Once again, it's wonderful to be back with you. It's a joy to see you all again. And those of you who just logged on and joined us, we thank you for joining us in our worship. And I trust that we will be a blessing to you as you are to us. Esther chapter 7, please. Esther chapter 7 in the Old Covenant. Esther chapter 7. And as you're turning, let me just say a few words here. You reap what you sow. What comes around goes around. Karma and poetic justice. These are idioms, these are proverbs even, or sayings which tell of the reward of the virtues and indeed the punishment of the vicious. The just reward for one's deeds, we say. Now, as believers, of course, we know that the ultimate poetic justice and that final sowing and reaping will be meted out at the bimah, at the judgment seat of Christ, and indeed in the great white throne judgment that is soon to come. In the meantime, and until that time, we are to live in the midst of the injustice or the injustices of this fallen world of sin and what seems to be silence from heaven above. We're back in our series here on For Such a Time as This out of the book of Esther. But before we consider that portion of scriptures, think of Job for a moment, beloved. Think of Job. God said so himself that there was none like him, like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and skeweth evil. God said that. What a commendation from the Lord of all. No doubt Job was righteous. He was a righteous man. He was allowed, however, to suffer, and my dear ones, none of us are different. We are, too, and anyone else that are walking with God, if not already, are at some appointed time, and at some appointed time we will experience times of sufferings and afflictions. Did not Paul say to Timothy, and all that will leave godly shall. There's a certainty there, isn't it? There's a surety. All that will leave godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2 Timothy 3, verse 12, of course. In fact, Job 5, verse 7 tells us, man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward. Sparks flying signifies those fiery trials that you and I will go through. And boy, did Job experience that. Does he know? Did he know and experience this more than you and I will ever know and experience ourselves? He was a man that was faithful and blessed with sons and daughters. Chapter 1, verse 2. He was a man with great substance, great fame, great fortune, and indeed great favor, being the man that was greatest of all the men in the East, the Bible says, verse 3. But in one day, he lost all. He went from being mega-rich into mega-poor. from somebody who was looked up upon unto somebody who was looked down unto, even mocked by his friends, sadly, even his wife. He went from hero to zero, as someone would say. He lost all his earthly fortune, his fame, yes, even his very own family. Understand he didn't lose all of this because he had done anything wrong. In fact, he was doing everything right. If anyone who can complain about life being unfair, It'll probably be Job. And he may well be justified in saying so. But you know, as I consider the life of Job and the trial that he went through, you know, perhaps the hardest part of it all is not what he lost, but rather the silence. the seemingly lack of intervention by God. Job was not privy to the discourse of God between the sovereign God and Satan. He didn't know that. We know it because we're reading it. Again, that's our situation. We're reading about Job. He was living it at the time. And above all of us is this Almighty who is accomplishing His purposes in all of this. Makes me think of how Mordecai and Esther felt during their time. You see, when Haman was promoted to prime minister, God allowed it. When Haman planned and plotted to kill the Jews, God didn't intervene. At least not initially. When King Ahasuerus was deceived by Haman, God didn't say a word. When Haman built the gallows for Mordecai, God stayed silent. If we're not careful, beloved, if we're not careful, we can think of God not caring. He doesn't care because he's silent and not intervening at all in our life and the life of others. Are you there at the moment? Do you feel that God is deaf to your cries? Does He really know? And if He does, why is He not doing something about it? Does He care? That you and I as believers are suffering, and yet those that are not His children, well, they seem to be having the upper hand. So does he? Does he care? Oh yes, beloved, he does. He does. Psalm 37 verse 1, fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither thou be envious against the workers of iniquity. Why? Verse two, for they shall soon be cut off down like grass and wither as the green herb. I don't have time to go back to a full review of the series. We've sort of left this series for a while because of other things. But you can ask Mitchell and Jan to get a copy or direct you for where you can get the previous messages in this series. I encourage you to do that. But the king cannot sleep. He asked for the book of records, if I can just call it that, for those who have and what was done for the good that they have done to the king and indeed the kingdom. Consequently Mordecai was honored. Esther asked for the king and Haman to join her for a banquet. And the king asked Esther what she wanted, for the king assured her that it will be granted unto her even to the half of the kingdom. That's the language of scripture here. And