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Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham.

Jack Graham: Did you know if you don't go, God will send somebody else? God wants to use you to make an impact on our generation, but God is not limited by any one of us or all of us. God will just raise somebody else up.

Guest (Female): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about the great and daring mission God has for your life. Now, here is Dr. Graham with his message, "The Woman Who Saved a Nation."

Jack Graham: Take your Bibles and turn to the Book of Esther. The story of Esther is one of the most dramatic in the Bible in the sense that it's a story of courage in the face of uncertain fears and a future that did not seemingly include God.

It is the story of grace in the midst of beauty in the midst of depravity and ugliness and sinfulness. It is the story of God even when God seems absent. Interesting fact: the name of God, his name, not even a pronoun of his name, he or him, is mentioned in the Book of Esther.

In fact, there's been quite a controversy through the centuries among some as to whether Esther should even be in the Bible because it doesn't mention God, is never quoted in the New Testament, and some even, like Martin Luther, said don't pay any attention to Esther.

But Esther's story is vital, not only to the Old Testament but to our faith as New Testament believers. It's vital in understanding this specific truth: that God is sovereign over all the affairs of men and women, of governments and of nations, that God is in control, and that God achieves his purposes every time.

Here's how it happened. Let me give you a little slice of life in Jewish history. The setting for this story is in ancient Persia, which is the land that we know today is Iran. Now, previous to Israel's time in Persia or Iran, they were in captivity in Babylonia.

In 586 BC, based on God's desire to discipline his own people, once again there was rebellion and therefore came retribution, and God used the Babylonians to take captive his own people, and they were chained in Babylon for 70 years in slavery. At the end of this 70 years, God said, "Let my people go."

And the people were released, and about 50,000 of the Israelites who were living then in Persia, the Persians overtook the Babylonians, and so first Babylon, then Persia, and about 50,000 obeyed God and went home to Jerusalem to rebuild the great city of the King, to rebuild the walls. These stories are told in the Old Testament books, for example, of Ezra and Nehemiah and the Prophet Malachi.

But what happened to all the other Jews that didn't go back? Because approximately 15 million stayed in Persia and other regions beyond Persia. They remained conformed to the ways of the Babylonians and the Persians. They decided it was easier just to go along and get along and to stay put.

And so now you have all of these displaced Israelites still living under the tyranny of pagan empires. It is at this point that Esther and her older cousin step to center stage, and she makes this courageous choice that changed the world.

Here's how it happened. We're going to read it like acts today, acts in a dramatic adventure play, but it happened. Let's start in Chapter 1, beginning in verses 3 through 5. In the third year of his reign, that is Xerxes, the Greek name for the King, he gave a feast for all of his officials and servants.

The army of Persia, Media, and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. Can you imagine?

This powerful despot King throws a party, and this ultimate party animal carries on with it for six months. They've got a party going on, and it's all to the glory of this King and his kingdom. And when the days were completed, verse 5, the King gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of people now at this feast lasting for seven days in the court in the garden of the King's palace. So they're having a great time, just celebrating, and no doubt it was an open bar.

So verse 10 says on the seventh day of this feast, when the heart of the King was merry, that means he was totally hammered with wine, he talked to some of his men and he's puffed up with pride. He says, "You want to see the most beautiful woman in the world? You ought to see my wife. You ought to see the Queen."

So they said, "Oh yeah, let us see her." I mean, this is a vile, depraved, debauched situation by now, and he's going to parade his beautiful wife in front of these lustful men. So he sends for Vashti the Queen. Vashti says, "No way am I doing that."

And she says no to the King. She refuses to parade herself as an object of this man or any other man's desire. And so the word gets back to the King: she said she not coming. "What?" And the other guys are saying, "If you don't take care of this, King, if you don't take care of your wife, our wives are not going to do what we say."

So you better tell her to get in here now. And she says, "No way am I going," and the King is infuriated. The King is so angry, he's so indignant, he's boiling over. In fact, verse 12 tells us that he is enraged.

Queen Vashti refused to come at the King's command delivered by the eunuch. At this, the King became enraged and his anger burned within him. He's drunk, he's angry, and they make a decree as he puts away Vashti as the Queen, takes away her crown. He deposes his Queen because she dared to disobey him.

That brings us to Act 2. In Chapter 2, we see the hand of God beginning to move. Even in this sordid scene in Chapter 1, even then is God moving. I mentioned that God's name is never mentioned in the Book of Esther.

I like what Matthew Henry, the Bible commentator, said: though the name of God be not in the Book of Esther, the finger of God is directing many minute events for the bringing about of his people's deliverance. The finger of God is taking care of this minutia, this detail, and setting it all up.

