Supernatural Choices | Sunday, July 25, 2021

Well, good morning, Cross Connection. If you're watching this in the morning, I hope you are bright and early on a Sunday. It's great to be with you. I'm Pastor Mark. Pastor Miles has asked if I would sit in and teach, wrapping up the last chapter of Esther, chapter 10. I know, for myself, it's been a great time going through ten chapters with Pastor Jason and Pastor Miles, learning some of the important lessons from the book of Esther. It's an incredible story.

Today, in our wrap-up, we will take some of the high points of everything we've learned, focusing on some of the most important themes from the book of Esther. These themes are not only significant to the story of God's people but are also important to the story of God's people today. I'm excited to share and conclude this very last chapter of Esther.

We will also be doing communion today, the Lord's Supper. If you want to pause for a moment to gather the elements—maybe a little grape juice and a cracker or a tortilla—please do so, as we will be partaking in communion at the end of the message.

Now, let's start right in on Esther chapter 10. Read along with me. It says, "And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea. Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus and was great among the Jews, well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen."

That's it. That's the wrap-up of everything. However, we're going to go a little bit farther than that. Before we do, let's pray together.

Father, thank you so much for this book. Thank you for this time, Lord. Thank you that this was written down and not omitted or hidden from our sight. We are grateful for the valuable lessons we've learned and will continue to learn through the book of Esther. What happens when you start a story, you tell a story, Lord, and you allow us to be part of it.

Of it. And so, Father, if we're convinced of one thing after we've read and studied Your Word this morning, may we be convinced of the need to step into the story that You're writing right now in our lives, in the lives of others, in our country, and in the church, Lord. Bless our time in Your Word. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

This is kind of the victory lap here. It sums up everything that's happened. We've gone from the Jews facing certain death, with all these strange circumstances and a horrible person named Haman, to now taking this victory lap where the victim has become the victor, so to speak. The wisdom, patience, and Mordecai's relationship with God have triumphed, and it's a happy story.

So how did we get here? The answer is that the way this story reached its conclusion is nothing that can be explained except as supernatural. It is God working behind the scenes, doing something beyond what we could fathom or see. God is performing this supernatural work.

The supernatural is an interesting concept. We are in a church, and I am very thankful that we teach the Word of God intelligently, thoroughly, and as it is written. As you read, know, and work through the Word of God, it starts to make sense. In those instances, it can be easy to forget the supernatural. It becomes such a part of our lives that we overlook the supernatural hand of God in these circumstances and events, both in the Bible and in our own lives.

The way this happened was by no other than the supernatural hand of God. Let's look at some of these supernatural events we see—events that God orchestrated that might seem like coincidences coming together. First, the queen was fired over a trivial matter; Vashti was dismissed. Instead of simply picking someone to replace her, there was a beauty and talent competition held throughout the land. Esther was entered into this competition.

Esther supernaturally has favor. She has been groomed for this position and has favor with everyone in the king's house. On that big day at the tryout, she is selected by the king as the new queen, supernaturally.

After Esther wins this competition, Mordecai, not too long after that, overhears a death plot—an assassination attempt to kill the king. He is in the right place at the right time and overhears this plot, which he reports to Esther. As a result, the plot is foiled. The king's loyalty towards Mordecai and Esther is not forgotten later on, showcasing another supernatural occurrence.

The decree of death initiated by Haman was to be carried out by private citizens rather than the king's army. That alone is a miracle because trying to retract this decree of death for the Jewish people, given 11 months' notice, would have been impossible with the king's army. However, with private citizens, there were ways to combat that, which we will see later on.

In chapter 5, Haman's anger is restrained against Mordecai; he does not come up and kill him, but for some reason, this anger is restrained supernaturally. Esther decides to have two banquets instead of springing the surprise on the king about Haman's evil deeds. The timing is perfect because it is God's timing.

At just the right moment, Haman's anger is unleashed, and he builds a gallows. The night before, the king experiences a sleepless night. Coincidentally, he cannot sleep, so to help himself doze off, he has the royal book brought out. He discovers that he has neglected to reward Mordecai for his great act of loyalty in foiling the assassination attempt. Consequently, he decides to reward Mordecai.

Then, after Haman builds the gallows at the right day and time, he falls out of favor during the meeting at the banquet with the king. As the king leaves the room, enraged, for some reason that remains unknown to us, the events unfold dramatically.

It was God who orchestrated the events that led to Haman falling on the couch in front of Esther. He fell onto Esther's couch, seemingly to do something that the king's second-in-command should not do or even think about. The king caught him in the act and, immediately, without any negotiation or words, had Haman removed. It just so happened that one of the servants, who probably wasn't a big fan of Haman, informed the king about a gallows that had been built, which was ultimately used for its intended purpose.

