4/25/2016
4/24/16 For Such a Time as This | Evernote Web
Party like its 1999
Picture= 2016 please stop taking our favorite actors and singers and we would like to offer you
politicians, Kardashians and stupid people
Introduction
In the series "Our Story"
1st week "Our Story can Change the World"
We can do greater things than Jesus Did
2nd week "God Uses the Ordinary"
Nehemiah
Ordinary for the Extraordinary= Vision, Don't get distracted
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Last week "Our Story begins in Private"
David
Heart, Public blessing comes from Private Devotion
Esther 4:12­17
12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not
think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you
keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your
father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as
this?" 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and
hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will
also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I
perish." 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
Have you ever asked why?
Why am I positioned where I am? Why do I work where I work? Why do I live where I live? Why do I
go to school where I go to school? Why do I go to church where I go to church? You do what you do
because God has assigned you there ­ and here – “for such at time as this.”
That's the Challenge= For Such a time as this
Everything in your life has been brought to this point in 2016, this place right here
Our Story, Your Story is to build God's Kingdom, Help God's people, and fulfill the Lord's purpose
God created you for a divine appointment ­ a unique role to fulfill in your life ­ just like Esther! 3 reasons you where placed here "For Such a Time as This"
1. God's people are hurting
Esther was chosen by the King of Persia after a pageant of sort?= Veggie Tales
Queen Vashti refused to come before the King so the King banished her of sorts
Esther was chosen after the pageant and the King loved her but didn't know she was a
Jew
Evil Haman, 2nd in charge of the Kingdom hated Esther's cousin Mordecai b/c he
wouldn't bow down before him and therefore manipulated the King to issue a decree to
have all the Jews killed
Haman didn't know that Queen Esther was a Jew
So a day was set for the Jews to die
Threat of Death
Jews lived with the threat of death
In 2016 in the United States
Don't really live with the threat of physical death
Threat of death is still there
Death of family, death of morality, death of eternity
Wherever people of God are there is always the threat of death
Why "For Such a Time as This"­ B/C God's people are hurting
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2. The hero of the story has been discovered
Esther didn't think she was the person for the job
v. 10­11 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and
say, 11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any
man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but
one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden
scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king
these thirty days."
Mordecai's response in v.13­14 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not
think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other
Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews
from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether
you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Mordecai­ Don't act­ Die as a Jew period, Act­ risk dying as the Queen, or you might be
a hero
Jesus in John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his
life for his friends.
Sometimes in order to be the hero God has designed for us to be we must risk
death
Might not be physical death
Death of a relationship/friendship
Death of our career­ Always said I would be willing to be fired over my faith at
school
For Esther this was a testament to her character, not only was she beautiful on the
outside (won the beauty pageant), but also beautiful on the inside
Heart, talked about it Last week
1 Samuel 16:7 . . . . For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
1. Teachable Heart­
Proverbs 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
Esther was taught by Mordecai when she was young and she is still
listening to him
Could of said "I'm the queen and don't have to listen to you", but didn't
God is looking for a teachable heart
2. Prayerful Heart­
Esther never actually says pray, but she tells Mordecai to assemble the
people and fast
Praying is assumed
Esther knew she needed prayer, and a special intervention so she
called for a fast
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Fasting is a sign that we mean business, no ordinary task
To fulfill our mission "For Such a Time as This", we must realize that
we are not the source, God is the source!
The Holy Spirit gives us the power to fulfill it, it is not of our own accord
God is looking for a prayerful heart
3. Sacrificial Heart
v. 16 Esther says "and if I perish, I perish"
God is looking for hero's that will give of them self
Mark Rutland 21 seconds to Change Your World
Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23
It has been great and given me a lot of new insight
"Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven"
That is sacrifice
Not my will but yours
Esther was willing to risk her life to do something for God's hurting
people
God is looking for a sacrificial heart
3. God's power on Display
Prayer and fasting for God's power to be on display
What happened at that crucial moment when Esther went in before the king w/o
permission and risked death? Nothing, the King responded to her invitation very lovingly
and openly
Isn't that the way it is a lot of times the fear of the event, is actually much worse
than the event itself!
Eventually after two dinners Esther was able to bring the situation in front of the King
Haman was killed on the very gallows he built for Mordecai's death
Jews were saved
Mordecai was second in command­ Haman's job
Psalm 68:35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who
gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!
God's power was on Display!
What does this mean for Ebenezer? What does this mean for Our Story?
1. God's people are hurting
In our Community
In our work places
In our schools
Threat of death to family, morality, eternity is as present now as it was in Esther's day
2. The hero has been discovered
That is us, you, me and all of the followers of Jesus
Heart, what does He see?
Teachable heart­ look for opportunities this week to be taught
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Prayerful heart­Realize that the source is God and we need to stay in contact with Him in
order to be able to accomplish His vision­ Consider fasting
Sacrificial heart­ 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the
whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.
What does it matter if you get involved or not?
It matters greatly because it shows what’s in your heart.
Edward Everett Hale…
I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything;
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
3. God's Power on display
Recognize the hurt
Realize we must do something about it
In Prayer seek God
God will show up in a mighty way
Are you struggling today? Caught in between a rock and a hard place?
Stop, take a breath and look around. Look for the hand of God leading you and orchestrating
the events around you.
Coaching and telling my pitchers/batters to take a breath
Who knows, but that you have been lead to right where you are, for such a time as this. Never let the fact that God is invisible cause you to doubt the fact that God is invincible.
Closing
Notice something. The link between God’s people in distress and God’s power on display is God’s
person. That's you. . . . . that's me. . . . . . . .that's the follower of Christ
It’s no accident that you are at Ebenezer. Like He did with Esther, God is challenging you, “Who
knows but that you were placed here for just such a time as this?” I hope that you are as excited about where Ebenezer is going as I am!
We need you. God wants you to accomplish His purpose through Ebenezer and we can't do it w/o
you!
The only way to accomplish this= every person says, "I'm All in"
God knows everything about you and sees you as His masterpiece, and will never give up on
creating you to be everything he created you to be.
give permission to God to take control of your life.
If you don’t know Jesus, He’s here. He loves you. He died to pay the penalty for your sins. He rose
again. If you haven’t already, ask Jesus to come into your life right now. Jesus wants you, Ebenezer needs you, I need you, please come!
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