"Queen Esther decided to go to the king uninvited to plead for her people"

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 “Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say,  “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.””   [Esther 4:10-11]

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"Queen Esther decided to go to the king uninvited to plead for her people"

By official order Haman was to be paid homage as one second only (next) to the king. But Mordecai refused to bow to a mere man, especially to an Amalekite.  The fear of God overcame any fear of man. The law of Moses did not forbid showing due respect to those in authority, but it did forbid the worship of any but God.  Eastern monarchs often demanded such worship.  Instead of dealing with Mordecai alone, Haman set in motion a plan to annihilate all the Jews in the kingdom!

Haman approached the king with an inflammatory report about the Jews, misrepresenting them as a danger to the kingdom. He urged that a decree be issued ordering their extinction. The king sealed the death writ with his signet ring, sentencing thousands of innocent men, women, and children to be sacrificed at the altar of Haman’s pride.

The Jewish population was stunned as the news broke throughout the land. There is always sadness where evil reigns. Mordecai put on mourner’s garb and lamented through the city until he came to the King’s gate.

Esther’s personal servant, came to find out why he continued in mourning. Mordecai told him the whole story. A copy of the written decree was sent back to the queen along with an order to use her position to intercede for her people.

The words of verse 14 should challenge each of us: “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther decided to go to the king uninvited to plead for her people. She is fully aware that she could be killed if she goes to the king’s presence uninvited. But her faith in God made her to go to the king with the plea to save her people anyway. She said, “If I perish, I perish”.


Dear reader, God might have placed you like queen Esther, to take a bold step, to share the Gospel to those people perishing without the Word of God. 
 

 

Queen Esther

    

"Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish."

 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him. ” [Esther 4:16-17]






 

Sacrifice of Person, Praise and Possessions

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 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.  And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”   [Hebrews 13:15-16]

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Sacrifice of Person, Praise and Possessions

In the New Testament all believers are priests. They are holy priests, going into the sanctuary of God to worship, and they are royal priests going out into the world to witness.

"You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light"[1 Peter 2:5, 9].

There are at least three sacrifices which a believer-priest offers. 

First, there is the sacrifice of his person. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” [Romans 12:1].

The second is the sacrifice of praise. It is offered to God through the Lord Jesus. All our praise and prayer passes through Him before it reaches God the Father; our great High Priest removes all impurities and imperfections and adds His own virtue to it.

The sacrifice of praise is the fruit of those lips that acknowledge His name. The only worship that God receives is that which flows from redeemed lips.

The third sacrifice is the offering of our possessions. We are to use our material possessions in doing good, and in sharing with those who are in need. With such sacrificial living God is well pleased. It is the opposite of accumulating for self.

 

Kids singing praises to God

   

"Hosanna to the Son of David"

 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.    “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants  you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” [Matthew 21:16]

 

 "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus….is the King of Kings
Lord we lift up your name
With our hearts filled with praise
Be exalted O Lord our God
Hosanna in the highest."  




I will give you rest

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 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”   [Romans 12:1-2]

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"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him"

Paul mentions here that we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. Our bodies stand for all our members and, by extension, our entire lives.  Total commitment is our reasonable service. It is our reasonable service in this sense: if the Son of God has died for me, then the least I can do is live for Him. “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me,” said the great British cricketer and missionary C. T. Studd,  “then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.”

Reasonable service may also be translated “spiritual worship.” As believer-priests, we do not come to God with the bodies of slain animals as sacrifice but with the spiritual sacrifice of yielded lives. We also offer to Him our service, and our possessions.

Paul also urges us not to be conformed to this world. In other words, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” When we come to the kingdom of God, we should abandon the thought-patterns and lifestyles of the world. The world means the society or system that man has built in order to make himself happy without God. It is a kingdom that is antagonistic to God. The god and price of this world is Satan. All unconverted people are his subjects. He seeks to attract and hold people through the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The world hates nonconformists—like Christ and His followers.

Christ died to deliver us from this world. The world is crucified to us, and we are crucified to the world. It would be absolute disloyalty to the Lord for believers to love the world. Anyone who loves the world is an enemy of God.  We should be transformed by the renewing of our mind, which means that we should think the way God thinks, as revealed in the Bible.
 

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Come to me and I will give you rest

   

..I will give you rest

 “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.  ”  [Matthew 11:28-30]

 "Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all."  





 

The Wise and Foolish Builders

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 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”   [Matthew 7:24-27]

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The Wise and Foolish Builders

Jesus closes His sermon with a parable that drives home the importance of obedience. It is not enough to hear these sayings; we must put them into practice. The disciple who hears and does Jesus commands is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. His house (life) has a solid foundation and, when it is battered by rain and winds, it will not fall. 

The person who hears Jesus sayings and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. This man will not be able to stand against the storms of adversity: when the rain descended and the winds blew, the house fell because it had no solid base.