These are not just mere happenings or accidents; they are supernatural parts of the story that God has laid out. Trials, and this is a trial—a very real trial for the Jewish people—are God's way of including us in His story. We go through many things: the death of a loved one, divorce, betrayal, bankruptcy, sickness. All these things we encounter are allowed by God in our lives. Many of these challenges we have even initiated ourselves, but God has permitted them for a reason. For the Christian, He has allowed these experiences in our lives so that we can be part of a story—part of a narrative that ultimately reveals our trust, faith, God's power, God's glory, and God's redemption for us.

He gives us the choice to be part of this story. Esther had a choice; she didn't have to be involved. She could have disregarded her people. She was the queen and could have gotten away with it. Mordecai could have taken a different route as well, but they both chose to be part of this story, demonstrating obedience, love, and a relationship with God. That is why we are reading this story today.

I recently had the privilege of going on an eight-day offshore fishing trip. If you notice, I'm pretty tan! It is so good for us, especially those of us in the church and as pastors, to be sequestered or locked away in a place with unbelievers. We often forget, spending so much time at the church and with fellow Christians, walking the walk and talking the talk. When we actually get out into the world—the world that God sent His Son to save and redeem—it can be overwhelming. We can forget.

One of the things I saw on the boat is that usually I don't tell people that I'm a pastor, but sooner or later it comes out because that's part of what men do. They want to know what you do for a living, and it comes out. I had so many questions, and there's always a great deal of ministry that gets done on the boat. I've led people to the Lord, answered their questions, prayed for numerous people, and developed relationships that still continue from years gone by with people I've met on the boat. I've become their pastor away from home, so to speak. This trip was no different.

One of the things that struck me is that people wanted to talk about God and they had questions. As they struggle with the question of God, they all have a "but." Everybody has this "but," and it is, "I'm okay with Christianity, but there's this one thing that seems to hold me back." I'm sorry to say, sometimes I even see Christians with a "but" that holds them back. They have this issue with the Word or with God that they just can't get past.

With the unsaved, I've seen that many times God didn't meet their expectations in a certain situation, problem, or trial. A loved one they cried out to the Lord to save didn't get saved, or a problem or issue brought them almost to the point of their knees, or maybe to their knees. They didn't get the answer they were looking for. Somehow, God did not fulfill their idea of what God should do, and that has kept more people away from the Lord. They are, so to speak, making a God in their own image. They are trying to get God to adhere to their ideas of who God should be, how He should act, when He should be angry, when He should be loving, and why certain things happen.

It’s kind of a silly conversation to have when you're addressing and talking about the God of the universe. The Book of Job, which is right next to Esther, begins with Chapter 1. This is a really...

The story of Job is a hard one. The devil has been evidently canvassing the earth, looking around and saying there are no righteous men. The Lord is having a conversation with God, and God says, "Have you considered my servant Job?" Satan's reaction is to say, "Well, you've done everything for Job. He has children, a wife, servants, numerous cattle; he's rich, he has health, he has everything. Why would Job ever think less of you?"

Satan continues, "But if you took that away from him, he would curse you." In response, God supernaturally, in the presence of heaven, in a place that we don't fully understand, says, "Go ahead, take it all away."

In verse 13 of chapter 1, this is what happened to Job: There was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. A messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them when the Sabians raided them and took them away. Indeed, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

While he was still speaking, another also came in and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and raided the camels and took them away. Yes, they killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

While he was speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in your oldest brother's house, and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house. It fell on the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground and worshipped. I would like to say that would be my immediate reaction. Job was a very godly man. He was a man who, when he would get up in the morning, would offer sacrifices even for his children, just in case they were to sin that day.

And so, a deeply devout man who loved God faced an unimaginable day. He lost his family, all his money, and his servants, who were part of his household, all in one day. It was so catastrophic, so cataclysmic, that no other than the hand of God could have allowed this to happen.

What was Job's immediate response? He shaved his head, fell down on the ground in repentance, and worshiped God. Job was not only going to be part of the story; he was going to be the story. He lost his wealth, his servants, and ultimately, he would lose his health. He would find himself in a miserable condition, lying in the dust with sores.

Job had friends who came to talk to him. They told him it had to have been something he had done, accusing him of many things and speaking so much about him and God, insisting that Job must have been wrong and must have done something bad. The accusations from his friends were relentless. Then, finally, Job's wife came to him. Instead of being an encourager, she looked at him and told him to curse God and die. Yet, through all this, it is said that Job did not curse God.

