Blessed, though, with your comments and your text and the things that many of you send as encouragement from week to week. And so God bless you. And as Michael has already said, as we endure this time, we pray that God is with you and your family and that you stay safe. And those that are sick now, we know some of your family members are very sick right now, we want you to know that we as a church are praying for them and their fast healing. We're going to continue this morning in the book of Esther. We've been there probably 12 weeks, 13 weeks, and it's a very interesting little book that when we started we did not realize just how relevant it is and applicable. the message that comes to us from the Book of Esther. The message this morning, and I had to use it, I studied from two or three different gentlemen, their commentaries, and one of them had the mask removed. So, no pun intended, but the real Haman of this story is about to have his mask removed. He's about to be exposed. I think most pastors love exposing, you know, heresy and some of the different stuff, but this entire book evolves around a Jewish maiden that was made queen of the Persian Empire and Haman being the prime minister of one of the prime ministers of the king has sought to annihilate the Jews and he is about to be exposed this week in chapter 7 and so if you're at home and want to read where we are this week I will not read all the verses of chapter 7 but we will pick up where there at chapter 7 verse 1 and I find it interesting Talking about heresy and exposed and how we grow and different things in our life, but I was saved in 1975 and I have found that very interesting in America those who identify with the title of Christian. I'm not saying everybody says I'm Christian's Christian or that's way above my pay scale, you know. But everybody that identifies the different views that we have of Christ, the Bible, truth, morality, and even ethics, how all those thoughts differ across denominational lines, across the different, you know, just the lens that people look at those different things. As I said, I saved in 1975. I know you can't believe I'm that old, but, and was called to preach a year and a half later, and as a 20-year-old youth director that moved into an assistant pastor's role, my notes, my, I have all those old sermons, and even my ideas of Christianity were very superficial. And I think back on my 30s and even as I You know, as I look forward at those notes and into my 40s, how my thoughts and ideas were molded by a lot of catastrophic events in my life. I lost all my grandparents during that time who were mainstays in my life coming from a divorced home. I spent a lot of time with them because my mother was a single working parent. It just, the way that you think and the things that you accept or you don't accept and the loss of those loved ones, how that they work on who you really are. Then I went through a very unwanted divorce and had a major career change from full-time Christian service back into my occupation of construction and machinist. I looked how those events changed my thoughts and ideas and I think they were better, they were maybe more in depth. I even experienced an extended period of time out of church and those experiences taught me compassion. They taught me patience, I think, in dealing with situations. Some would say, yeah, that's very little. Maybe it is or maybe it isn't. It has transcended, though, into the ministry today. As a pastor, I have patience and long-suffering, a better understanding of how easy it is for folks to drift away and get out of church, or to be hurt in church, and how they have feelings of even being a part of a church, and I'm not loved, or no one cares. Now I look in my 50s and 60s, and I know you can't believe I'm that old, but the progress that I feel personally that I have made, how that less haste, I don't get in a hurry much anymore. I found out haste is waste and can really cause you to get in a mess. I do, though, believe in more urgency and see that to win the loss because time is short. We're not promised tomorrow. And the handling of the scripture, I want it to be more direct. I want it to always be relevant with intent of greater application in the lives of those that are listening and yet we have to realize that growth in our Christianity is a healthy sign that should be there for everyone and today's message from chapter 7 the real Haman being exposed to his peers as to who he really is inside brought me to those thoughts. If you were to look at yourself across the span from the time you trusted Christ, can you see a growth pattern? Do you see the difference? Or would your life, if exposed today, be traumatizing to you and those that you count as your peers in life? Haman does not yet understand at this point in chapter 7 in the book of Esther why Mordecai had been honored. The king, Norhaman, at this point in time realized that the decree that had went forth to annihilate the Jews, they did not realize that Esther was Jewish. And had Haman known, surely he would have heeded previous warnings and begged for mercy from the king. And yet the king would never have signed a decree to kill the queen. So as this story unfolds, God's long-suffering leads Haman to believe he was safe. He was safe. And I believe the long-suffering of God leads many today to believe they're safe from the wrath to come. And we live in a dispensation of grace