WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:03.520 Well, we have spent the last month going through the book of Esther. 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.080 It is an amazing book of the Bible. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:08.000 It's just a great story. 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:09.519 And I love to tell stories. 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:10.640 I'm a storyteller. 00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:12.720 That's one of the things I like to do the most. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:17.199 People that know me really well get tired of hearing the same stories over and over again. 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:18.800 My poor, poor wife. 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:22.000 But I tell them anyway because I love to tell stories. 00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:23.359 I just can't help myself sometimes. 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:26.879 And Esther is a great, great story. 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:30.160 It is the story about the power of choice. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:34.799 Our decisions matter greatly, and God can accomplish much. 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:39.840 God can accomplish miraculous results through our choices. 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:42.560 Esther reminds us of the power of choice. 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:46.880 And so every Sunday we've looked at a different decision present in the book of Esther. 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:49.920 We've got a great decision, a great choice to look at today. 00:00:50.079 --> 00:00:56.799 We're going to spend most of our time in Esther chapter 3 and a little bit in Esther chapter 6 if you want to turn there or get that up on your phones. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:00.320 Obviously, we're going to put it on the screens, but they were doing something funky earlier. 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:03.359 So just in case, you know, you have that option. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:14.719 Esther chapter 3, verse 1 says that King Xerxes promoted Haman, son of Hamadatha the Agagite, over all other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:22.959 All the king's officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:28.079 I love Esther chapter 3 because it's in this chapter that we get to meet the villain. 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:33.599 And you cannot have a truly great story without a villain. 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:35.519 You need someone to root against, right? 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:37.680 Sports fans, you have rivals. 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:47.120 And if you're a big sports fan, I'm guessing you get just as much joy seeing your rival lose as you get when you see your team win. 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:50.000 And if you can beat your rival, that's the best. 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:54.799 If your rival beats you, you want to crawl in a hole and die, but the next year you've got a chance for redemption. 00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:56.239 You gotta have a villain. 00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:58.959 You take a villain out of the story, it's not much of a story. 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:01.519 What would Jaws be without Jaws? 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:05.920 You take that shark out of there, it's just a day at the beach. 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:06.480 Okay? 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:11.120 And Haman is a really, really good villain. 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:15.439 By the time I was 10 years old, I had seen exactly two movies with Jack Nicholson. 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:18.240 I saw Batman and The Shining. 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:21.840 I was 10, 10 years old. 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:26.240 I have an older brother that's eight years older than me, and he used to love to stay up really late at night. 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:29.280 I don't think my parents knew what he was doing, and he would watch horror movies. 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:30.800 And I wanted to impress him. 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:38.240 I wanted to, I wanted him to think I was I was cool and tough, and so I would stay up with him and I would watch these movies and I would act like it didn't bother me. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:43.520 I would act like I was fine, but on the inside I was just huddled in a corner in the fetal position crying. 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:46.080 And one of those movies was The Shining. 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:52.159 To this day, if I see Jack Nicholson, I have problems. 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:57.280 If you've never seen those two movies, he is a villain in both. 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:02.159 He's the Joker in one and the most terrifying human being alive in the other one. 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:08.000 And if I was trapped on an elevator with Jack Nicholson, even though I'm a grown man and he's a much older man, I think I could take him. 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:09.120 I don't know. 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.159 That would be a crisis for me. 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:15.120 He is and forever will be a villain in my mind. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:19.680 If I ever see a movie where he's the good guy, I'm like, no, no, no, no, you're not. 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:21.840 You're not fooling me for a second. 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:23.039 You're evil. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:27.120 He's just really good at playing that role. 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:29.840 Haman is not playing a role. 00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:34.240 Haman is not a villain created from someone's imagination. 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:36.000 Haman is the real deal. 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:40.719 He is the second most powerful man in the entire empire of Persia. 