it will be granted. It shall be performed, the king said. Remember, this is the time in Persia, and we know what the laws of the Medes and Persians are. It cannot be revoked. And so if the king says, Esther, whatever you want of me, it will be performed, it will be granted unto you and to half of the kingdom. That's the law. It will come to pass. And so we find here in chapter 7, Haman was summoned to attend the queen's banquet. Would you stand with me please now, Esther chapter 7. Esther chapter 7. Here, beginning in verse 1, and we'll read the whole chapter of 10 verses, Esther chapter 7, beginning here in verse 1, So the king and Haman came to the banquet with Esther the queen. And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet, Esther, at the banquet of wine, what is thy petition, Queen Esther? And it shall be granted unto thee, and what is thy request? And it shall be performed even to the half of the kingdom. Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request. For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage. Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, who is he and where is he that does presume in his heart to do so? And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. And the king, arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath, went into the palace garden and Haman stood up to make requests for his life. For his life, I've lost my spot. to Esther, the queen, because this new thing is turning off. You stay on, okay? And the king, arising from the banquet of wine and his wrath, went into the palace garden, and Haman stood up to make requests for his life to Esther, the queen, for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine, and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. And Harbonah, one of the chamberlain, said before the king, Behold also the gallows fifty cubits high, in which Haman hath made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. There was the king's wrath. pacify father thank you for this time that we have in your word once again we ask that you teach us your truth again i submit myself to you father let me say the things you want me to say and withhold the things that you don't want me to say that in this hour, whatever ponderings and cares of this world that we have, help us to just cast aside of it for now and just focus our attention on the things of you. Meet with us, dear God. I pray that if there's one, two or three gathered in the midst, if they're not yet converted and saved and have professed their faith in Christ, may today be the day of their salvation. I pray for those of us who have made our profession of faith. that we would be a different person when we come in because we have been encouraged and challenged and comforted by the preaching of your word today. Father, we give you all the glory. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you. You may be seated. Notice firstly Esther's attitude towards the king. What is thy petition? Esther the king asked. This is now, like what we read, the second time that he's asked Esther about this. And also the same assurance that it will be granted whatever her request is. Esther, of course, did not tell the king on the first time, on the first instance. She knew, perhaps, about timing. perhaps about when and when not to speak, discernment, sensitivity. She perhaps knew when to act and when to wait. The virtue of being sober, of self-controlled, applying wisdom from facts. Do you not wish to be like that many times? Having that character, the wisdom to know when to speak and when to listen, to hold back your tongue before you say something cutting and hurting. You see, words are powerful, beloved. They can either encourage or discourage. They can either lift somebody up or pull somebody down. when to say a loving rebuke, and when to withhold, to be sensitive about the feelings of others. Do you not wish that you have that all the time in you? You know, I believe our marriages, our families, our households, our church, our community, Indeed, our nation will be a lot better if we just knew when and when not to speak. Do you agree? Can I get an amen on that? It's true, isn't it? If we only knew when and when not to speak, perhaps things will be better with our relationships. But notice her attitude towards the king, her husband. She approached him submissively. Submissively. I understand this word is not popular these days. And many of us wants to redefine what the word submission is. Then Esther the queen answered and said, if I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it pleased the king. We just don't talk like that no more. Imagine Sarah talking to your coming husband. Oh, husband, if it pleased you. He'll probably say, you all right, dear? Yeah, we just don't talk like this no more. And if, but I think, do you get my point though? The point here is that it's really not about the phrasing of words and the words only, but the attitude behind the words is what I'm trying to say. I've heard spouses talk to each other that is so unbecoming. They swear at each other as if they're workmates in front of the children. They berate each other, call each other's names. You'd think they're not one. They're passive aggressive to each other, sarcastic. Like I said, berating. There's just no love in the language. No respect. Church, let it not be so amongst us, okay? Let it not be so amongst us, I pray. Please, let