Well, good morning, everyone.
You'd be grateful to keep your Bibles open there.
! Esther's 8 through to 10.
If you've just joined us, we've been working our way through this book of Esther,
!
particularly realising that it's not just some kind of Cinderella story of some poor orphan Jewish girl
who rises to greatness, become the Queen of Persia,
but ultimately it's a story about how God brings salvation to his people
through silently but sovereignly working through ordinary circumstances of life.
And we come to the end of it today.
So if you've got the Sir Paul's app, you'll see an outline for today's message, three points there.
And we're kicking off with the temporary victory of Esther.
So having, well, just to sort of summarise where we've been,
King Xerxes was convinced by the narcissistic Haman, who was chief of his administration,
to issue a decree to the whole entire Persian empire to kill, destroy and annihilate the Jews,
something that Haman himself obviously didn't like the Jews very much.
And so last time we met, what we got there was the first stages of glimpses, if you like,
of a reversal of fortune in chapter 6,
when Xerxes publicly honours Esther's cousin Mordecai,
the person who Haman hated the most,
publicly honours him just in the nick of time before Haman murders him.
And that moment there marked the reversal of fortunes and the swift downfall of Haman.
Haman was very soon, from that moment, he was executed on the stake that he himself had built
in order to impale Mordecai.
And so with Haman's downfall, Mordecai rises to Haman's place of power.
And so with Xerxes' original edict to annihilate the Jews, gone out into the empire,
and as we've just read, it cannot be reversed, it cannot be repealed.
Instead, what now happens is a counter-edict is drawn up,
allowing the Jews to defend themselves when they are now attacked.
What that means is, without this edict, the Jews would have been breaking the law
if they attempted to defend themselves in any way.
And the edict, we read, means that not only can they defend themselves,
but anyone who attacks them,
they can now take possession of all of their property.
Now, you would expect that this counter-edict
would have put the whole thing to rest,
and people would have gone,
OK, look, you know, deal's off.
Let's just go home and rethink this.
You'd think it'd be over, but it wasn't.
Not in any sense.
In fact, quite a number were willing to carry through
with the original edict, even in the citadel,
which we might remember from the very first message.
The citadel is the seat of power and influence.
Even there in the palace,
there are more than 500 who wanted to kill the Jews.
Verse 16 says that at the end of the day,
75,000 were killed.
75,000 attacked the Jews on that day
in order to kill and annihilate them.
And the only ones named of those 75,000
are the, well done, Anne,
the Haman's sons with names you just can't pronounce.
Why?
Why name his 10 sons?
I think for one really important reason.
There's a couple, but I'll give you one important reason.
At the end of chapter 5,
when Haman's ego was bruised by Mordecai
because Mordecai would not bow down and honour him
as he thought that he should be doing,
he goes home, gathers all of his friends and his family
and has a boast fest.
He boasted about three things in chapter 5
to reveal that he was a man worthy to be honoured.
He boasted about his power,
he boasted about his wealth
and he boasted about his sons,
which is another way of boasting about his legacy
and about his name going on beyond him.
And in chapter 7,
we see the reversal happening.
His position is taken away from him
and given to Mordecai in chapter 8.
In chapter 8, his wealth is taken away from him
and as we just read, given to Esther.
And now his sons, following through with their father's plan
to annihilate the Jews,
his sons are now taken away from him.
In other words, his name is no longer.
His name, his heritage is over.
He is finished.
His legacy is done.
The great reversal of Haman,
who set himself up against God's people,
is now complete.
Every basis of his boasting has now been removed.
All that he built his life on,
all that his ego, that pumped up his ego, is gone.
The one who boasted,
the one who profoundly proud in heart
has now been deeply and completely, totally humbled.
Regardless, having said all of that,
in the sense that there is a sense of poetic justice here,
regardless of that, in this narrative,
many in our society struggle with the Bible
portraying God's people like this,
executing judgment on others.
Our citizens of modern Western civilization
are a product of a culture
that has normalized unconditional self-acceptance.
