WEBVTT 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:06.065 Well, good morning, Valley View. 00:00:06.065 --> 00:00:07.432 It's great to be with you today. 00:00:07.432 --> 00:00:11.266 Coming off a week of VBS, you saw some of our highlights from that. 00:00:11.266 --> 00:00:13.566 It was a great week. 00:00:13.566 --> 00:00:18.765 in fact, if you were out in the lobby, you saw all those water bottles hanging from the ceiling. 00:00:18.765 --> 00:00:30.466 It's not because we're launching a recycling program that each bottle represents$5 raised by those kids who came, and we raised around $2,000 last week for our missions project. 00:00:30.966 --> 00:00:34.865 Yeah, which that's part of VBS. 00:00:34.865 --> 00:00:42.533 It's help those kids understand life's not just about you also want to be giving even when we're here receiving for the week, which is so powerful. 00:00:42.533 --> 00:00:43.332 It was a great week. 00:00:43.332 --> 00:00:47.000 We had over 200 kids come, which is the most we've had. 00:00:47.566 --> 00:00:50.566 Yeah, most we've had since before Covid. 00:00:50.633 --> 00:00:51.932 So it was a great week. 00:00:51.932 --> 00:00:57.966 And also I just want to give thanks to Lauren Bramley, our new children's minister, and the tremendous work she did that week. 00:00:59.000 --> 00:00:59.966 I don't even know if she's in here. 00:00:59.966 --> 00:01:04.033 There she is. Go ahead, stand up, Lauren, so everyone sees you. 00:01:07.433 --> 00:01:10.766 Eddie Lee came up to me about halfway through-- our previous children's minister. 00:01:10.766 --> 00:01:13.566 And first of all, I said, how does this feel to not be in charge this week? 00:01:13.566 --> 00:01:15.766 And she said, I'm loving that. 00:01:15.766 --> 00:01:18.766 But she was still volunteering, we didn't let her off the hook. 00:01:18.832 --> 00:01:29.233 But she said, you know, it's really a testimony to the spirit of unity in our church, to the maturity of Lauren, the fact that she's okay with Eddie Lee being here and everyone working together. 00:01:29.233 --> 00:01:35.733 And it was really all became about the mission of loving on the kids who came that week. 00:01:33.465 --> 00:01:35.733 So thank you for the part. 00:01:35.733 --> 00:01:37.266 We had over 100 volunteers involved. 00:01:37.266 --> 00:01:39.865 So a lot of you in here were here all week too. 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:43.332 It was a great week. 00:01:43.332 --> 00:01:43.632 All right. 00:01:43.632 --> 00:01:45.865 So we are in Esther chapter eight. 00:01:45.865 --> 00:01:48.865 Today we're continuing to work through the book of Esther. 00:01:49.266 --> 00:01:59.066 Esther is an ancient story from the Old Testament of a Jewish woman who becomes a princess, a queen in the kingdom of Persia. 00:01:59.066 --> 00:02:04.632 And God uses her to rescue his people from a dangerous situation. 00:02:04.632 --> 00:02:11.932 And we've been working through the story and coming into this week's chapter, I was reminded of a story I experienced. 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:14.165 You know, I had been a Christian for a while. 00:02:14.165 --> 00:02:31.665 I had been in ministry, even serving in ministry for about ten years at this point when the story happened and we had a family gathering, I was there with family members, with my brothers in particular, and we had this interchange and I kind of went into Big Brother mode. 00:02:31.733 --> 00:02:34.000 I'm the oldest by eight and a half years. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.233 I remind them of that often. 00:02:36.233 --> 00:02:40.800 But in this moment, I kind of went into Big Brother mode and was a little rude, more than a little rude. 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:45.000 I was not kind to one of my brothers. 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:54.932 And later, after the exchange, after we settled it all out, after it was all sorted out, I just got to thinking, why am I still struggling with that? 00:02:54.932 --> 00:02:56.900 Haven't I been a Christian long enough? 00:02:56.900 --> 00:03:06.966 I serve in ministry and yet here I am, still slipping back into this mode where I'm unkind to someone I love and care about treating them inappropriately. 00:03:07.432 --> 00:03:09.665 It's behavior I'm not proud of. 00:03:09.665 --> 00:03:12.665 You’d think I'd be past that by now. 00:03:13.066 --> 00:03:16.332 Anybody else ever felt that way about some challenge in life? 00:03:16.332 --> 00:03:16.665 Yeah. 00:03:16.665 --> 00:03:22.765 Who felt that way this morning even right? Who should not be past that by now? 00:03:22.765 --> 00:03:24.866 Why am I still wrestling with that? 00:03:24.866 --> 00:03:28.133 And maybe it is kindness towards a loved one. 00:03:28.133 --> 00:03:32.099 Maybe it's a habit that you thought you would be done with by now. Who? 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:35.265 There's some area of life that many of us have experienced. 00:03:35.265 --> 00:03:37.032 This where you feel like I. 00:03:37.032 --> 00:03:38.265 I should be past that by now. 00:03:38.265 --> 00:03:39.332 I should have moved on. 00:03:39.332 --> 00:03:40.133 I mean, didn't he? 00:03:40.133 --> 00:03:42.566 Jesus died for my sins. 00:03:40.133 --> 00:03:42.566 It's been forgiven. 00:03:42.566 --> 00:03:44.633 I'm a changed person. 00:03:42.566 --> 00:03:44.633 But yet this still lingers. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:50.665 Here's the phrase we're going to unpack today, and we're going to see how this plays out in the book of Esther. 00:03:51.366 --> 00:03:52.532 This is an important phrase. 00:03:52.532 --> 00:03:56.233 It's going to sum up this year's issue issue, and also what we see in the book. 00:03:56.265 --> 00:03:56.665 Here it is. 00:03:56.665 --> 00:04:04.199 We're going to put it on screen just because you've been set free doesn't mean the fight is over. 00:04:05.032 --> 00:04:07.133 It's hard to hear sometimes. 00:04:07.133 --> 00:04:11.066 Just because you've been set free doesn't mean the fight is over. 00:04:11.066 --> 00:04:12.032 We're going to unpack that. 00:04:12.032 --> 00:04:14.699 That's a difficult statement in and of itself. 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:19.233 But with Esther’s story last week, she exposes the evil of Haman. 