it not be so in your own homes. Esther's attitude was not arrogant or demanding, rather, She gave Jew honor to the position, to the office of her husband being the king. There's a principle here for us. Our Savior, He is indeed our friend, that's true. But let us not forget that He is also our Lord. who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things were created that are in heaven and things on this earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things. And in him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. He's not your body. He's not the man upstairs. Sure, he is your friend. But He is your Lord, our Lord. Indeed, we can come boldly unto Him, but we come with submission and reverence. Like I said, He is not just anybody. He is somebody with a capital S. He is our Savior and Lord. He is not someone that we can just boss around and sort of pick up a book from the shelf when we needed something, or if we want somebody healed, I demand you that you heal this person. No, it is His will, His way, whether He will heal or not. He is not a God that we can demand of. Even if we say we have faith. Paul had the greatness of faith. But three times he asked the Lord for healing. Was he healed? It's not about us having faith in the healing power of God. Because He will heal when He wants to, as to who He wants to. He is our Sovereign Lord. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. And we are his subjects waiting upon him, his will, his way, and not ours. Now I understand. Christa is fighting for her life right now. We have people in our church who are having to contend with aches and pains and difficulties. Is it because they don't have the faith? Is it because God is cruel that He will not heal? No. Because He has a purpose in everything that He does. And it's not our way to change that just because we have demanded it of Him. He will, if He wants to, according to His sovereign will. Not our will. Not anyone's will. Psalm 103, verse 19, the Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens and his kingdom ruleth over all. Have we lost sight of the majesty of God, beloved? I am concerned sometimes believers come in and out of the church as if they went to a circus. We forget that the Lord is in the midst. Let us be careful not to come casually as if we're going to a barbecue. No! We are here to worship. We are here to worship the Lord in submission. And how are you approaching your King today? I hope you're not being so casual and irreverent of the Lord Almighty. I pray that we approach the King like Esther did. Esther responded submissively and secondly, selflessly. Understand that up to this point, the king did not know that Esther was a Jewess or a Jew. Notice with me the latter part of verse three here. If it pleased the king, let my life be given at my petition and my people at my request. Because of the decree made by the king through the deceptive influence of wicked Haman, verse four, Esther's life was in danger, and not only hers, but for every Jew in Shushan at that time. To ask for her life was one thing, but asking for the life of the rest of the Jews revealed Esther's selfless attitude. She not only thought of herself. She could easily have done that, being the queen, the wife of the king, but she not only thought of herself, but others as well. Now I know that we considered some negative things about Esther, as I said in the beginning of this series. Regardless of what we've learned, notice Esther's virtues here on display in being caring and being compassionate. In chapter 4, verse 4, we find her providing clothing to Mordecai, realizing the gravity of the situation and the prospect of the annihilation of the Jews. She said unselfishly, chapter 4, verse 16, if I perish, I perish. We will get there soon enough but in chapter 8 verse 3 we will see Esther falling down at the king's feet and beseeching, pleading him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman against the Jews. Esther's attitude and response to the king was both out of submission and out of selflessness. I have to ask Do we do the same? Do we fall at the Savior's feet? Do we prostrate ourselves, beseeching, pleading for the salvation of the lost? Can we say it as Paul did to the Romans, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart? For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh. Can we say that? Do we say that? Do we decide that? Paul, like Esther, shed tears for the salvation of the loss of others. By the space of three years, Paul said, I cease not to warn you, every one of you, night and day, with tears. Acts 20, 31. But what about Hebrews 5, verse 7? who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death. Beloved, do you know who is that referred to in that verse? It's the Lord Jesus himself. The Lord Jesus himself. Esther shed tears for the salvation of her people. Paul did the same, but most importantly, the Lord Jesus did. the Lord Jesus did. The question is, do we? When was the last time that you've shed tears for someone to get saved? When was the last time that you've shed humble tears for that someone to be saved? If you can't remember, It's been too long. It's been too long. Have our hearts become so hard, so content that we have the assurance of glory in heaven above that we have now forgotten that there are millions of people that are going through a Christless eternity if we don't open our mouth and