Esther and the Church
SIN LESS Part 11

November 2, 2014
MF Blume

Esther 1:2-3 KJV That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, (3) In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:

Esther 1:4-5 KJV When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days. (5) And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace;

Esther 1:9-12 KJV Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. (10) On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, (11) To bring Vashti the queen before the king with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. (12) But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him.

Esther 1:19-20 KJV If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she. (20) And when the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.

Israel was like Vashti.
•   Israel was married to the Lord and displeased Him again and again.
•   BY the time Jesus came, the religious Pharisees were exalting themselves and not bringing glory to God.

Matthew 21 mentions a parable of Israel describing Jerusalem with it’s temple as a vineyard with a tower.

Matthew 21:33-36 KJV Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

Isaiah 5:7 KJV For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

The hedge was the law to keep them in righteous living.

God hid away in thick darkness in the temple, not always visible to them as in Moses’ day.
•   He planted them in Canaan like a vineyard, and ordained the religious leaders to take care of them and obtain FRUIT from them.
•   Sacrifices, fruit of righteousness, worship.

Matt 21:(34) And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. (35) And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. (36) Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

These were the prophets that He later said were sent to Jerusalem and killed.

Matthew 23:34 KJV Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

Finally the master sent His Son.
Matthew 21:37-41 KJV But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. (38) But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. (39) And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. (40) When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? (41) They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

Jesus came as HEIR.
•   He spoke of the kingdom and they knew it threatened their position.
•   The heir takes all.
•   Jesus would go the throne of David.
•   They wanted to continue in their position with temple and so forth.
•   Jesus would end all of that.

This all occurred on the day He rode into Jerusalem as king as prophesied, and was rejected.

The religious leaders should have taken the fruit and given it to the Master, but they kept it for themselves.

Vashti had her own feast while the King had his.

She was removed.

Matthew 21:42-43 KJV Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? (43) Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

So the king got another BRIDE

ESTHER.

THE CHURCH.

Haman came along and wanted the Jews dead, and built a gallows to hang Mordecai whom all knew was a Jew.

Mordecai would not bow to a man like Haman, and was recognized as a Jew.
•   Like Shadrach, Meschech and Abednego not bowing to the golden image of the king.
•   Like Daniel refusing to stop praying when the law was put in to cease.

Esther 3:6 KJV And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.

And a law was made.

Esther 3:8-9 KJV And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. (9) If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries.

Esther 3:12-14 KJV Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. (13) And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. (14) The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day.

A gallows was built especially for Mordecai.

Esther 5:14 KJV Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

All the while Haman did not know ESTHER the queen was a JEW.
•   She informed the king, and Haman died on his own gallows.

Esther 7:9-10 KJV And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. (10) So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

Hebrews 2:14 KJV Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Jesus destroyed the devil with his own weapon, death.
•   The cross was really destroying satan, not Jesus.

BUT after his death

Esther 8:5 KJV And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces:

THAT LAW WAS STILL IN EFFECT.

Romans 7:10-13 KJV And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. (11) For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. (12) Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. (13) Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

HAMAN used the law that Mordecai lived by in order to kill him, just LIKE SIN DOES.
•   That same law was killing Jews afterwards.
•   The law of sin death is killing Christians.
•   Their desire to serve God is their enemy, but only because THEY USE FLESH TO DO SO.
•   THAT is the part sin gets hold of.

. Learn how God does not automatically step in any time we have a struggle. The Spirit of God is in our lives to work in our lives for victory. But we have to learn what not to do and what to do. Learn how we and the Spirit work together. God set this up so that we have to do something, and then the Spirit’s power will manifest.

Before satan’s influence over Christians was destroyed by the cross, he already got sin infused into Adam and Eve by the forbidden fruit.
•   And THIS STILL afflicts Christians after the cross started the entire New Covenant.

So he told THEM TO USE HIS NAME and write a law.

Esther 8:7-8 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.

Though the Jews could do nothing about the present Law that demanded their deaths, they could have a Law that could override it and deliver them from its death.

We have victory.

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

But Christians sill sin and backslide and lose out with God.

The king said he can do nothing more.
•   Haman was hanged.
•   Jesus said IT IS FINISHED.
•   So how do we deal with the problem of sin slaying us after we’re saved?
•   OUR PART COMES INTO PLAY.

Romans 7:25 KJV …So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

So…

Romans 8:1-2 KJV There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

There is a SECOND LAW that we need to claim, that overrides the pervious law that kills us.
•   Paul actually used the word SLAY.

Romans 7:23-24 KJV But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (24) O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Verse 25-- I THANK GOD!

Esther 8:9-10 Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language. And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:

And here is what they wrote:

Esther 8:11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Look what happened as a result of the Jews having lived by a higher Law:
Esther 8:17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

The new law says to NOT USE FLESHLY EFFORT TO SERVE GOD.
•   Rely upon the Spirit!
•   Take what we said last week about how we forget God is with us, and how owe must look at situations bigger than us and walk into them anyway believing GOD WILL HELP!
•   Paul dealt with serving God and always failing.
•   Apply the same truth to overcoming any enemy.

Before Haman’s death, he enacted a Law at the King’s approval for all Jews to be slain on Adar the 13th. (It sounds like the name of a bad movie). Haman was dead, but his law that was created beforehand was still in effect. Look at how the Law read:

Esther 3:13-14   And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day.

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace

Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

But our part is this:

Romans 6:13 KJV Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.