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[0:00] Good evening and a warm welcome to the service this evening. Those who are visiting especially welcome with us. It's good to see some visitors and it's good to see some who have been away for a while and who are back for a few days. So it's also good to know that there are some who are watching at a distance online. So let's worship God as we come together and we're going to sing to his praise in Psalm 121. Psalm 121, the first two stanzas of the psalm. Psalm 121 and the first two stanzas, the first four verses as they're marked in English. I to the hills will lift mine eyes, from whence doth come my need, my safety cometh from the Lord, who heaven and earth hath made. Thy foot he'll not let slide, nor will he slumber that he keeps. Behold, he that keeps Israel, he slumbers not, nor sleeps. These two verses of Psalm 121 we sing in Gaelic and we remain seated to sing and after that John will come up here and lead us in prayer in Gaelic.

[1:19] Psalm 121, the first two stanzas of the psalm. Psalm 121, the first two stanzas of the psalm.

[1:34] Psalm 121, the first two stanzas of the psalm. Psalm 121, the first two stanzas of the psalm.

[2:04] Psalm 121, the first two stanzas of the psalm. Psalm 121, the first two stanzas of the psalm.

[2:34] Psalm 121, the first two stanzas of the psalm.

[3:04] Psalm 122, the first two stanzas of the psalm.

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[12:47] We're going to sing again now to God's praise. Mission Praise 1217. The words on the screen and we sing of the power of the cross. The words on the screen and we sing of the power of the cross.

[12:59] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[14:03] Amen. Amen.

[15:03] Amen. Amen.

[16:03] If you could turn with me please now in your Bibles to Esther chapter 6.

[16:33] Esther chapter 6. So we're following the story of Esther going through these chapters.

[16:53] I'm conscious there's quite a few here tonight who haven't gone through the series. But I can try and cut this very short. We see in the book of Esther this young girl who is kidnapped essentially.

[17:09] And she's taken off to be in the king's harim. She becomes the queen. And yet she's a Jew in the middle of the Persian Empire.

[17:24] She is a Jew. She's one who believes in God. And she's been brought up by a man who kind of acted as her father.

[17:36] A relation of hers called Mordecai. He's brought her up to know about God. He's brought her up to believe in God. So they're both Jews who are in the middle of this Persian Empire.

[17:47] And Esther comes into this position of power as the queen. Mordecai is a kind of low level civil servant. And then we have this evil character who walks on scene called Haman.

[18:01] Who's kind of like the prime minister in that time. He has the ear of the king. And basically he has control of the king. Whatever he asks for he seems to get.

[18:13] And Mordecai and Haman clash. And Haman determines that not only will he seek to kill Mordecai. Who Esther loved.

[18:26] But he wants to kill all the Jews. Which would take in also Esther. So Esther realizes she is in this position as queen.

[18:37] And she can step forward and try to speak on behalf of her people. It's a very risky thing she does. But she takes that risk. And she begins to speak to the king.

[18:50] She hasn't yet told him exactly what she's asking for. But we're reading from chapter 6. And at chapter 6 we hit the point of crisis.

[19:02] Because Haman who has this decree that's in the future to have all the Jews killed. He's just clashed again with Mordecai. And he's got hate in his heart for Mordecai.

[19:14] And so he's been up all night. And he's been having gallows built. So Mordecai can be hanged. And it looks like Mordecai is just in his last few hours to live.

[19:30] So there's a crisis point here. And we're joining the book at this point. So Esther chapter 6 and verse 1.

[19:42] Well let's read in from chapter 5 verse 14. It won't be on the screen. But let me just read the last couple of verses. Haman's wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him as he raged about Mordecai.

[19:56] Have a gallows built 75 feet high. And ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with the king to the dinner and be happy.

[20:07] The suggestion delighted Haman. And he had the gallows built. That night the king could not sleep. So he ordered the book of the chronicles.

[20:17] The record of his reign to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh. Two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway.

[20:30] Who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. What honour and recognition has Mordecai received for this? The king asked. Nothing has been done for him.

[20:40] His attendants answered. The king said. Who is in the court? Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace. To speak to the king about hanging Mordecai in the gallows he had erected for him.

[20:53] His attendants answered. Haman is standing in the court. Bring him in. The king ordered. When Haman entered. The king asked him. What should be done for the man the king delights to honour?

[21:06] Now Haman thought to himself. Who is there that the king would rather honour than me? So he answered the king. For the man the king delights to honour. Have them bring a royal robe the king has worn.

[21:19] And a horse the king has ridden. One with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and the horse be entrusted to one of the king's most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honour.

