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Amen. All right, we're there in Esther, chapter number six. And of course on Sunday mornings we've been going through the series called For Such a Time as This, and we've been doing a verse by verse study through the book of Esther. And today, this morning, we find ourselves in chapter number six. And in this chapter, what we find, what we'll learn about, what we'll see, is there are two major lessons in this chapter, and we'll deal with both of them this morning. The first is a lesson on being presumptuous, and the second is a lesson on being patient. And I'd encourage you to write some of these things down, and on the back of your course of the week, there's a place for you to take notes, and maybe you can jot some of these things down. We're there in Esther, chapter six, look down at verse number one, the Bible says this, On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of the records of the Chronicles, and they were read before the king, and it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bekthana and Tirish, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on King Ahasuerus. Notice verse three, And the king said, What honor and dignity have been done to Mordecai for this? So we have this night, the Bible says it in verse one, and, you know, don't just skip over that. When it says on that night, it is a very specific night, and we'll talk more about this next week in chapter number seven, but this is the night between Esther's two banquets, if you remember. Esther held a banquet for the king and for Haman in chapter five. Last time we were in the book of Esther, we saw that portrait of prayer where Esther came before King Ahasuerus, and then she set up a second banquet, a second dinner with the king, and we'll see that in chapter number seven. This night falls between those two banquets. On that night could not the king sleep, and he's having trouble sleeping, and he of course calls for the Book of the Records of the Chronicles, and this is a book where they basically documented all of the events of the kingdom, and apparently there's nothing, you know, that'll get you to sleep faster than having somebody read the records of the Chronicles, of the Book of the Records of the Chronicles, so the king calls for someone to read this book to him, and as he's being read, it reminds him of the fact that Mordecai, if you remember earlier in the book in chapter two, Mordecai actually warned the king about an assassination attempt on his life. Notice again there verse three, and the king said, what honor and dignity had been done to Mordecai for this? He says, did we ever do anything for Mordecai? I mean, he saved my life. Did we ever give him an award or do something to honor the fact that he saved my life? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, there is nothing done for him, and the king said, who is in the court? At this moment in time, someone shows up at the court, and it is of course the villain of our story, Haman. The Bible says, now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house to speak unto the king, now don't miss this, to hang Mordecai, and of course we know that Haman has devised this plan against the Jews, and specifically against Mordecai, and Esther will be killed as a result. He's already been given permission, but he specifically hates Mordecai, because Mordecai will not bow to him whenever Haman walks by, and he's created this, and he's built these gallows to have Mordecai killed, and Haman comes to the king this day in order to get permission from the king to have Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for him. Notice verse 5, and the king's servants said unto him, behold Haman standeth in the court, and the king said, let him come in. So don't miss what's going on here. We have the king, who wasn't able to sleep all night, asked someone to bring in the records, the Book of the Records of the Chronicles in order to bore him enough to maybe get some sleep, and while that is being read to him, he is reminded of the fact that Mordecai saved his life earlier in time, and he asked, has anything been done to honor and give dignity to Mordecai? And the answer is there is nothing done for him. At that moment Haman comes in and enters into the presence of the king to make a request to have Mordecai put to death. That's our context of our story. Look at verse 5, and the king's servants said unto him, behold Haman standeth in the court, and the king said, let him come in. So Haman came in, and before Haman can say anything, the Bible says this, and the king said unto him, what shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor? And Haman thought in his heart. Now look at this very proud man. He gets asked this question. He comes in, and the king looks at Haman and says, Haman let me ask you something. What do you think should be done if I were wanting to honor someone, if the king delighteth to honor someone, what shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor? Now Haman thought in his heart, to whom would the king delight to do honor more than myself? Very prideful man. Very petty man. And in this chapter we see this first lesson, which is a lesson on being presumptuous, and the truth is this, and maybe you can jot this down, it is good to not assume. It is good to not assume, and to maybe be pleasantly surprised. Here we have the king asks this question. He says, what shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor? And Haman assumes that the king is referring to himself. He says, to whom would the king delight to do honor more than to myself? And it's very petty, it's very prideful, it's almost embarrassing. I mean as you read the story, especially as you read it out loud, in a room full of people, you're kind of embarrassed. If it wasn't that Haman was a psychopath reprobate, you'd be embarrassed for Haman that this is