Book of Esther - Part 18

The Old Testament as a Pattern for Spiritual Life

Let's go into Esther 7 and this is an amazing concept when you understand that the Bible says in the New Testament that God gave the Old Testament for types and patterns for those of us who live in the end of the age.

So when you find an Old Testament story God himself said in the New Testament that he gave the Old Testament as a picture of spiritual stuff going on in your individual life. So it's here you just have it's like a puzzle.

God put it together like a puzzle because he wants you to study. He doesn't want you to just come here and listen. He wants you to go home and open that book up yourselves and study it and see what you can find in there.

I would advise you to do this. Find you a friend or a spouse either one. Sometimes your spouse is your friend and if not then do the friend and have coffee once a week for an hour with somebody and just ask questions about the Bible and try to answer them together like I did with Brother Otis and I do with my young men.

Now still and and if you will do that you'll grow even faster because church has its place. God's ordained it and this is ordained of God that we come together and be encouraged. But there needs to be personal Bible study going on throughout the week.

And if that happens you really grow. And the old I don't remember which preacher said it years ago but the old quote that sin will keep you from the Bible but the Bible will keep you from sin is so true.

The Bible will keep you from sin. The Bible itself says that these words will sanctify you. Isn't that something. So we never need to be so prideful that we think last year's doctrinal study works for today.

Because it doesn't it's got to be new every day. It's like the manna in the wilderness. God sent the manna put it all out on the ground. They went out grabbed it ate it tasted like angel food they said.

And but God told him the thing is don't keep it because tomorrow it's gonna rot. So you have to go out and get the new bread in the morning. Why do you think he did it that way. It is another picture another type.

It is a picture of the Word of God and how it works in our lives. You got to go get it fresh every day. If you don't you will be carnal. Does everybody know what carnal means means you'll walk just like the lost people do and do the same stuff they do and say the same words they do and think the same thoughts they do.

Because you're no different you're no better. Your body deserves one thing and that's death. And that's how reason. How come God had no he had no answer for how to fix us. So he just crucified us in Christ hallelujah.

He crucified us because there was no way to fix us. So he crucified us and informed and gave birth to a new man inside of each of us. And that's called the new man or the spiritual man. And first John says he never will sin nor can he sin.

So there's your answer. But it's moment by moment you decide every moment while I walk in the flesh or the spirit. And if you don't decide to walk in the spirit you just decided de facto by doing nothing to walk in the flesh because that's what's natural.

So you have to make a willful decision to walk in the spirit. And the more moments you do that then others will see you as a spiritual person or a carnal person. And that's just how it is. Because that's the truth.

The ones that walk more moments in the spirit are the spiritual people. And none of us have the whole package though. Do we. We all fail and fall short. Do we not. As Apostle Paul says we have not yet attained but we're moving.

You know what. We're running as fast as we can run towards that finish line. And we should not be looking back all that much. Brother Otis taught me a lot about that. He said you know the stuff you think was mistakes in your past.

They weren't mistakes. They were instruments in God's hand to make you be a better person stronger person and be the very person you're gonna be when you meet him face to face. He said they're not mistakes.

Quit looking at him and beating up on yourself. So we're all in that boat. So we got to just put your eyes on that finish line and just move. Keep running keep resisting people that jump out in front of you and try to stop you just knock them down and go right on past them.

Esther’s Petition for Her Life and Her People

Keep going. Start with verse 3. Because we've already covered some of this. Then Esther the Queen answered and said if I have found favor in thy sight O King. And if it pleased the king. And she's about to ask for some stuff because for three days he's been saying it what is it you want woman.

You came into my presence. I know you want something I'll give you half my kingdom. Just ask. And she wouldn't ask now she's about to ask now what I'm gonna tell you here if you weren't here last time I think everybody was though is that here.

We have some type going on some types here we have some patterns. What you're gonna see here is that the king is going to be. This is odd because he was a pagan king. But the way God is using this story he's going to use that King as a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He's going to use Haman as a picture of the adversary who is the devil. He's going to use Esther and the people the Jews as a picture of you the Christian individual and their whole undertaking is a picture of your life that is full of trouble.