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:21.100 She exposes him to the king. 00:04:21.100 --> 00:04:28.365 The king has Haman executed on the gallows, or poles, impaled that he had created for Mordecai. 00:04:29.565 --> 00:04:30.865 And so all seems great. 00:04:30.865 --> 00:04:32.699 The danger to Esther is over now. 00:04:32.699 --> 00:04:36.699 No. No reason to be worried for her life any longer. 00:04:36.699 --> 00:04:41.365 In fact, it said the king's wrath was abated, no longer full of wrath. 00:04:41.466 --> 00:04:44.165 Everything seems great. 00:04:44.165 --> 00:04:46.665 But the problem is the job isn't done yet. 00:04:46.665 --> 00:04:49.565 There are still things to deal with. 00:04:49.565 --> 00:04:53.333 In fact, probably the main issue she came to address hasn't been dealt with yet. 00:04:54.733 --> 00:05:00.365 And so just because she's been set free doesn't mean the fight is over. 00:05:00.365 --> 00:05:02.699 So we're going to see this play out in Esther chapter eight. 00:05:02.699 --> 00:05:09.132 If you have a church Bible, you can turn to the page number you'll see on the screen in Esther chapter eight. 00:05:09.165 --> 00:05:15.766 We're going to read the first couple of verses, because what we're going to see here are four ways to walk in freedom. 00:05:15.766 --> 00:05:18.100 She's been set free. We've been set free. 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:24.865 How do we continue to walk in that freedom? In this passage today we're going to see four different ways to walk in freedom. 00:05:24.865 --> 00:05:30.565 Let's see the first one here in verses one and two, Esther chapter eight. 00:05:30.565 --> 00:05:35.266 On that day, King Ahaseurus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman. 00:05:35.266 --> 00:05:54.199 This was the day after Haman had been executed because he was attempting to execute her people, the enemy of the Jews and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her, and the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman. 00:05:54.300 --> 00:05:59.733 He gave it to Mordecai, and Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. 00:06:00.966 --> 00:06:02.565 Four Ways to Walk in Freedom. 00:06:02.565 --> 00:06:06.600 Here we see the first one, and these will show up on the screen as we go. 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:08.365 The first way to walk in freedom. 00:06:08.365 --> 00:06:12.199 If you've been set free, receive the reward of that freedom. 00:06:12.899 --> 00:06:28.865 Here we see Mordecai go into the King the first time he comes in before the king, and he receives the reward of Haman's bounty of them no longer having to fear for their life, they rightly receive that and walk into that. 00:06:28.865 --> 00:06:42.165 And in this moment, in fact, Esther even comes clean about her connection to Mordecai, this family member, it says in the passage, she shares what he was to her and the implication, the inference there is that she shared. 00:06:42.333 --> 00:06:45.165 Yeah, he's my family. 00:06:42.333 --> 00:06:45.165 But also, here's what he means to me. 00:06:45.165 --> 00:06:47.365 He was the guy behind me coming to you. 00:06:47.365 --> 00:06:49.132 He is the one that has been driving this. 00:06:49.132 --> 00:06:50.932 I trust him in all ways. 00:06:50.932 --> 00:06:54.966 I've leaned on him for everything, sharing the fuller picture. 00:06:54.966 --> 00:06:56.300 This is a guy you can trust. 00:06:56.300 --> 00:06:59.300 This is a guy you can depend on. 00:06:59.632 --> 00:07:08.000 And you know the other thing she does by doing that, she's also exposing that she has hidden from the king up to this point, her Jewish identity. 00:07:08.432 --> 00:07:11.199 She likely has kept that from him. 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:14.065 She's taken a risk by making that known. 00:07:14.065 --> 00:07:18.466 If you're hiding something from the king, there's a risk there by making that known. 00:07:18.466 --> 00:07:23.233 But in this moment, he accepts her. 00:07:23.233 --> 00:07:24.932 I still accept you. 00:07:24.932 --> 00:07:31.065 It's okay. I had a guy who's newer to the church recently come to me and say, you know, I'm. 00:07:32.165 --> 00:07:34.966 I'm a little worried about how I might fit into the church. 00:07:34.966 --> 00:07:37.665 I'm just a little bit different. 00:07:37.665 --> 00:07:38.432 I said, don't worry. 00:07:38.432 --> 00:07:41.033 You'll fit right in. It's okay. 00:07:41.033 --> 00:07:43.100 Plenty of us would describe ourselves that way. 00:07:43.100 --> 00:07:49.500 It's okay. You'll fit right in, I promise, because we're not worried about whether you're different or not. 00:07:49.500 --> 00:07:52.165 I saw a hand go up back there. That's right. 00:07:52.165 --> 00:07:54.899 We're not worried about that. 00:07:54.899 --> 00:07:56.865 We're not looking for perfection. 00:07:56.865 --> 00:07:59.865 All we care about is that you're seeking to grow. 00:08:00.699 --> 00:08:01.100 There's no. 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:03.565 There's no one here that is perfect or will be perfect. 00:08:03.565 --> 00:08:05.665 Just keep growing. 00:08:05.665 --> 00:08:08.065 Keep growing. 00:08:05.665 --> 00:08:08.065 That's all we're striving for. 00:08:08.065 --> 00:08:10.199 You'll have your ups and downs, but keep growing. 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:13.199 You're you're welcome here. 00:08:13.432 --> 00:08:16.065 We don't expect anyone to be perfect. 00:08:16.065 --> 00:08:19.065 Yeah, I know there's stuff you're hiding about who you are. 00:08:19.132 --> 00:08:22.199 Keep growing, keep coming. 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:23.333 People will love on you. 00:08:23.333 --> 00:08:26.333 People are very gracious here. 00:08:26.565 --> 00:08:29.266 So the King accepts her in her new identity. 00:08:29.266 --> 00:08:31.833 The reward has been extended. Now. 00:08:31.833 --> 00:08:35.732 But this all leads us to the second way to walk in freedom. 00:08:36.265 --> 00:08:39.832 The reward has been extended, but the job isn't done yet. 00:08:39.832 --> 00:08:42.832 In fact, what's very important for Esther to remember. 00:08:42.966 --> 00:08:45.100 And we'll put this second way up on the screen. 