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What are the odds that an orphaned Jewish girl would become the queen of the world’s most powerful empire? In this message, Pastor Mike Novotny shows God's great power has a good purpose, no matter what the odds.
The episodes are the weekly sermons from 922 Ministries campus in Appleton, WI. St. Peter is in the north part of Appleton. The CORE is our downtown Appleton campus.
Gods Odds
Week 1 - The CORE
Pastor Mike Novotny
Well, good morning, everyone morning everyone who's watching at home online, on tv. Great to have you here for our very first week of this series God's odds. If your plan is not to be at church next Sunday, you should change your plans. And if two Sundays from now, you have like a cabin booked and a family vacation planned, you should probably cancel those plans. And if you were doing anything else for the next 6 Sunday's besides being right here in church besides watching at home, maybe I'm biased because I'm the pastor, but I think you should change those plans and be here week after week after week, because we are about to read the most interesting, surprising shocking scandalous, beautiful, and possibly powerful.
Of the entire Bible. It's called The Book of Esther. I mean, where else in the Bible? Can you meet a drunk, powerful, chauvinist, sexist King? Who is surrounded by a drunk powerful chauvinist sexist, Royal Court, who is so afraid of the first-ever Persian me to movement that they kick out the queen and decide to throw the very first season of the Persian Bachelor that has much less dating and much more mating and is not suitable for children. How often do you meet apparently? Very, very hot. But not so, wholly, Jewish orphan.
Becomes the queen and her eavesdropping, stubborn Uncle stands up to the Prime Minister which almost Sparks and Old Testament. Hitler to commit Jewish genocide in the 5th Century BC but they overcome all the odds because of a brave Heart Like battle that was so good. And so unexpected that when I went to Israel, the last time 2500 years later after the event grown religious, rabbis were hammered drunk in the streets. To celebrate the fact that their people had survived. So we're going to be next to him. What is interesting is some of your thinking that's in the Bible. I do not exaggerate any of that. That's exactly what we're about to find in the Bible. And here's what else we're about to find. We're about to find a book in the word of God. That never, once mentions the name. God.
I found out the titles God and Lord show up almost 10,000 times in the Bible, but in the Book of Esther.
Not a single time. No one prays in the Book of Esther. No one worships in the Book of Esther. No one stands up for God in the Book of Esther because God is never mentioned in the Book of Esther. There's no walking on water. No, feeding of the 5,000, no, raising the dead, no Miracles, no explicit evidence, that God was even present in the middle of this mess. Which makes it a very, very interesting addition to the word of God, a whole book that never even mentions God.
But here's why I think you're going to love it. Because I had a hunch before you came to church today. You did not walk on water.
Kids, am I wrong about that? And last time you were at Chick-fil-A, God, did not turn your six-piece nugget into, like, a 5000 these fees that I'm a hunch. If you're anything like me, you probably have never seen an outright honest-to-god parting of the Skies miracle. It's like you go to school and you go to work. Maybe date someone you clean up the yard, you fix up a stuff. You try to make a paycheck, you try to pay the bills, you try to stay sober, it's like Natural Life day after day after day and if you've ever wondered, does that mean that God is gone. That God's forgotten about me, that God doesn't have great plans for me. The Book of Esther is going to give this most powerful truth that even when he doesn't show up with thunder and lightning, Even when you look around and wonder if God is even around here anymore, he's got even listening to my prayers. The Book of Esther is going to prove to you that God does not need to whisper in your ear or Thunder from the sky.
God can be in your most complicated messy moments doing incredible things. Not because he shows up with a bazooka and a firework show, but because he tiptoes in like a ninja And works out all things for your Eternal good.
That is why I want you to be here as we dive into this fascinating book, The Book of Esther.
Now, as we kick things off today with week number one, I want to ask you some really simple honest questions.
The question is, as you look back on your life or think about the spot where you're in your life right now. Have you ever felt as you looked around? Like it was kind of pointless.
You ever had a chapter in your story where it was like the relationship that you were in the class that you had to take for school or something. You were dealing with your health that you couldn't see some great reason for all of this happening. You didn't see God's explicit plan. There was nothing. That was so inspiring that you jumped out of bed and said, yes, my life matters, but instead you looked around and thought, What's the point of this?
