Futures: For Such A Time As This

the following program is sponsored by generous friends and partners of real life [Music] do you see your life right now for such a time as this don't think for a moment that you're living and breathing right now by accident or by some sort of fiat it's by the plan of god you're here right now it's by the plan of god you're watching right now and i believe that so much that even if you don't believe in jesus christ it's the plan of god that you hear this message because god's got a plan for your life real life with jack kibbs starts now [Music] [Applause] so [Music] well i want to welcome you to today's program and as you're going to see in a moment we're going to find out that god has got a plan for your life in fact we're going to be looking at the life of esther and esther could not have lived a tremendous life that she did without the plan of god and i want you to know today that the same truth about god having appointed esther for such a time as this well god has appointed you for such a time as this and the truth and the power of god's word is available to you to me god has not abandoned us he has not left us alone the truth is he knows exactly why you were created and why you live today it's not an accident for such a time as this you have a purpose and for such a time as this god has a plan for you to make a difference there's great hope for your life so as we get into this study today we hope that it's a tremendous blessing we'd love you to get your bible out and take notes but before we do that i want to welcome you and introduce you to a tremendous book this book has affected my life over the years and i'm sure it's going to do the same for you the author is a.w tozer a prolific writer one of the classic christian authors known today in fact he's now in heaven but his books sell more now than ever before and here's the reason why he has authored this book keys to the deeper life and this book though it's small is extremely powerful i'm inviting you to get a copy for yourself and see how big of a blessing it can be in your own life but listen for now let's get into the word of god as we look into the book of esther chapter 4 and we are looking at god's challenge to us for such a time as this [Music] esther no stranger to some of the most romantic writing esther her name actually in hebrew is hadessa her name esther is the babylonian name given to her by her captives esther was one of those tens of thousands of jews who were taken captive by the invading babylonian forces and was raised up and born into a culture that had departed from god and she is now in the palace she's been elevated she thinks by the powers of the empire because she's beautiful esther was very attractive the bible says that she was beautiful and we know that she was very bright we know that esther was young we know that she was pleasant to look at and the bible tells us that when uh king a hazaris the pagan king uh was hosting a banquet if you remember uh him and his governors and generals got a little uh drunk and he wanted to show off the beauty of his wife queen vashti and so he called for queen vashti to come and probably the word means dance in front of all these drunk guys that's not a good scenario and so when the edict went out hey queen come and dance for my guys you know we're having a great time queen vashti said nope gonna come and no go glasger again answer was still i'm not coming and so boy did that start a scandal and so it put the king in a very uncomfortable situation plus he's probably a little bit uh off in his judgment but he he became angry and he banished queen vashti from the throne and fast forwarding throughout all of the realm uh men were tapped to find the most beautiful candidate to take her place and out of all the women of the kingdom this one was found by the name of hadessa and her name given esther esther babylonian name eshtar there's the eshtar gate in babylon which now you have to go to england to see the eshtar gate part of it by the way is in berlin uh the eshtar gate we get the word easter from estar east did you know the easter is a pagan thing the the bunny the chocolate the eggs you know that right that it's paganism it's ancient ancient paganism it's it's actually a fertility worship service that's why the bunnies are involved no really i'm not kidding they are a picture of fertility and uh easter is that pagan worship and but you think oh no no easter is awesome it's resurrection of jesus no that's the resurrection of jesus it happens to fall at the same time as the pagan worship season of estar and that actually plays into our challenge this morning in our study about how we look at things for such a time as this you either believe that in the bible for you and your life or you don't but happy are those who do that your life's existence is not a drudgery that is pre-programmed for you to experience boredom no that's you doing that to you god's plan for your life is to bring you now if you can hear me it means you're breathing if you're breathing your heart's beating it means that god has a plan for your life right now for such a time as this as a believer that god wants to use you and so when we think about the events of her life this harrowing woman who became the savior in some ways of of israel because as we'll see today her people were destined to destruction the fact that esther was brought in she was invited she was allowed to come in she made petitions she goes to see the king the bible tells us that for 30 days they had not talked she had been distanced from the king we don't know why but she knows that if i go in to speak to the king unannounced even though i am the queen without invitation he has the