Sun, Nov 21, 2021
Two months have passed since Haman's execution. And yet, Haman's edict to exterminate the Jews remains a threat. Esther again musters her courage, approaches the king, as requests his mercy. She asks the king to write a new edict reversing the first. He grants Mordecai permission to write an edict allowing the Jews to defend themselves. He does and sends it to every province in Persia. This good news makes the Jews joyful. God has preserved his people; they celebrate in kind.
Sun, Nov 14, 2021
Duration: 44 mins 12 secs
Esther's second feast has begun. King Xerxes has run out of patience. Haman is covered in shame. When the king asks Queen Esther for her petition and requests, she offers a brilliant, calibrated response, which exposes her Jewish identity and accuses Haman of attempted genocide. Things go from bad to worse for Haman, when the king catches Haman draped over his wife. Now he has a reason to impale Haman, who ends up dead on the very pole he crafted for Mordecai's execution. Reversals continue in this dramatic book: here it begins when Esther comes out of hiding.
Sun, Nov 07, 2021
Duration: 43 mins 45 secs
King Xerxes cannot sleep. This minor detail begins a turn of events that reverses the fortune of Mordecai, Queen Esther, and the Jewish people. Meanwhile, Haman enters the king's court after spending the night erecting a large stake to crucify Mordecai on. Before can get permission from the king to carry out his plan, Xerxes asks Mordecai what he should do to honor a man he delights in. Haman, a classic narcissist, things the king speaks of him. He does not. He intends to honor Mordecai for an earlier, overlooked act of valor. Haman's narcissism is exposed. His dramatic fall begins. Narcissism never ends well. We all must beware of it, forgetting ourselves, and looking to Jesus.
Sun, Oct 24, 2021
Duration: 44 mins 38 secs
Mordecai and Esther communicate through various servants after she learns of his public display of affliction. She cannot persuade him to change clothes and silence his grief. Instead, Mordecai vents his anger about Haman's plot and tries to command Esther to take action. She agrees but on her own terms. She will not be managed. She will seize the moment God has given her. This focuses on God's providence and human responsibility.
Sun, Oct 10, 2021
Duration: 44 mins 59 secs
Although he uncovers an assassination plot against King Xerxes, Mordecai retains his lowly position at the gate. Meanwhile, Haman rises to power and flaunts it. When Mordecai refuses to bow to him, it spells not only the death of Mordecai but of all the Jewish people. Haman consults his magical cube (i.e., pur) and convinces the king to legislate the extermination on the Jews. This message deals with evil in some of its grossest forms. It reminds us that every evil face will someday face God.
Sun, Aug 22, 2021
Duration: 46 mins 14 secs
God calls his people to do extraordinary things. Build arks and altars. Defy kings and walk through deep waters. Critical to every call is an act of trust. We trust God because he keeps his promises. The call to trust and assurance of God's trustworthiness encouraged the Hebrews. It defined all those mentioned in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11). Today, it will encourage us as we look at 4 examples.
Sun, Jun 27, 2021
Duration: 49 mins 51 secs
Miracles are hard to believe in our secular age. We are trained to be skeptics, to view the world as a closed and often cold system. If God ever existed, he left us long ago, thinks the skeptic. But Jesus gives us a glimpse of "God with us" and engaged in powerful acts of healing, restoring, and welcome. He has authority over nature, demons, sin, and death. These are evidences he is Messiah, Son of God. And we should let the evidence address our inner skeptic, so we see the world buzzing with divine life.
Sun, Jun 20, 2021
Duration: 1 hr 10 mins 12 secs
When we walk and talk with God, he often reveals truths that direct us. In this message, Matt shares about his Bike Ride Epiphanies. God called out his fear, called him to humility and brokenness. Only in this place do we truly experience the peace of Jesus, who is our peace.
Sun, Apr 11, 2021
Duration: 48 mins 18 secs
Jacob is no hero. In fact, he was more of a schemer, trickster, and ambitious figure from the Old Testament. But when he faces a major bind, he realizes what he needs more than anything else is God's blessing. This message opens a three-part series on the pursuit, purpose, and practice of blessing. As Jacob learned after a night of wrestling, God's blessing is his greatest aim.
Sun, Dec 27, 2020
Duration: 40 mins 48 secs
We pay attention to powerful voices -- in the media, on the radio, and even in the wilderness. John the Baptist was one of those voices that demanded attention. He spoke of God's coming kingdom and favor for those who sought his forgiveness. John serves as an important pivot between OT expectation and Jesus's messianic ministry. When Jesus comes to him to receive baptism, the scene closes with the arresting voice of the heavenly Father, who deserves the last word on His Son.
