Esther - Part 1 - A Tale of Two Queens - Pastor Raymond Woodward

today we begin a series on the book of Esther and I'm excited about this because it's such a beautiful and prophetic book it has a lot to say to us so we're gonna spend just a handful of weeks during this month and study this beautiful book in the scripture there are 66 flawless volumes that sit on the bookshelf of the scripture of the Bible 66 books only two of the 66 bear the names of women and both of them are historical books and both of them recount events that were so vital and critical to the nation of Israel in their history every year Ruth is read by the Jews at the feast of Pentecost and Esther is read every year at the feast of Purim both of these women were foreigners who lived in a land not their own both of these women found favor in the eyes of wealthy men who ultimately became their husbands and both of these women were completely submitted to God's purpose for their lives but other than that Ruth and Esther could not have been more different Ruth was a Gentile who married a Jew Esther was a Jew who married a Gentile Ruth was a widow who gleaned in a field in Bethlehem Esther was an orphan who lived in a palace in Persia Ruth lived at the time of the judges before Israel had any kings Esther lived in the time of the Exile after Israel had kings Ruth married into the lineage of King David Esther married into the lineage of King Saul God use Ruth to perpetuate the line of our Redeemer Jesus Christ but God used Esther to protect that line and protect that nation through which the Messiah would be born God's name is used openly and frequently in the book of Ruth but God's name is completely hidden not mentioned one time openly in the book of Esther however God is still very much active and if you brushed up on your Hebrew you could find his name written in acrostic form throughout the book of Esther the Book of Ruth starts with a famine and the book of Esther starts with a feast and that's where we go this morning chapter 1 and verse 1 now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus this is a hazardous which rained he's a big deal from India even to Ethiopia over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces so this man rules a kingdom that spans from Asia to Africa a hundred and twenty seven provinces and that in those days here's his decree when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom which was in Shushan the palace in the third ray year of his reign he made a feast unto all his princes and servants the power of Persia and media the nobles and princes of the province being before him and here's what they did at that party when he showed the riches of his glorious Kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days watch this it's important even an hundred and four score days a score is twenty four scores eighty so for a hundred and eighty days they had this glorious party a has awareness invites his people his subjects to a feast and he declares quote the riches of his glorious Kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty and it lasts a hundred and eighty days do you understand that this is a prophetic picture because God did the very same thing with the nation of Israel when Abraham received the promise of the Covenant from Abraham to Jesus was eight hundred years or a hundred and eighty decades the feast parallels God's display of his glorious Kingdom and his majesty with the nation of Israel it all dates back to these words to Abraham I will make of thee a great nation I will bless thee I will make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing God spoke to Moses and he said this through him to the children of Israel in Exodus 19 now therefore if you will obey my voice indeed and if you'll keep my covenant then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation see God's will for Israel wasn't that they had a priesthood it was that they would be a priesthood it wasn't just that they have a few holy leaders in their nation it was that they would be a holy nation God said these are the words which thou shalt speak under the children of Israel and of course we know from history that Israel failed to live up to that promise and that potential in Deuteronomy when Moses is given his farewell speech to the nation of Israel he says for what nation is there so great who hath God so near to them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for every time we pray he's right there every time we worship he's right there every time we go to a feast day he's right there what other kind of nation would there be that has God so close to them and what nation is there so great that has statutes and judgments so righteous is all this law which I set before you this day now you see in the nation of Israel in their history for eighteen hundred years God gave Israel every imaginable blessing including a land flowing with milk and honey containing cities they didn't build houses they didn't fill wells they didn't dig and vineyards they didn't plant God overthrew the Egyptian Empire to set them free he gave them a pattern of worship and a system of law and order he fed them with manna from the sky and water from the rock he helped them conquer their enemies with supernatural assistance God led them through a wilderness even though they chose that wilderness and he gave them a pillar of cloud and fire to guide them and God forgave them every time they rebelled the moment they returned to him he crowned their Tabernacle with his Shekinah glory in the Holy of Holies and he heard their