[21:32] And lead him on the horse through the city streets. Proclaiming before him. This is what is done for the man the king delights to honour. Go at once. The king commanded Haman.

[21:43] Get the robe and the horse. And do just as you have suggested. For Mordecai. The Jew. Who sits at the king's gate.

[21:55] Do not neglect anything you have recommended. So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai. And led him on horseback through the city streets.

[22:06] Proclaiming before him. This is what is done for the man the king delights to honour. Afterwards Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman rushed home with his head covered in grief.

[22:21] And told Zeresh his wife. And all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisors and his wife Zeresh said to him. Since Mordecai before whom your downfall has started.

[22:34] Is of Jewish origin. You cannot stand against him. You will surely come to ruin. While they were still talking with him. The king's eunuchs arrived.

[22:46] And hurried Haman away. To the banquet. Esther had prepared. Amen. And may God bless that reading of his word to us. We're going to sing now.

[22:57] And we're going to sing. The whole of Psalm 2. And we see characters like Haman. In Psalm 2.

[23:08] Who rage against God. And who think they can. So it's. I think it's nine stanzas we're singing. But it's Cammie that's singing tonight. So we'll move through it at brisk pace. So. Psalm 2.

[23:20] And we'll sing the whole of the psalm. Why rage the heathen. Unvain things. Why do the people mind. Kings of the earth. Do set themselves. And princes are combined. To plot against the Lord.

[23:31] And his anointed. Saying thus. Let us asunder. Break their bands. And cast their cords from us. He that in heaven sits. Shall laugh. The Lord shall scorn them all.

[23:41] Then shall he speak to them in wrath. And rage he vex. Them shall. And so on. We'll sing the whole of this psalm. To God's praise. We'll stand to sing.

[23:55] Why rage the heathen. Unvain things. Why do the people mind.

[24:06] Kings of the earth. Do set themselves. And princes are combined. To plot against the Lord.

[24:21] And his anointed sing. Let us asunder. Break their bands.

[24:32] And cast their cords from us. He that in heaven. And shall he speak to them in wrath.

[24:52] In rage he vex. Them shall. Yet notwithstanding. I have him. I have him.

[25:03] To be my king appointed. And over Zion. My holy hill.

[25:13] I have him king anointed. The sure decree. I will declare. The Lord hath said to me.

[25:28] The Lord my holy son. This day. I have begotten thee.

[25:39] Ask of me. Ask of me. And for heritage. The heathen I'll make thine.

[25:50] And for possession. I to thee. Will give earth's utmost light. Thou shalt.

[26:01] Thou shalt as with a weighty rod. All by them. Make them all. And as a potter.

[26:14] Shirt thou shalt. Them dash in pieces small. Now therefore kings. Be wise and taught.

[26:27] Ye judges of the earth. Serve God in fear. And see that ye. Join trembling with your mirth.

[26:42] Kiss ye the sun. Blessed in his land. He perished from the way. It once his wrath began to burn.

[26:57] Blessed all that on him stay. Let's pray for a moment as we come back to God's word.

[27:17] Our heavenly father we thank you. Once more that we are found in this place. We thank you that you've given us the desire. And the opportunity. The freedom.

[27:28] To be able to come. And worship. To gather together. In this way. And we thank you Lord. That in your love. You have called us to come. We thank you that.

[27:42] We hear the words of Jesus. So often. As we turn. To your word. Where he says. Come to me all who are weary. And who are burdened. And I will give you rest.

[27:53] We thank you that we can come. With our praises. To the sun. To kiss the sun. As it says in the psalm. We thank you that when we are believing.

[28:05] In Jesus. The wrath of God is turned away. We thank you that when our faith is in Christ. We are promised. That we will not perish. But we will have everlasting life.

[28:19] So give to us faith. We pray. Those who are here. As we listen. And as we worship. And those whom we love. Who are not here. Those who.

[28:30] May have no interest. In the things of God. Those who may. Be in a state of rebellion. Even as we. Read of. And sang in the psalm. We are conscious. That there are so many.

[28:41] In this world. Who shake their fist at God. Perhaps some. Even in our own. Families. In our own. Friend circles. Who. Openly will speak. Against the name of God.

[28:52] And we pray for them. We ask Lord. That you would touch their hearts. We pray that you would open their eyes. That they would see. The reality of sin.

[29:02] And the. The urgency of. Of reaching out. And faith. To Jesus. As saviour. We think of the prayer. Even. That we read this morning. Of the dying thief.

[29:13] Remember me. And the assurance. That he was given. From Jesus. That he would see him. That day. In paradise. So we pray Lord.

[29:25] For those who are far from you. That you would draw them close. Those who are lost still. That you would save them. And for those who ask Lord.

