Embracing Divine Purpose: Esther's Call to Action
Summary
In today's exploration of purpose and divine timing, we delved into the story of Esther, a narrative that challenges us to consider the true meaning of success and the importance of aligning our lives with God's kingdom purposes. Many people, including Christians, spend their lives climbing the ladder of success, only to find it leaning against the wrong wall. They achieve worldly success but miss out on fulfilling their God-given purpose. As Christians, we are left on this earth after conversion to fulfill a Kingdom Purpose, not to chase after the fleeting goals of possessions, power, and popularity.
The story of Esther, particularly chapters three and four, provides a profound illustration of recognizing and seizing one's divine moment. Mordecai's challenge to Esther, "Have you not been called to the kingdom for such a time as this?" serves as a reminder that God positions us strategically to leverage our influence for His purposes. Esther's initial hesitation to risk her life by approaching the king uninvited reflects a common human tendency to prioritize personal safety and comfort over divine calling. However, Mordecai's response underscores a critical truth: God's plans will prevail, with or without our participation, but we miss out on our destiny when we fail to act.
The sermon also highlighted the necessity of spiritual preparation and warfare as prerequisites for fulfilling our divine purpose. Before God uses us mightily, we often face battles that test our faith and commitment. These challenges are not just about us; they are about God's broader plan and how He intends to use us to bless others. Esther's story teaches us that our positions, resources, and influence are not for personal gain alone but are entrusted to us to advance God's kingdom.
Ultimately, the call is to take a risk of faith, to step out even when the outcome is uncertain, trusting that God has prepared us for such a time as this. Like Neo in "The Matrix," we are offered a choice: to continue in our ordinary lives or to embrace the extraordinary purpose God has for us. Choosing the latter may be risky, but it aligns us with God's greater plan and allows us to experience the fullness of His calling.
Key Takeaways:
- Purpose Beyond Success: True success is not measured by worldly achievements but by fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. We must ensure our ladder of success is leaning against the right wall, aligned with God's kingdom purposes. [00:12]
- Divine Timing and Positioning: God strategically positions us to leverage our influence for His kingdom. Like Esther, we must recognize when it's our time to act and use our resources and positions to advance God's purposes. [19:12]
- Spiritual Preparation and Warfare: Before fulfilling our divine purpose, we often face spiritual battles. These challenges test our faith and prepare us for greater responsibilities in God's kingdom. [10:03]
- Risk of Faith: Embracing God's purpose often requires taking a step of faith without knowing the outcome. This risk is a testament to our trust in God's plan and His ability to use us for His glory. [47:07]
- Blessed to Be a Blessing: Our blessings are not just for personal gain but are meant to flow through us to bless others. We must be willing to use our gifts and resources for the advancement of God's kingdom. [20:16]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:12] - Climbing the Wrong Ladder
- [00:55] - Kingdom Purpose
- [02:14] - Esther's Divine Moment
- [03:21] - Mordecai's Stand
- [06:03] - Haman's Plot
- [09:04] - Legacy of Unaddressed Sin
- [10:03] - Spiritual Warfare
- [12:45] - Recognizing Your Time
- [19:12] - Leveraging Influence
- [22:04] - Esther's Dilemma
- [28:02] - Remembering God's Grace
- [30:01] - The Test of Blessing
- [39:47] - Mordecai's Challenge
- [46:37] - Risky Faith
- [53:11] - The Matrix Analogy
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Story of Esther and Divine Purpose
Bible Reading:
1. Esther 4:14 - "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"
2. 1 Samuel 15:1-23 - The story of King Saul and Agag, highlighting the legacy of unaddressed sin.