prayers in that temple where he promised to place his name yes God displayed the riches of his glorious Kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty not for a hundred and eighty days but for a hundred and eighty decades all because God wanted a bride who would love and obey Him but the sad story in history is that Israel refused and back back in Esther we read these words on the seventh day when the heart of the king was merry with wine he commanded the seven Chamberlain's that serve in his presence to bring Vashti the Queen before the king with her royal crown to show the people in the princess her beauty because she was fair to look on in fact her name means beauty but the Queen Vashti refused to come at the Kings commandment by his Chamberlain's therefore was the King very wroth and his anger burned in him I was studying this and it came to me to refuse the King is a serious thing somebody say that with me to refuse the King is a serious thing you see there is a point of no return when you turn him down so many times you cross that invisible line in second chronicles as the writers are summarizing the history of the period of the kings these words occur in Scripture and the Lord God of their fathers sent to the by his messengers rising up betimes and sending because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place you know why God sends us prophets and pastors and evangelists and preachers and teachers it's because he has compassion on us when God gives you his word when God gives you his commandments when God gives you his scripture he's not punishing you he's not limiting you he's not putting you down no he's blessing you he's privileged in you and he's lifting you up the Bible says that Israel mocked the messengers of God and they despised his words and they even misused his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy you see when Queen Vashti refused to honor the King Ahasuerus decided in that moment I'm going to replace her and so the story goes on and they decided and the Chamberlain's and the advisor said to the king if it please the King let there go forth a royal commandment from him let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes that it not be altered and here's the law here's the invitation here's the door slammed in the face of Vashti the former Queen here's the the requirement that Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus and let the King give her royal estate unto another that is better than she it's a prophetic picture you can read it and think it's a nice story it's a piece of history but it's more than that you see when the nation of Israel refused to honor God he decided to replace her as well he decided to turn his attention from his earthly people because the king of all Kings still wants a bride who will show the world a different response to his commandments here's what God is looking for a bro who doesn't feel resentment or rebellion or just a religious obligation but a bride who says I am happy to obey God I am thrilled to be able to offer heartfelt worship because I love the King and I'm going to obey the king and I'm gonna serve the king and I'm gonna worship the king Deuteronomy 32 God said I'm gonna hide my face from them I will see what their end shall be for they're a very froward generation children in whom is no faith they have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God they have provoked me to anger with their vanities and so since they tried to make me jealous I'll make them jealous I'm going to move them to jealousy with those which are not a people I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation and so this is where it turns in the book of Esther in the opening verses because now that the former queen has been deposed and shut out of the presence of the king there's an invitation that goes forth here's what you need to know a house who Eris didn't just invite those who had an elite bloodline he didn't just invite those who had an exceptional heritage his invitation went out to who so ever will the only qualification for his bride was that she must be a pure virgin who pleased the king because the house who eros said I've had enough with a rebellious bride I want a bride that loves me for who I am not just what I can give her and so this was the invitation let the maiden which please if the King be queen instead of Vashti and that please the king and that's what he did somebody say it with me one more time if you would to refuse the king is a serious thing but here's the flip side of that coin to please the King is everything somebody say that with me to please the king is everything you see we're not gathered here this morning because somebody made us brave all of the social restrictions of coal Kovan 19 and told us you have to go to a building no we came because we loved his presence we came because we love to lift up our hands in worship we came because we're always amazed at the goodness of our God so to please the king that's everything the book of Esther is a tale of two queens but who would have thought that the King would ever choose a lowly pathetic poor orphan girl to be his bride you say yeah that's kind of quaint oh it hits a lot closer to home than quaint it hits a lot closer to home than just history because the book of Ephesians says that at that time you were without Christ you were aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel you were strangers from the Covenant of promise you had no hope and you were without God in this world somebody say that's a mess but now in Christ you