25 April 2018 - Everything Good and Bad will Give God Praise - Pastor Joseph Prince Sermon Notes - New Creation Church Encounter Night Sermon NotesEven when things don’t seem to be working in your favor, God is working behind the scenes. Many times we don’t thank God for protection or help rendered that we don’t know about. Esther received favor from God. We need to receive and rely on His favor. Testimony: There was a student who memorized the whole Book of Proverbs and he received straight A’s for his school exams. When you touch God’s word, you touch the way to prosper you. When you meditate on God’s word, you will have good success and make your way prosperous. Psalm 1 - Those who meditate on God’s word will prosper in everything they do. Their leaf will always be green — renewal of youth and health. We need to listen to God’s word and not the news. The news says that as your days increase, you will get weaker and older. God’s word says that as your days increase, your strength will increase. That’s the opposite of what the world says. Don’t accept what the world says so easily. In the Book of Esther, the name of God is not mentioned. The name of God doesn’t appear in it, and yet you see God working behind the scenes. The Book of Esther is a book of God’s provision, not so much of His miracles. In Greek, “Provideo” - “Pro” means before, “video” means to see. God sees your need and provides the supply before you even know of your need. An acrostic: GRACE - God’s riches at Christ’s expense There are four hidden acrostics of the name Yahweh in the Book of Esther. Everytime an acrostic appears, it is a pivotal point in the story — a game-changing moment. Yahweh in Hebrew is made of the four Hebrew letters: Yud hei vav hei. English reads from left to right but the Hebrew language reads from right to left. Even when you don’t understand God’s word, you are still cleansed as you read or listen to it. One of the appearance of God’s name is God name “I AM”. Psalm 96:11 - This verse is an acrostic with Yud hei vav hei. Without the Lord, the heavens cannot be glad and the earth can’t rejoice. “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar, and its fullness!” (Psalms 96:11 WEB) Esther’s name was initially Hadassah which means "myrtle" (a type of plant). “Esther” means star. Israel was supposed to be the nation that leads all other nations. They will still be that nation in the future. But because of their sin, that time was suspended and they were conquered by the kingdom of Babylon and since then, many Gentile nations. Finally the antichrist will come, trying to annihilate the Jews and Christians (who receive Jesus after the Rapture). We who are believers right now will not see the antichrist because we will already be with Jesus after the Rapture happens. Esther 1:1-4 - King Ahasuerus ruled over a huge domain. Persia was a mighty and prosperous kingdom at that time. They drank wine from goblets made of gold. Shushan is called "Susa" today. China appears in the Bible too under the name "Sinim" -- the word "Sin" is where we get the "Chin" in China. “Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel, that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants—the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him— when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.” (Esther 1:1-4 NKJV) Esther 1:19-21 - The queen rejected the king’s command to appear before his friends and was stripped of her position as queen. In Hebrew, the Hebrew letters “Yud Hei Vav Hei” (the acrostic representing Jesus "Yahweh") appear here in reverse which means that God is overturning the current rule. If it's in the correct order, Yud Hei Vav Hei means that God is currently ruling. Long before the devil has planned evil against you, God has already prepared the provision for your deliverance. “When the king’s decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small.”” (Esther 1:20 NKJV) Esther 2:15-18 - Esther depended on God’s favor. The way to stand out is always God's favor -- favor makes all the difference. When you put your trust completely in God’s grace and favor, you will go places. Don’t depend on your beauty, smartness or experience. The women bathed in perfume for six months in preparation for the king. It was extremely lavish. “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 3:5-7 - In the Book of Esther, Mordecai represents Jesus Christ, while Haman represents the antichrist to come. Haman was a descendant of the Amalekites. The Amalekite (the name means “to labor with pain") represents our flesh. The Amalekites were the enemies of the children of Israel. In the Old Testament, because Saul did not completely destroy the Amalekites as God instructed, he was killed by an Amalekite on Mount Gilboa. If we don’t subdue our flesh, the consequence is that it will destroy us. Haman hated Jews. Did someone else get promoted while you got retrenched? Don’t worry, God is behind the scene (maybe protecting you from something terrible that the company would face) and you have favor with God. The pur is like a dice/lot. The Jews still celebrate the Feast of Purim (on the 13th of the month) every year. A day that the devil means for evil, God can turn it around for good and make it a memorable day. “When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai. In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, the lot), before Haman to determine the day and the month, until it fell on the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.” (Esther 3:5-7 NKJV) Esther 3:12-13 - Haman succeeded in persuading the king to approve the written decree. Previously, King Cyrus (the predecessor of King Ahasuerus) had already made a decree for the Jews to return to Jerusalem. The remnant in Jerusalem mentioned in Ezra and Nehemiah would also be killed if Haman‘s plan for the Jews to be destroyed had succeeded. God can use the small things to overthrow the mighty things of the world. For example: The cry of baby Moses shook the nation of Egypt. “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) Psalm 76:10 - Even when man is angry towards God and towards his children, God can use that wrath to praise Him. “Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.” (Psalms 76:10 NKJV)
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AuthorHi I’m Milton Goh, I'm 31 years old and i'm a blogger who writes about Christianity, Parenting, Life Lessons that I learn from Movies/Shows, and Lifestyle. |