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:43.360 We're talking about 500 BC. 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:46.960 Who knows how many people he has killed to get there? 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:56.159 Haman is intelligent, he is ambitious, he is ruthless, he is conniving, he is deceptive. 00:03:57.120 --> 00:03:59.759 Haman is a terrifying man. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:06.479 Every single year in the Jewish faith, the book of Esther is read aloud during this feast called Purim. 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:10.159 It's a feast which actually began in the story of Esther. 00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:19.040 And when it comes time to say Haman's name as the story is read out loud, everyone makes a loud noise to drown out the sound of his name. 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:26.240 The thought is that he is so despised, he is so detested, that his name should never even be heard. 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:36.720 This last year there was a video that went around the internet, and it was Israeli soldiers shooting off automatic rifles every time Haman's name was read. 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:41.920 That's the intensity that is felt toward Haman, and we're gonna see why in just a moment. 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:43.120 I'd like to do something. 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:46.959 We experimented with this in the first service, and it went really well, I think. 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:56.160 So we'll do it again just for this next session of scripture, this next section that we're gonna read, not for the rest of the time, because that would get confusing for me. 00:04:56.480 --> 00:04:59.839 When we get to Haman's name, will you just boo loudly? 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:00.480 Okay? 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.079 It's like a dream of mine to be booed at on a stage. 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:05.839 So make that, I'm just joking. 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:09.360 But but no, seriously, I want us to enter into that mindset. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:14.800 We have to understand how intense this guy is. 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:21.199 We have to understand how dangerous he is and how deserving he is of this kind of response. 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:22.720 I'd love us to just engage in that. 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:26.480 You need to know I have a microphone and a loud voice, so you're gonna have to boo pretty loud. 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:35.199 Esther chapter 3, verse 6, it says that he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes. 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:43.600 So in the month of April, during the 12th year of King Xerxes' reign, lots were cast in Haman's presence. 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:47.120 Weren't as many people in the first service. 00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:47.759 That's good. 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:55.680 To determine the best day and month to take action, and the day selected was March 7th, nearly a year later. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:57.600 Then Haman approached King. 00:05:57.920 --> 00:05:58.480 Yeah. 00:05:58.720 --> 00:05:59.920 That surprised me. 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:01.920 I forgot we were doing that. 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:12.160 He said, There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:17.120 Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:20.399 So it is not in the king's interest to let them live. 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:31.199 If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give ten thousand large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited into the royal treasury. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:34.560 We get a little taste of how deceptive Haman is. 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:38.720 He comes in and he says, Hey, King, you know that I'm always looking out for you. 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:40.480 I just want to help you. 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:44.079 And there's this group of people that we got to do something about them. 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:46.959 They don't follow all the laws, they're kind of different. 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:52.879 And you don't need to even worry about who they are, don't even worry about how many of them there are. 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:54.480 I'll take care of all those details. 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:58.319 You don't need to be troubled with little minor things like that. 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:03.040 I just want to help you out, King Xerxes, and get rid of these people for you. 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:07.120 And in fact, I'll take care of the whole thing, I'll fund it myself. 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:11.519 10,000 large sacks of silver, 10,000 talents is what that would have been. 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:15.839 That was about two-thirds of Persia's debt as a nation at that time. 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:24.720 That would be like someone coming to our government saying, Hey, I'd like to take care of a little problem for you, and I'll give you$11 trillion if you let me do it. 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:27.279 And so the king agrees. 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:33.040 And Haman walks out of the room with this decree signed by the king. 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:37.279 And we need to know that this means March 7th is a done deal. 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:41.040 It doesn't have to go to the Senate to be voted upon. 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:45.279 There's no approval committee that has to meet before this law is official. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:49.759 In Persian culture, when the king signed a law, it was a law. 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:54.240 It could not be amended, it could not be redacted, the king couldn't even change his mind. 00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:58.079 If he says later on, oh well that was a bad idea, kings didn't intend to do that. 