[29:36] Who are walking with you. Who are saved. We pray that you would sanctify us. That you would. Make us more like Jesus. That you would make us more willing. Day by day. To serve you.

[29:48] To be ambassadors for Jesus. To be. Those who. Having received grace. Are. Willing and eager. To do the good works. That you prepare.

[29:59] In advance for us to do. Not. Because we think that these will save us. Or keep us. But as an expression of our love. For you. Pray Lord for a world.

[30:12] That is so clearly in rebellion. Against you. We read in the psalm of. Of rulers coming together. To stand against you.

[30:23] And we. We see it all too often. We see it in our own nation. We see it across many nations. And we see the reality of sin. And the. The.

[30:35] The sorrow that that brings into this world. The suffering. Wars. And rumors of wars. We see. The atrocities happening in Ukraine. As.

[30:47] Men determine that they will be God. They will have first place. We pray that you would have mercy. On us. That you would. Be at work Lord.

[30:57] In this world. We thank you. Lord Jesus. That you have promised. That you will return. And there will be a new heavens. And a new earth. There will be no more war. And no more sorrow.

[31:09] And suffering. And pain. And so we. Say. As it says. At the end of the Bible. Come Lord Jesus. May each of us be ready.

[31:20] For that day. May each of us. Meet Jesus as Savior. And not have to. Stand before him. As. As the one who judges us. And who sends us.

[31:31] Away. With these words. Depart from me. I never knew you. We ask Lord. That you would. Bless us. In this time. Of worship.

[31:42] We pray. That you would. Open our eyes. And open our understanding. And stir our hearts. That we may know. That you are God. And that you are with us. And we pray for.

[31:53] Others you meet. As we do. We think of Farrakhan. As he opens your word. In Leverborough just now. We ask that you would. Speak through him. And for other denominations. Around us.

[32:03] And the congregations. That we are connected to. Those who are visiting with us. Whatever the. The Bible is opened. Whatever. Christ crucified. Is preached.

[32:14] We pray Lord. That you would be adding. Your blessing. And building your church. And again Lord. We pray for those. In particular need. Those who are sad. Those who are grieving.

[32:26] For loved ones. Lost. In past. Days. And weeks. And months. And years. We are aware. We are aware of so many. Who are struggling. With grief. And we. Bring them to you.

[32:37] In prayer. And ask that you would comfort them. And we pray especially. For Kathy Ray. And for Nana tonight. That you would be near to them. We pray for others. Who may be.

[32:49] Excited. And anxious. About the week ahead. You know. What is. Ahead of us. And we ask Lord. That you would give us grace sufficient. For each day.

[33:01] We pray especially for. Mihaela. And Ena. And Miriam this week. As they. Look forward. To the due date. And we ask Lord. For your protection. Over them.

[33:11] And we pray. We thank you. That we can pray. For little children. That are still in the womb. That we have not met. But whom you know. And we ask Lord.

[33:22] That your hand. Would be upon all. Such for good. And for. Mihaela. Especially. And Ena. As they. Think about this week ahead. We ask that you would go before them.

[33:34] And that you would be close to them. So hear our prayers. And. Open your word to us. Now we ask. In Jesus name. Amen. If your Bibles are open.

[33:48] At Esther chapter 6. That would be helpful. One thing I think that's. Helpful.

[33:58] For us to think about. Every time we open. The Bible. The Bible. The Bible. Is that. When we open the Bible. God is speaking.

[34:10] And. When we open the Bible. This is a book. Where God. Has chosen. To reveal. Himself. To us. We can know him. And when we think about that.

[34:22] And when we keep that in our minds. It will change our approach. To scripture. It won't be just a case of us. Well I have to read this chapter. Before I go to sleep. We pick up the Bible. And we're.

[34:33] We're saying. In prayer. Lord God. Would you. Would you show more of yourself to me. Speak into my life. Please. Help me to know you more.

[34:43] And when we think about. The. The world of celebrity. Or the world of sport. Or the world of music. There are people that we.

[34:54] That we watch. And admire. And we might follow. But we'll never have a conversation with them. We'll never get close to them. We'll never get to know them.

[35:04] But the amazing thing is. Is that the. The one who is. Infinitely greater. Than any celebrity.

[35:15] Or any other person. The one true God. He wants us to know him. And even though.

[35:28] In the book of Esther. The name of God. Is not mentioned once. To fact. For those who are. Maybe here for the. For the first time. God's name.

[35:40] Is not mentioned. Anywhere. In Esther. And even though. In the book of Esther. There's no. There's no miracles. We can't. Point to. To sections.

