1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,917 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:17,000 [music] 3 00:00:19,792 --> 00:00:21,917 This is a crazy book. 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:23,375 Amen? 5 00:00:23,458 --> 00:00:27,500 It's a Mexican soap opera with Persian subtitles. 6 00:00:27,542 --> 00:00:29,083 It has it all. 7 00:00:29,167 --> 00:00:35,417 You've got powerful, rich, drunken men; beautiful women; 8 00:00:35,500 --> 00:00:39,125 corrupt politicians; and death on the horizon. 9 00:00:39,167 --> 00:00:41,000 Esther is amazing. 10 00:00:41,083 --> 00:00:44,708 We're in Esther 6:14 through 7:10, 11 00:00:44,792 --> 00:00:47,208 looking at "Jesus Is the Better Esther." 12 00:00:47,292 --> 00:00:49,208 If you're new, let me catch you up. 13 00:00:49,292 --> 00:00:53,083 There is King Xerxes, the drunken, powerful, 14 00:00:53,167 --> 00:00:56,083 crazy king of the Persian Empire. 15 00:00:56,167 --> 00:00:59,500 He deposed of his first wife, got a second wife. 16 00:00:59,542 --> 00:01:01,417 Her name is Esther. 17 00:01:01,500 --> 00:01:03,708 His right-hand man is a guy named Haman. 18 00:01:03,792 --> 00:01:06,708 Haman is a horrible human being. 19 00:01:06,792 --> 00:01:08,792 He is a horrible human being. 20 00:01:08,833 --> 00:01:11,792 He loves power, attention, fame, and glory. 21 00:01:11,833 --> 00:01:14,000 He wants everyone to bow down to him. 22 00:01:14,083 --> 00:01:17,917 He's second in command for the entire Persian Empire, 23 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,292 and a decree is sent forth that everyone 24 00:01:20,333 --> 00:01:21,917 should bow down to Haman. 25 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,208 And everybody does except one guy named Mordecai. 26 00:01:25,292 --> 00:01:30,708 Mordecai refuses to bow down, and Haman becomes so incensed, 27 00:01:30,792 --> 00:01:35,417 infuriated, enraged that he determines that 28 00:01:35,500 --> 00:01:38,625 he will kill Mordecai. 29 00:01:38,667 --> 00:01:41,375 Not only Mordecai, but all the Jewish people, 30 00:01:41,458 --> 00:01:45,708 all of God's people, because they are somehow, in his mind, 31 00:01:45,792 --> 00:01:51,500 in perhaps, even in a minuscule way, connected to Mordecai. 32 00:01:51,542 --> 00:01:54,792 And so he goes to the great king and he basically pitches it 33 00:01:54,833 --> 00:01:56,500 as a revenue stream. 34 00:01:56,583 --> 00:01:59,333 "Let me commit genocide against all of God's people, 35 00:01:59,375 --> 00:02:01,500 "I'll plunder all of their possessions, 36 00:02:01,542 --> 00:02:04,708 "and I will give you a 50% increase in the tax base 37 00:02:04,792 --> 00:02:08,917 for this year by giving all of that income to you." 38 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,500 The king signs the decree, the date is set, mourning occurs. 39 00:02:13,583 --> 00:02:18,917 Death is on the horizon for all of God's people. 40 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,875 Esther finds out about this, and lo and behold, 41 00:02:23,958 --> 00:02:26,333 she's one of God's people. 42 00:02:26,375 --> 00:02:29,375 She's not been a necessarily faithful, godly, 43 00:02:29,458 --> 00:02:31,500 amazing woman her whole life. 44 00:02:31,542 --> 00:02:34,208 She's been married to the king for 4 or 5 years, 45 00:02:34,292 --> 00:02:37,000 and no one knows, including her husband, 46 00:02:37,083 --> 00:02:39,917 that she is one of God's people. 47 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,000 This means that she has not been obeying the Scriptures. 48 00:02:44,042 --> 00:02:47,333 She's not been tithing, she's not been undergoing public 49 00:02:47,375 --> 00:02:51,208 prayers and celebrating feasts, and festivals, and holidays. 50 00:02:51,292 --> 00:02:53,708 It means that she's not been obeying the dietary laws 51 00:02:53,792 --> 00:02:55,500 of the Old Testament. 52 00:02:55,583 --> 00:02:57,917 It means that she's not been meeting with God's people, 53 00:02:58,000 --> 00:02:59,958 she's not been worshiping with God's people, 54 00:03:00,083 --> 00:03:02,125 she's not been studying the Scriptures. 55 00:03:02,167 --> 00:03:04,667 Like some of you, she would profess a faith 56 00:03:04,750 --> 00:03:10,125 that she may not posses and she certainly doesn't practice. 57 00:03:10,167 --> 00:03:15,208 And so no one knows that she's Jewish, including her husband. 58 00:03:15,292 --> 00:03:19,000 But now, a death sentence has been set for Mordecai, who, 59 00:03:19,083 --> 00:03:21,375 in the providence of God, happens to be her 60 00:03:21,458 --> 00:03:25,875 adoptive father, and all of God's people, 61 00:03:25,958 --> 00:03:30,125 which means that she too is now in danger. 62 00:03:30,167 --> 00:03:32,375 So, at this dramatic point in the story, 63 00:03:32,458 --> 00:03:34,625 what is going to happen? 64 00:03:34,667 --> 00:03:37,708 Everything is sort of culminating to this moment, 65 00:03:37,792 --> 00:03:41,792 seeking some sort of resolution. 66 00:03:41,833 --> 00:03:46,375 And the first question is: will all of God's people die? 67 00:03:46,458 --> 00:03:48,000 Alright, the date is set. 68 00:03:48,083 --> 00:03:50,833 The decree has been set forth. 69 00:03:50,875 --> 00:03:54,167 On this day, all these people will die. 70 00:03:54,250 --> 00:03:58,333 So, we pick it up in Esther 6:14. 71 00:03:58,375 --> 00:04:00,333 "While they were yet talking with him, 72 00:04:00,375 --> 00:04:02,500 "the king's eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman 73 00:04:02,542 --> 00:04:04,792 to the feast that Esther had prepared." 74 00:04:04,833 --> 00:04:08,208 So, Esther, in hearing that the death sentence had been issued, 75 00:04:08,292 --> 00:04:11,708 she is now practicing faith in God. 76 00:04:11,792 --> 00:04:14,375 She's growing in faith in God, she's a maturing, 77 00:04:14,458 --> 00:04:20,583 growing young woman, acting in an increasingly godly way. 78 00:04:20,667 --> 00:04:23,292 So, if you have been hypocritical, 79 00:04:23,333 --> 00:04:27,333 if you've been compromised, it's not too late for you. 80 00:04:27,375 --> 00:04:30,667 We see with Esther that God quickly blesses 81 00:04:30,750 --> 00:04:33,167 even simple obedience. 82 00:04:33,250 --> 00:04:35,625 And she's growing, and she's maturing, 83 00:04:35,667 --> 00:04:39,708 and she's decided that she needs to find a way to use the 84 00:04:39,792 --> 00:04:44,333 position of influence that God has appointed for her as queen 85 00:04:44,375 --> 00:04:46,125 to spare God's people. 86 00:04:46,167 --> 00:04:48,208 So, she took a risk of her life. 87 00:04:48,292 --> 00:04:50,792 We saw in previous chapters, she went into the presence 88 00:04:50,833 --> 00:04:53,083 of the king, which could be a death sentence. 89 00:04:53,167 --> 00:04:55,708 You weren't allowed to approach the king unless invited, 90 00:04:55,792 --> 00:05:00,833 but she risked her own life, saying, "If I perish, I perish." 91 00:05:00,875 --> 00:05:03,667 And the king welcomed her and asked her, 92 00:05:03,750 --> 00:05:06,500 "What is it that you would want?" 93 00:05:06,583 --> 00:05:08,708 And she's wise, not foolish. 94 00:05:08,792 --> 00:05:13,375 She's patient, not impatient. 95 00:05:13,458 --> 00:05:17,292 She's waiting for the right opportunity to reveal her Jewish 96 00:05:17,333 --> 00:05:21,500 identity and make her request known to spare God's people. 97 00:05:21,542 --> 00:05:24,375 So, she throws a banquet, and she invites the king 98 00:05:24,458 --> 00:05:27,917 and Haman, her enemy. 99 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,708 Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. 100 00:05:31,792 --> 00:05:34,500 And over the course of the night, the king asks, 101 00:05:34,583 --> 00:05:36,083 "What could I do for you?" 102 00:05:36,167 --> 00:05:38,208 And she says, "Attend another party." 103 00:05:38,292 --> 00:05:42,000 She realizes it's not yet time, so she throws another banquet. 104 00:05:42,042 --> 00:05:44,500 Well, at this banquet, again, here is Haman, 105 00:05:44,542 --> 00:05:47,333 and here is the king. 106 00:05:47,375 --> 00:05:51,000 And the plot thickens, and the tension rises, 107 00:05:51,042 --> 00:05:54,417 and with every minute, God's people are closer to death. 108 00:05:54,500 --> 00:05:59,667 And her adoptive father is on the brink of being crucified, 109 00:05:59,750 --> 00:06:05,625 impaled on a 75-foot high cross that Haman has built in his own 110 00:06:05,667 --> 00:06:10,000 yard to make a public spectacle of the one man who would not 111 00:06:10,083 --> 00:06:15,000 bow down to his glory, yet Esther's patient. 112 00:06:15,083 --> 00:06:18,292 The Bible says in 1 Peter that God is not slow, 113 00:06:18,333 --> 00:06:21,583 but that he is patient. 114 00:06:21,667 --> 00:06:26,917 Esther here is not moving slow, she is patient. 115 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,917 "So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther." 116 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,500 Lots of parties in this book. 117 00:06:32,583 --> 00:06:37,917 And the feasts are occasions for transitions in the story. 118 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,000 So much happens in the feasts and the meals, 119 00:06:41,083 --> 00:06:43,708 and here we are again. 120 00:06:43,792 --> 00:06:46,500 "And on the second day, as they were drinking wine 121 00:06:46,542 --> 00:06:48,208 after the feast." 122 00:06:48,292 --> 00:06:51,375 So, one thing you'll notice in the book too: they drink a lot. 123 00:06:51,458 --> 00:06:52,792 Okay? 124 00:06:52,833 --> 00:06:55,000 Some of you say, "Drinking is not a sin." 125 00:06:55,042 --> 00:06:57,125 Drinking a lot is a sin. 126 00:06:57,167 --> 00:07:01,083 We see over, and over, and over, "And then they made significant 127 00:07:01,167 --> 00:07:03,667 decisions after drinking a lot." 128 00:07:03,750 --> 00:07:08,667 Might I submit to you, perhaps, possibly not the best plan. 129 00:07:08,750 --> 00:07:11,500 How many of you are smarter drunk? 130 00:07:11,583 --> 00:07:14,208 Okay, if you think you are, you're still drunk. 