For Such A Time As This | It Came to Pass | Nate Grella

Let's pray. Let's pray. Good morning, compass. We're so grateful that you decided to worship with us today. Come on, let's put our hands together. Let's pray. Let's pray. I've got a new pain, I've got a new pain I've got a new pain, I've got a new pain I can see a cloud, it's heavy with rain And it looks like revival is heading our way I can see a cloud, it's heavy with rain And it looks like salvation is heading our way And I can hear a sound, the abundance of rain And it sounds like freedom is heading our way I can hear a sound, the abundance of rain And it sounds like a vision is heading our way I can hear a sound, it's heavy with rain And it looks like healing is heading our way I can see a cloud, it's heavy with rain And it looks like joy is heading our way It's heading our way The darkness bowed down to the day Mountains gave up on my way Breaking out of the ashes I've got a new pain The sun is shining in my face You are not great within my faith Just believe me when I say I've got a new pain I've got a new pain, I've got a new pain I've got a new pain, I've got a new pain I've got a new pain, I've got a new pain I've got a new pain, I've got a new pain Navigating people to God. My name is Marshall. I'm one of the pastors here. And if you are in the room, you are online. If you're part of our All Red Campus, we are so grateful that you are spending time with us in this place, in this moment. You know, I just wanna pray for us. I believe that the Lord has something for us here today. But I do believe that we need to unify our hearts right now. We all came in with all sorts of stuff

and I just think we need to just align our hearts and our gaze on Jesus. So let's just pray. Heavenly Father, we love you. God, we're grateful for you, for who you are, for how you brought us here, to this place, in this moment, and for the promise that you are with us in all things, that you'd never fail us, that you don't forsake us, that you don't forget us, that you don't leave us, and that you continue to pull us upward and onward. So God, we just take these moments, not for granted, but God, we take them and we just wanna give you all the glory, all the worship, all the honor that is due to your name. So unify us in this moment right now. We love you. Pray this all in your name. Amen. ♪ And when did I start to forget ♪ ♪ All of the great things you did ♪ ♪ And when did I throw away faith for the impossible ♪ ♪ And when did I start to forget ♪ ♪ All of the great things you did ♪ ♪ And how do I start to believe ♪ ♪ That you weren't sufficient for me ♪ ♪ And why do I talk myself out of seeing miracles ♪ Let's declare this part. ♪ You are more than able to do it all for me ♪ ♪ You are more than able ♪ ♪ You are more than able to do it all for me ♪

♪ You are more than able to do it all for me ♪ ♪ All for me, yeah ♪ ♪ And I wanna see all that I have ♪ ♪ Oh, I've got my comfort inside ♪ ♪ I've got my trust in no one but you ♪ ♪ Trust me to call you to me now ♪ ♪ You are more than able ♪ ♪ Yes, you are, yes, you are ♪ ♪ You are more than able ♪ ♪ Yes, you are, yes, you are ♪ ♪ You are more than able to do it all for me ♪ ♪ You are more than able to do it all for me ♪ ♪ Can you imagine when all of the pain in the room ♪ ♪ She put the lock in, she put the lock in ♪ ♪ And it's gonna happen just like the way that you do ♪ ♪ It's gonna move, it's gonna move ♪ ♪ So can you imagine when all of the pain in the room ♪ ♪ She put the lock in, she put the lock in ♪ ♪ And it's gonna happen just like the way that you do ♪ ♪ It's gonna move, it's gonna move ♪ ♪ Can you imagine when all of the pain in the room ♪ ♪ She put the lock in, she put the lock in ♪ ♪ And it's gonna happen just like the way that you do ♪ ♪ It's gonna move, it's gonna move ♪ ♪ Anything is possible, anything is possible ♪ ♪ Anything is possible, anything is possible ♪ Anything is possible, anything is possible. We're more alive, we're more alive. Tonight, we're more alive. Anything is possible, anything is possible.