[35:52] In the book of Esther. Where there. Are supernatural. Miracles. And in the same sense. That we see Jesus. Doing supernatural. Miracles. Although there's no evidence. Of that in the book of Esther.

[36:02] It's clear that. God is here. In this book. And in these events. And. And he's behind the curtain. And he's active. And he's working. It says in Romans 8.28.

[36:16] We know. That in all things. God works. For the good. Of those who love him. Who have been called. According. To his purpose. And we see that.

[36:28] In this chapter even. God is working. God is involved. God is involved. The hand of God. God can be. Can be traced.

[36:38] Through all the events. Of this story. And I want to. To think. In the 20 minutes or so. That we have. About the character. And the work of God. As we see him.

[36:50] In Esther. Chapter 6. And the first thing we see. Is that God never sleeps. We are people. Who need to sleep. There's some people.

[37:01] Who come to church. To have a. Have a little snooze. We need to sleep. The girls were desperate. For me to watch a film. A couple of weeks ago. I really. Tried to watch it. But 10 minutes in.

[37:11] I was away. I had to sleep. But God never sleeps. And we sang that. In. In Psalm. 121.

[37:22] God does not slumber. He does not sleep. And sometimes. God is at work. In the midnight hour. To keep others awake. And that's what we.

[37:34] See as we begin. This sixth chapter. It says. That night. The king. That's Xerxes. He could not sleep. And as far as we know.

[37:45] Up until this point. King Xerxes. Has had no problem sleeping. The night before that. We assume he slept. And the night before that. We assume he slept. We know. From looking at Xerxes.

[37:57] In the previous chapters. That his conscience. Is not particularly sharp. He can give the order. To wipe out. A whole nation of Jews. And it doesn't really seem.

[38:09] To affect him. He. He does it. Whilst he has a glass of wine. And. A couple of courses of dinner. You know. It seems. As we look at Xerxes.

[38:20] That he was beyond. Being kept awake. From a guilty conscience. But on this particular night. The king could not sleep. And on the one hand.

[38:31] You can see. That's just a small detail. It's not all that interesting. But. On the other hand. This detail. Was key. To the salvation.

[38:44] Of all the people of God. And we'll. We'll see the workings of that. As we. As we step through the verses. Of this chapter. But. The first point.

[38:54] I want to take an application. Is. It's just the encouragement. That we receive. From this. Fact. That we see. In God. That he does not sleep.

[39:08] Take encouragement. From the fact that. God does not sleep. He's always awake. He's always at work. Now.

[39:19] He'll never miss your call. When you pray. You're never off his radar. I remember.

[39:30] Before we came to Harris. Just before we came to Harris. We were told. As we were changing addresses. And all that kind of stuff. We were given the address. Of the. The place that we'd be staying in.

[39:40] To Kyle. And so. Remember one night. Thinking. I think I'll look on Google Earth. Put in the address. And the postcode.

[39:51] And see if I can see a picture of it. And so you could. Look on Google Earth. And you could. Go along the. Kailas Road. You could get to see. Where Kathy Ann is. And where I'll Farrakhar. And you could see the.

[40:01] Scalpy Bridge. And you could keep. A wee bit of. A wee bit further along. But when you got to the. Kato grid. What was it? Couldn't see any more. We think Google.

[40:13] Sees everything. Well. Google. Couldn't see two Kailas. Was off the radar. But there's nowhere. We can go. And there's no situation.

[40:25] That we can face. That God cannot see. He doesn't slumber. And miss them. It's because he's tired. And jaded.

[40:38] If you're his child. He has your back. He's watching you. He hasn't forgotten you.

[40:49] And there's. There's great assurance. In knowing that. So that's the first point. God never sleeps. The second point. We can note here. Is that. God never forgets.

[41:02] So let's just continue on. In verse one. We see that. On that night. The king. Could not sleep. So he ordered. The book of the chronicles.

[41:13] The record of his reign. To be brought in. And read to him. It was found recorded there. That Mordecai. Had exposed. Big Thana and Teresh. Two of the king's officers. Who guarded the doorway.

[41:24] Who had conspired. To assassinate. King Xerxes. What honor. And recognition. Has Mordecai. Received for this. The king asked. Nothing has been done for him.

[41:36] His attendants answered. You know. It seems that Mordecai. Who did this. Great thing. Brave thing. He was forgotten.

[41:50] So let's think about this. A wee bit more. The king. On this night. He can't sleep. And so. He orders. Something that will help him sleep. And because.

[42:01] He's the king. He's got lots of options. He could have ordered. A very large drink. To help him sleep. But he doesn't do that. On that night.