131 00:07:14,292 --> 00:07:17,292 No one is smarter drunk. 132 00:07:17,333 --> 00:07:19,500 They drink and make decisions. 133 00:07:19,583 --> 00:07:22,333 So, they've had their party, and now the king and Haman, 134 00:07:22,375 --> 00:07:26,125 his right-hand man, they're drinking heavily. 135 00:07:26,167 --> 00:07:30,708 "And the king again said to Esther, 'What is your wish?'" 136 00:07:30,792 --> 00:07:33,167 What do you want, Queen Esther? 137 00:07:33,250 --> 00:07:35,583 "It shall be granted you. And what is your request? 138 00:07:35,667 --> 00:07:39,417 Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled." 139 00:07:39,500 --> 00:07:40,875 He keeps asking her. 140 00:07:40,958 --> 00:07:43,833 "You said you wanted something. What do you want? 141 00:07:43,875 --> 00:07:45,292 What do you want?" 142 00:07:45,333 --> 00:07:47,125 She's waited patiently. 143 00:07:47,167 --> 00:07:49,583 "Then Queen Esther answered." 144 00:07:49,667 --> 00:07:52,917 And I want you to see how respectful she is. 145 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:57,292 Yes or no, her husband is respectable? 146 00:07:57,333 --> 00:08:00,375 No. 147 00:08:01,083 --> 00:08:04,167 No. 148 00:08:04,250 --> 00:08:07,333 Yes or no, Esther is respectful? 149 00:08:07,375 --> 00:08:09,000 Yes. 150 00:08:09,042 --> 00:08:11,125 The Bible's going to talk a lot about 151 00:08:11,167 --> 00:08:14,125 wives respecting their husbands. 152 00:08:14,167 --> 00:08:17,792 Men, we can always gives our wives a shortcut by being 153 00:08:17,833 --> 00:08:23,000 respectable, but here, she's going to respect a man 154 00:08:23,083 --> 00:08:25,792 who is not respectable. 155 00:08:25,833 --> 00:08:29,125 And God encourages wives to conduct themselves in this way, 156 00:08:29,167 --> 00:08:31,417 not so that they will be without power, 157 00:08:31,500 --> 00:08:34,333 but so they will be with power. 158 00:08:34,375 --> 00:08:36,333 If she were to disrespect her husband, 159 00:08:36,375 --> 00:08:38,000 we've already seen what happens. 160 00:08:38,083 --> 00:08:41,833 The first queen, Vashti, was deposed for being disrespectful 161 00:08:41,875 --> 00:08:44,083 toward her husband. 162 00:08:44,167 --> 00:08:46,833 And so Esther, here, in being respectful, 163 00:08:46,875 --> 00:08:50,292 is not allowing herself to become the issue, 164 00:08:50,333 --> 00:08:52,500 but the issue to remain the issue, 165 00:08:52,583 --> 00:08:57,333 and she is limiting the ability of the king to be offended by 166 00:08:57,375 --> 00:09:01,417 her, and she's encouraging him to do the right thing by herself 167 00:09:01,500 --> 00:09:04,417 setting a godly example of being respectful. 168 00:09:04,500 --> 00:09:07,000 What's true of wives in particular, 169 00:09:07,083 --> 00:09:08,833 it's true for everyone in general, 170 00:09:08,875 --> 00:09:11,500 any authority that you're under: a boss, a coach, a pastor, 171 00:09:11,542 --> 00:09:16,000 a leader, a parent: respect. 172 00:09:16,042 --> 00:09:17,917 You say, "They're not respectable." 173 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:21,417 Sometimes people are not, sometimes we're not, 174 00:09:21,500 --> 00:09:28,083 but being respectful allows your voice to be heard in a way that 175 00:09:28,167 --> 00:09:32,667 is hopeful for the kind of change you're seeking to effect. 176 00:09:32,750 --> 00:09:35,625 And I want you to hear her respectful tone. 177 00:09:35,667 --> 00:09:38,000 "Then Queen Esther answered, 'If I have found favor 178 00:09:38,042 --> 00:09:45,042 "'in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, 179 00:09:45,583 --> 00:09:50,500 "'let my life be granted me for my wish, 180 00:09:50,583 --> 00:09:55,375 and my people for my request.'" 181 00:09:55,458 --> 00:09:58,625 What she says is, "Here's what I want: 182 00:09:58,667 --> 00:10:01,333 I want to not be murdered." 183 00:10:01,375 --> 00:10:04,417 Do you think he didn't see this coming? 184 00:10:04,500 --> 00:10:07,125 How many of you think that he was anticipating she wants 185 00:10:07,167 --> 00:10:10,333 some sort of lavish gift, nice holiday. 186 00:10:10,375 --> 00:10:12,125 "What do you want?" 187 00:10:12,167 --> 00:10:16,000 "I don't want to be murdered." 188 00:10:16,083 --> 00:10:17,708 She's very bold, right? 189 00:10:17,792 --> 00:10:19,417 Up until this point, she's been timid. 190 00:10:19,500 --> 00:10:20,833 Now she's bold. 191 00:10:20,875 --> 00:10:22,500 She's been silent, now she's speaking. 192 00:10:22,583 --> 00:10:24,500 She's been passive, now she's active. 193 00:10:24,583 --> 00:10:27,000 This is a woman growing in faith, 194 00:10:27,083 --> 00:10:33,417 and faith is demonstrated in courageous, truthful action. 195 00:10:33,500 --> 00:10:37,000 She's demonstrating faith. 196 00:10:37,083 --> 00:10:38,917 She goes on to say, 197 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,333 "For we have been sold, I and my people," 198 00:10:43,375 --> 00:10:46,167 that's important, "to be destroyed, to be killed, 199 00:10:46,250 --> 00:10:48,000 and to be annihilated." 200 00:10:48,083 --> 00:10:49,417 He's had a few drinks. 201 00:10:49,500 --> 00:10:52,417 She's going to make sure he doesn't miss the big idea. 202 00:10:52,500 --> 00:10:57,417 Destroyed, killed, annihilated. 203 00:10:57,500 --> 00:11:01,333 "If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, 204 00:11:01,375 --> 00:11:04,625 "I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be 205 00:11:04,667 --> 00:11:06,417 compared with the loss to the king." 206 00:11:06,500 --> 00:11:07,917 That's a big statement. 207 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,417 "I wouldn't trouble you with something as minor as 208 00:11:11,500 --> 00:11:18,000 the enslavement of an entire race, but this is a big deal." 209 00:11:22,042 --> 00:11:26,125 She sets the stage. 210 00:11:26,167 --> 00:11:28,167 "King, we hate to inconvenience you. 211 00:11:28,250 --> 00:11:29,833 "We know you're very busy. 212 00:11:29,875 --> 00:11:32,500 I would not bring trivial matters to your attention." 213 00:11:32,583 --> 00:11:35,000 Do you do this to those in authority over you? 214 00:11:35,083 --> 00:11:39,000 Do you only bring those things that are truly important 215 00:11:39,042 --> 00:11:41,000 and urgent? 216 00:11:41,042 --> 00:11:42,708 If so, you're likely to be heard, 217 00:11:42,792 --> 00:11:45,167 but if you're bringing everything and things that are 218 00:11:45,250 --> 00:11:48,333 truly nothing, then you're being disrespectful 219 00:11:48,375 --> 00:11:50,000 and you will not be heard. 220 00:11:50,083 --> 00:11:53,000 Esther is not a woman who's made a lot of requests, 221 00:11:53,083 --> 00:11:54,708 and she even presents her request as: 222 00:11:54,792 --> 00:11:56,417 "It is very, very important. 223 00:11:56,500 --> 00:11:59,708 "It's actually more important than a whole people group 224 00:11:59,792 --> 00:12:01,583 being enslaved." 225 00:12:01,667 --> 00:12:03,125 She's got the king's attention. 226 00:12:03,167 --> 00:12:04,625 She has our attention. 227 00:12:04,667 --> 00:12:09,208 What could be a more pronounced crisis than the enslavement 228 00:12:09,292 --> 00:12:13,917 of an entire people? 229 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,500 And let me say, this is, to this moment, 230 00:12:17,542 --> 00:12:22,083 the most important moment of Esther's life. 231 00:12:22,167 --> 00:12:26,125 You need to know this: not every day is equally important. 232 00:12:26,167 --> 00:12:28,917 Not every moment is equally important. 233 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,917 Not every opportunity is equally important. 234 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,583 There must be times where the Holy Spirit gives us discernment 235 00:12:36,667 --> 00:12:42,083 that it is an urgent matter, that this is a one occasion 236 00:12:42,167 --> 00:12:43,708 that cannot be missed. 237 00:12:43,792 --> 00:12:45,667 These are sacred windows in life. 238 00:12:45,750 --> 00:12:47,167 That is, they pass by. 239 00:12:47,250 --> 00:12:50,708 If we miss them, they're gone forever. 240 00:12:50,792 --> 00:12:53,833 Sometimes among God's people, there's no sense of timing, 241 00:12:53,875 --> 00:12:57,625 there's no sense of urgency, and it's often because we're 242 00:12:57,667 --> 00:13:01,917 absolutely, continually, selfishly consumed with 243 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:03,417 our own affairs. 244 00:13:03,500 --> 00:13:06,083 Esther's eyes are up, not in. 245 00:13:06,167 --> 00:13:09,500 She's not looking at the chance that she might die, 246 00:13:09,542 --> 00:13:15,000 that she might suffer, she's looking at the fate of others 247 00:13:15,042 --> 00:13:20,000 and the urgent situation that is set before them. 248 00:13:20,083 --> 00:13:24,208 There are days when you will make a decision that alters the 249 00:13:24,292 --> 00:13:27,917 course of your whole life, and the more authority and power you 250 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:32,833 have, it will affect everyone who is under your authority: 251 00:13:32,875 --> 00:13:37,917 parents, spouses, pastors, business leaders, 252 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,500 ministry leaders, teachers. 253 00:13:41,583 --> 00:13:46,500 Keep your eyes open, keep your heart affixed toward the needs 254 00:13:46,583 --> 00:13:50,333 of others, and don't be a coward and miss the opportunities 255 00:13:50,375 --> 00:13:53,167 to make a difference that God gives you. 256 00:13:53,250 --> 00:13:56,167 And some of you say, "I don't know if I'll ever have 257 00:13:56,250 --> 00:13:57,583 an opportunity as Esther did." 258 00:13:57,667 --> 00:14:00,833 None of us will, but God will give us our 259 00:14:00,875 --> 00:14:02,875 providentially-appointed opportunities 260 00:14:02,958 --> 00:14:05,583 to love, serve, make a difference for others, 261 00:14:05,667 --> 00:14:08,000 and if we're self-consumed with our own interests, 262 00:14:08,083 --> 00:14:11,000 we'll overlook the interests of others. 