The Providence of God # 6

As we study the Providence of God, we are using the Old Testament Book of Esther which describes Haman’s wicked plot to kill all the Jews in Persia and how God saved them 

In this Message we see the Providence of God at work in Hadassah, who is also called Esther, and learn that God ordains our ministry 

Ephesians 2: 10 ‘God creates each of us by Jesus Christ to join Him in the work He does that He planned for us long ago’ ^{MESSAGE PARAPHRASE & NLT Combo}            

Firstly, let’s define ministry:  

Ministry is joining with God in the work He does  

And like Esther, if we are going to be successful in our ministry, we will need 3 things: 

1/ In ministry we need strong sense of the call of God in our lives 

Esther had a strong sense of the call of God in her life that would eventually help save the Jews 

Esther 2: 8-9, 17 

After Esther had become the new Queen, Mordecai heard about the plot of Haman to kill all the Jews in the Persian Empire and sent a message to Esther telling her about the plot and then sent her a second message strongly urging Esther to appeal to King Xerxes to save the Jews  

In another indication of the Providence of God, Mordecai spoke these now famous words, Esther 4: 14b ‘Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?’  

Esther 4: 13-14 

Not everyone has such a dramatic call of God in their lives like Esther – however God calls us all to some kind of ministry that advances His purposes in the earth 

Let me give you a Testimony:  

I began in Pastoral ministry in 1987, and I thought “this is going to be epic! I wonder what amazing things the Lord is going to do through my ministry!?” 

The first job my Senior Pastor gave me started at 6am every Sunday morning 

My job as the Assistant Pastor was to go to the old cold building we were renting on Sundays, crawl under the floor and start up the diesel burner that was located under the floor, go home, have breakfast, bring my family to Church for the Service and then turn it off after the Service and then repeat the process for the night Service. I would get home at about 9pm on Sunday nights  

I did this for about 1 year and often thought to myself “I don’t like this ministry”, but I was reminded by the Apostle Paul, Colossians 4: 17b ‘Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.’ 

(I was really happy when we moved out of that building) 

Like Esther, to succeed in ministry we must have a strong sense of the call of God in our lives  

Ephesians 4: 1b 

2/ In ministry we need great courage 

Esther showed great courage that would eventually save the Jews 

With just a casual reading of our text it would be a mistake to think that this was a great thing that happened to Esther, but in many ways, it wasn’t! 

As a Jew, Esther was forbidden to marry King Xerxes because he was a Gentile and what’s more, the King required the women who were candidates to be the new Queen to spend a night with him before he made his choice – that meant that Esther had to spend a night with Xerxes before she was married  

This was a very bad situation for Esther but by the Providence of God she would become the new Queen and God would save the Jews 

Esther 2: 15b-18

Then Esther showed courage again by telling King Xerxes about a report from Mordecai that there was a plot by 2 palace guards to kill him 

Esther 2: 21-23

Because the report of the plot to kill Xerxes was true, and the King’s life was saved, it gave Esther the courage to appeal to Xerxes to stop Haman’s plot to kill all the Jews in Persia – but first, Esther asked Mordecai and the Jewish community in Susa to fast for her as she prepared herself to appeal to Xerxes  

Esther 3: 8-11; Esther 4: 15-17

Esther’s request to see the King was granted and she asked Xerxes to come to a banquet she was preparing for him and to bring Haman with him    

At the banquet Esther requested the King to come to a second banquet with Haman that she was preparing and told him that then she would explain what she wanted 

Esther 5: 1-8

With King Xerxes and Haman in attendance at her second banquet Esther showed great courage again by revealing her nationality to the King and telling him about Haman’s wicked plot for the mass genocide of all the Jews in the Persian Empire 

Esther 6: 14; Esther 7: 1-8

Then Esther went before the King again and courageously asked him to stop the evil plot of Haman against the Jews all-the-while knowing that by Persian law the King’s decree against the Jews could ‘never be revoked’ 

Even the great Xerxes could not revoke his decree to kill all the Jews in the Persian Empire so he told Esther that she could send a message to the Jews in the King’s name ‘telling them whatever you want’    

Esther 8: 1-6, 8 

And so, Mordecai dictated a decree to the all the Jews in the Persian Empire; but that Message in the Series is for another time 

Then Esther was called in to see the King and again Esther showed great courage by asking him to prolong Mordecai’s decree for the Jews to ‘unite and defend their lives’ 

Esther 9: 13-14 

Like Esther, to succeed in ministry we must show great courage 

1 Corinthians 16: 13  

3/ In ministry we need great love for the people 

Esther had a great love for the people that would eventually save the Jews 

When Esther was selected to be a candidate to become King Xerxes new Queen, she kept it secret that she was Jewish, this would eventually lead to the salvation of the Jewish Community in Persia, Esther 2: 10 ‘Esther had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so.’ 

Esther 2: 20 

Esther showed great love for her uncle Mordecai when he had found out about Haman’s wicked plot to kill the Jews - Mordecai strongly urged Esther to go to the King and, Esther 4: 8 ‘plead for her people’ 

Esther 4: 1-9

So, Esther went to the King and appealed for her people  

Esther 7: 3-4a

Then Esther went again to the king ‘begging him with tears’ for the lives of the Jews in the Persian Empire who by his decree had been condemned to death Esther 8: 3-6 READ 

To succeed in ministry, we need a great love for people 

1 John 3: 18 

Are you ready to faithfully serve the Lord in any ministry that he calls you to?