Some of us feel that for the first time when we're forced to take that required class in high school or college, You know, the Gen Ed and you think to yourself as you're studying late into the night? I am never in my entire life, going to use this, memorize the periodic table who needs to know a 50 Capital. So you want to save your teacher, that's what Google is for, right? But they make you memorize it. And you, so you study the facts of history, and you're learning like one. You're a Spanish even though you're never going to take Spanish, you think to yourself? I'm pouring out all of this effort. I'm wasting all of this time. This is pointless. Maybe felt that way when you have that job. That wasn't exactly changing the world. You got feeding Starving Children, you're not bringing the gospel to new communities and culture as you like you're grinding it out. It's another overnight shift of nursing. It's another, Another Day, changing tires. Just another day doing whatever you do, and it's like just about the paycheck because there's no, there's no part. You don't like the people, you don't love your boss, you don't even come close to liking your job. What's the, what's the god? What is the point of this?
What happens to some people when they become new moms? Writing just exalt, you had this to, you just wanted to get four things done on the list and maybe your husband comes home. And he says, how was your day? And none of the boxes are checked into new ones and you feel like I didn't get anything done. Just running around changing diapers. Putting on the kids are all alive. That's the only victory of today. And just feels like you're stuck but, you know, for the kids used to do so many things and used to make such a difference, used to volunteer, used to help people. You serve time for people now. Pricing people at our church deal with this when they're in the long painful process of a divorce.
Right. It's like you it's like this don't work out and you just want to start fresh and start new, but that's just not the way the system works. Right? And so this is long, just dragged out processing. You think what, what is the point of this just needs to end and get over so I can actually do something that matters in life again.
People sometimes feel this when they're sitting in a jail cell, We're stuck in a nursing home.
The judge gives you 18 months of a sentence or 24 years of a sentence or your husband past 7 years ago and you're just ready to get to heaven and you don't. So you don't do anything. You just sit there in a Cell, you sit there in your room and you watch TV and you hope the clock moves faster. And you think my life has no Grand purpose or plan.
In fact, this truth hits some people so hard that they wonder if it's even worth living.
Helping anyone and I doing it, would anyone miss me? If I was gone,
Get that idea, taking a class grinding out a job being in a relationship and having kids being in a Cell being in a nursing home. We can sometimes feel that, maybe those people have some great, some great purpose and difference, they're making it a life, but maybe that's not us. Maybe this needs to change, maybe until I get there. I'm never going to do anything that really matters in the grand scheme of God's plans.
If you feel that right now, Or if you felt that in the past or if someday you're ever tempted to feel that there's one just big big idea. I want you to take me home with you today. And if you're watching at home or you're sitting here live, grab your pen. Because here's the big idea. We're going to learn from The Book of Esther. Esther is going to teach us that you are put in place. For a purpose.
And I mean, every word of that sentence, you Not just him or her or them people with the different jobs or different stories on you singular, you are put in place.
Meaning this place this year, this day, this time, this country this culture that family that job you you specifically are put in that specific place for a purpose. There is a plan, there is a reason for everything that God does. There's something great in God's mind if you could just see it for a second. You jump out of bed and say, this is the day that God has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it today. My hope is to fill your heart with hope. To give you a reason to get up. A reason to live. I want to talk some of you off the edge of suicide and I want to put wind back in the sales of many others of you as I try to prove this point from The Book of Esther that you are put in place for a purpose. Actually. Learn that through two separate stories from two cousins who lived 2,500 years ago Let's meet Esther and Mordecai from The Book of Esther chapters 1 & 2. Here's where the Book of Esther begins. This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes, who ruled over, 127 provinces stretching, from India to Cush, At that time King Xerxes reigned from his Royal throne in the Citadel of Susa and in the third year of his Reign we think that's 483 BC Xerxes gave a banquet for all his Nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and media, the princes, and Nobles of the provinces were present for a full circle. In your Bible 180 days, he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and Glory of his majesty.
