1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,583 2 00:00:02,667 --> 00:00:17,667 [music] 3 00:00:21,250 --> 00:00:22,875 Well, happy birthday Mars Hill. 4 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:24,875 This is our 16th year. 5 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,000 We celebrate this month. 6 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,750 Yeah, it is a really, really wonderful season for me. 7 00:00:30,833 --> 00:00:34,667 Sixteen years ago, Grace, our first church member and my wife, 8 00:00:34,750 --> 00:00:38,167 were really excited to see Mars Hill Church get started, 9 00:00:38,250 --> 00:00:41,250 and Jesus has been nothing but good to us ever since. 10 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:47,333 Alright, we're in Esther 6:1-13, and I'll start with a story. 11 00:00:48,583 --> 00:00:51,583 Yesterday was Alexie's 9th birthday. 12 00:00:51,667 --> 00:00:54,292 We've got five kids: three boys, two girls, 13 00:00:54,333 --> 00:00:56,958 and yesterday Alexie turned nine. 14 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,417 So, I snuggled up with her, took a nap. 15 00:00:59,458 --> 00:01:01,000 That was awesome. 16 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:02,750 What did she want to do afterward? 17 00:01:02,833 --> 00:01:04,250 Go roller skating. 18 00:01:04,333 --> 00:01:06,542 So, it went better than expected, 19 00:01:06,667 --> 00:01:09,542 hence I'm here and alive to give this report. 20 00:01:09,667 --> 00:01:14,333 I have not been roller skating since the '80s--the early '80s. 21 00:01:14,417 --> 00:01:18,167 And so we went roller skating, and I was pretty terrified. 22 00:01:18,208 --> 00:01:21,042 She got roller skates for her birthday and there were 23 00:01:21,167 --> 00:01:24,500 1.5 million children at the roller skating rink. 24 00:01:24,583 --> 00:01:27,000 No more, no less, that's an actual head count; 25 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,250 1.5 million children. 26 00:01:29,333 --> 00:01:31,750 It was absolute insanity. 27 00:01:31,833 --> 00:01:35,750 Kids flying around, and older men with feathered hair 28 00:01:35,833 --> 00:01:41,000 going very fast, and so--I don't make any judgment, 29 00:01:41,083 --> 00:01:43,833 just an observation. 30 00:01:43,917 --> 00:01:47,208 And so I thought, "I better get out on the roller rink to 31 00:01:47,333 --> 00:01:50,917 "make sure that my 6-year-old and my 9-year-old don't die, 32 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,750 "and if they fall down, I'm behind them, kind of blocking, 33 00:01:53,833 --> 00:01:57,750 "make sure they don't get run over by the feathered-haired men 34 00:01:57,833 --> 00:02:00,292 who were unmarried." 35 00:02:00,375 --> 00:02:04,417 And again, not a judgment, just an observation. 36 00:02:04,500 --> 00:02:09,167 And so we're skating around, and then at one point, they stop, 37 00:02:09,167 --> 00:02:11,333 they turn the lights on, they shut everything down. 38 00:02:11,417 --> 00:02:13,417 We're missing a child. 39 00:02:13,500 --> 00:02:16,167 And if you're a parent, have you had that moment where 40 00:02:16,208 --> 00:02:17,542 you lost your kid? 41 00:02:17,667 --> 00:02:20,250 There's a dad, you could see it in his face--Filipino dad, 42 00:02:20,333 --> 00:02:23,667 absolutely panicked. 43 00:02:23,667 --> 00:02:25,833 I mean, he is literally shaking. 44 00:02:25,875 --> 00:02:28,167 He's on the phone with the police, 45 00:02:28,208 --> 00:02:30,250 he's yelling for his daughter, 46 00:02:30,333 --> 00:02:32,750 so they've shut the whole rink down. 47 00:02:32,833 --> 00:02:36,833 She's been gone for maybe 1/2 an hour. 48 00:02:36,917 --> 00:02:39,500 You parents had that moment where just for a second 49 00:02:39,500 --> 00:02:43,000 you misplaced a child? 50 00:02:43,083 --> 00:02:46,333 Every minute feels like a year, right? 51 00:02:46,417 --> 00:02:47,750 Panic sets in. 52 00:02:47,833 --> 00:02:49,917 All of a sudden, your mind starts going to, 53 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,208 "What could be happening to my child?" 54 00:02:52,333 --> 00:02:54,000 Have you been there? 55 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:55,750 You parents, you grandparents, you babysitters, 56 00:02:55,833 --> 00:02:58,000 you big brothers and sisters. 57 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,667 You could tell who the father was by the look on his face, 58 00:03:01,708 --> 00:03:05,333 and this guy went through every inch of the skate rink, 59 00:03:05,375 --> 00:03:08,167 he looked in every bathroom, he went out and looked in 60 00:03:08,208 --> 00:03:10,042 every car in the parking lot. 61 00:03:10,167 --> 00:03:15,417 There was no way he was going to stop until he found his child. 62 00:03:15,500 --> 00:03:18,833 Now, I'm happy to report they did find the girl. 63 00:03:18,875 --> 00:03:21,333 Apparently her mom picked her up and didn't tell dad. 64 00:03:21,417 --> 00:03:22,833 I don't know what happened there. 65 00:03:22,917 --> 00:03:24,250 Pray for them. 66 00:03:24,333 --> 00:03:26,500 I'm sure this is an interesting day for them. 67 00:03:26,500 --> 00:03:28,333 Okay? 68 00:03:28,375 --> 00:03:31,667 Now, let me transition to the story of Esther. 69 00:03:31,708 --> 00:03:35,167 The Bible says that God has a covenant people. 70 00:03:35,208 --> 00:03:38,208 When the Bible uses the language of "covenant," 71 00:03:38,333 --> 00:03:41,333 it means that God's a Father and he is determined 72 00:03:41,417 --> 00:03:47,333 to adopt children in, men and women, as his family. 73 00:03:47,375 --> 00:03:50,833 And it says this over, and over, and over in the Old Testament. 74 00:03:50,875 --> 00:03:54,500 He says, "I will be your God, you will be my people." 75 00:03:54,583 --> 00:03:57,000 There's not really a democratic vote on that. 76 00:03:57,083 --> 00:03:59,500 Dad decides. 77 00:03:59,500 --> 00:04:05,333 And what we see in Esther is how God pursues his covenant people. 78 00:04:05,417 --> 00:04:08,667 It doesn't matter if the kids are far away, 79 00:04:08,708 --> 00:04:11,167 it doesn't matter if the kids have gotten themselves in 80 00:04:11,208 --> 00:04:14,750 trouble, it doesn't matter if someone else is plotting evil 81 00:04:14,833 --> 00:04:17,833 against them and dragging them off into danger. 82 00:04:17,875 --> 00:04:23,208 God is a Father who really loves his kids 83 00:04:23,333 --> 00:04:27,417 and he will hunt every single one of them down 84 00:04:27,500 --> 00:04:29,750 to love them, serve them, save them, 85 00:04:29,833 --> 00:04:34,333 protect them, because those are his children. 86 00:04:34,375 --> 00:04:38,167 Now, what we see in Esther is God's Father heart for his 87 00:04:38,208 --> 00:04:41,500 covenant children in Persia. 88 00:04:41,500 --> 00:04:43,667 So, these are not the most obedient kids. 89 00:04:43,708 --> 00:04:46,667 The obedient kids are up in Israel. 90 00:04:46,667 --> 00:04:48,500 These are the disobedient kids. 91 00:04:48,500 --> 00:04:50,500 These are the kids that have wandered away. 92 00:04:50,583 --> 00:04:53,250 These are kids that aren't with the rest of the family. 93 00:04:53,333 --> 00:04:56,208 These are the kids who are in grave danger. 94 00:04:56,333 --> 00:04:58,833 And two of them are named Esther and her adoptive father, 95 00:04:58,917 --> 00:05:00,542 Mordecai. 96 00:05:00,583 --> 00:05:02,667 And as we pick up the story today, 97 00:05:02,708 --> 00:05:05,750 we see that his covenant children, in general, 98 00:05:05,833 --> 00:05:07,542 are in grave danger. 99 00:05:07,667 --> 00:05:10,667 A godless man named Haman has put out a death sentence that he 100 00:05:10,708 --> 00:05:16,042 is going to destroy, he is going to kill all of God's people. 101 00:05:16,167 --> 00:05:19,333 He is going to kill all of the covenant children of God. 102 00:05:19,417 --> 00:05:22,542 And you're going to see today that the clock is ticking for 103 00:05:22,667 --> 00:05:25,667 all of God's people, and there's a separate clock that has 104 00:05:25,667 --> 00:05:27,500 a much shorter time frame. 105 00:05:27,583 --> 00:05:30,542 He's also going to kill Mordecai. 106 00:05:30,667 --> 00:05:36,333 So, they're in danger, and what's the Father going to do? 107 00:05:36,375 --> 00:05:39,542 Is Dad going to show up and protect the kids? 108 00:05:39,667 --> 00:05:42,333 So, we start in Esther 6:1. 109 00:05:42,417 --> 00:05:46,750 My first big idea, Esther 6:1-3, is don't question 110 00:05:46,833 --> 00:05:49,833 the providence of God, assume it. 111 00:05:49,917 --> 00:05:53,417 Don't question the providence of God, that God is sovereign, 112 00:05:53,500 --> 00:05:56,042 and good, and he knows the future, and he's at work. 113 00:05:56,167 --> 00:05:57,833 Assume it. 114 00:05:57,875 --> 00:06:00,417 "On that night the king could not sleep. 115 00:06:00,500 --> 00:06:03,500 "And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, 116 00:06:03,583 --> 00:06:07,208 "the chronicles, that were read before the king. 117 00:06:07,333 --> 00:06:10,500 "And it was found out how Mordecai had told about 118 00:06:10,500 --> 00:06:12,833 "Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, 119 00:06:12,917 --> 00:06:15,042 "who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to 120 00:06:15,167 --> 00:06:17,667 "lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 121 00:06:17,667 --> 00:06:20,500 "And the king said, 'What honor or distinction has been bestowed 122 00:06:20,500 --> 00:06:22,667 "'on Mordecai for this?' 123 00:06:22,667 --> 00:06:24,708 "The king's young men who attended him said, 124 00:06:24,833 --> 00:06:27,333 'Nothing has been done.'" 125 00:06:27,375 --> 00:06:31,667 Sometimes God works through his visible hand of miracles, 126 00:06:31,667 --> 00:06:35,833 sometimes God works through his invisible hand of providence. 127 00:06:35,875 --> 00:06:38,833 That's one of the great themes of this book. 128 00:06:38,917 --> 00:06:42,667 I've said it before, but if you're new, let me repeat it. 129 00:06:42,667 --> 00:06:46,417 God's name is never uttered, an angel doesn't show up, 130 00:06:46,500 --> 00:06:50,167 a prophet doesn't speak, a miracle doesn't happen, 131 00:06:50,167 --> 00:06:53,500 and the question then is, well, how is God at work 132 00:06:53,500 --> 00:06:56,167 in the story of Esther? 133 00:06:56,208 --> 00:06:58,000 And it's through providence. 134 00:06:58,083 --> 00:07:00,708 And we don't see the invisible hand of God, 135 00:07:00,792 --> 00:07:03,750 but we see the effects of the invisible hand of God. 136 00:07:03,833 --> 00:07:05,917 The other day--you know, fall has come, 137 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,333 and the weather is changing, and there was a bit of a storm 138 00:07:09,375 --> 00:07:13,167 here in Seattle, and the wind was howling. 