Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. And all that we do and all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. Amen, thank you for tuning us in. I'm Darrell Bailey, Service for Christ. As we continue on in the book of Esther, Esther chapter five, and we're gonna be talking about the courage to stand and the grace to wait. The courage to stand and the grace to wait. We'll be talking about trusting God while taking bold steps of faith. And so, when we look at the Word of God, it tells us in Esther chapter 5, the courage of Esther because it said in verse one, now it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on her royal apparel, stood in the inner court of the king's house over against the king's house and the king sat upon his royal throne and the royal house over against the gate of the house in verse two. And it was so when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court that she obtained favor in his sight and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter. That was in his hand, so Esther drew near and touched the top of the scepter. Then said the king unto her, what wilt thou, Queen Esther, and what is thy request? It shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. Boy, ain't it good to know that God is always ready to help us in our very many times that we get into, amen. And so I'm glad it was the third day of the fast in verse one of chapter five. And here she went to where the king could see her. And no doubt, the customary act by which the king's grace was, as it were, if she was accepted, the scepter would come up. So she touched the top of that scepter. And so I'm glad that Esther answered because I'm glad that Esther's intelligence and tact were admirable. Her life and that of her people hung on the thread. She was playing with very dangerous things and the slightest mistake would have been fatal. To invite the king to a banquet was a masterstroke of policy. To include the favorite minister Haman in the invitation was not only an added evidence of skill and of deep knowledge of human nature, but it was at the same time a clever plan for getting Haman into her power. No doubt that the Lord had told her exactly what to do, I believe. And so, The king had sensed that Esther had something more in mind than what was now being done. He knew that she must have a request, a real favor that she wants him to grant, and therefore he repeats the inquiry and the promise that he had made previously to her, that even the half of the kingdom, it shall be performed in verse six. And so when we get in to these wonderful verses, 14 verses of chapter five of Esther. I'm glad that we look and realize that there is a courage to stand and the grace to wait. Father, we come before you with humble hearts, asking for your mercy and grace. As your word says, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Forgive us, Lord, for the sins that we commit daily, whether in thought, word, or deed. Help us to walk in righteousness as we put on that armor of God. And Lord, guard us, guide us, and grow us as we hear your word. May we have courage of Esther to step out in faith. and patience to trust your perfect timing. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. You know, I was reading about a story about a man who dressed as a tree to win a costume contest. His plan was flawless until a dog decided that the tree was its favorite spot to relieve itself. Sometimes we think our plans are just as foolproof only to find that life and God have other plans. Esther chapter 5 reveals a very remarkable balance between courage and trust. Esther's decision to approach King Hohasorus without being summoned was a step of bold faith, but her careful patience to wait for God's perfect timing was equally vital. This chapter reminds us that God often calls us to act boldly while still trusting him to work in his way and in his time. And so, when we look, we look and realize that out of Esther chapter 5, the courage to stand and the grace to wait, we see steps of courage and moments of trust. Because first of all, we have to step out ourselves in faith. Because in Esther chapter 5 verse 1, the Bible says, Now it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on her royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the king's house. Esther knew the risk of entering the king's presence without being called, but she trusted God enough to take the step. And so when you step out in faith, faith requires risk. Stepping out in faith often feels very dangerous. Just like Esther, we face moments when we must risk our comfort and our reputation or even our safety to do what is right. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, and I quote, being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God's will, unquote. And so when we have the steps of courage and moments of trust, we step out in faith. Faith requires risk, but secondly, faith requires preparation. Notice that Esther prepared herself before stepping out. She fasted, she prayed, she adorned herself in royal apparel. Faith isn't reckless, it's purposeful. And so, when we step out in faith, faith requires risk, faith requires preparation, and oh so faith invites God's favor. The king extended the golden scepter to Esther, granting her favor in Esther chapter 5 verse 2. And when we step out in obedience, God's favor meets us there. As Psalms chapter 5 verse 12 reminds us, for thou, Lord, will bless the righteous, will favor, will thou compass him as with a shield. And so, I'm glad. In life, there are basically two attitudes toward the Lord. There's the attitude that God is our provider and that our sufficiency is found in him alone. We've got to trust the Lord as we walk about day by day. Then there is the attitude that takes great pride in ourselves, that