Remaining Faithful to God When You Are Not Where You Want to Be

Esther chapter 4 verse 14 and I know what some of you are probably saying is well he's

Esther 4:14

preached on this passage multiple times over the last 10 years and you would be correct

and I will probably continue to preach from Esther at least once a year but that ain't

bad 51 other weeks you don't have to hear a story of Esther but it is such a good story

in my opinion one of the best stories in all of the Bible and if you have never read the

book of Esther then I would encourage you to read the story we will read this one verse

and I'll tell you some of the story today and Lord willing we will finish the story

next week but Esther is an interesting book and that it is one of only two books in the

Bible that does not mention the word God God is not mentioned anywhere in the book of Esther

are in the book of song of songs and that seems kind of like an odd thing that some

of God's word would fail to mention God and even though God is not mentioned specifically

it is clear that God is is in the store it is clear that God has worked in the story

it is clear that the characters in the story are people who seek God and seek God's deliverance

and so we'll read Esther chapter 4 verse 14 then we will pray and we'll get started if

Esther 4:14

you keep silent at this time liberation and deliverance will come from the Jewish people

from another place but you and your father's house will be destroyed who knows perhaps

you have come to your royal position for such a time as this let's pray God we thank you

for your good work I pray that you'd bless this word today God I pray that your Holy

Spirit would free us from the worries and the pains and the distractions of this world

dear Lord I pray that you would help us to know that that you help us to be where we

are in life God sometimes it's not where we want to be but dear Lord you put us where

we need to be dear Lord for our good and maybe for the good of others so God I pray that

for us today that there may be a time and a place that we are right now in our life

that you want to use us and I pray that you would help us not to miss that opportunity

and I ask these things in Jesus name amen the story of Esther really begins when the

people of Judah are overtaken by the Babylonians God had been very patient with his people

for a long time and and part of his people that were known as Israel they were overtaken

some years before and then the people of Judah they did pretty good and they had a couple

of good kings that helped them to to kind of keep focus on God but but not really and

ultimately due to their sinfulness and disobedient God was going to get their attention and he

handed them over to the Babylonians and the Babylonians come in and and overtook the people

and it kind of scattered them all throughout the surrounding lands and so God's people

the Jewish people were were at all different places and some of them ended up in the land

of the Medes and the Persians now now me the Medes and the Persians had a large portion

of land that they had overtaken by this time much many of the places that you read about

in scripture all around that area and all to the east of what you read about in scripture

that was pretty much under the commands of the Medes and the Persians and the king at

the time was King Xerxes now some of your translations when you read the book of Esther

will say a Haceres same person went by multiple names but I'll call him Xerxes today that's

what some of your translations will say and King Xerxes was the king of the day and some

of the Jewish people were living there in the kingdom of King Xerxes and there really

wasn't a problem there was no real issue with the Jews to speak of they just kind of lived

their normal life no no real issues and the king of Persia King Xerxes it tells us in

the beginning of the book of Esther that he had this big get-together for everybody to

come and a big feast and for six months it says that King Xerxes showed off his great

wealth everybody was there all the officials of the kingdom had come it was a big kingdom

it covered a large portion of land but the capital of the city was in Susa that's where

the king was and all of these people came to see the great wealth of the king that he

desired to show off and at the end of this six months he held a massive party I'm talking

about it was the best of the best everything was exquisite all the decorations were exquisite

the wine was the best of the best the food was the best of the best and he was showing

off his wealth and his power and everybody in the kingdom could see this well being a

big party the king wanted to show off the queen of course the king has the most beautiful

woman in the kingdom and at that time the queen was a lady by the name of Vashti and

Vashti was a very beautiful woman and the king wanting to show off all the beauty of

his wealth and of his queen summoned for the queen to come to the party well the queen

refused queen Vashti said I am not coming to this party and this infuriated the king

and he decided that something must be done and so he got together with his closest advisors

and officials and said what do we need to do and they suggested king you better put

her in her place because if you do not then the other women of the kingdom are going to

see how she's acting and these wives of the other royal officials are going to stop listening

to what they say to do and so king you better stop this woman and make an example out of

her and so he agreed with that they said what we need to do is we need to find a woman in

the kingdom to take her place so after the party had passed and things had settled down

it had kind of slipped the king's mind because as we turn to Esther chapter 2 it says the

