Para Un Tiempo como Este | Octubre 25, 2026

Last week, as we began the book of Esther in chapter one, we saw that although the King of Persia had allowed God's people to return to Israel, many of God's people had decided to stay and live the life in Persia they had grown accustomed to while they were in exile. Persia was an empire of opulence and of incredible economic opportunity at the time. And to display that, the King had thrown an incredible feast for all of the people in the capital city of Sousa, where they were given an edict to celebrate and drink with no compulsion. On the outside, it looked like everything anyone could want, wealth, freedom, and leisure with no restraint. And yet underneath all the opulence, Persia was a culture of fear and control. As seen when the Queen of Persia, Queen Vashti refused to come and entertain the King and his guests in their drunken state. The King was so enraged that he banished her from his presence, and made a decree that he would find a new Queen who would be more pleasing to him. And so it was, which is where we continue in our study of the book of Esther today. [MUSIC] Well, Buenos dias, Mr. Mouse, your manas. Good morning, my brothers and sisters. Mm-hmm. What a joy, that's all I got. That's a little good thing, though. What a joy it is to be gathered together today. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Seeing praises to the one who is truly our living hope. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] And like Hona said. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] From your relatively new, my name is Ben Parkinson. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] And I'm one of four we call teaching pastors here at Fellowship. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Who have the privilege of coming alongside our campus pastors like Alfredo here in Español.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] To teach and lead the church in the team-oriented way that we do. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] So if I haven't had a chance to meet you yet? [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] And you have some time after the service. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] And please come up and say hi. That would be a huge blessing to me and to my wife today. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Or she was. My mom was. Oh, there you go. Hey, mom. It's all right. [LAUGHTER] And we are preaching through the book of Esther. If you want to join me in chapter two this morning. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Looking at the reality. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] That not only is our God able to do miraculous things in miraculous ways. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Like we saw when we preached through some of the miracles of Jesus. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] But our God is also able to do miraculous things in much more ordinary ways.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Ways that aren't always as obvious to us. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] And yet are just as miraculous and amazing. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] In fact, one of the things that we noted as teachers when we worked through this book together. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Was how the author actually goes out of their way to show us how God is always working. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Always loving us and always guiding things behind the scenes. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Because he never mentions God in the book of Esther. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] We never see God's name. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] We never hear his voice. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] And yet you can't miss all the thing God's doing if you pay attention. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] And that reality is meant to encourage us. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] That even when we don't see God do the miraculous in overt ways like we saw in the miracles of Jesus. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] He is always still there. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] He's always working behind the scenes of our lives

for our good and his glory. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] There are no coincidences. No existence, [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] There's no good luck and bad luck in life. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] And part of what that's meant to bring us is peace in the midst of all the chaos around us. As we believe that he's in control of the things that seem really crazy. Like here in Esther, he's in control of kings who are getting drunk in a six-month feast. He's in control of queens who refuse to come when the king asks him to. Not that we're robots. But God is so infinitely wise and amazing. He can use both our obedience and our disobedience to accomplish his purposes on the earth. And that's not meant to let us off the hook for our choices somehow. We're still responsible for our choices. In our lives, we'll be better if we follow his will for us. Then if we don't. But we don't have to do is live our lives in fear. Yet the fate of the world is in the hands of human beings somehow. Or the fate of our lives is in the hands of anyone other than the creator who made us. And who loves us enough to send his son to dawn across for us. God loves you.

And he's in control whether we see him or not. And because God's in control. And because he's God, he's able to use any one he wants, any time he wants for such a time as this. So let's start to read through chapter two here. And I think we'll see that this morning. We'll start with just the first four verses of chapter two. He says, "After these things, when the anger of King Ahazuris had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her." And then the King's young men who attended him said, "Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the King." And let the King appoint officers and all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem and sousa, the capital, under custody of Hega'a, the king's eunuch, who's in charge of the women. And let their cosmetics be given them. [SPEAKING SPANISH] And let the young woman who pleases the King be queen instead of Vashti. This pleased the King, and he did so. [SPEAKING SPANISH] So the King's looking for a new queen after he dissed Miss Vashti, which we saw last week. [SPEAKING SPANISH] And the way he decides to find a new queen to replace her is basically to have a contest. [SPEAKING SPANISH] Among all the most beautiful virgins across 127 provinces.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] To see which one he would choose. [SPEAKING SPANISH] So just in case you ever wondered where they got the idea for the TV show "The Bachelor" from? [SPEAKING SPANISH] It started 2,500 years ago. [SPEAKING SPANISH] There's nothing new under the sun. [SPEAKING SPANISH] So the King's officers find the most beautiful virgins in all the kingdom to come prepare themselves for this contest. [SPEAKING SPANISH] - And this is where we get introduced to Esther and Mordecai this morning. (speaking in foreign language) - So look at verses five to 11 with me. (speaking in foreign language) - Says now there was a Jew in Susa the Citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shemai, son of Kish, a Benjaminite. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) - Who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jaconia, the king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried away. (speaking in foreign language) - And he was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle,