263 00:14:11,083 --> 00:14:15,083 Esther, here, is a magnificent example by the grace of God, 264 00:14:15,167 --> 00:14:17,833 and she's not always been a magnificent example, so 265 00:14:17,875 --> 00:14:22,500 there's hope for those of us who have much to learn and grow. 266 00:14:22,583 --> 00:14:24,208 What's she going to do? 267 00:14:24,292 --> 00:14:26,083 What's she going to say? 268 00:14:26,167 --> 00:14:28,500 "Then King Ahasuerus," that's his Persian name, 269 00:14:28,542 --> 00:14:33,000 his Greek name is Xerxes, "said to Queen Esther, 'Who is he, 270 00:14:33,083 --> 00:14:36,583 "'and where is he, who has dared to do this?'" 271 00:14:36,667 --> 00:14:41,125 The king is angry, because an assault on the queen is 272 00:14:41,167 --> 00:14:43,000 an assault on the king. 273 00:14:43,083 --> 00:14:45,875 It's not that he particularly loves his wife. 274 00:14:45,958 --> 00:14:48,333 We've read previously that though they lived in the same 275 00:14:48,375 --> 00:14:50,583 palace, they would be separated sometimes for upwards 276 00:14:50,667 --> 00:14:52,625 of 30 days. 277 00:14:52,667 --> 00:14:54,000 She wouldn't even see him. 278 00:14:54,083 --> 00:14:55,667 He was busy with a harem. 279 00:14:55,750 --> 00:14:57,333 And Herodotus, the Greek historian, 280 00:14:57,375 --> 00:15:00,500 says that he spent most of the end of his life not consumed 281 00:15:00,583 --> 00:15:04,792 with the affairs of state but with the affairs of the harem. 282 00:15:04,833 --> 00:15:07,500 He doesn't love his wife, he doesn't cherish his wife, 283 00:15:07,583 --> 00:15:09,583 he's not trying to protect his wife, 284 00:15:09,667 --> 00:15:13,208 but his wife is an extension of his kingship and someone 285 00:15:13,292 --> 00:15:15,875 who would plot against her is undermining him, 286 00:15:15,958 --> 00:15:19,125 and so it's back to his pride, and his dignity, and his image, 287 00:15:19,167 --> 00:15:21,333 and his self-interest. 288 00:15:21,375 --> 00:15:22,708 "Who did this? 289 00:15:22,792 --> 00:15:26,667 Where are they?" 290 00:15:26,750 --> 00:15:29,833 "And Esther said, 'A foe and enemy! 291 00:15:29,875 --> 00:15:33,375 This wicked Haman!'" 292 00:15:33,458 --> 00:15:37,708 She's pointing the finger. He's standing right there. 293 00:15:37,792 --> 00:15:40,917 Bad day to be Haman, right? 294 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,667 You thought you were going to dinner with the king 295 00:15:43,750 --> 00:15:45,208 and the queen. 296 00:15:45,292 --> 00:15:46,708 Put it on Twitter. 297 00:15:46,792 --> 00:15:49,375 "Going to dinner with the king and the queen again. 298 00:15:49,458 --> 00:15:53,083 "I will post photos on Instagram later. 299 00:15:53,167 --> 00:15:55,875 Stay tuned." 300 00:15:55,958 --> 00:15:57,833 He shows up. 301 00:15:57,875 --> 00:15:59,500 "What? 302 00:15:59,583 --> 00:16:01,167 "Someone's trying to kill the queen? 303 00:16:01,250 --> 00:16:03,208 "Who? Me? 304 00:16:03,292 --> 00:16:05,708 Ugh." 305 00:16:05,792 --> 00:16:08,708 He didn't know she was Jewish. 306 00:16:08,792 --> 00:16:11,208 Now, this tells you the king doesn't know his wife 307 00:16:11,292 --> 00:16:12,625 very well either, right? 308 00:16:12,667 --> 00:16:14,833 Like, let's say you've been married 5 years, 309 00:16:14,875 --> 00:16:17,500 your wife wakes up, you're like, "What are you doing honey?" 310 00:16:17,583 --> 00:16:19,292 "I'm cooking dinner." "What are we having?" 311 00:16:19,333 --> 00:16:20,792 "We're having Asian food." "Why?" 312 00:16:20,833 --> 00:16:22,167 "I'm Asian." 313 00:16:22,250 --> 00:16:23,583 "You're Asian? 314 00:16:23,667 --> 00:16:25,333 I did not--when did you become Asian?" 315 00:16:25,375 --> 00:16:28,500 "I've always been Asian. You've been here 5 years." 316 00:16:28,583 --> 00:16:31,000 Not the most attentive husband, right? 317 00:16:31,083 --> 00:16:34,125 They've not had a lot of deep conversations like, 318 00:16:34,167 --> 00:16:37,083 "Who's your God?" 319 00:16:37,167 --> 00:16:40,208 Now, he probably is Zoroastrian. 320 00:16:40,292 --> 00:16:43,500 It's an ancient, pagan religion. 321 00:16:43,583 --> 00:16:46,000 That means she's probably been involved in what we call 322 00:16:46,083 --> 00:16:48,375 sorcery, and witchcraft, and divination, 323 00:16:48,458 --> 00:16:51,625 and they had soothsayers and all kinds of occultic things that 324 00:16:51,667 --> 00:16:55,167 happened in the Persian Empire. 325 00:16:55,250 --> 00:16:57,333 And he's never asked, "Who's your God?" 326 00:16:57,375 --> 00:17:00,625 And she's never said who her God is. 327 00:17:00,667 --> 00:17:02,500 She's like some of us. 328 00:17:02,542 --> 00:17:04,833 She wants a private relationship with God, 329 00:17:04,875 --> 00:17:06,833 not a public relationship with God. 330 00:17:06,875 --> 00:17:09,500 She wants all the benefits and none of the obligations 331 00:17:09,583 --> 00:17:13,833 and suffering. 332 00:17:13,875 --> 00:17:16,583 Now, here's what she does. 333 00:17:16,667 --> 00:17:20,708 She comes out of the proverbial closet. 334 00:17:20,792 --> 00:17:23,000 Haman wants to kill all of God's people. 335 00:17:23,083 --> 00:17:27,500 She raises her hand and says, "Where's the list of 336 00:17:27,583 --> 00:17:31,875 all the names of God's people who are to be killed?" 337 00:17:31,958 --> 00:17:35,625 And with this statement, she essentially takes the pen in her 338 00:17:35,667 --> 00:17:39,125 hand and walks up and writes her name on the list and adds it 339 00:17:39,167 --> 00:17:44,000 to the death sentence. 340 00:17:44,083 --> 00:17:47,125 She's finally identified herself with God's people. 341 00:17:47,167 --> 00:17:49,125 Have you done that? 342 00:17:49,167 --> 00:17:51,375 Have you done that? 343 00:17:51,458 --> 00:17:54,167 See, there's this ridiculous nonsense that all you need is 344 00:17:54,250 --> 00:17:56,625 a personal relationship with Jesus. 345 00:17:56,667 --> 00:17:58,708 Good luck finding it in the Book. 346 00:17:58,792 --> 00:18:01,792 I've read the whole thing a few times; I can't find it. 347 00:18:01,833 --> 00:18:04,208 You do need to have a relationship with Jesus 348 00:18:04,292 --> 00:18:06,792 that is personal, but not solely personal. 349 00:18:06,833 --> 00:18:09,208 It's like a kid who gets adopted into a family. 350 00:18:09,292 --> 00:18:12,208 They need a relationship with their dad and all the other kids 351 00:18:12,292 --> 00:18:13,625 in the family. 352 00:18:13,667 --> 00:18:16,125 That's what it means to be part of the family. 353 00:18:16,167 --> 00:18:18,625 You can't just have dad and no brothers or sisters. 354 00:18:18,667 --> 00:18:20,000 It doesn't work like that. 355 00:18:20,083 --> 00:18:24,625 Adoption by the Father is adoption into the family. 356 00:18:24,667 --> 00:18:26,500 Some of you are like that. 357 00:18:26,542 --> 00:18:29,167 You're like, "I don't want to be part of a church. 358 00:18:29,250 --> 00:18:30,917 "I don't want to be in community. 359 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:32,667 "I don't want to be under authority. 360 00:18:32,750 --> 00:18:34,125 Just me and Jesus." 361 00:18:34,167 --> 00:18:36,208 The Bible knows nothing of that. 362 00:18:36,292 --> 00:18:40,833 It has God's people, and Esther here is identifying herself 363 00:18:40,875 --> 00:18:43,500 with God's people. 364 00:18:43,583 --> 00:18:47,208 An attack on God's people is an attack on you. 365 00:18:47,292 --> 00:18:51,625 A criticism of God's people is a criticism of you. 366 00:18:51,667 --> 00:18:55,083 And that's exactly what Esther demonstrates. 367 00:18:55,167 --> 00:18:58,375 She could have kept a personal relationship with God, 368 00:18:58,458 --> 00:19:02,208 just walked away from the entire crisis. 369 00:19:02,292 --> 00:19:07,208 "Oh, they're going to die? No one knows I'm one of them. 370 00:19:07,292 --> 00:19:09,333 "I'll have a personal relationship with God, 371 00:19:09,375 --> 00:19:11,125 "not a public relationship with God, 372 00:19:11,167 --> 00:19:14,500 "and then I won't have to suffer, and I won't have to be 373 00:19:14,583 --> 00:19:17,125 ridiculed, and I will not have to murdered." 374 00:19:17,167 --> 00:19:20,917 It's a great privilege and honor to be one of God's people, 375 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,625 and I would encourage you not to be yet another selfish, modern, 376 00:19:25,667 --> 00:19:30,000 individualistic, consumer Christian who really doesn't 377 00:19:30,042 --> 00:19:33,583 care about God's people and just uses them for convenience and 378 00:19:33,667 --> 00:19:37,292 then criticizes them when services are not conducted 379 00:19:37,333 --> 00:19:40,792 and goods are not provided. 380 00:19:40,833 --> 00:19:44,625 And I would ask you to not live in that way but to live 381 00:19:44,667 --> 00:19:46,667 as Esther does. 382 00:19:46,750 --> 00:19:49,125 She has nothing to gain by identifying herself 383 00:19:49,167 --> 00:19:51,167 with God's people. 384 00:19:51,250 --> 00:19:53,708 There's no reward, there's no benefit for adding your name 385 00:19:53,792 --> 00:19:56,417 to the list of those to be murdered. 386 00:19:56,500 --> 00:19:59,292 She's just counting it a great privilege to be numbered among 387 00:19:59,333 --> 00:20:05,417 God's people, part of God's family, associated in community. 388 00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:08,417 Three things I want you to see in her noble, brave, 389 00:20:08,500 --> 00:20:11,000 godly action. 390 00:20:11,042 --> 00:20:13,667 Number one, I want you to see that divine sovereignty 391 00:20:13,750 --> 00:20:15,792 and human responsibility work together. 392 00:20:15,833 --> 00:20:18,917 There are basically two perspectives theologically. 393 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,500 One emphasizes God's sovereignty. 394 00:20:21,542 --> 00:20:24,083 "God's in charge, God's in control, God works it out, 395 00:20:24,167 --> 00:20:26,417 "God takes care of it, God's in the details, 396 00:20:26,500 --> 00:20:28,500 he's got it all handled." 