Esther 2 · chapter mention

king remembered all of these things and the suggestion was brought before him that you

need to find the most beautiful woman in the kingdom to take queen Vashti's place and so

word was sent out into all of the kingdom the whole empire that the king was looking

for a new queen now this would have been exciting news all the young women were prepared to

go and stand before the king so that they could be the one chosen as queen next and

so there was a young girl in the community a young Jewish girl by the name of Esther

now Esther had been raised by her cousin Mordecai her parents had died at some point at a young

age and Mordecai had raised her and Mordecai said Esther here's what you need to do you

need to go before the king and you need to be part of all these other beautiful women

in the kingdom and so Esther did as Mordecai had instructed her and went to join this group

of women the most beautiful women in all of the kingdom but Esther was more beautiful

than all of the women and when Esther went before the king's official that was over this

whole thing to see who was going to be the right woman for the job she found favor with

him because she was extremely beautiful the scripture says and so Esther began to receive

special treatment now this was not just a simple all right let's go meet the king oh

no this was a big process before any of these women could meet the king they had to be ready

and presentable for the king to see them and so they were they were took care of and they

were pampered and their skin was pampered and they wore the finest of clothes and were

given the finest of makeup and the best diet to eat so that they would be as healthy and

as beautiful as they could be and the scripture says this process took one year so for one

year these women received the best of the best of the best these were the greatest women

in all of the kingdom and of all of these women Esther was the most beautiful and so

the time came that the the queen was going to be brought before the king or the queen

to be and all the women came and of all of the women who came the one that was chosen

was Esther now throughout all of this it was unknown that Esther was actually a Jew the

king didn't know and and nobody else knew and so a new king queen was established in

the kingdom after some time the scripture kind of shifts gears on us we're introduced

to a new character in the story the story tells us that the king chooses a man by the

name of Haman one of his officials and he lifts him up into this great position of power

and he gives him a lot of power and all of the people in the kingdom are supposed to

acknowledge Haman and who he is and they're all supposed to bow down before Haman now

the scripture tells us that Haman was an Agagite now that might not seem like it means much

to you but he was a descendant of the king of Agag who was the king of the Amalekites

and so really the story of Esther starts a lot further back than when the Bible onians

came in and brought the Jewish people into the land the story actually really begins

in first Samuel chapter 15 now if you read through the Old Testament you'll see that

1 Samuel 15 · chapter mention

one of the greatest enemies of the Israelites repeatedly were the Amalekites led by King

Agag and the first king of Israel was a man by the name of King Saul and he was a son

of Kish he was from the tribe of Benjamin and it was King Saul who went in with God's

people with the instruction from God to completely destroy the Amalekites to wipe them out Saul

wasn't a very good king however and Saul went in but he did not completely destroy the Amalekites

instead it said he let King Agag live now when the prophet Samuel heard this news God

was furious that King Saul had done this and ultimately it was God's people who destroyed

and King Agag destroyed King Agag and that was the end of the story but the Amalekites

were always there in the scripture and now we flip over to the book of Esther and here

we see an important clue mentioned for us a little bit of information that Haman was

a descendant of Agag now everyone in the kingdom was supposed to bow down before Haman they

were supposed to acknowledge his greatness and his new position of power but there was

somebody in the kingdom that refused to do so and that person was Mordecai the cousin

of Esther and this infuriated Haman that Mordecai would not bow before him that he refused to

acknowledge Haman's new position and it tells us in the scripture that Mordecai was a descendant

of Kish the father of Saul also from the tribe of Benjamin there was bad blood between the

descendants of Agag and the descendants of Kish because after all that's who killed King

