousin
that he raised as a daughter. He said, Don't you tell them
who you are? Don't you tell them where you're from and what people
you're from. That's our Lord. He came to this earth, and He
veiled Himself. He didn't say who He was. He
didn't say where He'd come from. He said He hid Himself. He came
like us. Verse 17, And the king loved
Esther above all the women, as she obtained grace and favor
in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal
crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Our Lord said from heaven audibly, He said, This is my Son in whom
I am well pleased. Esther is here in the palace
with the king and Mordecai is with the people. You see that? Christ was both with us on this
earth and the whole time He was communicating with the Father.
He was one with the Father in heaven. He says, You hear me
always. Verse 21, Esther 2.21, In those days while Mordecai
sat, the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Begthan
and Teresh, of those which kept the door were wroth, and sought
to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And the thing was known to Mordecai,
and he told unto Esther the queen, and Esther certified the king
thereof of Mordecai's name. And when the inquisition was
made of the matter, it was found out. Therefore they were both
hanged on a tree, and it was written in the book chronicles
for the king. Now let's remember that they
wrote it down in the king's record. It's written in the book of the
king. Mordecai did what was right.
In Mordecai's goodness, he exposed the wicked men that were set
against the king. He exposed them. Chapter 3, verse
1. Here comes the last character
we're going to look at. After these things did King Ahasuerus
promote Haman, the son of the Hamadath, to Agii, and advanced
him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him,
and all the king's servants that were in the king's gate bowed
and reverenced Haman. For the king had so commanded
concerning him that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence."
Everyone bows to the enemy. Every one of us. We sin in our
flesh, and when we do that, we're bowing to that prince of darkness.
Every person, all of religion, they all bow to the adversary.
Everyone walks this earth thinking that what they're doing is right,
and the whole time they're doing his bidding. That's me, and everybody
that's born out here. But Mordecai, Christ in the flesh,
the God-man, Mordecai did not bow. He was the only man that
ever lived that did not bow to the adversary. The only hope
you and I have of not bowing to that adversary is being one
with Christ, having Him in us. He's the only way we have any
hope. All right, verse 5, chapter 3, verse 5. And when Haman saw
that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman
full of wrath. And he thought scorn to lay hands
on Mordecai alone. He didn't want to kill just Mordecai
only. For they had showed him the people of Mordecai, whereof
Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the
whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. Haman
came up with a plan. He said, I'm going to pick a
day, cast some lots, roll the dice, whatever it was. He picked
a day on the calendar, seemingly random. And he went to the king
and said, this people of Mordecai are not following your law. They
ain't obeying you. They don't respect you. They
don't listen to you. Let's send out a letter to all
the provinces. And on this particular day, anyone
can kill every Jew they see on your behalf to execute your law. We will give each of the province
a reward. Give them 10,000 talons of silver
that kill the people. We'll give them a reward for
doing it. Verse 10. 310. took his ring from his hand,
and he gave it unto Haman, the son of Hamathodep, the Agiite,
the Jew's enemy. And the king said unto Haman,
The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them,
as it seemeth good to thee." Does that sound familiar? The
evil one is in front of the king saying, I want to hurt these
people. They don't care for you. One book to the right, and Job,
Satan asked the Lord, says, Does Job fear you for nothing? And
the Lord said, Behold, All that he hath is in my power. Do with
him as you would have at him. Verse 13, And the letters were
sent by post to all the king's provinces to destroy, to kill,
and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little children
and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth
month, which is the month of Adar, and to take the spoil of
them for a prey. Did the king allow this to happen?
Does our Lord allow these evil things to happen to us? What
did the Lord say to Pharaoh in Exodus? He said, Satan is not
God's enemy. He's my adversary. He is not
God's adversary. He belongs to God. He's owned
by Him. The Lord made him on purpose,
and that purpose is to show the Lord's power, His might, and
salvation to His people. That's the purpose of it. Now here in Mordecai is the top
of the first Adam. One man sinned. One man didn't
do what was pleasing. Every one of the Jews was going
to die. Now we're going to see the second
Adam. Look here in chapter 4, verse 1. When Mordecai perceived
that all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes and put on sackcloth
with ashes and went out into the midst of the city and cried
with a loud and bitter cry. In Matthew 26, our Lord cried,
My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Then he said,
Father, if it be possible, let this cut pass from me. Nevertheless,
not as I will, but thou. Our master cried for his people. And in every province, wheresoever
the king's commandment and his decree came, there was a great
mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing,
and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. What happened when the
law came to you? You saw God's perfect, holy law
and what it really requires. Not what we think it requires,
what it really requires. What happened? Did you weep?