share the gospel to them. Oh, I hope not. I pray not. We have considered Esther's attitude. Let us now draw our attention to the action of the king. Esther, with her submissive, selfless attitude towards her response to the king, she also demonstrated skillful, and I say sensitively, implicating the king to this horrendous plan to exterminate the Jews. I believe after Esther's reply to the king, the penny started to drop. He started to realize what's happening here. He must have realized that he was the one who made the decree, but of course, without the full realization of what he has done due to his drunkenness. He's the king who loves to drink, right? And perhaps his proud and impetuous decision making at the time, but most likely because of the deception and the trickery of Haman. By his decree, the king, he unknowingly signed the death certificate for his own wife. Now, I do not want to give Ahasuerus a pass here or an excuse, but again, notice how skillfully Esther presented and pleaded her case. Let me just paraphrase verse 4. This is what it says in the King James. If we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I have held my tongue. The paraphrase is this. If only we were being sold into slavery, I wouldn't have troubled you. I wouldn't have said anything. I wouldn't have bothered you. But because a reward has been promised to anyone who kills my people, I have to say something and plead with you, O king." That's what it's saying there. Now understand, up to this point, Esther had not identified who Haman was. She only referred to him as the enemy. No wonder in verse five, then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, who is he? And where is he that does presume in his heart to do so? In other words, who would do such a thing? Is the question there. Then verse six, of course, we read here. And Esther said, the adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Imagine that you are the king and hearing this, Haman, the man I promoted, the man I trusted, the man I gave my signet ring to do all that I thought would be good for the kingdom and for me, the one who I thought who's got my back is now the one who is going to stab me in the back. In all this time, he was really my enemy and was going to murder my own wife and my people, my subjects, the Jews. How would you feel if you're the one betrayed like that? Pretty horrible, I would imagine. Notice this time how Esther called out Haman as he was, the adversary, the enemy, and one who is wicked. You know, as I considered Esther's declaration here, and indeed in such our time as this, I wish that we will not be as PC. politically correct as we can be sometimes. I wish we will be as bold as she was in calling out sin for what it is. I understand that we're not living in shoeshine today. We are living in a highly legislated politicized Melbourne society where we minimize and sanitize what the Bible calls sin. Drunkenness is now some kind of sickness or disease or alcoholism or addiction. It's not called sin anymore, the sin of drunkenness. We call adultery these days not as such but an affair. We call sodomy as gender fluidity, equality, a lifestyle choice, a legal right. And we dare not biblically challenge it for fear of retribution. Living in sin and fornication on a defiled bed is called friendship with benefits. Or de facto relationship. Cheating on our tax returns is no longer rendering unto Caesar what is due unto Caesar, but rather creative accounting for maximum benefit. Anger, clamor, wrath are nothing but losing it. And the person who loses it is to be excused. Gossip and slander about someone are just freedom of expression or freedom of speech. And one should not be made to account for disrupting and hurting words he or she says. Esther didn't excuse sin. She called out Haman for who he really was, an adversary, an enemy, and one that is wicked. What is your attitude on sin today? Do you call sin, sin still? Or do you call it mistakes? Do you still preach on hell? Or you no longer mention that literal place because it's not palatable and politically correct? Do you excuse sinful behaviors and call it personality disorders? Tolerate it and excuse it? I hope not. I pray not. Verse 7. Notice now how angry the king was. Perhaps he was angry at himself. How could he have allowed this to happen? How could he be taken for a fool? How could he be taken for a ride, deceived, and all the rest of it? This is a proud king, you see. You remember when we're doing introduction in the first few parts of this series. Now I'll assume King Ahasuerus have been angry during his reign on more than one occasion. Every king and every one of us do get angry from time to time. But his anger here is probably justifiable. Again, there is such righteous indignation, beloved. There is anger at sin or towards sin. There is righteous indignation against those that malign God and His Word. There is righteous indignation on those that deny His deity, His creative power. And there is righteous anger against the persecution of His saints, who are merely just trying to deliver the great commission that God has entrusted to us before He ascended to heaven. These are biblical and acceptable righteous indignation. Folks, we can be angry, but sin not. We just need to make sure that what we are being angry about is according to the precepts of the Bible. But you can be angry at sin. You do not applaud sinfulness. We get