God Will Save You
Rick Olson Preached on 8/27/2025
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49:53
Summary
Using the story of Esther and Mordecai, Pastor Rick Olson illustrates how God is meticulously working behind the scenes to save His people, often beginning the process of deliverance before the crisis even arrives. The sermon challenges believers to prioritize the Kingdom of God over their own comfort, trusting that God will reverse the enemy's evil plans for their ultimate good.
Key points
- •God often begins working on our behalf long before we realize we are in need of deliverance.
- •Personal tragedies or difficult circumstances are often pieces of a larger puzzle within the framework of God's Kingdom.
- •Spiritual sensitivity, like that shown by Mordecai, allows us to recognize the enemy's plans and walk in God's wisdom.
- •Faithfulness during trials is the prerequisite for promotion to higher places of influence and blessing.
- •What the enemy intends for evil, God meticulously reverses to bring about the salvation of His people.
Scripture
Purpose
Faith
Blessing
Trials
Kingdom
Life application
This week, when you encounter a setback or a difficult person, stop and pray, 'Lord, show me how this serves Your Kingdom.' Instead of focusing on your own comfort, ask God to give you the courage to say, 'If I perish, I perish,' placing the needs of the Gospel above your own desires.
Reflection questions
- In what ways have you seen God working behind the scenes of your life before you even realized you needed Him?
- Is there a current 'tragedy' or 'trial' in your life that you need to view through the lens of Kingdom purpose rather than personal loss?
- How can you develop the spiritual sensitivity of Mordecai to discern between God's leading and the enemy's influence?
- Are you willing to be used by God even if it means going through a season of mourning or fasting?
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Full transcript
0:02Thank you, Lord. Amen. Thank you, Jesus.
0:06Well, it's good to be in the house of
0:08the Lord
0:10>> here this evening.
0:12>> It's good to see everybody.
0:15>> Amen. It it gets feeling a little empty
0:18in here when we have classes and the
0:20youth are having classes.
0:23Amen.
0:25But I prayed,
0:28Amen. that the Lord would give me
0:30something for those that were going to
0:31be in this building.
0:35>> So, I'm telling you, God says you're
0:38important.
0:41>> Amen. I am excited about uh all the
0:46effort that is being made towards
0:49uh uh September the 7th
0:53and those that are doing it. Uh you know
0:57uh it it's
1:00what happens to people when exciting
1:03things happen. They get excited.
1:07>> Amen.
1:08>> That's what happens. And so uh I am uh
1:14just overjoyed at all of the efforts
1:16that are being put into
1:19uh this day that we have set aside to be
1:23a day that we really with our hearts
1:27reach out and try to uh affect people's
1:31lives. Uh, you know, I've been thinking
1:34about, uh, you know, the sermon, uh,
1:38that I'm going to preach on that Sunday
1:42morning. And, uh, I know we've put in
1:46our advertisement, how can God help you?
1:49Uh, but the first thing that I feel like
1:52the Lord wants me to tell everybody is
1:54he wants to help you.
1:59>> Amen. He wants to
2:01He's looking for ways to do it.
2:04>> And I'm not going to preach the sermon
2:05because I'm just starting in my brain so
2:08and writing stuff down on on paper. But
2:10I'm just saying I believe God is going
2:13to use that service uh to touch people's
2:16lives.
2:18>> Amen. And so I promise you your efforts
2:21uh will be uh uh will be rewarded
2:26because I believe people's lives are
2:27going to be touched in a special way.
2:30Amen. During this time, uh we're going
2:33to uh turn to the book of Esther
2:37and uh we're going to read the uh first
2:40chapter of the first verse.
2:43Amen.
2:45And uh
2:49you know while they're getting that put
2:51up on the screen, I just want to say the
2:55fact that something that has really been
2:58touching me in a strong way the last few
3:02weeks is about the stories that are in
3:05the Bible.
3:07You know, there's a reason why God had
3:10all those things recorded.
