WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:03.680 You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a 2 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.440 couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in 3 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:07.480 practical ways. 4 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:14.919 Welcome Back Esther. Chapter seven is all about the showdown. 5 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:20.519 The Queen risks everything and justice hits hard man. So 6 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:22.640 it's going to be a wild one. I'm super excited 7 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:25.559 about today. I'm Jeff and this is Wesley. 8 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:25.879 Yeah. 9 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:27.839 Good to be bad and we are so glad to 10 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:28.760 have you Wesley. 11 00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:33.039 Before we jump into the Bible study part of it today, 12 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:39.200 Desiree gave us a really interesting moment here in this 13 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:44.039 first piece, and it's I can't believe that actually happened. 14 00:00:44.679 --> 00:00:47.520 And here's what it says, Welcome back Wesley. To get 15 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:49.520 to know Wesley a little better, let's have him tell 16 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:52.960 a story that's so weird or random people think it's 17 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:53.399 made up. 18 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:54.280 The weirder the. 19 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:56.719 Home man, I've got so many of those. 20 00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:57.920 What's going well? 21 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:02.439 I would imagine just crazy things that have happened. I 22 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:04.719 remember some years ago we took a trip to. 23 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:06.719 New York. 24 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:11.519 It was with a tour company, and literally everything on 25 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:17.439 that trip was a disaster. The bus looked like am 26 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:20.079 I get in trouble for this? But you know the 27 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:23.719 Rosa parks and not sitting on the back of the bus. 28 00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:25.280 That's what the bus looked like. 29 00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:26.640 Old. 30 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:30.239 This bus was a yeah, and everyone's looking like are 31 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:33.239 we really getting on that? So we get on this 32 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:39.599 bus and it's just it's old. Halfway through the trip, 33 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:43.560 the engine goes out. No, he got it back working, 34 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:45.560 but now the AC doesn't. 35 00:01:45.239 --> 00:01:47.879 Work, so we've got all the windows. It was one 36 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:49.079 thing after the net. 37 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:51.439 We get to we were going to New York. We 38 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:54.640 get to New York. We're sitting there in front of 39 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:57.959 the hotel. They have no record of us and the 40 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:02.159 tour company arranged all this, no record of us being there. 41 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:04.159 It was a complete disaster. 42 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:08.479 No, yeah, so it was some kind of discount trip man. 43 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:10.919 Yeah, we're just guy in the seven eleven parking lot 44 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:12.800 selling the yp to New York City. 45 00:02:13.479 --> 00:02:17.439 It was not good yet, Like everything was a disaster 46 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:18.240 about that trip. 47 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:21.919 Okay, note to self, don't go on trips so Leslie. 48 00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:25.439 Or that tour company unless you like ancient buses. 49 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:29.719 It's funny. So for those listeners who don't know Wesley 50 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:32.479 Woods and I we get to work the other long Chris, 51 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:34.439 he works with us. We all work at the same church, 52 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:37.240 Heritage Church. And you've been in ministry a long time. 53 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:37.879 How long have you been? 54 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:38.520 Yeah? 55 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:42.360 I first became a minister in ninety eight, wow, nineteen 56 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:45.080 ninety eight, and then I went from minister to I 57 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:48.319 think assistant pastor, then to lead pastor, and then I 58 00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:49.199 came over to Heritage. 59 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:51.840 H Yeah, Well it's been great man. Wesley and I 60 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:52.680 we have a. 61 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:57.280 We try to team up against our executive pastor, Chatty 62 00:02:57.360 --> 00:02:59.400 as Man as often as possible, and we tried to 63 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:01.960 hold Chris about back as much as possible for just 64 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:05.479 running amoket right. So yeah, that's great, man. We're great 65 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:09.840 allies together. It's a lot of fun to work together. Okay, 66 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:11.479 So that was one story. Do you have another story? 67 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:12.800 Do you have another crazy one? Oh? 68 00:03:12.879 --> 00:03:13.120 Man? 69 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:18.800 So that was that the New York story. Then also 70 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:21.159 related to New York, you meet some of the most 71 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:23.680 random stars. 