Just trust in Him, anything. Anything is possible. Make Him what we're feeling, abundantly. Anything is possible. All together, we're more alive, we're more alive. Anything is possible. Anything is possible. I was born and I know that anything. Anything is possible. Anything is possible. Anything is possible. She grew in my life. She was the love in my life. She was the love in my life. She was the love in my life. And all the earth will shout Your praise. Our hearts will cry, these souls will sing. Great is my Lord. And all the earth will shout Your praise. Our hearts will cry, these souls will sing. Great is my Lord. And all the earth will shout Your praise. Our hearts will cry, these souls will sing. Great is my Lord. And all the earth will shout Your praise. Our hearts will cry, these souls will sing. Great is my Lord. It's Your praise. It's Your praise. I love You.

I love You. To be more out of place. More out of place. It's Your praise. I love You. To be more out of place. It's Your praise. It's Your praise. I love You. To be more out of place. More out of place. It's Your praise. I love You. To be more out of place. To be more out of place. It's Your praise. So we pour out our praise. Pour out our praise. It's Your praise. In our lungs. So we pour out our praise. To You only. Great are You, Lord. We say, we say, great are You. Great are You, Lord. Thank You, Jesus. Only lift Your name up. Let's go. Save my life. If I knew then what I know now.

I would be still and let You work it out. Jesus, I was tossed in the water. I never went under You. Always on time. Jesus, I went over You. Through the fire, you were right there beside me You were always on time You were always, always, always on time You were always, always, always on time And I remember how you carried me When I couldn't take a step And I remember how you loved me When I couldn't love myself Jesus, I was lost in the water But I never went under You were always on time Jesus, when I went through the fire You were right there beside me You were always on time You were always, always, always on time You were always, always, always on time You were always, always, always on time You were always, always, always on time What a thankful God To you, our God There has never been a day There has never been a minute There has never been a moment That you wanted There has never been a time

That you didn't see me through, God Oh I worship you There has never been a day There has never been a minute There has never been a moment That you wanted There has never been a time That you didn't see me through, God Oh I worship you There has never been a day There has never been a minute There has never been a moment That you wanted There has never been a time That you didn't see me through, God Oh I worship you There has never been a day There has never been a minute There has never been a moment That you wanted There has never been a time That you didn't see me through, God Oh I worship you Oh Jesus I was lost in the water But I never went under You were always on time Jesus When I went through the fire You were right there beside me

You were always on time You were always, always, always on time You were always, always, always on time You were always, always, always on time Give us six weeks. We believe God is moving and working in this place, and we'd love for you to be a part of this amazing community that we call Compass. Also, before I get into the message today, let's welcome in all of our men from All Red who are joining us today. Guys, we're glad that you're here. We love what God is doing there. We are in the final week of this three-week series that we've been in, called For Such A Time. If you've been here the last couple weeks, you'd know that this series feels less like a Bible study, less like a Bible study. and more like a cinematic universe unfolding right in front of us. In fact, the book of Esther isn't this quiet little book that we find contained in the Old Testament, but instead it reads like a screenplay. It has plot twists, it has power struggles, hidden identities, a villain that you love to hate. It has a God who never steps into the spotlight but somehow directs every frame from the shadows. And every week we've been treating this book of the Bible kind of like a movie trilogy.

We've had part one, part two, and today we wrap up with part three, which is the moment where everything comes together. The moment where the music swells and the camera tightens and the story turns. And if you've been following along, well, you know that we've been casting each of the characters in this story with a modern day actor, actress, or celebrity to kind of help us get a picture of it. And so we've gotten introduced to five main characters in this story. We got introduced first to this king by the name of King Xerxes, who we decided we would cast John Belushi in full animal house mode for that. And then we also got introduced to the queen of Persia at the time named Queen Vashi, who we chose Shakira for that because apparently her hips don't lie but her boundaries don't bend. And then we also cast this guy named Mordecai with a guy named Pedro Pascal because Pedro Pascal, like kind of in all the shows that he's in, he's kind of this hero of sorts and that's who Mordecai is, the wise, steady, reluctant hero. And then the book of Esther is named after our main character, Esther,