3:12Now, some of them were instructional,
3:14some of them were uh uh, you know, to
3:18encourage us. Some were there to warn
3:22us. I mean, there's a lot of things that
3:25God wanted to put in the book that we
3:28might be able to live our lives from,
3:31but there's a lot of stories in there
3:35that let us know that God, how God works
3:38in people's lives, and the book of
3:40Esther is one of them. Let's start with
3:41the very first verse. And now it came to
3:44pass in the days of Hazeras. And this
3:48was Hazeriah who reigned over 127
3:51provinces from India to Ethiopia. And in
3:55those days when uh King Hazariah sat on
3:58his throne of his kingdom which was in
4:01Shushan the citadel that in the third
4:04year of his reign he made a feast for
4:07all of his officials and servants and
4:09the powers of Persia
4:13Media and the nobles and uh the princes
4:16of the provinces before being before
4:20him. And for a few moments here this
4:24evening, I want to think on or preach on
4:28this thought. God
4:31will or can save you.
4:36Amen. You may be seated. You know, they
4:39don't really know who wrote this book,
4:42but God so ordained
4:46that this story would be told. And so he
4:53inspired someone to write it down and
4:56then it was preserved in some ways. You
5:00know, a lot of things been written down
5:02that disappear.
5:05But God decided that it was going to be
5:08preserved so that it would become part
5:11of the Bible.
5:14Because what God wanted uh uh you to
5:18know and understand
5:20that this story uh could be the story of
5:23your life.
5:27>> All the things that could happen and the
5:29ups that we could have and the downs
5:31that we could have and and all of the
5:33tragedies that would seemingly uh appear
5:37in our lives. And God said it doesn't
5:40make any difference how difficult it may
5:42be.
5:45I am able to deal in your life and be in
5:49your life for whatever comes along. Now
5:53uh
5:55they say that this book happened over 10
5:59to 11 years and uh so it was a process
6:04of time. I know we can read through it
6:06pretty fast and read the story and know
6:10what is there, but
6:14it happened over a period of time. And
6:18this is a story of how God through
6:22miraculous action saved the people of
6:25Israel.
6:27And and so he was having this banquet
6:30and he invited his queen Vashti to come
6:34to it. and she refused.
6:40This is really step one of God's
6:42deliverance
6:44>> because if she hadn't refused,
6:48all the other things that happened
6:50wouldn't have happened.
6:52>> But she refused. Now, those of you that
6:55are married know every once in a while
6:57your wife gets mad at you,
7:02right?
7:06of course. And so I the Bible doesn't
7:08really say why she refused to come, but
7:10she probably was just angry about
7:12something that didn't go the way she
7:15thought it it ought to go. And and so
7:18she got mad. And then of course then
7:20that made the king mad.
7:27And so God
7:29at this moment was already setting up
7:33the deliverance of the children of
7:36Israel even when they didn't know they
7:39needed to be delivered.
7:43>> They had no idea what was coming.
7:48You don't know what's coming. It says in
7:50James 4:14, "Whereas you do not know
7:53what will happen tomorrow, for what is
7:55your life? if it is even a vapor that
7:57appears for a little time and then
7:59vanishes away. Instead, you ought to
8:01say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live
8:04and do this or that." You don't know
8:07what's going to happen next week.
8:11>> God does though.
8:14>> God knows what's going to happen next
8:16week. In his fornowledge, he
8:18understands, Amen. the end from the
8:21beginning.
8:24And so here he was starting to save
8:28Israel when they didn't even know they
8:30needed to be saved.
8:36And so
8:39someone
8:41that was used of the Lord,
8:46they didn't have to be the king to be
8:47used of the Lord, but someone
8:53suggested the fact
8:56that maybe the king needed another wife.
9:09Don't get any ideas.
9:13Esther 2:2 says this, "And then the
9:15king's servant who attended him said,
9:19"Let beautiful young virgins be sought
9:21for the king." And so there was a search
9:23on
9:25for a new wife.