Also give a banquet for the women in the Royal Palace of King Xerxes. Who have you heard of before King Xerxes? If you kids play Assassin's Creed, you know about King Xerxes. If you've seen the gritty movie from a few years ago, 300 that's this King Xerxes real, dude, I've seen some of his treasures at a museum in Chicago, and the Book of Esther wants you to know that there ain't no party, like a Xerxes party.
Cousins irks, he's party. Don't stop for 180 days. I even left the details out. He goes wild. All the military officials for the last week. In fact, it is an open bar for the entire city. And people flood in, they sit on couches of silver and gold by marble pillars. And Xerxes is flexing, his power and muscle. He rules 127 provinces from India to Africa. He is the man.
And many scholars think that Xerxes is doing this because he needs to avenge the loss of his father.
I'm do you have ever run a marathon or half-marathon before? So the history of where the marathon comes from? It comes from Xerxes dad, Xerxes dad Darius, the first was the King of Persia. He had invaded the Greeks to expand his Empire. He lost at the Battle of Marathon. And the person who knew about the victory ran 26 miles to report the Victory. And because of the stupid distance, some of us have to run a very long distance to get that done little metal, right? So that was his dad and he lost and he brought shame to the powerful Persian Kingdom. And so Xerxes wants to change that. He's about to invade Greece again. And so we think he will throw this massive party for six months. All the military people get to come. So they see just how strong and mighty the Persian Empire is.
To spoil it, you know, the 300 movie that's what happened to Xerxes. He gets thumped on land, gets thumped even more at the sea and he comes home with his tail between his legs. In the process, he throws his big party and If you're watching at home, I'm not sure if you know this but Sometimes when men drink too much alcohol.
They do dumb things.
And Xerxes does a dumb thing. Here's what happens. The Book of Esther says on the seventh day of the feast when King Xerxes was in High Spirits from wine, AKA buzzed, he commanded the seven units who served him to bring before him Queen vashti, wearing her royal crown in order to display her beauty to the people and Nobles for she was lovely to look at.
But when the attendance was delivered, the King's Command key and queen vashti refused to come. Hey, you guys Xerxes slurred. You guys see my hot wife? Some Jewish Scholars. Actually, think of the Hebrew of this verse means that she wanted it. He wanted her to walk into the party wearing only her royal crown. For, she was lovely to look at. And queen vashti was courage. And character says honey, uh, Part pass and she keeps partying with her female friends.
Which made the men freak out.
King Xerxes is mighty Xerxes. He rules 127 provinces, but what happens if the word gets out that even though he rules continents from India to Africa, he cannot keep control of this one woman that he's married to. He's embarrassed. Furious and the men of his Royal Court. Start to panic, here's what they think. If word gets out that a woman can say, no, even to the king.
What do you think our women are going to do?
Either chauvinism, they could already hear a million Persian wives saying to their husbands, listen, honey, King Xerxes doesn't get everything that he wants. And you ain't no Xerxes. Ha ha ha. And so they come up with, this is bad. It's Bible records. It doesn't endorse it as a very very sexist, sexist solution. They say to King Xerxes Punisher Make an example out of vashti. Kick her off the throne, rip the crown from her, I'd never let her eyes, even see you again and then publish a decree in every language of all 127 provinces that women must submit to their husbands that men rule in their homes. Let vashti be the example that gives us control today and forever more.
Please. Because he's a bad man. A Greece.
Vashti gets the boot, all the women are told to sit down and be quiet. And that's the end of Esther chapter 1.
Fast forward, four years. When Esther chapter 2 begins Xerxes has already tried to avenge his father in Greece, he's lost to the 300 and he's come back home with his tail between his legs. His mighty party of military. Power did not work and he actually sees Vashti's empty throne I guess all these feelings.
Bob was safe. He was angry, if he felt regret or embarrassment or shame but his personal attendants noticed that something's wrong with the King as he's looking at, that'll throne and so they come up with an idea and the idea in fact is the idea is so sexist that it makes all the other sexist ideas seem very, very not sexist. Here's what Esther chapter 2 says.