Esther wouldn't even been there for parents hadn't both died. She wouldn't even have been there if the whole nation had been not been destroyed by the Babylonians in war and they were taken captive and drug halfway across the known world to Babylon to serve as slaves.

She wouldn't even have been here. And yet God raised her up and put her as the Queen married to the King. Which is like you going through all the stuff you've been through. And yet you get to be married to Jesus.

You are the bride of Christ. Think about that. All of this is pictured in this little story. If you see that all of a sudden the story gets like several other layers. And so look at this. She's got this plan because God put it in her mind.

And she said well here's what I request. You've been wondering for three days. Here's what I want. I don't want gold. I don't want land. Here's what I want. I want my life. I want you to give me my life back.

That is my petition. And I also asked for the life of my people. That means my family. Now gentlemen this is a great sermon for you today. You are the spiritual leader of your home. Your wife is way more susceptible to demon activity than you are.

Your children are far more susceptible that than you are. You need to be praying for them every day and every night before they go to sleep. Lord we belong to you. Satan has no possession of this house or this family.

If there are any demons here tonight hovering around here rebuke them bind them and send them away from this house. That's how you pray. That is how you pray. And that is what the Lord will do. If you ask him to do it and your children and your wife will be protected.

Then pray for yourself. Maybe even do that first. Not necessarily in this order. You know pray for yourself first. The Lord would protect your mind your heart. Keep make you be a good man. Not a bad man.

Not a normal man but a good man. You know I'm saying so Jesus said without me you can do nothing. So none of this works without him. And so here we go. She says I want you to give me my life and my family now.

That's a picture of someone praying a protective prayer over the whole family. Someone has got to be doing that moms by the way I know your prayers are even more powerful. But the man better be doing it because if he doesn't you will make it weak and quit doing it so.

But the mom's prayers are very very extremely powerful. And the prayers together are like like a rock. They're like a fortress around that family. So I pray for me. But I pray for my life. But I want I want life for my family.

Who is she thinking can destroy her and her family. This one that she's going to call the adversary. He is pictured by a man named Haman in this story. But we battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in spiritual wickedness in high places.

And it is not Haman that's the problem. It's Satan that's the problem. And he has energized Haman's mind to attack God's people because he hates God. He could care less about you. He hates the one you love which is Jesus.

He hates him. He hates him. He hates him. My theory is he woke up one day he had just been created by Jesus and he woke up we saw Jesus standing there and he figured he had been created too. And he said well I'm better than you I'm prettier than you.

And he just went on from there. He's hated him from the day he laid eyes on him. That's what I think about Lucifer. But anyway so he hates you with as King David said cruel hatred. He hates you with cruel hatred.

And so here she says if that's true if my enemy hates me with cruel hatred and hates my whole family and would kill every one of us then that is my petition my king give me my life give me the life of my family.

Think about that. If you think you can just walk through life without praying that prayer you'll be taught differently. And here it goes. For we are sold I and my people to be destroyed to be slain and to perish.

That's a bad end. That's a triple end to be destroyed to be slain to be perished. Who were they sold by. Well we know in the story. But spiritually what is this picturing. I'm gonna tell you what you got sold out by your own parents and their names were Adam and Eve.

They sold you out because they made a willful decision of their heart and mind. And they did exactly what they wanted to in that garden. And they wanted that fruit. And they got it. And they did not care about you when they did that the natural affection that they should have had for their future children.

They lost it for a lapsed few moments. And they took that fruit and they ate it. They didn't give a flip about you. Oh they may have been sorrowful later but at the time they were enjoying the fruit they didn't care.

So they sold you out. And by right of conquest Satan became the little G God of this world. On that moment he became the Lord of this world. By right of conquest he began to rule over man at that moment.

And I'm gonna tell you something. He does not need new tricks. All he needs is a new audience. So every time you guys raise up a generation of young people about y 'all's age you don't even know what Satan does.

