For starters, this morning I want everyone to stand up and trade seats with their spouse..or if your by your self today, slide over two spaces to another seat.
Okay now, if everyone is all cozy now..
Let's get started.
I want to describe something to you this morning, it's invisible and warm, it's
safe and secure...it's a place.
Some of us surround ourselves in and with it
For some, it's where we live
For some, were like tourist and only visit their occasionally
But every human being that was ever created, knows it and likes it.
Any guesses, it's our comfort zone!
Is anyone missing the place you were sitting in just moments ago yet?
When we get used to something, or when we have done something in a particular way for a while, or when we just don’t want something to change, those are times when we find ourselves in a comfort zone.
Today I want to talk about letting go of the "comfort zone"
Esther 2:5-7 MSG
5-7 Now there was a Jew who lived in the palace complex in Susa. His name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish—a Benjaminite. His ancestors had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles and carried off with King Jehoiachin of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile. Mordecai had reared his cousin Hadassah, otherwise known as Esther, since she had no father or mother. The girl had a good figure and a beautiful face. After her parents died, Mordecai had adopted her.
This is the story about Esther, there had been a shake up at the royal palace...
The former Queen had acted inappropriately and had mysteriously disappeared, Esther's life was about to change forever.
By all standards, she had had a tough road in her beginning. She didn't have the comfort zone of a mother and father,
And the one she did have, was about to be changed...because she had been chosen, for something greater than herself.
Did you know, God will never ask you to do something...that He is not ready to go before you and make the way for you?
Even if it means providing a river in the desert..God is ready to step up and help, when you are ready to step out in faith. Amen?
8 When the king’s order had been publicly posted, many young girls were brought to the palace complex of Susa and given over to Hegai who was overseer of the women. Esther was among them.
9-10 Hegai liked Esther and took a special interest in her. Right off he started her beauty treatments, ordered special food, assigned her seven personal maids from the palace, and put her and her maids in the best rooms in the harem. Esther didn’t say anything about her family and racial background because Mordecai had told her not to.
The moment Esther stepped out of her comfort zone in faith, Gods Favor began to shine on her...
When God asked you to do something, He's not going to take you down a side street or a back alley to your destination.
He's going to make a way..it may not always be the way your thinking of..but it doesn't have to be..He's God!
His ways are higher, His ways are better...it may not always be in your comfort zone..but He will always be there comforting you, when you chose to trust Him and listen to the instruction He sends your way!
11 Every day Mordecai strolled beside the court of the harem to find out how Esther was and get news of what she was doing.
12-14 Each girl’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes after she had completed the twelve months of prescribed beauty treatments—six months’ treatment with oil of myrrh followed by six months with perfumes and various cosmetics. When it was time for the girl to go to the king, she was given whatever she wanted to take with her when she left the harem for the king’s quarters. She would go there in the evening; in the morning she would return to a second harem overseen by Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines. She never again went back to the king unless the king took a special liking to her and asked for her by name.
Although this certainly sounds like the ultimate comfort zone...it was out of Esther's normal level of security.. A lot was on the line, she only had one chance...there was no room for error
15 When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king (Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter), she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, had recommended. Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone who saw her.
17-18 The king fell in love with Esther far more than with any of his other women or any of the other virgins—he was totally smitten by her. He placed a royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. Then the king gave a great banquet for all his nobles and officials—“Esther’s Banquet.” He proclaimed a holiday for all the provinces and handed out gifts with royal generosity.
If we are honest with ourselves, many times it’s easier for us to keep doing the same things - over and over and over again - than it is for us to allow change in our lives!
Even when it is God’s will that change should happen in our lives -
or when it is God’s will that change should happen in the life of our church,
we always want to choose the comfortable option,
the safe option.
Have you ever done that?
Have you ever chosen the “safe” option?
The option that says,
I know God is bigger than this,
I know God has said that all things are possible to those who believe,
I know God is a God of miracles,
but ....it's so cozy and warm right where we are
Human nature seems to always want to say..I am going to stay in my comfort zone and take the option that seems to be the safest.
Just like you and I have a choice, Esther had choices, she easily could have done something along the way to bafuh the outcome...
One might think that the story would end there...and they lived happily ever after!
And a rags to riches story is always a good one!
But as the commentator Paul Harvey would always say...and now it's time for the rest of the story!