139 00:07:13,208 --> 00:07:16,667 So, you open the blinds and look out the window, 140 00:07:16,708 --> 00:07:19,542 you can't see the wind, but you could see its effects. 141 00:07:19,667 --> 00:07:23,500 You could see trees bowing, you could see leaves scattering. 142 00:07:23,500 --> 00:07:25,500 You could see the effects of the wind. 143 00:07:25,500 --> 00:07:27,542 So it is with the providence of God. 144 00:07:27,667 --> 00:07:30,042 There are times that we open the Word of God 145 00:07:30,167 --> 00:07:32,000 and we don't see a burning bush, 146 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,250 we don't see an angel, we don't see a prophet. 147 00:07:35,333 --> 00:07:38,167 We see the effects of God's presence, 148 00:07:38,208 --> 00:07:42,250 and so we assume it's God's providence. 149 00:07:42,333 --> 00:07:44,000 "Oh, that happened. 150 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:45,333 "God was behind that. 151 00:07:45,417 --> 00:07:46,750 "That occurred. 152 00:07:46,833 --> 00:07:49,000 That was the invisible hand of God." 153 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,250 And so as we examine the story of Esther, 154 00:07:52,333 --> 00:07:57,333 you'll see God's work through the effects that they bring, 155 00:07:57,417 --> 00:07:59,500 and so here, it's providence. 156 00:07:59,583 --> 00:08:01,125 There's a king. 157 00:08:01,167 --> 00:08:04,333 His name is Ahasuerus, or Xerxes is what his name is in Greek, 158 00:08:04,417 --> 00:08:07,250 and he is the one who has given permission for his 159 00:08:07,333 --> 00:08:11,417 right-hand man, Haman, to kill all of God's covenant people, 160 00:08:11,500 --> 00:08:14,042 and he has a sleepless night. 161 00:08:14,167 --> 00:08:16,500 Have you ever had a sleepless night? 162 00:08:16,500 --> 00:08:20,000 What could be less obvious than a sleepless night? 163 00:08:20,083 --> 00:08:23,250 He's the king, of course he has a sleepless night. 164 00:08:23,333 --> 00:08:25,333 He's got a lot of responsibility, 165 00:08:25,375 --> 00:08:27,542 hundreds of women that he's married. 166 00:08:27,667 --> 00:08:30,333 There are a few things for him to be stressed about. 167 00:08:30,375 --> 00:08:31,833 Right? 168 00:08:31,917 --> 00:08:33,667 He rules over a massive empire. 169 00:08:33,708 --> 00:08:36,167 I don't know about what you get stressed out about. 170 00:08:36,167 --> 00:08:38,417 He has a lot to be stressed out about. 171 00:08:38,500 --> 00:08:40,042 He can't sleep. 172 00:08:40,167 --> 00:08:42,208 But this is the providence of God. 173 00:08:42,333 --> 00:08:43,833 So, the king can't sleep. 174 00:08:43,917 --> 00:08:47,750 He's awake, and what he says is, "Bring to me all of the sort of 175 00:08:47,833 --> 00:08:49,667 legal accounting of my kingdom." 176 00:08:49,708 --> 00:08:53,042 I don't know if it's because he was trying to catch up on work 177 00:08:53,167 --> 00:08:55,250 or he was looking for the most boring thing 178 00:08:55,333 --> 00:08:57,042 to put him back to sleep. Right? 179 00:08:57,167 --> 00:09:01,667 Some of these ancient records are incredibly boring, 180 00:09:01,667 --> 00:09:06,000 and he is having read to him a bit of the history of his reign. 181 00:09:06,083 --> 00:09:10,750 And he realizes 4 or 5 years prior an assassination attempt 182 00:09:10,833 --> 00:09:14,708 was put together by 2 men who were part of his cabinet, 183 00:09:14,833 --> 00:09:18,542 and a man named Mordecai overheard that conversation, 184 00:09:18,667 --> 00:09:23,167 brought the information to the king, saved the king's life. 185 00:09:23,208 --> 00:09:27,917 So, the king asks, "What did we ever do for that guy?" 186 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,542 Now, it looks like coincidence, right? 187 00:09:31,667 --> 00:09:33,667 Coincidence is the non-Christian's word 188 00:09:33,708 --> 00:09:37,208 for providence. 189 00:09:37,333 --> 00:09:39,333 Coincidence is the non-Christian's word 190 00:09:39,375 --> 00:09:40,708 for providence. 191 00:09:40,833 --> 00:09:42,167 "Well, that was a coincidence." 192 00:09:42,167 --> 00:09:45,250 We say, "No, that was the Lord." 193 00:09:45,333 --> 00:09:50,500 So here, at just the right time, because you'll see in a moment, 194 00:09:50,583 --> 00:09:56,250 this man Mordecai, who saved his life, is about to be killed. 195 00:09:56,333 --> 00:09:58,250 "What did we ever do for that guy?" 196 00:09:58,333 --> 00:09:59,708 "Nothing." 197 00:09:59,833 --> 00:10:02,417 It was customary, if you saved the king's life, 198 00:10:02,458 --> 00:10:03,792 you got something. 199 00:10:03,833 --> 00:10:06,333 Herodotus, the Greek historian, he says that there was 200 00:10:06,417 --> 00:10:09,667 an assassination attempt that was put out on Xerxes' brother, 201 00:10:09,750 --> 00:10:12,792 and when a man reported the assassination attempt and spared 202 00:10:12,833 --> 00:10:16,917 the brother's life, he got to become a governor. 203 00:10:16,958 --> 00:10:19,667 So, if you get to become a governor for saving 204 00:10:19,750 --> 00:10:21,833 the king's brother's life, you should get something for saving 205 00:10:21,917 --> 00:10:23,833 the king's life. 206 00:10:23,917 --> 00:10:26,792 And all of a sudden, we see what looks like a conscience 207 00:10:26,833 --> 00:10:28,458 in Xerxes. 208 00:10:28,500 --> 00:10:30,333 We've not seen this yet. 209 00:10:30,417 --> 00:10:32,917 All of a sudden, his conscience appears. 210 00:10:32,958 --> 00:10:35,167 "I should have done something for that man. 211 00:10:35,250 --> 00:10:37,292 We didn't do anything." 212 00:10:37,333 --> 00:10:42,917 And this sets in motion a series of events that save his life. 213 00:10:42,958 --> 00:10:46,583 Here's my big idea: don't question the providence of God. 214 00:10:46,667 --> 00:10:48,917 Assume it. 215 00:10:48,958 --> 00:10:50,958 Now, there'll be times emotionally, quite frankly, 216 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:52,958 you'll--"God, where are you? What are you doing? 217 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:55,083 I don't understand." 218 00:10:55,125 --> 00:10:59,292 In those moments, you need to think biblically. 219 00:10:59,333 --> 00:11:01,542 "God, I know you're here. 220 00:11:01,667 --> 00:11:03,000 "I know you're up to something. 221 00:11:03,083 --> 00:11:05,208 Help me to see it." 222 00:11:05,333 --> 00:11:08,250 See, faith is trusting the presence and providence of God 223 00:11:08,333 --> 00:11:10,500 before we see it. 224 00:11:10,500 --> 00:11:13,333 So, I would even say to you, this week, take some time, 225 00:11:13,417 --> 00:11:16,500 journal, pray, think, look back on your life. 226 00:11:16,500 --> 00:11:20,667 Assume the providence of God and reinterpret the data. 227 00:11:20,667 --> 00:11:22,833 I could look back on my life. 228 00:11:22,917 --> 00:11:25,667 Just briefly, I'll tell you, in high school-- 229 00:11:25,708 --> 00:11:27,167 I was in public high school. 230 00:11:27,208 --> 00:11:30,167 I decided to take a Bible as Lit class because I heard 231 00:11:30,208 --> 00:11:31,542 it was an easy A. 232 00:11:31,667 --> 00:11:34,042 Not the most spiritual motivation, amen? 233 00:11:34,167 --> 00:11:35,542 So, I took the class. 234 00:11:35,667 --> 00:11:38,833 Sitting in front of me was a young woman who I knew 235 00:11:38,917 --> 00:11:42,542 a little bit, and she was best friends with a gal named Grace, 236 00:11:42,667 --> 00:11:44,833 grew up across the street from her. 237 00:11:44,875 --> 00:11:46,667 Well, I started talking to this gal, 238 00:11:46,708 --> 00:11:49,500 and she introduces me to this gal named Grace. 239 00:11:49,500 --> 00:11:51,750 This gal, who I met in high school, 240 00:11:51,833 --> 00:11:54,542 she's still a friend and a member at Mars Hill. 241 00:11:54,667 --> 00:11:57,167 So, then I meet this gal named Grace. 242 00:11:57,208 --> 00:12:01,750 Yeah, the one I married, and she gives me my first Bible, 243 00:12:01,833 --> 00:12:04,042 becomes my girlfriend. 244 00:12:04,167 --> 00:12:08,833 I get saved reading the Bible, she becomes my wife. 245 00:12:08,917 --> 00:12:11,500 All of that, providence of God. 246 00:12:11,500 --> 00:12:15,500 Who sat next to me in a class I took for an easy A ended up 247 00:12:15,583 --> 00:12:20,000 being a Christian, who introduced me to my wife, 248 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,250 who introduced me to Jesus and bought me my first Bible. 249 00:12:24,333 --> 00:12:26,542 You can say, "Wow, that's an amazing coincidence, 250 00:12:26,667 --> 00:12:29,167 slash providence." 251 00:12:29,208 --> 00:12:33,333 God's at work in the details, and you see his presence through 252 00:12:33,375 --> 00:12:36,167 the effects of his presence. 253 00:12:36,208 --> 00:12:38,500 So, don't question the providence of God. 254 00:12:38,500 --> 00:12:40,000 Assume it. 255 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,667 God is at work in your life. 256 00:12:41,708 --> 00:12:44,042 God is working everything out for the good of those 257 00:12:44,167 --> 00:12:46,500 who love him and are called according to his purpose. 258 00:12:46,583 --> 00:12:49,250 God is sovereign, and is in control, and God is good, 259 00:12:49,333 --> 00:12:50,833 and he is present. 260 00:12:50,917 --> 00:12:54,833 Number two, God opposes the proud but gives grace 261 00:12:54,875 --> 00:12:56,500 to the humble. 262 00:12:56,500 --> 00:12:59,417 Esther 6:4-12. 263 00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:03,333 So, now it's morning, the king's been up all night, and he asks, 264 00:13:03,375 --> 00:13:05,167 "Who is in the court?" 265 00:13:05,167 --> 00:13:07,042 Because this king never makes a decision. 266 00:13:07,167 --> 00:13:09,000 He's a bit of a weak leader. 267 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,000 He always has to seek others' input. 268 00:13:12,667 --> 00:13:14,833 "And the king said, 'Who is in the court?' 269 00:13:14,917 --> 00:13:16,542 Now Haman had just entered the court." 