being said of him. He didn't say this out loud, he says this in his own mind, in his own heart. Now Haman thought in his heart, the Bible says, to whom would the king delight to do honor more than to myself? It's very prideful, but if we were honest with ourselves, wouldn't we have to admit that it's more common than we'd like to admit? That we sometimes assume, we sometimes presume that there is honor that should be given us? And here's the lesson and here's the the application for you, it is good not to assume. Now if there's honor to be had, if there's honor to be given, if there's delights to be given, then it's good to not assume and be pleasantly surprised. Look at verse 7. And Haman answered the king, for the man whom the king delighted to honor. Now keep in mind, Haman thinks he's talking about himself. He doesn't realize he's talking about his enemy, Mordecai. And he answers the question, he says, and Haman answered the king, for the man whom the king delighted to honor, let the royal apparel be brought, which the king used it to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head, and let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man with all whom the king delighted to honor, and bring him on a horseback through the streets of the city, and proclaim before him, thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighted to honor. Here we have Haman, he says, well, you know, here's what I think you should do to someone that you want to honor, king, you should have them put on your clothes, and you should have them ride on your horse, and you should even have them put on your crown, and you should find somebody to parade them around the city, and to proclaim before them, thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighted to honor. Now, here's the interesting thing about this passage, and I'll just give this to you real quickly, because it's not really what I want to focus on, but I do want to point this out. There are some things here that Haman absolutely did wrong, and in some dark, odd way, there are some things that Haman unconsciously did right. First we see his request. The request of Haman reveals his own heart, because, of course, Haman thinks he's talking about himself. He thinks the king is asking, hey, who do you think, if I wanted to honor someone, what do you think I should do? And Haman thinks, well, he's talking about me. He's asking, you know, what he should do for me. So he says these things, and it really reveals the pride of Haman's heart, because Haman kind of reveals for us here that he wants to be king. I mean, he says, how about you take the clothes that belong to the king, how about you take the horse that belongs to the king, how about you take the crown that belongs to the king, and give it to the man to whom you want to honor, and have somebody parade them around and proclaim before the city that this is what happens to the man who the king the king delights to honor. So we see this request, we see that it reveals in Haman's prideful heart that he really does desire to be king. However, in a dark kind of odd way, for lack of better words, Haman does do something right here, and not on purpose of course, but the Bible teaches this, that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. And though his, what he would have people do unto him is filled with pride and scarred with pride, in some way you will never go wrong relationally. You will never make the wrong decision if you live your life by one of the most famous teachings that Jesus ever taught, which is that we should treat others the way that we'd like to be treated. Here Haman says, well here's what I think should happen, and we see that it is not good, it is not good to assume, and it would be better to be pleasantly surprised, but I want you to notice that it is also not good to assume and be disappointed. Look at verse 10, and the king said to Haman, make haste, take the apparel of the horse as thou has said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew. And you just can kind of feel Haman's heart just sink. Remember that in verse four we're told that Haman was coming to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai, and Haman gets distracted by this question asked by the king, what should I do to the man, that I want to honor, and Haman thinks he's talking about himself, and he gives this request, and then the king seems pleased. The king says, hey that's a great idea, why don't you go ahead and make haste, and I want you to do, I want you to do it, even so to Mordecai the Jew that sitteth at the king's gate. Let nothing fail of all that thou has spoken. Look at verse 11, then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai. Keep in mind, he's building gallows 50 feet high. He doesn't just want to kill Mordecai, he wants everybody to see that he has killed Mordecai. His wife knows it, his friends know it, the entire city knows it. We'll know, we'll see later on in the chapter that it is told to the king, later on in the next chapter, excuse me, it is told to the king that Haman is building this, something that people know about, and now Haman is being told by the king, and he has to take the apparel, and he has to array Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the streets of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighted to honor. Mordecai came again to the king's gate, but Haman hasted to his house mourning and having his head covered. After he's done doing what the king has asked him to do, Mordecai goes back to work, Haman goes home, and the Bible says that he went there mourning and having his head covered, like he just came from a funeral, like he just came from his own funeral. Look at verse 13, and Haman told Zerush his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him, then said to his wise men and Zerush his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou has begun