So he doesn't need anything new. He's gonna do the same stuff to you that he did to us. That's older guys and gals don't do the same stuff. And we're gonna tell you he's gonna do it. And he's still gonna do it.

Is that frightening. Or what we can tell you to what to watch out for for. And you will still succumb to it because he's that good. So dad's mom do you think you might need to be praying this prayer. Lord I pray from life for me.

I just ask for my life because I've been sold out. I pray for my life and that of my children and my people. For we were sold I and my people. We were sold to be destroyed to be slain to perish. Now look at this verse 5.

Then the king now he pictured Jesus in this story. He answered and said unto Esther the bride who is he. If I were Haman right now I'd be shaken. King said who did this. I'm not aware of this. Who did this.

Where is he. Who is he and where is he now. Won't you think about that a minute. I know you're gonna go through trouble in your lives and your family. But when you do rather than giving up what I want you to do is realize that you're one breath away from talking to your king and telling him your problem.

And he goes back and says who did this. And where are they. Just tell me that. And they just kind of let me take care of it from here. Listen ladies and gentlemen there is not anything more powerful than that.

You can't fix. You can't finagle and beat that. You can't plan and work your way around and figure all this stuff out and beat that. You all you need to just tell him. Just make the request in Esther said the adversary the enemy that's who did this.

Listen. Haman is a picture of Satan. That's who you point to when you're telling your king that you're having trouble and you say he desires my life and that of my family. First Peter 5 8 said be sober be vigilant.

Because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour. That's who we're talking about here adversaries. An interesting word in the Greek language. It's two little words as so many of them are decay which means right and justice.

And the word anti we say it that way in English same. It's the same word in Greek auntie. It means the opposite. So you put those two words together. It means the opposite of right. That's who the adversary is.

He's the opposite of everything. That's right. And that's who we battle against. But the interesting thing is our king wants to know who it is and where he is because it's his battle. Really. Verse 7.

Christ’s Victory Over the Adversary and the Cross

And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath. That is a picture of God. God has wrath. And the marvelous thing is that when you're standing on his side his wrath is against your enemy. And he went out into the palace garden and Haman stood up and began to shake.

And he made requests for his life to Esther the Queen for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. And then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine.

And Haman had fallen over on the bed where the Queen now remember it's a couch where they're eating food. It's not like bedroom. It's that's how they used to eat. He had fallen on the couch and begging for his life.

And the king comes in and sees that he said what are you trying to do. Force my wife. He went like that and the servants came in and put a hood over Haman's head carried him immediately out hung him because he had broken the law he had lain with the wife of the king or attempted to all that King had to say.

I think that's what he's trying to do. And he didn't have to tell the servants what to do. There were no orders issued. They just came. They put a hood over his head they took him out and they hung him on the same scaffold he had built to hang the Jew.

Now tell me that is not a picture of Satan as he's standing there smiling when Jesus is nailed to that cross. And he is standing there smiling saying I got this one fixed I won this. And Jesus says my God my God why have you forsaken me.

And Satan just rejoicing in his evil dark heart. And then all of a sudden Jesus says it is finished and Satan starts thinking wonder what he meant by that. And then all of a sudden he starts trembling and he says you know what I think.

I'm in trouble. And the rest is history. And the rest is the future as well. Now it's interesting the last little passage in Esther that we studied there was a parallel passage in Colossians chapter 1.

This passage we just looked at. There's a parallel passage in Colossians chapter 2. So turn with me to verse 8. Let's just look at this for a minute or two or three. And this passage in Colossians 2 starting with verse 8 says beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit.

Fullness of the Godhead in Christ and the Believer’s Completeness

Now we're gonna spend a little bit of time talking about our adversary the same one that Esther had beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit with the tradition of men after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ.

That is a great verse for any college student to read and study. And any person that's about to go to college to read and study because this is going to be done to you when you get to college I don't care where you go.

You can go to Christian College. You can go to any college doesn't matter where you go. They're going to begin to try to spoil you tell you how stupid your parents are. And they're gonna do it through these things that are mentioned.