00:08:46.232 --> 00:08:48.200 The second way that we walk in freedom. 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:51.200 Don't give up on what still needs to happen. 00:08:53.865 --> 00:09:03.265 When you have received the reward of knowing Christ, walking in him, following him, the joy of a new life found, of being set free from so much sin. 00:09:03.765 --> 00:09:06.666 Don't give up on what still needs to happen in your life. 00:09:06.666 --> 00:09:09.399 There are still things to follow up on. 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:12.166 There are still things that need to occur in your life. 00:09:12.166 --> 00:09:14.865 The fight isn't over at that point. 00:09:14.865 --> 00:09:16.365 Look at how this plays out for Esther. 00:09:16.365 --> 00:09:18.666 Look at verse three. 00:09:18.666 --> 00:09:20.799 Then Esther spoke again to the king. 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:31.432 She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 00:09:32.765 --> 00:10:04.432 When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king, and she said, if it pleased the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the things seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the Agagite, the son of Hamadatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 00:10:05.865 --> 00:10:09.700 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? 00:10:09.932 --> 00:10:13.633 Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred? 00:10:15.533 --> 00:10:23.666 Even though Esther has been set free, the main issue she was coming to the king about king about was the freedom of all her people. 00:10:24.100 --> 00:10:26.732 She still needs to see that through. 00:10:26.732 --> 00:10:28.633 It's isn't the place to coast and go. 00:10:28.633 --> 00:10:31.332 I'm good now. I'm protected. I'm okay. 00:10:31.332 --> 00:10:33.633 Now is the time to press in. 00:10:33.633 --> 00:10:39.732 And I love how she approaches him here at the beginning of the verse, she fell at his feet. She wept. She pleaded. 00:10:42.100 --> 00:10:48.765 You know, when she came to him, before she came in her royal attire, she came into her official position. 00:10:48.899 --> 00:10:55.033 She came very proper in all her pomp and circumstance. 00:10:55.466 --> 00:11:00.765 Now she comes broken, weeping. 00:11:00.966 --> 00:11:03.966 She doesn't care about appearances anymore. 00:11:04.133 --> 00:11:06.033 This issue has to be dealt with. 00:11:06.033 --> 00:11:09.299 When I came before there was protocol, I followed everything perfectly. 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:11.166 Now I don't care. 00:11:11.166 --> 00:11:14.000 I can't wait any longer. 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:18.500 I love that picture because that's how we need to come to Christ. 00:11:18.633 --> 00:11:21.633 I can't worry anymore about what people think. 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:25.365 I can't worry about having everything figured out. 00:11:25.365 --> 00:11:38.799 I got to come broken, humble, overwhelmed by the sin of the world and by my own sin, and more worried about following him than appearances. 00:11:38.932 --> 00:11:40.966 And she falls at his feet. 00:11:40.966 --> 00:11:42.700 What's interesting here, though, is this phrase. 00:11:42.700 --> 00:11:45.033 He extended the scepter to her. 00:11:46.966 --> 00:11:53.466 It's just a subtle reminder that the situation is not safe yet this is still the King. 00:11:53.466 --> 00:11:56.899 He is still the one that holds authority and power over her life. 00:11:58.133 --> 00:12:06.066 She is still taking a risk by coming to him and yet again, even in the mess that she is in this moment, he accepts her. 00:12:07.066 --> 00:12:10.066 Tell me what it is, what is it? 00:12:10.832 --> 00:12:15.966 And now she gets to the point where she finally does share with him the real reason she's come to him. 00:12:15.966 --> 00:12:20.365 She hinted at it before my life is at stake and my people, he seemed to miss it. 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:22.100 But here she comes. 00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:33.600 And in verse five she says to him, Will you revoke the letters or the laws devised by Haman, in fact, that word devised in some of your Bibles, is also translated as schemed. 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:39.732 Haman's the one who's been scheming this and, you know, she does a couple of things here that are wise by doing that. 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:45.200 First off, she doesn't implicate the king in this, even though he clearly had a hand in this. 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:48.666 He approved Haman to allow him to go set these laws in place. 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:54.600 And on the his own passivity of not being on top of Haman and not knowing how he was being deceptive. 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:57.600 He's implicated in that as well, but she doesn't get into any of that. 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:00.100 She just says Haman's the evil one. 00:13:00.100 --> 00:13:01.600 Haman's the one who schemed. 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:10.365 This is what happened, focuses on that, to not distract him for what she's trying to accomplish, not to put the blame on him even though she could. 00:13:11.299 --> 00:13:13.365 But the other things she does, I think that is so wise. 00:13:13.365 --> 00:13:15.033 She comes to him with a solution. 00:13:16.432 --> 00:13:18.299 She doesn't come, just complain, and she comes. 00:13:18.299 --> 00:13:19.666 Here's how I think we can go about this. 00:13:19.666 --> 00:13:22.966 If we can extend another law, put it out there, gives him an option. 00:13:24.466 --> 00:13:25.799 I remember a boss. 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:29.232 I came to him once and I said, hey, it seems to me that we have a problem here. 00:13:29.232 --> 00:13:36.066 You seem to be or people want to have a better connection with you here at this organization than you seem to have of them. 00:13:37.365 --> 00:13:39.732 And he says, I know. 00:13:39.732 --> 00:13:41.566 Well, tell me something I don't already know. 00:13:41.566 --> 00:13:44.265 I know everybody wants more of my time here, you know? 00:13:44.265 --> 00:13:46.500 Thanks a bunch for the obvious. 