Agag back in the day so when Haman found out about Mordecai and who he was and that he

was a Jew this infuriated Haman now Haman knew that there were other Jews in the land

and Haman said with my new position of power I will take care of this problem and so Haman

goes before the king and he says Xerxes we have a problem in our kingdom we have a problem

of a people group and they are going to cause trouble they are going to rebel against you

they are going to cause chaos and you need to take care of them before this situation

gets out of control and he says king if you will give me the permission I will put 375

tons of silver into the treasury if you will just let me carry out this sentence against

these people and the king said Haman whatever you need you got it go and do what you need

to do and so the king takes off his signet ring this was important the king's signet

ring had a symbol on it and whenever that symbol was stamped onto a document or a piece

of wax that was closing the document whoever read that document would know that this command

and decree came from the king himself and the king gave his ring to Haman and said Haman

take my ring you have my power and authority to do whatever you would like and so Haman

is thrilled with this news and so a day is decided upon a day that's a few months down

the road and on this day all the Jews and the land are to be killed and word of this

is sent throughout the whole kingdom as the Jews and the kingdom begin to hear this news

they are certainly concerned what are they going to do well Mordecai hears this news

as well and Esther herself was a Jew it was unknown to the king and unknown to anyone

else but Mordecai knew that trouble was a Bruin and so Mordecai sends word to Queen

Esther and he says to her look you've got to do something because Haman has sent this

command throughout the kingdom that all of the Jewish people are going to be killed on

this specific day you must intervene for the people you have to speak up now Queen Esther

certainly had probably a better opportunity to speak to the king than most but even then

it wasn't easy for her for you see you couldn't just go and talk to the king whenever you

would like you can only go and talk to the king whenever you were summoned by the king

and if the king did not summon you to come in and speak with him if you entered into

his presence you may very well be killed the Queen Esther knew this and she sent word to

Mordecai she said look I haven't seen the king in over a month I haven't been summoned

by the king I can't go in and talk to the king my life may be in jeopardy I will be

killed if I go see the king and Mordecai said look you've got to do this because you're

the only hope for the Jewish people and then Mordecai tells her the words that we just

read in Esther chapter 4 verse 14 if you keep silent at this time liberation and deliverance

Esther 4:14

will come to the Jewish people from another place but you and your father's house will

be destroyed who knows perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as

this Mordecai says you have been placed here and even though God isn't mentioned in this

story it is clear that God is at work in this story that all these events had taken place

as bad as it was when Jerusalem and Judah were overtaken by the Babylon's as bad as

it was that God's people were taken into captivity in a foreign land and had been there for quite

some time now as bad as that was as bad as it was to be living in a foreign country and

to be a Jew in this land where the Jews were soon to be killed it was not going to be long

that this decree would be carried out and the Jewish people would be killed and all

of this was part of God's plan that the most unlikely of people a little Jewish girl would

end up in the land of the Medes and the Persians and be queen to the king and this was because

God had placed her there God had placed her there for such a time as this now Mordecai

acknowledges look we still have trust in God there will be deliverance deliverance will

come from someone but God has placed you here for such a time as this now God has a plan

and God has a purpose and things unfold in this world according to God's plan and to

God's purpose and in carrying out those plans God chooses to use people like Esther and

God chooses to use people like you and I and there are things that God may be calling you

to today that he has brought you to where you are he has placed you where you're at

he has placed you around the people that you are around because God has chosen to use you

God's plans won't be forwarded just because of our disobedience but wouldn't it be a shame

today if God is calling you to serve him if God is calling you to be used by him in some

way and you say no God no God and God has to use the next man or woman in line wouldn't

it be a shame if God wants to use us to further his kingdom today and we choose not to be

used by God and so maybe today we are not so unlike Queen Esther in your life and your

story you have taken lots of twists and turns if you and you have ended up where you are

today not by coincidence it's no coincidence that Esther ended up in that land at that

time it's no coincidence that Haman and Mordecai are key players in this story to carry out

and bring to a conclusion this feud that has been going on from the Old Testament back

in the days of the first king it's no coincidence that God has us where we are right now we

may have taken a crazy journey to get here we may not be in a place we want to be I suspect

at that point in time that Mordecai didn't want to be there and Esther didn't want to

be there and the rest of the Jewish people didn't want to be there and sometimes our

journey takes us to a place we do not want to be but the place that we are may very well

be where God wants us to be and so maybe in your life today wherever you are like it or

not as easy as your life may be or as tough as your life may be today it may very well

be that God has brought you to this place for such a time as this that God desires to

use you today it may be that God has placed you in that dead-end job that you hate that

you're miserable going to because he wants you to reach somebody at that place it may

be that God has brought you to Enterprise Baptist Church because there's somebody you

will meet here there's some ministry you'll be involved in here there's some sermon you'll

hear here maybe this one today that will remind you that God has brought you here for such

