14 December 2014 - Pastor Lawrence Lim Sermon Notes Online - New Creation Church Sermon Notes Online - Lessons on God's Favor from the Book of Esther

14 December 2014 - Pastor Lawrence Lim Sermon Notes Online - New Creation Church Sermon Notes Online - Lessons on God's Favor from the Book of Esther

"What did Adam say to Eve the day before Christmas? ... "Hey it's Christmas, Eve!" :)

"A man saw a dog next to a boy and asked the boy, "Does your dog bite?". The boy said no. When the man reached out to pet the dog, the dog bit him. Now crying, the man said to the boy, "I thought you said that your dog doesn't bite??". The boy replied, "Yeah, but that's not my dog!" :)

- Pastor Lawrence Lim 

Esther 2:5 - Mordecai was a Benjamite.

"In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite." (Esther 2:5 NKJV)

Esther 2:7 - Esther was an orphan who was described as being beautiful. Her name, "Esther", means "Star".

"And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter." (Esther 2:7 NKJV)

Esther 2:8-10 - When you receive the favor of God, you will receive preferential treatment.

"So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women. Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women. Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it." (Esther 2:8-10 NKJV)

Esther 2:15-18 - Esther was humble and willing to submit to the advice of Hegai. Then, she received favor from all. God resists the proud and elevates the humble. We mustn't be resistant to others' opinions, we should be open to listen to others. The girl who received the most grace and favor became the queen, not the most beautiful girl. God promoted Esther, who was an orphan and foreigner, to become queen.

"Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king." (Esther 2:15-18 NKJV)

Esther foiled the devious Jew-extermination plan hatched by Haman. She is regarded as a heroine.

Meditate on God's word and good things will happen to you.

Esther 3:8-9 - Haman, out of his pride, persuaded the king to approve a decree for the extermination of the Jews - an act of revenge on Mordecai for not bowing down to him.

"Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain. If it pleases the king, let a decree be written that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.”" (Esther 3:8-9 NKJV)

Esther 3:12-13 - The devil, through Haman, hatched an evil plan to destroy all the Jews.

"Then the king’s scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman commanded—to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, to the officials of all people, to every province according to its script, and to every people in their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and sealed with the king’s signet ring. And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their possessions." (Esther 3:12-13 NKJV)

Esther 4:10-12 - Esther was afraid and concerned for her own life.

"Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.” So they told Mordecai Esther’s words." (Esther 4:10-12 NKJV)

Esther 4:13-16 - Esther was called to a bigger purpose. She was not randomly made a queen without a purpose. The favor that we receive from God is for a greater purpose. We are blessed to be a blessing to others.

"And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”" (Esther 4:13-16 NKJV)

Esther despite being an orphan and a foreigner (she was a Jew living in the Persian Empire), obtained favor with the king and was crowned queen, thanks to the favor of God.

Acts 17:26 - God called and made us for a purpose. There is a destiny for us.

"And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings," (Acts 17:26 NKJV)

Esther is a type of Christ. She risked her life and represented God's people on their behalf.

We will never be shortchanged by serving God. We will receive so much favor and be blessed.

Always expect great things from God and always attempt great things for God. 

Mark 8:35 - It seems like a paradox. We get to keep those things that we give up for Jesus.

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it." (Mark 8:35 NKJV)

Esther 9:1 - On the evil day that was planned for their extermination, the Jews obtained victory thanks to God's favor that turned things around! As believers, we will receive favor even on the evil days.

"Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them." (Esther 9:1 NKJV)

Esther was blessed for a purpose. She stepped into her calling and fulfilled her God-given destiny, saving her people.

I hope you were blessed by reading this post on "14 December 2014 - Pastor Lawrence Lim Sermon Notes Online - New Creation Church Sermon Notes Online - Lessons on God's Favor from the Book of Esther".

Want to receive Jesus into your life, be saved from your sins and inherit unmerited favor and eternal life as a child of God? Go this link and simply pray the salvation prayer aloud!

Welcome to God's big, happy family! :)


Be blessed and walk in divine favor,

Milton Goh
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14 December 2014 - Pastor Lawrence Lim Sermon Notes Online - New Creation Church Sermon Notes Online - Lessons on God's Favor from the Book of Esther