who sometimes were far off you know what happened you are may deny you were brought near by the blood of Christ so we didn't have any claim on this kingdom we shouldn't be here but devil we are here we shouldn't be in the bride but devil we are in the bride Paul said it this way first Corinthians I don't want to offend anybody but Paul kind of offended people for a living you see your calling brethren look around the church not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God don't get insulted but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty the bass things that despise discarded things the base things of the world and things which are despised that's what God has chosen yay and things which are not to bring to nought things that are why would God do it in such a backward way here's why that no flesh should glory in his presence Paul said it this way in another verse he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord you know what the good thing is about glorying in the Lord is when you have a bad day you can still glory in the Lord even when you can't glory in your success or your wisdom or your skill or your privileges or your perks so can I just say it this morning on a Sunday morning he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord anybody here that you're thankful to be in the bride and you just like to glory in the Lord because he welcomed you in when everybody else pushed you away Peter said it this way he's not gonna let Paul get ahead of him he said it this way but ye are a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people you know what he just did he said when Israel refused God said I'm gonna welcome somebody else in when the insiders didn't want to love the king Peter said God chose some Outsiders when the religious people didn't want to honor their king God said I'm gonna get some irreligious people that don't really have a clue about feasts and festivals and temples and Tabernacles and priesthood and sacrifice but I'm gonna welcome them in and someday they're gonna be my priests someday they're going to be my temple someday they're going to be my chosen generation why would God do that here's why that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light you should not be satisfied you should not be content you should not settle to just give God praise on a Sunday morning when you were in the sanctuary your whole life is to be a praise to God because on Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday he has still called you out of darkness into his marvelous light but that being said if there's any place on this planet if there's any place in this city that we should be able to lift up the name of the Lord it should be this square footage in this building that we built for his namesake if there's any place you should be comfortable lifting your voice if there's any place you should be comfortable raising your hands if there's any place it should be here and I'll move quickly to a conclusion but before we get too comfortable let us remember that we don't deserve to be here in time past you were not a people but now you are the people of God in time past you had not obtained mercy but how many know that today you have obtained mercy and that's why you're here so before we get too comfortable being the Kings bride before we get to settled and at ease living in the King's Kingdom we need to remember something we need to remember that we're only here because we please the king if Vashti can forfeit her position as Queen then Esther can forfeit her position as Queen if God's earthly people Israel can forfeit their position as his bride then God's spiritual people the church can forfeit their position as his bride you say oh I don't think so read the words of Paul in Romans 11 thou will say then the branches Israel they were broken off so I could be grafted in well because of unbelief they were broken off and you stand by faith so church apostolic people don't be high-minded but fear for if God spared not the natural branches Israel you take heed lest he also spare not thee so behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them which fell those that rejected him those that wouldn't obey those that were rebellious he poured out severity severe judgment but toward you God has poured out extreme goodness if you continue in his goodness otherwise church apostolic people thou also shalt be cut off it's a warning to the New Testament church this idea of unconditional eternal security that I can live any way I want and God still obligated to take me to heaven because one time fifty years ago I said I believe in Jesus that is not anywhere in the Bible God's interested in a bride that didn't just say I love you on their wedding day fifty years ago but she still loves him today she still worships him today she still obeys him today that's what God's interested in I say it again to please the king is everything stop trying to please everybody else stop trying to peace please people who try to control you and manipulate you and guilt you and shame you into seeing everything their way and they're always trying to pick a fight with you over your commitment to Jesus and your obedience to His Word would you stop letting them set your agenda and would you stop trying to please them to please the king is everything I don't care if I please every one of you as long as I please the king and I keep his word that's what I care about music's coming back I have some great news for you today God is still looking for a bride this very morning this very moment God is still