[42:12] He could have. Ordered for the. The musicians. To come in. And play soothing music. As kings often did. In that. In that. Era. But he doesn't do that. He could have sent for.

[42:24] One of the many. Women that were in this. Harim. To come. And accompany him. But he doesn't do any of these things. On this night. When he can't sleep. He ordered. The book of the chronicles.

[42:34] That the record of his reign. The biography of his life. To be brought in. And read to him. Which. Says a lot. About the massive ego.

[42:45] Of the man. He's so self-obsessed. He wants to hear. More and more. About himself. So. He orders the book. To be.

[42:56] To be brought in. On this night. That he can't sleep. Now hit pause. For a moment. Just as we. Think what's going on. Behind the scenes.

[43:08] If we step back. The chapter. We can remember. That Haman. At this point. Whilst the king. Can't sleep. Is plotting.

[43:18] To kill. Mordecai. Esther's. Father figure. In fact. At this point. When. Xerxes. Can't sleep.

[43:29] There would be. The noise. Of construction. From the. 75 foot. Gallows. That were being built. On which. Haman. Had determined. Mordecai. Would hang. Before the day was out.

[43:42] So all that's. Going on. In the background. Whilst the king. Can't sleep. In thinking. About. Xerxes. He's lying there.

[43:52] In his bed. He's in the palace. The book of the chronicles. Is brought in. And it just so happens. That the section.

[44:04] That was read. On this particular night. Was a section. That told the story. Of how Mordecai. Had exposed. A plot. To assassinate. The king. You could go back.

[44:17] To chapter two. We're not going to. Just now. But. In chapter two. We need about. Two. Two thugs. They sound like thugs. Big Thanna. And Teresh. Two of the king's officers. They sound like a couple of.

[44:31] Bulky. Doormen. And. They. Are. Plotting. To kill. Xerxes. And. Mordecai. Overhears. The plot. And so.

[44:42] He alerts. Esther. And Esther. Passes it on. To the king. And to cut a longer story short. The king's life is saved. And the story was recorded. In the annals.

[44:53] In the presence of the king. We're told about that. In chapter two. Verse twenty. Twenty. Twenty. Three. And when we read it. It just seemed like an unnecessary detail. Why is that in there? But now we see how important this is.

[45:09] Because the annals. The record of the reign. Was being read to Xerxes. And they come to the section. Where Mordecai's.

[45:20] Good works. Are recorded. And so. Xerxes asks. In verse three. What was done for Mordecai? This was a brave thing. That he did. He saved my life. How did we honor him?

[45:32] It was a reward culture. In that place. Kings prided themselves. On giving. Lavish rewards. That made them look good. But it seems. In the case of Mordecai.

[45:43] There was no reward. Nothing was done. His good work. Was forgotten. By Xerxes. And by all. The staff.

[45:55] That Xerxes had around him. But the point is. It wasn't forgotten. By God. Because God never forgets. He doesn't slumber.

[46:08] He doesn't sleep. He doesn't miss things. And when it comes to service. He doesn't miss. He doesn't miss. Even the cup of cold water.

[46:19] In the name of Jesus. He misses nothing. He forgets nothing. And so on this sleepless night.

[46:30] The unseen hand of God. Turns the pages. Of the book of Chronicles. So that what Mordecai did. Would be remembered. And Mordecai would receive.

[46:43] The honor. And the favor. That he was due. And that's. Something else. That. Should encourage us. And. Motivate us.

[46:57] You know. In this world. We can. Sometimes. Try to do good. And. Sometimes. The good things. That we try to do. They can be. They can be missed. Completely.

[47:08] Sometimes you can try. And do something good. And it's totally. Misunderstood. And it's taken the wrong way. And sometimes. When you try and do good. You end up thinking. What's the point. In even trying.

[47:23] But the thing is. When we. Determine. To do something good. We're not doing it for people. For Christians. We're not doing it.

[47:34] To get a round of applause. From the people. Around us. Who are. Hopefully watching. We might think. In our minds. When we do good.

[47:46] We do good. For God. That the left hand. Shouldn't know. What the right hand. Is doing. And we're seeking.

[47:56] To do. Something good. Because. We're not doing it. For people. We're not doing it. For applause. We're not doing it. For likes. We're doing it. We're doing it.

[48:08] For God. And he always sees. And he never forgets. When it comes to. Our service of him.

[48:23] Another wonder. Just before we move on. From. This point. Is that. The same God. Who never forgets. Our. Our good works. And we're doing it. To. To serve him.

[48:34] As the God. Who determines. That when. We repent. Of our sin. He will not. Remember it anymore. Hebrews 8.

[48:49] 12. God speaks. And he says. For I will forgive. Their wickedness. And remember. Their sins. No more. What a God.