angry at sin. We do not excuse it. We do not make it palatable. We do not say words to be politically correct. If it's seen according to what the Bible says, it is sin. The king was rightfully angry with Haman's premeditated crime of mass murder of the Jews, including Esther, his wife. Now anyone can be righteously angry But what did the king did as an action about it? You see, for all that King Ahasuerus was, imperfect as he was, yet on this occasion, he was willing to mete out judgment for when it was rightfully due. okay this is the man after finding out about the good that Mordecai did in saving his life for the good of the kingdom even though the thing has passed many years after he elevated Mordecai in a position of honor This is the king that did that. And here in verses 9 and 10, King Ahasuerus acted on the conduct and the crime of Haman and delivered justice to the Jews. After the king's judgment, they covered Haman's face. And this is not the first time that Haman's face was covered. In chapter 6, and in, I can't remember the verse now, Haman himself covered his face out of humiliation. this was when Mordecai was lifted up into a position of honor but this time his face was covered not by himself but by the people of the king because not out of humiliation only but because he was to be hanged on the very gallows he ordered made for Mordecai you must have seen some videos and movies back in the day in history where people are covered with their face and then they go through hanging that's the culture that is or that was what happened here what an ultimate humiliation he vowed himself before a Jew Esther the people that he dedicated his life here as Prime Minister in Persia to exterminate. Now he found himself prostrating to a Jewess. in Esther, a race he absolutely despised, and now he is pleading for his life. His hatred of one Jew in Mordecai, now he found himself prostrated before Mordecai's cousin, a young cousin, and is now about to be hanged on the gallows. What humiliation. What poetic justice to a man who thought he had it all only to be hanged and lose all. So what do we do from what we've learned this morning? It's good to know history. The Bible is a historical book. It's good to know what happened to the Jews. There are a couple of things I want to admonish you in closing and encourage you with. First, this is a historical account about the nation of Israel, which occurred during 486 to 465 BC, before Christ. Not CE, calendar era. Even in our history, they're trying to remove Christ. So always say BC, okay? Don't fall for this CE business, okay? Before Christ, okay? Where the Lord, by his sovereign will, he protected his people Israel. That's the time when it happened. Fast forward today in Israel, we are witnessing yet another attack. Better yet, attacks. against Israel from his or her neighboring enemies. And I believe, and on the authority of God's Word, I say to you today, Israel will prevail. Yehovah, who protected them then, is the same God who protects them now and will continue to protect them in the days coming. Israel will prevail. No matter what the political climate and the situation and protest that happens in Melbourne, in Sydney and indeed the world today, Israel will prevail because God will make it so. That's the history then and it will still be the history of God's people Israel today and indeed the days coming. It may seem that the combined enemies and their allies, as well as those of the Western nations, sadly, including Australia. Mind you, rather than cursing Israel, you politicians, you ought to be blessing Israel. If you would only look to the Bible, the Word of God, you can see whose side we should be on. whose side we should be on. The promise of Genesis 12 was true then and it is still true today and it will be true until the day he takes us home. God will protect and preserve his people and bless those nations who will bless them and curse them who will curse them as well. Ricardo, after that statement you might ring our insurers. This unchanging principle is true today and indeed the days coming. We have a national historical event as an application. Let me give you now some personal applications. Now for those of you who were at men's breakfast, you would have heard me say some of these already. Firstly, first principle, you reap what you sow. Haman sowed anger against Mordecai, and he reaped anger from the king. He wanted to kill Mordecai and the Jews, but he ended up being killed by the order of the king. This unchanging principle of sowing and reaping is as true as it was before and is still true today. It's illustrated throughout the Bible and it applies to both believers and unbelievers. David coveted and committed adultery with his neighbor's wife. His own son Absalom took his own concubine and committed adultery with David's concubine. Sowing, reaping, 2 Samuel verse 16. Secondly, you reap more than what you sowed. Again, David planned and plotted the murder of one Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, legitimate husband, rightful husband, covenantal husband. And as a result, all three of David's sons, Absalom, Ammon, and Adonijah, were all murdered and slain. You reap more than what you sow. And let us not forget the son in sin with Bathsheba who died at childbirth. You reap more than what you sow. Thirdly, you reap later after you sow. Haman thought he had it all figured out. He thought he can