And therefore enter a man by the name of Mordecai and his younger cousin Esther. Esther's parents died while she was young, so she was orphaned, and this man Mordecai raised her and treated her as his daughter. He was her father in that sense.

And she was among those who were in the harem or the palace that were called in. These ancient kings had all these harems, these young virgins and the women that were at their disposal. So Esther ends up in the harem of the King.

And so the King and his buddies decide that the King needs a new Queen. And somebody says, "I know, I know. Let's put on a show and let's call it 'The Bachelor'. And we'll bring in all these women, and the man, Great King Xerxes, he can pick his wife and give her the rose."

So that's what happened. And of all the women who were brought before Xerxes, Esther was the most beautiful and the most favored of God and man. In verse 17 of Chapter 2, here's what it says about Esther in this moment: "The King loved Esther more than all the women and she won grace."

There's that word again. Not only grace in the eyes of this man, but she won grace and favor by the hand of God and in the eyes of all who saw her. So here is this young woman, probably a late teenager, early 20s.

She's Jewish, though the people in the King's court, the King himself, didn't know it, and she actually covered and hid her Jewishness from the King according to Mordecai's counsel to her. But here she is, an orphan Jewish girl raised by her cousin Mordecai, and she has now ascended to the throne of the King.

No coincidence here. In fact, there are no coincidences with God. This is only the action and the intervention of God.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "The Woman Who Saved a Nation." We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint.

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In this encouraging resource, Dr. Graham helps you discover that prayer is not about performing. It's about knowing God personally and learning to come to him with confidence, persistence, and faith. Text JULY to 59789 to give today and request your copy. Again, text JULY to 59789.

So that everyone has a chance to receive this helpful resource, please limit one per household. Now, let's get back to today's message, "The Woman Who Saved a Nation."

Jack Graham: That sets us up for Scene 3, and then enter a villain, and his name is Haman. Every time I say the word Haman from now on in this sermon, I want you to boo, go boo. All right, let's try it. Haman. So Haman decided he wants to get rid of the Jews. Mass extermination.

And so Haman goes to the King and says, "For money, we can put money in the coffers, King, if you'll just get rid of all of these Jews." And the King said, "Whatever." And so it was signed and sealed, it was the law of the Medes and the Persians.

That means it was done. The signet was set that on a certain date, the Jews would be exterminated, every single one of them. And that's when Mordecai uncovers the plot. He hears about the plot. And he decides that maybe God wants to use him to save the nation.

And the way that God would use him would be to use Esther, who is now in God's place near to the heart of the King. And so he goes to Esther and sends word actually to Esther. In fact, it's recorded in Chapter 4, the first three verses.

Verse 1: "When Mordecai learned all that had been done, this plot, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes and went out into the midst of the city and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry." He's devastated. He's shattered by the idea that his entire race, his family, his friends, everyone would die.

And so he puts on sackcloth and ashes, a sign of great mourning and despair. And he gets into the middle of the city and he cries out and everyone sees him. And he went to the entrance of the King's gate, verse 2, for no one was allowed to enter the King's gate clothed in sackcloth.

You don't want to get around the King if you're not looking happy. So he can't go in sackcloth and ashes even if he wanted to. But it says that in every province where the King's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning.

By now, the word of the decree is spreading. People know they're on death row. And so they're fasting and they're weeping and they're lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. Skip down to verse 7.

And Mordecai told this man at the gate nearby all that had happened to him and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the King's treasury for the destruction of the Jews. And Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction that he might show it to Esther and to explain it to her and command her to go to the King to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people.

Okay, self-explanatory. Esther gets the message. Esther, your people are going to die. Go to the King. It's the only shot we've got. Go to the King and beg and plead for your people. Well, in verse 9, Hatach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. Message delivered.

Then Esther spoke to Hatach and here's what she said: "You go tell Mordecai, all the King's servants and the people of the King's provinces know, everybody knows this, that if any man or woman goes to the King inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law, and that is to be put to death, except the one to whom the King holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come into the King these 30 days."

Now she's the King's Queen, the King's wife, she hasn't even seen the guy in 30 days. And so they told Mordecai in verse 12 what Esther had said. And then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "You tell Esther this: do not think to yourself that in the King's palace you will escape any more than any other Jew. You will be found out.

They'll figure it out that you're a Jew as well. And you will perish with the Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place." Say, did you know if you don't go, God will send somebody else?

God wants to use you. God wants to use our church to make an impact on our generation, but God is not limited by any one of us or all of us. God will just raise somebody else up. And that's what Mordecai said the message is.

He said, "There will be deliverance whether you do it or not. But you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther, you have no choice if we are to be saved.

