Well, for tonight, would you
join me once again in the book of Esther, Esther chapter 9. The book of Esther chapter 9.
As we look through this wonderful book that shares so much about
our God, and his name is not even mentioned. We see him through
the lattice. We see him in the background.
We see him as the director. We see him as the overseer. We
see him pronouncing his purpose and having it fulfilled page
after page, verse after verse, chapter after chapter, and it's
the same tonight. We see God's purpose demonstrated
throughout the Old and the New Testament in two incidences that
quickly come to my mind. One of them was a young lady
that was captured by a Syrian army, an Israelite girl, young
lady captured by the Syrian army, taken into captivity, and it
was there she was able to share with Naaman's wife, I know a
man that could help this man. So God's providence, his purpose
to have her in the right place. And as we go through the book
of Esther, we find the same thing, that Esther was in the right
place at the right time by God's purpose. She was a citizen of
Israel, of Jerusalem or Judah. She's taken captive with her
cousin, taken into captivity in the Persian empire. And now
we find her that she is the queen of Persia by the directions of
almighty God. Now, we have noticed in this
section of scripture, going through the book of Esther, that there
is people that have always hated the church, always hated grace,
always hated the gospel, always hated God, and always hated His
people. And here it is illustrated that
there was a man that was in a high position, his name was Haman,
and he had aversion, a hatred He was enmity against God and
against God's people. And he's been disposed of now,
and an edict had gone out, and now another one has gone out,
and the defense of the Jews is in their hands. They can do this.
It reminds me of a passage of Scripture, and keep your finger
right there, but turn with me to the book of Romans, if you
would. The book of Romans, chapter 8. The book of Romans chapter
8, this verse of scripture helped me so much as I went through
these verses in the book of Esther chapter 9. In the book of Romans
chapter 8, and there in verse 37, we have these words left
us by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, nay, in all
these things. Romans chapter 8 verse 37. Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us. We are more
than conquerors. Well, to be a conqueror is one
thing, but to be more than a conqueror is greater. And so as we go back
to the book of Esther, we find there in chapter 9 that there
are several verses that share with us that Israel was permitted
by law to defend themselves against these enemies of the church.
In Esther chapter 9, and there in verse 5, we're going to read
verse 5. We're not going to read this
whole section, but we're going to read a few verses that share
with us that the children of Israel were able to protect themselves. They became more than conquerors. Now, God is the underlying reason
for all things. He's the purpose. for all things. Everything comes from Him. It
tells us in verse 7, thus the Jews smote all their enemies
with the stroke of the sword and slaughter and destruction
and did what they would unto those that hated them. And we
find here how glorious it is as we read in the scriptures
that God has taken care of all the enemies of the church. He
protected the church, and He's taken care of the enemies of
the church. He's protecting the Jews. He's taking care of the
enemies of the Jews. And our sword today is not a
steel sword in our hand. It is the Word of God. And we
find out that the Word of God is the only thing that can actually
get down to where people need to hear. It is faith cometh by
hearing and hearing by the Word of God. We have a sword of the
Spirit, which is the Word of God. We preach the Gospel. We let the Lord take care of
His business about helping people, lifting people, delivering people,
saving people. We let them do that. Now, it
doesn't mean that we don't have We don't care. We do care. We pray. We cry out. But we find
out that life has to be given to us from God. just as he dealt with Lazarus. Life had to come from God. And that is how Lazarus came
out of the tomb. All right, in that same section,
verse six, and in Shushan, the palace, the Jews slew and destroyed
500 men. We have the enemies of church
everywhere. And we find that in our own flesh,
the enemy of God is everywhere. And the worst part is our heart. Our heart is desperately wicked.