to fall, thou shall not prevail against him, but shall surely fall before him. Keep your place right here in Esther chapter 6, this is our text for this morning, but go with me if you would to the book of Luke in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Luke chapter 14. The first lesson we see is this lesson on being presumptuous. Please understand this, it is good, it is good to not assume, it is good to not make assumptions, it is good to not assume that, well, I deserve this, and I deserve this honor, and I deserve this dignity, and I should have people, you know, bow before me. It's good to not assume. Now, if there's honor to be had, if there's credit to be given, it's good to not assume and to be pleasantly surprised, but it is not good to assume and be disappointed. This principle of not assuming your own honor is found all throughout the Bible. Let me give you just some examples of it. Luke chapter 14, this is how Jesus taught it. Jesus taught, the principle we, the, the lesson we see here in Esther chapter 6, Jesus taught it using a parable. Luke chapter 14 verse 7, the Bible says this, and he put forth a parable to those which were bidden. Now notice this, Jesus is going to tell a story. Why is he telling a story? When he marked, the word marked means he noticed how they chose out the chief rooms. So Jesus is at a gathering and he marked, the Bible said, or he noticed how the Pharisees chose out the chief rooms. They chose out the, the, the, the better locations. It's like when you go to an arena or something, you've got the front row seats or maybe you've got the, the, the, the seats that are, you know, just nicer seats and, and better locations. They chose out the chief room saying unto them, here's how Jesus taught it, verse 8, when thou art bidden of any man to a wedding. He says, sit not down in the highest room, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him. And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, give this man place and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. What's Jesus saying? Here's what he's saying. It's not good to assume and be disappointed. He said, if you're invited to a wedding, if you're invited to a party, he said, don't just assume, don't just sit down. He says, sit not down in the highest room. Don't just assume that, well, of course, you know, this, this table that says VIP, that's where I'm supposed to sit. You know, of course, this, the, the, the front row seats are the, now you can, you're going to take every front row seat at church, all right. My favorite people in church are the ones that sit in the front row and you say you shouldn't be a respected person, then yeah, you're right. But, you know, you, you don't, don't just assume that you're, you're supposed to take the highest room. Sit not down in the highest room, Jesus said. You said, why? Because someone that is of higher authority, of higher honor, of higher dignity than you might show up and then someone, he said, it's going to be awkward. When verse 9, he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, give this man play. Oh, actually, I'm sorry, this wasn't for you. And thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. Notice verse 10, but when thou art bidden, he said, here's what you should do. He said, it's not good to assume, because when you assume, you may end up disappointed. He said, here's the better thing, it's better to not assume and be pleasantly surprised. Look at verse 10, but when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room, that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, friend, go up hither, then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at me with thee, for whosoever exalted themselves shall be abased, and he that humbler themselves shall be exalted. Go to Proverbs, if you would, Proverbs chapter 25, if you have your place in the book of Esther, you have Esther, Psalms, Proverbs, Esther, Psalms, Proverbs. Here's what he's saying, he's saying, it's not good to assume, it is good to not assume and be pleasantly surprised, and it is not good to assume and be disappointed. You say, why? Because assumptions create disappointments, and disappointment creates discontentment. Proverbs 25, are you there? Look at verse 6, Proverbs 25, verse 6. Here's how Solomon said it, the parable of Jesus was just kind of a reworking of a proverb that Solomon told. Proverbs 25, verse 6, the Bible says this, put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men. He says, don't just assume, don't just assume that you get to sit next to the king, or you get to stand before great men, or you get, he says, put not for, he said, don't put yourself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men. You say, why? Verse 7, for better it is that it be said unto thee, come up hither, then thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen. Here's what he's saying, it is good to not assume and be pleasantly surprised. It is not good to assume and be disappointed. You say, why? Because assumptions create disappointment, and disappointment creates discontentment. Go with me if you would, if you would keep your place right there in Proverbs, go with me to the book of 2 Kings, 2 Kings chapter number 5. If you find the one and two books, they're all clustered together, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 2 Kings chapter number 5, 2 Kings chapter number 5. I'd like you to look down at verse number 11, 2 Kings chapter 5, and of course in 2 Kings we have this story of Naaman. Remember Naaman was a great general, man of great authority, I mean the kind of guy that when he walked in a room people stood, and he has leprosy, he's been told that there is a prophet in Israel, Elisha, the prophet that could heal him, and he's worked it out, the king has sent a message and he is now there, and he's worked it out so that he might come to see the prophet Elisha. In