9:34You know, one of the neat things about
9:36this verse is the fact that it was a
9:38servant
9:43People sometimes think they're
9:45insignificant,
9:50>> but it was a servant that came up with
9:53this idea. And of course, uh the this
9:58was God's second step in delivering
10:02Israel, and they still did not know that
10:05they needed to be delivered.
10:09So Esther became part of the group of
10:12maidens that were gathered together.
10:16It says in the seventh verse of that
10:18second uh chapter it says then Morayi
10:22uh who had brought up had that was I
10:27guess Esther's name. Uh I don't know if
10:30it came from her living in the kingdom
10:33or not but her name was Esther. that is
10:35Esther, her uncle's daughter, for she
10:39had neither father nor mother. The young
10:42woman was lovely and beautiful. When her
10:45father and mother died, Morayi took her
10:48as his own daughter. Now, in looking at
10:51this scripture,
10:53I thought to myself, okay, God had a
10:56plan. He knew what he wanted to do.
11:00Sometimes we think tragedy
11:04is terrible because we don't see the end
11:08of it.
11:11>> When Esther's mother and father passed
11:14away,
11:17what do you think was her state of mind?
11:21She was in mourning.
11:24But God understood that he was going to
11:27use Esther. And what probably really
11:32happened here is that he understood
11:34Morayi, her cousin, would have the
11:38spiritual strength to give her wisdom
11:41and knowledge and understanding that she
11:44could do the thing that God intended for
11:47her to do.
11:50I know that sounds radical, but I'm what
11:53I'm trying to say to you is when tragedy
11:56happens in some way or another, you
12:00don't always know whether it's the part
12:03the plan of God or not in your life.
12:08I know we want to be like spoiled
12:10children.
12:14I just want good things. I just want
12:15good things. I just want good things. I
12:17don't want nothing bad happen to me.
12:23One of the things that you have to
12:25understand when you're in the church are
12:28in the kingdom of God that the number
12:31one important thing is the kingdom.
12:36You're not the most important thing. I
12:38just hate to tell you that
12:41>> I'm not the most important thing. You're
12:43not the most important thing. The
12:45kingdom is the most important thing.
12:49>> And so sometimes for God to do what he
12:54wants to with the kingdom,
12:58we have to go through things we don't
13:00want to go through.
13:07I didn't mean to get all
13:10excited about that, but I'm just, you
13:12know, a lot of times because humanity,
13:14we just it's all about me.
13:17It ain't about you.
13:22It's about the kingdom.
13:25Because the kingdom as a whole is more
13:27important than any one of us
13:29individually.
13:33I'm not saying you're not important.
13:35You're important, of course, because
13:36you're part of the kingdom,
13:40but it you're not. And your well-being
13:43and your happiness and your whatever it
13:46is that you have desire for in this
13:49life, that that's not the most important
13:51thing. The most important thing is the
13:54kingdom.
13:58See, don't fear God's plans for you
14:03and the kingdom purpose because they're
14:05both intertwined.
14:09There's not a person in here that
14:11doesn't want to go and live with the
14:13Lord forever and ever and ever.
14:19But he, as I've said, I don't know how
14:22many times I've said this. I don't know
14:24if when I say this it just like somehow
14:26my my words go
14:32just take off through the roof. Nobody
14:34hears them.
14:36But God
14:40has a purpose for your life. But the the
14:45the only in other words sometimes we
14:47think the only reason that God gave us
14:48the Holy Ghost was so that we can go to
14:51heaven.
14:57No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. He
14:59didn't just give you the Holy Ghost and
15:02the revelation of the truth just so you
15:05can go to heaven.
15:08That's not the purpose. The purpose is
15:10uh
15:12to do the will of God and affect the
15:15kingdom as he intended for you to affect
15:18the kingdom. And in that process, you're
15:21going to go to heaven.
15:26>> That's the purpose.
15:29I know that may startle some of you, but
15:32that's really what God intended.
15:38See, Morayi in his sensitivity to God
15:41and and his wisdom that God had given
15:43him told Esther not to reveal that she
15:47was Jewish.