397 00:20:28,542 --> 00:20:31,292 Others will go to other parts of the Scripture and say, 398 00:20:31,333 --> 00:20:34,333 "You need to speak, you need to give, you need to serve, 399 00:20:34,375 --> 00:20:37,333 "you need to try, you need to help, you need to care, 400 00:20:37,375 --> 00:20:39,167 you've got to do your part." 401 00:20:39,250 --> 00:20:42,000 And the truth is it's like two pedals on a bike. 402 00:20:42,083 --> 00:20:44,708 You do your part, God's certainly going to do his part. 403 00:20:44,792 --> 00:20:46,708 You give what he's asked you to give, 404 00:20:46,792 --> 00:20:48,708 he's going to ask everybody else to give. 405 00:20:48,792 --> 00:20:50,125 He'll make up the difference. 406 00:20:50,167 --> 00:20:53,625 You show up, that's okay, God's already going to be there. 407 00:20:53,667 --> 00:20:58,125 God is at work in the story of Esther, 408 00:20:58,167 --> 00:21:02,000 and part of his work is through Esther. 409 00:21:02,083 --> 00:21:04,125 She's working with God. 410 00:21:04,167 --> 00:21:10,333 Number two, God gives power to his people 411 00:21:10,375 --> 00:21:15,500 so that they might serve those who are powerless. 412 00:21:15,542 --> 00:21:19,000 See, in this situation, God's people are powerless. 413 00:21:19,042 --> 00:21:21,292 It's a monarch, it's a king. 414 00:21:21,333 --> 00:21:24,000 It's not a democracy. 415 00:21:24,083 --> 00:21:25,917 This is a dictatorship. 416 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,292 They don't get to vote for their elected officials. 417 00:21:28,333 --> 00:21:31,000 They don't get to write ballot measures and appeal 418 00:21:31,042 --> 00:21:33,000 for their laws. 419 00:21:33,083 --> 00:21:34,833 They have no power. 420 00:21:34,875 --> 00:21:36,708 Esther does. 421 00:21:36,792 --> 00:21:41,208 She's the one person in the community of God's people 422 00:21:41,292 --> 00:21:44,000 that has access to the king, can speak to the king, 423 00:21:44,083 --> 00:21:47,875 and, as the queen, has any power, and she uses it, 424 00:21:47,958 --> 00:21:51,292 not like Haman to indulge herself, 425 00:21:51,333 --> 00:21:55,583 but she uses it in such a way to speak up for those that have 426 00:21:55,667 --> 00:21:59,833 no voice and to give power to those who are powerless. 427 00:21:59,875 --> 00:22:02,583 Some of you are very powerful. 428 00:22:02,667 --> 00:22:05,333 Some of you will increase in power. 429 00:22:05,375 --> 00:22:08,125 Some of you are teachers, and professors, 430 00:22:08,167 --> 00:22:10,375 and artists with great influence. 431 00:22:10,458 --> 00:22:13,500 Some of you are politicians with great influence. 432 00:22:13,583 --> 00:22:16,708 Some of you are business leaders with great influence. 433 00:22:16,792 --> 00:22:20,167 God does not put us, including those of us who are spiritual 434 00:22:20,250 --> 00:22:24,667 leaders, in positions of power for any reason other than to 435 00:22:24,750 --> 00:22:27,708 give a voice to the voiceless and to represent those 436 00:22:27,792 --> 00:22:31,917 who have no representation. 437 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:37,875 This is why we care about people that are even not yet born. 438 00:22:37,958 --> 00:22:40,375 They would speak but they don't have a voice yet, 439 00:22:40,458 --> 00:22:45,500 and they would vote but they can't get out of the womb. 440 00:22:45,542 --> 00:22:52,083 Number three, care for God's people first. 441 00:22:52,167 --> 00:22:56,417 Yes, we want to love the whole city, and serve the whole city, 442 00:22:56,500 --> 00:23:00,708 and do good for all people because they're made in 443 00:23:00,792 --> 00:23:03,375 the image and likeness of God and they're loved by God. 444 00:23:03,458 --> 00:23:06,917 All true, but God's people first. 445 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:08,833 It's like a family. 446 00:23:08,875 --> 00:23:11,208 You love the neighbors, but you've got to feed 447 00:23:11,292 --> 00:23:13,000 your kids first. 448 00:23:13,083 --> 00:23:15,792 You love the neighbors, but you've got to tend to your 449 00:23:15,833 --> 00:23:17,500 family first, then them. 450 00:23:17,542 --> 00:23:20,917 Not either/or, both/and, but your family first, 451 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,333 their family next. 452 00:23:23,375 --> 00:23:25,333 And what can happen is sometimes, with Christians, 453 00:23:25,375 --> 00:23:28,417 we get so excited about other people and other things that 454 00:23:28,500 --> 00:23:35,125 we're looking over the people and things right in front of us. 455 00:23:35,167 --> 00:23:38,500 There could be a single mom or a kid without a dad sitting in 456 00:23:38,583 --> 00:23:40,833 front of you while you're overlooking them for 457 00:23:40,875 --> 00:23:44,417 an opportunity to do good. 458 00:23:44,500 --> 00:23:49,000 It says in Galatians 6:10, "To do good for all people, 459 00:23:49,083 --> 00:23:51,375 especially those in the household of faith." 460 00:23:51,458 --> 00:23:52,792 That's what Esther does. 461 00:23:52,833 --> 00:23:55,208 She's the queen of Persia, 462 00:23:55,292 --> 00:23:57,917 she cares about all the people that live 463 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:02,292 in her nation, but she is particularly concerned about 464 00:24:02,333 --> 00:24:04,708 God's people first. 465 00:24:04,792 --> 00:24:06,125 Who's going to protect them? 466 00:24:06,167 --> 00:24:07,500 Who's going to serve them? 467 00:24:07,583 --> 00:24:09,375 Who's going to represent them? 468 00:24:09,458 --> 00:24:11,875 Who's going to fight for them? 469 00:24:11,958 --> 00:24:14,417 Do you care about God's people? 470 00:24:14,500 --> 00:24:17,417 Are you overlooking them? 471 00:24:17,500 --> 00:24:21,292 Begin with God's people. 472 00:24:21,333 --> 00:24:27,167 The next question is: Will Haman die? 473 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,792 Esther 7:6-7. 474 00:24:32,833 --> 00:24:34,833 "Then Haman was," what? 475 00:24:34,875 --> 00:24:37,792 "Terrified." 476 00:24:37,833 --> 00:24:41,625 Imagine you're Haman. 477 00:24:41,667 --> 00:24:47,000 You're the second most powerful man in the most powerful nation 478 00:24:47,083 --> 00:24:48,792 on the earth. 479 00:24:48,833 --> 00:24:51,583 You could make a case he's the second most powerful man 480 00:24:51,667 --> 00:24:57,125 on the earth. 481 00:24:57,167 --> 00:25:02,333 He was going to kill an entire population. 482 00:25:02,375 --> 00:25:08,667 He just found out that that includes the queen. 483 00:25:08,750 --> 00:25:10,833 He's terrified. 484 00:25:10,875 --> 00:25:12,833 Have you been there? 485 00:25:12,875 --> 00:25:14,708 Have you been there? 486 00:25:14,792 --> 00:25:17,708 Your sin, your pride, your folly. 487 00:25:17,792 --> 00:25:20,125 Don't blame them. 488 00:25:20,167 --> 00:25:22,000 It's you. 489 00:25:22,042 --> 00:25:23,625 You've gotten yourself into a situation 490 00:25:23,667 --> 00:25:26,708 where you're terrified. 491 00:25:26,792 --> 00:25:31,083 "I don't know how to fix it, I don't know how to get out of it. 492 00:25:31,167 --> 00:25:33,500 I'm terrified." 493 00:25:33,542 --> 00:25:35,417 You been there? 494 00:25:35,500 --> 00:25:36,833 You're obsessed about it. 495 00:25:36,875 --> 00:25:38,292 You're thinking about it. 496 00:25:38,333 --> 00:25:39,708 You can't sleep at night. 497 00:25:39,792 --> 00:25:43,208 You're frustrated, you're overwhelmed, you're panicked. 498 00:25:43,292 --> 00:25:46,000 People can see it on your face. 499 00:25:46,042 --> 00:25:47,583 "What's going on?" 500 00:25:47,667 --> 00:25:49,708 You don't even know what to say. 501 00:25:49,792 --> 00:25:51,917 "I don't even want to talk about it. 502 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,792 "The more I talk about it the more terrified I get, 503 00:25:54,833 --> 00:25:56,500 "because as I hear myself explain it, 504 00:25:56,583 --> 00:26:02,292 I realize how doomed I am by what I've done." 505 00:26:02,333 --> 00:26:06,000 He's terrified. 506 00:26:06,042 --> 00:26:08,917 "He was terrified before the king and the queen." 507 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,833 You could see it on his face. 508 00:26:11,875 --> 00:26:14,583 "And the king arose in his," what?" 509 00:26:14,667 --> 00:26:19,792 "Wrath." 510 00:26:19,833 --> 00:26:24,125 A king who is sinned against 511 00:26:24,167 --> 00:26:27,292 has the right to respond with wrath. 512 00:26:27,333 --> 00:26:32,125 That's anger, justice, consequence. 513 00:26:32,167 --> 00:26:34,708 Be careful. 514 00:26:34,792 --> 00:26:37,000 Be careful you don't take an attribute of God 515 00:26:37,083 --> 00:26:40,083 and turn it into God. 516 00:26:40,167 --> 00:26:45,167 God is love, and God is wrath. 517 00:26:45,250 --> 00:26:48,333 The wrath of God is spoken of more than the love of God. 518 00:26:48,375 --> 00:26:51,708 The wrath of God is spoken of more than 600 times in 519 00:26:51,792 --> 00:26:53,833 various ways in your Bible. 520 00:26:53,875 --> 00:26:56,000 The wrath of God is real. 521 00:26:56,083 --> 00:27:02,333 Here's a picture of a king who has wrath against an enemy. 522 00:27:02,375 --> 00:27:07,500 Our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is a king and he has wrath 523 00:27:07,583 --> 00:27:10,292 against his enemies. 524 00:27:10,333 --> 00:27:12,708 And we're his enemies. 525 00:27:12,792 --> 00:27:14,500 We're all Haman. 526 00:27:14,583 --> 00:27:21,167 We're selfish, we're proud, we're in it for ourselves. 527 00:27:21,250 --> 00:27:26,875 And the king has wrath that burns against his enemies. 528 00:27:26,958 --> 00:27:29,125 Now, this king is not a perfect king. 529 00:27:29,167 --> 00:27:31,333 He does not have a perfect wrath. 530 00:27:31,375 --> 00:27:34,500 He will not enact a perfect justice. 531 00:27:34,542 --> 00:27:38,167 King Jesus is a perfect King, with a perfect wrath, 532 00:27:38,250 --> 00:27:43,000 who enacts a perfect justice on his enemies. 533 00:27:43,083 --> 00:27:47,917 You should be terrified before that King. 534 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,792 Terrified! 535 00:27:51,833 --> 00:27:57,792 Some of you don't want to hear this, but you need to hear this. 536 00:27:57,833 --> 00:28:01,125 You live in an age in which you are told you are basically 537 00:28:01,167 --> 00:28:06,167 a good person, God is only love, there is no wrath, 538 00:28:06,250 --> 00:28:08,500 he has no enemies. 