Think about what was at risk here. Jesus was a Jew. His entire lineage could have been destroyed had the children of Israel died in this holocaust. They would all perish, including the plan of God. But we know of course the plan of God cannot fail, and God had a plan and he had a purpose and he wanted Esther to be a part of it.

Because this is your time, Esther. You are not the Queen of Persia by accident or even personal choice. God has given you this favor. God has given you this grace. You are here in his time, by his appointment, for his purpose, and you must seize this moment, this day, to plead with the King and spare your people.

Esther, you were born for this. And can I say that your life is a gift from God? And your purpose in life is to understand why you were born and to unwrap the plan of God for your life. You were born for this, you were made for this. Look, God's not surprised by evil.

He's fully aware of the Hamans and the Hitlers and all the other people evil in the world, but where sin abounds, Romans 5:20, grace much more abounds. It flourishes. So Esther, whose name means star, is a rising star now, a light in the world in this darkness.

And in verse 16, she says, "Go gather all the Jews to be found in Susa and hold a fast in my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day." A fast is when you give up food or something of value in order to seek God.

So though prayer is not mentioned, there is prayer offered and fasting. And she said, "I'll get my friends, my young women will fast as you do, and then I will go to the King." She did what we all ought to do when we have a choice to make, especially difficult, hard choices, really especially any choice, and that is to ask people to pray for you who are believers.

Whether it's your Bible fellowship class or a friend on the pew with you, pray for me. Seek God in my behalf. Fast and pray. Our nation is in the balance, and I'll get my closest friends and we will pray also. And that's exactly what they did. Because she then said, "If I perish, I perish."

And she accepts God's calling and God's choice for her, and she's willing to die for and with her people to accomplish the purposes of God. Say, what are you willing to die for? Because what you're willing to die for is what you'll live for.

"If I perish, I perish, because now I know that I've come to the kingdom for such a time as this." God works in adventurous and amazing ways. Esther could have never known the plan of God for her life, but she did do one thing. She said one word that we all should say to God: yes.

When you know God has called you to do something and you do it, you're fitting into his purpose for your life. You will never be ruled by your circumstances. If you are obeying God and following his calling upon your life, you will never live under the tyranny of your circumstances because God is always in control and you can move forward with the confidence that in your obedience you will find significance.

And yes, bad things may happen and turns and twists and dead ends and all the rest may happen, but God is moving for his glory and a greater good in your life. And therefore I can be courageous in every circumstance of my life knowing that anything and everything that happens to me is under his charge.

If I perish, I perish. God is preparing you and me, us, we, for our finest hour. The need is great, and God is looking for women like Esther, men like Mordecai, who will rise to the occasion for such a time as this.

But the question is: are you actively involved in the ministry and the mission to which Christ has called you? Do you stand for truth? Where do you work? Where do you live? In your own home, in your own family?

Do you oppose sin with grace and truth? Do you speak out for righteousness? Do you give yourself to others? Do you serve others? Do you resist conforming to your own culture and your own company and your own friends?

Do you take risks for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to talk to that loved one, to talk to that family member, to talk to that co-worker about their need for Jesus Christ and to lovingly, compassionately share the gospel? For such a time as this.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "The Woman Who Saved a Nation." We want to remind you about a powerful resource Dr. Jack Graham has created to help strengthen your prayer life. It's his book, "Ask".

This practical and encouraging book explores Jesus's invitation to ask, seek, and knock, helping you discover that prayer is not about saying the right words, but about growing closer to your Heavenly Father through faith-filled relationship.

When you give today to support the outreach of PowerPoint Ministries, you'll help share biblical truth and the life-changing hope of Jesus with people around the world through broadcasts, podcasts, and digital ministry. Text JULY to 59789 to give your gift of $10 or more and request your copy of "Ask".

Again, text JULY to 59789. So that everyone has a chance to receive this helpful resource, please limit one per household. We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint.

You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: Every one of us has been created for a purpose. We're not here by chance. We're not here by accident. We are created in the plan and the purposes of God. So yes, you are made for a mission, the mission of Jesus Christ.

This is the reason that you were born, and there's even a reason for when you were born, the timing of your birth, why you were here now. Maybe you have questions about your future and your calling and your career. You may be trying and trying in life but getting nowhere and you're wondering what on earth you're on earth for.

Well, the answer is found in the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:33, a personal favorite and a life verse: seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you. You are here to put Jesus first in your life, to advance the kingdom of God foremost in your life.

And your life will make sense when you understand that life is all about following Jesus and fulfilling his purpose in you, honoring him with all that you have, that all that you have been given, and trusting him to give you opportunities to be a witness. And make that decision today that you will follow God's plan and God's purpose in your life as you seek Jesus first.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, "Ask". Just text JULY to 59789. Then join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can take a stand for Christ right where you are. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.