Bethel Community Church Orlando

Mordecai’s life has been spared, but the death sentence for all of God’s people is still in effect, and it cannot be reversed. What are Esther and Mordecai going to do with the power that they now have? They became missionaries in a pagan culture, and they were used by God to rescue the Jewish people. Today, God calls Christians to be missionaries in a pagan culture to share the gospel of Jesus. 

At Esther's second banquet, the queen makes her request to King Xerxes – to save herself and the Jewish people from death. She also reveals Haman as the enemy, and Haman is hanged on the gallows that he had made for Mordecai.

God is sovereign; He knows the future; and He’s at work. Even when we can't see it or understand it, we should not question the providence of God. God is never mentioned in the book of Esther, yet we can see how He is at work through the lives of the people in the book. God is working everything out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. God is in control; God...

Haman found his identity in idolatry. He was consumed with power, never repented, and his life ended tragically. The idols where he found his identity were liars. In contrast, Esther has a change of identity, but her life doesn’t end in tragedy and misery. She is not perfect, but she is noble. Haman was concerned with himself. Esther was concerned with others, even to the point of losing her life...

Esther served as a mediator between her people and Xerxes, but Jesus serves as a mediator between God and His people. Esther had to come to King Xerxes on his throne, but our King Jesus got off His throne to come to us. Esther was willing to die for her people, but Jesus actually died for His people. And He’s alive and seated on the throne of heaven where He always welcomes us into His presence.

Despite the way people are often characterized, people are not good or morally upright by nature. In this portion of Esther, everyone seems to have their own best interests in mind. First, Esther was hiding that she was Jewish. Next, two of King Xerxes' servants plot to assassinate him. Then the king's nobleman, Haman, wants to kill all of the Jews because Mordecai is a Jew and refused to bow to H...

Throughout the book of Esther it is evident that King Xerxes lived for himself. He wanted the glory and recognition of being a great king. As Esther enters the story, we can see her as a symbol pointing us to Jesus. While one can find many similarities between Esther and Jesus, only Jesus is the one, true Savior. Just as He did with Esther, God walks with us even when we don’t walk with Him. Jesus...

Xerxes was the greatest king in the history of the world up to his day. However, his kingdom was filled with lavish parties where addictions were fed and women were mistreated. Xerxes created ungodly laws and saw himself as above the law. Whether past or present, all earthly rulers will leave people disappointed. Earthly rulers attempt to give people what they want; King Jesus gives people what th...

Colossians 1:18 tells us that Jesus should be preeminent in everything. Jesus shouldn't just be a priority in our lives. He is supreme over all things, including: God's creation, our deliverance, and our spiritual growth. Because of Jesus' preeminence, He brought the fullness of God into human form and died on the cross, and shed his blood to pay for our sin; and through that payment, He has recon...

Our goal is to move from only discipline and into delighting in prayer to God because of God's delight in us. This will lead us to boldly approach God and submit our lives to Him in prayer.

The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, your family, your career, or even your ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose. Your ultimate purpose in life is to bring God glory.

Technology is a helpful tool, but it can also be harmful. Too many Christians ignore the relationship between technology and their spiritual development. It’s not enough to ask ourselves if we are using our devices to openly sin. In at least some ways, a technology-focused life is contradictory to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Technology can never be a substitute for the real world in r...