A Time Such As This
Speaking Peace
As we come to the end of the story of Esther it is vital that we take the time to investigate what the author of this story really wanted us to see. There is no denying that the story contains the central reality of God’s power to work behind the scenes to save His people from destruction. But when you compare the first and last chapters of the story you see that it wasn’t just the future of the people of…
The Appointed Day
As Christians we often face the accusation that our God cannot be the God of love and moral perfection that we claim Him to be when there are scores of examples of horrid violence in the Old Testament committed by the people of God often times at the direction of God. Chapter 9 of Esther presents one such case and forces us to confront the reality of Old Testament violence. Pastor Joe helps us understand this complex issue and how it…
Longing for Justice
Unfortunately we had some difficulties with the sermon audio for this message. You can find a comprehensive set of notes below.
Living Gospel Irony
As the story of Esther has progressed the gap between the characters of Esther and Haman has widened as we have seen Haman’s character deteriorate into evil and Esther’s character flourish in goodness. Well in chapters 5-6 this progression reaches its crescendo. And as we continue to observe these two characters we will learn more about the perils of pride, the courage of patience and the way in which God works through irony in this world.
More valuable than life
As news of the king’s decree of destruction reaches the ears of the Jewish community in Persia they begin to mourn publicly. Mordecai typifies this response, a response that we will see is a beautiful and genuine act of worship. And yet when he appeals to Esther for help we see a real wrestle in her heart… a bitter and costly dilemma that is a hard pill to swallow. This morning we see a stunning truth that will allow us to…
Know the enemy
As we continue in the story we come to chapter 3 with 5 years having passed since Esther became queen. It is here that the story teller chooses to pick up the action again because the enemy of the people of God has been promoted to prominence. This morning we meet Haman and we hear of his scheme to completely destroy the Jewish people and as we learn more about the enemy of God’s people in Susa we will also discover…
Our best for the pagans
Living in the western world it isn’t hard to see that society is slipping away from Christian ideals. This creates confusion for many in the church as we seek to know how to engage with this post-Christian world. Looking at the way Mordecai and Esther conduct themselves as we meet them in chapter 2 helps us to wrestle with this question. As we see how Esther walks into what would have been a daunting and even repulsive situation we will…
Longing for a better king
This morning as we start to journey through the story of Esther we meet the first main character… the leader of the Persian Empire under whose reign Esther and the other Jews were forced to live; King Ahasuerus. And from the very outset we see that he is a man completely engulfed by his own pride… a man whose leadership is designed to stroke his own ego… and a man who would give anything to maintain his grip on power.…