15:53And then in Esther 2 and 21 it says,
15:55"And in those days while Morayi
15:58Morayi was sat within the king's gate,
16:02two of the king's unics, Big Than and
16:07Tes, that's how you say it. Doorkeepers
16:10became furious and sought to lay hands
16:13on King Hazeras. And so the matter
16:16became known to Morayi who told Queen
16:20Esther and Esther informed the king in
16:23Morayi's name. And when an inquiry was
16:27made into the matter, it was confirmed
16:29and both were hanged on gallows and it
16:32was written in the book of Chronicles in
16:34the presence of the king.
16:38So this was step three of God saving
16:42Israel or the Jewish people.
16:47seemed like a random happening
16:53that Morayi
16:54knew about these men's wanting to kill
16:57the king and that
17:01Esther said, "Hey, Morayi brought me
17:03this information and that it was written
17:07in the Chronicles." All of that was the
17:10plan of God.
17:13Even they didn't know that they needed
17:18to be delivered. All that was happening,
17:23but they didn't know that it needed to
17:24be delivered.
17:30And of course,
17:35after that process,
17:40the devils
17:43plan got revealed.
17:48See the plan that God knew already knew
17:50about.
17:52It says in Esther 3 and1, "And after
17:54these uh things, King Hazeras promoted
17:58Hmon, the son of Hamtha and the Agite,
18:02and advanced him and set his seat above
18:05all the princes who were with him."
18:09So this is the beginning of what the
18:13enemy, the devil wanted to do to destroy
18:17the Jewish people.
18:22It says in the second verse of that
18:24chapter, and and all the king's servants
18:26who were within the king's gate bowed
18:28and paid homage to Hmon. Uh for so the
18:33king had commanded concerning them.
18:34Everybody was supposed to bow down to
18:36him. But Morayi
18:38would not bow or pay homage.
18:42Now, why would he do that?
18:44Because he must have sensed something in
18:47Hmon that wasn't right.
18:51I I'm amazed at times and I'm not going
18:55to go into any specific uh incident, but
18:59I've been amazed at times that why do I
19:02feel so strong about certain things that
19:06no, no, no, I wouldn't be involved in
19:07that. No, no, no. I wouldn't follow
19:09them.
19:11And I've thought to myself, why in the
19:13world would I feel that way? And I see
19:14other people acting like, yeah, that's
19:17great.
19:20I'm not just talking about people in
19:21this church. I'm talking about other
19:23people in other places. I'm thinking,
19:26you know, I've had preachers
19:28that I would not have here
19:32to preach to this church because I felt
19:35something.
19:38But I see him all these big churches all
19:41over the place having them. And I'm
19:42thinking, wait a minute. Don't you see
19:43what I see?
19:47Don't you feel what I feel?
19:56And I believe that Moraya was this kind
19:59of person that was sensitive to the
20:02things of God. And and so, you know, he
20:05wasn't going to bow down. And so, Hmon
20:07just got mad. You know, I hate him.
20:12Everybody else is doing this, but I hate
20:14him because he he's not wanting to do
20:16that. And of course, uh the devil
20:18influenced Hmon to want to kill Morcia.
20:22And then, of course, the way he was
20:24going to do that was try to kill all of
20:26the Jews.
20:28Now, we know why God took those steps,
20:33why all of this other stuff happened be
20:36before that.
20:42And so Hmon influenced the king to
20:46decree that the Jews would be killed.
20:49And so a decree was sent out to all of
20:52the 127 provinces. Of course, the king
20:56did not know that Esther was a Jew.
21:03And this is probably again going back to
21:05Morayi's sensitivity to God.
21:09instructing her to do that in the very
21:11beginning.
21:14Of course, when Moraya heard about the
21:16decree, he mourned and Esther found out
21:18about Mordeaya I mourning and asked why
21:22and he told her.
21:25And then Morayi asked Esther to go
21:28before the king for her people. This was
21:32step four
21:34in God's plan to save the Jews. Of
21:41course, the Bible tells us that Esther
21:43was afraid to go before the king because
21:46if he had not asked for her, she could
21:50have been killed.