looking for a bride and just like King Ahasuerus who got rid of a rebellious woman who didn't really love him our King of Kings he's issued the invitation to whosoever will you don't have to have a pedigree you don't have to understand everything about the Bible you don't have to be familiar with a Pentecostal church you don't have to know anything you don't have to understand very much you just need to understand this one thing that this world is damaged because you were born in it you're damaged it's called sin it's the virus that you should be afraid of because sin won't just damage your lungs or kill your body sin will keep you out of eternity with God that's the virus you should be scared of today but I've got great news but in the middle of a pandemic called sin God is still looking for a bride somebody that loves him more than they love everything else in this world somebody that wants to serve Him somebody that wants to worship Him somebody that wants to obey his word the invitation is to whosoever will the most familiar verse in the whole Bible for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that who so there's that wonderful word whosoever you can't exclude it when it's whosoever you can't pass some kind of religious rule to prevent them when God says whosoever your attitude can't keep them out when God said no I want them in whosoever that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life that's so important that God made sure it was written in the very last chapter of your Bible and the spirit and the bride say come listen to me bride listen to me Church don't you ever be saying go don't you ever be saying unwelcome don't you ever be saying unloved when God said the spirit and the bride say come the spirit and the bride said you're wanted here the spirit and the bride said you're welcome here the spirit and the bride said we don't care where you been we only care where you're going that's all we care about spirit and the bride say come so let him that heareth say come and all of you that are thirsty and there's just this empty sense of nothing in the core of your life because you try everything and you experiment with everything and you try to achieve everything and you go to bed at night and it still feels like something's missing I can tell you what that is you just need Jesus in there Jesus makes every achievement worthwhile Jesus makes every accomplishment worthwhile Jesus makes a living worthwhile and so all of you that are thirsty come and whose Sola there's that wonderful word again and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely there's nobody in this building there's nobody in this city or this nation or on this planet that can prevent you from being in the Bride of Christ if you decide you want to be in the Bride of Christ nobody can keep you out the kings still looking for a bride who loves him whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Oh pastor Raymond you do not get it my history my pedigree my actions my attitudes my failures my sin says I'm not worthy to which I say that's okay you're still invited that's okay you're still wanted that's okay you're still welcome King Ahasuerus look past every royal princess and every royal court and put out an invitation to whosoever will and guess who he fell in love with a little poor popper orphan girl named Esther that's who he fell in love with it's like that story that Jesus told in Luke chapter 14 talked about this wonderful master who provided this beautiful feast invited people to come you know what they did they started making excuses oh I can't come I I married a wife I can't come I've got some hawks and I need to try I can't come I bought some property and the master who provided that wonderful feast and that beautiful invitation he was so frustrated and when the servant came and showed his Lord these things the master of the house got angry can you imagine anybody turning down an invitation to eternal life but people do every day the master of the house said to his servant if they don't want it we'll find somebody that wants it if they don't want to come we'll find somebody that wants to come go out quickly into the streets and the lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor and the maned and the Hall and the blind not a very distinguished crew not a very distinguished guest and the servant said Lord we did what you commanded but there's still room master and the Lord said to the servant we've already invited the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind let's stupa lower let's reach further let's take off any kind of restriction go out into the highways and the hedges literally you go anywhere look under every bush and behind there every rock you find somebody that's messed up struggling you find somebody that has nothing and you compel them to come in why because I want my house to be filled because everybody's welcome and nobody is excluded I close with this verse the book of Esther is a tale of two queens but who would have thought that the king the mightiest man in the world at that time who would have thought that he would choose a lowly orphan to be his bride I got one better than that Jesus said I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you yeah I know it doesn't seem to fit does it oh yes it does because when Jesus said I will not leave you comfortless the Greek word there is or fanos from which we get the english word orphans jesus said your jesus said our Jesus said I will not leave you orphans I will not leave you the way I found you I will not leave you alone