Rich Wilkerson Jr — Book Of Esther: It's Time for a Turnaround

and today I just want to start out with one little verse and then I'm just gonna try to recap Esther 5 6 7 & 8 I know it's a lot to cover but I believe it's gonna impact you and I got some of my friends up here because I feel like preaching the day when I really want to preach I make sure I bring up a cheer section with me because if you don't respond I'll just do this and just start preaching to every single one of these guys up here but I thought we'd get them involved today I asked my friend Matt Matt is up here make some noise for Matt Matt is actually the co-leader of my vow crew and I think he's done an excellent job I go to his crew and I thought you would read our verse today Esther chapter 8 verse 17 Matt is gonna read it for us it's gonna come up on the screen if you don't have a Bible in every province and in every city to which the Edict of the King came there was joy and gladness among the Jews with feasting and celebrating and many people of other nationalities became Jews because because fear of the Jews had seized them one little verse make some noise for Matt I think that was pretty good he's got a preacher voice I want to preach today from this thought it's time for a turnaround and I know you already said it once but look at the neighbor you didn't say it to and you say it's time for a turnaround and would you pray with me today as we are in part 4 of our Esther collection though we thank you so much that you brought us here god I thank you that you're moving not only here at eye tech right now but at jdd Lord at the sound of my voice Lord your presence is filling that room and people are being impacted encourage but I pray that right now God you would speak to us that you'd encourage us that today Lord would be a turnaround Sunday we praise your name we bless your name and if you believe it all of God's people said come on all of God's people said if you love Jesus vous Church make a little bit of noise my son Wyatt turned 1 years of age this past week and if you're wondering why I have a mustache it's because I just believe that every young boy should have a picture with his father with a mustache it's been so cool with Y at this past year we have so much to give thanks for and many of you know our story of how we waited many many years for a miracle and I'm really into this fathering thing as I tell stories often one of the things that's been really fun to watch is that people keep giving him gifts on his birthday and he's been getting these like gifts that have you seen this little kids where you have like these like shapes and you have to put these shapes into this thing and it's like a circle or a triangle or a square and it's so funny watch this little boy because to me right and hopefully to you it's quite simple but for him it's pretty complicated as he's just starting his journey of life when I was young I was never very good at puzzles but most of us in this room if I gave you a puzzle that had four pieces that'd be pretty easy for you now if we increase the pieces let's say we've got a puzzle that had 200 pieces maybe get a little bit harder maybe we went to like okay let's go from 4 pieces to like 4,000 you'd be like okay yeah I don't know if this is for me but what if I went to 40,000 pieces you might be like all right I'm not called to this one but what if we went to like 6 billion pieces you would just say there's absolutely no way that I can put that puzzle together I think it's a good analogy for us how we relate to God there's so many things about God that our finite brains cannot understand about an infinite God and so many of us the journey of faith is this it's simply trusting that God can take all of the pieces of our story and everyone else's story and we're trusting that this God can put the puzzle of life together properly in the last 4 weeks we have been studying this book of the Bible known as Esther Esther just has 10 chapters and where this book of the Bible separates itself from all other books is that in all 10 chapters you will not hear the name of God mentioned once and although his name is not mentioned it is evident that his fingerprints are all over it and if you just joined us today it's good to kind of catch up as we read this story of a God who's putting the pieces together for Esther she was an orphan girl living in Persia and there's a king in that area known as Sir sees and Xerxes is looking for a queen and so they put on a pageant and would you believe that this orphan Jewish girl living in exile is somehow selected out of everybody in that area to become Queen this is a disney story at its finest she becomes queen of a foreign nation yet the big thing about it is that nobody even knows that she's a Jewish girl she has a cousin by the name of Mordecai and Mordecai really operates more like an uncle in her life for he has raised her since she was young and Mordecai has advised her not to say a word about who she really is but like every good story there is a bad guy and the bad guy as we meet is a man named of Haman everybody say Haman Haman is this guy who is an advisor to Xerces in fact he's like his chief advisor and Haman the Bible tells us goes out into the courtyard and when he goes out in the courtyard Esther's cousin Mordecai refuses to bow down and worship Him all of the other Nobles they do so this of course makes Haman angry and upset he is an arrogant man filled with pride and he gets so mad at