The king's personal attendants proposed. Let us search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. But the king of Point Commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the Harem. At the Citadel of Susa, let them be placed under the care of the King's eunuch, who's in charge of the women and let beauty treatments be given to them then, but the young woman who pleases the cane Be Queen instead of vashti. How about this sentence? This advice appeals to the king.
Shocker, and he followed it with, you're the same? Hey, King Xerxes, let's create a whole new branch of the government. You'll point to Commissioners and their only job will be to look for very, very attractive women from India to Africa and every culture. Dialect tribe will find all the most beautiful women in the world. We'll bring him into the palace, and we'll let them spend an entire year. Trying to go from beautiful to beautifuller.
All access passes at the Royal Spa. And then how about this King? Xerxes one by one. Every night, we will bring one of these women to her bedroom. She will enter. She'll leave in the morning before breakfast and the one that pleases the king, Can become the new Queen.
Like I said, it's like the bachelor but not suitable for work. Is that the date? He doesn't have to love them. He doesn't even have to know them, they just have to sexually. Please help him for one night. That's how you become the new queen of Persia with this advice.
Appeal to the king.
And right in the middle of that.
And have you heard of something more sexist? Sinful Pagan perverted the story right in the middle of that total train wreck of a time in history. Guess who steps onto the scene.
Esther Chapter 2 says this. Now there wasn't a citadel of Susa. A Jew of The Tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai. Mordecai, had a cousin named Hadassah who had been brought up? Because she had neither mother. Father, nor mother it's him woman who was also known as Esther had a lovely figure and was beautiful.
When the Kings ordered and ate, it had been proclaimed. Esther also was taken to the king's Palace and entrusted to. The guy who was in charge of the Harem, she pleased him and did his favor. Esther had revealed her nationality and family background because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. So to descendants from old Abraham, to Jewish people Mordecai and Esther, they're technically cousins. But she's an orphan, and he's older. So she's gonna be like a stepdad, a father figure to her. Everyone knows that Mordecai is Jewish, but not Esther. She's kept that a secret because Mordecai has told her, it's probably not safe in this anti-semitic climate for you to reveal your nationality, your identity. That's going to be important later in the story.
Esther gets chosen in this big beauty pageant to spend one night with the King.
Which makes me wonder.
Why didn't she stop it?
Actually Bible readers and Scholars and Christians have debated this for many years about Mordecai, and Esther's behavior in this book makes you wonder. Did they care about all that? Much about God?
Some of you know the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den or the three men in the fiery furnace. When these guys were in the exact same situation in a pagan empire under a pagan King, they stood up and said you can, you can feed me to the Lions, you can throw me in the furnace. But I'm going to stand up for God. Who saved my people and forgave my sins but Esther I mean, she's she Takin trafficked. We don't know how willing she is in this process, but we do know. Shouldn't say anything. I'm Esther and Mordecai. Don't pray about it. They don't call upon the name of God. They don't fall down and worship and ask for his wisdom and guidance God doesn't show up. Does that tell us something about their faith? Hey, I'm kind of fascinated by their very names, Esther and Mordecai seem to be connected to pagan gods. The name Ishtar sounds like Esther and Ishtar was a pagan goddess named, our Duke sounds like Mordecai. Use a very popular Pagan God. I mean, her real name was Hadassah. A Jewish Hebrew name. Why didn't she use it? She went to cover up who she was what she living like the people of the world.
We have so many questions about who these people are. But here's what you need to know in the middle, maybe of their own messy spiritual situation in the middle of this messy, Pagan Empire. God was up to something.
Because that's their didn't just get picked to be part of the show. She got King Xerxes' single rose.
Esther chapter 2 says now. The King was attracted to Esther more than any of the other women and she wanted his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So Xerxes put a royal crown on Esther's head and made her Queen instead of Ash. We don't know exactly what she said or what she did during her one night with the King, but we do know that the orphan ended up becoming the queen.
And I think you'd agree. The story is disturbing, it's messy. It's sinful, it's evil. And yet in the midst of that you don't know this yet. Unless you know, the rest of Esther God was putting her in place for a purpose.
