Sermons
Power Play Part 2 - Esther 7
Written by Ed Allen
Sunday, April 20, 2008 10:00
When God Seems To Hide - The Story of Esther
Sermon Notes
Passage: Esther 7
Haman Hanged
1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther, 2 and as they were drinking wine on that second day, the king again asked, "Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted."
3 Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. 4 For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king."
5 King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, "Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?"
6 Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman." Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. 7 The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.
8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining.
The king exclaimed, "Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?"
As soon as the word left the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, "A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman's house. He had it made for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king."
The king said, "Hang him on it!" 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's fury subsided.
2 Observations from chapters 1 & 2
- We are the kind of people who don't see God at work; but God is still moving even when we don't see.
- We are the kind of people who live compromised lives, because we have bought into a poisonous world view. But God works with people exactly like us.
What kind of power is available to us?
- The power of prophetic words
- But this is not unlimited power
- The power of yes!
- But this is not unlimited power
- The power of position
- But this is not unlimited power
Other possible sources of power...
- The power of personality
- The power of sexualtiy
- The power of strategic planning
The final ultimate power...
God is the silent mover. The ultimate power at work here is the power of God’s hand bringing about His purposes.
Remembering God
Maybe the most effective power available to us is the power to remember.
Deuteronomy 8
What does forgetting the Lord look like?
Forgetting the Lord looks like different things to different people. It may look like:
- Debilitating worry
- Excessive or prolonged anger
- A lack of devotional life - no time to wait, pursue God and listen
This week, take an hour to read Esther and look for the hand of God and then ask God to show you where He is at work in your life.
Small Group Questions
Icebreaker:
Tell of a time when you got lost.
Worship time:
Sing, pray, or reflect on Psalm 68:28 or vs 32-35.
Application questions:
- God's power is the ultimate power that brought about change in Persia. Tell about a time when you have seen God's power at work in circumstances around you.
- We have said that "forgetting the Lord can look like: debilitating worry, excessive or prolonged anger, or lack of devotional life."
- Under what circumstances are you prone to forget the Lord by worrying? (Is there a typical pattern?) How is this a sign of forgetting the Lord?
- Under what circumstances are you prone to forget the Lord in anger? How is this a sign of forgetting the Lord?
- What circumstances cause you to forsake a devotional habit? How is this a sign of forgetting the Lord?
- Are there other signs for you that you are forgetting the Lord?
- What can we as a group do to help one another remember?
Vision time:
Pray for some people you know who are far from God. Pray for God to show them His power and love.