270 00:13:16,667 --> 00:13:19,042 The guy who wants to kill all of God's people, 271 00:13:19,167 --> 00:13:22,250 the guy who has been given the legal right to kill all of 272 00:13:22,333 --> 00:13:25,000 God's covenant people, the guy who also is going to murder 273 00:13:25,042 --> 00:13:27,000 Mordecai, the guy who saved the king's life. 274 00:13:27,042 --> 00:13:29,000 Do you see the amazing providence of God? 275 00:13:29,042 --> 00:13:31,667 "Now Haman had just entered the court of the king's palace 276 00:13:31,750 --> 00:13:33,083 "to speak to him 277 00:13:33,167 --> 00:13:34,500 "about—" what? 278 00:13:34,542 --> 00:13:36,667 "Having Mordecai hanged on the gallows he had prepared 279 00:13:36,750 --> 00:13:38,083 for him." 280 00:13:38,167 --> 00:13:40,833 This is basically a huge pole they were going to crucify 281 00:13:40,833 --> 00:13:42,500 or impale him on, 75 feet high. 282 00:13:42,542 --> 00:13:43,875 In that day, it's huge. 283 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,833 The whole situation was Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman. 284 00:13:47,917 --> 00:13:50,500 Haman was very upset by that because he felt it was 285 00:13:50,583 --> 00:13:55,125 publicly dishonoring and his identity/idolatry was honor. 286 00:13:55,167 --> 00:13:57,792 "How dare you not bow down to me? 287 00:13:57,833 --> 00:14:00,833 I'm the right hand to the king." 288 00:14:00,917 --> 00:14:03,500 So then, he gets permission to not only kill Mordecai, 289 00:14:03,500 --> 00:14:05,250 but all of God's covenant people, 290 00:14:05,333 --> 00:14:08,375 and he wants to do it in a public and shameful way. 291 00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:10,250 He wants to crucify him. 292 00:14:10,333 --> 00:14:13,333 This is the precursor to crucifixion. 293 00:14:13,417 --> 00:14:17,875 Seventy-five feet in the air, he wants to hang Mordecai, 294 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,833 showing everyone, "That's what happens if you don't honor me." 295 00:14:21,833 --> 00:14:24,333 Now, he's had this construction project going. 296 00:14:24,333 --> 00:14:26,167 It's now completed. 297 00:14:26,250 --> 00:14:29,167 He has this ready for the crucifixion of Mordecai. 298 00:14:29,208 --> 00:14:32,833 We're still a few months out from the deadline for him to 299 00:14:32,833 --> 00:14:36,333 have legal permission to kill all of God's covenant people, 300 00:14:36,333 --> 00:14:40,167 but he wants an exception for one guy, Mordecai. 301 00:14:40,208 --> 00:14:45,667 "And the king's young men told him, 'Haman is there, 302 00:14:45,750 --> 00:14:47,417 standing in the court.'" 303 00:14:47,500 --> 00:14:50,125 So, Haman's not going to just enter into the king's presence 304 00:14:50,167 --> 00:14:52,000 because you could be killed for that, 305 00:14:52,083 --> 00:14:53,500 so he's hoping for a meeting. 306 00:14:53,583 --> 00:14:56,500 He's first in line. 307 00:14:56,583 --> 00:14:59,000 "And the king said, 'Let him come in.' 308 00:14:59,083 --> 00:15:01,583 "So Haman came in, and the king said to him, 309 00:15:01,667 --> 00:15:04,500 "'What should be done to the man the king delights to honor?' 310 00:15:04,542 --> 00:15:07,833 And Haman said to himself." Right? 311 00:15:07,917 --> 00:15:10,250 It's in his heart, his motive. 312 00:15:10,333 --> 00:15:12,250 Some of you say, "I never said that." 313 00:15:12,333 --> 00:15:14,500 Oh, you were thinking it and God heard it. 314 00:15:14,500 --> 00:15:17,542 It was very, very loud in the ears of the Lord. 315 00:15:17,667 --> 00:15:20,500 "And Haman said to himself, 'Whom would the king delight 316 00:15:20,542 --> 00:15:22,583 to honor more than me?'" 317 00:15:22,667 --> 00:15:24,333 "Haman, I'm so glad you're here. 318 00:15:24,333 --> 00:15:27,583 There's someone I want to honor more than anyone else." 319 00:15:27,667 --> 00:15:31,583 Haman thinks, "I know who that is." 320 00:15:31,667 --> 00:15:34,500 Do you see the providence? 321 00:15:34,542 --> 00:15:38,042 "And Haman said to the king, 'For the man whom the king 322 00:15:38,167 --> 00:15:40,167 delights to honor--'" 323 00:15:40,208 --> 00:15:43,167 "Hypothetically, this person you would like to honor, 324 00:15:43,208 --> 00:15:48,917 perhaps I know what would be good for him." 325 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,000 "Haman said to the king, 'For the man whom the king delights 326 00:15:52,083 --> 00:15:54,500 to honor, let royal robes be brought.'" 327 00:15:54,583 --> 00:15:58,917 Not just royal robes, "which the king has worn." 328 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,250 "You know, king, you've got a very nice robe. 329 00:16:02,333 --> 00:16:06,167 "Maybe this person you want to honor could wear the robe, 330 00:16:06,250 --> 00:16:11,833 parade around like you." 331 00:16:11,833 --> 00:16:14,083 "And the horse that the king has ridden, 332 00:16:14,167 --> 00:16:17,542 on whose head a royal crown is set." 333 00:16:17,667 --> 00:16:21,083 "You know, King, that's a really nice horse. 334 00:16:21,167 --> 00:16:24,375 "I bet you the person you want to honor would love to not 335 00:16:24,500 --> 00:16:27,542 "only wear the robe, but ride the horse. 336 00:16:27,667 --> 00:16:30,833 "Be high and exalted where everyone could see them. 337 00:16:30,917 --> 00:16:34,250 "In fact, this would make the beginnings of a very good parade 338 00:16:34,333 --> 00:16:37,875 "for one person. Right? 339 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,500 "We're not going to have floats down the street. 340 00:16:40,542 --> 00:16:44,000 "We're going to have a parade, and here comes one person. 341 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,583 That's all." 342 00:16:47,667 --> 00:16:52,917 Do you see a potential bit of arrogance in this man? 343 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,333 "What would you like?" 344 00:16:55,417 --> 00:16:59,125 "A parade, for me." 345 00:16:59,167 --> 00:17:02,000 "And let the robes and the horse be handed over to 346 00:17:02,042 --> 00:17:03,833 "one of the king's most noble officials. 347 00:17:03,833 --> 00:17:07,375 "Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, 348 00:17:07,500 --> 00:17:10,333 "and let them lead him on the horse through the square 349 00:17:10,333 --> 00:17:12,000 of the city, proclaiming before him." 350 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,000 Let's just cheer him, "Thus shall it be done to the man 351 00:17:15,042 --> 00:17:17,333 whom the king delights to honor." 352 00:17:17,417 --> 00:17:19,167 Yeah. 353 00:17:19,250 --> 00:17:21,500 "Hypothetically, I think that would be a good idea 354 00:17:21,542 --> 00:17:25,833 for this potential person that you speak of." 355 00:17:25,833 --> 00:17:28,333 "Then the king said to Haman, 356 00:17:28,333 --> 00:17:32,833 "'Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said." 357 00:17:32,833 --> 00:17:34,500 Can you imagine what he's thinking? 358 00:17:34,542 --> 00:17:37,167 "Oh, what a day." 359 00:17:37,250 --> 00:17:44,167 "And do so to Mordecai the Jew." 360 00:17:46,750 --> 00:17:50,292 He was just going to ask if he could crucify this guy, 361 00:17:50,333 --> 00:17:55,417 and now he's got to organize his parade. 362 00:17:55,458 --> 00:17:59,833 See, God's funny. 363 00:17:59,917 --> 00:18:03,083 God's in heaven just like--he's telling all the angels, 364 00:18:03,167 --> 00:18:06,000 "Don't want to miss, don't want to miss, don't want to miss, 365 00:18:06,042 --> 00:18:07,500 don't want to miss." 366 00:18:07,500 --> 00:18:10,000 All the angels are like, "Oh, that's good right there. 367 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:11,667 That's good." 368 00:18:11,750 --> 00:18:14,167 God's funny. Right? 369 00:18:14,250 --> 00:18:17,833 Now, you don't think he's funny if you're Persian, right? 370 00:18:17,833 --> 00:18:20,000 But if you're one of his covenant people, 371 00:18:20,042 --> 00:18:21,667 this is hilarious. 372 00:18:21,708 --> 00:18:26,000 This is one of the most ironic chapters in the whole Bible. 373 00:18:26,042 --> 00:18:29,333 This is unbelievable. 374 00:18:29,333 --> 00:18:30,833 "Who sits at the king's gate. 375 00:18:30,833 --> 00:18:33,333 Leave out nothing that you have mentioned." 376 00:18:33,333 --> 00:18:35,083 Okay. 377 00:18:35,167 --> 00:18:38,167 I mean, you can probably see the look on Haman's face like, 378 00:18:38,250 --> 00:18:39,667 "Are you sure about this?" 379 00:18:39,750 --> 00:18:42,000 "Oh, yeah, yeah. That's a great plan. 380 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,167 "The eunuch wrote it down. We have a list. 381 00:18:45,250 --> 00:18:46,750 "Don't miss anything. 382 00:18:46,792 --> 00:18:51,292 "Crown, robe, horse, parade, cheering. 383 00:18:51,333 --> 00:18:54,125 Great. You do that." 384 00:18:54,167 --> 00:18:55,917 "D'oh!" Right? 385 00:18:55,958 --> 00:18:57,917 What a bad day. 386 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,833 Who's organizing Mordecai's parade? 387 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:02,417 Haman, right? 388 00:19:03,500 --> 00:19:05,042 Who's going to lead the parade? 389 00:19:05,125 --> 00:19:07,958 Who's got to get the horse and, "Yay Mordecai!" 390 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:09,792 Who's got to do that? 391 00:19:09,833 --> 00:19:11,667 Haman. 392 00:19:11,708 --> 00:19:13,292 Haman. 393 00:19:13,333 --> 00:19:15,167 It's awesome. Okay? 394 00:19:15,208 --> 00:19:21,458 "So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai." 395 00:19:21,500 --> 00:19:24,458 Can you just see that? 396 00:19:24,500 --> 00:19:28,792 "Yeah, we have this robe, and there you go. 397 00:19:28,833 --> 00:19:30,833 "Alright. Up on the horse. 398 00:19:30,875 --> 00:19:34,833 Here's a crown. Yay, Mordecai." 399 00:19:34,958 --> 00:19:37,833 Parade, everybody's in the street, kids are screaming, 400 00:19:37,875 --> 00:19:39,958 "Yay Mordecai!" 401 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,958 Can you just--can you see Haman leading the parade? 402 00:19:44,042 --> 00:19:46,167 He's the cheerleader for Mordecai. 403 00:19:46,208 --> 00:19:50,208 He has to, "Here's the one whom the king delights to honor." 404 00:19:50,250 --> 00:19:54,000 That's what he has to say. 405 00:19:54,042 --> 00:19:57,292 Oh, love it. 406 00:19:57,375 --> 00:19:59,292 "So Haman took the robes and the horse, 407 00:19:59,375 --> 00:20:01,792 "and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square 408 00:20:01,875 --> 00:20:04,458 of the city, proclaiming before him." 409 00:20:04,542 --> 00:20:08,583 He woke up, he's like, "I'm going to crucify him. 410 00:20:08,667 --> 00:20:10,458 "I'm leading his parade. 411 00:20:10,542 --> 00:20:14,667 This is not plan B for me." 412 00:20:14,708 --> 00:20:17,583 "'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king 413 00:20:17,667 --> 00:20:19,375 "'delights to honor.' 414 00:20:19,458 --> 00:20:21,083 Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate." 415 00:20:21,167 --> 00:20:24,500 Here's what I want to do: I want to look at pride and humility. 