And then as we travel down through here, we find there in verse
10, and 10 sons of Haman, the son of Hamadath, the enemy of
the Jews. But on the spoil lay they not
their hand. So Haman was a real Judas Iscariot. is treacherous and he was able
to manipulate the king to get his treachery into writing and
a signet ring in the wax and sent out. And we find in this,
as we look at this, we find out that there is no room for any
part of religion in a believer's life. Religion, the old religion,
is not something that a believer will count on for anything. We're
going to have to deal with every bit of it, and we're thankful
that God does deal with that, every bit of it, in our lives.
that we do not rely upon one particle of it for our hope or
our salvation. Just as we find here the children
of Haman, that demon of a man that was interested in destroying
all of the people of God, His children were in the same mix
and so they were dealt with and just the same with us. There
is no slack given to anything that would detain us or detract
us from worshiping the true and the living God. We just cannot
have it. We look at the Apostle Paul, and he was one of the most
religious man that we have record of in scriptures. And after the
Lord saved him, he did not go back for part of it. He did not
go back for a half of it, or a quarter of it, or a percent
of it, or half a percent of it. He was done with it because God
pulled him out of that horrible pit. And so we have nothing there. And then we find in verse 12
of this chapter, it says, and the king said unto Esther the
queen, the Jews have slain and destroyed 500 men in Shushan
the palace and 10 sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest
of the king's provinces? He is behind this. He's supporting
them. And so it's God supporting us
as we deal with these things. And we'll look over in the book
of Revelation in just a moment where it shares with us that
they over came him, overcame the devil, overcame pride, overcame
our heart by the blood of the Lamb. What have they done in
the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is thy petition? And
it shall be granted thee. Or what is thy request further?
And it shall be done. 15. For the Jews that were in
Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of
Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan. But on the prey
they laid not their hand. There was nothing about what
they owned that they wanted for a possession. And then also in
verse 16, But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces
gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and
had the rest from their enemies, and slew their foes seventy and
five thousand. But they laid not their hand
on their prey. So we find that there was total
victory throughout the entire There was total victory through
all the principalities of this. And we find as we look at this
that there is more, more than conquerors through Jesus. We
look at the Lord and His ministry on the cross and His ambassage
for us, we find that we're more than conquerors through Him that
loved us. Now, turn with me if you would to the book of 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians
chapter 15 and through this New Testament reading we find so
much that is said with regard to our position in Christ. that
it is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but He is
the one that gives us the victory. He's the one that raises us from
the spiritual dead. So 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
1 Corinthians chapter 15 and there in verse 57 we read these
words, but thanks be to God Now those, we're going to find out
in a few verses that follow where we finished up our reading for
tonight, there's going to be a big celebration. They're going
to have a party. They're thankful to God for what
He has permitted them to do and allowed them to do, that they've
had a victory, a great victory. And all the enemies that they
had has been destroyed. And we find that in Christ Jesus,
all the enemies of the church was destroyed when he overcame
them on the cross. And now we read this, but thanks
be unto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. lest we should get proud and
say that it's part me. We find out in verses like this
that the victory, the strength given for the victory, the victory
itself is through our Lord Jesus Christ. But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if
we back up here, we find that Paul is talking about several
different subjects, and one of them is sin, and one of them
is death, and he says that Christ gives us the victory through
all of those things. how God overshadowed, oversaw,
and provided everything that was necessary for the defense
of those Jews, and they could say in the end, Though it's not
even recorded, God has given us the victory. Turn with me,
if you would, to John 16. John 16, as we look at this subject
through the scriptures, that we are more than conquerors.
As we find out, those folks there in the book of Esther were more
than conquerors. In John 16, verse 33, John 16
and verse 33, it shares this. It tells us, Christ tells us
that we're gonna have tribulation in this world. People are not
going to like the gospel, people are not gonna like the church,
people are not gonna like God. We've been there, we know what
it is. These things have I spoken unto you that in me you might
have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation.
But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." The Lord
shares with us that we can be at peace, we can be at good cheer,
even though the world may give us tribulation. He has overcome
the world. His victory over the world has
been so successful. that we can be of good cheer
and we can be at peace. We can have that in me, ye might
have peace. Now, we're not gonna find peace
in ourselves or peace in our works or peace in anything else.
We find true peace, true spiritual peace in Christ Jesus alone,
resting on his words on the cross, it is finished. We rest in those
words. We rest in the purpose of grace. We rest in those things. We rest
spiritually in the Lord Jesus Christ, and He has given us the
victory. In fact, we're more than conquerors.