God was using while he was not condoning, but he was using even the sins of these sinful men to work out something behind the scenes for their good. It might have seemed just like crazy odds that this Jewish girl ends up sitting next to the King on a pagan Throne. It may seem crazy that she just happened to be there at the right moment as we're about to hear. Maybe God has put you here for such a time as this But God put Esther in that place. For a purpose. And then he did the same thing with Mordecai.
Our second example is much shorter, just one paragraph, but let me read it to you. Esther chapter 2 says, during the time Mordecai was sitting at the Kings gate, bigThan and teresh of the king's officers who guarded the doorway became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. But Mordecai found out about the plots and told Queen Esther who in turn reported to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king. Like they always say never trust a guy named big Santa like, what? What? I read this little verse in the Bible. I think what are the odds that this happens?
It's like flipping a coin and ends up heads 10 times in a row. What are the odds that Mordecai would? Just so happen to be sitting at the gates when these two guys make their conspiracy, Ancient Gates of ancient kingdoms were big. What are the odds? He's sitting on the right side of the gate, to overhear their conspiracy. What are the odds that the conspirators? Conspire just loud enough? That Mordecai can hear them. And what are the odds that when he hears them? The eavesdropper? Just so happens to be the cousin of the orphan who just became the queen. And what are the odds that the cousin would tell? The queen, who would then tell the king would then tell the scribes the scribbled on the note in the Royal records and what are the odds of that very entry? Five years later?
Would be read to King Xerxes one night when he couldn't sleep and become the pivotal points of the whole story of the book.
And the answer is. Impossible.
Unless, unless there is a God who puts people in a specific place, For a specific purpose.
The God, who controls all things. Put Esther in place for a purpose. The same God, who controls all things, put Mordecai in place for a purpose. And the same God who does not change. But you and plays for a purpose, too.
I don't know what that purpose is.
I don't know why you sometimes feel stuck in a boring place or you're struggling in a very painful way, but I don't know why. God, lets the specific hard things happen to you that have happened to you, but I do know this. That God puts people in place. For a purpose.
If you're caring for an aging grandparent or parent and you just you're not getting as much done as you used to because it's so time. Intensive and Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa. They forget the things they say. They might even forget your name. You might think this is pointless. God put you in that place for a purpose. And you might think you're just sitting in a nursing home or sitting in a cell and it's totally random. No, no, no, there is. I don't know what you don't know but God puts you in that place. You might think it's an accident that you are here on this Sunday.
But there are no accidents and there are no coincidences, there's just Providence and sovereignty. There is a God who knows, everything controls, all things, and determines the very times and places where people should be
What are the odds that you would be here today?
On all the Sundays, all the churches. All the places you could be all the weekends you could come or not. Come, what are the odds that you? And I are sitting in the space together. But God puts people in place for a purpose before you get mad at God before. You question him before you throw up your hands before you walk away. Believe what the Book of Esther is teaching us that God puts us in place for a purpose.
There's a passage. I want all of you to memorize your homework for this week. My pastor made me memorize this as a kid and I'm glad he did. It's just a one verse summary. I think of the whole book of Esther. This thrilling, 10 chapter story distilled down into a single verse. Here's what it says, Romans eight verse 28. It says, and we know Right, I got this up here in my head, in my heart. We know that in all things. God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called, according to his purpose. Here's what I know. That, my God, doesn't work in some things, or, in the nice things or in the easy things. No, Paul who himself. Spent time in prison, Paul who was persecuted without reason, Paul would actually lose his life for Jesus. He knew this deep in his heart and it gave him so much joy and hope that in all things God was working for the good. Sometimes he could see it as he had no clue what it was, but he believed and I want you to believe in all things. God works for the good. So what you repeat after me, say, in all things, and all things God works. God works for the good for the good one more time. In all things, God works for the good. All right. Close your eyes. Say it out loud. With me already in all things. God works.