That is our normal response,
unconditional self-acceptance.
And so, because we are drilled into us
from a very young age,
that we must accept ourself,
who we are.
And it's the dominant theme of self-acceptance.
When it comes to hearing about God's acceptance of us,
that's not so amazing.
What else would we expect God to do?
That's his job.
His job is to accept me as I have accepted me.
In fact, the idea of grace
in Western civilization is not so amazing.
It's God's job.
That's what we expect him to do,
to accept me as I have accepted me.
And yet, in our same culture,
the idea that God would stand in judgment of humanity
and demand from us repentance
or obedience of any form at all,
and the idea that he will finally condemn
all those who proudly reject him
and set themselves up against him,
as we have a glimpse here of Haman,
that concept is shockingly counterintuitive to us,
deeply perplexing.
How can God,
who we have created in our own image,
a God of love,
also hold us accountable?
That is perplexing.
And so, therefore,
in our civilization,
our society,
there are some aspects of the Christian faith
which we want to go,
that's absolutely right, of course,
because it agrees with our worldview,
but there are others,
aspects of the Christian faith
that we think are fundamentally dangerous
and we would despise
because it sets itself up against our worldview.
The bigger picture here
that's happening here
is that God's anger at his enemy
is not some kind of cranky explosion.
It's not an act of revenge.
God's acts of justice and retribution
in the Bible
are his settled opposition
to the cancer
which is eating out the insides of humanity,
the cancer of sin,
a humanity that is created
in his image
to enjoy relationship with him,
a humanity that he loves
with his whole being.
And the Bible says
that God's anger
flows from his love
and his delight
in that which he has created
to be enjoyed.
He is angry at evil
and injustice.
He is angry
at the pride of humanity
that sets itself up against him
because it is destroying
the peace
and the integrity
of what he has made.
God's punishment of evil
is not an overreach.
It is certainly shocking
and it is certainly terrifying.
That's what images of this
like Esther
is meant to,
the conclusion
is meant us to be.
It is his justice.
In that sense,
the punishment fits the crime
and it's the kind of justice
that we want to live for,
we want in society.
We want,
if someone does wrong to me,
we want wrong
to be done to them.
We want justice
in that moment.
We want the punishment
to fit the crime.
And so the Bible
clearly declares
that those who proudly
set themselves up
against God
in life
will be brought low.
They will be humbled.
They will be held accountable.
They will be punished.
But notice something else
in this text.
A couple of times
in these verses,
we are told very clearly
that the wealth,
the Jews did not take
the wealth
of their attackers.
Even though Xerxes' edict,
the law,
said that they could.
As they acted
in self-defence,
they were allowed
to take the plunder
of those who attacked them.
but they didn't.
Emphatically,
three times,
they didn't.
In other words,
the bloodshed
that we read of here
was an act
of self-defence
against tens
of thousands
of people
who wanted them dead
for no reason
than their race,
than their culture,
or their religion.
For no other reason
than that.
In other words,
this is not,
what we are reading here
is not an act
of imperial action
by which they were
enriching themselves
and increasing
their power.
we are told
several times
they needed
relief
from their enemies
who were seeking
to annihilate them.
And chapter 9,
verse 17
tells us
that that relief
from their enemies
is exactly what they got.
They rested
and made it
a day
of feasting
and joy.
And this particular day
became an annual day
of celebration
for,
of salvation
and rescue
and rest from enemies
for the Jewish nation.
However,
let me just say
as we get to there,
this is nothing new.
What we're experiencing
here at the end of Esther,
this is nothing new
for God's historic people
in the Old Testament.
They have a track record
of leaders
who give them rest
temporarily.
Moses gave it to them
for a little while.
Joshua gave it to them
for a little while.
Then there's the judges
and there's David
and then there's Solomon
and now Esther.
There's relief
but it doesn't last.
It's temporary.
And we even see it here
because tacked on the end
of this book
rather awkwardly
is this little postscript
in Esther chapter 10.