539 00:28:08,542 --> 00:28:13,875 That's not true. 540 00:28:14,792 --> 00:28:16,625 That's not true. 541 00:28:16,667 --> 00:28:19,333 It doesn't end well for Haman. 542 00:28:19,375 --> 00:28:21,708 It doesn't end, "And he lived happily ever after, 543 00:28:21,792 --> 00:28:24,667 and he had a change of heart, and all went well." 544 00:28:24,750 --> 00:28:30,292 And for some of you, that is your fate at this moment. 545 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:35,500 It's not going to end well for you. 546 00:28:35,583 --> 00:28:39,083 You should know that you will be standing in the presence of 547 00:28:39,167 --> 00:28:44,792 a great King, and he will have a perfect wrath, 548 00:28:44,833 --> 00:28:48,792 and you should be terrified. 549 00:28:52,792 --> 00:28:56,000 And I could just hear the objection, 550 00:28:56,042 --> 00:28:57,500 "I don't believe in hell." 551 00:28:57,542 --> 00:29:00,875 Dear friend, you will. 552 00:29:00,958 --> 00:29:03,583 You will. 553 00:29:03,667 --> 00:29:06,583 And for some of you, you feel no sense of urgency 554 00:29:06,667 --> 00:29:10,708 because you life is, frankly, going quite well. 555 00:29:10,792 --> 00:29:15,625 Haman's was going quite well until the day before. 556 00:29:15,667 --> 00:29:19,208 The second most powerful man on the earth, rich, famous, 557 00:29:19,292 --> 00:29:25,875 bowed down to by the multitudes, access to the king, 558 00:29:25,958 --> 00:29:28,833 given full right to make legal decisions, 559 00:29:28,875 --> 00:29:32,000 and even take human life. 560 00:29:32,083 --> 00:29:35,208 We've even learned that he has friends, which is a miracle, 561 00:29:35,292 --> 00:29:38,500 and a wife who talks to him. 562 00:29:38,583 --> 00:29:42,708 His life is going very well. 563 00:29:42,792 --> 00:29:45,917 And then one day, it flips upside down. 564 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:50,125 Chapter 6 and 7 are two of the most ironic, surprising, 565 00:29:50,167 --> 00:29:53,167 shocking chapters of the whole Bible. 566 00:29:53,250 --> 00:29:56,083 And for some of you, your life is like that. 567 00:29:56,167 --> 00:29:58,833 Everything will be fine until you're in the presence 568 00:29:58,875 --> 00:30:01,333 of the King, and his wrath burns against you, 569 00:30:01,375 --> 00:30:06,208 and you are filled with terror. 570 00:30:06,292 --> 00:30:10,833 "And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking." 571 00:30:10,875 --> 00:30:17,417 Again, his justice, his wrath, his sentencing is not altogether 572 00:30:17,500 --> 00:30:22,917 perfect like the Lord Jesus' will be. 573 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:24,833 "And he went into the palace garden, 574 00:30:24,875 --> 00:30:27,417 "but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, 575 00:30:27,500 --> 00:30:30,083 "for he saw that harm was determined against him 576 00:30:30,167 --> 00:30:31,500 by the king." 577 00:30:31,583 --> 00:30:33,625 He could see it on the king's face. 578 00:30:33,667 --> 00:30:37,125 "Who is the man that wanted to destroy my wife?" 579 00:30:37,167 --> 00:30:39,208 "It's that man." 580 00:30:39,292 --> 00:30:43,583 The king didn't say a word to Haman, he looked at him, 581 00:30:47,500 --> 00:30:50,833 and Haman saw a furious wrath in the eyes of the king 582 00:30:50,875 --> 00:30:55,708 and he realized he was a dead man. 583 00:30:55,792 --> 00:31:00,125 So, the king goes out to the garden to collect his thoughts. 584 00:31:00,167 --> 00:31:02,125 "What am I going to do? 585 00:31:02,167 --> 00:31:07,208 "I've got my wife, the queen, my right-hand man. 586 00:31:07,292 --> 00:31:11,917 "I'm the one who signed the decree to kill the people 587 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:15,625 and I didn't know that my wife was numbered among them." 588 00:31:15,667 --> 00:31:19,125 See, Xerxes' sin has gotten him into 589 00:31:19,167 --> 00:31:24,625 a very difficult situation as well. 590 00:31:24,667 --> 00:31:29,708 Esther is probably very concerned. 591 00:31:29,792 --> 00:31:33,917 Perhaps she will be divorced and deposed like Vashti was earlier 592 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:39,792 in the book because she has complicated the king's life. 593 00:31:42,167 --> 00:31:46,000 Maybe she will be sentenced to death. 594 00:31:46,083 --> 00:31:48,333 Perhaps the king could become angry and say, 595 00:31:48,375 --> 00:31:50,583 "You did not tell me who your God was. 596 00:31:50,667 --> 00:31:53,000 "You did not tell me who your religion was. 597 00:31:53,042 --> 00:31:54,792 "I don't even know who you are. 598 00:31:54,833 --> 00:31:57,333 "You tricked me, you fooled me, you lied to me, 599 00:31:57,375 --> 00:32:00,375 and so you too shall die." 600 00:32:00,458 --> 00:32:01,833 What's going to happen to her? 601 00:32:01,875 --> 00:32:04,333 She doesn't know. 602 00:32:04,375 --> 00:32:06,708 And Haman is terrified. 603 00:32:06,792 --> 00:32:11,000 And Haman arrived at this place because he was furious that 604 00:32:11,083 --> 00:32:15,125 one man would not bow down to him and fall at his feet, 605 00:32:15,167 --> 00:32:18,875 and in great reversal of irony, he throws himself at the feet 606 00:32:18,958 --> 00:32:21,625 of one of God's people. 607 00:32:21,667 --> 00:32:24,417 Not just that, a woman, which in that culture 608 00:32:24,500 --> 00:32:29,125 would have been highly unusual. 609 00:32:29,167 --> 00:32:34,125 The proud Haman is now at the feet of one of God's women. 610 00:32:34,167 --> 00:32:37,708 What's the king going to do? 611 00:32:37,792 --> 00:32:42,000 We then read that Haman is killed. 612 00:32:42,083 --> 00:32:46,667 Before we read, some Sundays you come to church, 613 00:32:46,750 --> 00:32:48,708 it feels like a wedding. 614 00:32:48,792 --> 00:32:50,208 It's amazing. 615 00:32:50,292 --> 00:32:54,833 God showed up, people were saved, let's all celebrate. 616 00:32:54,875 --> 00:32:59,333 Some days you show up, it feels like a funeral. 617 00:32:59,375 --> 00:33:01,667 Somebody died. 618 00:33:01,750 --> 00:33:06,333 Today is Haman's funeral. 619 00:33:06,375 --> 00:33:11,000 A few thousand years later, we're revisiting his death: 620 00:33:11,042 --> 00:33:16,333 why he died and how he died. 621 00:33:16,375 --> 00:33:18,708 This is a funeral. 622 00:33:18,792 --> 00:33:21,625 Chapter 7, verse 8: 623 00:33:21,667 --> 00:33:24,417 "And the king returned from the palace garden to the place 624 00:33:24,500 --> 00:33:28,375 where they were drinking wine," 625 00:33:28,458 --> 00:33:32,667 still drinking, 626 00:33:35,083 --> 00:33:39,583 "as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. 627 00:33:39,667 --> 00:33:42,500 "And the king said, 'Will he even assault the queen in my 628 00:33:42,542 --> 00:33:45,583 presence, in my own house?'" 629 00:33:45,667 --> 00:33:48,000 Now, here's what happens. 630 00:33:48,042 --> 00:33:51,333 He walks in, Queen Esther's on the couch, 631 00:33:51,375 --> 00:33:55,125 Haman throws himself at her feet, and the king declares, 632 00:33:55,167 --> 00:33:57,208 "He's trying to assault my wife." 633 00:33:57,292 --> 00:33:59,417 Do you think that's true? 634 00:33:59,500 --> 00:34:03,625 Do you think at that moment, Haman is thinking, "Romance. 635 00:34:03,667 --> 00:34:07,167 "This is a good point to seduce the king's wife and start 636 00:34:07,250 --> 00:34:09,000 "a romantic relationship. 637 00:34:09,083 --> 00:34:13,333 This seems like the perfect time." 638 00:34:13,375 --> 00:34:15,417 No. 639 00:34:15,500 --> 00:34:19,333 Now, the rule was if you're the queen and you sit on a couch, 640 00:34:19,375 --> 00:34:21,833 you get the whole couch. 641 00:34:21,875 --> 00:34:24,625 Right? 642 00:34:24,667 --> 00:34:29,500 And other men weren't supposed to, "Hey, could you scoot over?" 643 00:34:29,542 --> 00:34:32,667 Still a good rule. Alright? 644 00:34:32,750 --> 00:34:34,625 For my wife, same rule. Whatever. 645 00:34:34,667 --> 00:34:37,625 You know, it's a good rule. 646 00:34:37,667 --> 00:34:39,917 Esther's sitting on the couch. 647 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:43,333 A man is not supposed to be near a woman he's not married to, 648 00:34:43,375 --> 00:34:44,917 especially the queen. 649 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:50,167 The only men who are allowed near the queen are the eunuchs, 650 00:34:50,250 --> 00:34:53,125 and here's Haman begging for his life. 651 00:34:53,167 --> 00:34:55,417 Now, this king is not like our King. 652 00:34:55,500 --> 00:35:02,167 This king, he reinterprets the facts, he rewrites history. 653 00:35:04,083 --> 00:35:08,083 What he says is, "Oh, sexual assault. 654 00:35:08,167 --> 00:35:12,417 "I was wondering how I could kill Haman because he asked 655 00:35:12,500 --> 00:35:14,625 "for the permission to kill God's people, 656 00:35:14,667 --> 00:35:17,708 "and I wrote the edict, so it's blood on my hands. 657 00:35:17,792 --> 00:35:21,667 "I'm trying to figure out how to wipe that blood on Haman. 658 00:35:21,750 --> 00:35:23,500 "I found a way. 659 00:35:23,583 --> 00:35:26,792 "He was trying to sexually assault the queen. 660 00:35:26,833 --> 00:35:29,625 Now I can kill him and I have a reason." 661 00:35:29,667 --> 00:35:31,083 Is that true? 662 00:35:31,167 --> 00:35:32,708 No. 663 00:35:32,792 --> 00:35:36,000 Here's what's ironic: Haman lied about God's people so that he 664 00:35:36,042 --> 00:35:40,208 could kill them, and now his great king is going to lie about 665 00:35:40,292 --> 00:35:44,542 him so that he can kill him. 666 00:35:46,875 --> 00:35:51,417 It's a horrible thing that the king is doing. 667 00:35:51,500 --> 00:35:54,292 We do it too, right? 668 00:35:54,333 --> 00:35:56,292 How many of us have gotten ourselves--or, 669 00:35:56,333 --> 00:35:58,000 I shouldn't say it that way. 670 00:35:58,083 --> 00:36:00,125 All of us have got ourselves into positions 671 00:36:00,167 --> 00:36:02,500 where we're guilty. 