for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at. And when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. (speaking in foreign language) - So when the king's order and his edict was proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the Citadel and custody of Hagai, Esther was also taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hagai, who had charge of the women. (speaking in foreign language) - And the young woman pleased him and won his favor, and he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. (speaking in foreign language) - And Esther had not made known her people or kindred for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. (speaking in foreign language) - And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her. (speaking in foreign language) - So right at the beginning here, we've seen important truth, don't we? (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language)

- That no matter what our background, as we trust in God's will for our lives. (speaking in foreign language) - He's able to use us right where we are for such a time as this. (speaking in foreign language) - No matter what our background. (speaking in foreign language) - For instance, in this story, Esther is a woman. (speaking in foreign language) - In a very patriarchal, male-dominated culture. (speaking in foreign language) - I mean, look at how quickly the king dismissed Queen Vashti in chapter one last week. (speaking in foreign language) - And yet we will see that God's going to use her power as a woman. (speaking in foreign language) - In a way that he could never use a man in that day to rescue his people. (speaking in foreign language) - Not only that, but Esther's Jewish. (speaking in foreign language) - Living in the capital city of a Persian empire. (speaking in foreign language) - And yet God gives her favor with the unique in charge of all the virgins to become queen. (speaking in foreign language) - And then we also see Esther's been taken in and adopted by her cousin Mordecah.

(speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) - Because her parents had passed away. (speaking in foreign language) - Having gone to the trauma and tragedy of becoming an orphan. (speaking in foreign language) - And being left alone in this foreign kingdom. (speaking in foreign language) - Esther was of a gender that was not treated equally in her day and age. (speaking in foreign language) - She was different. Ethnically than the kingdom she was living in. (speaking in foreign language) - And she'd suffered heartache and hardship with the loss of her parents. And yet God was using all that to put her in the exact position he wanted her. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) For such a time, is this? (speaking in foreign language) Listen, I know that some of you here on our Español campus feel right at home in America. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) Some of you were born here. (speaking in foreign language) Some of you been citizens for a long time.

(speaking in foreign language) Some of you speak English better than I do. (speaking in foreign language) And yet I know at the same time, some of us in here today can definitely identify with Esther. (speaking in foreign language) Wondering if God can use us for His kingdom here in a place where we're different ethnically than the majority population. (speaking in foreign language) So, Gloria, (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) We're in a place where we may struggle with the language of the culture that we're living in. (speaking in foreign language) Or just feel out of place in general. (speaking in foreign language) I know some of you have been through hard things. (speaking in foreign language) Just like Esther and losing her parents. (speaking in foreign language) Things that may make you wonder if God sees you. (speaking in foreign language) If God cares for you. (speaking in foreign language) If He has a plan for your life here in Central Arkansas. (speaking in foreign language) And yet that's one of the beautiful things about our God. (speaking in foreign language)

Because He loves to constantly do things that remind us that it's His grace that matters. (speaking in foreign language) He loves to give favor to people and to use people for His glory that don't always fit the cultural mold. (speaking in foreign language) Yeah, He loves to give favor to people. (speaking in foreign language) And to use people for His glory. (speaking in foreign language) Don't always fit the cultural mold. (speaking in foreign language) He loves to use people who've been through hard things. (speaking in foreign language) Who seem to have the deck stacked against them at times. (speaking in foreign language) Because the things that truly matter in life come to us by God's grace. (speaking in foreign language) There's nothing in our background or our story that can keep Him from using us. (speaking in foreign language) To accomplish His purposes on the earth. (speaking in foreign language) But just because Esther's been chosen to be one of the virgins brought before the king. (speaking in foreign language) Out of millions throughout the empire.

