The Banquet - For Such A Time As This

by Pastor Ronald Yow

In times of crisis and difficulties, we wait on God
- What does it mean by waiting upon the Lord?
- Is it just to sit down and wait?

Esther demonstrated what it means to wait upon the Lord :
1. Posture (of we must depend on God)
- Esther recognise God's Sovereignty
- Esther surrendered to God's Sovereignty
* The Director of the situation is God Himself
* As Esther plays out the plan in the banquet, she is letting God moves in His direction
* Nothing is for sure or certain when Esther presents her statement to the King
* Esther was never in control of anything but she trusted God who is in control of everything

Proverbs 21:31
"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord"

2. Position
- God's Plan ...... God Does
- God's Plan ...... We Do
- Our Plan ...... God Does
- Our Plan ...... We Do
* Esther prayed
* Esther sought God for wisdom and guidance
* Esther counted the cost

3. Plan
- Attract Attention
- Approach with Tact
- Organise 2 banquets

Is Esther's plan God's plan or Man's plan?
or perhaps......
The crux of the matter is that it's Esther who exercise God's will through her plan even when her plan may not be foolproofed. God can work through even with our plans.

God is silent doesn't mean He is absent. Whether God spoke to us or we act on our own plan, we still need to exercise faith.

Learning to wait on God :
A. God can work out His will through decisions we have made, even if they are the worst
B. It is easier to steer a moving vehicle than a stationary vehicle

Acts 16:6-10
Paul and his companions traveled all through the area of Phrygia and Galatia. The Holy Spirit had kept them from preaching the word in Asia Minor. They came to the border of Mysia. From there they tried to enter Bithynia. But the Spirit of Jesus would not let them. So they passed by Mysia. Then they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision. He saw a man from Macedonia standing and begging him. "Come over to Macedonia!" the man said. "Help us!" After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia. We decided that God had called us to preach the good news there.

# Seek God for guidance
# If silence, make informed decisions : - By being cerebral (ie. use your brain)
Romans 12:2
"Don't live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely changed. Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what He wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect."

- By counting the cost
Luke 14:25-34
"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?"

- By consulting mature believers
Proverbs 24:6
"Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers"

# Step out by faith
- Trust in God's Sovereignty
- Trust in God's Faithfulness

"A miracle is not the absence of man's plan. A miracle is clearly the intersection of God and man's plan"

Finish your race well

Pastor Bee Ngor

King Asa "started" his race well in 2 Chronicles 14

Asa sought the Lord when the Ethiopians came against him. Therefore, 2 Chronicles 15:19 said "there was no more war"
- Asa "continued" his race well

2 Chronicles 16:9
Prophet Hananiah said to King Asa "For the eyes of the lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully devoted to him"
But King Asa did not listen
- King Asa did not "finish" well

3 P's to help us finish our race well :
1. Run your race with PASSION
The strong word of God spoken to people of Laodicea in Revelation 3:15-16
- It's not about the action, it's about the heart.

1 Corinthians 10:12
So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall.

What is purpose?
it is thinking right about what God commands us to do.

What is your purpose of serving God?
(love for the lord / love for the work / love for the lost)

2. Run your race with PURITY
Hebrews 12:1
"... So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. Let us keep on running the race marked out for us."

i. Get rid of the idols
An idol is anything that stands between us and God

Psalm 24:3-4
Who can go up to the temple on the hill of the Lord? Who can stand in his holy place? Anyone who has clean hands and a pure heart. He does not worship the statue of a god. He doesn't use the name of that god when he makes a promise.

ii. Get rid of the sins
Psalm 38:4-6
My guilt has become too much for me. It is a load too heavy to carry. My wounds are ugly. They stink. I've been foolish. I have sinned. I am bent over. I've been brought very low. All day long I go around sobbing.

It could be sinful acts that keeps the spiritual breakthrough from happening in our lives. Sins can also hinders our spiritual growth.

1 John 1:9
But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, he will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.

3. Run with Perseverance
We can take God for granted and lose our zeal and focus for God. There are tests and difficulties that God allows in our lives that God use to shape us. We are not competing with anyone, the most important thing is to finish the race......Our spiritual live is a marathon. We must keep the pace and in tandem with Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1-2
A huge cloud of witnesses is all around us. So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. Let us keep on running the race marked out for us. Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the author of faith. He also makes it perfect. He paid no attention to the shame of the cross. He suffered there because of the joy he was looking forward to. Then he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 10:35, 36

So don't throw away your bold faith. It will bring you rich rewards. You need to be faithful. Then you will do what God wants. You will receive what he has promised.

3 questions to ask yourself to keep your spiritual fervour :

1. Am I satisfied with my passion for God as it stands right now?

2. What needs to change in my life so that God becomes my greatest passion?

3. How can I keep my spiritual temperature high all the time?

The Dilemma

by Pastor Scott Tey

Esther 4

Providence
God not only knew this was going to happen, He had already provided a way out!

Proverbs 21:1
The kings heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a stream of water anywhere he pleases.

Big Idea :
Seek and embrace God's purpose, mission, plans and direction for our lives.

Esther 4:1-17
When Mordecai learned all that had happened......

The battle is not between you and the situation, just like the battle is not between Mordecai and Haman, even seemingly it seems so in the physical realm.

Esther care enough to find out why. Do you know the things that are affecting the people of God today?

Hebrews 13:3
Remember those in prison, as though in prison with them.

The issue is not what's happening to the people of God but it's what happening "IN" the people of God!

Esther first response was she can do nothing

1. Esther Dilemma :
We need to respond in prayer and faith for God's deliverance. In His fullness of time, God brings about His full purpose and fulfill it. So that no human can take any credit for it.

If we waste the opportunity that God has given us to do something, God will still do it but we have wasted a given opportunity by God to do so. It is not by chance where we are today! God is never in a hurry, but He is never too late either!

There is a providence of God in all areas of our lives (blessings, experiences, testimonials etc....) let's not waste it but use those areas to bless others.

Remember!
You are not an accident nor an incident!

Esther 5:1-2

The Plot

by Pastor Lee Meng Chiam

Esther 3:5-6

3 points to note :

1. No Way! (v1-5)
Mordecai : "No way I will bow and pay homage to Haman!"
- Religious ground
- Historical Ground

Haman : "No way I will let Mordecai get away with it!"
# Pride was his core motivation (pride is endless ego calculation)
- The Symptoms
Proverbs 16:8
1 Peter 5:5b
# Evil latches in pride
- The Results


2. No Prisoners! (v6)
Proverbs 6:16-19
Haman is not just prideful, he has became evil
- All or Nothing
- Destroy, Kill, Annihilate (v13)
# Evil advances on extremism

We don't have to respond with fear or anger, we can overcome


3. No Dice! (v7-15)
Micah 2:1
- Supernatural Divination
- Shrewd Manipulation
- Surprise Intervention
Proverbs 16:33
"The lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord"


God's Providence
- Divine Foresight
Providence has the element of divine foresight
- Human Freedom
# Evil exploits laxity

We have to pray that we do not become lax

What is the difference between ignorance and apathy?
I don't know, I don't care, it doesn't bother me, doesn't affect me, whatever ...... When you are lax, evil exploits


Trivial things in life, God is always working for us


Evil is real :
but we don't have to fear
1. We must be Alert

2. We must Stand Up
- when we see evil, if it's in our power to resist, we should resist

3. We hold Steady

4. When the going gets tough, we Look Ahead
- because one day righteousness will have its rewards and the unrighteousness will have its just dessert


"Evil is real and cannot be ignored; whenever it is expressed it must be addressed, resisted and overcome by the Gospel"