Esther had gotten to where she was, because God had a plan to use her in a mighty way, one that would put her into the Jewish history books forever!
Esther 3:1-6 MSG
3 1-2 Some time later, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, making him the highest-ranking official in the government. All the king’s servants at the King’s Gate used to honor him by bowing down and kneeling before Haman—that’s what the king had commanded.
2-4 Except Mordecai. Mordecai wouldn’t do it, wouldn’t bow down and kneel. The king’s servants at the King’s Gate asked Mordecai about it: “Why do you cross the king’s command?” Day after day they spoke to him about this but he wouldn’t listen, so they went to Haman to see whether something shouldn’t be done about it. Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew.
5-6 When Haman saw for himself that Mordecai didn’t bow down and kneel before him, he was outraged. Meanwhile, having learned that Mordecai was a Jew, Haman hated to waste his fury on just one Jew; he looked for a way to eliminate not just Mordecai but all Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.
And so the story goes, Haman got the King to agree to a death sentence, not just for Mordecai...but for all of the Jews,
He told the King a fabricated story and got the King to agree and sign it into law
Esther 3
13-14 Bulletins were sent out by couriers to all the king’s provinces with orders to massacre, kill, and eliminate all the Jews—youngsters and old men, women and babies—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar, and to plunder their goods. Copies of the bulletin were to be posted in each province, publicly available to all peoples, to get them ready for that day.
15 At the king’s command, the couriers took off; the order was also posted in the palace complex of Susa. The king and Haman sat back and had a drink while the city of Susa reeled from the news.
Of course, when the people heard about their demise..they were stunned,
Mordecai couldn't believe it, TBS. he ripped his clothes to shreds and put on sackcloth and ashes
When Esther heard of the fate of her people, she sent one of her servants to Mordecai and he told the whole story to be taken back to the queen...
The law spared no one..even those who worked for the King and lived in the palace were not safe...even her
Mordecai told her to plead with the King on behalf of her people..
Once again, Esther was faced with a comfort level choice...no one knew of her heritage, she was the Queen...she could deny her heritage if she chose to.
TBS anyone who approached the King without an invitation faced but one fate..
The one exception is if the king extends his gold scepter; then he or she may live
12-14 When Hathach told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai sent her this message: “Don’t think that just because you live in the king’s house you’re the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.”
15-16 Esther sent back her answer to Mordecai: “Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids will fast with you. If you will do this, I’ll go to the king, even though it’s forbidden. If I die, I die.”
All the beauty treatments, all the prep, all of Esther's life led up to this one great moment, Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.”
Esther 5 1-3 MSG
Three days later Esther dressed in her royal robes and took up a position in the inner court of the palace in front of the king’s throne room. The king was on his throne facing the entrance. When he noticed Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased to see her; the king extended the gold scepter in his hand. Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. The king asked, “And what’s your desire, Queen Esther? What do you want? Ask and it’s yours—even if it’s half my kingdom!”
But I want you to notice in this that she does not just blurt out what she desires.
Esther does this.
She looks to God who gives her the strength and who also gives her success in this matter.
She does this in a way that shows respect for the king and honors him.
Esther 5:4 MSG
4 "If it pleases the king," replied Esther, "let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him."
Now, either Esther is still a bit nervous or she senses, that this is not the right time, because when the king asks what her request is, she responds
Esther 5:7-8 MSG
7-8 Esther answered, “Here’s what I want. If the king favors me and is pleased to do what I desire and ask, let the king and Haman come again tomorrow to the dinner that I will fix for them. Then I’ll give a straight answer to the king’s question.”
She needs a bit more time, who wouldn't ...can you imagine? Who wouldn't be nervous..knowing that the life and death of your people were hanging in the balance.
The king and Haman departed and Haman is all full of himself and joyful that he has been invited 2 days in a row to dine with the Queen, but on his way home he sees Mordecai, that dishonoring Jew who won’t bow down to him.
He talks with his friends about how exalted he is, but that Mordecai is ruining his life by not bowing down to him, this guy was truly full of himself!
There's a lot of guys on the world stage today just like him, that need more people like Mordecai to stand up to them! Amen?
His friends and family suggest building a huge gallows and ask the king in the morning to hang Mordecai on it.
Haman loves the idea and that he will be able to truly enjoy the banquet with Queen Esther that next night.
