The Goal

January 26, 2014

The story of Esther displays two great truths for us to follow. First, the sovereign plan of God will always prevail over the schemes of men and of the devil. Second, God delights in using faithful people—such as Mordecai and Esther—in His great plan to redeem the world. Today, MPI Church is seeking to take part in God’s plan to revive Chicago and bring the nations to Jesus! For such a time as this: we are partnering with God to make 100,000 disciples and plant 50 churches in Chicago, and 500 churches around the world!

Series Text

Esther 4:14, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

God’s Plan in the Old Testament

  1. PROMISE: God had promised to always preserve Israel as a nation (Gen. 15:17-21; Lev. 26:44-45; Dt. 4:27, 30-31; Ps. 105:8-11; Jer. 30:11; 31:35-37; 33:23-26).
  2. PLAN: God would give Israel a law, priesthood and covenant so that they could be His chosen people (Ex. 19:4-6; Dt. 7:6-9).
  3. PURPOSE: God’s purpose for Israel was for them to bring salvation to the world through the Messiah (Gen. 12:3; 2 Sam. 7:11-16; Ps. 2:1-12; 110:1-7; Isa. 9:6-7; 11:1-5; 42:1-4; 52:13-53:12).
  4. PROBLEM: During the reign of Xerxes, Haman planned to exterminate all Jews (Israel) living in Persian Empire (Est. 3:1-15).
  5. PEOPLE: Mordecai and Esther planned to convince King Xerxes to cancel edict against the Jews and have Haman removed (Est. ch. 4-7). Their courageous acts saved the Jews and helped prepared the way for Jesus’ first coming!

God’s Plan in the New Testament

  1. PROMISE: Jesus promised that the Church would persevere through all ages (Mat. 16:18).
  2. PLAN: Jesus gave the Church a plan of discipleship and evangelism to expand His Kingdom (Jer. 6:16; Mat. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Acts 1:8).
  3. PURPOSE: God’s purpose for the Church is to bring people from all the nations out of darkness and into His eternal Kingdom—He wants His house full (Mat. 24:14; Lk. 14:15-24; 1 Tim. 2:1-4; 2 Pet. 3:8; Rev. 7:9-14)!!!
  4. PROBLEM: Satan has historically sought to destroy the Church and damn the nations through false teachers and prophets (Mat. 24:10-11; 1 Tim. 4:1-3); oppressive governmental and religious establishments (Mat. 10:16-23; 24:9) and godless philosophies and trends in society (Mat. 24:12; 2 Tim. 3:1-5).
  5. PEOPLE: In this crucial hour, MPI Church seeks to obediently follow God’s plan of discipleship and evangelism to destroy the works of Satan and reach the unreached among the nations. We are not the only ones, but we are glad to be a generation of Esthers and Mordecais who are ushering in the second coming of Jesus!

Lessons from Esther on Following the Plan of God

  1. We are always working under authority (Est. 2:20).
  2. God’s people work better together (Est. 4:9-17; Rom. 12:5-8; 1 Cor. 12:12-26; Heb. 10:24-25).
  3. Never give into pressure and intimidation to stop following God (Est. 3:1-4; 4:9-10).
  4. Don’t follow Satan’s plan (Est. 7:10).
  5. Give your life or lose your life (Est. 4:14-17; Prov. 16:3-4; Mat. 12:30; 16:24-26).

It’s Our Time!

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Posted in For Such a Time as This Series