672 00:36:02,542 --> 00:36:05,125 The situation that we find ourselves in is totally of our 673 00:36:05,167 --> 00:36:10,583 own doing, our own sin, our own pride, our own folly, 674 00:36:10,667 --> 00:36:13,792 and rather than repent-- 675 00:36:13,833 --> 00:36:18,500 and see, they actually had no repentance. 676 00:36:18,542 --> 00:36:21,083 This is a culture built on unrepentance. 677 00:36:21,167 --> 00:36:23,417 They had something called the Law of the Medes 678 00:36:23,500 --> 00:36:25,833 and the Persians, meaning when the king makes a decree, 679 00:36:25,875 --> 00:36:27,208 it's irreversible. 680 00:36:27,292 --> 00:36:31,000 What that means is the king can never say, "I'm wrong." 681 00:36:31,083 --> 00:36:34,167 Some of us live like we're kings and queens with 682 00:36:34,250 --> 00:36:36,125 the Law of the Medes and the Persians. 683 00:36:36,167 --> 00:36:37,500 "Well, I said it. 684 00:36:37,583 --> 00:36:39,500 "I'm not going to go back on it. 685 00:36:39,583 --> 00:36:41,708 "I'm doing it. I'm not going to back up. 686 00:36:41,792 --> 00:36:43,708 "This is the way it's going to be. 687 00:36:43,792 --> 00:36:45,708 "I don't care if it's right or wrong. 688 00:36:45,792 --> 00:36:47,125 Proceed forward." 689 00:36:47,167 --> 00:36:49,292 And then what happens is things become complicated, 690 00:36:49,333 --> 00:36:51,625 and difficult, and there's a problem, 691 00:36:51,667 --> 00:36:54,833 because that's what happens to unrepentance. 692 00:36:54,875 --> 00:36:59,083 And what we do, then, is we reinterpret the facts 693 00:36:59,167 --> 00:37:04,000 and we rewrite history. 694 00:37:04,083 --> 00:37:05,625 Do you do this? 695 00:37:05,667 --> 00:37:07,167 I do. 696 00:37:07,250 --> 00:37:09,375 Okay, well they said this, and they did that, 697 00:37:09,458 --> 00:37:11,583 and if I could take that out of context, 698 00:37:11,667 --> 00:37:14,083 and combine it with this, and then suspect their motives, 699 00:37:14,167 --> 00:37:16,833 and retell the story, then all of a sudden they're guilty 700 00:37:16,875 --> 00:37:18,375 and I'm innocent. 701 00:37:18,458 --> 00:37:21,792 And it happens. Right? 702 00:37:21,833 --> 00:37:24,500 That's exactly what the king does. 703 00:37:24,583 --> 00:37:26,208 "Well, let's see. 704 00:37:26,292 --> 00:37:29,333 "Haman used my authority and got my permission, 705 00:37:29,375 --> 00:37:33,333 "but now it's risked my wife, which threatens my glory, 706 00:37:33,375 --> 00:37:37,500 "and he didn't sexually assault her, but close enough. 707 00:37:37,542 --> 00:37:38,917 "And I'm the king, 708 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,625 "so here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to take 709 00:37:41,667 --> 00:37:44,625 "certain facts and I'm going to put them together in a way 710 00:37:44,667 --> 00:37:47,125 "that's not entirely true, and then I'm going to retell 711 00:37:47,167 --> 00:37:51,708 "the story and I'm going to call Haman a sexual assault, 712 00:37:51,792 --> 00:37:57,292 "evil-doing, horrific man who threw himself at the queen. 713 00:37:57,333 --> 00:38:00,417 "I'm going to say it loud, I'm going to say it strong. 714 00:38:00,500 --> 00:38:03,917 "Others will believe it, and I can kill him, 715 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:09,125 and I can wipe all the blood on my hands on Haman." 716 00:38:09,167 --> 00:38:13,375 We do it, you do it, I do it. 717 00:38:13,458 --> 00:38:17,125 When we're unrepentant, we start rewriting history, 718 00:38:17,167 --> 00:38:20,000 and reinterpreting the data, and retelling the story so 719 00:38:20,083 --> 00:38:25,292 that it's close to the truth, but it's not. 720 00:38:28,375 --> 00:38:31,500 "After the word left the mouth of the king, 721 00:38:31,542 --> 00:38:36,500 they covered Haman's face." 722 00:38:36,583 --> 00:38:40,083 You know, when someone is taken captive, or a prisoner in war, 723 00:38:40,167 --> 00:38:44,667 a hostage, we see it on the news. 724 00:38:44,750 --> 00:38:48,000 They cover their head. 725 00:38:48,083 --> 00:38:51,375 This happens to Haman. 726 00:38:54,875 --> 00:38:59,958 All Haman ever wanted 727 00:39:00,083 --> 00:39:05,792 was to see the face of his king, 728 00:39:09,792 --> 00:39:13,583 and they covered his face in shame and disgrace 729 00:39:13,667 --> 00:39:19,625 so that he could not see the face of his king. 730 00:39:19,667 --> 00:39:24,417 It's a glorious longing that Haman has 731 00:39:24,500 --> 00:39:27,667 and the wrong king. 732 00:39:31,375 --> 00:39:34,000 See, Jesus is our King. 733 00:39:34,083 --> 00:39:36,917 The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13 that one day 734 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:41,833 we shall see him face to face. 735 00:39:41,875 --> 00:39:45,000 The Reformers would talk about living "coram deo," 736 00:39:45,042 --> 00:39:48,000 which means "in the face of God." 737 00:39:48,083 --> 00:39:53,125 Friends, we are to live in the face of God. 738 00:39:53,167 --> 00:39:57,875 We are to know that set before us is the face of God who sees, 739 00:39:57,958 --> 00:40:03,375 and knows, and hears all that we say, and do, and are, 740 00:40:03,458 --> 00:40:06,875 and we're living "coram deo," 741 00:40:06,958 --> 00:40:10,625 in the face of God. 742 00:40:10,667 --> 00:40:17,125 And one day we will see Jesus face-to-face, 743 00:40:17,167 --> 00:40:20,917 and he will be smiling to welcome us or we will see 744 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:25,125 furious wrath in the eyes of the King. 745 00:40:25,167 --> 00:40:30,000 We have to be living in the face of our King. 746 00:40:30,083 --> 00:40:34,500 Haman had a glorious idea and a horrendous king. 747 00:40:34,583 --> 00:40:36,417 Who's your king? 748 00:40:36,500 --> 00:40:38,500 Who do you live in the face of? 749 00:40:38,583 --> 00:40:41,000 Who do you want to be in the presence of? 750 00:40:41,083 --> 00:40:44,208 Who do you want to know? Who do you want to know you? 751 00:40:44,292 --> 00:40:46,167 Who do you long for the approval of? 752 00:40:46,250 --> 00:40:48,417 Who do you long for the friendship of? 753 00:40:48,500 --> 00:40:50,417 Who do you long for the provision of? 754 00:40:50,500 --> 00:40:52,292 That's your king. 755 00:40:52,333 --> 00:40:56,167 Spouse, family, friend, coworker, neighbor, enemy, 756 00:40:56,250 --> 00:41:01,125 false god, a mirror, yourself. 757 00:41:01,167 --> 00:41:05,167 Who's your king? 758 00:41:07,292 --> 00:41:12,917 Let me tell you this: you're going to die. 759 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:15,500 Haman was not ready to die. 760 00:41:15,583 --> 00:41:20,500 Are you ready to die? 761 00:41:20,542 --> 00:41:23,208 As we look at the death of one man, 762 00:41:23,292 --> 00:41:27,917 we must remember the death of every man, because all have sinned, 763 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:29,417 death comes for all. 764 00:41:29,500 --> 00:41:32,917 Every time you go to the fridge and you take food out and you 765 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:38,000 check the expiration date, I want you to remember 766 00:41:38,083 --> 00:41:41,708 there's a date set for you as well. 767 00:41:41,792 --> 00:41:43,667 You're going to die. 768 00:41:43,750 --> 00:41:48,208 You don't know when that day is, but you are living in the face 769 00:41:48,292 --> 00:41:51,125 of God, and when you die, you'll be standing 770 00:41:51,167 --> 00:41:56,875 face-to-face with God. 771 00:42:00,792 --> 00:42:05,208 "Then Harbona," verse 9, "one of the eunuchs in attendance 772 00:42:05,292 --> 00:42:06,875 on the king, said--" 773 00:42:06,958 --> 00:42:08,625 Before we get to what he said, 774 00:42:08,667 --> 00:42:10,792 let me say this: his name is mentioned. 775 00:42:10,833 --> 00:42:12,167 All Scripture is God-breathed, profitable. 776 00:42:12,250 --> 00:42:15,500 God doesn't waste a word. 777 00:42:15,583 --> 00:42:18,500 This man's name is listed. 778 00:42:18,542 --> 00:42:20,208 Do you know why? 779 00:42:20,292 --> 00:42:24,500 Though he is only a bit character in this injustice 780 00:42:24,583 --> 00:42:28,625 and death sentence, he is nonetheless morally responsible 781 00:42:28,667 --> 00:42:31,500 in the face of God. 782 00:42:31,542 --> 00:42:34,000 Some of you would look at the story and say, 783 00:42:34,083 --> 00:42:36,000 "I'm not a Haman." 784 00:42:36,042 --> 00:42:38,208 Maybe you're a Harbona. 785 00:42:38,292 --> 00:42:40,333 You didn't come up with a bad plan, 786 00:42:40,375 --> 00:42:42,208 you didn't create all the problems, 787 00:42:42,292 --> 00:42:48,125 but you're there involved to some degree and you're guilty 788 00:42:48,167 --> 00:42:54,000 for participating in injustice and evil. 789 00:42:54,042 --> 00:42:58,917 What's he going to say? 790 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:02,417 "Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, 791 00:43:02,500 --> 00:43:05,833 "whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, 792 00:43:05,875 --> 00:43:07,792 fifty cubits high." 793 00:43:07,833 --> 00:43:11,208 Seventy-five feet, which was quite tall in that day. 794 00:43:11,292 --> 00:43:16,083 "And the king said, 'Hang him on that.' 795 00:43:16,167 --> 00:43:20,417 "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had 796 00:43:20,500 --> 00:43:23,500 "prepared for Mordecai. 797 00:43:23,583 --> 00:43:27,500 Then the wrath of the king abated." 798 00:43:27,542 --> 00:43:30,708 See, a king's wrath requires a sacrifice. 799 00:43:30,792 --> 00:43:32,875 It requires death. 800 00:43:32,958 --> 00:43:36,792 It requires that blood be shed. 801 00:43:36,833 --> 00:43:39,625 This is just an unjust king, 802 00:43:39,667 --> 00:43:43,333 and Jesus is a perfectly just King, 803 00:43:43,375 --> 00:43:47,000 but that wrath of the king always needs to be abated 804 00:43:47,042 --> 00:43:49,583 and somebody has to get crucified. 805 00:43:49,667 --> 00:43:53,333 In this case, it's Haman. 806 00:43:53,375 --> 00:43:59,083 He so longed to crucify Mordecai, 807 00:44:01,167 --> 00:44:04,208 he built a 75-foot-high impaling pole, 808 00:44:04,292 --> 00:44:07,583 which is the precursor to crucifixion, Roman style, 809 00:44:07,667 --> 00:44:09,500 that Jesus suffered. 