(speaking in foreign language) The king would still have to choose her out of probably thousands that were there. (speaking in foreign language) So let's keep reading. (speaking in foreign language) Verses 12 through 18. (speaking in foreign language) Says now when the turn came for each young woman to go into King Ahazuris after being 12 months under the regulations for women. Since this is the regular period of their beautifying. Six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women. (speaking in foreign language) When the young woman being Esther went into the king in this way she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. (speaking in foreign language) In the evening she would go in and the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shazghaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubons. She would not go into the king again unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name. (speaking in foreign language) And when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abba Hale,

the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his own daughter to go into the king. She asked for nothing except what had I, the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all that saw her. - And when Esther was taken to King Ahazuris into his royal palace in the 10th month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, Esther, (speaking in foreign language) - The King loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight, more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) - Then the King gave a great feast for all his officials and servants. It was Esther's feast, and he also grant a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) - And you talk about God giving Esther favor with the King. (speaking in foreign language) - I've heard of someone falling head over heels in love before.

(speaking in foreign language) - I've never heard of someone falling so in love with someone, they tell 127 provinces, don't worry about your taxes this year. (speaking in foreign language) - I mean, can you imagine the favor she must have had not only with the King, but with the entire kingdom? (speaking in foreign language) - That's a crazy moment. (speaking in foreign language) - But God knows Esther's gonna need that kind of favor to rescue her people from destruction later in the book. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) - God blesses her with a lot in this moment because he knows he's gonna ask her for a lot later. (speaking in foreign language) - And one of the interesting things about this part of the book of Esther? (speaking in foreign language) - Is there's a lot of debate among theologians. (speaking in foreign language) - About whether God's giving Esther favor because she's obeying him. (speaking in foreign language) - Or whether he's giving her favor at this part of her story in spite of her maybe not doing everything he would want her to do. (speaking in foreign language) - What do I mean?

(speaking in foreign language) - Well, in the book of Daniel, for instance. (speaking in foreign language) - Where Daniel's living in exile in Babylon like Esther is in Persia. (speaking in foreign language) - We see God make a specific point in Daniel's story. (speaking in foreign language) - Telling us that Daniel specifically did not eat the king's food. (speaking in foreign language) - But ate food according to the law of the God, the Old Testament. (speaking in foreign language) We see God make a point to tell us that Daniel would pray to the God of Israel. (speaking in foreign language) - Even though it had been forbidden by the king for him to do so. (speaking in foreign language) - Which ends up leading to him being thrown into the lions den if you know that story. (speaking in foreign language) - In Daniel, we see God specifically showing Daniel's faithfulness to God's law. (speaking in foreign language) - In spite of the king's rules and edicts in the foreign land he's living in. (speaking in foreign language) - But when we come to this part of the book of Esther.

(speaking in foreign language) - We see Esther gaining favor with Hegai, the king's unique. (speaking in foreign language) - By doing everything he tells her to do. (speaking in foreign language) - We see Esther hiding her Jewish identity just like Mordecai told her to do. (speaking in foreign language) - And we see Esther spin the night with the king as she's commanded to do. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) What's interesting to me is that we're not told in the recording of her life. (speaking in foreign language) Like we're specifically told with Daniel. (speaking in foreign language) Whether she's compromising God's will for her or not in these moments. (speaking in foreign language) We're not told specifically if she actually impressed the king with the way she slept with him that night. (speaking in foreign language) Or if she stayed pure in that moment in one of his favorite other ways that night. (speaking in foreign language) We can wonder about those things. (speaking in foreign language) We can debate about those things. (speaking in foreign language)

But what I've come to appreciate about the word of God. (speaking in foreign language) Is that whenever he doesn't give me as much detail as I wish I had. (speaking in foreign language) He's actually making an important point he wants me to understand. (speaking in foreign language) And that is that no matter how we got to the place we currently are in our lives. (speaking in foreign language) Whether it's been full of faithfulness and obedience to his will for us. (speaking in foreign language) Or whether there's been plenty of moments of compromise or doing what we felt like we had to to survive. (speaking in foreign language) As we trust in God's will for us moving forward. (speaking in foreign language) He's able to give us favor and position us right where he needs for such a time. (speaking in foreign language) And I want to be careful as I make this point. (speaking in foreign language) Because I'm not saying obedience to God doesn't matter. (speaking in foreign language) In fact, we're gonna see next Sunday. (speaking in foreign language) There comes a point in Esther's story where she's gonna have to choose.