fact, look down at verse number 9 just to get a little bit of context. Notice what the Bible says, so Naaman came, now notice how Naaman came, he did not come humbly and lowly, he came with his entourage. Now, so Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. Naaman comes with his entourage, with his pomp, and he stands at the door of Elisha, notice verse 10, and Elisha sent a messenger unto him. Elisha did not even bother to come to the door. Now Naaman is the kind of guy that when he comes to your house you receive him, when he enters the room you stand for him. I mean, it's not like, oh, Naaman is here. It's like, wow, what a great honor that you would honor us with your presence. Naaman, come in, you know, and you present them with a feast, and you present them with all these things. These are the things that he has had in the past, and these are the things that he assumes, and when he goes to Elisha, Elisha doesn't even come to the door. Verse 10, Naisha sent a messenger unto him saying, go and wash in Jordan seven times. Elisha sends a messenger saying, I already know you're here. I'm a prophet. I don't even need to talk to you. Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman, look at verse 11, was wroth. Naaman was angry. Naaman was upset. But Naaman was wroth and went away and said, behold, I notice, don't miss these, I thought, you know what that means? There was an assumption. Well, I just assumed that if someone of my caliber, if someone of my pedigree, if someone of my authority would show up, that Elisha would at least come and meet me. He said, I thought he will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper. He said, this is not what I was expecting. I was expecting to show up and have some messenger come say, hey, go dip in the river of Jordan seven times and you'll be healed. He said, I thought there was going to be this big show and Elisha was going to come out and honor me and pray and call upon the Lord and strike his hand and heal me. In verse 12, are not Abana and Farpa rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in rage. And of course, you know the story. His servants bring him to his senses and he goes to Jordan river and he's healed. But I just want you to understand this. The lesson on being presumptuous is this. It is not good to assume because you may be disappointed. And disappointment creates discontentment. See, oftentimes people in relationships, oftentimes people in relationship, no matter what relationship it is, it could be your marriage, it could be with your kids, it could be your work. The reason you're so discontented, the reason you're so unhappy, the reason you're just, I'm not content in this relationship, is because there's disappointment, there's discouragement. And the reason that there is discouragement is because there probably was, there probably was some assumptions made that have not been met. She said, well what should I do? Stop assuming. Stop assuming. Look, okay, don't make assumptions because you might get just be disappointed and be discouraged and be discontented. Now, if you don't make assumptions and you're pleasantly surprised, then good for you. But don't make assumptions. See, husbands, you know, they're like, I'm just not having my marriage. Well, what's wrong? Well, I just thought, I mean, I just thought that, you know, she was gonna rub my feet every night. I got home and, you know, she's gonna rub my feet and they're always, you know, be my favorite meal every night. And, you know, and everything would be wonderful. And that didn't really work out. Yeah, well, I just assumed, the wife would say, I just assumed that he would shower on a regular basis. I mean, I just assumed that he would put his dirty laundry into the hamper and I, you know, I just thought. Here's all I'm saying. Here's all I'm saying. In life, it's better to not make assumptions. In life, it's better. It's better. It is good to not assume and be pleasantly surprised. It is not good to assume and be disappointed because you might presume. Go to the book of Psalms, if you would. Psalm 131. If you kept your place in Proverbs, just right before the book of Proverbs, you have a book with Psalms. Do me a favor and put, keep your place in Psalms because we're going to leave it. We're going to come back to it. Psalm 131. It is better to not assume and be pleasantly surprised. Well, I just assumed when I got hired at this job that, of course, you know, I would be the manager and then within three weeks I'd be running the thing. Well, that's a great assumption, but maybe you shouldn't make assumptions. Maybe we should choose as Christians. Maybe we should choose because doesn't the Bible say that as Christians we are followers of Christ? Doesn't the Bible say that Jesus was lowly in spirit, that he was a humble man? See, humility is not asserting ourselves into positions that are too high for us. Now, those positions may be there for us, but you know what's better is for you to assume, for you to assume that the lower seat is for me and to have someone honor you and say, no, you shouldn't sit here. You should sit up here. This is the seat we've reserved for you. That's better than you sitting there and having somebody say, no, actually, you belong over there. We saved that seat for you. Psalm 131, verse 1. Notice what the Bible says. Lord, my heart is not haughty. The word haughty means to act arrogant or superior. Nor mine eyes lofty. The word lofty means proud, aloof, self-important. Neither do I exercise myself in great matters or in things too high for me. If you're here this morning and you're not contented with your children, you're not contented with your workplace, you're not contented with your spouse, you're not contented with your church, maybe. You ought to consider, you ought to just do this exercise and you don't have to tell anybody and you don't have to do anything, but just do this in your