power and the authority to kill me because i'm i'm not allowed to be there so she takes her life into her own hands for her people she steps into the chamber and if you were not going to die in other words if he wanted to talk to you he would raise his scepter and by submission you would come and you would tap the edge of the scepter and then you can speak to the king she had to do all that she didn't know how it was going to go but god had a plan and so we'll glean a lot out of this but the challenge today is for you and i to realize that god has you right now in the kingdom for such a time as this i hope you're not defeated by the days in which we're living in i hope you're not discouraged you need to realize that the overriding divine plan for your life is not thwarted in any way shape or form that what you're living right now is the fact that god has brought you to this moment for such a time as this and for that you should be emboldened but it's a it's an amazing movie or hollywood scene you've got esther she's beautiful she's the damsel as it were in distress you've got uh her being raised and adopted by her uncle her sweet uncle by the name of mordecai and uh he's a he's an older man he's he's a man of great conviction uh you've got king a hazaris which is his title his name is xerxes and he's the ruler of a vast empire one one of the great empires of the world in that day in fact esther chapter 1 verse 1 says now it came to pass in the days of a hazarist this is the the hazaris who reigned over 127 provinces from listen to this from india to ethiopia and in those days when king azar sat on the throne of his kingdom this man is a massive uh power and power broker he's a man of extreme wealth and influence and he's part of the players and then there's this guy by the name of haman and oh let me hear that again very good i mentioned haman they all hissed because in israel if you're jewish you always hiss when you hear the name haman because haman okay i got it anyway so haman so haman was the one who desired engineered the eradication and the extermination of the jewish people beginning with mordecai he was going to have mordecai killed and then commenced a a purge a genocide of the jews off the face of the earth haman is his name and he's a type of antichrist he is a type of satan in the storyline and god has got a plan for his life too frankly it's going to end not the way he planned that is haman but it's pretty cool for us the way it ends um what else uh in esther chapter 3 verse 2 the bible tells us that mordecai the jew would not bow or pay homage to haman that's a good one haman had said that i want everybody as i am second in command i want everybody to listen to what the king said i'm supposed to be worshipped and bowed down to and everybody bows down in the kingdom to haman except one guy mordecai would walk by can you imagine everybody's bowing and listen this sick type of thinking these haman types of people they think that it's really exciting to have people bowing down and worshipping them even though it's all forced because if you don't you get your head cut off but somehow they're so sick in their in their megalomania that they like it look they're bowing or you force them to bow it doesn't matter they're bowing and then you can see this guy with everybody bowing there's this old man i think he had like a squeaky walker too you know it's just like and and haman looks at him and he's just furious at this jew that won't bow and that's part of the problem in the kingdom those jews they won't bow they've got this god in heaven that he's the only one they're supposed to bow to and it just began to eat him up the man's a a narcissist it's on steroids and he sees one guy that won't bow and what do you think that's the guy that he's got to deal with but from that venture of hatred and envy and all of that comes one of the greatest stories ever told but it's all to communicate that you and i like esther have been brought into the kingdom for such a time as this and we read it a moment ago one more verse before uh we get ready to go into this and that is esther 4 verse 14. mordecai says for if you remain completely silent at this time esther if you don't step up relief and deliverance will arise for the jews from another place that old man knows his stuff but you and your father's house will perish yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and i believe that you and i are living in the opening throes of a very similar time christianity is being targeted christianity is being marked out just this week in washington dc in the house the bible was addressed and looked at and being uh considered a book of bigotry that what the bible says is absolutely outdated that what the bible says is now no longer applicable that we have advanced beyond that silly stuff and that the bible is not gender sensitive this has been a wild week in washington for this nation and for your faith and your freedoms so i believe we're living at a time that is somewhat similar and here's where we begin for such a time as this we want to make note of it for such a time as this here you are here you are esther's life was a life that had been brought up in a way in captivity being a jew in a strange land and she's being raised in a world that is foreign to her belief system she doesn't recognize so to speak anything that what she's been taught of as a good jew that what she would have learned at home and what form of synagogue if any that they had in shushan that now she is living this life and from her looks listen from her looks to her place of becoming uh an orphan who she's adopted by mordecai her bro you're bringing up to the fact that vashti's dethroned and now there are those