21:57And so in Esther 4 and3 it says, "And
22:01Moria told them to answer Esther's." And
22:06this is what he said to Esther. Do not
22:08think in your heart that you will escape
22:10in the king's palace any more than all
22:13the other Jews. For if you remain
22:16completely silent at this time, relief
22:19and deliverance will arise for the Jews
22:22from another place. But you and your
22:24father's house will perish.
22:27Yet who knows whether you have come to
22:31the kingdom for such a time as this?
22:37And of course, that's why she was there.
22:45As I said earlier,
22:48there's a reason that God has picked you
22:51out to be in this church, in this part
22:55of the kingdom.
23:01You just didn't happen to come.
23:07God decided that you needed to come.
23:12Yes, he set up all the circumstances,
23:15maybe the steps that needed to be made
23:18so but that you would come here
23:22because God has a purpose for all of us
23:26in the kingdom. and where we serve in
23:29the kingdom.
23:34>> And so here was Esther in this position
23:38of favor with the king
23:42because God had placed her there
23:46for the kingdom's sake, the Jewish
23:47people.
23:49Then it says in the 16th verse and he
23:53and her answer go gather all the Jews
23:55who are present in Shushan and fast for
23:57me neither eat nor drink for three days
24:00night or day my maid and I will fast
24:02likewise and so I will go to the king
24:06which is against the law and if I perish
24:11I perish.
24:24really that should be
24:28in all of our hearts. If I perish, I
24:31perish because it's not about me. It's
24:35about the kingdom.
24:40It's not whether I live or die. It's not
24:42whether I succeed or not or or have all
24:45the things I want out of life. It's
24:48about the kingdom.
24:54And so she did go before the king and
24:57she found favor and she didn't die.
25:02>> The king asked her, "What do you want?
25:09I don't know why back then they said
25:11this, but it was a common saying. Uh,
25:14you could have up to half of the
25:16kingdom.
25:19I might not have been that generous, but
25:27and so she simply
25:29asks the king for him and Hmon to come
25:32to a banquet at the appointed time.
25:36In other words, she didn't go in there
25:38without a plan.
25:42She didn't went in there with a plan.
25:48And it would have probably been
25:52different if she would have just said
25:53what she was there for.
25:58The situation wouldn't have been
26:03turned out the same.
26:07But God in the wisdom that he had given
26:10her gave this plan
26:14for
26:16the king and Hmon to be at her banquet.
26:22The Bible tells us that Hmon was so
26:24excited about being invited to this
26:26banquet that when he saw Morayi again
26:30and uh and he got angry because he
26:34didn't bow again that he decided to
26:37build some gallows to hang Moraya on
26:42when all of the Jews were to be
26:45destroyed.
26:47And then step five is
26:51Morcayi is remembered.
26:54So one night the king couldn't sleep and
26:56he asked for the chronicles of the king
26:58to be read.
27:01Can you believe they turned to the
27:03certain place
27:06and started reading
27:09and what they read was
27:13the record about how Moraya had saved
27:16the king's life.
27:19I'm I'm trying to paint a picture of how
27:22meticulous God is
27:27>> in in working in our lives.
27:31When you think nothing's happening or
27:33you think that you can't see anyway, I'm
27:38telling you, when you're serving God in
27:40the kingdom, God is working on your
27:44behalf. He is doing things that you
27:46don't understand.
27:51>> He is working.
27:54Yeah.
27:55>> And so here this was read and and of
27:58course I'm not going to read uh tell you
28:00the whole story of what happened with
28:02Morai after that remembrance but God did
28:07honor mortayi
28:09through the king
28:11and uh you can read that in the sixth
28:13chapter but not right now.
28:20So the next step the sixth step was the
28:22banquet.
28:28And so the king finally asked Esther for
28:33her request. And this is what she said
28:35in Esther 7 3 and 4. Then Queen Esther
28:41answered and said, "If I have found
28:43favor in your sight, O king, and if it
28:45pleases the king, let my life be given
28:49me at my petition, and my people at my
28:53request.