mind. Ask yourself, why am I so discontented? Why am I so disgruntled? Why am I so upset? Could it be that I have been discouraged? Could it be that I have been disappointed? And could it be that I have been disappointed because there was an assumption made that maybe I shouldn't have made? Maybe I shouldn't have assumed that when the king asked, what do you think I should do for the man that I want to honor? Maybe I shouldn't have assumed that he was talking about me is what Haman would learn. So in this chapter, we see these two great lessons. Lesson number one is this, a lesson on being presumptuous. It is good to not assume and be pleasantly surprised. It is not good to assume and be disappointed. It is better for us to take the state of lowliness and humility and be honored than to take the state of honor and be brought low. Because like Jesus said, for whosoever exalted themselves shall be abased. And he that humblest himself shall be exalted. But let's shift gears a little bit and talk about the second lesson. Lesson number one is on being presumptuous. Lesson number two is on being patient. Now go with me if you would to the book of 1 Timothy towards the end of the New Testament. You find all the t-books. They're all clustered together. 1 Timothy Titus and find 1 Timothy chapter number one. 1 Timothy chapter number one. The second lesson, major lesson we learned in this chapter. By the way, let me say this. Next week chapters six and seven kind of go together. In chapter six this morning we are learning that there is a lesson on being presumptuous and there is a lesson on patience. Next week we will learn the same thing that there is a lesson on pride and presumption and there is a lesson on patience and we'll look at those in chapter seven as well. The book of Esther is a very interesting book and it is an interesting book because there is some controversy with theologians in regards to whether or not the book of Esther should even be part of the canon of scripture. Some people, and this is not our position, we believe that the book of Esther is the word of God, but some people take the position that the book of Esther should not even belong in the Bible. And their major argument and their main argument is this. And this is very interesting about the book of Esther. There's two books in the Bible that this is true of and Esther is one of them. In the book of Esther you may have noticed or maybe not God is never mentioned. God is never mentioned or referenced in the entire book of Esther. And for this reason some have doubted that the book of Esther should even be placed within the canon of scripture. However, I believe that nothing in the Bible is incidental or coincidental. I don't think that God just kind of like, oh man we let a book in and forgot to mention me. I believe that God purposely, God purposely allowed the book of Esther to not mention or reference God because of the fact that the hand of God is seen throughout this entire book. See, the unseen invisible hand of God. See, when you read the book of Esther you don't read about God. You don't read about God and they don't talk about God and they don't acknowledge God. They don't even pray to God necessarily. They even fasted but no reference of God was made. But as you read the book of Esther you see what I like to call God's unseen hand working on the other side. God working on behalf of his people in an invisible way. You say, well why would God give us a book like this? And here's why. Here's what I think. Because the truth of the matter is that sometimes in the Christian life we feel like God is missing. I mean isn't that true? Sometimes in the Christian life we feel like God is not fair. Like God has taken a leave of absence. God is missing in action and we're not sure what God is doing in our life. Sometimes in the Christian life, I mean if we were honest with ourselves, sometimes in the Christian life we say that God is hard to see and that God is hard to understand. We're studying the book of Job on Wednesday nights and the major issue that Job has is that he cannot understand what God is doing. God has not explained himself. God has not sent him a memo. God has not sent him an email to say here's what's going on. But the truth is this that sometimes in the Christian life and I would say many times in the Christian life as we're going through the road of life we just kind of feel like we can't clearly discern God. But the truth is this that the book of Esther teaches us that God is there. That the unseen hand of God is always working on the other side. 1st Timothy chapter 1 if you would look at verse 17. I want you to notice what the Bible says about God. 1st Timothy 1 verse 17. Now unto the king eternal. That is a characteristic of God. A quality of God. Now unto the king eternal. Here's another one. Immortal. An attribute of God. Notice this word invisible. The only wise God be honoring glory forever and ever. Amen. The Bible tells us that God is invisible. The Bible tells us that we can't see God. God is at work but we don't see what I like to refer to as the unseen hand of God is at work on the other side. And we don't see it. At the time we don't see it. At the time we don't understand it. But when it is all said and done we can but step back and say look what God has done. Go to Psalm 46 if you would look at verse 1 if you kept your place in Psalm. Psalm 46. Psalm 46. Here's what the Bible says when you need God God's there. Psalm 46 verse 1. Psalm 46 and verse 1 says this God is our refuge. God is our refuge and strength. Notice these words. A very present help in trouble. The Bible says that God is very present when you need him. That God is a very present help in trouble. That God is a very present help in time of need. And you and I might say well I don't see him and I don't feel him and I don't understand him and I'm confused by what God is doing but the Bible tells us that