416 00:20:24,542 --> 00:20:26,250 Some of you say, "You're not qualified." 417 00:20:26,333 --> 00:20:27,667 Neither are you. 418 00:20:27,708 --> 00:20:29,500 Okay? So-- 419 00:20:29,542 --> 00:20:32,458 So, neither of us is qualified to talk about this, 420 00:20:32,542 --> 00:20:37,208 but as the senior hypocrite, I will assume this opportunity. 421 00:20:37,250 --> 00:20:38,708 Okay? 422 00:20:38,750 --> 00:20:41,583 And what we see here is that God opposes the proud 423 00:20:41,667 --> 00:20:44,083 and he gives grace to the humble. 424 00:20:44,167 --> 00:20:48,750 Now, Haman is a case study in pride, 425 00:20:48,833 --> 00:20:53,292 and Mordecai is a bit of a case study in humility. 426 00:20:53,375 --> 00:20:55,583 And so let me say this: I love you. 427 00:20:55,667 --> 00:20:57,375 I'm your pastor. I love you. 428 00:20:57,458 --> 00:20:59,000 I've been here 16 years 429 00:20:59,042 --> 00:21:02,333 and my heart is filled with love for you. 430 00:21:02,458 --> 00:21:04,542 It genuinely is. 431 00:21:04,625 --> 00:21:09,333 And I want you to know that the worst decisions I've ever made, 432 00:21:09,458 --> 00:21:12,958 the times my anger has gotten the best of me, 433 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:20,333 the things I regret, pride was under those things. 434 00:21:20,458 --> 00:21:24,708 Pride was under those things, 435 00:21:24,792 --> 00:21:29,042 and pride never helped anything. 436 00:21:29,125 --> 00:21:30,458 Okay? 437 00:21:30,500 --> 00:21:32,333 Never helped anything. 438 00:21:32,375 --> 00:21:34,833 Some of you say, "Yeah, pride in general is bad, 439 00:21:34,875 --> 00:21:36,292 but occasionally--" No. 440 00:21:36,333 --> 00:21:38,458 Pride never helped anyone. 441 00:21:38,500 --> 00:21:42,792 Pride never improved anything. 442 00:21:42,875 --> 00:21:48,083 Now, we can call it self-esteem, we can call it self-love, 443 00:21:48,167 --> 00:21:52,000 we can call it self-help, we can call it self-actualization. 444 00:21:52,042 --> 00:21:56,208 It's still pride. 445 00:21:56,250 --> 00:21:59,167 So, let me talk about pride, 446 00:21:59,208 --> 00:22:04,958 and let me see Haman as not someone 447 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,000 totally unlike us. 448 00:22:07,125 --> 00:22:08,458 Okay? 449 00:22:08,500 --> 00:22:10,667 We make fun of Haman, and if we do, 450 00:22:10,708 --> 00:22:12,458 we should also make fun of ourselves. 451 00:22:12,500 --> 00:22:16,500 The truth is, as we read the story, how many of us, 452 00:22:16,625 --> 00:22:20,208 given the opportunity, would respond similarly, 453 00:22:20,292 --> 00:22:22,958 if not exactly like Haman? 454 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,458 "I could be rich and powerful, do whatever I want. 455 00:22:25,500 --> 00:22:28,958 "Somebody dishonors me and I can kill them, I would do that. 456 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,708 "If I could have a holiday named after me and a parade 457 00:22:32,792 --> 00:22:37,167 in my honor, I'd show up." 458 00:22:37,208 --> 00:22:39,833 As we read the story, 459 00:22:39,958 --> 00:22:45,792 we have to see that Haman is much like us, 460 00:22:45,875 --> 00:22:50,500 so that we learn from his example--negative example. 461 00:22:50,542 --> 00:22:55,167 Let me tell you some things about pride and humility. 462 00:22:55,208 --> 00:22:58,708 Number one, humility means to know your place. 463 00:22:58,750 --> 00:23:00,958 The root word for humility literally means 464 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,292 to know your place. 465 00:23:03,333 --> 00:23:06,625 The problem with Haman is he doesn't know his place. 466 00:23:06,667 --> 00:23:08,333 He doesn't know his place. 467 00:23:08,458 --> 00:23:11,792 He's the guy who always wants to go up one more level in the 468 00:23:11,833 --> 00:23:14,958 organization, not because he's the best guy for the job, 469 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:18,042 but because there's more glory there. 470 00:23:18,125 --> 00:23:21,542 So, he's gotten himself to be the right hand to the king, 471 00:23:21,625 --> 00:23:25,125 number two in the whole of the Persian Empire. 472 00:23:25,167 --> 00:23:26,500 You know what he wants? 473 00:23:26,625 --> 00:23:29,333 More glory. 474 00:23:29,458 --> 00:23:32,125 Are you like that? 475 00:23:32,167 --> 00:23:35,500 You don't know your place or you won't accept your place. 476 00:23:35,625 --> 00:23:40,625 Being in an organization's not okay; you have to be at the top. 477 00:23:40,667 --> 00:23:43,542 Seeing others succeed, that isn't enough for you; 478 00:23:43,625 --> 00:23:46,208 you have to be the one who succeeds. 479 00:23:46,250 --> 00:23:49,042 That's Haman's problem. 480 00:23:49,125 --> 00:23:51,500 He doesn't know his place. 481 00:23:51,542 --> 00:23:53,500 What he's asking for is amazing. 482 00:23:53,542 --> 00:23:55,208 "I want to wear the king's robes, 483 00:23:55,250 --> 00:23:57,042 I want to ride the king's horse." 484 00:23:57,125 --> 00:23:59,750 The only thing he didn't ask for was the king's wife. 485 00:23:59,833 --> 00:24:05,958 Other than that, he wants to be as high, as exalted, as rich, 486 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:11,042 as powerful as he possibly can be. 487 00:24:11,125 --> 00:24:14,833 Number two, everyone is proud, just in different ways. 488 00:24:14,958 --> 00:24:18,333 You're proud and they're proud, and you see their pride because 489 00:24:18,458 --> 00:24:21,167 it's different than yours, and they see your pride 490 00:24:21,208 --> 00:24:22,792 because it's different than theirs. 491 00:24:22,833 --> 00:24:24,708 We're all proud in different ways. 492 00:24:24,792 --> 00:24:27,625 Some of us want money, some of us want comfort, 493 00:24:27,667 --> 00:24:30,458 some of us want power, some of us want an audience, 494 00:24:30,500 --> 00:24:33,458 some of us want access to authority and leadership. 495 00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:35,833 We're all proud in different ways, 496 00:24:35,875 --> 00:24:40,042 and when we judge and condemn other people for their pride, 497 00:24:40,125 --> 00:24:45,500 we need to also ask, "And how am I blind to my own?" 498 00:24:45,542 --> 00:24:48,208 We're all proud in different ways. 499 00:24:48,250 --> 00:24:51,083 Number three, humility is more of a direction 500 00:24:51,167 --> 00:24:53,292 than a destination. 501 00:24:53,375 --> 00:24:56,583 None of you can say, "I used to be proud. 502 00:24:56,667 --> 00:24:59,375 Glad that's over." 503 00:24:59,458 --> 00:25:01,542 Right? 504 00:25:01,625 --> 00:25:05,167 You're like, "That's proud." 505 00:25:05,208 --> 00:25:07,958 C. J. Mahaney's got a little book called, 506 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:09,625 "Humility," and he says, 507 00:25:09,667 --> 00:25:11,458 "No one can ever say they're humble. 508 00:25:11,500 --> 00:25:14,458 "All they could say is that they're a proud person pursuing 509 00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:16,625 humility by the grace of God." 510 00:25:16,667 --> 00:25:19,542 So, all we could say as Christians is not, 511 00:25:19,625 --> 00:25:22,333 "I've arrived at the destination of humility," 512 00:25:22,375 --> 00:25:25,292 but, "By the grace of God, I want to venture in 513 00:25:25,333 --> 00:25:29,833 the direction of humility." 514 00:25:29,958 --> 00:25:34,708 Are you even trying? 515 00:25:34,792 --> 00:25:37,833 Number four, pride is about my glory, 516 00:25:37,875 --> 00:25:41,042 but humility is about God's glory. 517 00:25:41,125 --> 00:25:43,500 Pride is about my glory. 518 00:25:43,542 --> 00:25:46,292 Humility's about God's glory. 519 00:25:46,375 --> 00:25:48,500 Jonathan Edwards says it rightly, 520 00:25:48,542 --> 00:25:50,458 America's greatest theologian. 521 00:25:50,542 --> 00:25:53,292 He says, "Once the question of glory is settled, 522 00:25:53,375 --> 00:25:57,000 everything is settled." 523 00:25:57,042 --> 00:25:59,083 When you decide who gets the glory, 524 00:25:59,167 --> 00:26:02,958 that makes 99% of the decisions in your life. 525 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:04,667 "Will I do this or do that? 526 00:26:04,708 --> 00:26:06,667 "Well, what will bring most glory to God? 527 00:26:06,708 --> 00:26:08,667 Well, then I'll do that." 528 00:26:08,708 --> 00:26:11,958 That question of who gets the glory, it clarifies everything. 529 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,833 If Haman would ask that--if Haman asks the question, 530 00:26:14,958 --> 00:26:18,458 "What will give me the most glory?" 531 00:26:18,500 --> 00:26:21,833 that leads to a very different conclusion than, 532 00:26:21,875 --> 00:26:23,500 "What would bring God the most glory?" 533 00:26:23,625 --> 00:26:24,958 Amen? 534 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:26,333 You're fighting with your spouse. 535 00:26:26,458 --> 00:26:27,958 You say, "What should I do?" 536 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,000 Whatever brings God most glory. 537 00:26:30,125 --> 00:26:32,333 You're disobeying your parents, what should you do? 538 00:26:32,375 --> 00:26:34,542 Whatever brings God most glory. 539 00:26:34,625 --> 00:26:36,458 You're disagreeing with leadership, 540 00:26:36,500 --> 00:26:37,958 how should you conduct yourself? 541 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,458 In whatever way it brings most glory to God. 542 00:26:40,500 --> 00:26:43,750 You have aspirations, you say, "Should I pursue this or not? 543 00:26:43,833 --> 00:26:45,750 "Well, what would bring most glory to God, 544 00:26:45,833 --> 00:26:49,750 "not only in what I do, but why I do it, and how I do it, 545 00:26:49,833 --> 00:26:52,958 and when I do it," and all of the decisions get run through 546 00:26:53,042 --> 00:26:55,208 that question: Where's the glory going? 547 00:26:55,250 --> 00:26:58,875 Number five, pride turns in on me, 548 00:26:58,958 --> 00:27:02,292 but humility turns out to God and others. 549 00:27:02,333 --> 00:27:05,333 Martin Luther used to rightly say that sin is the self bending 550 00:27:05,375 --> 00:27:08,042 in on the self. 551 00:27:08,125 --> 00:27:09,500 "It's all about me." 552 00:27:09,625 --> 00:27:12,958 That's why we say it's all about Jesus. 553 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:19,167 Humility turns our affections and our directions toward God's 554 00:27:19,208 --> 00:27:21,125 glory and others' good. 555 00:27:21,167 --> 00:27:22,542 Like, what's best for God? 556 00:27:22,625 --> 00:27:24,167 What will help them? 557 00:27:24,208 --> 00:27:27,000 See, pride, it turns in on me. 558 00:27:27,125 --> 00:27:30,458 Humility directs us back out to God and others, what Jesus says, 559 00:27:30,500 --> 00:27:34,458 to love God and to love neighbor. 