28:55For we have been sold, my people and I,
28:58to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be
29:01annihilated."
29:02I'm not reading the rest of that verse.
29:07So, of course, the king was all excited
29:10and got excited. Well, who wants to kill
29:12you?
29:16And she looked at Hmon that had been so
29:19excited about being there
29:22and said, "This is the guy right here,
29:24Hmon."
29:27Well, the Bible tells us the king got
29:30angry
29:32and uh
29:36and but right at the right moment a
29:40servant again spoke up. In the ninth
29:44verse it says, "And now uh Harboni, one
29:48of the unic said to the king, look the
29:51gallows 50 cubits high which Hmon made
29:54for Morayi
29:56who spoke good on the the king's
29:59behalf." So he's reminding him what was
30:01written down is standing at the house of
30:04Hmon. Then the king said, "Hang him on
30:07those gallows.
30:14God, he's so neat to watch God's plan
30:19play out.
30:25See, the devil thought he was going to
30:27have the upper hand and destroy the
30:31Jewish people.
30:34I mean, he said got Hmon to build those
30:36gallows so that he would uh be able to
30:41hang Moray on. And God said, "I've got
30:45some plans for those gallows.
30:48I've got some."
30:50And actually, not only Hmon
30:54was killed, but all of his family was
30:57killed.
30:59But this is not the end of the story
31:01because there was a step seven.
31:06The decree
31:08the to kill the Jews was out there. And
31:12because the king's decree could not be
31:15taken back once his seal was on it, they
31:19couldn't reverse it. They couldn't say,
31:21"No, we're not going to do that
31:22anymore." That was the law at the time.
31:25But what the king did was make another
31:30decree that the Jews could defend
31:32themselves
31:35and destroy their enemies and take the
31:38spoils.
31:44I have I imagine that the Jews already
31:46had a pretty good idea who didn't like
31:48them
31:51and who was against them. So what the
31:54devil intended
31:58to happen got reversed
32:03to the favor of the Jewish people.
32:06>> That's when Joseph was talking about his
32:09brothers throwing him in the dungeon and
32:11all of that. It says in Genesis 15
32:13and20, "But as for you, you meant evil
32:16against me, but God meant it for good
32:20in order to bring it about at as it is
32:24this day to save many people alive."
32:28I'm so thankful that Joseph had a right
32:32attitude.
32:35When you're thinking poor me
32:40and nothing
32:46What we don't understand many times is
32:49God is trying to bring about a miracle
32:53through our actions. Even if we somebody
32:56meant evil against us,
33:02you ever had anybody really do you
33:04wrong? I I have.
33:07I mean, they they weren't just
33:09accidentally doing something. They did
33:11it on purpose.
33:15And so it is that the Jews now could
33:19defend themselves. And and you're going
33:23to have to read the rest of the story.
33:24But I'm not going to tell you the rest
33:25of the story because it's not what's
33:28important. Because they got their
33:30deliverance
33:34because they were able
33:39on God's
33:41direction
33:43to defeat their enemies and take what
33:45they had.
33:48See, no matter what the plans are that
33:51the devil has for you, God will save
33:54you.
33:58>> I don't care how it seems like it's
34:01going the wrong way and it seems like
34:03your your
34:05end the destruction of your end is
34:07almost nigh.
34:10Doesn't make any difference.
34:12>> God knows what he's doing and how he's
34:15doing it. And
34:17all of us would probably benefit from a
34:21little suffering.
34:26>> Come on,
34:29be honest.
34:32>> You know, no fire, no gold, no test, no
34:37passing it, no trial, no victory.
34:45We all need adversity in our lives
34:49to keep us humble and keep us
34:52understanding that we need God.
34:59>> If we're too self-sufficient, then we
35:01don't think we need God.
35:04>> And God can't save us
35:08if we're in that state of mind.
