83 lines
9.9 KiB
HTML
83 lines
9.9 KiB
HTML
|
|
<html>
|
|
<head>
|
|
<title>Blue Letter Bible - Chuck Smith Sermon Notes</title>
|
|
<script src="../../../../js/basepath.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
|
|
<script src="./js/nav.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
|
|
<script src="./js/MainHeader.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
|
|
<script>
|
|
Passage = 'Esther 2:17 ';
|
|
SermonID = 1786;
|
|
</script>
|
|
<script src="./js/Comms/CS_SN.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
|
|
<div class="SSN_title">"GOD'S PROVIDENTIAL RULE."</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_intro">Intro: The book of Esther is devoted to the story of how God preserved the nation of Israel from obliteration. Though the word God, or the name of God is not mentioned in the book, we see His hand working behind the scenes. It is a book of God's overruling providence.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_rnum">I. LOOKING BACK OVER THE STORY, WE SEE GOD WORKING BEHIND THE SCENE LONG BEFORE HIS PURPOSE IS REVEALED.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">A. The pagan king Ahasuerus decided to show off his wealth and splendor.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">1. The notable men of the realm are invited to the party.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">2. This is sort of a party to end all parties, it has lasted for 180 days.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">3. Wine is flowing freely, and when the king is quite drunk, he ordered his wife queen Vashti to come to the party that he might show off her beauty.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">4. It seems to be one of those cases where he is wanting all of the men to be envious, not only of his great wealth, but of his beautiful wife.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">B. His wife, queen Vashti refuses to obey his command to come to the party.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">1. Suddenly the party is thrown into disarray; the queen refuses to obey her husband the king.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">2. A hasty counsel is called.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">3. The men are deeply concerned about the future.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">4. This is the first step in the women's liberation movement.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">5. For the sake of all of the men in the kingdom, it is decided that drastic steps must be taken to insure the domestic tranquility.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">6. Vashti must be deposed as queen.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">C. Enter Esther on the scene.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">1. God created her physically beautiful.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">a. This can be a blessing and a curse.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">b. It must be a blessing to have people admire your physical beauty.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">c. But this usually creates great jealousy from other women.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">d. Men may spoil and flatter you, but other women are looking closely for your flaws.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">e. I told my daughters who are very beautiful, that this was a blessing to be so beautiful, but it would create problems for them for other girls would be jealous, and say cutting and mean things about them.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">f. A beautiful woman often has no opportunity to develop true character, for they are so pampered that they become extremely spoiled, and they often are without personality and character.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">2. It is sad, but it seems that a certain depth of character cannot be developed apart from suffering.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">D. To save Esther from this fate, God brought tragedy into her life very early.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">1. Both of her parents had died when she was just a child.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">a. No information is given to us as to how they died, but we know that her cousin had to take her in and raise her.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">b. She no doubt challenged God as to why he would bring such sorrow into her life.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">c. This was God's refining process to create an inner beauty that would match her outer beauty.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">d. A calamity such as this can make a person a bitter person or a better person. Look at how close bitter is from better. It is just an I. If you get "I" inserted, it makes you bitter.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">2. She was a Jewess. The Jews have always suffered from anti-Semitism. From that day to the present, with many people who are not Christian, there is a hatred and prejudice against the Jews.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">a. God had warned them that if they turned from serving Him, that they would be taken captive to other lands and</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_verse"><a onClick="return mV('Deu',28,37);">DEU 28:37</a> You shall become a curse, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations wherever the LORD would send them.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">b. Prejudice is a difficult hurdle to overcome.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level4">c. She had enough beauty to make her hard. Yet enough hardness to keep her soft.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">E. The decision was made to select another queen from the most beautiful women in the land.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">1. There was to be sort of a beauty contest, the most beautiful women in the kingdom were to be prepared to come before the king, and whichever one he chose would become the next queen.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">2. Because of her beauty, Esther was brought into the competition.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">F. According to diving providence, Esther was chosen to be queen in the place of Vashti.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">G. Next event in the divine sequence was her cousin who stayed near the gate of the palace to keep close to her, heard two of the king's servants conspiring to kill the king. He reported it to Esther, who in turn reported it to her husband in the name of her cousin. When investigation was made, and found to be true, the two men were excuted.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_rnum">II. THE RELEVANCE OF ALL THESE THINGS IS NOT YET KNOWN, AND WILL NOT BE KNOWN FOR A WHILE, BUT THE HAND OF GOD IS IN EACH OF THESE EVENTS.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">A. When Peter challenged the Lord about washing his feet, Jesus said to Him, you do not understand what I am doing now, but you will understand later.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">1. How true this is of so many things that happen in our lives. At the time we do not understand, but later, as we look back they become very clear.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">2. As Chuck Girard used to sing, "All things will be shown some day, but you can't know all things now."</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">3. God is working out in our lives His eternal plan. We may not understand the plan of God today, it may be 20 or 30 years before we understand.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">4. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "God is working in you to prepare you for work that He has ordained for you to accomplish for Him."</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">B. So we walk by faith and not by sight.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level3">1. What I must believe now is that all things are working together for good, because we know God and have been called according to His purpose.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_rnum">III. HOW GOD WORKED IN OUR OWN LIVES MANY YEARS BEFORE HE EVER REVEALED CLEARLY HIS PURPOSE.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">A. Back in 1944, I went to a youth camp at Camp Radford. There I met a wonderful young Christian named Glen York.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">B. I had no further contact until 1950 when I was pastoring a church in Tucson, Arizona, and it so happened that he got stationed in Tucson when he was in the air force, and started attending our church, and we became very close friends. He married a lovely girl named Pauline while stationed in Tucson.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">C. In 1953, we moved to Corona, California, where Mrs. Ezell, a dear saint of God who was the mother of John Ezell, and a real prayer warrior began to attend the church. Through her we met John and his wife Velma, however they never attended our church in Corona.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">D. In 1956, I was pastoring in Huntington Beach, California, and we met up with Glen once again, as he had moved after being discharged from the Air Force, with his wife to Costa Mesa, and they began to attend our church there.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">E. Glen's older brother and family also began attending, and I became close friends with his brother Floyd also.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">F. In 1960, we moved to Los Serranos where I pastored the community church and John Ezell and a couple other families began to drive over from Corona to attend and became an important part of the fellowship there.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">G. We moved from there to Costa Mesa, where we pastored to be near my mother because of her failing health. Here we pastored for two years, but John Ezell and the other couples asked me to start a home Bible study in John's home, and we formed a corporation known as Corona Christian Center. The Bible study grew and upon the death of my mother, they asked me to come to Corona and start a church.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">H. We started to meet as a church in Corona in 1964, in the American Legion Hall. This was a fulfillment of a dream to serve the Lord in a non-denominational church. For 17 years I had been serving in a denominational church. It was a good denomination, but I just did not fit their mold.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">I. While starting a new church in Corona, I needed to work to supply the needs of the family, so I started to work in Idyllwild building a motel with Floyd York.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">J. Floyd told me of the new, little church in Costa Mesa that he was attending and how the pastor was resigning to go to work for Farmer John's, and suggested that I try out for it.</div>
|
|
<div class="SSN_level2">K. Basically that is how I came to pastor Calvary Chapel.</div>
|
|
</div>
|
|
</div>
|
|
<div class="return">
|
|
<a href='#top'>Return to Top</a>
|
|
</div>
|
|
<div class="return">
|
|
<a href='./Comm/chuck_smith/sn/Est/esther.html#top'>Return to Sermon Notes for Esther</a>
|
|
</div>
|
|
|
|
<script src="./js/MainFooter.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
|