Did you lose sleep? Was you able to eat? There's a bounty on us. That's
what happened here. Verse 4, So Esther's maid and
her chamberlains came and told her. Then was the queen exceedingly
grieved, and she sent Ramech cloth to clothe Mordecai and
to take away his sackcloth from him, but he received it not.
We looked at this last Sunday evening. The one that had the
right to complain never did. The only one that could have
ever changed things on this earth Reset the social order of things.
Make everything right here. He didn't. He could have had
a whole host of angels come down, squash everything, do his bidding. But he did not. He received not. Because he must suffer. He didn't
receive it. Verse 5-8 there is the holy communication
between the deity of the God-man and the God-man himself here
on this earth. Mordecai sends word to Esther of the law and
of the punisher. He gave him also he gave him
the copy of the writing of the decree that it was given at Shushan
to destroy them and to show it unto Esther and to declare it
unto her and to charge her that she should go into the king to
make supplication unto him and to make requests for him and
for her people. So take this law and go into
the king and make intercession on behalf of your people for
this law. Through her servants, she sends word back to Mordecai
there in verse 11. This is Esther speaking to Mordecai.
All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces
do know that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto
the king and to the inner court who is not called, there is one
law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king
shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live but I have not
been called to come into the King these 30 days." If you're
not summoned to come to the King and do not approach Him on His
terms, you're going to die. To come into that holiest of
holies, to come into the presence of the Lord, the Father, the
King, you have to be holy because He's holy. Esther knew that. That's what she's telling me.
Verse 13. And Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, with thyself
that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the
Jews. Go in to represent your people
fully ready to die. Verse 14, for if thou altogether
holdest thy peace at this time, then shall their enlargement
and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place. But
thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed, and who knoweth
whether thou art come to the king for such The time is this. He says, this may be the very
reason the Lord puts you in that position that you're in right
now, to die for your people. If you don't plead for them,
we're under the law anyway, and we're going to die. Our Master said in John 18, to
this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world
that I should bear witness unto the truth. He had to come. Christ came to deliver His people
from eternal life, for eternal life. Verse 16, Go, gather together
all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me,
and neither eat nor drink three days, day or night. I also and
my maidens will fast likewise, and so will I go unto the king,
which is not according to the law, and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way and
did according to all that Esther had commanded him. It's going
to take three days of clearing, of cleansing, of suffering to
accomplish this. And I'm ready to die. Thou perish,
I perish. It's going to take three days
of payment, preparation, and I'm ready to die. Chapter 5,
verse 1. Now it came to pass on the third
day that Esther put on her royal apparel and stood in the inner
court of the king's house over against the king's house. And
the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house over against
the gate of the house. And it was so, when the king
saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained
favor in his sight. And the king held out to Esther
the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near
and touched the top of the scepter. Then said the king unto her,
What wilt thou, Queen Esther? And what is thy request? And
it shall be given to thee to half of the kingdom. Now, after
three days of being in that tomb, Christ rose from the grave in
all his royal apparel, in all his glory. He was robed in righteousness. He was robed in victory. And
he found favor in the sight of the Father and all to his half
the kingdom. What does that mean? Half of
the kingdom. Now, if I have a million dollars in cash, I gave you 500,000. What are we now? We're equal, right? That's the
easy math. You kids understand that, right?
If I have something, I give you half of it. We're equal. We're
even. Christ thought it not robbery
to be equal with God. Why? Because he's God. He is equal with him. Esther 5, verse 4. Then Esther
answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman
come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.
Here the law of justice, the adversary, and the redeemer are
all going to meet before the king. There's going to be a banquet. They're going to show up together.
They told Haman about this banquet. that the queen was going to throw
for him, and he was excited. I'd be excited. He was excited. Didn't know why,
but he was excited. Look here in verse 9. Then went
Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart. But when Haman
saw Mordecai at the king's gate, that he stood not up nor moved
for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai. Nevertheless,
Haman refrained himself. And when he came home, He sent
and called for his friends and Zeresh his wife. Mordecai, or
I'm sorry, Haman, had just got some good news. He sat and he heard good news. It went in this ear. It went
out this ear as soon as he saw Mordecai. Good news went in. Hate came out. He told his friends,
he said, I'm so mad at Mordecai. We've got to get rid of him sooner
than that date we originally picked. I got an important banquet
to go to. This is a big deal. I got some
shindig I'm going to. And this guy's getting under
my skin. I'm probably going to get some high honors, but I can't
appreciate that because I want to kill Mordecai. He's stuck
in my mind. Look here in verse 14. Then Zeresh
his wife and all his friends unto him, let the gallows be
made fifty cubits high. And tomorrow speak thou to the
king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon. Then go thou in merrily
with the king into his banquet. And the thing pleased Haman,
and he calls the gallows to be made. His wife looked at him
and said, you make some gallows to hang Mordecai on. You go ask
the king. He's going to let you because
he's having a banquet to honor you. And then once you kill him,
you can go on your banquet in peace. You can have a good time.