00:13:46.500 --> 00:13:49.066 Well, I said, well, you know, backpedaling a little bit. 00:13:49.066 --> 00:13:52.066 What we need is a plan for you to be better connected with them. 00:13:52.533 --> 00:13:55.666 I know, of course I know that as well. 00:13:55.666 --> 00:13:57.600 Do you have one? 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:00.600 No I don't okay, well, here's your next job. 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:02.566 Go figure one out. 00:14:02.566 --> 00:14:03.365 Thanks a bunch. 00:14:03.365 --> 00:14:05.100 That's not really what I came for. 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:07.832 To get more work from you. 00:14:07.832 --> 00:14:10.966 It's easy to bring up the issue that we see is wrong. 00:14:10.966 --> 00:14:17.133 And, look, we've got a lot of thoughtful people here, but a whole bunch of stuff that we think should be done differently could be improved. 00:14:17.133 --> 00:14:19.100 I think that's a good inclination. 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:22.066 I think we want to see God honored in all that we do. 00:14:22.066 --> 00:14:24.600 We want to see things done with quality. 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:26.633 And I love how she follows this principle. 00:14:26.633 --> 00:14:33.133 I'm coming with a solution and I'm ready to help see it carried out. 00:14:33.133 --> 00:14:34.799 Now. How's the King respond to this? 00:14:35.865 --> 00:14:36.832 Walking in freedom. 00:14:36.832 --> 00:14:39.666 She knows I can't just rest in my own freedom. 00:14:39.666 --> 00:14:43.500 I got to continue to follow up, continue to fight for the freedom of all my people. 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:45.966 How does the King respond to this? 00:14:45.966 --> 00:14:47.533 Look at this next set of verses here. 00:14:47.533 --> 00:14:50.500 Look at verse seven. 00:14:50.500 --> 00:14:58.332 Then King Ahaseurus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman. 00:14:58.332 --> 00:15:03.365 They have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. 00:15:03.365 --> 00:15:18.133 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king, and sealed with the king's ring, cannot be revoked. 00:15:20.566 --> 00:15:22.000 There's a few things going on here. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:26.899 She comes to the king, presents the request, and he responds in a way that seems pretty favorable. 00:15:26.932 --> 00:15:34.033 But there's a few little clues in here that there's more going on underneath the surface, just even that first word. 00:15:34.033 --> 00:15:36.700 He uses that word. Behold. 00:15:36.700 --> 00:15:46.899 In fact, in a couple of your Bibles, it might say, look, or more along the lines of look here. 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:53.432 There's just a hint of exasperation because he immediately lists out the things he's already done for them. 00:15:54.765 --> 00:15:59.432 Look here, I've already hanged the guy and given you all his stuff. 00:15:59.633 --> 00:16:01.133 What else do you want from me? 00:16:01.133 --> 00:16:04.133 There's just a hint of that in there. 00:16:04.365 --> 00:16:05.865 You've had this too. 00:16:05.865 --> 00:16:09.066 A kid comes to you, and of course they want you to buy for them. 00:16:09.466 --> 00:16:12.832 That brand new presidential biography that just came out. 00:16:12.832 --> 00:16:14.500 They've been dying to read. 00:16:14.500 --> 00:16:15.899 So typical. I know. 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:18.466 And you're like, I don't know. 00:16:18.466 --> 00:16:21.299 Look, I just gave you $20 for ice cream. 00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:27.765 And then by the way, I paid for camp, and I gave you a whole stack of free t shirts from the church. 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:27.765 What else do you want from me? 00:16:27.765 --> 00:16:30.765 I come giving you everything you could need in life. 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:34.633 We joke that actually, maybe this is something Lauren and Colby can work on. 00:16:34.633 --> 00:16:36.765 We need y'all to start making pants too, then. 00:16:36.765 --> 00:16:42.799 I never had to buy clothes for my kids when we give them so many t shirts. 00:16:42.799 --> 00:16:45.533 But you've experienced this. 00:16:45.533 --> 00:16:49.399 The risk here is, is that she seems ungrateful and you don't want to do that. 00:16:50.365 --> 00:16:54.299 I mean, last week we saw this king who thought someone was ungrateful. 00:16:54.299 --> 00:16:58.633 He took his older son, cut him in half, set him on both sides of the road so the armies could pass between him. 00:16:58.633 --> 00:17:00.566 You don't want that guy to think you're ungrateful. 00:17:01.765 --> 00:17:05.500 Look, here's what I've all ready done for you. 00:17:05.566 --> 00:17:08.465 They're in a tricky spot. 00:17:08.465 --> 00:17:14.633 But he does say, go ahead, write what you think you need to write. 00:17:14.732 --> 00:17:16.500 But there's a caveat. 00:17:16.500 --> 00:17:22.599 And he says this at the end for an edict written in the name of the king, sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked. 00:17:22.633 --> 00:17:27.932 This is a double edged sword here. What you're about to write cannot be revoked. 00:17:27.932 --> 00:17:33.365 But also what I wrote before cannot be revoked. 00:17:33.365 --> 00:17:43.599 Don't write it in a way that makes it look like you're undermining what I've already done before, because we know how that went for Haman when his trickery was exposed. 00:17:43.865 --> 00:17:48.165 They're in a challenging place here, caught between a rock and a hard place. 00:17:48.165 --> 00:17:49.766 How would you go about this? 00:17:49.766 --> 00:17:51.766 It seems like it's a no win situation. 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:57.865 And I got to confess here, I've always struggled with these types of passages in Scripture. 00:17:58.665 --> 00:18:04.133 This section where it seems like something that's clearly wrong cannot be revoked. 00:18:04.432 --> 00:18:05.833 You've seen these in other places. 