560 00:27:36,875 --> 00:27:42,667 And number six, pride births death and humility births life. 561 00:27:42,708 --> 00:27:44,500 Augustine, the great church father, 562 00:27:44,542 --> 00:27:50,500 said that pride is a mother who is pregnant with all other sins. 563 00:27:50,542 --> 00:27:53,208 All sin comes out of pride. 564 00:27:53,250 --> 00:27:56,875 All sin is birthed out of pride, and all virtue, 565 00:27:56,917 --> 00:27:59,583 and all holiness, and all glory to God is birthed 566 00:27:59,667 --> 00:28:02,042 out of humility. 567 00:28:02,125 --> 00:28:04,042 Is your heart pregnant with pride 568 00:28:04,125 --> 00:28:06,125 or is it pregnant with humility? 569 00:28:06,167 --> 00:28:09,167 What will it give birth to? 570 00:28:09,208 --> 00:28:11,125 I'll ask you some questions. 571 00:28:11,167 --> 00:28:13,042 You can think about these, pray about these, 572 00:28:13,125 --> 00:28:16,958 talk about these with your family and Community Group. 573 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:21,125 Do you crave attention, honor, recognition, or reward? 574 00:28:21,167 --> 00:28:23,333 Do you crave it? 575 00:28:23,458 --> 00:28:25,333 Do you long for it? 576 00:28:25,458 --> 00:28:27,708 Haman did, right? 577 00:28:27,792 --> 00:28:29,958 He'd already been made number two in the kingdom. 578 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,333 The decree had been made, "Everybody bow down to him." 579 00:28:32,458 --> 00:28:33,792 That's not enough. 580 00:28:33,833 --> 00:28:36,792 One guy doesn't bow down, so he's going to crucify him on 581 00:28:36,833 --> 00:28:39,667 a gallows he built really high to make an example of him, 582 00:28:39,708 --> 00:28:42,875 and then he wants to follow it up riding the king's horse, 583 00:28:42,917 --> 00:28:45,208 wearing the king's robe, with a parade and holiday 584 00:28:45,250 --> 00:28:47,000 in his own honor. 585 00:28:47,042 --> 00:28:48,792 Some of you say, "That's unbelievable." 586 00:28:48,875 --> 00:28:52,083 We're the same, with less opportunities. 587 00:28:52,167 --> 00:28:55,500 The only difference, sometimes, between us and Haman is 588 00:28:55,542 --> 00:28:58,042 the opportunities that are set before us, 589 00:28:58,125 --> 00:29:00,958 not what we truly desire. 590 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:03,458 Do you crave attention, honor, recognition, 591 00:29:03,500 --> 00:29:06,833 reward, and get angry when overlooked? 592 00:29:06,875 --> 00:29:08,833 "I can't believe I didn't get that raise. 593 00:29:08,875 --> 00:29:10,833 "I can't believe I didn't get the promotion. 594 00:29:10,875 --> 00:29:12,542 "I can't believe they didn't say thanks. 595 00:29:12,625 --> 00:29:14,542 "I can't believe they didn't pay me back. 596 00:29:14,625 --> 00:29:17,292 "I can't believe that they didn't see what I had done 597 00:29:17,333 --> 00:29:20,333 "and honored or recognized me in some way. 598 00:29:20,458 --> 00:29:23,458 I'm very angry about that." 599 00:29:23,500 --> 00:29:26,667 Who gets the glory? 600 00:29:26,708 --> 00:29:29,833 Number two: do you become jealous or critical of people 601 00:29:29,875 --> 00:29:34,958 who succeed? 602 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,625 Proud people become jealous of those who succeed. 603 00:29:38,667 --> 00:29:40,333 They can't do what the Bible says 604 00:29:40,458 --> 00:29:42,292 and rejoice for those who rejoice. 605 00:29:42,375 --> 00:29:43,708 "They got married? 606 00:29:43,750 --> 00:29:45,792 "Well, it's amazing anybody would marry them. 607 00:29:45,875 --> 00:29:49,083 "They got pregnant? Pray for that kid. 608 00:29:49,167 --> 00:29:50,583 "They got a raise? 609 00:29:50,667 --> 00:29:53,875 "Yeah, apparently they totally fooled the boss. 610 00:29:53,917 --> 00:29:56,000 "They got promoted? Yeah, can you believe that? 611 00:29:56,042 --> 00:29:57,500 "They didn't do this 612 00:29:57,542 --> 00:30:00,000 "and they did do that, and all of a sudden, 613 00:30:00,042 --> 00:30:03,000 "I'm going to criticize them and make a case that they didn't 614 00:30:03,042 --> 00:30:06,875 deserve it, unlike me." 615 00:30:06,958 --> 00:30:11,583 Number three: do you always have to win? 616 00:30:11,667 --> 00:30:14,875 Do you always have to win? 617 00:30:14,917 --> 00:30:21,375 Number four: do you lack ambition for fear of failing? 618 00:30:21,458 --> 00:30:23,042 There's a dark side to pride. 619 00:30:23,125 --> 00:30:25,583 Sometimes people think, "Pride just makes you a winner." 620 00:30:25,667 --> 00:30:28,250 No, sometimes pride also makes you a coward. 621 00:30:28,333 --> 00:30:30,250 You're like, "I'm not going to try that, 622 00:30:30,333 --> 00:30:31,667 "because what if I fail? 623 00:30:31,708 --> 00:30:34,375 "That will reflect poorly on me, so I won't try. 624 00:30:34,458 --> 00:30:36,375 "I'm not going to start that ministry. 625 00:30:36,417 --> 00:30:38,208 "I'm not going to start that business. 626 00:30:38,250 --> 00:30:39,875 "I'm not going to pursue that relationship. 627 00:30:39,958 --> 00:30:41,667 "I'm not going to take that risk. 628 00:30:41,708 --> 00:30:43,042 "Why? 629 00:30:43,125 --> 00:30:44,542 "Because there's a possibility of failure, 630 00:30:44,625 --> 00:30:47,042 "and I can't fail because that would damage my glory 631 00:30:47,125 --> 00:30:48,458 "and make me look bad. 632 00:30:48,542 --> 00:30:51,792 Because I'm a winner, and so I'm not even going to try." 633 00:30:51,875 --> 00:30:55,792 For some of you, the pride causes you to try and do more 634 00:30:55,875 --> 00:30:57,375 than you can do. 635 00:30:57,458 --> 00:31:00,292 For others of you, it causes you to be a coward 636 00:31:00,333 --> 00:31:02,458 and to not do all you can do. 637 00:31:02,500 --> 00:31:04,833 Pride's tricky. 638 00:31:04,958 --> 00:31:08,125 Number five: do you have a pattern of lying about 639 00:31:08,167 --> 00:31:10,792 or hiding your failures? 640 00:31:10,833 --> 00:31:13,458 Were you the kid, if you got a bad grade, 641 00:31:13,500 --> 00:31:16,333 you threw that paper away, but if you got an A, 642 00:31:16,458 --> 00:31:18,000 you showed it to mom? 643 00:31:18,125 --> 00:31:20,792 Do you hide your failures? 644 00:31:20,833 --> 00:31:23,542 Do you lie about your failures? 645 00:31:23,625 --> 00:31:25,458 "No, it wasn't this, it was that. 646 00:31:25,500 --> 00:31:26,833 "Oh, you misheard. 647 00:31:26,875 --> 00:31:30,875 Let me give you more detail." 648 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,833 Number six: do you have a hard time fully acknowledging 649 00:31:35,958 --> 00:31:37,833 you were wrong? 650 00:31:37,875 --> 00:31:41,542 Proud people, at most, partially repent. 651 00:31:41,625 --> 00:31:43,083 Did you do that? 652 00:31:43,167 --> 00:31:45,083 "Well, okay, kind of. Let me explain it. 653 00:31:45,167 --> 00:31:46,875 "It's complicated. There's a lot of variables. 654 00:31:46,917 --> 00:31:49,875 "I'm going to talk for a long time until you get exhausted, 655 00:31:49,917 --> 00:31:51,250 "and then I walk away. 656 00:31:51,333 --> 00:31:52,667 Okay? Go." 657 00:31:52,708 --> 00:31:58,208 Now, you don't just say, "I'm sorry, I was wrong. 658 00:31:58,250 --> 00:32:02,333 I did it. I didn't do it." 659 00:32:02,375 --> 00:32:05,000 You may only confess what you got caught for, 660 00:32:05,125 --> 00:32:07,333 not the whole truth. 661 00:32:07,458 --> 00:32:12,167 You may try and partially confess to just make it go away. 662 00:32:12,208 --> 00:32:16,542 You have a hard time just coming clean. 663 00:32:16,625 --> 00:32:19,167 You say, "Well, it hurts my glory." 664 00:32:19,208 --> 00:32:22,667 But it glorifies God. 665 00:32:22,708 --> 00:32:27,167 Again, it's all back to the question of who gets the glory. 666 00:32:27,208 --> 00:32:31,500 Number seven: do you have a lot of conflicts with other people? 667 00:32:31,625 --> 00:32:34,167 Are you having a conflict with me right now? 668 00:32:34,208 --> 00:32:35,833 "Who's this guy think he is? 669 00:32:35,958 --> 00:32:38,292 This guy. I didn't say it." 670 00:32:38,333 --> 00:32:41,167 You're very loud in God's ears, alright? 671 00:32:41,208 --> 00:32:42,875 "He's worse than me. 672 00:32:42,917 --> 00:32:44,583 "I Googled him. 673 00:32:44,667 --> 00:32:49,500 He's a horrible person." 674 00:32:49,542 --> 00:32:51,958 Do you have a lot of conflict with people? 675 00:32:52,042 --> 00:32:53,792 "Yeah, they're an idiot, and they're stupid, 676 00:32:53,875 --> 00:32:56,292 "and they're lazy, and they never do their job, 677 00:32:56,375 --> 00:32:58,583 and they're just sensitive." 678 00:32:58,667 --> 00:33:01,542 Here's what I've seen: very few conflicts between 679 00:33:01,625 --> 00:33:03,833 the humble and the humble. 680 00:33:03,958 --> 00:33:05,458 Right? 681 00:33:05,500 --> 00:33:08,542 It's not like there's a long list of wars that started 682 00:33:08,625 --> 00:33:11,458 between the humble and the humble. 683 00:33:11,500 --> 00:33:13,542 Now, the proud and the proud? 684 00:33:13,625 --> 00:33:15,833 There's a good fight. 685 00:33:15,958 --> 00:33:18,792 Are you a person that has a lot of conflict? 686 00:33:18,833 --> 00:33:23,292 If so, then maybe you're proud. 687 00:33:23,333 --> 00:33:27,792 Maybe you're proud. 688 00:33:27,833 --> 00:33:30,792 Number eight: do you honestly feel you are superior 689 00:33:30,833 --> 00:33:33,042 to most people? 690 00:33:33,125 --> 00:33:35,333 This sort of pride leads to contempt. 691 00:33:35,458 --> 00:33:37,958 "They are stupid, they are ugly, they are lazy, 692 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,333 "they are foolish, they are disorganized. 693 00:33:40,458 --> 00:33:46,500 They're not like me, and it's too bad for them." 694 00:33:46,542 --> 00:33:48,875 Some of you laugh, your spouse didn't. 695 00:33:48,958 --> 00:33:51,250 Okay? 696 00:33:51,333 --> 00:33:53,667 They're like, "That is not funny." 697 00:33:53,708 --> 00:33:58,583 But it's this smugness, this superiority. 698 00:33:58,667 --> 00:34:00,792 And number nine--is this the last one? 699 00:34:00,833 --> 00:34:03,125 Perhaps it is. 700 00:34:03,167 --> 00:34:05,667 Do you tend more toward an attitude of entitlement 701 00:34:05,708 --> 00:34:07,542 or thankfulness? 702 00:34:07,625 --> 00:34:09,500 Humble people tend to be more thankful. 703 00:34:09,625 --> 00:34:11,167 "Thanks, Lord. Thank you for that. 704 00:34:11,208 --> 00:34:12,667 "Thank you for your kindness. 