God is very present. The Bible does not say that God is very seen. The Bible says that God is a very present help in trouble though sometimes he is unseen. And what the Bible teaches us and what we learn in the book of Esther we'll see it in this chapter and we'll see in the next chapter is that when we cannot see God when we cannot understand God when we cannot comprehend God that does not mean that God is not there that does not mean that God is not at work that does not mean that the unseen hand of God is not working on the other side for our behalf. So I'd like you to notice this lesson on being patient. Go back to the book of Esther if you would but if you would go back to Esther chapter 2 and we'll have to rewind a little bit to get the full context of this story. Remember that king Ahasuerus could not sleep in chapter 6 and he has the book of the records brought out and when the book of records is read to him it reminds him about the fact that Mordecai saved his life. Esther chapter 2 is where we see that passage verse 19 notice what the Bible says and when the virgins were gathered together the second time then Mordecai sat in the king's gate. Now it is mentioned here that Mordecai sat in the king's gate and this is right after queen Esther or Esther has been made queen and I believe that the reason it is put in this context it seems to indicate that Mordecai is now sitting at the king's gate as a result of Esther being queen. Notice verse 20 Esther not yet showed her kindred for her people as Mordecai had charged her for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai like as when she was brought up with him. In those days while Mordecai sat in the king's gate two of the king's chamber lanes Big Than and Tirish of those which kept the door were robbed were angry probably because of some met assumptions and sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus. They want to hurt the king they want to kill the king they have created a conspiracy a plot against the king. Look at verse 22 and the thing was known to Mordecai. Mordecai heard it he overheard it he became aware that this plan was going to happen who told it unto Esther the queen and Esther certified the king thereof aren't you notice this kind of tells you about how Esther was raised she goes to the she just became queen you think she could earn some credit here with the king by going to him and saying hey let me tell you what I heard I heard there's these guys want to kill you that's not what she does Mordecai comes to her and says let me tell you what I heard these guys want to kill your husband the king and Esther the bible says verse 22 he told it unto Esther the queen and Esther certified the king thereof notice these words in Mordecai's name Esther is concerned to make sure that Mordecai gets the credit for this she wants to make sure she wants to make sure that the king doesn't just assume that because she brought this news that it was of her doing she wants to make sure hey I got this from Mordecai Mordecai is the one who told me these news and look because because Esther chose to certify the king thereof in Mordecai's name their entire nation will be saved because she did not presume because she did not put herself because she did not insert herself I mean don't you wish you worked with Esther I know she's a lady and we don't we're against that but don't you wish you worked with people that had the spirit of Esther I mean isn't this isn't this what you don't see at the workplace you get the project done you stay up all night you get it all done then your manager takes the credit for it to the big boss that never mentions your name never says well look let me let me give credit to him credit is due look these are these are the type of people that we should be we should be the type of people that take the lowly state and that give credit to the people to whom credit is due she certified the king thereof in Mordecai's name look when people honor you and thank you and say I'm so thankful for them and you know it's not something you did it says something about you it says something about you when you receive that glory when somebody thanks you for something you didn't do and you say hey you know what you're welcome and whatever part I played but you know honestly you gotta think oftentimes we we have these amazing events here at Verity Baptist Church and we have you know the I mean we transform these buildings into into banquet halls and all these things and and people come up to me and I appreciate and say pastor I want to thank you so much and I'll say you know you've been thinking as my wife because I wasn't here till 10 p.m decorating last night but she was you know you should be thinking as these ladies she certified the king thereof in Mordecai's name look at verse 23 and when inquisition was made of the matter it was found out therefore they were both big fam and tearish hanged on a tree and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king so what's the lesson on being patient here's the lesson sometimes we do not receive credit for what we do and sometimes we do things right whether it is for our work whether it is for our families whether it is for god sometimes we do things and they're big things they're major things I mean we just saved the king's life nobody notices nobody acknowledges it sure it gets written down somewhere in some book but other than that no credit is given no one is given no one is given other than that no credit is given no honor is given sometimes we feel unappreciated or underappreciated and sometimes you could if Mordecai wanted to and the bible does not indicate this you could wonder if anybody even really cares see there's a lesson on being patient and it is this that sometimes look just know this sometimes we do not receive credit for what we do now you will struggle with that you will struggle with that if you made assumptions if