we can be self-sufficient or we're perfectly capable of how in all of the circumstances of life through the power, the wisdom and the technology of man. The first attitude is that of humility before God. And the second attitude is that of pride before God. The first attitude confesses a person's need for God, whereas the second attitude confesses no need for God. The Holy Bible has a message for people with both attitudes, and that is the person who trusts God is given wonderful promises by the Holy Scriptures, promises of God's guidance. promises of protection, promises of God's guidance and provision, strength, help, and wisdom, but for the person who relies only upon self. and what man can do who is stiff-necked and stubborn toward the Lord. God's word says he'll reap exactly what he or she sows, and the Lord gives the person exactly what he or she wants. If that attitude is that of unbelief, of trusting only the arm of the flesh and technology, then the Lord leaves the person in the hands of that flesh and earthly technology, and they receive no help from the Lord throughout life. That's a person that does not want God's guidance, so God doesn't guide them. It's a person that does not want God's protection, so God does not protect them. It's a person that does not want God's strength or help, so God does not strengthen or help in them. It's a person that does not want God's wisdom, so God withholds his wisdom from them. You see, when we look at the scripture, it's a contrast between a believer who trusted God and an unbeliever who shamefully looked only to self for answers. And so pride kept them from surrendering their life to the Lord. Remember that a decree to exterminate the Jews had been issued throughout the Persian Empire, and every Jew, the entire race, was to be slaughtered and wiped off the face of the earth. Mordecai had encouraged Esther to seek an audience with King Ereczes to plead for mercy for the Jewish people. But Esther faced a dilemma, for Persian law prohibited anyone from approaching the king without first being summoned upon penalty of death. And so the king had not requested her presence for 30 days, an entire month, and perhaps he no longer desired her presence or favored her. She simply did not know. and therefore to approach the king under these circumstances was to place her life in danger. The king could react against her, commanding her execution for having broken the Persian law, but nonetheless, Esther became convinced that she had been placed upon the throne as queen for this very purpose, and to be a liberator, a savior, and a deliverer of her people. She sensed deeply that God had appointed her to rescue the Jews from extermination. Holding this conviction down deep within her soul, Esther was willingly ready to risk her life by unlawfully approaching the king. And so, We see a striking demonstration of a believer's faith in God's providence in verses one through eight. Esther's courageous courage and unlawful appearance before the king. And so, the steps of courage and moments of trust, you gotta step out in faith, ape man. And faith requires risk. Faith requires preparation. Faith invites God's favor. But secondly, you gotta speak with wisdom. And Esther in verse 4 of Esther chapter 5, and Esther answered, if it seemed good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. Esther didn't rush to reveal her request. She used wisdom and tact, preparing the king's heart. for her petition. And so we see the power of patience. Esther teaches us the value of waiting for the right moment. I'm glad the courage to stand and the grace to wait. Proverbs chapter 19 verse 11 says the discretion of a man deferred his anger and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. You see wisdom often waits. And so I'm glad there is, when we speak with wisdom, there is the power of patience, but also the persuasion of kindness. Instead of accusing Haman outright, Esther invited him to a banquet. Kindness often opens doors that confrontation cannot. As Abraham Lincoln said one time, and I quote, I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends, unquote. And so we see when we speak with wisdom, there's the power of patience, and there's the persuasion of kindness. But also, thirdly, the guidance of God. Esther's wisdom wasn't her own. It came from God. And I'm glad as James chapter 1 verse 5 reminds us, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. And so I'm glad here we see the demonstration of a believer's faith in God's providence in verses 1 through 8, amen. But I'm glad in verses 9 through 14, Heyman's arrogant pride and evil intentions, here's a sobering illustration of an unbeliever's self-centered arrogance. Because when we look and realize that Esther puts on her beautiful royal robes, walks out of the queen's quarters into the inner court of the palace, stood right at the entrance of the king's hall, hallelujah. boy sitting on the throne in all of his royal splendor as the Persian king and Urxes actually faced the entrance where Queen Esther suddenly appeared and when the king saw her standing at the entrance of the royal court instead of being offended he was pleased. Boy I thank God Esther did not bring up the decree of extermination that she wanted the king to revoke instead she made a very simple request that the king attend a banquet that she had prepared for him and his prime minister, Haman. And I'm glad that as we look at this, indicating his pleasure with Queen Esther, King Erxes quickly accepted her invitation. And the meal had already been prepared, so she immediately ordered Haman to be summoned. And when Haman arrived, the king and the prime minister walked together to the banquet in Esther's quarters, and after King Herxes and the Prime Minister finished eating, they relaxed, they