705 00:34:12,708 --> 00:34:14,667 "Thank you for that gift you gave me. 706 00:34:14,708 --> 00:34:16,833 Thank you for that prayer you prayed for me." 707 00:34:16,958 --> 00:34:18,542 Proud people have a sense of entitlement. 708 00:34:18,625 --> 00:34:21,500 "Hey! That's mine! 709 00:34:21,625 --> 00:34:23,292 "That's mine! 710 00:34:23,333 --> 00:34:25,292 "That's my money. That's my job. 711 00:34:25,333 --> 00:34:27,792 "That's my position. That's my desk. 712 00:34:27,833 --> 00:34:31,333 "That's my office. That's my lane on the freeway. 713 00:34:31,458 --> 00:34:35,833 Hey! That's mine!" 714 00:34:35,958 --> 00:34:39,458 Do you have a sense of entitlement 715 00:34:39,500 --> 00:34:41,667 or a sense of thankfulness? 716 00:34:41,708 --> 00:34:43,708 See, the truth is we deserve hell. 717 00:34:43,750 --> 00:34:45,167 Everything else is a gift. 718 00:34:45,208 --> 00:34:47,750 That's a lot of gifts. 719 00:34:47,833 --> 00:34:51,875 We're all proud, just in different ways. 720 00:34:51,958 --> 00:34:53,792 Amen? 721 00:34:53,875 --> 00:34:57,208 Now, if you're not scared yet, let me show you some verses. 722 00:34:57,250 --> 00:34:59,542 Okay? 723 00:34:59,625 --> 00:35:01,333 Pride and humility. 724 00:35:01,458 --> 00:35:02,792 Proverbs 16:5. 725 00:35:02,833 --> 00:35:05,167 "Everyone who is arrogant in heart." 726 00:35:05,208 --> 00:35:08,208 Some of you say, "Well, I hide it well." 727 00:35:08,292 --> 00:35:11,167 Not from the Lord. 728 00:35:11,208 --> 00:35:16,292 You can be arrogant in heart and appear humble to others. 729 00:35:16,333 --> 00:35:18,208 "Man looks at the outward," Jesus says, 730 00:35:18,292 --> 00:35:20,542 "God knows the heart." 731 00:35:20,625 --> 00:35:23,958 "Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination 732 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:27,958 to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished." 733 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,042 You're going to see this with Haman. 734 00:35:30,125 --> 00:35:32,167 Some of you, your lives are like Haman. 735 00:35:32,208 --> 00:35:33,708 You're like, "It's going great." 736 00:35:33,792 --> 00:35:36,542 I mean, he was rich, powerful, famous, 737 00:35:36,625 --> 00:35:39,208 and then one day everything changed. 738 00:35:39,292 --> 00:35:45,042 Some of you, it all falls apart in a moment, 739 00:35:45,125 --> 00:35:48,208 and you will not go unpunished. 740 00:35:48,250 --> 00:35:51,375 Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before," what? 741 00:35:51,458 --> 00:35:55,583 "Destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." 742 00:35:55,667 --> 00:36:01,208 If you raise yourself up, God will take you down. 743 00:36:01,292 --> 00:36:04,167 I don't want to give away the story, come back next week, 744 00:36:04,208 --> 00:36:06,125 but something happens to Haman 745 00:36:06,167 --> 00:36:10,333 that absolutely illustrates this painfully. 746 00:36:10,458 --> 00:36:12,542 Twice it's said in the New Testament 747 00:36:12,625 --> 00:36:14,458 quoting another proverb. 748 00:36:14,500 --> 00:36:16,042 Go back one slide. 749 00:36:16,125 --> 00:36:19,167 1 Peter 5:5, Jesus' lead disciple, and James 4:6, 750 00:36:19,208 --> 00:36:21,042 Jesus' own brother. 751 00:36:21,125 --> 00:36:23,167 "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility 752 00:36:23,208 --> 00:36:24,958 toward one another." 753 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:27,792 Every morning, we get up and we dress ourselves, right? 754 00:36:27,833 --> 00:36:30,208 And a lot of the time, it's in pride. 755 00:36:30,292 --> 00:36:32,708 "How will this present me to others? 756 00:36:32,792 --> 00:36:36,292 What sort of image will I project?" 757 00:36:36,333 --> 00:36:38,792 God is here, saying through the Holy Spirit, 758 00:36:38,833 --> 00:36:40,833 "When we dress ourselves every morning, 759 00:36:40,958 --> 00:36:46,167 we also have to spiritually clothe ourselves in humility." 760 00:36:46,208 --> 00:36:48,583 "God, help me to grow in humility today. 761 00:36:48,667 --> 00:36:51,583 "Send the Holy Spirit to grow me in humility. 762 00:36:51,667 --> 00:36:53,500 "Show me my sin. 763 00:36:53,542 --> 00:36:57,500 Let me ask questions about what glorifies you, not me." 764 00:36:57,542 --> 00:36:59,500 Friends, when you wake up every morning, 765 00:36:59,542 --> 00:37:01,833 don't just clothe yourselves physically, 766 00:37:01,875 --> 00:37:06,458 clothe yourselves spiritually with humility. 767 00:37:06,500 --> 00:37:09,292 That's something you've got to do every day--we've got to do, 768 00:37:09,333 --> 00:37:12,292 I've got to do every day. 769 00:37:12,333 --> 00:37:16,625 "For 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" 770 00:37:16,667 --> 00:37:19,542 See, Haman is proud. 771 00:37:19,625 --> 00:37:22,000 God is going to oppose him. 772 00:37:22,125 --> 00:37:25,958 Mordecai is humble and God is going to help him. 773 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:31,792 Now, I'll say this: this is really convicting for me, 774 00:37:31,833 --> 00:37:34,833 personally. 775 00:37:34,958 --> 00:37:38,667 I'm in a position of influence and leadership, 776 00:37:38,708 --> 00:37:44,208 and I know that my heart inclines toward pride, 777 00:37:44,250 --> 00:37:47,667 so pray for me and pray for your senior leaders that we would 778 00:37:47,708 --> 00:37:51,042 clothe ourselves in humility. 779 00:37:51,125 --> 00:37:53,500 This is a haunting reality. 780 00:37:53,542 --> 00:37:55,792 I look at Haman and I realize, 781 00:37:55,875 --> 00:38:00,333 "Man, I could be like him in an instant," 782 00:38:00,458 --> 00:38:04,042 and at times, I have been. 783 00:38:04,125 --> 00:38:08,833 And by God's grace, I don't want to be. 784 00:38:08,875 --> 00:38:13,458 Haman's pride is--Haman's pride is tragic. 785 00:38:13,500 --> 00:38:16,792 Here's what kills me about Haman: 786 00:38:16,833 --> 00:38:20,792 he wants to be like his king. 787 00:38:20,833 --> 00:38:25,542 Wrong king. 788 00:38:25,625 --> 00:38:31,000 We all want to be like our king, 789 00:38:31,125 --> 00:38:33,792 but he's got the wrong king. 790 00:38:33,833 --> 00:38:36,167 See, his king is proud, not humble. 791 00:38:36,208 --> 00:38:39,292 His king uses people, doesn't love people. 792 00:38:39,333 --> 00:38:44,583 His king loves the glory and doesn't love to glorify God. 793 00:38:44,667 --> 00:38:46,583 Who's your king? 794 00:38:46,667 --> 00:38:48,292 Who do you esteem the most? 795 00:38:48,375 --> 00:38:50,208 Who do you want to be like? 796 00:38:50,250 --> 00:38:51,708 Who do you look up to? 797 00:38:51,750 --> 00:38:54,375 If his name ain't Jesus, wrong king. 798 00:38:54,417 --> 00:38:56,875 Wrong king. 799 00:38:56,917 --> 00:38:59,792 So, he is the case study for pride. 800 00:38:59,875 --> 00:39:01,458 Now, Mordecai. 801 00:39:01,500 --> 00:39:03,333 Mordecai's not been a great dad. 802 00:39:03,458 --> 00:39:05,458 He's not been a great believer. 803 00:39:05,500 --> 00:39:07,292 He's not been public with his faith. 804 00:39:07,333 --> 00:39:09,958 There's a lot that we could criticize in the character of 805 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:13,667 Mordecai, but here's what we do see: humility. 806 00:39:13,708 --> 00:39:15,625 I'll explain it to you. 807 00:39:15,667 --> 00:39:19,208 He overhears an assassination attempt for his king. 808 00:39:19,292 --> 00:39:21,792 King is of a different religion, different race, 809 00:39:21,833 --> 00:39:23,667 different people group. 810 00:39:23,708 --> 00:39:26,458 He could have just let it go, but you know what? 811 00:39:26,500 --> 00:39:29,167 This is also a book about how to be a missionary 812 00:39:29,208 --> 00:39:31,625 in a non-Christian culture. 813 00:39:31,667 --> 00:39:34,667 We're all supposed to, by the grace of God, be like Mordecai. 814 00:39:34,708 --> 00:39:36,458 We live in a non-Christian culture. 815 00:39:36,500 --> 00:39:38,958 Oftentimes, our leaders, our presidents, our governors, 816 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,083 our elected officials, our bosses, our professors, 817 00:39:42,167 --> 00:39:44,750 they're pagans. Right? 818 00:39:44,833 --> 00:39:47,375 They don't love and serve the God of the Bible. 819 00:39:47,417 --> 00:39:51,375 Here's what Mordecai does: he loves and serves his pagan king, 820 00:39:51,417 --> 00:39:54,292 and he seeks the well-being of the whole culture, 821 00:39:54,375 --> 00:39:57,250 not just himself or God's people. 822 00:39:57,333 --> 00:39:59,958 That's the heart of a missionary. 823 00:40:00,042 --> 00:40:01,792 It's the same heart we're to have, 824 00:40:01,875 --> 00:40:04,375 whether you're in business, or finance, or education, 825 00:40:04,417 --> 00:40:06,167 or real estate. 826 00:40:06,208 --> 00:40:09,083 Whatever your place in God's world is, 827 00:40:09,167 --> 00:40:13,708 it needs to be you bringing life and representing the well-being 828 00:40:13,750 --> 00:40:16,875 of all people, not just God's people. 829 00:40:16,958 --> 00:40:18,875 And he's humble in that. 830 00:40:18,958 --> 00:40:21,250 He brings the information to the king's execution 831 00:40:21,333 --> 00:40:25,583 and saves his life, and he receives nothing. 832 00:40:25,667 --> 00:40:29,708 He doesn't rant, he doesn't protest, he doesn't declare war. 833 00:40:29,750 --> 00:40:33,083 For 4 or 5 years, he gets up and he goes to work. 834 00:40:33,167 --> 00:40:35,583 When it says that he's at the city gate, 835 00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:38,000 that was a place that he had an office. 836 00:40:38,042 --> 00:40:42,167 That was his position, working in some low-level entry desk job 837 00:40:42,208 --> 00:40:43,875 for the government. 838 00:40:43,917 --> 00:40:48,708 Think of a guy in a cubicle who saved the king's life 839 00:40:48,750 --> 00:40:51,958 and got nothing, and what did he do? 840 00:40:52,042 --> 00:40:55,292 He remained a humble servant, doing his job for 4 or 5 years, 841 00:40:55,375 --> 00:40:57,792 and all of sudden, he gets a really weird day. 842 00:40:57,875 --> 00:40:59,250 Right? 843 00:40:59,333 --> 00:41:01,542 Mordecai shows--he's at work, and who shows up? 844 00:41:01,625 --> 00:41:02,958 Haman. 845 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:04,958 You've got to figure-- "Call security." 846 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,167 Like, "This is a bad day. 847 00:41:07,208 --> 00:41:09,042 "I heard he's got 848 00:41:09,125 --> 00:41:15,208 "the 75-foot impaling cross done. 849 00:41:15,292 --> 00:41:16,833 Why are you here, Haman?" 