810 00:44:09,583 --> 00:44:14,417 He had it built in his backyard so that when he would hang his 811 00:44:14,500 --> 00:44:20,333 enemy, it would be high so that others would see that he is 812 00:44:20,375 --> 00:44:25,500 a man to be bowed down to. 813 00:44:25,542 --> 00:44:31,500 The day before, he finished making this cross, 814 00:44:33,750 --> 00:44:39,292 and he was anticipating the execution of one of 815 00:44:39,333 --> 00:44:41,917 God's people. 816 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:45,667 And in a horrendous day of transition, 817 00:44:45,750 --> 00:44:48,708 the worst day of Mordecai's life, 818 00:44:48,792 --> 00:44:52,708 he is hung on his own cross, in his own yard, 819 00:44:52,792 --> 00:44:58,333 in front of his own family. 820 00:44:58,375 --> 00:45:05,250 He is bleeding, and weeping, and shrieking, and dying. 821 00:45:09,167 --> 00:45:14,000 And what's worse is he closed his eyes and opened them to see 822 00:45:14,042 --> 00:45:19,667 another King with a deeper wrath and a more perfect justice. 823 00:45:23,375 --> 00:45:27,792 One of my responsibilities in the face of God as your pastor 824 00:45:27,833 --> 00:45:32,917 is to prepare you for your day of death. 825 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:36,292 Are you ready to die? 826 00:45:36,333 --> 00:45:39,583 Are you living in the face of God? 827 00:45:39,667 --> 00:45:45,333 Does the King's wrath still burn against you? 828 00:45:45,375 --> 00:45:48,208 People don't talk about sin, they don't talk about death, 829 00:45:48,292 --> 00:45:53,500 they don't talk about hell, but Jesus does more than anyone. 830 00:45:53,583 --> 00:45:56,667 How are you feeling right now? 831 00:45:56,750 --> 00:46:02,292 What are you thinking right now? 832 00:46:02,333 --> 00:46:08,292 It reveals a lot about how you see sin and God, 833 00:46:08,333 --> 00:46:10,708 what you're thinking and feeling in moments like this, 834 00:46:10,792 --> 00:46:13,625 disorienting, troubling, 835 00:46:13,667 --> 00:46:19,583 disturbing moments like this. 836 00:46:19,667 --> 00:46:24,458 How many of you, you're bothered by this? 837 00:46:28,167 --> 00:46:31,208 You're thinking, 838 00:46:31,292 --> 00:46:36,333 "Haman is a man we don't know much about. 839 00:46:36,375 --> 00:46:38,417 "We don't know about his upbringing. 840 00:46:38,500 --> 00:46:40,375 "We don't know about his family. 841 00:46:40,458 --> 00:46:42,917 "Was he mistreated? Was he abused? 842 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:45,292 "Was he unloved? 843 00:46:45,333 --> 00:46:49,500 "Did he have any medical, chemical, hormonal, 844 00:46:49,583 --> 00:46:52,000 "biological problems? 845 00:46:52,083 --> 00:46:53,667 "Was he suffering? 846 00:46:53,750 --> 00:46:55,417 "What was his marriage like? 847 00:46:55,500 --> 00:46:57,167 "What had people done to him? 848 00:46:57,250 --> 00:46:58,708 "We just don't know. 849 00:46:58,792 --> 00:47:00,708 "Maybe if we had more psychological insight 850 00:47:00,792 --> 00:47:04,000 "and information, we could interpret Haman 851 00:47:04,042 --> 00:47:07,208 "in light of his circumstances. 852 00:47:07,292 --> 00:47:08,833 "Yes, there's a lot of darkness, 853 00:47:08,875 --> 00:47:11,000 "but in him there must be some light. 854 00:47:11,083 --> 00:47:12,667 "He's probably a good person. 855 00:47:12,750 --> 00:47:14,583 "He's probably misunderstood. 856 00:47:14,667 --> 00:47:17,208 "You know, whoever told the story was probably 857 00:47:17,292 --> 00:47:19,000 "biased against him. 858 00:47:19,083 --> 00:47:22,000 "This doesn't seem like incredibly objective history. 859 00:47:22,083 --> 00:47:24,625 "We just don't know enough facts. 860 00:47:24,667 --> 00:47:27,000 "I'm not sure he should have suffered this fate. 861 00:47:27,083 --> 00:47:28,625 "I'm not sure this is sufficient. 862 00:47:28,667 --> 00:47:32,583 "This seems too much, too dark, too intense, too harsh. 863 00:47:32,667 --> 00:47:35,708 "I'm not sure I'm okay with this, and I certainly don't like 864 00:47:35,792 --> 00:47:40,208 "to hear that maybe God treats people like this. 865 00:47:40,292 --> 00:47:43,792 It bothers me." 866 00:47:43,833 --> 00:47:46,500 Then you think that you're not that sinful, 867 00:47:46,542 --> 00:47:51,250 and he's not that holy, and your life isn't that bad. 868 00:47:53,750 --> 00:48:00,667 How many of you wrongly, really like this? 869 00:48:02,375 --> 00:48:04,417 "He got crucified in his yard? 870 00:48:04,500 --> 00:48:08,375 "That's awesome! That's awesome! 871 00:48:08,458 --> 00:48:11,792 "Oh that more would be crucified in their yard. 872 00:48:11,833 --> 00:48:15,708 "Oh that all the bad guys, and all the evil-doers, 873 00:48:15,792 --> 00:48:20,375 "and all those who wreak injustice and havoc 874 00:48:20,458 --> 00:48:23,833 would suffer that fate." 875 00:48:23,875 --> 00:48:26,417 Even people who don't believe that we're sinners and that God 876 00:48:26,500 --> 00:48:30,083 is holy and hell is real, you say, 877 00:48:30,167 --> 00:48:32,875 "What about Adolf Hitler and what about child molesters?" 878 00:48:32,958 --> 00:48:35,625 They're like, "That sounds good. 879 00:48:35,667 --> 00:48:38,167 "Hell's fine for them, but not everybody. 880 00:48:38,250 --> 00:48:40,333 "Just the really bad guys. 881 00:48:40,375 --> 00:48:43,500 "The really bad guys should get treated like this. 882 00:48:43,542 --> 00:48:45,583 "They should be made a public spectacle of. 883 00:48:45,667 --> 00:48:47,625 "They should suffer. They should bleed. 884 00:48:47,667 --> 00:48:50,000 They should die." 885 00:48:50,083 --> 00:48:53,417 How many of you, perhaps too much, 886 00:48:53,500 --> 00:48:57,625 are really glad that this is how it's ended for Haman. 887 00:48:57,667 --> 00:48:59,500 You were even coming here today saying, 888 00:48:59,583 --> 00:49:01,167 "I know where we're going. 889 00:49:01,250 --> 00:49:05,792 That's why I'm here." 890 00:49:05,833 --> 00:49:12,042 See, what happens is we love it when those evil people get it, 891 00:49:13,833 --> 00:49:19,917 but we're not evil so we shouldn't get it. 892 00:49:20,000 --> 00:49:22,417 We can see their sin more clearly than our own. 893 00:49:22,500 --> 00:49:24,875 We can see their guilt more than our own. 894 00:49:24,958 --> 00:49:27,792 We can cheer their justice more than our own. 895 00:49:27,833 --> 00:49:31,667 It's called hypocrisy and self-righteousness, 896 00:49:31,750 --> 00:49:37,583 and it tends to be the preferred diet of those who are religious. 897 00:49:39,167 --> 00:49:43,125 How many of you are just flat out confused and conflicted? 898 00:49:43,167 --> 00:49:46,000 You're like, "I'm kind of feeling both. 899 00:49:46,042 --> 00:49:48,625 "I think, well, it's good that God's people are spared, 900 00:49:48,667 --> 00:49:50,875 "it's good that Haman was dealt with, 901 00:49:50,958 --> 00:49:53,167 "it's good that they're going to live, 902 00:49:53,250 --> 00:49:56,208 "but being crucified in your yard in front of your family 903 00:49:56,292 --> 00:50:02,000 "seems a bit much, so I'm conflicted. 904 00:50:02,083 --> 00:50:05,917 "I'm glad for the results but I'm grieved by the process. 905 00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:09,208 "I'm sitting on a little throne wondering what I would do if I 906 00:50:09,292 --> 00:50:12,583 "was God, and I'm wondering if I would do a better job than God 907 00:50:12,667 --> 00:50:18,167 because I'm second-guessing what he has decreed to be done." 908 00:50:24,833 --> 00:50:31,292 In one day, two things happen: salvation and condemnation. 909 00:50:31,333 --> 00:50:36,583 In one day, Haman was condemned. 910 00:50:36,667 --> 00:50:38,833 Let me just tell you this, okay? 911 00:50:38,875 --> 00:50:41,500 I love you, I'm not glorying in this. 912 00:50:41,583 --> 00:50:45,708 Like Esther, I just want to tell you the truth. 913 00:50:45,792 --> 00:50:47,500 Haman didn't get saved. 914 00:50:47,542 --> 00:50:49,708 We have no evidence of that. 915 00:50:49,792 --> 00:50:51,917 Haman didn't repent. 916 00:50:52,000 --> 00:50:58,333 Haman never apologized to the God of the Bible 917 00:50:58,375 --> 00:51:01,000 and saw forgiveness. 918 00:51:01,042 --> 00:51:04,333 Haman never joined God's people. 919 00:51:04,375 --> 00:51:06,917 When you go to a funeral and here's what happens: 920 00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:09,208 people, they mean well, but they don't help. 921 00:51:09,292 --> 00:51:12,208 They say things like, "Well, I'm sure they went to be in 922 00:51:12,292 --> 00:51:13,667 a better place." 923 00:51:13,750 --> 00:51:19,500 It's rude to say, "No they didn't," but it's true, 924 00:51:19,583 --> 00:51:21,833 because not everybody who dies automatically goes to 925 00:51:21,875 --> 00:51:23,500 a better place. 926 00:51:23,583 --> 00:51:28,500 Some people stand face-to-face with God who is a King whose 927 00:51:28,542 --> 00:51:34,583 wrath burns against them, and his wrath is only abated 928 00:51:34,667 --> 00:51:37,917 through justice meted out against them forever. 929 00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:41,417 And let me say this: God punishes everyone in hell 930 00:51:41,500 --> 00:51:46,917 forever, the Bible says, "according to their deeds," 931 00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:49,333 meaning the worse life you live, 932 00:51:49,375 --> 00:51:51,500 the more suffering you endure. 933 00:51:51,542 --> 00:51:54,708 It's always punishment fits the crime. 934 00:51:54,792 --> 00:51:58,417 And I just--I know some of you say, "Well, we don't know. 935 00:51:58,500 --> 00:52:00,708 "Maybe Haman got saved. Maybe everybody got saved. 936 00:52:00,792 --> 00:52:03,917 "Maybe he lived in an eternal state for awhile and came to 937 00:52:04,000 --> 00:52:06,333 repentance, or maybe he ceased to exist," 938 00:52:06,375 --> 00:52:11,667 or maybe Jesus isn't a liar. 939 00:52:11,750 --> 00:52:18,208 And maybe right now, right now, 940 00:52:18,292 --> 00:52:21,000 when the Bible talks about weeping, 941 00:52:21,042 --> 00:52:24,208 and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, 942 00:52:24,292 --> 00:52:26,917 injustice under the wrath of God, 943 00:52:27,000 --> 00:52:32,333 that's what Haman is experiencing right now, 944 00:52:34,542 --> 00:52:39,500 2,000-plus years later. 