King Xerxes imposed tribute
throughout the empire
to its distant shores
and all his acts
of power and might
together with a full account
of the greatness of Mordecai
whom the king
had promoted.
Now at first glance,
you read those verses
and you go,
I mean, okay, great.
You know, a little postscript.
What are they there for?
However, in the context
of Esther
and the great victory
that means one here
for God's people
against people
who were seeking
to annihilate them,
what these little verses
show us
is that nothing
has actually changed
at all.
Xerxes,
the ruler of Persia,
the kingdom
that is oppressing
God's people
is still king.
And his personal interests
remain paramount
regardless
of the cost
of his subjects.
At least 75,000
of his subjects
have just died
and it says here
that he imposed tribute
throughout the empire.
He didn't,
there's no day of mourning.
A tribute
is either a new tax
or it's constricting
people
into forced labour.
That's his response.
God's people
have received
rest
from
one enemy
but they have yet
to receive rest
from Xerxes himself.
And so their relief
here
is temporary
and it is fragile
as the next day
they start paying
more taxes
and they start
getting back
into slave labour.
And so it's
during this time
in the history
of God's people
that the
latter prophets
of the Old Testament
began to prophesy
that there will
someday
be a Messiah
and a Messiah
who will come
and this Messiah
will provide
for them
ultimate rest.
a final rest
a final peace.
In fact
Daniel chapter 7
who writes
during this time
of exile
talks about
this one
as being
the son of man
a powerful figure
who will have
great authority
direct from God
who will come
and wage war
against all evil
all injustice
and bring about
the final rest
of those
who are God's people.
and that final
victory comes
in the person
of Jesus.
Because several
hundred years
later
Jesus of
Nazareth
suddenly bursts
into the scene
the first century
Palestine
and the masses
there wondered
who is this
one
who is such
authority
with such
power
not just
with his
teaching
but the things
that he does
and Jesus
says
I am
the son of man
and I've come
to forgive sins.
That is
he's the son of man
from God
with God's authority
waging war
against humanity's
greatest enemy
sin
and its consequence
eternal death.
that's our
greatest
that's our
greatest enemy
and this
is
his
mission
but right
from the very
beginning
Jesus is
rejected
as the
son of man
and this
is where
we see
Jesus
treating
his enemies
quite differently.
In Luke
chapter 9
there's a place
where some
people
in fact
right at the
very beginning
of his
public
ministry
he's
rejected
and they
show themselves
to be
an enemy
of Jesus
and enemies
of disciples
of Jesus
an enemy
against the
mission of
Jesus
and the
disciples
turn to
Jesus
say to
him
you know
Jesus
do you
want us
to call
down fire
from heaven
and just
obliterate
this little
village here
you want us
to take
them out
you know
call in
nuclear
strike
the smart
bombs
in other
words
what the
disciples
are saying
to Jesus
you are
the son
of man
aren't you
you are
the one
Daniel 7
said about
so show us
your power
and defeat
your enemy
right now
and these
people here
are your
enemy
and Jesus
rebuked
them
and he
says love
your enemies
forgive
your enemies
and it
wasn't
until
his main
disciples
had been
with him
for three
years
that they
finally got
it at the
very end
and they
didn't like
it
on the
night of
his
crucifixion
his
enemies
in this
case
not
the
oppressive
rulers
the
Romans
but it
was the
Romans
and the
Jews
came in
force to
arrest him
in the
garden of
Gethsemane
and Jesus
mate
Peter
slow on
patience
and
compassion
draws his
sword
because he
thinks this
is it
this is the
moment we've