3. Deuteronomy 8:18 - "But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today."
---
Observation Questions:
1. What was Mordecai's challenge to Esther, and how did it relate to her position in the kingdom? [02:31]
2. How did Mordecai's refusal to bow to Haman create a crisis for the Jewish people? [03:53]
3. What was the significance of the 12-month window between the declaration and the execution of the edict against the Jews? [14:38]
4. How did Esther initially respond to Mordecai's request to approach the king, and what were her concerns? [23:03]
---
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the story of Esther illustrate the concept of divine timing and positioning in fulfilling God's purposes? [19:12]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that spiritual preparation and warfare are necessary before fulfilling one's divine purpose? [10:03]
3. How does the sermon use the analogy of Neo from "The Matrix" to explain the choice between an ordinary life and embracing God's extraordinary purpose? [53:11]
4. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between personal blessings and the responsibility to bless others? [20:16]
---
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt you were "climbing the ladder of success" but realized it was leaning against the wrong wall. How did you realign your goals with God's kingdom purposes? [00:12]
2. Mordecai challenged Esther to recognize her divine moment. Can you identify a moment in your life when you felt called to act for God's purposes? How did you respond? [02:31]
3. The sermon emphasizes the necessity of spiritual preparation. What spiritual disciplines can you incorporate into your life to prepare for God's calling? [10:03]
4. Esther had to take a risk of faith by approaching the king. Is there a situation in your life where you need to take a step of faith, even if the outcome is uncertain? [47:07]
5. The sermon suggests that our blessings are meant to flow through us to bless others. How can you use your current resources and influence to advance God's kingdom? [20:16]
6. Consider the analogy of Neo from "The Matrix." Are you living an ordinary life, or are you ready to embrace the extraordinary purpose God has for you? What steps can you take to make this shift? [53:11]
7. Reflect on the concept of a "Grace window" mentioned in the sermon. Is there a situation in your life where God has given you a window of opportunity to act? How will you respond? [14:58]
Devotional
Day 1: Aligning Success with Divine Purpose
True success is not measured by worldly achievements but by fulfilling God's purpose for our lives. Many people, including Christians, spend their lives climbing the ladder of success, only to find it leaning against the wrong wall. They achieve worldly success but miss out on fulfilling their God-given purpose. As Christians, we are left on this earth after conversion to fulfill a Kingdom Purpose, not to chase after the fleeting goals of possessions, power, and popularity. We must ensure our ladder of success is leaning against the right wall, aligned with God's kingdom purposes. [00:12]
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26, ESV)
Reflection: Consider your current goals and ambitions. Are they aligned with God's purpose for your life, or are they focused on worldly success? What steps can you take today to realign your priorities with God's kingdom?
Day 2: Recognizing Divine Timing and Positioning
God strategically positions us to leverage our influence for His kingdom. The story of Esther, particularly chapters three and four, provides a profound illustration of recognizing and seizing one's divine moment. Mordecai's challenge to Esther, "Have you not been called to the kingdom for such a time as this?" serves as a reminder that God positions us strategically to leverage our influence for His purposes. Like Esther, we must recognize when it's our time to act and use our resources and positions to advance God's purposes. [19:12]
"And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on your current position in life. How might God be calling you to use your influence and resources for His kingdom? What is one specific action you can take this week to step into your divine moment?
Day 3: Preparing for Spiritual Warfare
Before fulfilling our divine purpose, we often face spiritual battles. These challenges test our faith and prepare us for greater responsibilities in God's kingdom. The necessity of spiritual preparation and warfare is highlighted as prerequisites for fulfilling our divine purpose. Before God uses us mightily, we often face battles that test our faith and commitment. These challenges are not just about us; they are about God's broader plan and how He intends to use us to bless others. [10:03]
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." (Ephesians 6:10-11, ESV)
Reflection: Identify a current challenge or battle you are facing. How can you prepare spiritually to overcome it? What specific steps can you take to put on the armor of God today?