And there's about four of a mention there four or five of a mention. And we could study that at a later time. We might just do that. But let's go on to verse 9. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Now that's talking about Jesus. That seems like a quick change in topic doesn't it. First verse he talks about the world system in the men of the world and how they're going to spoil you. And then he quickly changes the topic and talks about Jesus said but wait a minute the truth is Jesus is the one that in that body in his body the whole God had dwelled in there.

That's how powerful the one is who's going to protect you. And that's why that verse was put in there. He's the one who will protect you against the philosophy and vain deceit tradition of being in the rudiments of the world.

Jesus Christ will protect you from that. And you are complete in him. Complete doesn't mean you're perfect in the sense of sinless. What it means is you have all the equipment all of the armor. You have everything you need to make it through this life.

If you're in Christ you're not lacking in anything. You may think you are but you are not. And that is a positional truth that God says. And God can't lie. So you are complete. Every man woman boy and girl in here has all the equipment to walk a victorious life in this world and not fall to this enemy and not be destroyed by him.

You have you are complete in Christ. Who is the head of all principality and power. And who is that. Referring to it says he is the head of all principality and power. We battled not against flesh and blood but against what principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places in Jesus is the head of that.

Satan is the head of that. Jesus is the head of Satan. You understand what I'm saying. He is the head of all that. He is not weaker than that. He is stronger than that. He that is in me is stronger than he.

That's in the world. You are equipped. You are complete in him. You're not complete in the flesh though. In the flesh you're as weak as any lost person ever was. Maybe weaker because you have an enemy that could care less about the lost person.

But he really would like to screw up your family and destroy your life and mess everything up. In your testimony am I correct about that. So he is focused on you not them. He doesn't have to focus on them.

By nature. They follow him. He is focused on you and your family wants to rip it apart. Now here's the thing about it is you are complete in Christ. Who is Christ. He is all of the fullness of the Godhead in a body.

It does not get more powerful than that King. And that King is standing there saying who did that and where is he. Are you listening to me. Who did that and where is he. Just tell me all you have to do is tell me.

And I would go after him. Do you believe that. Ladies and gentlemen listen. If you believe that then the next time an unclean thought comes in your mind say Lord Jesus. You know I'm yours. I don't even like that thought.

Would you give me the mind of Christ right now. And you know what. If you really believe that that this is true all you had to do is tell him who is it where it is. You say it's right here. It's Satan.

And he's right here. And and Jesus will run him off. Try it try it. I guarantee you it works. How do you think a man can get up here and preach. You ever thought about that. You think about how how any man can come up here and preach the Holy Word of God.

He better not unless he says dear Jesus give me the mind of Christ. Where is he. Who is he. Satan. And he's been in my mind. Get him out of here. Don't let him stay there. Cover me with the blood of Jesus and anoint me to preach the gospel because I am NOT worthy.

You are complete in him which is the head of everything that is in whom. Also now look at verse 11. You are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.

Now do you understand that this is a physical picture of a cutting off of the flesh. That's what circumcision pictures in the physical world. Spiritually the Bible is telling you de facto just as true as it is that Adam and Eve sold you out because Satan defeated them by right of conquest.

It is equally true that Jesus on that cross that day especially three days later when he came out of that grave he defeated Satan de facto by right of conquest. And Jesus now owns you. And Satan has no right to you.

Do you understand that it's the same rules of law of war. Jesus went by the same rules of war that Satan did. And Jesus is the victim. I mean that Adam and Eve did and Satan. And now Jesus is the victor and the truth.

You're gonna see it here at the end of this passage how powerful this is. But I'm just telling you that right now what Jesus is telling you is look I understand the flesh. I came down and lived in it.

I was tempted in all points as you. And yet without sin. He said you have you thought about that for a minute. He was a man gentlemen. So you among all the people in the crowd understand what that means.

He was a man. He had a woman come in and take oil and put it on her hair and kneel down and bathe his feet with that. How would you have reacted to that. You don't know how he reacted to it. He said I know the condition of her soul and I'm gonna help her.