who we cast Carrie Underwood for that role. And somehow Esther wins the ancient version of the bachelorette. She becomes the queen of Persia. And last week we got introduced to our final character, the villain of the story named Haman, who we chose none other than Tom Hiddleston, AKA Loki himself from the Thor movies, right? And Haman is this charming, dangerous, and absolutely drunk on power man. Now, before we set up where we are in today's story, I wanna rewind the tape and in case you missed anything, just kind of give you a quick just recap of where we've been. So when we first opened the book of Esther, we meet King Xerxes who's 187 days deep into the world's largest frat party. Then he banishes the Queen Vashti from the kingdom because she won't dance before his drunk frat boyfriends. And that leads to launching this kingdom-wide beauty pageant where Esther is the one who ends up winning. Now, the thing about Esther that we've been sharing is that Esther is this orphan Jewish girl living in Persia in exile. And she got entered into this beauty contest by her cousin who's raising her, this guy named Mordecai. But what people don't know about Esther is that she's Jewish. They don't know that she worships the one true God. Nobody knows that she has been placed in the palace for a purpose that she can't see yet

for such a time as this. But Mordecai, we know that he's got, he knows that Esther has something about her that is maybe going to make a difference. And then last week, we got introduced to Haman who steps onto the screen. He gets promoted to second in command in all of the kingdom and he expects everybody to bow down to him. Now, our other hero, Mordecai, he refuses to bow down and Haman is furious, he snaps. He doesn't just want Mordecai dead, he wants to wipe out the entire Jewish empire. And so he manipulates King Xerxes, he gets King Xerxes' signet ring and he allows this executive order to happen that they're gonna wipe out an entire people group in the Jews. But word gets back to Mordecai that this is happening. Mordecai, he loses it, he tears his clothes, he weeps in the streets. And as all of this is happening, he realizes that maybe there is one person who can get to the king and it's his cousin Esther. And that brings us to today, it's this moment just like every story when everything begins to turn. A moment when the pressure spikes, the stakes rise and the characters realize the next decision isn't just a decision but it's a destiny. But here's the truth that I think none of us like to admit

when it comes to this. These moments, they never show up when we actually feel ready. It doesn't wait for your confidence. These moments, they don't check your resume to see if you have the experience that you need. It doesn't care if you feel strong, steady, or even qualified. The turning point of a story almost always shows up when the character feels the least prepared. And as we talked last week, what we see is that Esther, she didn't feel ready for this moment. She didn't feel brave. She didn't feel like she had the power to walk into the throne room and risk everything. She didn't feel like she was queen. But that moment, it wasn't waiting for her strength. It was waiting on her obedience. And while Esther is wrestling with her fear, God was already orchestrating this reversal in the shadows that we're gonna see today. And so that's where we left off last week. Today, we open to the third part of this trilogy. If you've got your Bible or a Bible app, we're gonna start in Esther chapter five. And Esther chapter five is the moment that Esther walks into this palace throne room for something she doesn't feel ready yet. But as we looked at last week,

she has been prayed up, she's fasted up. She's fearful even still in this moment, but she's moving. And as she prepares for this moment, she puts on her royal robes, not because she feels royal, but because sometimes you have to dress for the calling that you don't feel yet. And she walks towards the throne room, and this is where the tension spikes. Because remember, King Xerxes, played by John Belushi, well, this guy is a little bit unpredictable. Like, this is the same guy who fired Shakira, I mean, fired Vashti for saying no to the dance request. And so Esther walks towards a man who could literally end her story with a flick of a wrist. She steps into the inner court, and the king sees her. But instead of rage, he raises his golden scepter, and he shows her grace and favor. A door opens that she couldn't open for her own. And this is where we pick up where we left off last week. Esther chapter five, verse three, it says this. Then the king asked her, what do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it's half the kingdom. Now, notice this. Already, the king's response is maybe different than even what Esther would have anticipated. I mean, this, to us, as we read it, it even feels kind of like that it might be this, for such a time as this moment that Mordecai had told her. Time for her to plead for her life,