72 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:25.599 In New York. Oh. Yeah, So we've. 73 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:28.400 Met a lot of stars, like in Uh, there's a 74 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:30.039 guy who's an actor producer. 75 00:03:30.120 --> 00:03:32.840 We met in the elevator. 76 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:36.199 In the hotel. We met an x NBA guy at 77 00:03:36.199 --> 00:03:38.520 a theater before. I mean just you bump into But 78 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:40.960 in New York, it's no big deal. You know here, 79 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:42.560 it's like, oh my goodness, that song. 80 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:46.919 In New York, it's like whatever, there's another celebrity. 81 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:47.960 Yeah. 82 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:49.800 Yeah, it turns out they're just normal people. 83 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:51.479 Yeah, there's just normal people and. 84 00:03:51.879 --> 00:03:54.800 Just way richer and expect better service. 85 00:03:54.879 --> 00:04:00.120 Yes, well, talking about way richer and expecting better ner, 86 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:05.919 we're talking today about the king and the queen and 87 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:09.759 one of the King's advisers, a guy named Hayman. So 88 00:04:10.520 --> 00:04:12.919 to catch everybody up, we've been going through the Book 89 00:04:12.919 --> 00:04:15.919 of Esther and a couple of interesting things. Esther is 90 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:17.720 the only book in the Bible that never says the 91 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:20.759 name of God in it, which is interesting. But you 92 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:23.519 see God's hand through the whole thing. You see people 93 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:28.199 of faith trusting that God is in control even though 94 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:31.279 his name is never mentioned, and it's telling the story. 95 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:33.680 We've been kind of going through that. All of the 96 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.959 Israelites have been in exile for quite some time. God 97 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:38.759 it said you're going to be in exile for seventy years. 98 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:41.959 Some of the kings began to allow them after that 99 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.079 seventy year period to go back to Jerusalem if they 100 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:47.519 wanted to, but some stayed, and Mordecai is one of those. 101 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:48.199 In his families. 102 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:50.839 One of those that stayed along with his what was 103 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:57.079 his adopted daughter esther she was a niece and her 104 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:01.279 cousin whatever, And then she winds up winning a beauty 105 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:04.319 pageant because the king gets mad at his queen and 106 00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:07.759 he makes her the queen. She's incredibly powerful. But then 107 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:11.920 Hayman gets more and more impressive, he gets more and 108 00:05:11.959 --> 00:05:15.000 more elevated in the kingdom and more full of himself, 109 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:18.319 and at the same time, he hates Mordecai because Mordechai 110 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:19.079 is and Israelite. 111 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:19.959 He's a Jew. 112 00:05:20.199 --> 00:05:22.639 He won't bow down, he only bows down to God, 113 00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:25.720 and Hayman hates it. So he finally gets the king 114 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:28.240 to say, all right, let's just kill all the Jews. 115 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:31.079 They don't respect us. Let's just kill them all, and 116 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:34.879 we're gonna have this massive genocide. And then after that, 117 00:05:35.959 --> 00:05:40.399 the king winds up discovering that Mordecai had saved his 118 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:44.839 life from an assassination plot. So he's talking and he goes, 119 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:48.360 what did we ever do for Mordecai? He said nothing, Oh, 120 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:51.199 we should do something fancy. So right then Hayman's walking in. 121 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:52.480 He goes, hey, man, what should we do for a 122 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:54.560 guy that I'm just think is the best guy in 123 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:56.319 the world. He goes, Man, you should give him a 124 00:05:56.360 --> 00:05:59.000 fancy robe, put him on your own horse. You should 125 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.079 send somebody through town in front, saying this is what 126 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:04.279 the king does for the people he likes. And he says, great, 127 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.240 then I want you to call that out while you're 128 00:06:06.279 --> 00:06:09.160 walking Mordecai through the town. So this is just like 129 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:12.560 the greatest humiliation. He's so mad and it makes Hayman 130 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:16.839 even more angry. Well, during that time, Mordecai found out 131 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:19.600 that Hayman was trying to kill all the Jews, and 132 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:21.720 he goes to esther and says, hey, don't think that 133 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:23.399 because you're the queen, you're gonna be able to hide. 134 00:06:23.720 --> 00:06:26.160 You know, nobody knew she was Jewish, but she was 135 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:28.480 trying to hide that. But he said, eventually they're going 136 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:29.959 to find out. They're going to catch you. 137 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:30.600 Yeah. 138 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:34.519 So he said, maybe God put you in this position 139 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:38.240 for just such a time as this, And she said, 140 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:40.480 all right, let's praying fast about this for a few days, 141 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:42.079 and then I'll go see what I can do for the. 142 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:44.360 King with the king. And then she said, hey, King, 143 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:47.480 we're going to have a party. And he said, great, 144 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:50.240 the party sounds great. So that's where we kind of ended. 