Or the good. Alright, if I'm gonna call some of you up at 2:30 in the morning, I must say it was Romans 8, verse 28 and you're going to say I'm calling a lawyer tomorrow and I'm sorry. But how are you doing? What's the verse? Because I'm you just need to know this in all things. Believe that God is working for the good, for your good. Here's the deal. I'm not a prophet. I don't know, I won't claim to know, you know, why didn't God step in when you were a kid? And those things were happening to you? Why? Why did God let the marriage fall? What? It's someone. You love to die, too. Young. Why are you battling cancer? Why does your kid have special needs? Like, there's no specific answer in the Bible that I could relate to you today. But there are three categories. I want you to think about
That may be my purpose.
I want you to think about protection. I want you to think about prayer. And I want you to think about people.
Maybe you're going through this right now. Maybe you're in that stage where you feel stuck because of protection or prayer or people talk about protection. Maybe you're stuck in this boring not exciting place because God is trying to protect you from something that you cannot handle.
Maybe God knew if you would have stayed on like the interstate of success, you would have smashed into some Temptation. That would have messed you up badly. And so he put up the construction barriers and he took you on the detour. Now you're stuck. Just staring at the red lights and you think I wish I could be back there. Maybe God is protecting you.
Some of you know, when I was in second grade going to school up in Green Bay Wisconsin, I prayed passionately almost every day. For a girlfriend.
And in second grade, I did not get a girlfriend. So I repeated the parrot in the third grade, and the fourth, and the fifth, and I graduated from grade school with a sum total of zero. Girlfriend's Middle School. Those are Fresh Start, Right? New me, new wardrobe, new school, so I kept praying for sixth grade. God, I'm even going to suggest a couple of names for you to consider, and I got through sixth grade without forever, holding a girl's hand, and then I got through 7th grade without ever kissing a girl.
Got through eighth grade without ever going on a date with a girl. But then High School, right? High schools, different story. It's boys, get more. Instant girls. Girls get more interested in boys. This is my time, right? So I get to ninth grade and there's no girlfriend and then 10th grade and there is no girlfriend and 11th grade There's no girlfriend and then I become one of those really inspiring super cool dudes. Who plays tennis and soccer and has never held a girl's hand and never gone on a date ever kissed a single girl, and it's funny looking back, right? I mean, I'm, I'm happily married, 19 years. And there's a happy ending to that story, but here's what I think about, I know from my own personal struggle with pornography, for a lot of years that resisting sexual Temptation was not my strength
What would have happened? If spiritually less mature, Mike had a girlfriend.
I mean the woman that I first fell in love with, Kim who became my wife, was so strong in her faith but such good boundaries for the will of God that just, we weren't gonna cross that line as a couple. What if I was with someone that didn't have those boundaries.
I don't want to be the dude that you know at my senior prom. Well everyone else was dancing with their girlfriends. I was watching Star Wars with my friends.
Super cool. Wow, that's awesome, right? It's gotta protect me from something. Would I be? Here is a pastor. What I've been with a girl got her pregnant, gone down a different door. I don't know. But I know it's very, very possible that God had me in that place for a purpose. He was protecting me from myself and is it possible? He's doing the same for you. You wish you had the job. You wish the cancer would just be gone. You wish you'd get back to life. You wish whatever. What if God who sees it and just knows he saying to, you know, I love you.
I want that to happen to you. You're my son, you're my daughter. I'm gonna protect you and so you can't hear my voice, but I'm saying, no to this for your best interest. Protection.
Maybe it's prayer.
One of the most powerful things according to the Bible that you and I could ever do is pray When we pray in Jesus name mountains move and God. Works miracles. But do you know? Do you know the one thing that busy, successful and happy people often don't find time to do. Pray.
That's my struggle, right? You're just running. Get so much stuff. You're running the work. You're connecting with friends, you're playing sports. You're running the kids to 7,000 different sports like that. You don't love prayer. Just that, man, when you get to bed at night, your eyes are closing before your head. Even hits the pillow. What if God? Sometimes put us in places, slower, less successful places. So we would have time and space to pray.
What if the most good happens in the world not because of movers and shakers and Rich and powerful people, but people who are stuck in a nursing home or on disability at home,
Struggling with a job takes way more time than the rest of us and they take that time. They leverage that time to pray for the church in Jesus' name.
What if God is clearing out your schedule for the purpose of Prayer?
I don't know, but I do know that God puts people in place for a purpose.
