2 Cities Church Podcast

Big Idea: Don’t let AirPods tune out God’s megaphone! Numbers 11:15 “If you are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now if I have found favor with you, and don’t let me see my misery anymore.”   I. It might be God’s preparation…  2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affl...

Big Idea: The pool looks perfect to a restless frog.   I. Temptation is vicious, yet God’s grace is always victorious. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it. II. The struggle s...

Big Idea: Your smart watch can’t make time.   I.  Don’t abuse it.  James 4:13-16 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord w...

Big Idea: GOD is always in control   Esther 10:1-3 King Ahasuerus imposed a tax throughout the land even to the farthest shores. All of his powerful and magnificent accomplishments and the detailed account of Mordecai’s great rank with which the king had honored him, have they not been written in the Book of the Historical Events of the Kings of Media and Persia? Mordecai the Jew was second only t...

Big Idea: Gratitude is the seed, attitude is the fruit. Esther 9:18-32   I. Take time to celebrate your faith.  Esther 9:18-22 But the Jews in Susa had assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. They rested on the fifteenth day of the month, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing. This explains why the rural Jews who live in villages observe the fourteenth day of the...

Big Idea: God doesn’t change problems; he changes people. Esther 9:1-17   I. God moves at the perfect moment Esther 9:1-5 The king’s command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews’ enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them. In each of King Ahasuerus’s provinces th...

Big Idea: There’s no going back, but God can make a better way forward. Esther 8:1-17 I. Don’t forget your past.  Esther 8:1-2 That same day King Ahasuerus awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed her relationship to Mordecai. The king removed his signet ring he had recovered from Haman and gave it to Mordecai...

Big Idea: God’s plan happens through human hands!   Esther 7:1-10 I. You might need to get your hands dirty. Esther 7:1-4 The king and Haman came to feast with Esther the queen. Once again, on the second day while drinking wine, the king asked Esther, “Queen Esther, whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek, even to half the kingdom, will be done.” Queen Esther answered, “If I have...

Big Idea- The Father shows his heart through a mother’s love. Proverbs 31:25 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come. I.  A mother’s strength isn’t measured at the gym. II. A mother’s honor isn’t measured in likes or shares. III. A mother’s hope isn’t measured on the easy days. Next Steps: Believe: I need to experience God’s love for the first time today. Become:...

Big Idea: Once God tips the first domino, your story becomes unstoppable. Esther 6:1-14 I. There’s a nail-scared hand putting your pieces in place right now! Esther 6:1-3 That night sleep escaped the king, so he ordered the book recording daily events to be brought and read to the king. They found the written report of how Mordecai had informed on Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who...

Big Idea: Living by faith is simple, but NOT easy! Esther 5:1-14 I. Faith must be courageous Esther 5:1-2 On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing its entrance. As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she gained favor with him. The...

Big Idea: No one else can play your part in God’s plan. Esther 4:4-17 I. God’s plan is usually confusing Esther 4:4-8 Esther’s female servants and her eunuchs came and reported the news to her, and the queen was overcome with fear. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear so that he would take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept them. Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who attend...

Big Idea: When one person suffers, the whole community should feel it.   Esther 4:1-3 I. Who will be the first to plead for God’s mercy?          Esther 4:1 When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly. II. There’s always tension between society and spirituality.   Esther 4:2 He went on...

Big Idea: Why Easter is the greatest thing that (n)ever happened to you.   Easter 2026 I. Hope in your darkest night          Colossians 3:1-4 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real...

Big Idea: God, where are you!?!?   Esther 3:7-15 I. Nothing is arbitrary for a sovereign God.          Esther 3:7-9 In the first month, the month of Nisan, in King Ahasuerus’s twelfth year, the pur—that is, the lot—was cast before Haman for each day in each month, and it fell on the twelfth month, the month Adar. Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout...

Big Idea: The battle is real—keep these three weapons ready.   Esther 3:1-6 I. Don’t let power go to your head         Esther 3:1-2 After all this took place, King Ahasuerus honored Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite. He promoted him in rank and gave him a higher position than all the other officials. The entire royal staff at the King’s Gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king...

Big Idea: Your biggest tool is simple, steady faithfulness in God’s hands. Esther 2:19-23 I. Esther is faithful to her promise.   Esther 2:19-20 When the virgins were gathered a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate. Esther still did not reveal her family background or her ethnicity, as Mordecai had directed. She obeyed Mordecai’s orders, as she always had while he raised her. II. M...

Big Idea: All faith must be active and courageous. 2 Samuel 23:20-23 1. Be ready for all circumstances 2 Samuel 23:20a There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He performed many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. 2. Be willing to confront your fears 2 Samuel 23:20b-21 Another time on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it...

Big Idea: Even with shaking knees, step boldly into your destiny. Esther 2:15-18 I. Chosen by character  Esther 2:15 Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who had adopted her as his own daughter. When her turn came to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, keeper of the women, suggested. Esther gained favor in the eyes of everyone who...

Big Idea: God is even working in the small stuff! Esther 2:1-14 I. Better to choose wisely than regret badly.  Esther 2:1-4 Some time later, when King Ahasuerus’s rage had cooled down, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what was decided against her. The king’s personal attendants suggested, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint commissioners...

Big Idea: It takes a strong center to stand tall under pressure from every side. Esther 1:10-22 I. The Queen takes a stand for purity Esther 1:10-12 On the seventh day, when the king was feeling good from the wine, Ahasuerus commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas—the seven eunuchs who personally served him—to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He w...

Big Idea: An unseen hand moves the queen. Esther 1:1-9 I. God sets rules of the game Esther 1:1-3 These events took place during the days of Ahasuerus, who ruled 127 provinces from India to Cush. In those days King Ahasuerus reigned from his royal throne in the fortress at Susa. He held a feast in the third year of his reign for all his officials and staff, the army of Persia and Media, the nobles...

Write this down: Experience is a powerful teacher… and preacher! Psalm 107:1-3 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe and has gathered them from the lands— from the east and the west, from the north and the south. 1. Name the pain 2. Don’t get stuck in it  3. Where did Jes...

Write this down: Pick one: Greed or God, because you can’t have both. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 1. Your money is on loan 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for ever...

Write this down: Cults demand — Christians demonstrate. Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 1. You are always influencing Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another. 2. Be intentional about influencing Colossians 4:5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the...