00:18:05.833 --> 00:18:14.833 You've seen this like with Isaac and Jacob and Esau, when, by the way, if you name your son Jacob, which meant deceiver, you should expect to be tricked. 00:18:16.299 --> 00:18:20.432 And Jacob tricks him into giving him the blessing instead of Esau. 00:18:20.566 --> 00:18:26.500 And then when Esau comes and cries to Isaac about Isaac's like, sorry, too late, I already blessed your brother. 00:18:27.232 --> 00:18:29.566 I've always read that and thought, is it that hard to not just go? 00:18:29.566 --> 00:18:30.532 Wait a second. 00:18:30.532 --> 00:18:32.266 Hold on, let's redo this. 00:18:32.266 --> 00:18:34.965 He tricked me. Sorry. 00:18:34.965 --> 00:18:35.965 I've never understood that. 00:18:35.965 --> 00:18:38.365 We've see that show up in other places as well. 00:18:38.365 --> 00:18:40.066 But I can't go back on that. 00:18:41.032 --> 00:18:44.566 And of course, there's that whole dynamic in Scripture we've talked about a few times. 00:18:44.566 --> 00:18:48.833 Just because something is explained doesn't mean it's necessarily recommended. 00:18:49.365 --> 00:18:52.365 It might be described not prescribed. 00:18:52.833 --> 00:18:54.900 But what do we do with this here? 00:18:54.900 --> 00:18:58.965 In particular, when he says that the word I gave it can't be revoked? 00:19:00.865 --> 00:19:04.400 I think there's two explanations that might help us here for just a moment. 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:11.599 One, even in our own law, in our own government, there are laws that are harder to be revoked than others. 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:18.532 The president can't just make a proclamation that undoes a part of the consti--, in theory, that undoes part of the Constitution. 00:19:18.532 --> 00:19:26.732 Of course people try and get away with it sometimes here and there, but there are laws that are harder to turn over than others, even in our own government. 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:30.165 But also, I think there's something else going on here. 00:19:30.165 --> 00:19:33.165 There's one dynamic at play where. 00:19:34.066 --> 00:19:41.266 Sometimes when something is set in motion, it's hard to stop it, especially when people are set on evil. 00:19:42.633 --> 00:19:51.133 We don't know the exact timeline here, but likely it was two months ago when Haman set out these laws saying we're going to destroy the Jews. 00:19:51.133 --> 00:19:54.932 And so for two months now, people have been thinking about this. 00:19:54.932 --> 00:19:58.299 Those who determined evil against the Jews have been plotting this. 00:19:58.965 --> 00:20:00.732 They've been devising, they've been scheming. 00:20:00.732 --> 00:20:03.700 They've been putting things in place. 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:09.900 And when the heart of people are turned toward evil man, that is hard to turn back. 00:20:11.566 --> 00:20:13.900 I saw this at play when we went to Rwanda. 00:20:13.900 --> 00:20:16.432 I went there to teach at a at a Bible college. 00:20:16.432 --> 00:20:21.200 It's a small country in Africa, right in the center of Africa, right on the equator. 00:20:24.432 --> 00:20:30.932 And of course, in 1994, you may have remember or have heard of the Rwandan genocide that occurred. 00:20:31.365 --> 00:20:32.665 We had two major tribes. 00:20:32.665 --> 00:20:48.032 One was much larger than the other, and the larger tribe attacked the smaller tribe, and in a matter of a few months, wiped out somewhere in the range of 800,000 people murdered neighbor against neighbor. 00:20:48.032 --> 00:20:50.232 People don't own guns. 00:20:48.032 --> 00:20:50.232 They're they can't afford them. 00:20:50.232 --> 00:20:53.232 Most people live on less than a dollar a day. 00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:54.932 And so it was machete. 00:20:54.932 --> 00:20:58.465 It was club murder neighbor against neighbor. 00:20:58.465 --> 00:20:59.133 And I was there. 00:20:59.133 --> 00:21:02.232 We went to this little village, preached in this church. 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:05.432 And when I finished, the guy said, let me take you over to the old church. 00:21:05.432 --> 00:21:06.266 This is the new church. 00:21:06.266 --> 00:21:10.365 We had to build this church because the other church became a burial site. 00:21:11.865 --> 00:21:13.200 And I thought, I don't want to go. 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:16.299 I don't really need to go see now let's go. 00:21:17.532 --> 00:21:18.633 And we go in there. 00:21:18.633 --> 00:21:20.599 And the whole floor had been elevated. 00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:27.333 And he said roughly 10,000 people were buried under the floor of this church. 00:21:27.333 --> 00:21:35.099 The genocide had just ravaged the country when things were set in motion. 00:21:35.099 --> 00:21:38.099 The evil heart of man is hard to stop. 00:21:39.566 --> 00:21:40.865 And here we encounter this. 00:21:40.865 --> 00:21:43.865 Go ahead, write the law. 00:21:44.299 --> 00:21:50.465 But when things are set in motion, it's hard to turn that back. 00:21:51.165 --> 00:21:52.266 Now what do they do? 00:21:52.266 --> 00:21:54.365 What do they end up writing? 00:21:54.365 --> 00:21:55.365 Here's what they end up doing. 00:21:55.365 --> 00:21:59.700 And I think this is an important part of how we keep walking in freedom. 00:22:00.099 --> 00:22:02.532 In fact, this will be the third way we walk in freedom. 00:22:02.532 --> 00:22:07.200 We're going to see here. We walk by faith, walk by faith. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:08.232 Look at what they do here. 00:22:08.232 --> 00:22:08.865 Look at verse. 00:22:08.865 --> 00:22:13.665 Let's skip down to verse ten because a couple of these verses kind of repeat themselves. 00:22:14.133 --> 00:22:21.365 And he Mordecai wrote in the name of King Ahaseurus and sealed with the king's signet ring. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:29.232 Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the Royal Stud, saying, and here's what he wrote. 00:22:29.365 --> 00:22:30.500 Here are the laws, he wrote. 