[49:01] We worship. He's the God. Who. Who determines. That he never forgets. The good. That we want to do. For Jesus sake. But he's also.

[49:14] The God. Who says. I will not remember. The sin. That they have confessed. Not the blood of Jesus. Has dealt with.

[49:25] This is our God. This is his character. This is how he works. God never sleeps.

[49:36] God never forgets. The third point. Is that God's timing. Is. Is perfect. So get back to the story. Let's just picture the scene.

[49:49] Xerxes. As it comes into the. As the morning light starts to break. He's in a state. And he's in a state.

[50:00] Because Mordecai. Has been overlooked. Xerxes. Xerxes. Life was saved. By this. Brave act. Of Mordecai. And it was recorded. In the. In the annals.

[50:11] It was recorded. In the. In this record. Of history. And yet. Nothing was done. For Mordecai. He's been forgotten. He's been overlooked.

[50:22] And. And Mordecai. Was worried about this. And he was probably worried. About this. More. So. Because it reflected. It reflected badly. On him. That Mordecai.

[50:33] Had been overlooked. He ends up. Looking like this. Frugal. Stingy. King. Not the lavish. Generous king. That he wants to be.

[50:44] And so. He's desperate. As the morning breaks. To do something about this. To fix it. And. And as usual. This king. He's not very good. At thinking himself.

[50:55] And so. He looks for an advisor. To. To do his thinking. For him. And there's a noise. In the background. So. Verse four. The king said. Who is.

[51:06] In the court. Now. Haman had just entered. The outer court. Of the palace. To speak to the king. About hanging. Mordecai. On the gallows. He had erected for him. His attendants answered.

[51:19] Haman is standing. In the court. Bring him in. The king ordered. So why is Haman up early? Well.

[51:29] Because he's got Mordecai. In his mind. He can't wait. To get the order. To have Mordecai. Hanged. And why is Xerxes.

[51:41] Up early? Because he's got Mordecai. In his mind. And he can't wait. To put. Right. This wrong.

[51:52] That has been. Discovered in the book. He's. He's desperate. To have Mordecai. Honored. Not had. And so Mordecai. It is in the minds. Of both of these men.

[52:03] At the same time. And God. In his perfect timing. Brings them together. For this conversation. A conversation.

[52:13] That would bring. Salvation. And honor. To Mordecai. And a conversation. That would bring. Judgment. Down at Haman. And we'll look at the conversation. In just a moment.

[52:24] But. Before we do. Let's just. Stand back. In awe. At the ways. And at the works. And at the timing.

[52:35] Of God. For Esther. And for Mordecai. Salvation. For them. And for all God's people.

[52:46] It looked absolutely impossible. Things were too far on. This whole thing. Had snowballed. It looked like. It was irreversible. This was a law. That was written in the.

[52:57] It was a law. Of the. The Medes. And Persians. Which could not be repealed. So there was no way out. There was no loophole. To be able to manipulate. That salvation. Looked impossible.

[53:08] And with manna. It was impossible. But just one move. Of the hand of God. It's done.

[53:22] And for Haman. This. Evil man. He looked untouchable. You know.

[53:32] He's got the king. Eating out of his hand. Everything he wants. He seems to get. But just one move. Of the hand of God. And Haman is done.

[53:45] He's finished. And this is our God. It's the point. To note. Our God.

[53:55] Never changes. Jesus. And. As we look at. How he works. We can see here. That we can trust him. And we can see here.

[54:07] That we. That we need to trust him. And very often. Our trusting of God. Means that we have to step back. And wait for him to act. Rather than.

[54:20] Come crashing forward. With our size tens. And putting our foot in it. You know. When we do that. When we take matters. Into our own hands.

[54:32] Try and engineer. Our own solutions. All we do. Is make a mess. To tell you stories. About that. From my own. Experience. With my own failures. But. That would take a long time.

[54:45] But just imagine. The mess. If either. Mordecai. Or Esther. Had tried to make. Had tried to take things. Into their own hands.

[54:55] Before now. Imagine if Mordecai. Or Esther. Had tried to take on Haman. In their own strength. Before this point. It would be a disaster.

[55:06] It would be a disaster. But as they wait. For God's timing. As they wait. For him to act. Everything works out. For the good. Of his people.

[55:16] God's timing. Is perfect. Fourth point. God has a sense of humor. And you can't read.

[55:28] The next section. Of this. Chapter. Without seeing. The dark. Comedy of it. The way that God works. And think about this.

[55:42] Just before. Haman. Gets the opportunity. To ask. For Mordecai's death. The king. Says to Haman. Haman. I've got a question.