Mordecai made assumptions that hey I'm gonna go tell that about this plot and then the king's gonna give me some big reward it doesn't the bible doesn't indicate that about Mordecai but there's no disappointment there's no discouragement there's no discontent because there was no assumptions made but just realize in life you will not always get credit for everything you do people will not always acknowledge you for everything you do people will not always thank you for everything you do people will not always properly honor you and and and and and make you feel the way they should maybe make you feel because if you save the king's life I mean if you save the king's life the most powerful man on earth at this time the most powerful kingdom on earth the head of that kingdom you saved his life you would think somebody would write you a thank you card I mean could you imagine taking a bullet you know could you imagine uh uh uh uh letting the secret service know about some plot to kill the president of the united states and just it gets written down somewhere and nobody ever says anything that's what happens to Mordecai sometimes we do not receive credit sometimes you invest yourself into people you spend yourself on people you give of yourself for people they don't acknowledge it they act like you owed it to them maybe there's assumptions on their side so well what can we learn from this here's what we can learn sometimes we do not receive credit for what we do but we will always eventually reap what we have sown I mean look at Esther chapter 6 on that night on that night on what night on the night right before Haman the secretary of state on the night right before Haman the second most powerful man in the kingdom on the night right before Haman the king's best friend on the night right before the guy who was able to talk the king into killing all of the jews on that night on that night right before the guy that has the ear of the king the most influence of the king on that night right before that guy is going to go to the king and ask for your head on that night could not the king sleep don't tell me you don't see the unseen hand of god working in this book on that night the unseen hand of god smacked the has arias across the face and woke him up on that night could not the king sleep and he commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles and they were read before the king and it was found written that Mordecai had told the big fan in tares two of the king's chamberlains the keepers of the door who sought to lay hands on the king of has areas and the king said a question that probably should have been asked a long time ago he said he said what honor and dignity had been done to Mordecai for this then said the king's servants that ministered unto him there is nothing done for him and Haman shows up and the king says to his best friend what do you think i should do for the man who i want to honor and Haman presumes that he's speaking about himself and we've just read the story you know the context look sometimes we do not receive credit for what we do but we will always eventually reap what we have sown but verse 10 then the king said to Haman make haste and take the apparel and the horse as thou hast said and do even so to Mordecai the jew he says it's the Haman when Haman comes in to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai that sitteth at the king's gate let nothing fail of all that thou has done then took Haman the apparel and the horse and arrayed Mordecai and brought him on horseback through the streets of the city and proclaimed before him thus shall it be done unto the man from the king the lightest honor here's the lesson on patience is this that sometimes we do not receive credit sometimes we do not receive the honor sometimes we do not get the acknowledgement sometimes they don't even act like they care for the things that we have done but you will eventually reap what you have sown galatians chapter 6 if you would in the new testament galatians chapter 6 matthew mark luke john ask romans first second corinthians galatians galatians chapter 6 see here's what we do we do something good nobody acknowledges that last time last time i do that last time i show up to help with that event last time i go there last time i was trying to save the king's life forget that they didn't even acknowledge nobody even acknowledge them but why do you do it mortichai because the truth is this the truth is this that often in life people will not acknowledge and give us credit you will feel unappreciated you will feel underappreciated you will feel like that's not really i mean after everything i've done really mortichai could say and you don't get the credit you deserve but you will eventually reap what you have sown see when you don't get the credit for what you do the answer is not this the answer is not well i'm going to stop i'm gonna stop preaching i'm gonna stop soul winning i'm gonna stop investing i'm gonna stop loving i'm gonna stop praying i'm gonna stop giving i'm gonna stop helping i'm gonna stop because nobody seems to care nothing's happening anyway anyway? The answer is not, I'm going to stop. The answer is this, don't assume anything. Because sometimes we do not receive credit for what we do. But we will eventually reap what we have sown. Here's what the New Testament says, Galatians 6 verse 9, and let us not be weary in well-doing, Mordecai. And let us not be weary, the word weary means to become tired. And let us not be weary in well-doing, let us not get weary in the things that we should continue to do. You say, why? For in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. In due season, what does that mean? At the appropriate or right time, at the appointed time, at the correct time, you'll reap, if we faint not. Go to the book of Ecclesiastes if you would, Ecclesiastes chapter number 3. If you kept your place in the book of