Mordecai that he doesn't just want to discipline him he wants to murder him stop that he doesn't just want a murder Mordecai he gets so angry he wants to murder every Jew like Mordecai you know one of the things that's been perplexing to me or interesting as I've been reading the story what you'll find out is that Haman comes into power right when Queen Esther becomes Queen Esther it was actually in the in the seventh year of Xerces reign the Bible tells us that Haman comes up with a plot to kill all the Jews he has this genocide plan that he presents to Xerces we know that the plan that he presents teaser sees happens in the 12th year of Xerces reign meaning Haman spends five years upset you know I've learned often that a fence grows in silence you've heard the expression before time heals everything I don't believe it's true because if you do not learn how to forgive it is scary where your offense can go Haman is so arrogant that he spends five years offended quietly plotting for the right moment not just to kill Mordecai but to kill every Jew like Mordecai isn't it interesting that he is offended by a man who the man never even meant to disrespect Haman Mordecai was trying not to disrespect God see what's weird is offense it doesn't stop there it always leads to this ugly place called bitterness this is what Hebrews chapter 12 says about bidders first 15 it says see to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many because watch this offense leads to bitterness bitterness leads to resentment resentment leads to retaliation retaliation leads to anger anger leads to wrath wrath leads to hatred hatred leads to violence violence leads to murder and murder leads to genocide so if you're wondering which one is the strong man in that sequence if you're to say genocide is you would be wrong for genocide only occurs from a root of bitterness maybe you're here in this room today and you have been going through a season that you feel like somebody has offended you and hurt you maybe you have been living far too long with the wound of your childhood maybe you dream of the day to get revenge on your enemies maybe you think about the day that you can pay them back but I want to let you know today today is the day for a turnaround you gotta forgive you gotta let it go because beware there is a Haman inside of all of us for when we allow our offense to grow it will take a root of bitterness and it's only forgiveness that cuts the head off of bitterness today is a good day for you to forgive today is a good day for you to let it go it's crazy because Xerces he signs this edict and what the edict says is that on a certain day every Jew in that area can be murdered their family their friends even their children when Xerces signs the edict he doesn't know that his wife is a Jew so finally Mordechai he comes to Esther he's like oh my goodness this is nuts we gotta do something and he sends a word to Esther he says yo Esther I really believe now is the right moment timing is everything and right now is the perfect moment for you to reveal who you actually are that God has actually put you in that palace for such a time as this this has been the route verse that we have been looking at for the last four weeks as we've studied her life because I believe that Mordecai's words are so relevant to us even in 2019 that every one of us we need to hear this message that many times will happen in life is we will go through seasons of life that are unhappy seasons maybe you're here today and life is not going how you want it to go the direction of your life has not shown up in the way that you hoped it would occur and many people can spend their whole life wishing for a better life it takes people of faith to actually stand there and build a better life for such a time as this maybe you're unhappy right now with your spouse maybe you're unhappy right now with your current job maybe you're unhappy right now with your kids or maybe you're unhappy with your health or or maybe you're unhappy with this season of life you find yourself in has it ever occurred to you that you are not there by coincidence but rather you are there by Providence has it ever occurred to you that God has a plan that he's putting the puzzle together and that you must recognize regardless of the season I am here for such a time as this see there's a reason for your season there's purpose in your pain there is a design in the disaster there's hope in the hurt there's life even after death I think it's time for a turnaround scripture says that Mordecai he sends word Esther he's like yo you got to go say something and so Esther she doesn't go for a quick fix as we learned last week she decided to take three days to fast and pray she doesn't want a quick fix she wants a fast fix today is 21 days that we have been praying and fasting I don't care what's going on in your life I think after a fast there's always a breakthrough on the other side somebody give God some praise in advance that there is a breakthrough awaiting for you the reason why she prayed and fasted is because in order for her to go to the king it was jeopardizing to her life for if the king did not receive her well it meant that she could die as we jump into Esther chapter 5 we see that Esther comes out of that prayer closet and she makes a decision to go to King Xerxes and as she comes to King Xerxes what happens is his King Xerxes has favored on her you read that the last two weeks he puts out his scepter and he receives