145 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:55.560 Last time, which was great wisdom of her approach of 146 00:06:55.759 --> 00:06:58.360 how she tried to do. You couldn't just go before 147 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:00.519 the king and different things like that. 148 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:01.560 So yeah, so. 149 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:03.920 We just caught everybody up and just like three minutes 150 00:07:03.959 --> 00:07:05.720 caught him up a whole week's with it. You know what, 151 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:07.879 if if you haven't listened to the other ones, I 152 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:09.600 just caught you up on everything we talked about the 153 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:10.519 last all last week. 154 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:12.360 I saved you. I saved you five days worth of 155 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:14.439 listening to the Bible guys in three minutes. 156 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:16.480 Or they can just watch the veggietail version. 157 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:19.639 Yeah, rot, that's what I said that last week. Yeah, 158 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:21.319 I kept talking about the vegetail version. 159 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:27.319 So here we are now in Esther chapter seven. So 160 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:29.920 so the King and Hayman went to Queen Esther's banquet 161 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:33.240 and on the second occasion, remember she threw two parties. 162 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:35.959 While they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, 163 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:38.600 tell me what you want. Queen Esther, what is your request? 164 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:40.720 I will give it to you, even if it's half 165 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:44.560 the kingdom. Queen Esther replied, if I have found favor 166 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:46.120 with the King, and if it pleases the King to 167 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:48.720 grant my request. I asked that my life and the 168 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:51.720 lives of my people will be spared for my people 169 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:54.279 and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, 170 00:07:54.360 --> 00:07:58.439 and annihilate us. If we had merely been sold as slaves, 171 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:01.639 I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial 172 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:04.279 a matter to warrant disturbing the king. Who would do 173 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:07.720 such a thing? King Xerxes demanded, who would be so 174 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:11.399 presumptuous as to touch you? Esther replied, this wicked Hayman 175 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:15.000 is our adversary and our enemy. Hayman grew pale with 176 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:16.759 fright before the King and queen, and then the King 177 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:18.959 jumped to his feet in a rage and went out 178 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:22.199 into the palace garden. Hayman, however, stayed behind, de plete 179 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:24.199 for his life with Queen Esther, for he knew that 180 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:26.879 the king intended to kill him. In despair, he fell 181 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:29.759 on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining. Just as 182 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:33.639 the King was returning from the palace garden. The King exclaimed, 183 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:35.600 will he even assault the queen right here in the 184 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:38.240 palace before my very eyes? And as soon as the 185 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:42.080 King spoke, his attendants covered Hayman's face, signaling his doom. 186 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.399 Then Harbono, one of the king's eunuchs, said, Hayman has 187 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:48.320 set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy five feet 188 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:50.919 tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it 189 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:54.440 to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination, 190 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:57.600 then impale Hayman on it. The king ordered, so the 191 00:08:57.639 --> 00:08:59.919 impaled Hayman on the pole he set up for Mordecai, 192 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:02.320 and the king's anger subsided. 193 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:04.799 Yeah, well there you go, Wesley. 194 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:07.600 Yeah, that's good. People tell me man. Sometimes I have 195 00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:09.240 a hard time reading the Bible. I can't track along. 196 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:10.320 It's not very interesting. 