Esther, you have Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes chapter 3, we're going to look at a couple verses in the book of Ecclesiastes, we'll go back to Esther, we'll finish up. Ecclesiastes chapter 3. You say, what's the lesson on being patient? Here's the lesson on being patient. Wait on God's timing. Wait on God's timing. Here's the lesson, God's timing is better than your timing. God knows more. God sees more, God understands more, just let the unseen hand of God work on the other side. You say, but I don't see his hand, I don't even know what's happening on the other side. Mordecai and Esther did not know that the king could not sleep, that the king brought in the records. You know what? You just trust, the lesson on patience is this, you just trust the hand of God. Ecclesiastes chapter 3, look at verse 1, Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1, the Bible says this, to everything there is a season, you know these verses, these are famous verses, to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. And then of course you have this famous dialogue between verses 2 and 8, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to get and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away, a time to rent and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time of war and a time of peace. And I want you to notice these words in verse number 11, the same chapter, he hath made everything beautiful in his time. What's the lessons of patience? It's this, that God will make everything beautiful in his time, that God's timing is better than your timing, that God's timing is better than our timing. So when we do not get what we think we deserve, when we do not get what we think we have earned, when we do not get the honor, the credit, the appreciation, the gratefulness that we think we should get, when you do well and you invest and you love and you give and nobody seems to care, just wait on God because God's timing is better than your timing. And here's a question for you. Here's a question from our lesson. What was better for Mordecai? To get the credit for saving the king's life in chapter two when everything was fine in Mordecai's life? He just got a raise. His daughter just became the queen. He's now sitting at the king's gate. What was better for Mordecai to get the credit, to get the honor, to get the reward for saving the king's life in chapter two when everything was fine? Or was it better for Mordecai? Could it be that God, who's not even mentioned in this book, understood with his unseen hand that it was better for Mordecai to get the credit for saving the king's life in chapter six when he needs to be delivered from Haman's hand? And here's all I'm saying to you. God will truly make everything beautiful in his time because his time is better than your time. So just be patient. Just be patient. Go back to the book of Esther, if you would, while you turn. Let me read to you from Hebrews chapter six and verse 10. Hebrews six and verse 10 says this, for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which he has showed toward his name and that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. When she forgot, when he forgot, when they forgot, when they didn't care, when they didn't appreciate, when nobody said, you know who didn't forget? God. And let us not be aware in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we think not. He had made everything beautiful in his time. God's timing is better than your time, so don't worry about the credit. You might not get the credit till the judgment seat of Christ. That's okay. God knows best. In this chapter, we learn these two lessons, the lesson of being presumptuous. What is it? It is good to not assume. It is good to not assume and be pleasantly surprised. It is not good to assume and be disappointed because disappointment creates discouragement. Disgruntlement creates disappointment. Disgruntlement creates discontentment. It is better to not assume and be pleasantly surprised. The second lesson is a lesson on patience. Sometimes we do not receive credit for what we do. That's okay because we will eventually reap what we have sown. And God's timing is better than our timing. And I'd rather get the credit when God thinks it's best. And though sometimes I do not see the unseen hand of God, I don't understand what God is doing and I don't understand what God is up to, I can trust that God is at work on the other side. Look at verse 14. We'll finish up. Esther chapter 6, 14. And while they, this is Haman's wife and Haman's friends. Remember Haman comes back from his own funeral and he tells them of everything that befell upon him that day, as if, you know, it all just happened to him and he had nothing to do with it. And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared. Because you remember this night is between the two banquets that Esther prepared for the king and Haman. In this chapter, in chapter 6, we saw God work on the other side for Mordecai. In the next chapter, chapter 7, we'll see this riveting story of God working on the other side for Esther. But that story will need to wait for next week. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, we love you. We thank you for this book of Esther, who some mock at because your name is not present, but it is so evident that your unseen hand is at work on the other side. Lord, help us always to remember that you are a very present help in time of trouble. Help us to learn not to presume. Help us to learn to be patient. Help us to always remember that when we cannot see you, we cannot understand you, we don't understand what is going on, that your unseen hand is at work on the other side. We thank you for doing that for Mordecai, we thank you for doing that for Esther, and we thank you for doing that for us. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen. We're gonna have Brother Matt come up.