get away with his sinful plan. of killing Mordecai and annihilating all the Jews. Yet years later, after he hatched the plan, after he ordered the kill, after he built the gallows for Mordecai, he was the one who was hanged on the gallows. Later. Friends, just because God is not judging us for the sins that we do today doesn't mean that God has winked at your sin, that God has allowed you and somehow is not worried about your sin or you and I somehow got away with sin. There's a principle in that, be sure your sin will find you out. My dear ones, I realize I said a lot of things to you today. I said a lot of principles, a lot of things to consider this morning, I understand. But as I said in the beginning, do you feel that you are being hard done by? Do you feel that God is so far away, totally detached, totally disengaged, totally uninvolved or not wanting to be involved in your life? Does He know? Does He care? He does. I say it again, He does. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, that means tested, as we are, yet without sin. That's the Lord, our great high priest. He knows what you're going through and will be going through. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace, help in time of need. Hebrews chapter 4, verses 15 and 16. Trust Him, my dear one. Oh, trust Him, my dear one. Do not give up on Him, for He does not give up on you. Never. I was saying to a brother in the Lord yesterday, in my moments of discouragement and disillusion and all the negative things, my go-to passage is Romans 8. And I recommend it to you. Because in Romans chapter 8, it tells you that there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God. Perhaps you're here and you're finding it hard to believe. How could a loving God, Pastor Manny, be witness to all of these killings and death and devastation, the hurricanes, the political injustice, all of these things? He must be seeing here. And you're telling me that I have to believe in a God that loves the world? How? How could I believe in someone like that? I wish I can give you a very simplistic answer to that. But the truth is, the truth is, God never intended. He created this world perfect, but because of man's deliberate disobedience and rebellion against his explicit and specific command, sin ruined his perfect creation. It is not God's fault that we are in this mess. It is our fault as humanity in how we disregard a holy and righteous God. And we would rather sin in wickedness. And yet we blame God when it is our fault. But you see, man ruined God's perfect creation. But the good news is God provided a remedy for the ruin that man has done. And that remedy is the redemptive work of Jesus Christ at the cross of Calvary. I would agree with you that you that are finding it hard to believe, if God didn't do something, that if he just thinks, go, let on, and all of us just suffer for what we have created to begin with. but because of his love, because he loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish. It was never his intention that any should perish. In fact, but that all should come to repentance. But whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Oh, perhaps you're here sitting down and you just cannot understand that yet. I'd like to be given an opportunity to tell you, to show you from the word of God, my opinion, but what the word of God said. Is there anyone like that? Pastor Manny, I don't understand the things that happen in this world, but I want to. I have not put my faith in Christ, in Jesus Christ. I have not been born again as what you people say that is needed. I know of Christ, but I don't have a personal relationship with him. I know of him as a prophet, as a teacher, but not as a Lord and Savior. But I'd like to know, is there one? Would you raise your hand? No music, no soft music and all of this. Is there one here right now? I don't know, but I wanna know who this Jesus is. Would you raise your hand? All right. You that are believers, all of us that have professed faith in Christ, have you lost the reverence and the fear and the majesty of your God, his sovereign will? Are you doubting him? The aches and pains that you're going through Are you losing it? You're losing faith in your God that He says, I'm with you all the way. Your hurts, your afflictions, your sufferings is overwhelming you. And you're now beginning to think and believe that He doesn't care. Oh, I hope not. I pray not, because he cares. Father, thank you for this time. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the life of Esther, for Mordecai, the things that we see by way of history in this book, your book, the living book, that happened many, many thousands of years ago, but it's still so relevant in our times today. Oh, Father, help us to have the right attitude to be submissive, to be selfless in our approach to you, our King. Help us, Father, to act, to meet and call sin for what it is. Help us not to excuse it. Make it so palatable that we would participate in it. Oh, dear God, I pray that, yes, in our times of difficulties, that we would not doubt you. We would have that still resolve to understand and acknowledge and accept and experience that you are our God and we are your people. You never leave us, nor forsake us, that indeed you care. And in the midst of your care, you're accomplishing your purposes for us and to those around us. We do ask all of these things now in Jesus' name.