been waiting
for
where finally
the son of
man will
stand up
and defeat
the occupying
Roman forces
and he
swipes the
ear off
one of the
guys who
comes to
arrest Jesus
and Jesus
says put your
sword away
Peter
and Jesus
goes with his
enemies
he allows
them to
bound him
and ultimately
to bind him
with nails
onto a
cross to
die
and he
utters
incredible
words from
the cross
father
forgive them
for they do
not know
what they
are doing
he forgives
his enemies
and so what
we have on
the cross
is Jesus
Christ
the son of
man
the son of
God
loving his
enemies
forgiving his
enemies
dying for
his enemies
and his
death
is the
ultimate
judgment
of evil
and injustice
this is
Jesus
defeating
our
greatest
enemy
he is
concerned
about
destroying
sin
and evil
and injustice
that he's
eating away
at the
world
that he
loves
Galatians
3 verse
13 says
that Jesus
was hung
on a
pole
he was
put on
display
as a
public
spectacle
Christ
redeemed
us
from the
curse
of the
law
by
becoming
a
curse
for us
for it
is
written
curse
is
anyone
who's
hung
on a
pole
he
redeemed
us
in order
that the
blessing
of Abraham
might come
to the
Gentiles
through
Christ
Jesus
so that
by faith
we might
receive
the promise
of the
spirit
in other
words
what
Galatians
3 is
saying
for us
is that
Jesus
trades
place
with us
for all
of humanity
that's
rejected
their
God
he
trades
place
and
becomes
cursed
by God
for us
in other
words
we who
have
rejected
God
and are
the
enemies
of God
Jesus
trades
place
and
becomes
God's
enemy
for us
he was
made a
spectacle
for our
sin
and evil
and injustice
you see
what the
cross
of Jesus
reveals
to us
is that
God
is not
concerned
to destroy
this
particular
enemy
or that
particular
enemy
as much
as he
is concerned
to destroy
enmity
the enmity
the hostility
that divides
one person
with another
person
within
their own
household
even
that divides
groups of
people
cultures
and races
against this
group
and against
that group
but most
of all
Jesus
came
to defeat
the enmity
that exists
between
humanity
and its
creator
the enmity
exists
because
in our
proud state
we have
rejected
God
and deep
in our
hearts
we are
at war
with God
you see
if Jesus
had picked
up the
sword
in the
garden
of
Gethsemane
and destroyed
the occupying
Romans
the enemy
of the
Jewish
people
in the
first
century
he would
have given
his people
in that
moment
temporary
rest
from one
enemy
but when
he died
on the
cross
for our
sin
he was
destroying
sin
and evil
itself
death
itself
eternal
death
itself
the
great
enemy
of all
of humanity
he become
the curse
himself
he was
hung
on a
pole
and turned
away
the anger
of God
from us
and allowed
it to
descend
on him
the cross
of Jesus
is the
ultimate
warfare
against
God's
enemy
this is
so
important
for us
to grasp
because
as a
general rule
if someone
hurts our
reputation
we genuinely
conclude
that we
have an
absolute
perfect
right
to tell
everyone
about what
has happened
and therefore
in the hope
that we will
ruin their
reputation
the
natural
default
position
of every
human
heart
is to
respond
to evil
force
with hurtful
force
we fight
fire
with fire
in other
words
to defeat
our enemy
we must
whack
our enemy
and if
we whack
our enemy
hard enough
then we
will get
rest
don't we
that's the
thinking
if we
whack
them
hard
enough
we will
get
rest
and yet
the reality
is we
don't
all we
have done
is we
have made
our enemy
worse
the enmity
in other
words the
relational
hostility
is still
there
you
don't
have an
enemy
defeat
your
enemy
decisively
and they
come back
at you
and go
oh I
was
terribly
wrong
I got
that
entirely
you were
always
you were
totally
right
can we
now be
best
friends
tell me
when that's
ever
happened
in race
relationships
any
victory
in a
battle
where we
fight