945 00:52:44,500 --> 00:52:50,667 Some of you are going to join him. 946 00:52:50,750 --> 00:52:57,375 Some of you are living in the path of the wrath of God 947 00:52:57,458 --> 00:53:02,792 and some of you don't sense any urgency because, like Haman, 948 00:53:02,833 --> 00:53:04,833 your life has not flipped. 949 00:53:04,875 --> 00:53:09,208 It's still working for you. 950 00:53:09,292 --> 00:53:15,417 The reason Haman died, the reason Haman was condemned, 951 00:53:15,500 --> 00:53:19,000 was because he was a sinner and not identified 952 00:53:19,083 --> 00:53:22,917 as one of God's people. 953 00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:27,000 So, in one day, there was condemnation because he was not 954 00:53:27,042 --> 00:53:31,167 one of God's people, but there was salvation 955 00:53:31,250 --> 00:53:34,292 for all of God's people. 956 00:53:34,333 --> 00:53:37,625 See, God doesn't just save us individually. 957 00:53:37,667 --> 00:53:43,083 He wants, the Bible says, "a people for his own possession." 958 00:53:45,792 --> 00:53:51,125 And they were saved because Esther, the ruler, 959 00:53:51,167 --> 00:53:55,875 identified herself with her people. 960 00:54:01,083 --> 00:54:06,167 And this is all a portrait and a picture of the coming of Jesus, 961 00:54:06,250 --> 00:54:09,708 because Jesus is a better Esther. 962 00:54:09,792 --> 00:54:14,292 That the great King against whom we have sinned whose wrath burns 963 00:54:14,333 --> 00:54:18,875 against us, he gets off his throne, 964 00:54:18,958 --> 00:54:24,375 he comes into history as one of God's people, the same race, 965 00:54:24,458 --> 00:54:29,500 the same group that Haman sought to destroy. 966 00:54:32,167 --> 00:54:36,500 And unlike Esther, he lives without any sin. 967 00:54:36,542 --> 00:54:40,875 Esther's not a perfect savior. 968 00:54:44,083 --> 00:54:49,292 And he identifies himself with his people, 969 00:54:49,333 --> 00:54:51,708 and because of his identification with his people, 970 00:54:51,792 --> 00:54:54,625 all of God's people are saved. 971 00:54:54,667 --> 00:54:58,333 The story is amazing, but imagine this: 972 00:54:58,375 --> 00:55:01,125 imagine the moment where 973 00:55:01,167 --> 00:55:05,875 King Xerxes looked at Haman and said, 974 00:55:05,958 --> 00:55:09,500 "Take this man and crucify him now!" 975 00:55:09,542 --> 00:55:13,500 Imagine if in that moment, Esther walked over to Haman 976 00:55:13,583 --> 00:55:19,208 and said, "I forgive you and I love you, and King, 977 00:55:19,292 --> 00:55:26,000 "I will take his place and I'll be crucified for him, my enemy, 978 00:55:26,083 --> 00:55:33,000 so that he can become one of God's people and take my place." 979 00:55:33,042 --> 00:55:36,625 That would have been amazing. 980 00:55:36,667 --> 00:55:38,000 That's what Jesus did. 981 00:55:38,083 --> 00:55:42,417 That's why Jesus is a better Esther. 982 00:55:42,500 --> 00:55:47,667 We're Haman, and either we die for our sin 983 00:55:47,750 --> 00:55:50,083 or Jesus dies for it. 984 00:55:50,167 --> 00:55:55,000 Either the wrath of the King is abated through our punishment 985 00:55:55,042 --> 00:56:00,125 or the wrath of the King is abated through his punishment. 986 00:56:00,167 --> 00:56:04,292 See, the Lord Jesus identified himself with you and me 987 00:56:04,333 --> 00:56:08,000 and with us, and he did one thing 988 00:56:08,083 --> 00:56:12,708 that Esther did not do. 989 00:56:12,792 --> 00:56:17,333 He died not only for his people, but his enemies 990 00:56:17,375 --> 00:56:22,375 to make them his people. 991 00:56:23,375 --> 00:56:25,125 Do you know Jesus? 992 00:56:25,167 --> 00:56:26,708 Do you love Jesus? 993 00:56:26,792 --> 00:56:28,333 Do you belong to Jesus? 994 00:56:28,375 --> 00:56:30,583 Are you living in the face of Jesus? 995 00:56:30,667 --> 00:56:32,417 Is Jesus your King? 996 00:56:32,500 --> 00:56:36,000 Did he die for your sin or will he punish you for your own? 997 00:56:36,083 --> 00:56:38,875 Now, let me say this: every time I talk about hell, 998 00:56:38,958 --> 00:56:41,333 immediately people struggle with the thought of Jesus 999 00:56:41,375 --> 00:56:42,875 ruling hell. 1000 00:56:42,958 --> 00:56:46,000 No one has trouble conceiving of Jesus ruling heaven; 1001 00:56:46,083 --> 00:56:49,833 there's always struggle hearing of Jesus ruling hell. 1002 00:56:49,875 --> 00:56:54,583 Revelation 14:10, it says that they--and when it says they, 1003 00:56:54,667 --> 00:56:58,500 it means some of you. 1004 00:56:58,542 --> 00:57:05,000 Some of you will be tormented forever 1005 00:57:05,083 --> 00:57:10,167 in the presence of the Lamb, Jesus. 1006 00:57:11,792 --> 00:57:16,417 The one who died for our sin 1007 00:57:16,500 --> 00:57:20,500 is also the one who punishes those 1008 00:57:20,583 --> 00:57:26,250 who die without repenting of their sin, and that's justice. 1009 00:57:29,583 --> 00:57:33,167 Friends, you will either hang on your own cross like Haman did 1010 00:57:33,250 --> 00:57:36,833 for your own sin, or Jesus hung on a cross 1011 00:57:36,875 --> 00:57:41,917 in your place for your sin. 1012 00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:47,500 Let me close with this: Jesus is a better Esther. 1013 00:57:49,375 --> 00:57:52,083 Xerxes went to a garden in preparation for rescuing God's 1014 00:57:52,167 --> 00:57:56,500 people by killing Haman; Jesus went to a garden and sweated 1015 00:57:56,583 --> 00:58:02,208 blood in preparation to rescue God's people by being killed 1016 00:58:02,292 --> 00:58:05,375 by men like Haman. 1017 00:58:05,458 --> 00:58:08,708 Haman was crucified for his sin, 1018 00:58:08,792 --> 00:58:13,625 but Jesus was crucified for our sin. 1019 00:58:13,667 --> 00:58:18,417 Haman gave God's people no grace and endured wrath, 1020 00:58:18,500 --> 00:58:22,917 but Jesus endured wrath for God's people and gives us 1021 00:58:23,000 --> 00:58:26,000 only grace. 1022 00:58:26,083 --> 00:58:32,292 Haman hung on his cross, but Jesus hung on our cross. 1023 00:58:32,333 --> 00:58:37,000 Esther saved God's people spread across one nation 1024 00:58:37,042 --> 00:58:41,500 in one generation, but Jesus saves God's--say it again. 1025 00:58:41,583 --> 00:58:45,500 But Jesus saves God's people from every nation 1026 00:58:45,542 --> 00:58:48,500 in every generation. 1027 00:58:48,542 --> 00:58:53,000 And God's people were spared death because Esther identified 1028 00:58:53,083 --> 00:58:59,000 with them, but God's people are spared eternal death because 1029 00:58:59,083 --> 00:59:03,000 Jesus Christ identifies with us. 1030 00:59:03,042 --> 00:59:08,208 Lord Jesus, you are a great King. 1031 00:59:08,292 --> 00:59:14,792 You're a perfect King, a much better King than Xerxes. 1032 00:59:16,167 --> 00:59:22,333 You have truly been sinned against by everyone. 1033 00:59:22,375 --> 00:59:28,500 We thank you, Lord Jesus, that though your wrath, 1034 00:59:28,583 --> 00:59:34,417 and your justice, and your anger will deal with sin, 1035 00:59:34,500 --> 00:59:37,625 that at the cross, you found a loving, humble, 1036 00:59:37,667 --> 00:59:43,625 gracious way to also deal with our sin, with our treason, 1037 00:59:43,667 --> 00:59:49,000 with our evil, with our injustice. 1038 00:59:49,083 --> 00:59:54,625 Lord Jesus, as Esther identified herself with the people of God, 1039 00:59:54,667 --> 00:59:57,000 we thank you for coming, Lord Jesus, 1040 00:59:57,083 --> 01:00:01,917 to identify with us, the people of God. 1041 01:00:02,000 --> 01:00:06,875 As her decision spared their lives, we thank you, Lord Jesus, 1042 01:00:06,958 --> 01:00:12,292 that your decision for obedience spares our lives. 1043 01:00:14,542 --> 01:00:20,292 Lord God, as we look at Haman, we realize we are like him. 1044 01:00:22,458 --> 01:00:28,417 We are selfish, we are proud, we are bitter, 1045 01:00:28,500 --> 01:00:34,333 we are vindictive, we are self-righteous, 1046 01:00:34,375 --> 01:00:37,500 and we are enemies of you. 1047 01:00:37,583 --> 01:00:39,708 And as he hangs on his cross, Lord God, 1048 01:00:39,792 --> 01:00:43,500 we are reminded of the fate of all who are unrepentant, 1049 01:00:43,583 --> 01:00:46,917 and we pray, Holy Spirit, that you would come now and grant 1050 01:00:47,000 --> 01:00:50,833 the grace of repentance, 1051 01:00:50,875 --> 01:00:52,708 that people who are your enemies 1052 01:00:52,792 --> 01:00:57,875 would become your people, that Jesus would take their place, 1053 01:00:57,958 --> 01:01:00,500 and that he would endure their wrath, 1054 01:01:00,542 --> 01:01:06,375 and that they would take his place and enjoy his grace. 1055 01:01:08,750 --> 01:01:11,333 Lord God, help us to read the Scriptures in a way 1056 01:01:11,375 --> 01:01:16,417 that is gospel-centered, that is Jesus-focused, 1057 01:01:16,500 --> 01:01:20,833 that is not just about morality and psychology, 1058 01:01:20,875 --> 01:01:23,875 that is not making excuses for people so that we too 1059 01:01:23,958 --> 01:01:28,708 might excuse ourselves. 1060 01:01:28,792 --> 01:01:32,000 God, I pray for those who, right now, 1061 01:01:32,042 --> 01:01:38,667 they know that they are living in the face of a great King. 1062 01:01:40,500 --> 01:01:45,417 I pray that they would sense a right terror, 1063 01:01:45,500 --> 01:01:48,875 that they would have a sense of urgency, 1064 01:01:48,958 --> 01:01:52,417 that they would not wait until their life wasn't working, 1065 01:01:52,500 --> 01:01:56,583 because for some, it will work until they die 1066 01:01:56,667 --> 01:02:00,625 and then it will not work forever. 1067 01:02:00,667 --> 01:02:05,625 Lord Jesus, we thank you for being a better Esther. 1068 01:02:05,667 --> 01:02:09,792 We thank you for dying on the cross in our place for our sins 1069 01:02:09,833 --> 01:02:13,500 and rising as our Savior so that you can hear this prayer. 1070 01:02:13,542 --> 01:02:15,333 Amen.