her and he says what is it you want I'll give you up to half of my kingdom what is your request and she says my request is that I would like to have dinner with you and Haman tonight he says absolutely and so they get to dinner that night Esther chapter five and as they're sitting at dinner Circe says to Esther what is your request and you got to go back and read it but Esther she says my petition is and she gets ready to say what her request is but as she gets ready to say it she stops and she pauses my petition is and then something stops her something holds her back she hesitates and she says my petition is is tomorrow can we have dinner again you me and Haman you say rich why did she pause and why did she not say the request well we have been learning over and over again that timing is everything you need to understand today that God doesn't want you just to do the right thing he wants you to the right thing at the right time god I feel this message today listen to me God often pauses before he produces and some of you you thought because God paused on your life that he stopped with your life but the pause on your life was not him stopping it was him starting do not mistake commas for periods because many of you in this room you need to realize God is not winding down he is just warming up because he always pauses before he produces because timings everything listen to me watch this Esther she pauses and because she pauses it produces Haman to leave that dinner full of arrogance full of pride yet when he walks out of the courtyard he sees Mordecai and it makes him hot again he goes home to his wife and starts to complain he's like yo I saw that dude Mordecai and she starts getting hot with her because is what couples do they get mad together she does you know what you ought to do you ought to build gallows fifty cubits high do you know how high fifty cubits is 70 feet tall do you know how arrogant and angry you must be to create a killing device that is 70 feet in the air yes yeah that's one would do she says why don't you kill him tomorrow but because Esther paused it also produced Xerces Esther chapter six to go home and when he goes home that night he can't sleep it's like he's Restless like he cannot fall asleep and so he's all up at night just by coincidence I suppose he can't sleep is like yell go get me some boring book I never read something and so they bring him the book of The Chronicles it's the record of his reign he starts reading through it and he goes back and he remembers right there in the writing that he wrote down Mordecai's name because in Esther chapter two Mordechai uncovered a conspiracy to kill Xerces and he says you know what has happened to this man did we ever celebrate or honor this man he said we've done nothing for him yet but because Esther paused it produced Haman to walk in the next morning go I'm about to kill Mordechai but when he walked into the Kings courts all of a sudden Xerxes calls Haman in and says yo what would you do for a man who saved my life Haman because he's so arrogant he thinks he's got favor with Xerces and favor with Esther he's like yo they talking about me I'll tell you what I would do I would give that man a kingly robe I would put him on a horse and I would parade them all around Persia and let everybody know who the man is and because Esther paused it producer she to say go go find Mordechai give him a kingly coat put him on a horse and parade him through town because Esther paused introduced Haman the hater of Mordecai and it turned it around and turned Haman into the celebrator of Mordecai oh I wish I could get a witness on a Sunday morning when God pauses it produces a turn around and it takes haters and turns them into celebrators it's time for a turnaround yet Esther paused because I believe she was led by the Holy Spirit Oh God make our church a church that's led by the Spirit I don't want to do it if we don't have the spirit I don't want to preach without the spirit I don't want to gather without the spirit you understand that the Holy Spirit's function in your life is twofold it is to restrict you and it is to release you and if you are a follower of Jesus you are not your own you were bought at a price and we must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit for at times he restricts our movement other time he releases us into movement in the pause it always produces what's interesting about God is that God is slow fast it is for somebody I he's he's slow and fast whenever God moves he always moves suddenly she's get this whenever God moves it's suddenly but but it's it's slow fast like like for instance Esther chapter 1 through 4 that was a nine-year process for Esther she's now been queen for five years but the process was a nine year period Esther one - Esther for yet Esther chapter five six seven and eight is a 24-hour sequence because God is slow fast he's he's slow fast and you said when does God move suddenly God moves suddenly when things are ready when things are ready when things are ready you ever baked a cake before I haven't done a lot but uh like baking a cake but there's a sequence of events that have to take place and it has to go into the fiery oven and you don't pull it out until it's ready like how me know there's different ingredients to making the cake there's a stick of butter and there's a pinch of vanilla extract and there's tablespoon of salt and two raw eggs and sugar or all sorts of stuff that goes with it how many know