197 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:16.000 This is very interesting. We've got ups and downs and yeah. 198 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:18.759 One of the things that just comes to mind just 199 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:20.919 as we get to the end of verse ten is 200 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:24.759 the fact of how God can make all things work 201 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:25.759 out for your good. 202 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:26.559 Yeah. 203 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:29.840 And in the case of Mordecai, this looked bleak. I mean, 204 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:33.279 Haman is after him, wants to take him out. But 205 00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:36.360 the very what does it say that Haman has set 206 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:40.039 up a sharpened pull that stands seventy five feet tall 207 00:09:40.600 --> 00:09:45.240 in his courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai. 208 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:49.559 So essentially, God took that situation and turned it upside 209 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:52.519 down and worked it out for his good. And all 210 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:55.440 the times it won't make sense. A lot of times 211 00:09:55.480 --> 00:09:58.799 we try to make sense out of how or why 212 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:01.240 God will do what he will do. But we have 213 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:03.879 to just have faith and trust that God will do 214 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:07.360 what he said and stop trying to figure out God 215 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:09.679 and how God's going to work it out. 216 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:12.879 Sometimes I think we're just nosy. We just need to 217 00:10:12.919 --> 00:10:15.440 stay out of God's business. Let God be God. You 218 00:10:15.559 --> 00:10:17.759 have the faith, let him be God, and let him 219 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:18.639 do what he needs to do. 220 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:19.039 Yeah. 221 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:23.080 I have found myself praying this often in my life. 222 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:24.399 In the last I think the. 223 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:27.480 Older you get, the more maybe mature you get with 224 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:30.960 regard to how you view things hopefully and in things 225 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:32.639 that in the past perhaps I would have been nervous 226 00:10:32.679 --> 00:10:34.679 or worried about. Now I just find myself saying, God, 227 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:36.360 I'm going to do what I can do, and You're 228 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:39.440 God and I'm not. Yeah, and that phrase God your 229 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:41.440 God and I'm not I'm going to trust you. 230 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:43.519 Jesus said it, your will. 231 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:45.759 Be done right, not my will, but your will be 232 00:10:45.799 --> 00:10:49.679 done And that's really that idea is when I recognize, listen, 233 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:51.480 I'm doing the best I can, and God expects me 234 00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:54.919 to do the best I can. But ultimately he's in charge, 235 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.919 and so he's God and I'm not. And then there 236 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:01.559 really is interesting. God's sense of justice is pretty phenomenal. 237 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:05.559 Here Hayman is planning to impale Mordecai on a seventy 238 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:09.320 five foot pole in his own courtyard, and instead guy goes, no, 239 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:11.080 I think that's how I'm going to dispose of Aimen 240 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:13.559 right for wanting to wipe out his people. 241 00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:16.559 So there's that. So there's a few things here. 242 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:23.960 One Esther has tremendous courage, and we saw this last 243 00:11:23.960 --> 00:11:26.600 week when she went into the king without being invited. 244 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:29.879 So even though she was a queen, he had you know, 245 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:33.279 many many many many many concubines, all those things. He 246 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:35.519 did whatever he wanted. She was a queen, she was 247 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:38.720 the most favored woman in his life, but she still 248 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:40.399 had to have permission. As a matter of fact, she 249 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:43.639 was supposed to be summoned by the king, but if 250 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:45.360 she needed to meet with him, she'd have to apply 251 00:11:46.200 --> 00:11:49.960 for a meeting, and then he would grant this meeting 252 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.440 with her, but she didn't do that. Instead, she prayed him, 253 00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:56.279 fasted for three days, and then she just walked into 254 00:11:56.279 --> 00:11:56.960 the king's. 255 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.080 Hall, which could have been very dangerous. 256 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:02.240 Yeah, if he raised his if he refused to lower 257 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:05.600 his scepter, she would have been executed. So the courage 258 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:10.559 of that was phenomenal. But then here she throws two parties. 259 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:13.159 The first party, they throw it and the king says, 260 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:15.200 I'll give you half my kingdom and she goes, you 261 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:16.559 know what, the only thing I want is for you 262 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:19.360 to come back for another party, both of you, you know, 263 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:22.120 and he goes, oh, okay, parties are great. So then 264 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:24.879 in the second party, it says that they had you know, 265 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:28.360 drunk well, and then she had the courage to now 266 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:32.240 admit who she was for real, Hey, my people are 267 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:36.480 about to be executed by this guy. Meaning now, if 268 00:12:36.519 --> 00:12:40.480 the king preferred Hayman over her, or if the king 269 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:44.559 felt like he couldn't reverse his ruling on this, she 270 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:46.519 was going to die with her people and maybe she 271 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:47.600 would have been able to preserve it. 272 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:49.279 So this courage, right, she. 273 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:53.039 Risks everything in front of an extraordinarily powerful and then 274 00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:57.039 I think we've seen an outrageously unpredictable King, what this 275 00:12:57.080 --> 00:13:01.279 guy does just spur the moment. Stuff is very unpredictable. 