I've already helped her. I'm gonna help her more. I'm gonna help her to be a pure woman. This woman was a prostitute. He said. I'm gonna make her a saint. I'm gonna make her one of the most powerful women that ever walked on this earth.

I'm gonna make her be one of the only women that will follow me all the way to the cross because of the spiritual things had nothing to do with the fleshly things about me. That's how he was thinking.

Gentlemen. Can you think that way about the next young girl that walks down the street with the wrong attire. This you know. And you have to look out your car window and see that. Can you think that way you you won't naturally think that way.

And I think it was Billy Graham that said it's not the first thought that this it's the sin. It's what you do after that is that was that him that said something like that. So gentlemen what you do is you say Lord give me the mind of Christ.

Let me think about that young woman. I might could even be a help to her. Let me think about her like you do right now. And you know what. Just like that it's like he said who is it. Where is he. And you told him what's the devil.

And he's in my mind. Would you please get rid of him. He says it's my pleasure. And he runs him off. And you can be then a good man. You can be a godly man. Look at this. You are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh by Christ.

Jesus Christ has performed an operation on every one of you. That's here today that is born again. What he has done is he has made it possible for you to cut the flesh aside where it does not run you.

And that's what he means by he has already done. This doesn't mean he has to do it. He means he's already done it. When he was crucified and raised again you were buried with him spiritually. And you came out of the grave with him.

Which means you had that your old man is dead now and you have a resurrected life. And that life is a powerful life against sin. It will not even sin. It can't. So as long as it's in control you can't sin.

So as long as you put your hand in Jesus's in a moment you say I'm gonna walk with you for this moment you just cut the flesh off. It won't bother. You think about that. That's powerful information. I wish we could tell the whole world that verse 11 is great.

But look at verse 12 buried with him in baptism. That's where your old flesh that's where the old man is positionally buried with Christ in the grave. Wherefore also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God.

So who is it that performed the circumcision. Is it you. I mean you say well I'm gonna turn over a new leaf and just be a good person. No it does not work that way. God is the surgeon. And he's the one that performed the operation of circumcision on your heart.

And he has already done it. It does not have to do it. He has already done it. It is finished. That's why Satan trembled when Jesus said it is finished. And so it's been performed and Jesus Christ performed it.

And it's called the operation of God. And it is applied to your heart through faith. And the same one that raised Jesus from the dead is the one that performed this operation on our hearts. Verse 13. And you being dead in your sins and uncircumcision your flesh this is how you came to Christ.

You were dead. You were blind. You were deaf. You couldn't walk. You were lame. Your hands were worthless. They were withered away. You were useless to God. And so God chose you and me to show the entire created universe including all the angelic beings including Satan and all the demons that fell.

He chose you and me to show them this thing about himself that he wanted them to see that he could not demonstrate on them. He couldn't demonstrate it on the angels because they were perfect very easy to love.

He couldn't demonstrate it on the demons because they were imperfect very easy to hate. So he picked you and me and he said I'm gonna demonstrate to all of this created beings of mine this thing that's part of me that they don't know about yet called grace.

And that means unmerited love. It means I can love something that does not deserve my love. I can love something that hates me. I can love something that's running from me as fast as it can go the wrong direction and really does not want to even be around me.

And I can only love that person. I could be married to that person I could become one with that person forever. Watch this. And then he saved you. And then he saved me. And he performed an operation in your heart.

The moment he did it and created a new man gave birth to a new man who has the genes of God. The Bible says who cannot sin and put that in your heart and made that be the real you. And that other one that comes up and pops up wants to sin.

That's not even you. That's the dead you. But if you don't feed the new one this Word of God like manna every day fresh it rots and you can't live off of that. And you will go the way of Cain if you're not careful.

So you cannot let that stay in control. So look at this. The Bible tells us when we came to him we were dead in our sins and uncircumcision of our flesh. But the same you that was that way. Look at this.