Get this man out of the way. Chapter 6, verse 1. On that night
could not the king sleep. He commanded to bring the book
of records of the chronicles. And they were read before the
king. Here's the account of everything that happened during his kingdom.
The king couldn't sleep, so he had them read the chronicles
to him. And in there was that story of Mordecai exposing the
sin of those two doorkeepers who sought to kill the king.
And the king asking, what have we done to honor this man? And
they said, well, nothing yet. And at that exact moment, if
you took this story, you take our gospel and you give it to
Shakespeare or whoever, you pick the best man you want and you
say, you write a book. Write a story about how God saves
his people. They couldn't have come up with
anything better. Couldn't have. That's beautiful. At that exact
moment when the king heard, what have we done honors by? Nobody.
Nothing. At that exact moment, Haman came into the room with
the king. He was coming to ask him, can
I kill more cop? Look at verse 6. So Haman came in, and the king
said unto him, what shall be done unto the man whom the king
delighteth to honor? Now Haman thought in his heart,
Whom would the king delight to do honor more than to myself?
I read that on our couch. Cameron just had fell asleep,
it was late at night. And I laughed, everybody said,
LOL. I laughed out loud. And then I about cried. How many
times does that make? How many times do I think, oh
boy, the Lord's going to let me do this, let me get my suit
right. Haman came to ask to kill Mordecai,
but the king prevented him. We saw Simon Peter the other
day. And the king spoke before Haman could speak, asking, what
should I do to honor someone that I wish to honor? And Haman,
in his heart, thought, he's talking about me. And he goes on to answer
him, verse 7 through 9. He says, put him in the king's
berry on robe, and on the king's berry on horse, and put the king's
berry on crown on his head, and you have a chief prince. lead
him through the streets on horseback in a parade so everyone's going
to see him and he'll know that he's the most honored in the
land because he thought it's him. Look at verse 10. Then the king
said to Haman, make haste and take the apparel and the horse
as thou hast said. Do it exactly the way you said
and do even so to Mordecai the Jew. And saideth at the king's
gate, let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken. You know
what happened? That adversary honored Mordecai. He led the parade honoring Mordecai. He had to profess in action,
indeed, to the whole kingdom that Mordecai was the highest
one honored. Every knee shall bow and every
tongue confess that Jesus crossed as Lord. But what about everyone? I don't think saints were every
one of them. Chapter 7, verse 1. Here's where
the law, the adversary, the redeemer, and the king meet. Esther 7,
verse 1. So the king and Haman came to
the banquet with Esther the queen. And the king said unto Esther
on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition,
Queen Esther? And it shall be granted thee.
And what is thy request? And it shall be performed even
to half the king. We're equal. What do you want?
And you say it's yours. Verse three. Then Esther, the
queen, answered and said, If I have found favor in my sight,
O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given at
my petition and my people at my request, for we are sold. She didn't say she was fine.
That's the queen. She's already in the palace.
Ain't no bounty out on her head. She didn't say, for those people
are sold. She said, for we are sold. She was warm with her people.
And verse 4, for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed,
to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for a
bondman and a bondwoman, I had held my tongue. Although the
enemy could not countervail the king's damage. Esther said, I
will lay down my life for my people. And if there was just
a little bit of trouble, You were just going to be bondmen
and bondwomen. You weren't going to die, but you were going to
have some trouble. You needed some help. You needed a co-pilot. Then I would have kept my mouth
shut. There was no need for that. But they're going to die. Maybe. I wonder. Verse 5. The king Ahasuerus answered
and said unto Esther the queen, who is he and where is he? What
does presume in his heart to do so? He said, who did this?
Tell me. Verse six, and Esther said, the
adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. That Haman was afraid
before the king and the queen. Verse seven and eight talks about
the king leaving in a frenzy. He was in a rage, went out in
his garden to think what he was going to do. And Haman laid on
Esther's bed to beg for mercy. And the king came back in that
house, and he saw Haman, the queen, or Haman laid on the queen's
bed, and he said, kill him. That's unwise. In our bed, that's
a different thing. He came and saw him laid on his
queen's bed. He said, off with him. Verse 9. And Harbonah, one
of the chamberlains, said before the king, behold also the gallows
fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had
spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the
king said, hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows
that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified. God allowed the devil to bruise
our Savior's heel. But in doing so, Christ crushed
the serpent's head. The very plan that Haman had
he had hatched out to get rid of Mordecai was the very thing
that killed him. Chapter 8, verse 1. On that day did the king Ahasuerus
give the house of Haman the Jew's enemy unto Esther the queen.