time for her to plead for the life of her people. It feels like the right time to us. But what we're about to see is that Esther, she senses it's not. And maybe she was afraid of embarrassing him. I mean, after all, all of his advisors are there, so it would embarrass him if the queen went to him and goes, hey, king, did you know that you just signed my death warrant and the death warrant of all my people? Oh, and by the way, I just wanted to let you know you snore at night and the way that you slurp your cereal in the mornings, it's driving me crazy. Okay, she probably wouldn't say any of that, right? But she definitely isn't gonna go in and say this in front of his advisors. It wouldn't be a great thing to do. And so this is what Esther says instead, verses four to six, we keep reading. It says, Esther replied, if it pleased the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king. The king turned to his attendants and said, tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet as Esther has requested. And so the king and Haman went to Esther's banquet, and while they were drinking wine, the queen said to Esther, now tell me what you really want, what's your request? And I will give it to you, even if it's half the kingdom. Esther replied, this is my request and deepest wish.

If I have found favor with the king and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask, please come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet that I'll prepare for you. And then I will explain what this is all about. Now, what's interesting here is she asked Haman and King Xerxes to come to this dinner, and then she doesn't request anything at the first dinner. She just says, I want you to come to another dinner. And while it seems as though maybe Esther is getting cold feet in this moment, actually what I think is happening is because Esther has fasted and prayed, because her people have been fasting and praying for her, I think what Esther senses in this moment is this time is not right. And what I think we're witnessing here is Esther is not actually afraid, but she is actually leaning into making some spirit-led decisions at a critical moment in her life. And ultimately, what we have to understand is this is what determines our life as well. It's these spirit-led decisions at critical moments. You know, what you'll see in your life is there's a half dozen or more of these moments that will come in your life. Sometimes we see them coming. Other times, honestly, we don't even see them. They just kind of show up.

And it's oftentimes, the times you find yourselves at these crossroads, and what you do and you say in those moments is that's what defines you. And that's where Esther is. And the fact is, is sometimes those moments, they can feel like a lot of pressure that you've gotta choose to react and respond in the moment. Like the fear or the anxiety of not doing something can cause us to maybe even react before we should. But what Esther does here in this moment is she creates space for God to lead. And she wanted to make sure that what she was doing was the right thing, which is what God wanted, not what she wanted. And so she asked for a second dinner. And so here's what I wanna do. I wanna give you some questions that you need to ask yourself to make room for God's leading and critical moments for your life as well. And there's four questions I wanna give you today that I think can help determine the decisions that you make. The first question that we have to ask is this, have I created space to hear God's voice? In other words, have I created space to pause and to pray, to listen for what God wants? Or another way that we can word this question is this, how can I create some space to make sure that I am in step with the Spirit here?

And maybe it's just asking for five minutes to pray. Maybe it's saying, hey, I would like another day to think on this. I'm gonna go to sleep before I make any decisions, before I move forward in this relationship, before I take this job offer, before I decide to move my family to another state, I'm gonna take some time to pray, or maybe like Esther did last week, take three days to fast and to pray. But ultimately, what do we gotta make sure is that when we find ourselves at these crossroads in lives or these moments in time where we have a decision to make, we gotta make sure that we're in step with the Spirit. Now, the second question that we should ask is this, who might be affected and who should be consulted? You see, when you find yourself at these crossroad moments in life, it's good to process how the decisions that you're gonna make could impact others and even who is it that you should consult along the way. And this is what we see Esther do in this moment. Like she weighs how what she's about to do is gonna impact everyone else, and then she goes to Mordecai and she asks for his wisdom as well, she consults with him. You know, one of the things over the years since I started leading this campus that I've always tried to do

