Emmanuel Baptist Church - Podcast

This is part two of Bro. David's sermon from Sunday, April 17, 2016. Sadly, part one has been lost but Bro. David does a good job of summing up his previous points at the beginning of this sermon.

In Esther 4, Esther finds herself in the right place at the right time - in the place where God could use her. How do we find ourselves in the right place at the right time so God can use us? It at least starts with this realization, God has placed us where we are and He can use us here if we will trust Him.

Paul's hope was that the Corinthians would trust Jesus and obey Jesus in the area of sexuality. Their is more righteous pleasure, joy, and satisfaction in trust and obedience to Christ than in any indulgence in sexual immorality.

In Exodus 17:14 God promised to utterly blot out the memory of the Amalek from under heaven. Amalek and his people were ancient enemies of the Israelites, God's people. The Amalekites also became known as Agagites, named after one of their kings. In Esther 2.19-3.15 Mordecai the Israelilte and the rest of God's people are under attack from Haman the Agagite. Would God's people to war against the Amalekites/Agagites still stand even though His people had rebelled against Him?

In 1 Corinthians 6 we see that the Apostle Paul rebuked the Corinthian believers for creating another scandal by engaging in very public legal battles with other brothers and sisters in Christ. But if we have a trivial grievance with another Christian and can't work it out ourselves, we are we supposed to turn? In short, those in the church should be judged by those in the church.

In this passage King Ahasuerus finally began the search for the better Vashti, a search that providentially landed Esther on Persian throne. As we study we will see God's care for us even when it is hidden from our sight.

In Luke 19:28-44 Jesus drew near to Jerusalem where He received a king's welcome only days before dying a criminal's death. This passage is a familiar one to many of us but one that always causes us to ask ourselves, "How am I responding to Jesus?"

In this passage King Ahasuerus finally began the search for the better Vashti, a search that providentially landed Esther on the Persian throne. As we study we will see God's care for us even when it is hidden from our sight.

The Corinthian church had a member of their church, a brother in Christ, one who would have called himself and a believer and disciple of Jesus, who was presently involved in an illicit affair with his step-mother. This was a plain sin, a public sin, and a persistent sin that was actually being applauded in the Corinthian church. In response, the Apostle Paul demanded that the believers in Corinth mourn this sin rather than celebrate it and that they remove this supposed brother from the congregation and bar him from fellowship until he decided to repent. In order to protect the church, save the flagrant sinner, and honor the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, the Corinthian church had to purge this brother.

In Esther 1 the splendor of King Ahasuerus is displayed and then revealed to be bankrupt by the open defiance of his wife and his poor response to it. Amazingly, these verses that never mention Jesus make us long for Him and, if we see them correctly, point us toward Him.

In 1 Corinthians 1-4 Paul dealt with the general problem in Corinth, their attachment to human wisdom and human teachers. Beginning in chapter 5 he dealt with specific problems facing the Corinthian church. The specific problem that Paul addressed was an individual act of sexual immorality in the church and the refusal of the church to discipline the offending member. Church discipline is a firm, restorative reminder that we who have died to sin through faith in Jesus cannot continue to live in sin.

We don't know who wrote Esther. Perhaps it was Mordecai or someone like him who had access to the official court records and, therefore, would have been able to recount this event in accurate detail. But who is Mordecai? And what court are we talking about: And what events are recounted in the book of Esther? And, for that matter, who is Esther? All these questions will be answered as we read all of Esther in one sitting and see how it all is about Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 Paul expressed his fatherly love for the Corinthian believers, a love that admonished them and urged them to return to a pure devotion to Jesus Christ alone. If we will listen to God's Word, we will hear the loving discipline of our heavenly Father calling us back to a pure devotion to Jesus Christ.

As we come to the end of the book of Revelation, the theme of the last two chapters has been the hope of Heaven. In these final verses God reminded John's initial readers of the certain hope He has been revealing through Revelation, a hope that reaches an exclamation point in Heaven but offers hope for the here and now as well.

It wasn't Paul or Apollos who needed lessons in humility, it was the Corinthians. That's why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:6 that he had applied all that he had written so far to he and Apollos but for the sake or benefit of the Corinthians. Paul knew that their pride would automatically reject a direct assault so he patiently made arguments and pointed those arguments toward himself and Apollos. Beginning in 1 Corinthians 4:7, however, Paul clearly pointed these lessons in humility squarely at the Corinthians. From the three questions Paul asked in verse 7 we can learn three ways of thinking that, if embraced, will keep us from becoming puffed up as followers of Christ.

It wasn't Paul or Apollos who needed lessons in humility, it was the Corinthians. That's why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:6 that he had applied all that he had written so far to he and Apollos but for the sake or benefit of the Corinthians. Paul knew that their pride would automatically reject a direct assault so he patiently made arguments and pointed those arguments toward himself and Apollos. Beginning in 1 Corinthians 4:7, however, Paul clearly pointed these lessons in humility squarely at the Corinthians. From the three questions Paul asked in verse 7 we can learn three ways of thinking that, if embraced, will keep us from becoming puffed up as followers of Christ.

In Revelation 22:1-5 John is shown a transformed, elevated, and expanded Eden, an eternal garden of delight for the people of God. This passage encourages us to endure to the end as it reveals the marvelous grace of God in His provision of a paradise in His presence that will surpass even the original paradise of the Garden of Eden.

In 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Paul stated that the Corinthians should regard him and all Christian ministers as servants and stewards of Jesus, the only appropriate ministerial ambition being to be found faithful when ministries are finally judged by the Lord. However, this humble perspective and faithful aim should be the mindset of every follower of Jesus, especially because we understand that every follower of Jesus is called to minister and we understand that every follower of Jesus will one day be commended for his or her service. Whether we are commended greatly or very little depends on how faithfully we serve.

Emmanuel Baptist Church

In 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 the Apostle Paul explained that the wisdom of God, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all its benefits, is only revealed by the Holy Spirit and results in spiritual discernment. Likewise, if we would understand the wisdom of God and practice spiritual discernment, which results in unity in the body of Christ, then we must depend on the Holy Spirit who reveals God's wisdom.