a time as this to use you for the furtherance of his kingdom it may be that you are in a

bad relationship today and maybe God has put you in that relationship for such a time as

this maybe it's for your growth maybe it's for the growth of the one that is that you

are with there are lots of places that we end up in life some we want to be and some

we do not want to be but God puts us where we are he allows us to go through what we

go through to build us up to help us to grow to help us to trust him to strengthen our

faith and that so we can carry out his work and loving and caring for and helping those

around us and helping them to know the gospel of Jesus Christ that Jesus loves them that

he died on a cross for them that our sins can be forgiven today through Jesus Christ

and so wherever you are today I don't know everybody's circumstances I don't know everybody's

situation I don't know how God may want to work in your life but I can assure you that

God works and he works sometimes in mysterious ways in ways that we cannot even comprehend

and what we need to do today is we need to see God and we need to say God if you have

brought me here for such a time as this God how do you want to use me and sometimes the

ways in which God wants to use us are scary it is tough it was a scary time for Queen

Esther Mordecai says look it's up to you Esther for such a time as this this is why you are

here to speak up and despair your people and Esther listens to what Mordecai says and she

says all right Mordecai so be it I'll do what you ask I'll take my chance I'll go before

the king maybe I'll live maybe I'll die but I'll do it because I've been placed here for

such a time as this what about you and I this morning where are we at in our life what might

God be calling us to do in our life how might God be wanting to use us today there may be

some things that instantly come to your mind or maybe not maybe you need to pray about

it maybe there are some things that you know are there and they are so scary you know that

there is something that God has placed on you to do that there is someone that he's

called you to go and talk to that there is something that he has already burdened you

with and you've been battling with it and you don't want to do it because it's scary

and you're afraid and you don't know what the response will be but maybe today the Lord

is telling you it is time and I've called you and I've placed you here for such a time

is this if God is speaking to us today let us be those who are found faithful if we choose

to be disobedient God's plans will continue on God will find another who will be obedient

but wouldn't it be a shame if God had to use somebody else because we said no this morning

let's pray God we thank you for your word we thank you for this good story I pray dear

Lord that you would help us wherever we are God maybe we have ended up in a place that

we don't want to be we've ended up in a place where it is scary we've ended up in a place

where what is before us is scary we've ended up in a place where we don't know what the

future holds but dear Lord maybe we have ended up in the place that we are at because you

want to use this experience in some way to further your kingdom God maybe you brought

us to where we are today because you want us just to seek you maybe you want us to call

out to you today dear Lord maybe you're trying to get our attention maybe you're trying to

strengthen our faith God maybe you brought us to where we are today as hard as it may

be because there's something you want us to do there's some way you want to use us dear

Lord and maybe there are some that's been on their journey for a long time and it's

getting difficult and harder and harder by the day and they don't see any light at the

end of the tunnel but God I pray that they would not lose hope today that God you are

at work dear Lord sometimes your plans take a little longer to unfold than we would like

but dear Lord ultimately they get us right to where we need to be and maybe today God

we are right where you need us to be maybe you have placed us in this moment in our life

just as you place Esther in this moment in her life that God you have something for us

to do someone you want us to minister to some way that you want us to serve some way that

you want us to speak up God I pray that you would help us to see clearly in the ways that

you want to use us and I pray God that we would be prepared today that maybe you have

brought each of us here for such a time as this a time that we could be used by you for

the work of your kingdom God I pray that if there are any that do not know Jesus Christ

this morning maybe they know about church and maybe they know about religion and maybe

they even know a little bit of your word but maybe they don't know who Jesus is they've

never trusted him they've never asked for forgiveness they've never put their faith

in Jesus Christ they've never repented dear Lord I pray that today that maybe you have

brought them here for such a time as this that today is the day of salvation for them

dear Lord that even now that they would repent of their sins that they would turn from their

ways of the world and turn from living for themselves and turn to Jesus Christ to live

for him so I pray God that if there are any that do not know Jesus Christ today that they

would God just as you are not mentioned in the book of Esther and it may seem like you're

not there dear Lord I pray that you would help us to realize that you are even in our

lives God it may seem like you're not part of the story but God you are working everything

behind the scenes to work together to accomplish your will dear Lord so I pray God that we

would not lose hope today that we would know that you are working and I ask these things

in Jesus name amen.