is I've always tried to think about how the decisions that we make are gonna impact all of you who attend this place. And before I ever follow through with one of those decisions, I always tend to go to somebody that I can consult as well. Like I go to our leadership here at Compass or I go to some trusted advisors that I have, friends that I know who are gonna be honest with me and give me good wisdom. And I think this is a really wise thing to do. Like, for instance, last fall, when we decided that we needed to make room for more people, we were like, okay, what day do we do a service on? And I started asking some friends and some people that I trusted, and we were like, Sundays, what do you think of Sunday at 5.05? And people were like, yeah, that's a great idea. And so we launched the 5.05 and it has been an incredible service opportunity for people who can't make it on a Sunday morning and for honestly families that have kids in sports, their kids are in their baseball uniforms. It's amazing to see. But it is reminding me again that sometimes I'm not the best at making decisions on my own that I need to consult others. It's good to get counsel. It honors those around you.

It allows you to respond in humility because you're not assuming that you know what to do. You're not letting your emotions make a decision. Now, the third question I wanna give you today when it comes to trusting God's leading is this. What opportunities might emerge from a strategic pause? Now, here's why I say that. Another way to ask that question is, what's the worst thing that could happen if I wait? Why not just slow things down and see if things become more clear? Because sometimes with a day or two, our emotions settle. Sometimes new opportunities or new possibilities comes to surface. And honestly, that's what we see in Esther's story. And then one more question that we've gotta ask ourselves, which I think is the most important question is this. Am I walking closely enough with God to recognize His leading? You see, there are certain decisions or crossroads in our lives that you should not make without if you're not walking with God. It's important to make sure that you're walking closely enough with God to discern, is this His leading? And I think this is where Esther was. Now, between this first dinner that she has with King Xerxes and Haman,

and the second dinner, well, Haman leaves that first dinner, he's feeling pretty good. I mean, he has just had dinner with the royal family. He's the only VIP. in attendance, he's feeling really good, and now he's getting invited to a second dinner. And look at what it says in verse nine here. It says, Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet. Like, I imagine he left that, he got in his car, he's driving around town, he's got the windows down, and he's blasting, I'm the man. Like, that's how good he feels, right? But then he drives past the city gates, and look at what happens to the rest of verse nine here. It says, but when he saw Mordecai sitting at the palace gate, not standing up, or trembling nervously before him, Haman became furious. I mean, there is Mordecai again, refusing to bow down to Haman. And Haman, this is the guy who had made him so mad, right? Mordecai made Haman so mad that he had made this edict that he was gonna wipe out the entire Jewish population. And Mordecai, again, is still unfazed. And so Haman is furious. And so he goes home and he starts complaining to his wife and his friends, and he says this. He says, Queen Esther invited only me and the king himself to the banquet she prepared for us. And she has invited me to dine with her

and the king again tomorrow. And then he added, but this is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai, the Jew, just sitting there at the palace gate. So he's telling his wife and his friends this, and they respond by saying this in verse 14. It says, so Haman's wife and all his friends suggested, set up a sharpened pole that stands 75 feet tall in the morning, and in the morning, ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. And when this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king. And this pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up. So Haman's like, man, I really like this idea. Like, we can make an example of Mordecai. And so he gets all of the kingdom construction workers together, and overnight, they erect this 75-foot pole. Now, I know we all wish that the DFW construction workers would work that fast on our roads, right? But it doesn't happen that way, right? And I was thinking about this. I'm like, a 75-foot pole, what are they doing? Well, they wanted to make sure that everyone in the kingdom could see the example that they were gonna make of good old Mordy. But that night, things don't necessarily go the way that Haman had planned, because while he's at home getting the measurements for these gallows, well, King Xerxes, he can't sleep. Like, he's got insomnia, or something has set in,