If a person lives according to the Word of God, the world calls him a fool; Jesus calls him a wise man. The world considers a wise man to be someone who lives by sight, who lives for the present, and who lives for self; Jesus calls such a person a fool.

It is legitimate to use the wise and foolish builders to illustrate the gospel. The wise man puts his full confidence in the Rock, Christ Jesus, as Lord and Savior. The foolish man refuses to repent and rejects Jesus as his only hope of salvation. But the interpretation of the parable actually carries us beyond salvation to its practical outworking in the Christian life.
 

 

The Wise and Foolish Builders

   

...Built on Solid Rock

 “Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock.

    Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn't obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash. ”  [Luke 6:47-49]






 

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands

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 “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. ”   [Ephesians 5:21-24]

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The head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man

Paul cites three specific areas in the Christian household where submission is the will of God:

• Wives should submit to their own husbands.
• Children should submit to their parents.
• Servants should submit to their masters.

The fact that all believers are one in Christ Jesus does not mean that earthly relationships are abolished. We must still respect the various forms of authority and government which God has instituted. Every well-ordered society rests on two supporting pillars—authority and submission. There must be some who exercise authority and some who submit to that rule.

This principle is so basic that it is found even in the Godhead: “But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Cor. 11:3.

There must be a head in the home, and there must be obedience to that head. God ordained that the place of headship be give to the man. He indicated this by creating man first, then creating woman for the man. Thus, both in order and purpose of creation, He put man in the place of authority and woman in the place of submission.

Submission never implies inferiority. The Lord Jesus is submissive to God the Father, but in no way is He inferior to Him .Neither is the woman inferior to the man. In many ways she may be superior—in devotedness, in sympathy, in diligence, and in patience. But wives are commanded to submit to their own husbands, as to the Lord. In submitting to the authority of her husband, a wife is submitting to the Lord’s authority. This in itself removes any attitude of reluctance or rebellion.

Nothing could more exalt the role of the wife than comparing it to the role of the church as the Bride of Christ. The church’s submission is the pattern to be followed by the wife.

Husbands are told to love their wives just as Christ also loved the church. 

A man and woman wrestling

Instructions for Christian Households

 “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”  [Ephesians 5:22,25]

 

    

Arise, shine, for your light has come

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 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light  (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)  and find out what pleases the Lord.  Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.”   [Ephesians 5:8-12]

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Living as People of Light

Believers are solemnly warned to have no part in such ungodly behavior.  To do so is to dishonor the name of Christ, to wreck other lives, to ruin one’s one testimony, and to invite a torrent of retribution.

The apostle now gives a pithy discourse on darkness and light. The Ephesians were once darkness, but now they are light in the Lord. Paul does not say they were in the darkness, but that they themselves were the personification of darkness.  Now through union with the Lord, they have become light.

Paul continued his message--Don't let anyone trick you with foolish talk. God punishes everyone who disobeys him and says foolish things. So don't have anything to do with anyone like that.

So act like people of the light and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful, as you try to please the Lord. Don't take part in doing those worthless things that are done in the dark. Instead, show how wrong they are. It is disgusting even to talk about what is done in the dark. But the light will show what these things are really like. Light shows up everything,  just as the Scriptures say, "Wake up from your sleep  and rise from death[sin].  Then Christ will shine on you."

Act like people with good sense and not like fools. These are evil times, so make every minute count. Don't be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do. Don't destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life. When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart. Always use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to thank God the Father for everything. 



 

The glory of the LORD rises upon you

    

Light Has Come

 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”  [Isaiah 60:1]




Do Not Worry

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 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?..Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”   [Matthew 6:25,27]

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Do Not Worry

The problem is not so much what we eat and wear today, but what we shall eat and wear ten, twenty, or thirty years from now. Such worry about the future is sin because it denies the love, wisdom, and power of God. It denies the love of God by implying that He doesn’t care for us.  It denies His wisdom by implying that He doesn’t know what He is doing. And it denies His power by implying that He isn’t able to provide for our needs.

This type of worry causes us to devote our finest energies to making sure we will have enough to live on.  Then before we know it, our lives have passed, and we have missed the central purpose for which we were made. God did not create us in His image with no higher destiny than that we should consume food.  We are here to love, worship, and serve Him and to represent His interests on earth. Our bodies are intended to be our servants, not our masters.

The birds of the air illustrate God’s care for His creatures. They preach to us how unnecessary it is for us to worry. They neither sow nor reap, yet God feeds them. We are of more value than the birds, then we can surely expect God to take care of our needs.  But we should not infer from this that we need not work for the supply of our present needs.  Paul reminds us: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat”(2 Thes. 3:10).

Worry about the future is not only a dishonor to God—it is also futile.  The Lord demonstrates this with a question: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
Next the Lord deals with the unreasonableness of worrying that we will not have enough clothing in the future.  The flowers of the field neither toil nor spin, yet their beauty surpasses that of Solomon’s royal garments.



 

God clothes the grass of the field

    

God clothes the grass of the field

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”  [Matthew 6:28-30]