that most of those ingredients all alone are not very desirable yet when you put the ingredients together and you put it into the fire what comes out on the other side is something very desirable so I have learned about God it's so often you got to get a couple cups of flour of disappointment and you need a buttery stick of failure you need three tablespoons of rejection you need some some pain you need some challenges you need some you need some raw relationship eggs and all alone you want to run and all alone you don't want none of that but you start putting that stuff together and you put it into the fire called lice you better know that God is baking up a future God is baking up a God dream God is baking up a god opportunity he is slow fast and he moves suddenly give God a shout of praise oh I wish I wish I wish I can tell you when God was going to do it I wish I could tell you when the turnaround will happen but I don't have those answers the puzzle is too big but rather I implore you today to stay on the journey and trust the God who can put all the pieces together I wish I could tell you when that situation at work is gonna get better I don't know the answer I wish I could tell you when the relationship will fully heal I don't know the answer it's too big it's beyond my comprehension in fact I've even looked at sometimes it's got to get worse before it gets better sometimes God's gonna take you to the very end sometimes you got to hit rock-bottom to understand that he's the rock at the bottom but listen to me loud and clear your God will use everything someone say everything he will use everything he will use the bad stuff and use it for good stuff he will take negatives and he'll make it a positive God will even use the devil he uses the devil for his work I mean everybody needs a place to put their feet that's what the devil is he's a footstool to the King of Kings and the Lord of lords he uses everything come on somebody it's time for a turn around got a turn something's got to change somethings about to give years Esther she pauses in the pausing produces something great and here's Esther it's been slow but now it's about to be fast for Esther she goes home and they wake up and Haman now has paraded Mordechai all around the streets can you imagine how angry that du was oh my goodness this is the Kings man no enthusiasm it's an all-day affair as soon as he finishes he walks right into his wife's home and starts to complain this is crazy I can't believe it and while he's complaining the King's eunuchs come in to the house Esther chapter 7 and they pull him out of the house because he has another dinner to attend he's brought to the dinner and now Esther who has learned about the slow fast God is about to see a turnaround take place for this time as she's sitting at the dinner Esther chapter 7 Circe says now Esther what what is your petition this time she does not pause but this time she is released to speak she begins to beg for mercy for her life and for her people's life for those who have no voice she plead she says please please don't kill us and don't kill them and don't kill me and there's an edict and I am a Jew and I've been living here the whole time if I've got any favor with you please don't kill us have mercy on us and Xerces get so upset he says who is the man that tricked me Nestor says he's right here at your table it's Haman Xerxes becomes furious and he leaves the dinner hey Moo falls on his knees in fact the scripture says that he falls on to Esther begging and pleading Xerces is hot outside but when he comes in and sees this man on his wife he's even hotter he says you're gonna die what the scripture says is that one of the eunuchs says he's got 70 foot gallows out by his house Cersei says that will do talk about digging your own grave what goes around comes around what goes around comes around there's about to be a great turn around she talked about a massive turn around the gallows built for Mordecai were turned around and used on Haman the signet ring that was given to Haman was turned around and given to Mordecai so she's like I need you up in my camp and you read the story all of Haman's estate the entire estate is taken from him and it's turned around and it's given to Esther in which she turns around and gives it to Mordecai and I think the most powerful turnaround in the story is not an orphan girl who was poor who now became rich but rather you must read the story further into Esther chapter 8 which was in your reading this past week which is Esther chapter 8 verse 17 because there was this great turnaround and the turnaround was this is that now all of a sudden Xerces makes a new lead eki turns around the old eating makes a new eating says every Jew in this land can now defend themselves but not just defend themselves if anybody attacks them they can take vengeance on that person their family and their children it's one thing to be a Persian go on like we're gonna kill them now it's another thing saying if I die you're gonna get my kids I don't think I'll fight today and you watch what happens cuz this is powerful yesterday after 8 verse 17 we read it at the start in every province and in every city to which the Edict of the King came there was joy and gladness among the Jews with feasting and celebrating and many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them I'm hoping you're seeing what's taking place because you are seeing a providential God the reason why he selected Esther was