[55:52] For you. Something. Something pressing. Haman. I can see. You've got something. On your mind. But that's going to have to. Wait for a moment. I've got something. I want to speak. To you about. And so we.

[56:05] Pick up the conversation. At verse six. When Haman. Entered. The king. Asked him. What should be done. For the man. The king delights. To honor. And Haman.

[56:16] Who is so self-obsessed. We can just imagine him. Thrilled. In that moment. Who could the king. Delight to honor. But me. This is my chance. I can have some glory.

[56:28] For myself. Haman can wait. For a minute. Mordecai can wait. For a minute. I'm going to make. The most of this opportunity. And so he answers.

[56:39] The king. For the man. The king delights. To honor. Have them. Bring. A royal robe. That the king has worn. And a horse. The king has ridden. And so on. He goes. With his.

[56:50] With his wish list. He over eggs this majorly. He's overstepping the mark. With what he's asking for. He's asking to ride on the king's horse. Not any horse. He's asking to wear the king's robe.

[57:01] Not any robe. He wants to be escorted. Through the city streets. By one of the king's noble princes. He wants this proclamation. To constantly be gone out.

[57:12] To say what an honorable man. This man is. And Haman is basically asking. That the man. That the king desires to honor. Be treated like a king. For the day. But Haman is only asking for this.

[57:27] Because he is absolutely certain. That he is that man. So we can just imagine. This smug grin over.

[57:39] Haman's face. As he's putting together. His wish list. Imagining. Himself. On the. The back of this horse. With the. The crowds. Cheering.

[57:49] As he goes through. The city streets. But any smile. That's on. Haman's face. Disappears. Very quickly. When he hears. What comes next.

[58:01] Because. The king. Says. In verse one. Go at once. Get the robe. Get the horse. Just as you have suggested.

[58:15] And do all this. For. Mordecai. The Jew. And we can just imagine.

[58:27] The blood drain out of. Haman's face. As he heard these words. Do not. Neglect. Says the king. To do anything. You've commanded.

[58:37] You've recommended. So Haman. Got the robe. And the horse. He robed Mordecai. And led him on horseback. Through the city streets. Proclaiming before him. This is what.

[58:48] The. Is done. For the man. The king. Delights to honor. And it's a Sam. Two moment. We just sang it. You know.

[59:00] There are. There are lots of Haman's. In this world. There always has been. We read our newspapers. We read of them today. We see the atrocities.

[59:10] That are going on. It's the spirit of Haman. And through every generation. In every place. We see. So many Haman's. In this world. And they shake their fist.

[59:20] Of God. And they think. They think. They can do what they want. They think. They can say what they want. They think. They are untouchable. They think. They are so far above God. And God's people. And the truth is.

[59:32] When we encounter. The Haman's. Of this world. We tend to panic. They put the fear. They put the fear into us. What does God do?

[59:47] As he looks down. On these little Haman's. We're told in Psalm 2. He laughs. Because he knows.

[59:59] That ultimately. They will not be honoured. But they will be judged. God is a God of justice. He knows.

[60:11] That these. Same people. Who shake their fist. And curse Christ. Will be those. Who ultimately. Will have to give honour.

[60:21] To the son. And bow the knee. And confess. That Jesus. Is Lord. So as we follow this.

[60:32] This story. As we see. How God works. With such. Precise timing. With such humour. With such. Onniscient. Power.

[60:44] What should this. Cause us to do? What should cause us. To trust him? It should cause us.

[60:55] To worship him. It should cause us. To praise him. It should cause us. To thank him. That we can be his children. And that we can know. His protection.

[61:05] And his power. In our lives. And if we're not. God's children yet. There's anyone here.

[61:16] Or. Watching elsewhere. Who's. Who's not yet. One of God's children. If we are rebelling. Against God. And his way. As Haman was. Then we should do.

[61:29] What Haman. Refused to do. And that's repent. Repent. You know. Haman had the opportunity here. To repent.

[61:42] Weerspeed the commentator. Says. This event. Should have humbled Haman. And forced him to change. His wicked plans. As much as we detest Haman. Says Weerspeed.

[61:52] And his foul deeds. We must keep in mind. That God loves sinners. And wants to save them. God is long suffering. And brings various influences.

[62:04] To bear. Upon people's hearts. As he seeks to turn them. From their evil ways. And that's what. God was. Wanting Haman to do. To turn.

[62:18] But Haman wasn't for turning. He would not repent. And so judgment. Would soon fall. And that takes us to our final point.

[62:29] Very briefly. God's ways. And higher. Are higher than. Than our ways. And we see that. As the chapter finishes. Haman.