and mercy and the long-suffering of God and yet Christianity in America is without a doubt confusing to those on the outside looking in as they take advantage of the mercy of God and the long-suffering of God that leads them to believe I'm safe from the wrath to come. Those that name the name of Christ, those that say, I'm Christian, I'm Catholic, I'm whatever denomination, that support and are involved in sins that are non-disputably contrary to the Word of God, and say yet I'm a Christian and I can support things like same-sex marriage and abortion just to name a couple I think confuses people about what Christianity really is and makes folks think that I'm safe from the wrath to come and yet Ecclesiastes 8 11 says because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. The church and some of the stance that they have taken in this day and age on moral and ethical issues leads people to evil. It's just that simple. It's long-suffering of God and grace being leveraged for them to do evil is the reality of it. And yet long-suffering should never be used to evil, it should be used as an opportunity to repent. God's mercy and grace in this age is an opportunity for folks to seek the forgiveness of an almighty God and repent. And Haman could testify, if you'd read this story, be sure your sin will find you out. Be sure your sin will find you out. Christian people that name the name of Christ live with a false sense of grace and mercy. Our government lives with a false sense of grace and mercy around the laws that they sign into effect. Our president lives with a false sense of security around his executive orders that he signs into law in this day and age. Because be sure your sins will find you out. It's that simple. Romans 6, 1 and 2 says, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? And he gives the answer, by no means should we do that. How can we who died to sin still live in sin? And yet Romans 7 15 says, for I do not understand my own actions though sometimes. We have to come back to the reality, we do not live lives of sinless perfection. Paul there says, for I do not do what I want to do, but I do the very thing that I hate. What's he saying? You still have an old man that lives inside of you. You still have a flesh and a sinful nature. And the fine line that Paul draws here between us being controlled by the Holy Spirit and not being controlled is what he's speaking about. We live in a time where that sudden destruction as 1 Thessalonians 5, 3, come upon them, that's what's getting ready to happen to Haman. We live in a time where Christians and non-Christians believe and live as if sin is no big deal. It will never be judged in our life. Only if I'm caught. But if I'm not caught, I can do as I please. Please understand, whoever you're expecting to be caught by, God already knows. God already knows what you're involved in. And God warned Haman His mask is slowly being removed. And please understand, God is not mocked. Followers might say, but I'm forgiven. I live under grace. I can live like hell if I want to. Yes, but understand, whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. Your sin does not go unnoticed. God is still in the chastening business. And there's two surefire ways that you can know you're a Christian. One is either by a changed life, or number two, the chastening of God because He spanks His children. You better believe it. Yes, there are consequences to your actions. And the Apostle Paul, who penned those words, knew a lot about this principle of God. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. He gave orders for the stoning of Stephen. He allowed them to place their coats at his feet. He was in charge. You say, yes, preacher, but he was converted. Yes, he was. Yes, he was. He came to Christ, his sins were forgiven. Yes, but his chickens came home to roost in later life. The seeds that he had sown came up and he had a harvest. On his first missionary journey in a Galatian country as he came to Lystra, the Bible says, there they stoned him. left him for dead and he later wrote in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 7, do not be deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. Haman was getting away with his evil he thought. Haman was in the Queen's house having dinner And yet, little did he know that the gallows that he built, he would be used by the king. And please understand, Haman did not get away with his evil and you will not either. And those in government that get away with evil, please understand they won't get away with it either. The Queen's request, we find in this chapter that she has this request to stop the annihilation of the Jewish people, to stop the annihilation of her uncle and even herself. And you see this request becoming evident and yet you see the King's rage once he finds out what has happened and you see the King's response. as Esther's nationality is finally revealed and the mistakes that were made. We see the impatience that takes place here building as the king has had two dinners that he's attended and yet does not know what has happened. And he's asking a third time in the beginning of this chapter. But there's this constant crescendo building to the destruction of Haman as his mask is about to be removed. Try to imagine what was going on through everyone's mind here at this point in time. Esther, scared yet bold, bringing Haman into her own living quarters where he is