Haman is in his glory in his own pride, but
TBS that “Pride goes before a fall”
While Haman is having a great night thinking about Mordecai swinging from the gallows in the morning, King Xerxes is having a divine case of insomnia, so he instructs a servant to read the record of his reign.
Maybe he thinks this will put him to sleep, and if not, he will be reminded of how great he is.
As the record is being read, it is found that Mordecai exposed a plot against Xerxes and Xerxes discovers nothing has been done to honor Mordecai, for saving his life..
God has a great sense of humor, because as Haman comes to ask the king to hang Mordecai, just as The King has it in mind to honor and pay tribute to him.
Haman is called in.
Esther 6:6-11 MSG
6-9 When Haman entered, the king said, “What would be appropriate for the man the king especially wants to honor?”
Haman thought to himself, “He must be talking about honoring me—who else?” So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, do this: Bring a royal robe that the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crown on its head. Then give the robe and the horse to one of the king’s most noble princes. Have him robe the man whom the king especially wants to honor; have the prince lead him on horseback through the city square, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man whom the king especially wants to honor!’”
10 “Go and do it,” the king said to Haman. “Don’t waste another minute. Take the robe and horse and do what you have proposed to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the King’s Gate. Don’t leave out a single detail of your plan.”
11 So Haman took the robe and horse; he robed Mordecai and led him through the city square, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man whom the king especially wants to honor!”
Who was out of their comfort zone now? The very man Haman wanted to be rid of forever...was being led around the kingdom being proclaimed a hero, for what he had done for the King!
How would it look now, if he ask the King to hang a man..who had just been honored for the whole country to see?
He probably was thinking, well at least I'm still having dinner with the King and Queen tonight...maybe the Queen has something special she wants to do for me, since she insisted I be there again with the King!
Esther 7:1-10 MSG
1-2 So the king and Haman went to dinner with Queen Esther. At this second dinner, while they were drinking wine the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what would you like? Half of my kingdom! Just ask and it’s yours.”
3 Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your eyes, O King, and if it please the king, give me my life, and give my people their lives.
4 “We’ve been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed—sold to be massacred, eliminated. If we had just been sold off into slavery, I wouldn’t even have brought it up; our troubles wouldn’t have been worth bothering the king over.”
5 King Xerxes exploded, “Who? Where is he? This is monstrous!”
6 “An enemy. An adversary. This evil Haman,” said Esther.
Haman was terror-stricken before the king and queen.
7-8 The king, raging, left his wine and stalked out into the palace garden.
Haman stood there pleading with Queen Esther for his life—he could see that the king was finished with him and that he was doomed. As the king came back from the palace garden into the banquet hall, Haman was groveling at the couch on which Esther reclined. The king roared out, “Will he even molest the queen while I’m just around the corner?”
When that word left the king’s mouth, all the blood drained from Haman’s face.
9 Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, spoke up: “Look over there! There’s the gallows that Haman had built for Mordecai, who saved the king’s life. It’s right next to Haman’s house—seventy-five feet high!”
The king said, “Hang him on it!”
10 So Haman was hanged on the very gallows that he had built for Mordecai. And the king’s hot anger cooled.
Now you would have thought all the drama might have been over..
But there was still one issue..."the death sentence for all of the Jews"
Even the King could not undo the order that had been issued by Haman...
but we serve an Awesome God..and He never misses a single detail
God clearly had covered all the bases..as we learn when we read in..
Esther 8:1-2 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, archenemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king because Esther had explained their relationship. The king took off his signet ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. Esther appointed Mordecai over Haman’s estate.
And with that Mordecai was promoted from his position at the Kings gate..
To Haman's position of prominence and wrote the order, which became law and saved the nation of Israel from destruction.
When you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and trust God...
as we learned today..
Great things, can and are accomplished.
Esther's circumstances to many..looked poor and hopeless
But God was able to take the circumstances and turn them around for her and use them for His Glory!
What about yours, are you willing to let God use your circumstances today?
The sky would be the limit as to what God could accomplish in your life..
In your families life..
In your church
In your community and all who you would ever come in contact with
Esther did, the question is will you.
What could one person do, you might ask?
What couldn't they do..with Gods Favor and loving hand
guiding and directing their life.
The rest of the story is up to you..What will you do?
Let's pray