850 00:41:16,958 --> 00:41:22,000 "For your parade. Okay? 851 00:41:22,125 --> 00:41:25,667 "I hope the robe fits and the horse doesn't buck you off, 852 00:41:25,708 --> 00:41:29,125 and I'll cheer your praises." 853 00:41:29,167 --> 00:41:30,833 So, he gets the parade. 854 00:41:30,958 --> 00:41:33,333 What does it say he does after his parade? 855 00:41:33,375 --> 00:41:36,042 It says he goes back to his job. 856 00:41:36,125 --> 00:41:37,833 That had to be weird. 857 00:41:37,958 --> 00:41:40,292 Can you imagine his coworkers in the cubicle? 858 00:41:40,333 --> 00:41:41,833 "How was the parade?" 859 00:41:41,875 --> 00:41:43,792 "Eh, it was alright." 860 00:41:43,875 --> 00:41:45,375 "What now?" 861 00:41:45,417 --> 00:41:47,375 "I don't know. I'm going back to work." 862 00:41:47,417 --> 00:41:48,792 Like, you know? 863 00:41:48,875 --> 00:41:51,000 He goes back to work. 864 00:41:51,042 --> 00:41:56,875 He doesn't ask for anything. 865 00:41:56,958 --> 00:41:58,875 He's got this posture of a humble servant, 866 00:41:58,958 --> 00:42:00,958 like, you're supposed to save the king's life, 867 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:03,958 you're supposed to go to work, shut your mouth, do your job, 868 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,167 and even if you get a parade, shut up, go back to work, 869 00:42:07,208 --> 00:42:08,542 do your job. 870 00:42:08,625 --> 00:42:09,958 Some of you are wondering, 871 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:11,958 "How can I make a difference for God?" 872 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:15,167 Shut up and do your job. 873 00:42:15,208 --> 00:42:17,458 Just something to pray about. 874 00:42:17,500 --> 00:42:19,958 It wasn't as warmly received as I was hoping. 875 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:22,667 Okay. 876 00:42:22,708 --> 00:42:24,958 Lastly. 877 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:27,333 When I say lastly, I really don't mean that. 878 00:42:27,375 --> 00:42:30,042 What I mean is I'm afraid you won't be paying attention, 879 00:42:30,125 --> 00:42:31,708 so please stick with me, okay? 880 00:42:31,792 --> 00:42:34,167 Grieving accomplishes nothing without repenting. 881 00:42:34,208 --> 00:42:35,542 Now, here's the question. 882 00:42:35,625 --> 00:42:38,333 What's Haman going to do? 883 00:42:38,458 --> 00:42:39,958 Let's say you're Haman. 884 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:44,708 What do you do? 885 00:42:44,750 --> 00:42:46,500 Chapter 6, verse 12. 886 00:42:46,542 --> 00:42:48,500 "But Haman hurried to his house." 887 00:42:48,542 --> 00:42:51,875 He ran home, "Mourning with his head covered." 888 00:42:51,917 --> 00:42:54,875 This is public mourning. 889 00:42:54,958 --> 00:42:58,083 "And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything 890 00:42:58,167 --> 00:42:59,583 that had happened to him." 891 00:42:59,667 --> 00:43:01,708 Here's what's weird: he's got a better marriage 892 00:43:01,792 --> 00:43:03,292 than King Xerxes. 893 00:43:03,333 --> 00:43:05,833 Esther previously said that she hadn't even seen her husband 894 00:43:05,958 --> 00:43:09,292 in 30 days, and they live in the same palace. 895 00:43:09,333 --> 00:43:12,542 It's possible to be a really proud, ruthless, 896 00:43:12,625 --> 00:43:17,958 horrible man who's got a decent marriage. 897 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:19,958 He goes and talks to his wife, 898 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:22,958 the one thing that the king doesn't do. 899 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:25,625 Do you see where, perhaps, even in his own heart, he'd say, 900 00:43:25,667 --> 00:43:27,708 "Well, I'm not a ruthless, horrible man. 901 00:43:27,792 --> 00:43:29,667 "I'm a good family man. You know? 902 00:43:29,708 --> 00:43:33,000 I'm good to my wife. I'm good to my friends"? 903 00:43:33,125 --> 00:43:37,833 This is how proud people justify their inconsistency. 904 00:43:37,875 --> 00:43:40,792 He seems to have a decent marriage and he does have 905 00:43:40,833 --> 00:43:45,792 some friends, and he's going to be a mass murderer. 906 00:43:45,875 --> 00:43:49,000 So is the human heart. 907 00:43:49,042 --> 00:43:53,292 "Then his wise men," put that in quotes. 908 00:43:53,375 --> 00:43:58,875 Larry, Curly, and Mo, "and his wife Zeresh said to him." 909 00:43:58,958 --> 00:44:01,125 And she has a bit of a prophecy here. 910 00:44:01,167 --> 00:44:02,833 She's not one of God's people, 911 00:44:02,875 --> 00:44:05,042 but she articulates what is to come. 912 00:44:05,125 --> 00:44:08,667 "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall--" 913 00:44:08,708 --> 00:44:12,000 "Sweetheart, this is the beginning of the end for you. 914 00:44:12,125 --> 00:44:16,042 You're a dead man." 915 00:44:16,125 --> 00:44:18,625 "Is of the Jewish people." 916 00:44:18,667 --> 00:44:20,167 What kind of people? 917 00:44:20,208 --> 00:44:22,833 God's covenant people. 918 00:44:22,958 --> 00:44:26,833 God's covenant--their Dad's coming. 919 00:44:26,958 --> 00:44:29,458 He's going to find them. 920 00:44:29,500 --> 00:44:31,167 He's going to look after them. 921 00:44:31,208 --> 00:44:34,167 He's going to protect his kids. 922 00:44:34,208 --> 00:44:37,167 "You're a dead man." 923 00:44:37,208 --> 00:44:43,083 "You will not overcome him but will surely fall before him." 924 00:44:43,167 --> 00:44:48,458 This is the first compassion we've seen from Haman, 925 00:44:48,542 --> 00:44:52,083 and his only compassion is for himself. 926 00:44:52,167 --> 00:44:54,458 Proud people are very compassionate, 927 00:44:54,542 --> 00:44:56,958 but it's for themselves. 928 00:44:57,042 --> 00:45:04,167 Humble people are also compassionate for others. 929 00:45:04,208 --> 00:45:09,292 He is sorrowful, but not repentant. 930 00:45:09,333 --> 00:45:12,833 He's grieving, but not confessing. 931 00:45:12,958 --> 00:45:17,333 In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul tells us not to practice 932 00:45:17,375 --> 00:45:20,333 "worldly sorrow." 933 00:45:20,375 --> 00:45:24,833 Haman is illustrative of worldly sorrow. 934 00:45:24,875 --> 00:45:26,833 Let me tell you what worldly sorrow is. 935 00:45:26,958 --> 00:45:29,792 Worldly sorrow grieves the effects of sin 936 00:45:29,833 --> 00:45:32,500 and not the offense of sin. 937 00:45:32,625 --> 00:45:36,500 Worldly sorrow causes you to feel horrible for what's 938 00:45:36,625 --> 00:45:40,042 going to happen to you, 939 00:45:40,125 --> 00:45:44,958 not that you have offended God. 940 00:45:45,042 --> 00:45:47,000 It's still about you. 941 00:45:47,042 --> 00:45:50,500 It's not about him. 942 00:45:50,542 --> 00:45:56,208 So oftentimes, Christians misinterpret worldly sorrow 943 00:45:56,250 --> 00:45:59,208 for true repentance. 944 00:45:59,250 --> 00:46:01,292 If you were to see Haman--I mean, 945 00:46:01,333 --> 00:46:04,292 you can almost get the picture, like him sitting at his table, 946 00:46:04,333 --> 00:46:11,042 sitting in a chair, his head is covered, he's moaning. 947 00:46:11,125 --> 00:46:12,792 Right? 948 00:46:12,833 --> 00:46:14,667 He's looking out the window 949 00:46:14,708 --> 00:46:21,292 and there's a 75-foot impaling cross, 950 00:46:21,333 --> 00:46:25,542 and his wife says, "You're a dead man." 951 00:46:25,625 --> 00:46:28,667 This was going to be the best day of his whole life. 952 00:46:28,708 --> 00:46:32,958 Everything he'd worked for his whole life, 953 00:46:33,000 --> 00:46:36,500 he was right on the precipice. 954 00:46:36,625 --> 00:46:39,125 He was going to murder his enemy, 955 00:46:39,167 --> 00:46:41,833 and he was going to have a holiday and a parade 956 00:46:41,875 --> 00:46:44,708 in his honor, and it flipped in a day. 957 00:46:44,750 --> 00:46:48,375 Friend, that's where you're headed. 958 00:46:48,417 --> 00:46:52,542 Some of you are here, and you're proud, 959 00:46:52,625 --> 00:46:57,208 and your life is about your glory. 960 00:46:57,250 --> 00:47:01,625 And some of you are in that position presently that Haman 961 00:47:01,667 --> 00:47:04,167 was momentarily. 962 00:47:04,208 --> 00:47:08,042 It's really working for you, and for you, 963 00:47:08,125 --> 00:47:12,292 you sort of find it comical when a preacher gets up and says, 964 00:47:12,333 --> 00:47:15,458 "You know, when your life hits rock bottom, turn to the Lord." 965 00:47:15,500 --> 00:47:18,667 And you say, "I'm not rock bottom." 966 00:47:18,708 --> 00:47:21,333 At this point, is he healthy or sick? 967 00:47:21,458 --> 00:47:22,792 Healthy. 968 00:47:22,833 --> 00:47:25,458 Rich or poor? Rich. 969 00:47:25,500 --> 00:47:28,292 Famous or unknown? Famous. 970 00:47:28,333 --> 00:47:31,333 In power or without power? 971 00:47:31,375 --> 00:47:33,458 In power. 972 00:47:33,500 --> 00:47:35,833 Are his plans thriving or dying? 973 00:47:35,875 --> 00:47:38,708 They're thriving. 974 00:47:38,792 --> 00:47:43,000 And it all turns in an instant. 975 00:47:43,042 --> 00:47:47,208 It turns in a day. 976 00:47:47,250 --> 00:47:49,875 Is that you? 977 00:47:49,958 --> 00:47:52,375 Are you Haman? 978 00:47:52,458 --> 00:47:57,000 You feel no sense of urgency because it's going very well, 979 00:47:57,042 --> 00:48:01,833 and it will until it all collapses in an instant. 980 00:48:01,958 --> 00:48:04,625 And for some of you, that might even be your death. 981 00:48:04,667 --> 00:48:07,042 It might work until you close your eyes, 982 00:48:07,125 --> 00:48:11,625 looking at what you've achieved, and then open your eyes to see 983 00:48:11,667 --> 00:48:16,208 the wrath of God in the eyes of Jesus Christ. 984 00:48:19,625 --> 00:48:23,958 There's no hope for Haman today. 985 00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:30,833 He died, he stood before God, he was judged. 986 00:48:30,875 --> 00:48:34,042 There's hope for you today. 987 00:48:34,125 --> 00:48:35,625 You're alive. 988 00:48:35,667 --> 00:48:37,042 You're still here. 989 00:48:37,125 --> 00:48:39,458 It's not too late. 990 00:48:39,500 --> 00:48:42,375 And for some of you, you're in that position of Haman 991 00:48:42,458 --> 00:48:43,875 where it's working. 992 00:48:43,958 --> 00:48:45,500 For others of you, 993 00:48:45,542 --> 00:48:49,000 you're on the back side where it has failed. 994 00:48:49,042 --> 00:48:52,208 Your plan didn't work. 995 00:48:52,250 --> 00:48:53,958 The marriage didn't succeed. 996 00:48:54,042 --> 00:48:56,542 The children aren't there or aren't doing well. 997 00:48:56,625 --> 00:48:59,958 The company didn't thrive; it died. 998 00:49:00,125 --> 00:49:03,292 Your investments didn't flourish; they diminished. 