00:22:30.500 --> 00:22:49.266 The King allowed the Jews, who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate the same three words that Haman used in his edict to destroy, to kill, to annihilate any armed force of people or province that might attack them. 00:22:49.266 --> 00:22:52.133 Children, women included, to plunder their goods. 00:22:54.900 --> 00:22:56.599 They know they're in a precarious situation. 00:22:56.599 --> 00:23:02.432 What they write, they can't appear to revoke what the King had written before. 00:23:02.432 --> 00:23:04.333 So what they write is important. 00:23:02.432 --> 00:23:04.333 They have to be careful. 00:23:04.333 --> 00:23:10.000 And so he writes it in a way that doesn't revoke what the King had written, but allows them to defend themselves. 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:12.532 In this moment they walk by faith. 00:23:12.532 --> 00:23:14.099 They say, we still need to do something. 00:23:14.099 --> 00:23:17.400 The safe route is to do nothing, to not at risk offending the king. 00:23:18.500 --> 00:23:21.900 But they walk by faith in the midst of walking in freedom. 00:23:21.900 --> 00:23:22.799 They walk by faith. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:24.165 We are going to write something. 00:23:24.165 --> 00:23:27.165 We are going to take a risk. 00:23:27.165 --> 00:23:30.165 And what they write gives them the right to defend themselves. 00:23:30.165 --> 00:23:31.700 And I love the language of this. 00:23:33.365 --> 00:23:38.400 Too many in this moment would say, okay, now is our time for retribution. 00:23:38.566 --> 00:23:40.833 Now is our time for vengeance. 00:23:40.833 --> 00:23:42.400 You thought you were going to kill us. 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:45.400 We're going to wipe you out. 00:23:45.465 --> 00:23:49.766 But all they're given here is the right to defend themselves against the attack. 00:23:49.766 --> 00:23:52.766 They don't go on a vengeance rant as a result. 00:23:53.900 --> 00:23:56.432 There's an important picture here for us. 00:23:56.432 --> 00:23:58.700 We're called to be set apart. 00:23:58.700 --> 00:24:00.965 We're called to be different. 00:24:00.965 --> 00:24:05.965 In fact, as we stand against evil, we're not to become evil. 00:24:06.099 --> 00:24:07.532 You see that, don't you? 00:24:07.532 --> 00:24:15.465 We're called to stand out as those who don't take vengeance for vengeance sake, who don't immediately go to wrath, anger, judgment, bitterness. 00:24:15.465 --> 00:24:18.465 Don't strike out. 00:24:19.032 --> 00:24:21.900 We're called to act different. 00:24:21.900 --> 00:24:23.865 Now, you can still set boundaries. 00:24:23.865 --> 00:24:26.900 You can still defend yourself against evil. 00:24:27.165 --> 00:24:29.932 We're still called to take a stand, to draw a line. 00:24:31.099 --> 00:24:33.833 But it's meant to look different. 00:24:33.833 --> 00:24:38.500 I remember one time when we were living in Phoenix, I was attending seminary there. 00:24:38.500 --> 00:24:40.000 Our oldest was very young. 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:42.133 He's 3 or 4 years old at this point. 00:24:42.133 --> 00:24:44.965 We lived in these townhomes, large open courtyard. 00:24:44.965 --> 00:24:50.865 Kids are playing everywhere, and eventually, inevitably, some kids would end up back at our house, playing with our son. 00:24:51.766 --> 00:24:57.599 There's this one kid who would come over and, let's say he had a a different I wouldn't say a better. 00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:00.833 It's just a more expanded vocabulary than we had in our home. 00:25:01.333 --> 00:25:04.333 He used some different words than we prefer being used. 00:25:05.566 --> 00:25:13.299 And one time he used one of these words and I said, hey, listen, we prefer that word not be used in our home. 00:25:13.766 --> 00:25:15.432 I'm just going to ask you not to use it again. 00:25:15.432 --> 00:25:17.566 If you use it again, I'm just going to ask you to go home for today. 00:25:18.766 --> 00:25:24.500 And of course, a few minutes later, little Timmy drops that word again and I say, Timmy, listen. 00:25:25.232 --> 00:25:25.932 We love you. 00:25:25.932 --> 00:25:28.700 We care about you. We're glad you're here, but you need to go home for today. 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:31.000 We'll see you again tomorrow. 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:32.099 So I'm drawing lines. 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:34.365 I'm drawing boundaries, but I'm not attacking him. 00:25:34.365 --> 00:25:42.232 I didn't march him back to his house and accuse his mom of trying to corrupt my whole family and every child on earth, and how she's a terrible mother and hates her own child. 00:25:42.232 --> 00:25:45.232 No, no, no, I didn't have to go into all that. 00:25:45.566 --> 00:25:47.599 No, but I can still set boundaries. 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:49.799 We're still in our fight against evil. 00:25:49.799 --> 00:25:54.000 We're still called to set boundaries, to take a stand. 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:56.133 And by the way, that's a loving thing to do. 00:25:56.133 --> 00:25:57.365 It can still be done in love. 00:25:57.365 --> 00:26:00.465 It can still be done with kindness and graciousness. 00:26:01.465 --> 00:26:02.465 And so they're called. 00:26:02.465 --> 00:26:03.633 They're given the right. 00:26:03.633 --> 00:26:09.766 They're given the ability to defend themselves in this moment. 00:26:09.865 --> 00:26:15.133 Now, when I read this, this all leads back to the opening question that we brought up. 00:26:16.200 --> 00:26:19.365 How is it that I'm still struggling with this? 00:26:20.099 --> 00:26:24.165 In fact, you could look at Esther's situation and go, shouldn't this all be over with? 00:26:24.165 --> 00:26:30.232 Why is it that they're still having to deal with this, that people still have it out after them? 00:26:30.700 --> 00:26:33.099 Why is it that I think I'm set free? 00:26:33.099 --> 00:26:37.799 Christ died on behalf of my sins, and yet I'm still find myself struggling in these areas. 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:42.365 I think there's three ways to address that, and to just talk about that briefly. 