276 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:03.320 And so she shows a tremendous amount of courage in that. 277 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:04.200 It's inspiring to me. 278 00:13:04.360 --> 00:13:07.000 Yet one of the themes here with that is the 279 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:10.399 courage to do what's right when no one else is 280 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:13.240 with you. And I think about that, how just in 281 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:16.080 our personal lives, it can be in a job situation, 282 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:19.080 it could be anywhere. The courage to do what's right 283 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:22.480 when everyone could be doing the opposite. 284 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:23.360 Or when no one is with you. 285 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:25.000 You got to make the decision that, you know what, 286 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:26.720 I'm going to have the courage to do what I 287 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:28.759 know is right, no matter the cost. 288 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:31.039 And that's exactly where Esther was. 289 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:34.320 You know, you know, she didn't wait for the perfect moment. 290 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:38.200 She created it. She created it with prayer and fasting 291 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:41.039 and with the tools in her hands. Right, she was 292 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:43.840 the favorite of the king. She was a beautiful woman. 293 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:47.519 She threw a party as she would have done as 294 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:50.639 a courtier. Anyways, Yeah, she used what she had and 295 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:55.440 then guts. Right, So prayer, fasting, what she has in 296 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:58.200 her hands, and guts, and she didn't wait for the 297 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:00.879 perfect moment. She she created it well. She was trusting God. 298 00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:02.679 And I love that kind of initiative. 299 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:04.519 And I love the point that you just made. There's 300 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:05.840 no perfect moment, No. 301 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:10.080 I think oftentimes we like to wait for the ideal circumstance, 302 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.559 and that circumstance will never come along. 303 00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:15.519 There never is an ideal circumstance for anything. You got 304 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:16.440 to just do it right. 305 00:14:16.600 --> 00:14:17.600 Yeah. 306 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:18.960 Yeah, And I love the fact that she had the 307 00:14:19.080 --> 00:14:21.200 guts when he says, who would do something like this 308 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:24.519 to you? And she goes that wicked Hayman. She called 309 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:27.159 him out there, right, She called a spade of spade 310 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:30.399 in that moment. And you know, here's Hayman. He's playing 311 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:35.480 political chess, maneuvering and trying to, you know, be slick. 312 00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:37.799 And sometimes we can get way too clever for our 313 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:39.799 own selves. Yeah, and then we get trapped in our 314 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:41.320 own traps. Do you ever play chess? 315 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:42.840 Did you? Did you grow up playing chess at all? 316 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:44.399 No, it wasn't. I was a checkers guy. 317 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:45.120 With chess. 318 00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:47.120 Well, checkers. You can do the same thing in checkers, 319 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:49.679 but in chess. I love, I loved chess, and I 320 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:50.000 still do. 321 00:14:50.039 --> 00:14:50.480 I like to play. 322 00:14:50.519 --> 00:14:53.279 Sometimes it's the strategy, but yeah, and you have to 323 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:55.240 be way out ahead, right, and you're always planning ahead. 324 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:58.320 And there have been many times where in my plan. 325 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:00.240 I thought I was out ahead, and and then I 326 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:02.559 find out my opponent knows where I'm going. Yeah, they 327 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:05.240 see my plane, and then they back me into a corner, 328 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:07.240 and my own plan gets me in trouble and defeats me. 329 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:09.240 Right, And this is what happens. 330 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:13.360 He's playing political chess, uh, and and he forgot who's 331 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:16.320 really in control. God was many steps ahead of him, 332 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:18.360 backed him in his own corner and impaled him on 333 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:21.120 his own pole. Right, And that's uh, that's pretty amazing. 334 00:15:21.159 --> 00:15:24.720 So he goes from being honored to hunted literally one conversation. 