[62:39] After the humiliation. Of what he's gone through. He goes home. With his tail between his legs. He's distraught. And his wife. Zeres. Who always seems to be there.

[62:51] With a word of encouragement. For Haman. She says to him. Haman. It's all over. You're done for. After Mordecai.

[63:01] Verse 12. Returned. To the king's gate. Returned. To the king's gate. But Haman. Rushed home. With his head covered in grief. And told Zeres. His wife.

[63:12] And all his friends. Everything that had happened to him. His advisors. And his wife. Zeres. Said to him. Since Mordecai. Before whom your downfall has started. Is of Jewish origin. See there's a recognition here.

[63:25] That the Jews. Worshipped. God. Since. Mordecai. Before whom your downfall has started.

[63:36] Is of Jewish origin. You cannot stand against him. You will surely come to ruin. And while they were still talking with him. The king's eunuchs. Arrived.

[63:46] And hurried. Haman away. To the banquet. Esther had prepared. So it's all over. For Haman. There's a knock at the door.

[64:00] The eunuchs arrived. And. As they hurried. Haman away. He was being hurried away. To face God's judgment. And we'll see the details.

[64:14] Of this. As we carry on. But the speed. And the efficiency. With which God works. Is breathtaking. And anyone who was looking in.

[64:27] And anyone who's still looking in. In this story. Has to say. Only God can do this. Only God can take something. That seems to be so. Far lost.

[64:38] And turn it around. And turn it around. So comprehensively. See God's. Salvation plans. His designs.

[64:49] To deliver. His people. Whether it's in the book of Esther. Or in the book of Luke. They're way above.

[65:01] Anything. Our minds could work out. We see that here. In Esther. But all that we see in Esther. Is a pointer.

[65:14] To. To all we celebrated. This morning. On Easter Sunday. We see the parallels. I'm thinking about this parallel. Just as we. As we close.

[65:26] In chapter 6 of Esther. We see these. Dark gallows. That are being built. To kill God's man.

[65:36] Mordecai. And yet. What we will learn. In the book of Esther. Is that these. Gallows. That Mordecai. That Haman was building.

[65:46] For Mordecai. That would become. The gallows. That Haman himself. Would hang from. And the cross. That instrument.

[65:59] Of death. That Satan. Thought. He would use. To kill God's son. And give victory. To the darkness.

[66:12] Turned out. To be the very. Instrument. That God used. To bring. To bring eternal life. To all. Who trust. God's son. And the cross.

[66:26] Turned out. To be the means. To which. God would use. To. To overcome. The darkness. And the enemy. Of our souls. Once. And for all.

[66:37] God's ways. Are higher. Than our ways. Things. And isn't it amazing. That we can look into. To these things. We're told. By Peter.

[66:48] In 1 Peter. Chapter 1. And verse 12. The angels. Long to look into. These things. But they've got no access. They're locked out of this.

[67:00] Salvation. Design. That we have access. God has. Unlocked.

[67:11] The gospel message. For us. He's shared it with us. He's shown it to us. He's told us. That the good news. About Jesus. And his love.

[67:22] He's told us. About how he lived. For us. And how he died. For us. And how he rose. For us. And how he will return. To take us. To be with him. Forever.

[67:35] If we believe. So let's. Look into. These things. Let's read. These things. Let's believe. These things.

[67:45] Let's share. These things. And let's sing. As we finish. The. The. The wondrous story. Of. The Christ. Who died.

[67:57] And who rose. For us. Mission praise. Three hundred and fifteen. To finish. I will sing. The wondrous story. Of the Christ. Who died. For me. I will sing.

[68:21] The wondrous story. Of the Christ. To die. For me. How he left.

[68:34] The realms. Of glory. For the cross. On Calvary. Yes.

[68:44] I will sing. The wondrous story. Of the Christ. Who died. For me. For me.

[68:54] Sing it. With his saints. In glory. Gathered by the crystal sea.

[69:06] I was lost. But Jesus found me. Found the sheep. That went astray.

[69:18] Raise me up. And gently let me. Back into the narrow way.

[69:30] Days of darkness. Still beneath me. Sorrows path. Thy off me dread.

[69:41] But his presence. Still is with me. By his guiding hand. Thy leg.

[69:53] He will keep me. Till the river. Rows its waters. At my feet.

[70:04] Then he'll bear me. Save me over. Made by gifts. For glory.

[70:16] Yes. I'll sing. The wondrous story. All that tried. To die for me.

[70:27] Save it. With the saints. In glory. Gathered by the crystal sea.

[70:41]  And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the love of God the Father. And the fellowship of God the Holy Spirit. Be with us all. Now and forevermore. Amen.