on your darkest most troubling day in your most painful hour I will not leave you orphans I will come to you the first Queen rejected the Kings invitation the first bride spurned the Kings love but we're part of a bride that loves this Jesus more than we love our next breath we love this Jesus more than we love our perks and positions and possessions because what you can't see and what you don't know is all the orphan stories that are in this room you have no idea you look around everybody's good for Sunday what you can't see is that there's an addict sitting over there and there's an abuser sitting over there and there's an adulterer sitting over there and there's a ranked sinner sitting over there and there's someone who had terribly perverted thoughts sitting over there what you cannot see is our past because when we were orphans Jesus said oh wait a minute I'm not gonna leave you orphans I'm gonna step into your life and I'm gonna make all things new if that's not worthy of a praise to God I wouldn't have any idea what would be worthy of giving God honor and worship and praise so because you get to be part of that new bride that second bride that spiritual bride that eternal bride I wish you would lift up your hands and do one better than that and lift up your voice do one better than that lift up your praise and your worship to God because the King of Kings is still calling for a bride and if you've answered the invitation you own appraised and if you'd like to be included all you need to do is begin your journey by saying god I'm sorry I want to be part of this I want to get in on this and he will meet you right where you are Oh church come on come on come on come on stand to your feet let your hands go on beyond your height and give God worship in this room right now give God praise in this room right now oh thank you Jesus oh thank you Jesus oh thank you Jesus [Music] oh thank you Jesus I need you for one more moment the Bible says the spirit and the bride say come the spirit and the bride say you're welcome the spirit and the bride say we love you and we want you so no matter who you are you're welcome here no matter what you've done you're wanted here and for somebody that needs a new start today the Spirit is going to move and the bride is going to pray right now you're welcome to call us email us Facebook us text us get ahold of us drop by we will help you take every step you need to take in your journey with God but as we learned this morning from a sweet little lady that made her journey to heaven the most important thing in your life is this decision the most important thing in your life is to have this right the most important thing in your life is to be ready for that final wedding day in heaven so I know the spirits gonna talk I just need the bride to talk out loud in prayer and in worship right now because somebody Jesus wants to heal you and touch you and minister to your hurts right now come on bride I know the spirits talking how about the bride talking a little bit Lord Jesus right now by way of prayer through the avenue of worship I speak healing to the broken I speak joy to the depressed I speak freedom to the bound because the invitation is so powerful and your spirit is saying come your spirit is yelling come but the bride also utters the same invitation there's room for one more there's room for ten more there's room for the downtrodden and the addicted there's room for those that have so much sin and pain and hurt and we say with you Jesus come come start over start a fresh start new it's a new day for you it's a new moment for you the spirit and the bride say come at this moment in the service I would say something like this reach over and put your hand on your neighbor and let's pray together and I can't do that but you can do it in your bubble you can do with the people that live in your house and drive in your car but for everybody else when we can't go like this as we close this service would you go like this and would you pray for everybody around you because you have no idea what hurts walked into this sanctuary today you have no idea what pain may have walked into this sanctuary today you have no idea what kind of bondage may be here right now so when we can't do this let's just lift up our hands and do this Jesus minister Jesus touch Jesus deliver Jesus set free Jesus heal the broken up lined up the wounded yes yes yes in the name of the king who issued the invitation whosoever will I set you free in the name of the king who said you're welcome I set you free leave here different leave here walking with the King of Kings and the Lord of lords [Music] yes oh it's so beautiful in here right now I'm not gonna keep you I know it takes a few moments to get out of here so I'm not gonna infringe on your time I'm gonna ask you to be patient in a moment as we leave so I won't infringe on your time right now but could we simply close this service with a standing ovation to the king who gave us the greatest in the taste [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh thank you God thank you

Channel: Capital Community Church

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Keywords: capital, community, church, fredericton, nb, new, brunswick, canada, upc, upci, united, pentecostal, international, apostolic, christian, preaching, sermons, sermon, raymond, woodward, jack, leaman, matthew, bible, study, biblical teaching, esther, tale, of, two, queens, esther a tale of two queens

Id: 7fOHlG1J91Q

Length: 38min 21sec (2301 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 05 2020