fire
with
fire
is
only
temporary
when we
fight
evil
with
evil
we
don't
beat
evil
wins
it
wins
every
time
and the
only way
to defeat
evil
is with
good
it's the
only way
and this
is what
Jesus
achieved
for us
on the
cross
the
perfectly
righteous
one
took on
all of
our
evil
all of
our
sin
all of
our
unrighteousness
and allowed
God
his father
to whack
him
for it
instead
his grace
is so
powerful
it's because
his grace
for us
destroys
the
enmity
there is
nothing
more
formidable
nothing
more
violent
if I
can say
that in
the most
positive
terms
there is
nothing
more
violent
than
grace
because
it
ultimately
defeats
evil
it
defeats
enmity
when you
give someone
grace
who does
not deserve
it
when you
forgive
them
when you
give them
the
prospect
when you
give someone
grace
when you
give them
mercy
when you
give them
forgiveness
you actually
turn an
enemy
and you
give them
the prospect
of becoming
a friend
and
friendship
is in fact
the only
way to
really
deal with
an enemy
it's the
only way
to destroy
an enemy
is to
make them
a friend
and that's
what Jesus
did for us
on the
cross
he was
changing us
from being
God's
enemies
deserving
of his
eternal
punishment
into his
friends
deserving
of his
eternal
love
instead of
whacking
us
God
dealt
with
his
righteous
anger
at our
evil
by
whacking
himself
so that
we might
not just
be his
friends
but that
we might
be co-heirs
with Jesus
his much
loved
children
and the
minute we
grasp hold
of that
that that
message which
is the
center of
Christianity
take hold
of that
it actually
changes us
from being
an enemy
to becoming
a friend
of Jesus
and of
God
and what
that does
therefore
is it
sends us
out into
this world
at rest
from enemies
if we
understand the
good news
of what Jesus
has done
for us
we actually
get rest
from all
of our
enemies
now
so let
me show
you how
this works
how do we
rest in
the victory
of Jesus
do you
believe
let me ask
a couple
questions
do you
believe
that Jesus
Christ
had to
die
for you
because
for your
sin
because in
fact you
are that
evil
that you
are that
flawed
that you
are that
much an
enemy of
God's
you were
that bad
do you
secondly
believe
that you
are
that
sinful
that
nothing
less
than
God
himself
the
son
of
God
Jesus
Christ
coming
into
this
world
to die
in your
place
nothing
less than
that is
required
to rescue
you
and to
bring you
back to
God
if you
do
that
is
incredibly
humbling
to a
proud
heart
and what
it does
is it
vaccinates
you
against
what evil
does to
keep itself
going in
the world
when someone
wrongs us
the first
thing that
happens is
we get on
our high
horse
and religious
people are
very good
at this
as a
general
rule
we get
on our
high
horse
we get
angry
and so
self-righteous
I would
never do
that
can't believe
they did
that to
me
don't they
realise
who I
am
and that
is how
evil
just
keeps
going
and the
good news
of Jesus
dying on
the cross
tells me
that when
someone
wrongs
me
and it
impacts
me so
hard
in my
heart
my
instinct
going
to
Jesus
should
say
oh
I
am
no
better
I'm
a
sinner
that's
saved
by
sheer
grace
I'm
no
better
and if
that is
our
place
of
refuge
then
evil
doesn't
have to
get a
foothold
in that
moment
what I'm
saying
is that
if a
Christian
hates
someone
who is
attacking
them
then they
have
forgotten
that they
are a
sinner
saved
by
God's
grace
they
have
forgotten
that they
are an
enemy
of
God
saved
by the
grace
of the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
if a
Christian
hates
anyone
you've
forgotten
the
gospel
this is
so
crucial
for us
as we
grasp
to grasp
this
as we
look to
our
future
as a
church
doing
ministry
here at
Chatswood
and
beyond
we
exist
in a
society
that
has
a
growing
indifference
a
genuine
perplexity
and
even
at
some
places
a
very
deep
hostility