not to make her prominent it was because he wanted to make her purposeful God does not save us for safety he saves us that we might save others and what happened was this was every person that Tao said yo there's something about these Jewish people there's something powerful about these people for we are the greatest nation in the world but these people who are living in exile among us somehow we cannot attack them surround them it looks like they're surrounded there is a defense there is a deliverance there is a God who is devoted to them and I got a feeling we need a little bit in our life what if you changed your perspective around what if today you walked out of here saying you know what maybe I'm going through what I'm going through so that people could watch my life and when my turnaround comes about they might look at me and say who is the God that they serve if God did it for them maybe he can do it for me it's time for a turnaround it's time for a turnaround this is the God we serve this is the God that we serve we serve the God of the Turner I can't tell you when but I am certain it will happen waits on the Lord and you shall renew your strength God is slow fast and he pauses to produce he pauses to produce he's the God of a turnaround this whole story we've been read we got one more week left but this whole story it's a picture not just a fester but it's a picture of a God a savior who would come who would fight for those who had no voice who wouldn't just risk his life but he would give his life and oh I can just see it as he went up on that cross the devil thought for sure that he was victorious when they killed him put him in that grave death thought it had the final say but nobody knew that on Sunday a turnaround was about to come for death hell and the grave could not stop Jesus and you better know that the same spirit that resurrected him from the grave lives inside of you it is time for a turnaround in your life somebody give him praise Thank You Chi come on and give him praise the God we serve I'm part of the turnaround it's not over yet it's not over till it's over he gets the last say it's time for a turnaround it's time for a turnaround but turnarounds don't happen on their own turnarounds happen as God empowers people with a purpose and they step in to their purpose and they raise their voice and they say not on my watch last week we celebrated the life of dr. Martin Luther King jr. talk about a man who believed in the God of a turnaround for its stories and testimonies of preachers white preachers who during the civil rights movement they had opportunities to march with dr. King but they feared the backlash of not going with popular decision and so they never marched although they were convicted in all they though they knew that racism was wrong they they stayed silent they never marched they missed their God opportunity but they didn't know that timing is everything they didn't take a moment to fast forward they didn't know that God was the God of the turnaround and so that they waited in it and they missed their moment I think there comes moments where we have to be bold and we like Esther through the power and the Spirit of Jesus must step up and step out even if it means that we lose popularity because I don't want to miss my moment figuratively speaking to March with dr. King this past week in New York City and a law was passed that is now giving mothers an opportunity for late term abortion literally days before I want to be sensitive today I want to do so with grace this is a church that fully believes in women's rights but we also believe in women's rights the moment that they're created in the womb I've always been pro-life I believe Psalm 139 that he knit us together in our mother's womb that he knew our name and he scripted out our days and we're fearfully and wonderfully made I don't believe that children aren't accident I believe that every child is born on purpose that God he puts purpose in children [Applause] and this is is a safe place there's no shame there's no judgment on you you can belong even if you disagree with me that you still can belong I still love you I want I can let our disagreements divide us but I feel like this is my moment and this is my hour as I'm leading this church to be very very clear that it's time for the people of God to rise up not with arrogance not with pride but with boldness since the days of Moses to Jesus the devil has tried to kill children we've now seen 60 million kids aborted in America alone you want to talk about it genocide there's one for you and if we're not careful we will miss our moment to march and if we're not careful we will not step out and we will not stand out and we will live quiet lives afraid of losing popularity but today I stand here before you believing that it's time for a turnaround that God can take that which was meant for evil and he can turn it around for good that God can use the pain and he can bring about purpose that God can bring about hope even in the heart that even in the disaster there is a design come on if you believe it today every hand lifted every voice raised come on let's sing it out to our God

Channel: VOUS Church

Views: 32,401

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Keywords: vous church, vous, miami church, rich wilkerson, rich wilkerson jr, book of esther, esther, sermon, miami preacher

Id: 6153OyXODwQ

Length: 32min 58sec (1978 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 28 2019