and so he can't go to sleep. And so he calls his servant in, and he says to the servant, I need you to read me something really boring. And so the servant goes to the king's library, and he pulls out one of the royal history books. Basically, it's the highlight reel of King Xerxes' life. And the servant starts reading stories about the king to the king, so that the king can fall asleep thinking about the king. But the servant just so happens to flip to the story that was about four years earlier. It was a night on which someone uncovers this assassination plot that was gonna happen to King Xerxes, and he ultimately saved the king's life. And the king's like, hold up, I remember this night, but who was it that saved me? And the servant says, let me look here, king. Well, the records show it was this guy named Mordecai. Have you ever heard of him? And Xerxes kind of sits up, and he's like, hold on, did we ever celebrate this guy? Like, did we throw him a party? Did we congratulate him? Did we buy him a gift card, anything? And the servant checks the records, and again, he's like, no, we never did anything for this guy. And so that night, King Xerxes goes to bed thinking about how he needs to honor Mordecai. And when he wakes up the next morning,

well, Haman is already there waiting to talk to the king because he wants to get permission to kill Mordecai. But before Haman could say anything, the king says this to Haman. He says, hey, Haman, what should be done to honor a man that the king delights to honor? And Haman's like, oh, man, the king really loves me. He must be thinking about me. He must be talking about me. And here's what I love about how God works and even the humor in this story. When we can't see him, think about this. What are the odds that Esther waits a day? What are the odds that King Xerxes can't sleep? And his servant goes in, he pulls one of the history books out, and it's the story of Mordecai saving his life. What are the odds? that during this whole time, the people of Israel, they're fasting and praying for Esther. You know, the odds aren't good unless God is in the details and what we're about to see is that he is completely in the details of this story. You know, as I was working on this message, I was thinking about how God tends to move in the shadows long before we can ever see it. And I couldn't help but think back to when we were launching this campus almost nine years ago. I remember we got here and one of the things that we wanted to make sure that we let the North Fort Worth community know

is that there was a new church that was coming into the area. And so we started looking for a billboard that would announce this and we're driving up and down 287 trying to find a billboard that was open or available. And every day, my wife Amanda and I, we would go and we would look at these billboards and we'd see that they'd have like who owned it, there was a little label there, sometimes there'd be a phone number and we'd try to call them and we'd try to figure it out. Well, as we looked at all the different billboards, we realized that the best ones were the ones right before the Willow Springs exit. But if you've ever looked at those billboards, there's no name, there's no phone number, we didn't know who owned them, no idea. But one day, we just decided that we would pull into the co part that's right there off of Willow Springs because that's where one of the billboards sat, we thought maybe they owned it. And we walked into that co part and we asked the people at the counter, do you know who owns this billboard? And the people at the counter, they didn't know. But as we were walking out, there's a guy in the lobby there he goes, I overheard the conversation, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to pry, but I know who owns that billboard.

And so he gives us the name of the company, he tells us how to find them and suddenly a door opens. And so we go to their office, so we work out a deal for that billboard, we get the billboard. A few months later, after we launched the campus, my staff at the time, there's just two full time people and three part time people, we would meet at my house and we would sit around our dining room table and I realized like it would be good if we had some office space. So we started looking around for office space and we found these shipping containers that had been converted into offices right off of Harmon Road and we really liked them. And when we went and looked at them, guess who owned those office complex? The same people who owned the billboard, right? And then a few months later, we realized that we needed a space for students, they could worship on Wednesday nights and we could do some other ministry things and so we started looking around and we found this empty warehouse that we thought would be a great opportunity for that. And we went to meet with the people who own that and guess who owned those offices? The same people who owned the billboard and the office space. And then, this is my favorite part,

the leasing agent that I ended up working with on all of these deals, after we moved into this building a few years ago, he walks into the building one day and he starts attending here at Compass North Fort Worth. You know, I had no idea at the time but God was in the shadows orchestrating every single step. And I tell you that story because some of you, you're in a place right now where you're wondering where God is, where he feels silent to you, he feels absent to you. Like maybe you're not sure how much longer you're gonna give God. Like maybe you've even come here and said, this is your last chance God, I'm giving you through this series. Or maybe you're like, you know, Pastor Nate said give it six weeks, I'm giving you six weeks God. And maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what he's doing. That maybe he's been working in the shadows long before you ever walked in here, or you tuned in online. And maybe he's been setting things up behind the scenes. Maybe he's been waiting for this moment to say these words to you. I see you and I'm working in your story. And that's what we're about to see in Esther's story because remember, Haman had come to ask to kill Mordecai via these gallows that he had built overnight,