about to be confronted with this horrible crime. He is bound as the king You look and see what happens. I mean, Haman is going to be face to face with the king and the queen as she exposes him. The boldness of what Esther did. And then the king, without openly Esther accusing him, she has implicated him in this horrible crime along with Haman because he did sign the decree. He is bound to be feeling guilty, the king, as he just impetuously or impulsively had approved a decree to kill his wife and didn't even know it. And then Haman's thoughts, he has to realize that he has signed his own death warrant. The king has to find a way to save his wife and save face. Haman realizes that at this point in time. Oh, the tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive. Sin is a destructive force in everyone's life, not just Haman's. Sin is a destructive force in our lives. while speaking with someone the other day whose life for years had been marred by drugs and alcohol and now settled, I'll say, in a family and a great job and in church. They made a very interesting statement and I quote, life is much easier now. Life is much easier now. Why is that? Because sin always takes you farther than you want to go. It keeps you longer than you want to stay. And it costs you more than you want to pay. Always. There is an unchanging principle here, saved and unsaved alike, that weaves throughout the pages of the Bible from David's adultery to Paul's persecution of Christians. And now we can better understand why God in chapter 6 had directed the events to delay the request of the Queen. Long-suffering was being extended to Haman. Or was it simply God executing judgment on Haman? Either way, God is protecting His people. There is also a lesson here, every enemy that has ever tried to destroy the nation of Israel has been destroyed. This is not a fairy tale, this is a fact that happened. Genesis 12, 3 says, I will bless those that bless you and I will curse those that curse you. And God throughout the ages has continually kept His promise to His people. From Pharaoh in Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon to Haman in Persia or Hitler in Germany. The enemy of the Jews is an enemy of Almighty God. The United States and the so-called squad as they proclaim in Congress and the politicians of Washington, D.C. better be careful. They better take notice before siding with Iran and Russia and Syria and others against the nation of Israel. And bless God, I make no apologies for that statement. concerning that stand. Haman's reward, the king's servant that were in that room while Haman was there with the queen and the king knew the purpose of the gallows that Haman had built was to kill Esther's uncle Mordecai. Haman in his pride had boasted way too much in his words We're now about to come back to haunt him, but also to execute him. He would not escape the judgment of God, nor will you, and nor will I. Proverbs 11, 8 says the righteous is delivered from trouble, but it comes to the wicked instead. Esther 7.10 says they hanged Haman on the gallows prepared for Mordecai and the king's wrath was pacified or satisfied. We as followers of Jesus will escape the wrath of God simply because we have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ our Savior. Jesus alone satisfies the judgment of God as he paid the price for our sins. If you have never placed your faith or trust in Jesus Christ, you will not escape the wrath of the Almighty. Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. It's not my words. Those are God's words and you find them in Revelation chapter 20 and verse 14. We will see a reckoning someday. This is the second death. And those that are Christians realize the actions of your sin in this life have consequences. No, you will not spend eternity in hell, but you will stand before God someday, judged for your works in this life. It is now the third month. Haman is dead, nine months before the fateful day when the Jews could legally be slain. How would Esther and Mordecai solve this problem? Much like a good book, it leaves us hanging there this week. If you are here this morning convicted and feel condemned, you don't have to wait till next week to find out how that you can be relieved of that burden, how that you yourself can have your sin lifted today. Christian people that carry around a weight of sin that never seek forgiveness, that never bow as Kelly was talking earlier. If my people, we quote that often, if my people would just simply come and confess their sins. Confession of sins become a thing of the past in the church. Repentance is a word that people don't even know what it means. Oh, if Haman had simply repented of his sin and asked forgiveness from the king. Oh, if people that name the name of Christ would seek forgiveness and repent and ask for forgiveness. And yet, I live in a day of long suffering, is their quote. I live under the grace and mercy of God. Let me tell you something. God is not mocked. You will reap. You will reap and suffer the consequences of sin if it's not confessed. and repentance does not take place. And if you're here this morning and have never trusted Christ as your personal Savior, please consider the fact that Christ died for you. You will spend eternity in hell if you do not trust Him as your personal Savior. And that's a very simple thing to do. by believing and trusting in His death on a cross for you. Let's stand.