35:11So we need that to happen to us uh so
35:15that we can have victory. I I know many
35:20times in my life in the lives of others
35:22that I have dealt with what is in their
35:25mind is why why why why
35:31because God's doing something that's
35:33why.
35:39Can you imagine when the decree went out
35:45that all of the Jews were to be killed
35:48how they were all feeling?
35:55I mean, there were, it says here that
35:57Morayi was mourning them, but I promise
35:59you all of them were mourning.
36:04Any
36:11trial I ever go through, I try my dead
36:14level best
36:19to
36:21say
36:22how God is going to work it all out.
36:29No, I say it out loud. I I don't know
36:31about you, but I say stuff out loud.
36:34Now, I don't do it in the middle of the
36:36grocery store.
36:42But I do say stuff out loud because I
36:44want to convince myself of the truth.
36:52>> You know, the Bible says that David
36:53encouraged himself in the Lord. That's
36:55one of the ways you do it
37:00>> because I believe without a shadow of a
37:02doubt that God is going to bring me
37:05through even when things are because I
37:10did something I shouldn't have done.
37:20It doesn't make any difference where it
37:21comes from. If I keep seeking the face
37:24of God, if I keep understanding and
37:27believing that he will save me, he will
37:31save me. No matter what seems
37:34impossible, what I might be uh might
37:37happen to me, didn't make any difference
37:39how big or small it is in my mind.
37:49This is a wonderful story.
37:57>> People,
38:01>> you
38:05every one of you that are serving and
38:07following after the Lord.
38:11The end of the story tells us that
38:13Morayi was elevated to the place next to
38:16the king.
38:19If we go through
38:22trials
38:24and testing
38:28and stay faithful and true to the Lord,
38:33the next step is a higher one.
38:39>> It's a higher one.
38:41If we don't, then we just have to go
38:44back through another test, another trial
38:49to try to get it the second time or the
38:52third time or the fourth time.
38:57But God's intention
38:59when he puts us through something is for
39:02us to step up higher.
39:05That's what his purpose is.
39:10Sometimes we get in the way of that,
39:14>> but that's what is in his test. So when
39:18something
39:20comes your way like that, like this the
39:23Jewish people dealt with in this story,
39:26when it comes your way, understand
39:28that's what God is trying to do. He's
39:32trying to lift you up.
39:41And you have to decide whether you're
39:43going to stay in there and be strong and
39:46keep going no matter what.
39:49And then when you get out on the other
39:51side, God could do what God intended to
39:54do
39:56in your life. And so that's what
39:57happened to Mori.
40:00He went from this guy that was sitting
40:02in the king's gate to being in the
40:04king's palace with him.
40:08>> And so that's what God wants to do in
40:12our lives. When we stay faithful to God,
40:15he will save us and then he will bless
40:19us.
40:21>> Amen. Let's stand.
40:26Amen.
40:39It's not easy
40:42to go through things
40:46because our minds
40:50can only deal with the past and the
40:52present
40:54because we don't have any idea about the
40:56future.
41:02But the God we serve and the God we
41:04follow
41:08doesn't
41:10knows the past and the future.
41:18And he is making steps
41:22that maybe we're unaware of
41:26at the moment.
41:32to make sure that we're saved in every
41:35situation.
41:41You know, the Bible tells us that
41:45not everybody got victory. If you read
41:49Hebrews,
41:51a lot of people went through a lot of
41:52stuff.
41:57But that too is all right
42:00if we stay faithful to God
42:04because eventually
42:05we're going to be in heaven and it's
42:07going to be forever and ever and never.
42:12All of this trials and tribulations of
42:15life is going to be over with. No tears,
42:18no crying and all that stuff's going to
42:21be gone.
42:23I know when we're living in this world,
42:27it's not easy to think about heaven
42:33because all we know is right now.
42:37All we know is what's going on right now
42:39in our lives or in our past, whatever
42:42we've had to deal with.
42:47But if we remain faithful to God,
42:53he will bring us out.
42:57He will help us to endure to the end
43:01and we will be saved.