but he doesn't realize that the guy that the king wants to honor is actually Mordecai. Like Haman is so full of himself, that he thought the king was actually talking about him. And so he thinks the king is actually giving him this blank check to really celebrate him. And so Haman is like, well, king, let me answer your question here. You wanna know what the king could do for a man that you wanna honor well? King, I think you should give him your royal robes, you should give him your crown, you should let him ride around in your royal Porsche, I mean, on your royal horse, right? And I mean, it might be really honoring if the royal men would march this guy around and you just blast, I'm the man so that everyone knows. And the king's like. Haman, this is a brilliant idea, let's do it for Mordecai. Isn't it crazy how God works? Now Haman has to spend his day walking Mordecai around the kingdom, the music is blaring, and this is what, imagine the scene was like, you can tell everybody, he's the man, he's the man, he's the man, right? Like, that's what it was like. I'm sorry, I'm not as good a singer as my daughter or Marshall or any of the others that are up here, right? But it's definitely not what Haman walked into the throne room planning to have happen, right?

And remember, that night he still has to go to dinner with King Xerxes and Esther. And so after all day of having to parade Mordecai around the city, he has to gather up whatever pride that he has and go to dinner with the king and the queen. And it's right in the middle of the dinner that the king gets down to business. Esther chapter seven, if you're following along, listen to what it says here, starting in verse two. It says, on this second occasion, while they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, tell me what you want, Queen Esther, what is your request? And I'll give it to you, even if it's half the kingdom. And Esther replied, if I have found favor with the king and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared for my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If I had been merely sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king. I mean, you can imagine this moment, right? You can see Haman, cold sweat begins. He slumps down in his chair, like he knows that the king is mad and he's upset. And the king asks this question, who is it, Esther? Who's the one that wants to kill you? Because remember, he still doesn't know that Esther is Jewish. And this is how Esther replies.

She points right at Haman. She goes, this wicked man right here is our adversary and our enemy. And Haman grew pale with fright before the king and the queen. And then the king jumped to his feet. In a rage, he went out into the palace garden. The king is so mad that he's got to get some air. And so he goes out and Haman, this was supposed to be his trusted advisor. He doesn't know what to do. And while the king is outside, we read this next. It says, Haman, however, stayed behind to plead for his life for Queen Esther, for he knew that the king intended to kill him. In despair, he fell on the couch where Esther was reclining, just as the king was returning from the palace garden. And the king exclaimed, will he even assault the queen right here in the palace before my eyes? Now, listen, the question isn't if the king is going to kill Haman. The question is how. And again, the humor in this, right? There's a servant in there the whole time. He goes, hey, king, did you hear about the new gallows that just got built last night? You could try those out. And so Haman gets killed on the very gallows that he built for Mordecai.

And Haman is killed. The movie ends like the scene from Star Wars, The Return of the Jedi. Look at what it says in Esther 8.16. It says this, the Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere. And you know, as I was thinking about what that scene had to look like, in my mind, this is what it looks like, right? That's it right there. Okay, nobody laughed at it. I thought it was funny, right? See, this is who God is. He turned, this is how God works. He's the God who turns sorrow into joy. He takes what the enemy meant for evil. He turns it for good. It's what he did on the cross. He took that which looked like a Roman execution device and he turned it into victory for us. It's what he does. And the book of Esther, it closes with this beautiful reversal. It says, Mordecai, the man that nobody noticed, who sat at the gate, refused to bow, is promoted in second in command, and Esther remains queen. And the people who were once marked for destruction are now marked for deliverance. Look at what Esther 10.3 says.