00:26:42.900 --> 00:26:54.099 I think one that comes to mind, in fact, it's timely because we just talked about, in fact, you may, if you're a history person, have remembered the 80th anniversary of D-Day we just mentioned a couple of weeks ago. 00:26:55.566 --> 00:26:59.566 Oftentimes, this is described this way as the difference between D-Day and V-Day. 00:26:59.566 --> 00:27:05.266 Have you heard it described this way before, the difference between when the victory is started? 00:27:05.266 --> 00:27:12.599 And look, when the allies landed on the continent of Europe, the Nazi occupied continent, there was no doubt from that moment forward the war was going to be over. 00:27:13.432 --> 00:27:15.099 It's just a matter of time. 00:27:15.099 --> 00:27:20.599 And it took a whole nother year until the Nazis surrendered, until Victory Day. 00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:29.665 The difference between D-Day and Victory Day. Victory was assured on D-Day, but it still took another year for it to come about. 00:27:30.165 --> 00:27:34.532 Some people in Christianity call that the overlap of the ages. 00:27:34.532 --> 00:27:42.566 When Jesus came and died and rose again on your behalf, that new age was started. 00:27:42.566 --> 00:27:45.365 Okay, but sin was allowed to stay on earth. 00:27:45.365 --> 00:27:47.532 It's still allowed to exist here. 00:27:47.532 --> 00:27:49.932 And so we have this overlap of the ages. 00:27:49.932 --> 00:27:51.333 It's been started. 00:27:51.333 --> 00:27:53.266 Final victory and it is assured. 00:27:53.266 --> 00:27:55.865 And that day will come when he comes back again. 00:27:55.865 --> 00:28:00.165 And in between time, we still have to wrestle with sin. 00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:03.432 It is still present on this earth. 00:28:04.700 --> 00:28:06.665 So there's that dynamic at play. 00:28:06.665 --> 00:28:09.965 I think a second one is just simply humility. 00:28:12.133 --> 00:28:23.766 You know, if Jesus, in the moment that I came to know him and trust him and follow him, if at that time, at that exact time, all temptation had gone away, I no longer struggled with sin at all. 00:28:25.133 --> 00:28:32.465 I think at that point I would be tempted to think that I was God, not Jesus, that I was perfect. 00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:36.299 I would be tempted to no longer lean on him and look to him. 00:28:36.665 --> 00:28:38.432 I got this all figured out. 00:28:38.432 --> 00:28:40.633 Listen, I tend to think that at times. 00:28:40.633 --> 00:28:43.633 Anyway. 00:28:43.932 --> 00:28:46.266 Come on, I know some of you do too. 00:28:46.266 --> 00:28:47.365 I see some heads nodding. 00:28:47.365 --> 00:28:50.333 We don't want to raise our hand on that one. But you know what I'm saying? 00:28:52.665 --> 00:28:58.665 Now, the struggle reminds us that he is the one ultimately who is perfect. 00:28:58.665 --> 00:29:01.865 He is the one who has the power to change our hearts. 00:29:02.266 --> 00:29:11.066 And when we slip back into a temptation or a sin, our first inclination should be to turn to him, not self. 00:29:11.766 --> 00:29:18.099 Turn to him, lean on him, depend on him. 00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:25.432 It's a challenge and it's maddening at times. 00:29:25.432 --> 00:29:27.732 But it is what it is. 00:29:27.732 --> 00:29:29.266 And we live in a world. 00:29:29.266 --> 00:29:32.266 Sin exists. Sin has consequences. 00:29:32.333 --> 00:29:38.532 Some of those are more damaging and difficult than others, and we still have to deal with them and wrestle with them. 00:29:39.833 --> 00:29:40.965 So they walk by faith. 00:29:40.965 --> 00:29:43.665 In the midst of that, in the midst of the unknown, they walk by faith. 00:29:43.665 --> 00:29:47.566 Now here's the fourth way to walk in freedom been set free. 00:29:47.566 --> 00:29:48.766 This edict goes out. 00:29:48.766 --> 00:29:50.633 The King seems to be okay with it. 00:29:50.633 --> 00:29:53.365 Watch what they do in response to this. 00:29:53.365 --> 00:29:54.432 Look at verse 15. 00:29:55.865 --> 00:30:09.200 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown, and a robe of fine linen in purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 00:30:10.133 --> 00:30:15.965 The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor. 00:30:16.299 --> 00:30:37.566 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and holiday, and many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them. 00:30:37.799 --> 00:30:48.633 The fourth way to walk in freedom we see here is to go forth in joy, rejoice in fact, daily embrace joy. 00:30:49.932 --> 00:30:59.566 What's so interesting here is that victory hadn't occurred yet, and they choose to go forward in joy. 00:30:59.665 --> 00:31:02.665 And the contrast here is incredible. 00:31:03.566 --> 00:31:09.865 When Mordecai went out before dressed, he was dressed in sackcloth and ashes. 00:31:10.266 --> 00:31:15.000 He was mourning, and now he is arrayed in fineness. 00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:22.932 The whole nation was mourning when Haman's proclamation went out before it said it threw the whole city into confusion. 00:31:24.700 --> 00:31:29.532 But when they were set free, the whole city rejoices. 00:31:29.532 --> 00:31:35.500 And the response-- I love these words-- light and gladness and joy and honor. 00:31:35.500 --> 00:31:38.099 These are words we all want used of us. 00:31:38.099 --> 00:31:39.766 This is why you're here. 00:31:39.766 --> 00:31:43.133 Everyone is looking for light and gladness and joy. 00:31:43.266 --> 00:31:44.865 This is what we want every day. 00:31:44.865 --> 00:31:46.833 Most of our week is weighed down with the opposite. 00:31:46.833 --> 00:31:51.732 But we want light and gladness and joy, I hope. 00:31:51.732 --> 00:31:55.732 In fact, I love that so many of us here walk in with that. 00:31:55.965 --> 00:32:00.700 When I walk in here, the joy I feel from so many who are here. 00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:04.566 I love that we're not the way of this guy. 00:32:04.566 --> 00:32:05.266 On the screen. 00:32:05.266 --> 00:32:09.032 There's this whole account of a guy called the Church Curmudgeon. 00:32:09.032 --> 00:32:11.066 Have you heard of him? 00:32:11.066 --> 00:32:12.333 It's kind of a spoof. 00:32:12.333 --> 00:32:14.532 Do you have this image? 