working for the king that selectively go through the kingdom to pick out attractive women that they think the king might be attracted to she's one of them and ladies listen up this is amazing is the fact that she i think it was a year or so she with the other women in the harem that are being prepared to be picked by the king they're bathed they're fed certain diet their skin is oiled and they are perfumed i mean it is the spa of spas uh there's probably soft music playing in the corner i don't know i'm making that up just kidding but all this stuff is going on and they just do everything they can cosmetically to prepare women who are already beautiful to present before the kingdom he's gonna pick one to be the queen of the empire and she gets picked and she's the one but listen nobody knows she's a jew they don't know she's a jew and while she's living large mordecai is living this life that is humble and meek but he's a man of convictions and he's a man uh who has a reputation and haman is derailed by all this now here's what's cool too is haman does not know esther is a jew but he does know mordecai is and so he begins to wring his hands about how he can kill mordecai and the jewish people hey listen up ladies and gentlemen anybody who wants to kill the jews and erratic them from off the face of the earth is from the spirit of haman and the spirit of haman you can read about in first john is the spirit of antichrist beware of that can can a jew drive you crazy yeah are jews hard to talk to yep are they stubborn yep just know something god chose them what do you do that i have no idea except that he gives us a clue he says in the in the book of deuteronomy don't think i picked you because you guys are cool he said i picked you guys because you're the most stubborn people on earth so what does that mean i don't know but if god can save a jew he can save a you right it's encouraging by the way when a jew does get saved you better hang on because man they they just take off they're amazing [Music] but um when god came to earth he decided to come as a jew is that wild he i don't know i would have come i would have come as a southern californian i would have he could have come as a canadian he could have come as a peruvian god comes as a jew to earth born in bethlehem born of the house of david all by the plan of god quite remarkable but here you are god has not caught this strange time unaware the bible tells us in psalm 91 verse 15 when you call on me i will answer i will be with them in trouble i will rescue and honor them god's speaking about his people not only the jews but that's for us so in god's greatness this very moment in the 21st century you're here today and you're a believer and you're a follower of christ for such a time as this and i want that truth to just galvanize you into your everyday working life in your marriage in your singleness in your parenting in your business 24 7 god says of you the believer for such a time as this i've brought you into this world right now the day of your birthday and the age that you are right now that's not a that's that wasn't left up to your parents god was in that and the more you understand and believe that i think the more uh destined you'll be to be like a mordecai but maybe for some of us today we need to be awakened to that reality like an esther but you are here and it's for a purpose and i love this because every day of every hour according to god's word he says to us i'll rescue you church i believe that i'll be with you god's moving in fact we know from psalm 91 15 we read it a moment ago that what appears to be throughout the history of the bible when god works with his people the prerequisite is you got to get in trouble to see god move you ever think about that oh i just love this the amazing events of the bible i do too but remember how they happened people got in trouble when god calls you to stand for him and when god calls you to walk as it were before the king and say listen i've got some news and here it is the god of heaven says thus and so church we all love that moment and we want to be part of that moment but you got to get in trouble before that moment comes that's why god says i will rescue you you've got to need rescuing before he can rescue you he's not going to ride up on a white horse with a white hat if you're sitting around eating cheetos and watching tv but if you're out on the front line and you're terrified and the bombs and missiles and rockets are flying by he says i'll be there to protect you oh i want to see god move then get on the front line oh i want to see miracles then get up and get out and watch what he does you got to be willing to get into trouble but the fact of the matter is for such a time as this you are here and here you are and god wants to commission you and god wants to use you he has called you ordained you and appointed you to this very time god's moving and he wants to establish his truth god moves throughout the bible with these divine appointments we call them divine appointments divine appointments i believe happen to us all the time if we're looking if we're looking through think of franklin's bifocals bifocals are funny right i mean uh they're kind of a pain but i guess it's worse if you don't have them but uh in fact that's what they invented those progressive lenses right but you can tell when somebody's wearing bifocal glasses because if they want to look if they want to look at something close they'll go like they'll go like this and you're and they look funny if you don't know they're wearing glasses it's like what's wrong with that person and they'll go like this hang on a minute and they're reading through the lens because it brings it all up close and then