It says, Mordecai, the Jew, became the prime minister with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was great among the Jews who held him in high esteem because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants. See, when the story of Esther begins, we've got two nobodies, but it ends with. with Esther, now queen, and Mordecai as second-in-command of all of the nation. It's what God does. And you know, as I was thinking about this story, there's just something right out of the gate that I just love. If you look at how the King James Version translates this story, it begins with these four words. It came to pass. It doesn't say it came to stay. It doesn't say it came to destroy you. It doesn't say it came to define you. Just simply, it came to pass. And it reminded me that someday when your story is told, whatever chapter you find yourself in right now, whether that be heartbreak or confusion, maybe a season of waiting, of fear, it'll begin the same way. It came to pass. Because God is in the shadows. And you see, when you believe that, it changes how you live. And so as we close out this series today,

I wanna end this series with giving you three declarations that you can hold onto when the pressure rises and the moment feels bigger than you. I wanna give you three things that can remind you that God is working in your shadows as well. And the first declaration I'll give you today is this. I declare that my current chapter is not my conclusion. I want you to hear this today. I realize some of you, you might be in the midst of some painful paragraphs in your life, but this chapter is not the whole story. It came to pass, not it came to stay. Understand God is still writing, he's still moving, he's still working in the shadows. And listen, if you're not dead, God is not done with you. And one day you will look back and you will see that every tear, every prayer, every sleepless night was seen by him that your story isn't over. A declaration number two that I wanna give you today is this, I declare, I'm not a victim of my circumstances, but I'm a vessel of God's purposes. Look, what happens to you doesn't define you, but instead what God is doing through you does. You're held by the one who turns graves into gardens, who turns orphans into queens, who turns persecution into promotion. Your confidence isn't in your strength, it's in his sovereignty. So let the setbacks come, let the Haman's hate, or I guess maybe hang, let the gallows be built,

because every setback is a setup for a louder testimony and his purposes will prevail. And then the last declaration that I wanna give you today is this, I declare that I will live with prayerful courage in critical moments. I won't shrink back, I won't cave to pressure, I won't settle for safe or comfortable. I will slow down, I will seek God, I will ask for help, and I will move when he says to move. I may not feel powerful, but I will be prayerful. I may not feel ready, but I will be obedient. I will live my life for such a time as this. You see, one day when our stories come to pass, my prayer is that stories like Esther's be stories, our stories, of people who choose courage over comfort, calling over convenience, faith over fear, significance over security, and prayer over panic. Because we know, just like Esther knew, and just like Mordecai knew, that we know that God is in the shadows keeping watch over his own and his promises, they always prevail. So know that today, that he is with you, that he's for you, and I believe that he's brought you right here to this place to remind you of that, that you were created for such a time as this. So trust in God's plan, believe in his purpose, know that he is good, and that he has a plan. And we're gonna close today in worship, and I just want us to worship together

and sing these words as a reminder, that God is good, and we can be confident, even as seasons change, his faithfulness remains. Let me pray. God, we thank you for who you are. We thank you for the reminder in the story of Esther that you never fail, that you never give up, that your promises are always true. So Father, today we come and we just celebrate who you are, and the goodness of you, that God, even though sometimes we can't see it, we know that you are working in the shadows. And so for the person today, God, who is just wondering what's next, God, would you begin to reveal yourself? that you would begin to show up in their story in a way that they would say, I see it now, God. I see you working, I see you moving. Thank you, Lord. So Father, we ask that you move in these next few moments as we worship together. We pray this in the powerful and the mighty name of Jesus, I pray, amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. ♪ You write my story ♪ ♪ You hold it all together ♪ ♪ You write my present ♪ ♪ You got my future ♪ ♪ You write my story ♪ ♪ You hold it all together ♪ ♪ You and I believe that I will see ♪ ♪ The goodness of the Lord ♪ ♪ I'm confident as the seasons change ♪ ♪ You're faithful every day ♪ ♪ You and I believe that I will see ♪ ♪ The goodness of the Lord ♪ ♪ I'm confident as the seasons change ♪ ♪ You're faithful every day ♪