We are more than conquerors, and we get to celebrate about
that victory. Every day is a celebration of
the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. We celebrate
it by His resurrection. We celebrate it by Him being
at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us. We
celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ because it means
so much to us that He is victorious, that we are victorious in Him.
All right? If you'll turn with me again
to 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 2. 2 Corinthians
2. And verse 14. 2 Corinthians 2 and verse 14, we
have a way, a means, God provides. This is His provision to us that
we are caused to triumph in Christ. were caused to be in triumph.
It says, now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph
in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by
us in every place. Thanks be unto God, which always
causes us to triumph. There's no in between times. always causes us to triumph. The Lord shares with us in the
book of 1 John 4 that the one who indwells the believer the Holy Spirit, the one who
has taken up his place in his people, the one that has given
us the new birth, the one that has called us by the grace of
God, the Holy Spirit. Notice here in 1 John chapter
four and verse four, 1 John chapter four and verse four, what a statement
this is. Ye are of God, little children,
and have overcome them because, because. Now this is where God's
sovereignty, this is where God's omnipotence, omnipresence, all
of the greatness of God is to our great wealth. Because it
says, because greater is he that is in you. Now when God saves
us, he gives us the Holy Spirit. He doesn't do a thing for our
flesh. We are given the Spirit of God.
We have this as the down payment of our inheritance. And here
he says, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the
world. Now however great he is that's in the world. However
great that is, greater is he that is in you. Now, some people
feel that that great one in this world is really great. Well,
he's nothing compared to the greater than he that is in you. We have nothing to fear, because greater is He
that is in you than he that is in the world, however great he
is. How significant He may be. Greater is He that is in you.
So the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, salvation by grace, the
new birth that God gives us, and all of these are gifts, as
abundant gifts of the new birth, we find that the Holy Spirit
is given to us, who is the third of the Godhead, the third person
of the Godhead, and has all of the attributes and characteristics
of all the rest of them. greater is He that is in you
than He that is in the world. However great He is, He's still
greater than that. And what a blessing it is that
the Lord would leave those thoughts for us. The days may be troublesome,
but greater is He that's in you than He that's in the world.
Turn with me, if you would, over to the book of Revelation, Revelation
chapter 12. In Revelation chapter 12, Revelation
chapter 12 and there in verse 11. Much of what John was used
to write in the book of Revelation was a benefit of those churches
he wrote to and churches down through time. He was giving them
the reason for their blessings. And here in the book of Revelation
chapter 12, verse 11, it says, And they overcame
him by the blood of the Lamb. Now that's the one that's in
the world. Greater is He than he that's in the world. They
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. They overcame him by the blood
of the Lamb. What is the only way that we
can overcome and get through this world? It is the blood of
the Lamb. And what does that do for us? It gives us the new
birth. Christ Jesus His blood paid for all our sin debt, and
by that very reason, the Holy Spirit will come along and regenerate
us. In Adam, we had our battery completely
shorted out. There was nothing in it. Oh,
there's nothing more despicable for me to go out and try to start
my car and the battery's dead. because I'm usually a little
late as it is. How do we get something back
in that battery? Do we pray over the battery?
No, we have to hook it up to something greater than the battery.