(speaking in foreign language) Whether to obey God and risk her life for the sake of her people. (speaking in foreign language) Or just go along with the culture around her and keep herself safe at the expense of her people. (speaking in foreign language) So obedience matters in our relationship to God. (speaking in foreign language) And obedience matters now. He uses us for his glory. (speaking in foreign language) But what's also important for us to realize at this point in Esther's story. (speaking in foreign language) Is it no matter how we got to the point where we are in our lives? (speaking in foreign language) We're never beyond God's grace to us. (speaking in foreign language) We're never beyond God being able to forgive us. (speaking in foreign language) And to redeem us. (speaking in foreign language) And to use our lives for his glory moving forward. (speaking in foreign language) Whether you've gotten to the place in your life through obeying his will for you. (speaking in foreign language) Or whether you've gotten the place in your life

through some compromising along the way. (speaking in foreign language) He can take all of your past decisions. (speaking in foreign language) The good ones and the bad ones. (speaking in foreign language) And he can use them to put you in a place to follow his will for you moving forward. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) No one has damaged goods to God. (speaking in foreign language) No one has too far gone to be forgiven and used by him. (speaking in foreign language) He can forgive anyone, clean anyone, and use anyone by his grace. (speaking in foreign language) But there's one more thing God wants to do in chapter two to position his seemingly insignificant people to do incredibly significant things. (speaking in foreign language) Look at the rest of chapter two with me. (speaking in foreign language) Look at the rest of chapter two with me. (speaking in foreign language) Says now when the virgins were gathered together the second time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. (speaking in foreign language) - An Esther had not made known her kindred or her people as Mordecai had commanded her.

For Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. (speaking in foreign language) - In those days as Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, big fin and tearish, two of the king's eunuchs who guard the threshold became angry and sought to lay hands on King Azuris. (speaking in foreign language) - And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai and he told to Queen Esther and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. (speaking in foreign language) - And when the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. (speaking in foreign language) - And it was recorded in the Book of Chronicles in the presence of the king. (speaking in foreign language) - So we've been talking a lot about Esther so far in this book. (speaking in foreign language) - So we've been talking a lot about Esther so far in this book. (speaking in foreign language) - But God's also going to use her cousin Mordecai to rescue God's people along with Esther as well. (speaking in foreign language) - And the same way we see God doing things to position Esther right where he wants her. (speaking in foreign language)

- As queen over all of Persia. (speaking in foreign language) - We see here God tell us about a moment in Mordecai's life. (speaking in foreign language) - That initially doesn't seem like it does a whole lot for Mordecai. (speaking in foreign language) - It seems like this kind of strange interruption in the story about Esther. (speaking in foreign language) - I mean, here we are hearing all about how Esther becomes queen. (speaking in foreign language) - And then right before the chapter ends. (speaking in foreign language) - God says, oh, and by the way. (speaking in foreign language) - While Mordecai was just hanging around the king's gate trying to hear about how Esther was doing. (speaking in foreign language) - He happened over here, a couple of guys talking about killing the king. (speaking in foreign language) - And so he told Esther and the men got caught. (speaking in foreign language) - And they wrote down what happened in the king's records and put Mordecai's name with it. (speaking in foreign language) - It's a kind of strange detail that almost seems out of place in the story.