Job's faith was in the right place; his trust was in the right place; his hope was in the right place. The real trial that God was involved in at the time was something Job did not fully understand. He did not know that he was the story; he only knew that he was part of the story.

Now, the good news is found in Job 42. Please read along with me there. We see the restoration of Job. Job 42 begins, "Then Job answered the Lord and said," for God had been speaking to him. "I know that you can do everything, and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not..."

Listen, please, and let me speak. You said, "I will question you, and you shall answer me." I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.

And so it was, after the Lord had spoken those words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Therefore, take yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering. My servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of me what is right."

Later on, we see that in verse 10 it says, "And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends." Indeed, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all those who had been his acquaintances before came to him, ate food with him in the house, and consoled him and comforted him. For all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him, each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.

Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning, for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters, and he called the name of the first Jemuniah, the second Kenziah, and the name of the third Kerenzhapik. In the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job, and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers.

After this, Job lived one hundred and forty years and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died old and full of days.

Wow. Job chose to be part of the story even when he didn't know that he was the story. He did this in faith and he did this in obedience. I see the times that we're living in now, and it would be very easy to get discouraged by the things we see in media, social media, TV, and all these different places. Some of the things that we hear coming out of people's mouths just seem foolish.

Counter to God, I believe this: as we are in a place of confusion and division, we see the times and seasons. We know that God works in times and seasons. We are in a time when people are afraid, wondering, and in need of answers. When I look at a church that went from over five hundred attendees on a Sunday to about two hundred and fifty, I recognize that those empty seats are vacant for a reason. I know that God is refining the church, and I also believe that He has made room for what will be a time of hope and restoration.

At Cross Connection Church, one of our primary core values is that we maintain an optimistic view of the future. We believe that as Christ is coming back, we can have optimism in His return. In the meantime, He will continue to work with His church and use it to bring many into salvation and into the glory of the kingdom of God. As I look out at a church that is, depending on your perspective, half full or half empty, I know that God is going to do something significant.

I believe it is time for us, as a fellowship of believers, to roll up our sleeves and get to work in this upcoming season. One of the key points I want to emphasize, which I believe is really important to take from the story of Esther, is that God intends to keep His covenant promise even when His people do not. That is a hard saying and requires a lot of faith. There are times when we look at the media, the news, and our surroundings, and it seems like God is losing. But we know that He is not.

When we look through the book of Esther, it appeared for a while that God was losing, and His people were losing. However, we ultimately found out something different. Our Savior, being on the cross, going to the cross, for a moment, it looked like defeat.

God was losing, but that's the difference between an eternal outlook and an outlook that we have that's temporal, temporary, and worldly. What sometimes makes us think that God is losing is nothing other than the devil distracting and discouraging us. God keeps His covenant promise even when His people do not.

The book of Hosea is very interesting; it can be hard yet fun to read. It can bring up feelings in people, and there's a covenant that God has made with His people. God has brought them into a promised land, and they have promptly begun to worship idols and other gods. Yet, they still sacrifice to Him as if nothing is wrong. They are trying to cover all their bases with these gods, sacrificing to Jehovah God while also worshiping and sacrificing to other gods that He hates. This behavior is displeasing to the Lord.

Additionally, they are trusting in their political alliances, relying on their pact and cooperation with the Egyptians and the Assyrians. God needs to get their attention. Poor Hosea becomes part of this story; he illustrates God's love for His people as well as His displeasure. God tries to reiterate that when they are disobedient, they face bad consequences, and when they are obedient, they experience good consequences.

God tells the prophet Hosea to go out and marry someone named Gomer, who is a well-known prostitute. For a man of God at the time—a prophet, a person who has been set aside and remained pure—to be asked to marry this prostitute was a difficult thing. I can imagine Hosea questioning, "Are you sure that's the one, Lord? Are you sure?" I can't imagine the conversation with his mother. Can you imagine that conversation? Despite his doubts, he goes out and has a wedding, marrying Gomer just like anyone else would.

And it's public. People know about it. It's the talk of the town. The priest, so to speak, is marrying a hooker, and people are having a hard time getting their heads around it. It's going to be very public for all to see. They end up having three children, which indicates that there was intimacy and care in the relationship. The children are the product of this intimacy.

However, not too long after, she leaves and runs off after other men, very publicly, which is embarrassing. If you've ever been in a relationship and felt betrayal—either being dumped or being exchanged for somebody else—you know the hurt and the feelings that can follow you for years. Some people can never let go of that. Here, Hosea is dealing with this situation, and it's very sad. God is using it to demonstrate a very important and public lesson to His people.