All right, so here we overcome by the blood of the Lamb. Going
back to the book of 2 Corinthians, would you join me there again
in the book of 2 Corinthians? In 2 Corinthians, as we think
about those Jews and what they were able to do, and they overcame
the enemy, God purposed that they overcame the enemy, all
the enemies of the Jews, every. And God purposed that in Christ
Jesus, He would overcome every enemy of the church. Not one
would be left for us to deal with. He overcame. And we're
more, more than conquerors. Greater is He that's in you than
He that's in the world. And here in the book of 2 Corinthians, Chapter 2. I just read that one. It's okay. It's a good one. Revelation chapter
7. Would you join me there in Revelation
chapter 7. Revelation chapter 7, 9 and 10. Once again, here in the book
of Revelation, we have the Lord using His great grace on the
behalf of the church and sharing with us where true victory is. If anything is victorious, it
has to be in Christ. If anyone is victorious, it has
to be Christ. Here in the book of Revelation
chapter 7 and verse 9, after this I beheld and lo a great
multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindreds
and people and tongues stood before the throne. The Lord told
his disciples to go into all the world and here's the reason
for it. Everywhere in this world, God has his sheep. Go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. And here it says, out of no man
could number, a multitude no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in
their hands. They have the robe of righteousness,
they have the palms of peace, and cried with a loud voice saying,
salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne unto the Lamb. Where was salvation? It was not
in the people out in the stands, it was in the person on the throne. Our salvation is in Him. He is
the one that has caused us to enjoy the victory. He's the one
that has caused us to glory in the Lamb. Going back to the book
of 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 12, 2 Corinthians chapter
12 and verse 9. I've met a lot of people, and
I think I've had this thought once in a while, that a believer
should be exempt from the aging process. But we're not. The aging process is bringing
us to the end of sin. Death. the soul that sinneth
it shall die. We're not exempt from this and
yet we are caused to be victorious on every hand spiritually speaking
and physically speaking. We're caused to be victorious
on every hand because just as God purposed to have a young
lady in Naaman's household, and a young lady on the throne in
Persia, he has purposed every ache and every pain." And here
we find the Apostle Paul praying unto the Lord because he had
a thorn in the flesh. Now there's several people that
have come up with what that is. The thorn in the flesh is where
we're leaving it. It may have been his eyesight,
it may have been his aging process. But he said, this is what the
Lord said unto me. My grace is sufficient for thee,
for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Now these folks
there in the Persian Empire, these Jews could say this too
at the last, most gladly therefore will I rather glory in mine infirmities
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Those folks over
there knew something about providing, knew something about who provides,
knew something about God. Esther and Mordecai knew something
about God. They were blessed. They had faith. God had given them the faith
to believe. Remember what Mordecai told Esther? If you don't do this, God will
raise up someone else to deliver the Jews. If it's not you, someone
else. But the deliverance of the Jews
is going to happen. So there was faith among those
folks. And we find out the Apostle Paul
had faith and he had imperfections and he had physical ailments. And yet the Lord said, my grace
is sufficient for thee. My grace. You know what? He understood
some things about the gospel, just like Mordecai and Esther
and many of those Jews understood. about the gospel. They knew something
about God. Now, there's not a word, name
of God found in the book of Esther, but we find His fingerprints
all over the book. We find Him from beginning to
end. We find His purpose from beginning to end. And we find
the gospel from beginning to end. We find that the gospel
that they knew, and Paul knew, and all the saints in the New
Testament knew, and you and I know if we know the gospel, that gospel
is the gospel of God. Those folks were not trusting
Ahasuerus. They were trusting God. The gospel
is about God. The gospel is about the God of
heaven. It's good news about the God
of heaven. There's nothing in the gospel that is Our part the
gospel is a blessing to us, but it is not our part to participate
in the gospel We find it's the gospel of God when we've read
in the New Testament We find out even some of the books of
the Bible were called the gospel of God according to and so we
rejoice in that it is good news and it came from God and the
gospel is his free and unmerited grace. He does not depend upon
any of our merit. God did not depend on the merit
of Mordecai, or the merit of Esther, or the merit of Paul,
or your and my merit. He had nothing that was not even
a part of it. He depends only on His grace. It's unmerited grace. It is not something that we purchase.
It is unmerited grace. The gospel of God. Turn with
me, if you would, to the book of Mark, chapter 1. Mark chapter
1 and we find these words there, Mark chapter 1 verse 1, the beginning
of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now gospel means good news and
there's no good news in us. There's no good news in Mordecai
by himself, and there's no good news in Esther by herself, and
there's no good news in the Jews by themselves, but there's good
news in the God of Mordecai, there's good news in the God
of Esther, and there's good news in the God of the Jews, and there's
good news in the God of the church, there's good news. So they had
some grace given to them that allowed them to know God. the beginning of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What joy it is. And that same
thing is brought over in the book of Romans chapter 1. As
we think about the victory that those folks had, it's based upon
God and the gospel of God. In Romans chapter 1 and verse
1, it says this, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be
an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. We're left out
of it. We're recipients, not participants. Just as Mordecai and Esther were
recipients of the gospel and not participants in it. They
had victory after victory. It came back. Ahasuerus says,
how's it going? How many? And they were able
to say, the Lord has given us great victory throughout the
realm. The enemies of the church have been destroyed. And we find
out, as we look back at the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the
cross, Enemies of the church have been destroyed to the very
last one and Jesus Christ was able to say on that count It's
finished. I've taken care of them all.