(speaking in foreign language) - And yet later on, we're gonna see how huge this minor detail becomes. (speaking in foreign language) - This is one of the things God's gonna use to rescue his people from certain destruction. (speaking in foreign language) - And once again, I think God's making a point to us in how he's telling Esther's story. (speaking in foreign language) - Not only is he making the point that he's always working in our lives around us whether we see him or not by not mentioning God in the book. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) - But here, I think he includes this detail about Mordecai in a way that seems like a minor detail to us. (speaking in foreign language) - To show us that no matter how insignificant we feel as we trust in God's will for us. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) - He's able to use every act of faithfulness and obedience no matter how small it feels for such a time as this. (speaking in foreign language) - It's a fascinating tension that we live in in this part of the story. (speaking in foreign language) - On the one hand, what it's showing me is that God can redeem us and use us for his purposes

no matter how messy our life has been up to this point. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) - He can forgive anything and everything no matter how disobedient it's been. (speaking in foreign language) And yet, at the same time, he also shows us he uses every act of faithfulness in obedience, no matter how small. (speaking in foreign language) To accomplish his purposes for us as well. (speaking in foreign language) So in the ways you've struggled to believe in his love for you, if you haven't obeyed him? (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) Ask for forgiveness. (speaking in foreign language) And then forgive yourself. (speaking in foreign language) And believe that because of Jesus Christ, he's cleansed you. (speaking in foreign language) And can you use you moving forward for his glory? (speaking in foreign language) And yet, at the same time-- (speaking in foreign language) Every chance you get-- (speaking in foreign language) Obey him.

(speaking in foreign language) And trust in his perfect will for you. (speaking in foreign language) Because no matter how small that active obedience seems to you-- (speaking in foreign language) It may end up becoming one of the most important things that you do in your life. (speaking in foreign language) What a picture all of this is of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) For in the same way that Esther's background seems like it would have made it harder for God to use her. (speaking in foreign language) We see Jesus get treated the same way by the people in his culture. (speaking in foreign language) In fact, when one of Jesus' disciples, Philip, tells a man named Nathaniel they found the Messiah. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) And he says it's Jesus of Nazareth. (speaking in foreign language) Nathaniel's reply in John 146. (speaking in foreign language) Is, can any good thing come from Nazareth? (speaking in foreign language) That town?

(speaking in foreign language) Nothing important comes from there. (speaking in foreign language) No one important comes from there. (speaking in foreign language) Yet the most important human being ever to walk the earth came from there. (speaking in foreign language) When Jesus returns to Nazareth in Matthew 13. (speaking in foreign language) To go and teach in their synagogue. (speaking in foreign language) Even his own neighbors he grew up with say. (speaking in foreign language) Is this not the carpenter's son? (speaking in foreign language) Where did he get all these things from? (speaking in foreign language) You're not supposed to be doing this Jesus. (speaking in foreign language) And over and over again throughout his life. (speaking in foreign language) We see the chief priests and the rulers. (speaking in foreign language) Constantly challenging Jesus asking him. (speaking in foreign language) Where did you get authority to do such things? (speaking in foreign language) And to say such things. (speaking in foreign language)

No, in the same way God uses Esther to save his people despite her challenging background. (speaking in foreign language) Jesus will become the savior of the world despite his. (speaking in foreign language) And the same way that God uses the seemingly small active obedience by Mordecan. (speaking in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) To help rescue his people from destruction later on. (speaking in foreign language) Every active obedience by Jesus. (speaking in foreign language) No matter how big or how small. (speaking in foreign language) Is what earned him the right. (speaking in foreign language) To trade his life for ours on the cross. (speaking in foreign language) If he disobeyed even the smallest thing. (speaking in foreign language) He would have had to die for his own sins and not ours. (speaking in foreign language) No moment of obedience was insignificant. (speaking in foreign language) No moment was out of God's control. (speaking in foreign language) Did you pray with me? (speaking in foreign language) Have a follow we come before you.

(speaking in foreign language) And God, we thank you so much. (speaking in foreign language) For Esther's story. (speaking in foreign language) We thank you Lord for the encouragement that it is to us. (speaking in foreign language) That in the same way you used her for such a time as that. (speaking in foreign language) Learn the same way that we see you orchestrating the events of her life to bring her into a position to rescue your people. Gotta beg you that every person here in our Espinio campus. Would believe that you're orchestrating the events of their lives. To place them right where you want them. And Lord, whether they've gotten to where they are because of things that haven't glorified you. Or whether they're in the place they are through their faithful obedience to you. I'd like you to turn to you. Trust you. Follow your will for their lives. And believe that there are no coincidences. You're in control. You're the sovereign God of the universe. And you're working all things together for our good and your glory. And you're working all things together for us. And you're working all things together for us. God, maybe walk out of here with that confidence today. And your name. And your name. And amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]