to
the
gospel
of the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
to
the
Christian
faith
there
are
those
who
are
ignorant
of
what
it
is
that
we
believe
there
are
those
who
frankly
don't
care
what
it
is
that
we
believe
and
there
are
those
who
believe
that
what
we
believe
is
fundamentally
dangerous
for
society
for
the
welfare
of
society
whoever
they
are
they're
not
our
enemy
they
are
not
our
enemies
and
we
do
not
meet
force
with
force
we
do
not
use
political
power
we
do
not
meet
force
with
force
we
do
not
whack
those
who
are
against
us
and
it
starts
here
with
us
as
a
church
as
a
community
where
a
community
that
loves
and
forgives
and
bears
with
one
another
across
all
different
stages
of
culture
and of
race
and of
gender
and of
belief
and of
social
levels
we are
to stand
with those
who are
oppressed
even
if
those
who are
doing
the
oppressing
might
be
considered
traditionally
as being
our
enemies
we
stand
for
religious
freedom
not
just
for
our
sake
but
because
of
other
people
of
other
religions
have
a
right
to
their
beliefs
too
and
from
that
place
for
who
we
are
as a
community
loving
each
other
across
different
cultures
and races
and genders
and beliefs
we then
go out
into a
world
and we
give them
what we
got from
Jesus
we forgive
them
we reach
out to
them
we be
gracious
to
them
which
means
on a
day
like
today
we
don't
just
love
and
support
the
victims
of
domestic
violence
we
love
and
support
the
perpetrators
of it
as well
even
as we
call
them
to
repentance
because
as we
extend
the grace
of the
Lord
Jesus
to
them
we
hope
and we
pray
that
more
of
them
will
become
friends
that
is
our
vision
as we
move
forward
a
growing
church
family
saved
and
at
rest
in
the
grace
of
the
Lord
Jesus
a
rest
which
is
total
enduring
final
rest
from
our
greatest
enemy
in
sin
and
death
that's
what
we
need
and
we
can
all
have
it
now
in
fact
Jesus
offers
it
to
you
today
Jesus
offers
you
right
now
rest
for
your
soul
he
says
in
Matthew
11
verse
28
come
to me
all
who
are
weary
and
burdened
and
I
will
give
you
rest
take
my
yoke
upon
me
and
learn
from
me
for
I'm
gentle
and
humble
in
heart
and
you
will
find
rest
for
your
souls
rest
come
to
Jesus
for
rest
do
you
have
a
deep
hunger
in
life
the
accumulation
of
possessions
and
honour
and a
legacy
pushing
it
down
to
try
and
find
satisfaction
from
all
of
these
things
and
it's
not
satisfying
there's
still
a
restlessness
you
still
have
a
love
a
hunger
for
love
and
security
and
significance
and
meaning
Jesus
said
I
am
the
bread
of
life
feed
on
me
and
you
will
never
hunger
again
come
to
me
for
rest
are
you
walking
in
darkness
and
disillusionment
and
despair
Jesus
said
I
am
the
light
of
the
world
if
you
follow
me
you
will
never
walk
in
darkness
instead
you'll
have
the
light
of
life
come
to
Jesus
for
rest
do
you
fear
death
your
greatest
enemy
do
you
fear
death
and
the
sting
of
death
sin
which
means
that
death
will go
on for
eternity
conscious
eternity
of
death
Jesus
says
I am
the
resurrection
and the
life
he who
believes
in me
will
live
even
though
he
dies
and
whoever
lives
and
believes
in me
will
never
die
come
to
Jesus
and
find
rest
are
you
burdened
are
you
worried
are
you
anxious
are
you
feared
do
you
have
guilt
Jesus
come
to
me
all
of
you
who
are
weary
and
burdened
and
I
will
give
you
rest
final
rest
enduring
rest
come
to
Jesus
end
the
enmity
between
you
and
God
and
find
rest
for
your
soul
rest
from
all
the
sickness
and
the
pain
and
the
disability
and
the
death
rest
from
everything
that
takes
the
gloss
off
this
life
find
rest
in
him
now
and
with
it
a
foretaste
of
the
final
perfect
and
never
ending
physical
rest
of his
presence
in his
new
creation
forever
!
The
rest
of
unspoiled
love
between
you
and
God
and
all
of
his
people
do