And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told him
what he was unto her. She said, And the king took off
his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto
Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over
the house of Haman. And Esther spake yet again before
the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears
to put away the mischief of Haman the Agyar, and his device that
he had devised against the Jews. Esther is constantly interceding
on behalf of her people. The cross makes daily intercession
for us. She asked the king, there's that
letter that Haman sent out, that's this device that he had against
my people. She said, let's abolish it. Let
me put away that mischief that he had towards the people and
that way they'll never fear again. We'll put out a new letter. And
as for petitioning the king to send that letter out to all the
Jews, that way they know that they're saved. Chapter 8, verse
8. Write ye also for the Jews, as
it liked of you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's
ring. For the writing which was written in the king's name and
sealed with the king's ring may no man reverse. All authority
has been given to the redeemer. You put whatever you want in
the law, you sign my name on it, you seal it, then no man
can reverse it. John 6.39 says, And this is the
Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which He hath
given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again
at the last day. Christ fully and forever redeemed His people,
and no man can pluck them out of His hands, no matter what. Verse 13, The copy of the writing
for a commandment to be given in every province was published
unto all people. and that the Jews should be ready
against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. And not only
were these Jews spared from the death of their enemies, they
were removed from that law. Now it was legal for them to
kill those that sought to do them harm. Completely reversed,
verse 15. And Mordecai went out from the
presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with
a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen, purple,
And the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. And the Jews had
light and gladness and joy and honor. Why? Why was all those
Jews out in the country? All this stuff took place. And
they just heard about it. There was nobody in that palace.
They weren't around there. They were just out in the country.
All this stuff took place without them there. Why would they have
light and gladness and joy and honor? They were saved by the
works and the merit of another. In every province, in every city,
where so ever the king's commandment and his decrees came, the Jews
had joy and gladness and a feast and a good day. And many of the
people in the land became Jews. For the fear of Jews fell upon
them. The fear of the Lord fell upon
us Gentiles too. We became Jews. He made us Jews. They were made
to hear that good news of salvation in their Redeemer, and they rejoiced
also. They believed and loved their
brethren. Chapter 9, verse 1. Now in the
twelfth month, that is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day
of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew
near to be put in execution, and the day that the enemies
of the Jews hoped to have power over them, though it was turned
to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated
them, The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout
all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hand on such as sought
their herd. And no man could withstand them,
for the fear of them fell upon all people. And all the rulers
of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and the officers
of the king helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai
fell upon them. We just read that last week.
Romans 13. They're His servants for our
good. All the lieutenants, all the governors, everything, they
help the Jews. Verse 4. For Mordecai was so great in
the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces.
For this man, Mordecai, waxed greater and greater. His glory
just compounded. It goes on to say that all the
Jews slew all their enemies. And then Mordecai sent out another
letter. Telling all his people, he said, you remember this day,
this 13th day of the month of Adar, and you're going to keep
it as a feast. That's happened before, hasn't
it? The old commandment. He said,
when you come out of Egypt, you're going to have this Passover.
And when your children ask you, why do you do this, Daddy? He
said, God brought us out of Egypt. Tell them, what do we do now?
Do this in remembrance of me. we come to the Lord's table to
be reminded of the sacrifice that was made on our behalf.
Chapter 9, verse 29. Then Esther, the queen, the daughter
of Abraham, and Mordecai, the Jew, wrote with all authority
to confirm the second letter of Purim. Purim is ending, crushing,
abolished. Verse 30. And he sent the letters
unto all the Jews to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with the words of peace and truth. That law came by Moses, but peace
and truth came from Christ our Savior, and it came with great
authority. Chapter 10, verse 1. And the king of Hoceres laid a tribute
upon the land and upon the isles of the sea, and all the acts
of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness
of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him. Are they not written
in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? They had recorded that. What's
our record? What book do we have that we
possess? Acts 2.36 says, Therefore let
all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made
that same Jesus whom ye crucified, both the Lord and Christ. That's our record. That's the
Lord's record. Verse 3, Esther 10, 3. For Mordecai the Jew was
next unto King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted
of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people. The cross seeks our wealth, doesn't
it? And speaking peace to all his
seed. When he speaks to us, that's
peace. That's the only peace we'll ever have. Permanent peace. I hope that was a blessing to
you. Where do you stop? Where do you end? That's our story. Someone saved
by grace and mercy God has towards his people across Jesus. This
is what happened. We were represented. We were
far off. We had a bounty on us. Death,
eternal death. Something transpired. Something
took place. We had a representative. He saved
his people. And all he whacks is greater
and greater, doesn't he? The more we see what he did for
us, his majesty rose. He gives us peace. Let's pray
together.