999 00:49:03,333 --> 00:49:07,042 You didn't accomplish what you thought you should, 1000 00:49:07,125 --> 00:49:12,292 or you did only to lose it. 1001 00:49:12,333 --> 00:49:15,333 And I don't care if you're in the position of Haman before 1002 00:49:15,375 --> 00:49:18,167 the worst day of his life or the position of Haman 1003 00:49:18,208 --> 00:49:20,958 on the worst day of his life. 1004 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:23,458 If you're alive, there's still hope for you, 1005 00:49:23,500 --> 00:49:28,125 but it's not in merely grieving, 1006 00:49:28,167 --> 00:49:30,792 feeling bad, 1007 00:49:30,833 --> 00:49:32,833 talking to friends, 1008 00:49:32,875 --> 00:49:36,333 complaining to your spouse, pouring another drink, 1009 00:49:36,458 --> 00:49:38,542 pouring it out to a therapist, 1010 00:49:38,625 --> 00:49:42,000 taking your medication to deal with your depression. 1011 00:49:42,042 --> 00:49:46,500 I'm telling you, grieving accomplishes nothing without 1012 00:49:46,542 --> 00:49:50,750 repenting, without acknowledging, 1013 00:49:50,833 --> 00:49:55,708 "I've sinned against God. Pride is my problem. 1014 00:49:55,750 --> 00:50:02,583 Glory is my addiction." 1015 00:50:02,667 --> 00:50:05,667 How many of you, at this point, receiving this 1016 00:50:05,708 --> 00:50:08,792 stern warning--and I say this often at Mars Hill: 1017 00:50:08,875 --> 00:50:12,875 Hard words produce soft people, soft words produce hard people. 1018 00:50:12,917 --> 00:50:14,250 I love you. 1019 00:50:14,333 --> 00:50:16,500 I want us to be a soft people, 1020 00:50:16,542 --> 00:50:18,500 and so sometimes I bring you hard words. 1021 00:50:18,542 --> 00:50:20,708 How many of you, in hearing these hard words, 1022 00:50:20,750 --> 00:50:24,458 you would like to know how to go from pride to humility to spare 1023 00:50:24,542 --> 00:50:31,375 yourself and others of the fate that Haman was destroyed by. 1024 00:50:31,458 --> 00:50:34,583 And here's--here's the key. 1025 00:50:34,667 --> 00:50:39,208 The way you go from pride to humility is not to stop focusing 1026 00:50:39,250 --> 00:50:42,000 on your pride and start focusing on your humility, 1027 00:50:42,042 --> 00:50:48,583 because you're still focusing on yourself. 1028 00:50:48,667 --> 00:50:53,292 The way out of pride is to look at Jesus' humility. 1029 00:50:53,375 --> 00:50:55,958 Now, there's a theme and a thread in the Scriptures 1030 00:50:56,042 --> 00:50:59,000 that run under the story of Esther, 1031 00:50:59,042 --> 00:51:01,792 and that is back to God's covenant people. 1032 00:51:01,833 --> 00:51:04,042 A promise was made way back in Genesis 12 1033 00:51:04,125 --> 00:51:06,042 to a man named Abraham. 1034 00:51:06,125 --> 00:51:10,833 God said, "I'm going to bring forth a people, covenant people, 1035 00:51:10,875 --> 00:51:16,125 and from them will come a Savior named Jesus Christ." 1036 00:51:16,167 --> 00:51:18,708 And so there had been an attempt, 1037 00:51:18,792 --> 00:51:22,333 generation after generation, to destroy God's people 1038 00:51:22,458 --> 00:51:25,542 so that Jesus couldn't come. 1039 00:51:25,625 --> 00:51:30,833 So Haman's hatred of God's covenant people and his hatred 1040 00:51:30,958 --> 00:51:34,500 of Mordecai, it's really empowered by the demonic. 1041 00:51:34,625 --> 00:51:38,333 He's not a victim, but Satan empowers people to their 1042 00:51:38,458 --> 00:51:43,083 destructive desires, and his hope is to destroy 1043 00:51:43,167 --> 00:51:45,375 all of God's people. 1044 00:51:45,417 --> 00:51:47,875 And if all of God's people can be destroyed, 1045 00:51:47,917 --> 00:51:52,458 then Jesus can't come to save them. 1046 00:51:56,458 --> 00:52:02,333 And God spares his covenant people, and history rolls along, 1047 00:52:02,375 --> 00:52:06,958 and Jesus comes. 1048 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:08,958 And Jesus is the better servant. 1049 00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:11,000 He's a better servant than Mordecai. 1050 00:52:11,125 --> 00:52:15,833 He's assuredly a better servant than Haman. 1051 00:52:15,958 --> 00:52:19,333 And I told you previously, we become like our what? 1052 00:52:19,458 --> 00:52:22,167 Our King. 1053 00:52:22,208 --> 00:52:24,333 Jesus is our King, and our King comes. 1054 00:52:24,458 --> 00:52:26,042 Let me read this to you. 1055 00:52:26,125 --> 00:52:30,542 Philippians 2:3-11, looking at the coming of King Jesus. 1056 00:52:30,625 --> 00:52:34,208 It says, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, 1057 00:52:34,292 --> 00:52:37,292 "but in humility count others 1058 00:52:37,333 --> 00:52:39,833 "more significant than yourselves. 1059 00:52:39,875 --> 00:52:42,958 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, 1060 00:52:43,042 --> 00:52:45,667 "but also to the interests of others. 1061 00:52:45,708 --> 00:52:48,250 "Have this mind among yourselves, 1062 00:52:48,333 --> 00:52:51,000 "which is yours in Christ Jesus, 1063 00:52:51,042 --> 00:52:53,375 "who, though he was in the form of God, 1064 00:52:53,458 --> 00:52:56,792 "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 1065 00:52:56,875 --> 00:53:00,708 "but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, 1066 00:53:00,792 --> 00:53:03,458 "being born in the likeness of men. 1067 00:53:03,500 --> 00:53:09,333 "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming 1068 00:53:09,375 --> 00:53:14,458 "obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 1069 00:53:14,500 --> 00:53:18,667 "Therefore God has highly exalted him [this Jesus], 1070 00:53:18,708 --> 00:53:23,625 "and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 1071 00:53:23,667 --> 00:53:28,500 "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow--" 1072 00:53:28,625 --> 00:53:32,625 He gets the glory, "in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 1073 00:53:32,667 --> 00:53:36,458 "and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 1074 00:53:36,500 --> 00:53:40,958 to the glory of God the Father." 1075 00:53:41,000 --> 00:53:45,750 Haman wanted to be the man whom the king delights to honor, 1076 00:53:45,833 --> 00:53:51,458 but Jesus alone is the man whom the King delights to honor. 1077 00:53:51,542 --> 00:53:54,875 Haman wanted to wear the king's robes, 1078 00:53:54,958 --> 00:53:58,750 but our King Jesus was stripped of his robes. 1079 00:53:58,833 --> 00:54:01,333 Haman wanted to wear the king's crown, 1080 00:54:01,375 --> 00:54:05,833 but our King Jesus wore a crown of thorns. 1081 00:54:05,958 --> 00:54:09,458 Haman never repented of his sin, 1082 00:54:09,500 --> 00:54:13,333 but Jesus had no sin to repent of. 1083 00:54:13,458 --> 00:54:17,458 Haman plotted to kill all of God's people, 1084 00:54:17,500 --> 00:54:23,333 but Jesus planned to die for all of God's people. 1085 00:54:23,458 --> 00:54:27,958 Haman wanted his king to honor him publicly, 1086 00:54:28,000 --> 00:54:35,042 but our King Jesus was willingly stripped and shamed publicly. 1087 00:54:35,125 --> 00:54:40,458 Haman would not forgive one man for one thing, 1088 00:54:40,500 --> 00:54:46,375 but our King Jesus will forgive anyone for anything. 1089 00:54:46,458 --> 00:54:51,083 Haman planned to crucify his enemy, 1090 00:54:51,167 --> 00:54:53,875 but Jesus planned to be crucified in the place 1091 00:54:53,958 --> 00:54:56,500 of his enemies. 1092 00:54:56,542 --> 00:55:02,792 Haman raised himself up and was taken down from glory to death, 1093 00:55:02,833 --> 00:55:06,333 but Jesus humbled himself and was raised up 1094 00:55:06,458 --> 00:55:09,042 from death to glory. 1095 00:55:09,125 --> 00:55:13,333 Haman, longed for a parade to his glory, 1096 00:55:13,458 --> 00:55:16,958 but we long for the second coming of Jesus Christ 1097 00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:20,458 and the parade for his glory. 1098 00:55:20,500 --> 00:55:26,833 Haman became proud like his King Xerxes, but by God's grace, 1099 00:55:26,958 --> 00:55:32,167 we can become humble like our King Jesus. 1100 00:55:32,208 --> 00:55:36,542 Lord Jesus, the Bible is clear that everyone 1101 00:55:36,625 --> 00:55:40,042 will bend their knee. 1102 00:55:40,125 --> 00:55:44,750 God, whether we bow it in this life for salvation or we bow it 1103 00:55:44,833 --> 00:55:51,375 in the life to come for damnation, 1104 00:55:51,458 --> 00:55:57,375 it says that every knee will bow, every head will bow, 1105 00:55:57,458 --> 00:56:03,958 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord 1106 00:56:04,000 --> 00:56:06,958 to the glory of God the Father. 1107 00:56:07,000 --> 00:56:09,333 He gets the glory. 1108 00:56:09,458 --> 00:56:12,792 So, Father God, I ask that you would send the Holy Spirit, 1109 00:56:12,833 --> 00:56:17,833 starting right now, for those who do not know the Lord Jesus, 1110 00:56:17,958 --> 00:56:22,958 that they would bend their knee, that they would bow their head, 1111 00:56:23,000 --> 00:56:25,292 that they would take the opportunity in this life 1112 00:56:25,333 --> 00:56:27,625 that Haman did not take. 1113 00:56:27,667 --> 00:56:32,000 An opportunity to repent and not just grieve. 1114 00:56:32,125 --> 00:56:34,958 God, for those of us who are Christian, 1115 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:40,958 we confess that our heart's inclination leans toward pride. 1116 00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:47,583 God, it is ever present in our nature. 1117 00:56:47,667 --> 00:56:54,000 God, please save us from ourselves and from our pride, 1118 00:56:54,042 --> 00:56:57,875 and please help us to grow in humility to become like 1119 00:56:57,958 --> 00:57:00,542 our King Jesus. 1120 00:57:00,625 --> 00:57:03,792 And Father, I pray for myself and the leaders of our church 1121 00:57:03,833 --> 00:57:08,167 that, Lord God, you would continually help us to have 1122 00:57:08,208 --> 00:57:12,292 the mind of Christ, and to pursue the humility of Christ, 1123 00:57:12,333 --> 00:57:18,333 and to show this church and the cities that we call home 1124 00:57:18,458 --> 00:57:21,167 the humility of our great King. 1125 00:57:21,208 --> 00:57:23,125 May we not just be leaders, 1126 00:57:23,167 --> 00:57:27,542 but servant-leaders who love the people. 1127 00:57:27,625 --> 00:57:31,500 And God, we know that at any point, 1128 00:57:31,625 --> 00:57:36,542 we could venture down the path of Haman, 1129 00:57:36,625 --> 00:57:41,208 and so we ask in Jesus' name for the humility to stick close to 1130 00:57:41,292 --> 00:57:44,792 him that we might become like him because we've been 1131 00:57:44,875 --> 00:57:47,375 so well loved by him. Amen.