335 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:27.399 And then how weak of a man is he? When 336 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:30.000 the King gets mad and he goes out into the 337 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:31.960 courtyard just to think about cool off a little bit, 338 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:34.159 and Hayman falls down on her couch. 339 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:36.919 Dude, he shouldn't be that close to the. 340 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:41.279 King's but I can just picture and have mercy on me, please. 341 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:41.679 Yeah. 342 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:44.840 Yeah, but he's on her couch, he's on her bed, 343 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:45.399 begging her. 344 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:46.799 When the king comes and goes. 345 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:49.320 You're gonna assault her in front of me? It's literally checkmate. 346 00:15:49.399 --> 00:15:49.879 At that point. 347 00:15:50.200 --> 00:15:54.279 Yeah, but what's funny about that? Esther didn't even correct it, 348 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:59.080 She just let the king go and oh my, yeah, 349 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:01.399 that's the funny part. 350 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:04.519 And so I think a lesson to be learned from Hayman, 351 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:09.360 quite honestly, is pride always overplays its hand. Yeah, And 352 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:12.080 you know, Chris and I have talked about this several 353 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:14.799 times in talking with our staff. We've been on this 354 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:17.440 run over the last and you know this, it's been 355 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:20.519 a decade rocket ship, just riding a rocket ship at 356 00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:23.679 Heritage Church. And then we've seen thousands of people come 357 00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:26.759 to faith, and we've baptized thousands of people, and we 358 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:29.200 don't have any room on Sunday mornings, and we've had 359 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:32.559 to launch new locations. Our new location we launched like 360 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:35.440 five how many how many months ago? Six months ago, 361 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:39.320 seven months ago? September is yeah, yeah, had over seven 362 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:42.120 hundred people this past weekend. Right. It's just it's phenomenal 363 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:44.120 and so on a regular basis, And you've been in 364 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:47.919 many of these meetings when we're with our staff reminding 365 00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:53.080 them listen, God to doing something special. And we have 366 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:55.799 to stay holy, we have to stay humble, we have 367 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:58.080 to stay helpful, right, over and over and over again. 368 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:02.080 God opposes the prout, but he gives grace and favor 369 00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:04.920 to the humble, and I think a lot about I 370 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:08.000 remember one time Rick Warren talked about this. I was 371 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:10.599 in a meeting out in California with him and a 372 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:13.559 few other guys, and he mentioned and then later on 373 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:16.640 I heard him teach this on video. He mentioned he 374 00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:20.000 tried to learn how to surf, and he said there's 375 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:24.119 this big lesson in surfing that he just feels like 376 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:27.079 it began to consume his life when he realized it. 377 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:31.960 He said, I can go get training. I can practice. 378 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:34.920 I can learn how to stand up and have my balance, 379 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:37.799 and I can strengthen my muscles. I can learn how 380 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:40.640 to swim really well. I can buy the right equipment. 381 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:42.799 I can get on a good wet suit. I can 382 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:45.359 learn how to swim way way out. I can learn 383 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:47.720 how to ride larger and larger and larger waves. 384 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:48.279 He said. 385 00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:50.759 I can buy the best board and I can polish 386 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:53.759 it and prepare it. I can swim out until I'm 387 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:56.519 ready to get on the largest possible wave. I can ride, 388 00:17:56.759 --> 00:18:01.279 but only God sends the wave right, so even then 389 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:03.960 I can do all I can do but humility says, 390 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:06.519 I'm not the one that's actually creating the opportunity. 391 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:08.839 God is yeah, right, And. 392 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:10.200 So I do all I can do, And I see, 393 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:12.200 this is what you're doing with what you see with 394 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.920 Esther versus what you see with Hayman. Yeah, Hayman's playing 395 00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:18.839 political chess, and he gets burned. He's so prideful, and 396 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:23.279 pride pride always outplays its hand. But Esther uses all 397 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:26.480 the skills and tools she has, but she's still fasted 398 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:29.799 and prayed before this day, relying on God. I'm going 399 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:31.240 to need you to send the wave. I'm going to 400 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:33.079 need you to send the things. And that kind of 401 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:35.000