you say did you get the answer and they go like this yeah i got it can you check again sure hang on [Applause] what is it again yeah it's this and life's like that we either look like that or we look like that one thing brings everything in clarity and focus the other one is a broad view not so clear but it expands it's thin but it's wide the closer look is narrow but it's exact that's how god moves in our lives when we open the word of god it takes life in its broad view we open up the bible and it brings it right into the exact in the moment that's why we can come away from an ancient book that's written two thousand five hundred years ago and be able to read it and say man you know what as i look at it through the bifocal lower part i see this is applicable in my life today god wants to move god wants to work in fact didn't even jesus say to us that when you're called before kings and rulers don't worry about what you're going to say for in that moment your father will give you what to say that's going from looking broad to the thick lens of exactness acts chapter 2 verse 22 the bible says there peter is speaking now remember jesus has been crucified jesus has been resurrected jesus has ascended back to heaven now peter is full of the holy spirit and he's not the same peter acts chapter 2 verse 22 peter says men of israel hear these words jesus of nazareth a man attested by god to you by miracles and wonders and signs which god did through him in your midst as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of god you have taken by your lawless hands and have crucified and put to death listen to the lens watch the lens broad speaking peter's saying you guys crucified jesus narrow bullet point focus ah but god in his predetermined counsel and foreknowledge appointed christ to this divine appointment and that is he was to die on the cross somebody say amen to that god's word said messiah will die on the cross man looks and says let's kill him [Music] they think they're doing their will and they think they're doing what needs to be done and god says my plan is being worked out perfectly [Music] you are watching real life with jack hibbs well what an amazing statement that god gives to you and i courage he's our courage he's the one that tells us you can be strong you can be courageous because frankly our strength is in him you know what's amazing about the god of the bible he doesn't tell us to go out and do it on our own he doesn't tell us to go and accomplish that by rolling up our sleeves he actually shows up when we are the weakest and right now many people have been rattled by the world that's around us but can i encourage you it's time to trust the lord and there's no greater way to trust them than to know him through the bible so listen as we get back together next week in the study i want to encourage you to frankly get a hold of a friend if today was a blessing then can you invite a friend you can email call or text a friend and tell them about the times on this program and and how you can join really together no matter where they might be to help you do that you can go to jackhibs.com and find out much more about teaching and resources that are available for you there but listen until that time in the meantime may we look up and may we trust in jesus christ he loves you he's given his life for you and jesus christ rose again from the dead that you and i might have courage and hope god bless you have you ever questioned if you're loved by god do you ever feel isolated from god if your heart cries out yes then this simple yet profound book by a.w tozer keys to the deeper life is perfect for the thirsty who want a deeper understanding of his love go to jackhibs.com and order the book keys to the deeper life or call 877-777-2346 let your heart be open and allow god's love to blossom in you [Applause] [Music] welcome to real life radio with jack hibbs god's word never will return void god's word is spirit it's power and it has its effect [Music] so i want to encourage you to grab your bibles open them up and get ready to learn from god's word god did not give us bible prophecy to scare us but to prepare us but i think you're going to get a lot out of it and one of the great reasons [Music] you are the light of the world jesus said you are the salt of the earth how does it happen by the power of the holy spirit you're gonna get excited about what jesus christ wants to do in and through you [Applause] jack hibbs truly believes we are living in some of the most exciting days in history which brings some great opportunities to share with the world a powerful no-nonsense presentation of the gospel to this generation who are searching for answers and truth will you stand with us in sharing this message in real and practical ways we ask that you commit to support real life and the teachings of jack hibbs with a gift of your choosing simply go to jackkibs.com and there you can simply follow the instructions of how to give a one-time gift or a recurring gift if you would prefer to call our toll-free number is 877-777-2346 again that's 877-7777 and of course you can write us our address is real life with jack kibbs box 1273 chino hills california 91709 your gift will be faithfully put to work because it's our desire that through jesus christ you will know real life the preceding program was sponsored by generous friends and partners of real life

Channel: Real Life with Jack Hibbs

Views: 43,924

Rating: 4.9716716 out of 5

Keywords: esther, renewing the heart: for such a time as this, esther for such a time as this, jack hibbs, jack hibbs esther, jack hibbs futures, real life with jack hibbs

Id: s6e1HR1PZVE

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 02 2021