And you hath he quickened now. That's an old English word that means brought to life resurrected. You were dead. He made you be alive from the dead. Imagine if you saw that right here somebody just falls over dead and all of a sudden we all pray and all sudden he gets up and walks around again.

That is exactly the miracle that took place in your life when you got born again. Spiritually we were all dead in sins. And now he quickened us. He brought us to life. But he didn't just bring us to life on our own.

Look at this. Look at every words important in this passage. In every passage it says together with him. So nobody in here just gets quickened. And then they have their life. It does not work that way.

It is not your life. It's not even your body. It's been paid for with a price and the price with the blood of Jesus. And he owns your mind. He owns your body. He owns your hands. He owns your feet and every part of your body and your heart.

He owns it. He already bought it. He paid for it. Just likes just like Adam and Eve sold you out and Satan owned you Jesus by right of conquest when he died on that cross. And he gave his life as the ransom for you.

He bought it back and he set you free from every lower Lord. And when he did that he quickened you and he forgave you all trespasses every sin you've ever done everything you ever will do. He forgave you blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against you.

That's the law which was contrary to you. That's the law that's in the Bible contrary to you. And he took it out of the way. Look at this nailing it to the cross. And look at verse 15. Here's what he did to Haman.

He took Haman and he stuck him on that same cross that he had built for Jesus the same gallows. Satan thought he was destroying Jesus Christ when really all he was doing was destroying. He was building the edifice that would destroy himself because it says having spoiled principalities and powers.

Jesus made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it. He nailed the law to the cross. He slew Satan and all the principalities and powers and he embarrassed them. It's made a show of them. He embarrassed them in front of the whole world for the whole universe openly when he triumphed over them in it.

What is it the cross. The death of the cross. Wherefore if you be dead in Christ from the rudiments of the world if it's true that you were in him and you were nailed to that cross and now you're dead to all that stuff.

Then why do you still live for the world. Why are you still subject to the ordinances and the way the world says you're supposed to live verse 20. Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world why.

As though living in the world are you subject to it. So the world comes out says okay to have a social drink. And you just fall right into that say that's okay. Because that's a rudiment. That's a teaching that the world has taught forever.

And now the church is saying well the Bible doesn't teach you can't drink alcohol. Well no it doesn't teach that if you're on the battlefield dying you can drink it. It teaches that you can drink it. Well Jesus drank wine.

Well he drank grape juice. Ladies and gentlemen that's what he drank. And I understand they didn't have refrigerators. But he did not drink grape juice to the extent that it made him drunk. In fact he saved drunkards from that sin told him go and sin no more.

That's a foolish argument. It's child's play to argue like that. What you're arguing for is you're arguing on the side of Satan to help him destroy lives with alcohol. And that is so stupid for the church to do that.

So why is it that we're subject to this if we're dead to it. Why is it we're subject to this if we're dead to it. That's the question. Now look there's other things though. Why are you subject to this.

You got religious people that come and say oh you can't touch that you can't taste that. Now you thinking well that's what you just said. No I didn't. I just said that I don't I really don't want to be a fundamental independent badness and say you just can't do anything.

You can't listen to that. You can't dress that way. You can't drink that. I want the Holy Spirit to tell you what you can listen to and how you can dress and what you can drink. Is that okay. But the problem is in this last days we don't walk in the Spirit enough.

We walk in the flesh all the time. And so then we say well it's okay to take a drink. You know what. That's gonna kill you. So are we mature enough to walk just by the Spirit not have these rules. Or do we need the rules.

Maybe we should switch if we're babies. We need the rules babies need. Do you agree with me that little children need rules. All right. So we got rules. Okay you can't taste this can't touch that don't handle that.

Isn't it appropriate to tell your babies that you they need to be told the law. Don't you think God puts the law in the Bible so we can learn the law. We need to be told the law. It's just that. Then when we get born again we have a higher law and it's the law of Christ.

And it's like if you love me enough you won't do that stuff. And I don't have to keep telling you don't touch it. You won't do it because you love me. That's a higher law isn't it. So then why do we fall back to the rudiments the world.