Day 4: Embracing the Risk of Faith
Embracing God's purpose often requires taking a step of faith without knowing the outcome. Esther's initial hesitation to risk her life by approaching the king uninvited reflects a common human tendency to prioritize personal safety and comfort over divine calling. However, Mordecai's response underscores a critical truth: God's plans will prevail, with or without our participation, but we miss out on our destiny when we fail to act. This risk is a testament to our trust in God's plan and His ability to use us for His glory. [47:07]
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel God is calling you to take a risk of faith? How can you step out in trust, even when the outcome is uncertain?
Day 5: Being Blessed to Be a Blessing
Our blessings are not just for personal gain but are meant to flow through us to bless others. Esther's story teaches us that our positions, resources, and influence are not for personal gain alone but are entrusted to us to advance God's kingdom. We must be willing to use our gifts and resources for the advancement of God's kingdom. [20:16]
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." (1 Peter 4:10, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on the blessings and resources you have been given. How can you use them to bless others and advance God's kingdom? What is one specific way you can be a blessing to someone in need this week?
Quotes
Many people, including Christians, will have spent a large part of their lives climbing the ladder of success only to discover at the end that it was leaning against the wrong wall. In an effort to meet the standards of our world system and what it calls success, many will have missed the purposes of God. [00:00:12]
Once you become a Christian, the reason why we were not raptured at the moment of conversion was that God left us here for the achievement and the accomplishment of a Kingdom Purpose. Unfortunately today, it is easy to get caught up in the wrong purpose, the purposes of people, possessions, paychecks, power, popularity. [00:00:58]
Mordecai asks her the question, "Have you not obtained royalty for such a time as this?" or as the King James says, "Have you not been called to the kingdom for such a time as this?" So I want to explain to you using the providential hand of God in the life of Esther how you know when it's your time. [00:02:14]
You know it's your time when God connects spiritual preparation with spiritual warfare. You see, Haman was an agent of the devil whose goal it is to thwart the purposes of God. In the Old Testament, it had to do with destroying the Jews. In the New Testament, it has to do with muting the effectiveness of the church. [00:09:57]
Whenever God is getting ready to use someone, they will have a battle to overcome. They will have spiritual warfare that will seek to destroy God's program and purpose in your life and in the life of others because, as you'll see, it's not just about you. He's going to get rid of Mordecai and all of the Jews. [00:10:52]
When God has positioned you to leverage influence for his kingdom purposes, let me put it another way: when your position in life allows you to leverage influence for the advancement of God's program and God's people, to put it another way, when he has blessed you to be a blessing. [00:19:36]
We got a misunderstanding of blessing. We got people running around here, "I'm looking for my blessing." Okay, that is a flawed approach to blessing because it's incomplete. Whenever you tell God, "I want my blessing," period, you have prostituted the term because blessing is only blessing in the Bible when it can flow through you and not just to you. [00:20:16]
The moment I lose sight that what Paul said, "I am what I am only by the grace of God," that's the only reason that I am. The moment I lose sight of that, my role has now been illegitimized because God did not allow me the experiences and opportunities that he's allowed me to make it all and only about me. [00:28:48]
Your destiny will always involve a test, whether you want to be a blessing or whether you only want to be blessed. Because once you hit that attack, God now examines your heart. Are you here for him? Are you here for how he can use you for others, or is this just about you? [00:30:01]
Faith is Risky Business because you're dealing with something you can't see. You see, the opposite of faith is sight. If you see it, it's not Faith because you see it physically. Faith is acting on what you do not see because you believe God wants you to do it based on his word. [00:47:07]
The greater the uncertainty, the greater the purpose. The greater the uncertainty, the more fearful the step. She says, "If I perish, I do not know how this is going to work out." And sometimes God causes us, when it's our time, to take a step, and we don't see where that foot's gonna land. [00:47:37]
So the challenge today, I'm challenging you to open your eyes to such a time as this. You know, a turtle only makes progress when it sticks its neck out. Not until it sticks its neck out is it going to move. God wants to use you. God wants to bless you. God wants to empower you because he wants you to make a difference. [00:51:11]
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained only on this specific sermon. Do you have any questions about it?