43:04>> Amen.
43:07I want to be
43:12saved.
43:14And God will do it if we cooperate with
43:18him and allow him to do that.
43:21Amen. Before we're dismissed this
43:23evening,
43:26I don't know how you were affected by
43:28what was presented here tonight.
43:31Maybe what
43:34it might have touched you in one way or
43:36another and it may be different for
43:38different people, but why don't we just
43:40talk to the Lord for a few moments
43:42before we're dismissed this evening? And
43:44why don't we just thank him? Why don't
43:47we just talk to him about what we felt
43:49like we were touched by? Man, I want
43:54God's
43:55will to be done always in my life.
44:00I try to look for the reason. Yes, I'm
44:02I'm a why person,
44:05but a lot of times it's God. Okay, I
44:07want you to show me why you're doing
44:09this.
44:10And I always look for the positive
44:13things
44:15that are could come out of what's going
44:19on
44:21because I know that's God's intention.
44:24And so, I'm going to ask you to pray.
44:25You can come to the front if you want or
44:27you can just stand where you're at. But
44:29let's just talk to God for a few moments
44:31here this evening before, Amen, we are
44:34dismissed. Lord, I thank you, God.
44:37Lord, you're so good. You've all of the
44:40plans that you make for us, God, are so
44:43wonderful. Thank you, God, for helping
44:46me to endure. God, I know there are
44:49times I just all I can do is endure. But
44:52God, I know that you will help me to
44:54endure. And Lord, you will give me
44:57strength to be faithful, God. Lord, I
45:01thank you for this wonderful story of
45:03Esther and and all that happened, Lord,
45:06in this time where you saved the Jewish
45:10people. Even though the devil had evil
45:13plans God
45:16you're the one that turned it around and
45:20made it happen to where they were saved.
45:22God, I know you're doing that in my
45:25life, God. I know you are, God. I thank
45:29you for it, God. God, you're so good.
45:33Thank you, God. Thank you, Lord.
45:37Glory to the name of Jesus.
45:40In the name of the Lord. Glory to your
45:44name.
45:46Hallelujah. God needs compassion.
45:50Love is ever failing.
45:56>> Let me mercy
45:58fall on me.
46:01Everyone needs forgiveness,
46:05the kindness of a savior.
46:10The home of nations.
46:17[Music]
46:21Savior.
46:23He can move the mountain.
46:27My God is mighty to say.
46:31He is fighting to stay
46:35forever.
46:38Author of salvation.
46:42He rose and conquered the grave.
46:46Jesus conered the grave.
46:50[Music]
46:52Everyone needs compassion.
46:56A love that's never failing.
47:01Then mercy
47:03fall on me.
47:07And everyone needs forgiveness.
47:10The kindness of a savior.
47:15The hope of nations.
47:19[Music]
47:21>> The hope of nations.
47:27Savior.
47:29He can move the mountain.
47:33My God is mighty to say.
47:37He is mighty to say
47:41forever.
47:44Author of salvation.
47:48He rose and conquered the grave. Jesus
47:53conquered the grave.
47:58So take me as you find me.
48:02All my fears and failures.
48:07Fill my life again.
48:13I give my life to follow
48:17everything I believe in.
48:22Now I surrender.
48:27>> Now I surrender.
48:30[Music]
48:33>> Savior.
48:35He can move the mountain.
48:39My God is mighty to save. He is mighty
48:45to save
48:47forever.
48:49Author of salvation.
48:54He rose and conquered the grave.
48:58Jesus conquered the grave.
49:01[Music]
49:02Shining lion, let the whole world see.
49:08We're singing for the glory of the risen
49:13king.
49:16Jesus, shine your light in. Let the
49:19whole world sing.
49:22We're singing for the glory of the risen
49:28king.
49:31Jesus,
49:33you can move the mountain
49:37and you are mighty to say.
49:41You are mighty to say
49:45forever.
49:46[Music]
49:47Author of salvation,
49:51you rose and conquered the grave. Yes,