drank wine, and at some point during the conversation, the king asked Esther what her request was, and politely assuring her that it would be granted. But in her response, Esther showed reverence to the king, and then made another surprisingly suspenseful field request. If the king was really pleased with her and wanted to grant her request, she wanted him and Haman to attend another banquet with her the very next day. And at that time, she would make her request known. And by requesting another banquet with her husband, the king, Esther was showing a desire to be in his presence even more. the courage to stand and the grace to wait. This, of course, was bound to build up his ego and at the same time show great reverence for him. She did not want him to think that her request was more important than all of her desire for his attention and love, but by delaying her request one more day and requesting his presence at a second banquet, the king would sense that she desired him as a man as well as the provider of her needs, thus he was bound to accept that second invitation, giving his wife and queen the honor of his attention once again. But behind Esther's request was an effort to soften his spirit and to make him tender toward her. And by showing how much she valued his presence and company, she hoped to please him beyond measure. And if he was deeply pleased, he would be more likely to accept her charge against Haman, the charge that he was devising an evil plot against her and her people. You know what? Throughout this entire drama, Esther is seen trusting the Lord. By approaching the king without being summoned, she broke the law of the land. Her unauthorized approach to the king could have been interrupted by one of the guards as a threat to his safety against his life, and the king could have been involved in a critically important state matter that demanded privacy. Had that been the case, Esther could have been executed on the spot. Yet Esther risked her life knowing that she had only one source of help available to her, and that source was not a man. It was the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Imagine what Esther was facing. She had to be accepted by the king, forgiven for having broken the law. She had to have very persuasive powers. She had to trust the Lord to change or convince the king about Haman's evil plot. And in addition, the king's heart needed to be stirred to revoke the reverse, to counteract the horrendous decree against the Jews. All of this could be worked out only by the Lord God himself, and therefore Esther only's hope was to trust the Lord. She had to relinquish her desires, instincts, and fears, and turn to the Lord for guidance, protection, strength, health, and wisdom. And when we are facing difficult circumstances in life, we too must turn to the Lord and place our trust in him. Often there's no help available other than the Lord. And during those times when we're foolish or if we do not call upon Him, the Lord is always available to help us, no matter how bad our circumstances or how the Lord loves us and longs to help us, amen. And so I'm glad that when we look and realize that the courage to stand and the grace to wait. We see the steps of courage and the moments of trust because we've got to step out in faith. Faith requires risk. Faith requires preparation. Faith invites God's favor. But secondly, we speak with wisdom, the power of patience, the persuasion of kindness, and the guidance of God. But thirdly, in closing, we see not only that we have steps of courage and moments of trust. Thirdly, to stand firm in trust. Because in verse 9, the Bible says, Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart. While Haman plotted evil, Esther trusted God to work in his time. We've got to be able, as we stand firm in trust, we trust in the face of evil. Even as Haman's plot unfolded, Esther trusted God's plan. And when evil seems to prosper, we must remember Psalms 37, verses 1 and 2, fret not thyself because of evil doers, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass. We trust in the face of evil when we stand firm in that trust. Secondly, we trust through uncertainty. Esther didn't know how the king would respond. Trusting God means walking forward even when we can't see the outcome. And thirdly, when we stand firm in trust, not only trust in the face of evil, trust through uncertainty, but thirdly, closing, trust brings victory. Esther's trust ultimately led to deliverance for her people. And when we trust God, he fights our battles for us. And as Exodus chapter 14, verse 14 says, the Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace. I'm glad that when we look and realize that all of us, the true nature of Haman's heart is exposed in this dramatic fashion. His heart was full of shameful pride and bitter anger against the Jews. But I'm glad in verses nine through 14, we see a extreme boastful man that exposes the truth of his sinful evil heart. Haman was extremely happy in high spirits as he left the banquet given by Esther in verses nine and 10. And so, I'll tell you, after reaching his house, Haman summoned his friends to a social gathering so he could share the day's joyful events with them. And in his sharing, scripture exposes the shameful depth of his prideful, arrogant heart. Sitting with his wife and friends, looking forward to the second banquet and the next evening, Haman begins to focus attention solely upon himself. And so, with his wealth, about his 10 sons, about the honors that the king had bestowed upon him, about his promotion to be prime minister, position, authority, and power that the king had granted him, about his distinctive recognition and honor given him by the queen, clearly seen in his invitation to join her and the king at the two banquets. But