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:02.000 But if he did, too late. 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:04.879 Allah was a law. 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:10.480 And so March 7th is a reality for the nation of Israel. 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:16.480 Haman sort of frames this for the king as if this is some small, insignificant group of people. 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:22.399 It is estimated that the Jewish people took up about 20% of the Persian population. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:27.120 It would have been about 15 million people. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:36.240 Haman has just gotten the king to sign the death warrant of 15 million people. 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:40.080 That is the kind of man that Haman is. 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:43.600 That is the villain that we are dealing with. 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:54.240 Haman has such an intense hatred for God's people that his best solution is to wipe them out from the face of the earth. 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:59.679 There are several reasons why Haman had such an intense hate for the nation of Israel. 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:08.000 It says that he was an Agagite, which means he was related to a man named King Agag from a tribe of people long ago called the Amalekites. 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:12.559 The Amalekites attacked the nation of Israel as Israel was leaving Egypt. 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:13.919 They were slaves in Egypt. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:14.320 They left. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:17.120 Exodus tells that story, if you've never read it. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:22.559 And they spent about 40 years wandering around in the desert before they entered the promised land. 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:24.240 They were nomadic people. 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:28.559 And the Amalekites attacked Israel while they were nomads. 00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:34.080 They didn't attack the military of Israel, they attacked the back of the tribe. 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:37.759 And that would have been the elderly, the children, the sick. 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:41.279 It would have been those having a very hard time keeping up with the tribe. 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:43.759 That is who the Amalekites went after. 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:46.480 And in Exodus 17, there's this big battle. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:49.200 It's a really, really good story. 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:53.200 You don't make friends with God by hurting his children. 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:57.679 And so later on, God decides that the Amalekites need to be done for good. 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:03.279 And he tells King Saul to wipe them out, but King Saul relents and hesitates. 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:04.480 He doesn't follow through. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:12.639 So this is a group of people that lingered on, and their hatred for Israel grew, and Haman is part of that family tree. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:21.200 And he is so passionate to see 15 million people die, he is willing to donate a fortune to see it through to the end. 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:25.360 It's a sad truth that sometimes terrible causes are well funded. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:32.320 It's motivation for me, at least, to make sure that the cause of people knowing Jesus is always well funded. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:36.559 But Haman is committed to the end. 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:48.559 Believe it or not, even though this is something that he's obviously thought through, this is a plan he must have had long ago in his mind, growing up, dreaming of a chance to get back at his enemies. 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:53.440 This whole situation is sparked because of the choice of one man. 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:59.759 One man's decision is what motivates Haman to take the action that he's taking. 00:10:59.919 --> 00:11:09.600 If we go back to Esther chapter 3, verse 2, it says all the king's officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:13.039 Notice that it's not because they truly respect Haman. 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:18.399 They don't bow because they admire this man, they bow because the king said they had to. 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:22.799 But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect. 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:29.759 In verse 5, it says that when Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:36.399 He had learned of Mordecai's nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:43.200 Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes. 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:48.399 One man makes a choice, and it creates this whole mess. 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:53.200 It'd be easy to look at Mordecai and say, man, just bow down. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:55.840 Just, just bow down, just do it. 00:11:55.919 --> 00:12:00.240 You don't have to mean it in your heart, but just do it, and this whole situation would be avoided. 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:04.960 But I believe very much that Haman is the kind of man who's gonna do this eventually no matter what. 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:11.919 The only question is, will someone stand up to him before it is too late? 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:20.399 And Mordecai is the only person in all of Persia who is willing to stand up to Haman. 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:22.000 That's his decision. 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:25.120 That's our choice this morning, the choice to stand. 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:29.440 Standing is something we can take for granted. 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:31.679 For most of us, it's pretty easy to do. 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:35.679 My eight-month-old little girl, she has to work really hard to stand up. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:38.639 It takes all the energy, all the energy she has. 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:44.159 I've had times in my life where simply staying on my feet was the hardest thing I could possibly do. 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:46.399 I played football in the seventh grade. 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:48.879 Only in the seventh grade. 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:52.159 I know I don't look like a football player. 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:54.559 I did not look like one in the seventh grade either. 00:12:54.799 --> 00:13:01.200 But all the guys were going out for the football team, and you got to ride on the bus with the cheerleaders, and that seemed great, so I said, hey, why not? 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:06.799 Maybe I can be like a wide receiver and run and catch a touchdown pass and look at the cheerleaders and point and they'll cheer. 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:09.600 Like that was my that was what I envisioned happening. 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:11.519 That is not what happened. 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:12.559 Not even close. 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:15.759 For some reason, I don't know why, because I wasn't a big guy at all. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:19.039 My coach decided to put me at offensive center. 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:25.600 Those of you that know something about football, those are generally big guys. 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:33.600 Really big guys, and their job description is simple: snap the ball to the quarterback, protect him from the mutant trying to get through you to hurt him. 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:35.759 That is what you want to do. 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:43.759 And my coach had this outside the box idea, this novel approach, like, hey, let's put a small guy at center. 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:46.240 I've tried to think of why for the last 20 years. 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:48.159 The only conclusion I have is that he hated me. 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:50.240 That's the only thing that makes sense. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:54.639 And see, the other coaches, they weren't trying outside-the-box approaches. 00:13:54.720 --> 00:14:02.480 They were going with this tried and true method of putting a gigantic hit puberty really early seventh grader on the defensive line. 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:12.799 And so, football for me in seventh grade was snap after snap of me getting mowed over, knocked down, I gave up my goal of trying to protect my quarterback. 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:14.799 He was on his own. 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:19.759 My only goal was just still be on your feet when the whistle blows. 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:23.200 Don't fall down, because I fell down all the time. 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:25.840 And this is a true story, I'm not exaggerating. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:32.720 Once I got hit so hard by this guy on the defensive line that I flew backwards and I knocked my own quarterback down. 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:39.600 So I'm the only offensive center in football history to get a sack in a game. 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:40.720 That's me. 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:47.279 I moved on from football to basketball, a sport where they punish big guys for hitting little guys. 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:48.559 I liked that sport. 00:14:50.879 --> 00:15:02.879 You know, those games, I I had to work so hard just to stay on my feet, and I know that's a humorous example, but I believe many of us have had situations in life where life hit us hard. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:09.519 And in those moments, it is all that we can do sometimes to stay standing. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:19.759 It takes every ounce of energy and focus we have to emotionally and spiritually stay on our feet. 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:22.639 Four years ago, my son was born. 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:23.840 It was a great day. 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:25.759 I'm a huge Duke basketball fan. 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:27.759 You can boo again if you want, you did earlier. 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:31.759 Um and uh that's fine. 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:37.919 So Duke was in the national championship game, April 5th, 2010. 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:39.759 First time they had been in that game in 10 years. 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:40.879 I was so excited. 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:47.039 Halftime of the championship game, April 5th, 2010, my wife's water broke and we went to the hospital. 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:50.000 That's the day my son decided to come. 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:52.960 And so Duke won that day, national champions. 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:56.480 Next day I've got a boy, I'm like two days in a row, this is awesome. 00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:58.639 I'm at I'm at like the peak of my life. 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:00.000 This is amazing. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:04.080 And then the next day, he had to go to the ICU. 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:08.720 And he spent about the first two weeks of his life in the newborn intensive care unit. 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:10.960 And I've shared that story before. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:16.480 That mountaintop experience quickly became a very, very deep valley. 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:23.440 And about a week into him being in the NICU, I came by here by the church to pick something up from my office. 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:30.720 And uh, this woman that worked here at the time stopped me and said, Hey Justin, I know you're having an unbelievably hard week, but I need to tell you about something. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:35.759 One of your students, Nate Snow, was in a really bad car accident last night. 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.960 And he's in intensive care at Grady. 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:42.159 He's it's not looking good. 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.519 And I'm sitting there going, like, what is going on? 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:47.120 I I was torn. 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:51.360 I I have my newborn son in the ICU at Kenistone. 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:54.960 Nate was at Grady in critical condition. 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:58.159 I couldn't be in two places at once. 00:16:58.879 --> 00:17:00.960 I had people here that said, Look, you just stay with your son. 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:02.080 We're gonna go pray with Nate. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:06.160 And as soon as I could get away from the hospital, as soon as I could, I drove to Grady to see him. 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:08.799 It was a few days after the accident, and it was it was hard. 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:13.920 And I remember being in that situation and just going, God, what what do I do? 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:15.839 Everything's hitting me so hard right now. 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:24.240 All these people that I love and care about, and I feel powerless to do anything, and it was like it was like being in the seventh grade again, just being mowed over. 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:31.839 Sometimes it's all we can do to stay on our feet, to stay standing. 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:37.119 I want to read 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 58. 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:43.440 Paul wrote, Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:47.200 Let nothing move you. 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:54.160 Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:56.319 Stand firm. 00:17:56.960 --> 00:17:59.279 Let nothing move you. 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:04.960 We're talking about a spiritual posture today. 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:14.400 That in our spirits we are called by God to be people that stand firm. 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:18.799 We all have hamans in our life. 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:26.960 There are circumstances, there are situations, there are people sometimes that come against us, and they are not for us. 00:18:27.519 --> 00:18:28.960 They don't wish to bless us. 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:37.200 What they want us to do is bow down, give in, give up, throw in the towel, admit defeat. 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:41.599 But we are called to stand firm. 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:45.759 But that's easier said than done, right? 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:49.759 A few years ago I was talking with some people on the prayer team. 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:52.160 Irene Stout was talking to me. 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:55.599 If you don't know Irene, she and her husband Jim lead the prayer team here at his hands. 00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:57.839 They also own the beer growler shop in Canton. 00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:02.960 So, how many churches have a prayer team couple leader that own a beer growler shop, right? 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:04.480 We're the only ones. 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:05.440 It's just us. 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:06.640 I love that. 00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:10.400 And Irene and Jim both hear from the Holy Spirit very, very well. 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:17.279 And Irene came to me and said she wanted to share something with me that she believed God wanted me to hear. 00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:23.599 At the time I was really discouraged, really overwhelmed, struggling to have confidence. 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:29.839 I felt like there was more on my plate than I could possibly handle, and I was not prepared to deal with it. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:31.039 No one knew that, though. 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:33.839 I was something I was dealing with on my own. 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:38.160 Not that that's the smartest way to deal with things, but that's the way that I chose at the time. 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:43.759 And Irene came to me, she said, Justin, God wants you to know that you are equipped. 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:48.880 She said, I can see his armor all over you. 00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:53.759 She had no idea how meaningful that was to me. 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:57.200 I walked out that day going, God, thank you. 00:19:57.279 --> 00:19:58.240 I needed that so badly. 00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:09.839 There have been several moments since then where I'm dealing with those same feelings and not sure if I if I'm prepared to handle whatever life is giving me at the time, and I stop and I know I said, No, God, you told me I am equipped. 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:12.559 I've got my armor on. 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:19.519 The only reason I'm with you today is because in seventh grade, when I played football, I was wearing pads. 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:23.759 I had a helmet, I had shoulder pads, I had all that stuff. 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:25.440 That's why I'm still here. 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:34.480 Sometimes, in order to stand and to stand firm, we have to recognize the need to stand in some protection. 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:45.519 When Irene said she could see God's armor on me, she wasn't holding a beer growler, uh, she was quoting Ephesians 6. 00:20:45.759 --> 00:21:00.160 And Paul wrote in Ephesians 6 10, a final word Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil. 