It's the gospel of God It's the wonderful truth of a God that
will take care of his people It's a gospel of his a free and
unmerited grace for by grace Are you saved through faith and
that not of yourselves? It's a gift It's a gift The gospel that Mordecai and
Esther looked to, trusted in, and the church has always trusted
in, is a gospel that brings God glory. It is about God's glory. There's nothing in it but God's
glory. He is going to be glorified in
every part of the gospel. Nobody's going to go back and
say, well, it was my baptism that was important. It was my
walk forward. It was my bowing my head. It
was my faith. It was my, my, my. No, we find
out that that's completely in error because it's the gospel
of God, and it is the gospel of grace, and it's the gospel
of God's glory, and for that and that alone did God save anybody. It's a glorious gospel, but it
is also the gospel of God's glory. In the book of Romans chapter
4, would you look there with me as we think about the victory
that went on in the land of Persia. from beginning to end, on every
hand, on every side, there was victory, and it was a great victory,
and we are victorious in Christ Jesus the Lord. In the book of
Romans chapter four, verse two, the scripture says, for if Abraham
were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before
God. But with, for what saith the
scripture, Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for
righteousness. God is the God of glory. God
is the God of the gospel. God is the God of grace. The
gospel is God's glory exemplified and demonstrated. And the gospel
is concerning a person. You know, Mordecai and Esther
knew about a person. There's not a record of his name
in the book of Esther. But it is a record of God's providence
in the book of Esther, a delivering God that delivers His people. It is a God concerning a person,
and that person is Jesus Christ, and it is what He has done for
me and not what I do for Him. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried
and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
How that Christ died. That's the gospel. I declare
unto you the gospel is what the Apostle Paul said on that. You
know, as we look at that, we can find out as the word came
back throughout the realm, That message of the gospel, the good
news that came back was to everyone that was one of God's sheep.
Everyone could appreciate it. You know, every one of them were
guilty. But what do we have in the gospel?
We have pardon. We have victory in Christ Jesus
and Christ Jesus alone, we have pardon. We are guilty and we
have pardon. And we are blind, but the gospel
brings us sight. We are lame, but he gives us
strength. So all of the pictures that we
have of problems that we have in the flesh, our physical maladies,
our physical trials, God takes care of spiritually for us on
every hand and completely overturns them. To the poor, he gives us
riches, God's riches. And to the dead he gives life,
and to the captive he gives freedom. You know, those people still
remained in Persia. Those Jews still remained under
Ahasuerus. They were going to be there.
Some people feel that the people had already gone back to Jerusalem.
I was talking to a young man the other day on the phone, and
he said, well, he always thought that Esther was kind of disobedient
to God because she did not go back when the opportunity came.
Look what happened as a result of God's providence through her
in delivering all the Jews that were in the realm. We find out to the thirsty, he's
our water, and to the hungry, he's our bread, and to the weary,
he's our rest, and to the troubled, he's our peace. We have the gospel. It's displayed in the book of
Esther as deliverance was given to the people, and that deliverance
was a great victory, and we're more than conquerors through
him that loved us, We're more than victors. Greater is He that's
in you than He that's in the world. We have everything given
to us by Christ Jesus. And as we just sang that song,
be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. Now, the next thing that happens
in the book of Esther, and we'll pick this up next time, we're
going to have a celebration. We're going to have a celebration.
Victory has been enjoyed, gospel has been declared, people have
been delivered, and now let's celebrate in Christ Jesus our
Lord. A feast is called for. a three-day
feast in Shushan, two-day feast everywhere else. Wow. And we have that feast every
day, feasted upon the riches of God's grace in Christ Jesus,
waiting for that day, who wit? He shall return, and He will
change us in a moment or in the twinkling of an eye, or we'll
be raised together with Him, however it goes, and so shall
we ever be with the Lord. We'll stop there for tonight.