nevertheless, despite his position, wealth, and power, there was still one more disappointment in Haman's life. And this disappointment was Bordecai's refusal to honor him in verses 13 and 14. And you know what? When we look and realize that the irritation caused by Mordecai would finally be removed because Haman's heart could be at peace. He could go about his daily affairs. He'd be able to attend the Queen's banquet free of irritation and disturbance. Hearing the suggestions pleased Haman immensely, knowing that he had ordered the gallows to be built to hang Mordecai on. And so it's sad that when we look and realize that Haman's plot for Mordecai in verses 13 and 14, he says, Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. But in verse 14, Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and tomorrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon then go thou and marry with the king under the banquet and the thing pleased Haman and he calls the galas to be made boy can you imagine when we look and realized everything that Haman had in store and so 75 feet high that he had the gallows built of 50 cubits for Haman for Mordecai to be hanged on. And so, you know what? Every one of us today, when we go through life, we begin to realize that all of us, men and women, boys and girls, young and old, must guard against shameful pride and boasting, against the spirit of hostility and revenge. Many people, do we know who talk about themselves constantly, using the word I, using the word me, using the word mine, over and over and over again. How many of us brag about our wealth, our children, our promotions, our honors? When bragging about our wealth, we expose the hardness of our hearts, for it shows that our thoughts are focused on accumulating wealth and not on meeting the desperate needs of the world. When boasting about our children, we're being insensitive to those who cannot have children, who have lost children, or those whose children don't measure up to our standards. And whether in intelligence, education, looks, talents, abilities, or even health, The pain this causes is immeasurable and long-lasting. Think of any area of life where a person can brag and it is wrong, sinful, and it's wicked. Our hearts should be thankful for God's blessings, not boastful, for every good and perfect gift comes from Him, according to James 117. We should be thankful for the honors and the promotions given to us, but we should not boast in these things. Boasting always hurts someone and at the same time it makes us appear obnoxious. Any boasting we do is distasteful, causing people to shy away and want little to do with us. This is particularly true if we continue to boast, giving little attention or recognition or respect to those. Those who do not bow will break. Haman walks in the counsel of the ungodly. You know what? We got to be careful of the crowd that you run around with. Haman's wife reveals her position of influence and gives that evil counsel. Haman is about to learn that the wrong we do to others, we do to ourselves. And so the gallows that was constructed, that was 75 feet high, it was an impaling stake. that would be visible from all directions. Heyman hated Mordecai and wanted all to see Mordecai's death and to learn that the failure to bow to him was a great crime. But we see two people on the way to something. Haman was headed toward more power, and Esther was headed toward possible death. One aims at the salvation of her people, the other aims at the destruction of those same people. One is patient, speaking the right words, and at the right time, at the right place, while Haman is hot-tempered and proud. Esther reveals that salvation is in the Lord's hands, while Haman is about to realize that judgment is in the hands of the Lord too. He is about to learn that the Lord can turn the tables on you. And so, when we look and realize of all the things, we realize as we close out, the courage to stand and the grace to wait. Esther's actions in chapter five show us the beauty of a balancing courage and trust. She steps out in faith, spoke with wisdom, stood firm in trust, and the story reminds us that God calls us to act boldly and to trust him completely. And when we do, he works in ways that we could never imagine. I wonder what steps of faith is God asking you to take today? You need to identify those areas where you need to step out of your comfort zone and obey God. I wonder how can you speak with wisdom in your relationships? Because we need to practice patience. and kindness and seek God's guidance in our words. Listen, are you trusting God to handle the outcomes of your actions? We need to surrender all of our fears and uncertainties to Him, knowing that He is in control. Because the courage to stand and the grace to wait We got steps of courage and moments of trust that we step out in faith. Faith requires risk, faith requires preparation, and faith invites God's favor. Not only as we have the steps of courage and the moments of trust to step out in faith, but we speak with wisdom, the power of patience, the persuasion of kindness, and the guidance of God. And I'm glad that thirdly, we stand firm in trust. Trust in the face of evil, trust through uncertainty, and trust brings victory. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the story of Esther and the lessons of courage and the trust that she teaches us. Forgive us for the times that we've been paralyzed by fear or impatience. Help us to step out in faith, speak with wisdom, stand firm in trust, and save those who are lost, and call all of your children back to repentance, that we pray that you would strengthen us to face the challenges ahead, knowing that you're always with us. May your purpose prevail in our lives, just as it did in Esther's, in Jesus's marvelous mighty name. you