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:11.200 For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:22.640 And that may not seem very encouraging, that it's not just life itself and the economy and things like that that come against us, but it's Satan himself, and it's these spiritual forces coming against us. 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:34.480 But Paul goes on and says, Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor, so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:40.799 Then, after the battle, you will still be standing firm. 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:46.799 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:52.480 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good news, so that you will be fully prepared. 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:59.680 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil, put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:06.640 Of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, gives us this description of this armor. 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:08.480 Paul at the time was in chains. 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:09.519 He was imprisoned. 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:13.119 He would have spent every day chained to a Roman soldier staring at that guy's armor. 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:15.119 He had a great reference point. 00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:20.960 We all have the ability to stand. 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:25.359 Because we are all equipped by the same God. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:28.480 We have access to the same spirit. 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:31.119 We have access to the same protection. 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:36.000 We can choose to spiritually put on every piece of armor that it just described. 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:38.640 We can choose to put on truth. 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:45.920 To refuse lies, to care about what is actually true and what is actually right. 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:52.720 To reject whatever lies that we have believed or maybe even caused ourselves to believe. 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:55.200 We can choose what is true. 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:58.960 We can choose to put on that helmet of salvation. 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:02.079 A helmet protects your mind, it guards you. 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:13.519 When we live our lives knowing that we are saved, God has done the work, Jesus has paid the price, we belong to God. 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:19.759 When we know we belong to God, our minds are guarded against so many lies that Satan will tell us. 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:23.039 Because at the end of the day, we all want to belong. 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:31.039 And if you're here today and you don't know that you belong with God, you belong with God. 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:35.440 We can choose to put on that body armor of righteousness. 00:23:35.599 --> 00:23:38.799 Righteousness literally means right standing with God. 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:48.079 And we're told in the Word that Jesus lived with right standing before God, and he chose to give us his righteousness. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:50.640 We don't have to earn that for ourselves. 00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:56.720 Putting on the body armor of righteousness does not mean doing the right thing every single time, every single day, every single opportunity. 00:23:56.880 --> 00:24:03.039 It means that we accept Jesus' righteousness in place of our own shortcomings. 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:05.119 That is a really good trade. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:11.680 We can choose to put on the shoes of peace, which I imagine are like slippers. 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:13.119 That sounds nice. 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:18.319 And it says that peace comes from hearing the good news. 00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:22.400 The good news that Jesus has done it all. 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:32.799 The more we listen to the good news, the more we share the good news of Jesus, the more peace we experience. 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:34.880 That's a choice we can make. 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:42.720 We can choose the shield of faith, which will block every single attack that Satan throws at you. 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:44.559 Faith is so powerful. 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:49.759 The Bible says that we live by faith, not by sight. 00:24:50.799 --> 00:25:00.319 And if we live by sight, fears, discouragement, lies, those things that Satan himself attacks us with, they're very powerful. 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:06.960 Because if we're looking at life through our eyes, I can look at my bank account and be pretty afraid sometimes. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:16.400 I can look at the status of my marriage, or so I think it is, and go, oh, this isn't what I wanted it to be. 00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:21.599 I can look at the aspects of my job that I don't love. 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:27.680 I can look at the world around me and not be very encouraged. 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:35.119 But I am not supposed to live with my eyes, being the lens through which I see. 00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:38.799 We are supposed to live by faith. 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:42.960 And by faith, I can look at my bank account and go, look how much room it has to grow. 00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:44.079 Right? 00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:53.279 By faith, I can look at my marriage and say, Well, not gonna make that mistake again. 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:54.559 Not marrying my wife. 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:56.000 That sounded really bad. 00:25:56.240 --> 00:26:03.440 Um the mistake would be me doing what I'm doing right now, not thinking before I speak. 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:05.920 That's 99% of my marriage problems. 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:24.480 By faith, by faith, I can look at my kids in moments where I'm having a hard time and say, thank you so much, God, that it's not all up to me to make sure they become the people that they're supposed to become. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:28.319 Thank you, God, for bringing people alongside me. 00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:32.720 Thank you, God, for giving me your spirit and for being their father. 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:34.319 I don't have to be their only dad. 00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:36.000 Thank you, God, that it's not all on me. 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:42.000 If we live by faith, so many of the discouragements that Satan gives us, they just stop short because faith is a shield. 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:43.440 We can choose that shield. 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:48.640 We can choose the sword, which is the spirit, it's the word of God. 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:54.559 One of the biggest lies Satan will tell you is that you cannot understand the Bible. 00:26:54.880 --> 00:27:01.839 It's too complicated, it's too weird, there's too many questions, there's too much stuff in it that doesn't make sense. 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:07.680 You can absolutely understand God's word. 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:12.079 If you read it, you ask him to open your eyes. 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:22.160 There's tools that are out there on your phone, there's there's apps, there's there's websites, there's one-year Bibles, you can get some at the source, there's all kinds of things that exist to help you really know God's word. 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:23.359 And that's our sword. 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:28.640 Every time Jesus resisted temptation, he quoted scripture and it worked. 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:34.559 Because God's word is true, and it's a sword. 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:38.079 You can you can just call reading the Bible your sword practice. 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:44.720 And if you tell people all the time, hey, I gotta go practice with my sword, they're never gonna mess with you. 00:27:45.279 --> 00:27:47.039 That's just a little added benefit. 00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:50.079 That guy spends a lot of time practicing sword fighting. 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:51.599 That's not that practical of a skill anymore. 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:52.720 Why is he doing that? 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:56.079 But have that mentality. 00:27:56.160 --> 00:27:59.279 This is this is a weapon that's at your disposal. 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:02.720 It's what we have to fight back. 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:08.640 See, all of those, all of those pieces of armor, that whole metaphor, it's all a choice. 00:28:08.799 --> 00:28:12.400 We have the ability to choose to live in God's protection. 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:17.279 And when we choose to live in his protection, we stand firm. 00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:19.359 Always. 00:28:25.119 --> 00:28:27.759 Romans 5 talks about standing firm with hope. 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:36.240 And in verse 2, Paul wrote, Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand. 00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:41.119 And we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:44.960 We can rejoice too when we run into problems and trials. 00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:52.720 For we know that they help us develop endurance, and endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 00:28:52.960 --> 00:29:01.680 And this hope will not lead to disappointment, for we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:09.519 I mentioned my friend Nate Snow earlier, young man that had a car accident. 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:12.799 This is a picture of Nate from back when he was in high school. 00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:14.000 He's on the right. 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:18.240 Nate was the first student that I connected with when I came here eight years ago. 00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:20.319 He was uh, I think a junior in high school at the time. 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:22.480 He and I spent a lot of time together. 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:25.759 We'd go play basketball, we'd grab lunch, we'd hang out. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:33.920 Nate was the very first student that came here brave enough just to stand up and raise his arms and go crazy in worship. 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:37.119 The first part of our youth group to take that stand. 00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:40.000 So a lot of us recognize that our students are very passionate worshipers. 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:43.759 Nate was the trendsetter in that area. 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:46.319 I love Nate so much. 00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:49.039 Nate's car accident was really serious. 00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:52.079 It's the kind of accident that you're not supposed to live through. 00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:55.440 He was driving, it wasn't his fault. 00:29:56.319 --> 00:29:59.279 Another car came over and hit him head on. 00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:02.400 He was in a coma for a very long time. 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:05.039 But he lived. 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:09.119 This is a picture of Nate from just uh a few weeks ago. 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:11.440 Nate always liked to dress sharp, man. 00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:14.319 He's always been this sharp dresser, and he was always in really good shape. 00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:20.480 So we'd always be playing basketball, and he'd be like, uh, I don't want to get sweat all over my shirt, so I'm just gonna take my shirt off. 00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:24.559 Because he had abs and things like that, and I was always like, Nate, come on, just put your shirt back on. 00:30:24.640 --> 00:30:26.880 We all know, we all know that you look good. 00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:27.920