He then tells Hosea to go and redeem her, to go to the men she is with, to pay off her debt, and to bring her back, to forgive her, and to love her. Does that sound a little bit familiar? It's a total sneak peek of what Jesus was going to do for us on the cross. Hosea performs this act, and I'm sure the people thought he was crazy as he did this. He announces it and shows it, saying, "This is what God feels like," and he lays this on all the people.

The only time you and I have the ability to really make a covenant is with God and another person in marriage. We have a marriage covenant, and I believe God has given us this covenant as a way to work out our relationship with Him. Many people think the goal of marriage is happiness, but it's actually holiness. We learn more about being a husband or a wife, about God, and about one another's imperfections than we do anywhere else, in any other institution. The people that are the closest to you are going to irritate you, betray you, and disappoint you.

You feel it deeper than anybody else, and there's trust there. Marriages are very public. They are intimate, or at least they should be. We deal with disappointment, and sometimes we deal with betrayal.

The one thing that you learn in marriage is that if you want to have patience, have children, but if you want to learn forgiveness, get married. The one thing we learn that draws us closer to the Lord and serves as an example of our relationship with Jesus Christ is forgiveness. One of the hardest things we sometimes have to do is forgive our spouses when they're wrong, and we know they're wrong.

If any of you couples out there have been in my office, one of the first things I tell people is that when you're trying to restore a relationship, there needs to be forgiveness. Sometimes that forgiveness needs to come from the person who thinks they've been wronged the most. But there's the example of Jesus. Jesus went first. Before you and I accepted Him, asked for forgiveness, and apologized, He preemptively went there. He went there first.

In a marriage relationship, we see that part of restoration is that somebody has to go first. Somebody has to take that first step. We learn in marriage that unity is the result of two people moving closer to God and then moving closer to one another at the same time. God loves unity. Psalm 133 says, "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity."

Unity is something we are lacking right now in this country. It is something that I believe has been lacking in the church lately. I remember reading about World War II or having parents who went through World War II. There was unity because when trials and tribulations come upon a people group, you're all in to defend yourselves from this entity. There was a great deal of unity regarding what the common goal was.

Later, I was alive for this: 9/11. Watching after those towers fell, the media coverage, and people praying for one another was profound. There was an outpouring of love, and the division just went down because we had a greater problem and a bigger issue to face. Observing how people helped one another through floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters revealed a sense of unity. We had a common goal as individuals and as a community.

Sadly, 2020 was a very challenging year, and it continues to be. The division we experienced was due to COVID and politics, as well as division within the church. The only explanation I can offer is that we never had a clear enemy to fight against. There was all this division back and forth, and while we had an enemy, it was a faceless one. We didn't stop to think that behind the arguments about masks, vaccines, shutdowns, and political races, there was an enemy, but it was not someone we could easily identify. It is said that one of the greatest tricks of the devil is convincing us that he does not exist.

As we move closer through the year, I believe that as we continue to reunite as a church, we will start to come together in unity. In Acts chapter 2, one of the things we see is that Jesus promises the disciples to go into Jerusalem and wait for a comforter, the Holy Spirit. As they were waiting, it says they were all in agreement, in one place and of one accord. Many Bible commentators suggest that perhaps this was the first gift of the Spirit, the first fruit of the Spirit, so to speak: their unity in agreement.

Thankfully, God intends to keep His covenant. We have a new covenant, and that covenant came from none other than Jesus.

That covenant is something that we're going to celebrate, and we're going to celebrate that in communion—a time of unity. If there's one thing that's going to bring us together as a church and as a nation, it will be taking the time to sit together with one common purpose and one common goal, and that is to honor God.

As you pull out your elements here, this new covenant is described. It is not through the blood of animals or the blood of sacrifices, nor is it about us necessarily being perfectly in tune with what God would have us do. It has to do with the blood of Christ. It has to do with Jesus.

It was a quiet night, a night with His disciples. It was a time of fear and anxiety. This group of men was going to be criminals soon. There were already people trying to kill them and do harm to them. They were there with our Lord and Savior Jesus, and He gives them this. He says in Matthew 26, "As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'"

Then, at that same table, at the same time, He held up a cup—most likely wine—and said, "He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.'"

Dear Father, thank you so much for the act, the tradition of communion. Lord, as we...

Look at the lessons that we've learned in the Book of Esther, Lord. These are lessons of faithfulness, selflessness, and bravery. Faith, hope, and love—how the faith of a few saved the great nation of Israel and saved their people.

Father, I ask that we take those lessons into our own hearts. As we look at our nation and our people, Lord, may we be brave, faithful, loving, and kind. Help us to see Your church not as a place of division or accusation, but as a place of hope, optimism, and ultimately, salvation.

It is in Jesus' holy name we pray, amen. God bless you, and Pastor Miles will be with you next week. Adios.