The Banquet (Audio)

The Banquet (Esther 7:1-10) Yearly Theme: “Love Is…” Series Title:  Never Give Up May 19th, 2019   Something to think about:   Many times, when we are trying to live love we must do it in the face of direct opposition. There are forces in this world that are in direct opposition to love, not just unaligned with it, but actively seeking to destroy it. These forces can be scary and can cause many problems for us.  This week in Esther chapter 7, we see Esther face a man who is in direct opposition to her and her people and we see her speak truth boldly for the love of her people. This situation could have gone any number of ways for Esther, but she chose to never give up. Are we as bold as Esther in our lives?   Esther 7:1-10 (NLT)   1 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet. 2 On this second occasion, while they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!” 3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared. 4 For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king.” 5 “Who would do such a thing?” King Xerxes demanded. “Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?” 6 Esther replied, “This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy.” Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen. 7 Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage and went out into the palace garden. Haman, however, stayed behind to plead for his life with Queen Esther, for he knew that the king intended to kill him. 8 In despair he fell on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining, just as the king was returning from the palace garden. The king exclaimed, “Will he even assault the queen right here in the palace, before my very eyes?” And as soon as the king spoke, his attendants covered Haman’s face, signaling his doom. 9 Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.” “Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered. 10 So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.   Here's the key point this morning:   Key Point: “Love never gives up even when it is facing those who would seek to destroy it.”   We must be willing to face the forces in this world that seek to destroy love. We must seek to face it head on and not behind anything or anyone. We must do this in spite of the harm or problems that might come.   Esther was willing to speak _Truth_ even in the face of the man who was seeking to ___Destroy___ her.     Love doesn’t always take away our __problems__ But Love always __wins     Something to take home:   Are you willing to stand up for Love? Are you willing to use more than words? Are you willing to take action, to change how you’re living, to face those who oppose God (Love), to speak truth into the world? The Bible doesn’t say that doing this will take away our problems, or our hurts, or make this life easy for us, but it does say that Christ who is Love conquered death and because of that we know that love wins and we have salvation.   Key Point: “Love never gives up even when it is facing those who would seek to destroy it.”