Or my last suggestion. What if he puts you in that place for a person?
Maybe you're memorizing the historical facts, and the required class. What's the point of this? Maybe the point of this isn't. This may be the point of this is him.
The guy, who's sitting next to you got burned by the church and he thinks it's just all about hypocrisy and money and whatever. What would it have like? Literally had your seat assigned next to his. So you could break his stereotype. That Christians are just super judgy. People who think they're earning their way to heaven because they're so much better than everyone else. What if God, like puts us in hospital beds, puts us in jail cells. What if God puts us in families and neighborhood workplaces volunteering with people that we don't love, we might not even like. But he put us there for a purpose to love them and let our light shine in front of them to pray for them. Know them, be there for them, listen to them. What if the point isn't the degree or the salary? What if it's just literally that one person? I don't know this. God, have you there for protection for a prayer for a person?
I do know this, you are put in place for a purpose because in all things God works. Pretty good.
So I'll leave you today with my favorite piece of art.
Some of you have seen this picture that hangs in the church office right here at the core.
It's a picture, B, amazing, Christian artist. It's based in part on Romans eight verse 28 and it is to me the most beautiful reminder, that whatever happens to me, as a child of God. It always has a great purpose from God.
I'll show you on the screen.
There's Jesus. There's you.
And there's a purpose.
Here at the center of the painting is Jesus. The Glorious Son of God. His hands are pierced because he came into this world with a purpose to forgive you of your sins, to make you right with God to conquer death in erasure. All those times you doubted God were embarrassed by God or frustrated with God. There is Jesus our King, and our savior, and there's us,
There's us with some blood on our cheeks because life has cut us. Scratched us and wounded us. But the artist who made this picture wanted you to know about all of this. And then about this Over here are hundreds, maybe thousands of black tipped arrows. All the pain that didn't have a purpose. All the stuff the devil wanted to do to you, to just kill you and destroy you, and rip you away from Jesus. All the stuff that made no sense and had zero reason, and Jesus with his own Mighty Sovereign power. He didn't let a single bit of that come into your life.
But he did let this come in.
And the arrow did get through that Jesus allowed with his power. He said instead of being black and pointless and just painful he Sanctified it, he made a different
Use that situation. Maybe not in the moment that you could see it. But for something, holy and wonderful, something that looking back with 20/20 vision from Heaven, you will praise God for allowing it into your life, you may be once. I've chosen it, but I promise you, one day, you will not change it.
And here's my favorite part. An arrow brushes the cheek where our eyes are fixed? On Jesus. When we wonder, God, have you forgotten about me to love me? Is there a point to this? We fix our eyes on Jesus, and we know that if God himself gave his one and only son, when we were nothing to him, just enemies to him. How could he not be using this for the good of his people?
God loves us and forgives us. More than we will ever understand. How could he not let this cancer happen? This struggle this season, be for something. So so good. And so we might not get it. We don't understand it, we can't always explain it, but we know deep in our hearts that in all things, God works. For the good. And if you believe that like I believe that like the Apostle Paul believe that, would you join your voice with me and say Amen, let's pray.
Oh God, so beautiful to know you're not just a compassionate or a weak God. You're a God with a huge heart and you were a God with mighty power. You're not just sad for those of us who've struggled, you're not just a good human counselor or a best friend. You're the God who can do something about it and even flip it for a greater good. You did that father with the Betrayal of Judas and the cowardice of the Pharisees. You use that for the Forgiveness of our sins when Jesus ended up on the cross and you're doing the same thing today. I'm asking you to send your Holy Spirit to give us Faith to believe the things that we have just heard.
And the devil would love to use it. Our pain to pull us away from you to make us, give up on church and close our Bibles and stop praying. He would love to use that divorce that tragedy, that confusion, so that we had no more faith left in our life. God leads us, not into that temptation. But instead Deliver Us from that evil so that we believe even now even this even me I'm put in place for a purpose. God, we pray for great faith like that. The trust that leaves your God, who can always be trusted because you're the God who gave us your first and your very best, The God Who gave us Jesus.
He probably thinks with confidence and hope and prays to them in Jesus name, amen.