00:32:14.532 --> 00:32:20.066 it's kind of a spoof on how often people kind of look this way in church right now. 00:32:20.066 --> 00:32:21.500 Look at what it says. 00:32:21.500 --> 00:32:27.200 Speaking of VBS, VBS update 15 children made first time decisions to stay off the lawn. 00:32:28.532 --> 00:32:33.165 Church curmudgeon how many churches have you been in and seen people like that? 00:32:33.165 --> 00:32:34.365 That facial expression? 00:32:34.365 --> 00:32:41.500 Oh my God, yeah, but look, joy, lightness, gladness. 00:32:41.500 --> 00:32:42.266 You can take that down. 00:32:42.266 --> 00:32:47.165 That's enough of that. Joy, lightness, gladness. 00:32:47.165 --> 00:32:49.432 That's what we're all longing for. 00:32:49.432 --> 00:32:52.032 And by the way, that's what walking by faith will bring. 00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:55.400 And I know we have our ups and downs. 00:32:55.400 --> 00:32:58.032 No doubt. Without a doubt we do. 00:32:58.032 --> 00:33:02.432 But joy should be one of the main characteristics of a Christian. 00:33:02.566 --> 00:33:04.432 It should be what a Christian. 00:33:04.432 --> 00:33:07.566 What a church is known for is, is joy. 00:33:09.333 --> 00:33:14.365 I went through a season not too long ago, pretty recently, where I realized I don't. 00:33:14.500 --> 00:33:16.500 I don't have any joy right now. 00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:18.365 What is going on? 00:33:18.365 --> 00:33:21.032 It caught me off guard. 00:33:21.032 --> 00:33:23.566 I seemed frustrated all the time and upset. 00:33:23.566 --> 00:33:25.365 I don't want to be that guy, man. 00:33:25.365 --> 00:33:27.165 I had to go on the offensive. 00:33:27.165 --> 00:33:30.266 Jesus, would you help me rediscover joy? 00:33:30.333 --> 00:33:31.700 Why am I not full of joy? 00:33:31.700 --> 00:33:34.365 What am I choosing to focus on instead? 00:33:34.365 --> 00:33:36.500 You got to fight for joy. There's no other way. 00:33:38.465 --> 00:33:45.200 But I love how they walk in joy before the battle is final. 00:33:45.833 --> 00:33:49.365 Two other things here to point out here real quick from this passage. 00:33:49.365 --> 00:33:52.333 The outcome wasn't final, but they choose to walk in joy. 00:33:52.333 --> 00:33:57.965 Also note the outcome of this many declared look back at verse 17. 00:33:58.165 --> 00:34:04.000 Many from the people of the country declared themselves Jews for fear of the Jews had fallen on them. 00:34:06.865 --> 00:34:14.833 Two dynamics here one evil persecution led to conversion. 00:34:16.032 --> 00:34:23.565 Evil persecution of Haman eventually led to conversion to many coming to follow God. 00:34:26.465 --> 00:34:31.932 This is a little difficult to mention, but this is why I don't spend too much time worrying about politics. 00:34:33.565 --> 00:34:36.565 Whatever political leader we have in place, it doesn't matter. 00:34:37.400 --> 00:34:40.666 God can work through that in ways none of us could have imagined. 00:34:41.300 --> 00:34:42.632 Do your best. 00:34:42.632 --> 00:34:44.065 Vote the best you can. 00:34:44.065 --> 00:34:45.833 Use the most wisdom you can. 00:34:45.833 --> 00:34:46.965 Don't put your hope there. 00:34:48.699 --> 00:34:51.032 You never know how God is working behind the scenes. 00:34:51.032 --> 00:35:00.632 Even if I can't stand whoever is president or governor or county clerk or whatever, my call in that moment is to go, God, what are you doing through this? 00:35:00.632 --> 00:35:02.733 How are you going to work? 00:35:00.632 --> 00:35:02.733 How are you stirring? 00:35:02.733 --> 00:35:08.965 How are you going to be glorified through this? And trust that he will. 00:35:08.965 --> 00:35:15.400 But also another challenging thing here is are these really true conversions? 00:35:15.532 --> 00:35:23.266 And I got to say, as I studied and read the different commentary on this, there was a mixed response because it says for fear the Jews had fallen on them. 00:35:23.266 --> 00:35:29.500 Now, does that mean they actually genuinely feared God, or were they just afraid of being hurt? 00:35:29.965 --> 00:35:32.166 And the likelihood is, it was probably a mix of both. 00:35:33.766 --> 00:35:35.233 You've seen this. 00:35:35.233 --> 00:35:36.800 Sometimes you just don't know. 00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:39.800 Why are people responding to God? Is it genuine or not? 00:35:41.166 --> 00:35:43.065 You can't always know. 00:35:43.065 --> 00:35:51.900 I think there's been a number of celebrities lately who have mentioned that they have come to follow Christ and know him, be baptized, and I rejoice over that. 00:35:53.833 --> 00:35:56.400 And yet, I also assume not all of those are genuine. 00:35:56.400 --> 00:35:58.932 I'm not questioning any individual one person. 00:35:58.932 --> 00:36:01.932 I don't put all my hope on their success as a Christian. 00:36:02.000 --> 00:36:05.000 I assume, by the way, they'll act like a new believer. 00:36:05.065 --> 00:36:10.432 Imagine if everything you did when you were a brand new believer was all splattered on screens and on the internet. 00:36:10.699 --> 00:36:13.300 Who would like that? 00:36:13.300 --> 00:36:14.965 They're going to make mistakes. 00:36:14.965 --> 00:36:16.666 Even if their faith is sincere. 00:36:16.666 --> 00:36:19.666 They're going to do things that seem the opposite of Christianity. 00:36:19.766 --> 00:36:20.632 Let's be patient. 00:36:20.632 --> 00:36:22.532 Let's be gentle. Let's be kind. 00:36:22.532 --> 00:36:25.833 Let's assume God is at work in their life. 00:36:25.833 --> 00:36:32.333 But God used an evil ruler to ultimately bring about conversion. 00:36:32.865 --> 00:36:36.233 And all this leads us to the place where we are called. 00:36:36.233 --> 00:36:50.400 No matter who's in charge, no matter what the circumstances are, we are called to walk in freedom, walk in freedom, walk in joy, walk by faith, trust that he is at work. 00:36:52.333 --> 00:36:57.166 And even when even when you're wrestling with, I should be past this. 00:36:57.166 --> 00:36:59.733 Even when you've been set free. 00:36:59.733 --> 00:37:02.800 Look, there is still work to be done. 00:37:03.300 --> 00:37:10.900 We are still called to stay engaged with Christ, walk by faith, lean on him, depend on him, and be used by him to serve others. 00:37:11.932 --> 00:37:12.432 Let's pray.