1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,840 A big welcome to you and hello to our Hemel and Hatfield site 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:09,280 as well. I'm Tarin and I'm one of the 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,960 pastors here. Happy Mother's Day and today as 4 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:17,640 you can see, we are celebrating all women in this church. 5 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:21,960 For you have been placed for such a time as this. 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:26,440 And to celebrate today, what we are doing is we are pausing our 7 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,400 impact series just for one Sunday. 8 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,080 And what we're going to do is dive into the book of Esther. 9 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:39,920 And it's a story of a woman who didn't think she had what it 10 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:45,600 took, but she found herself standing between a nation and 11 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:49,040 its destruction. And it's the story of how one 12 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,880 persons obedience can change the course of history. 13 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,320 And it's got more drama in it than a Netflix series, I think. 14 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,160 There's tears, there's sorrow, there's great joy and 15 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,160 celebration, there's feasting, there's fasting, and there's an 16 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:09,200 awful lot of gore as well. And it's a story really of a 17 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:14,920 rags to riches, of an orphan girl from a ethnic minority 18 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:19,680 becomes one of the most powerful and wealthiest women in the 19 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,000 whole of the land. She is the star of the show and 20 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:30,080 her name literally means *. So before we open the Bible 21 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:34,400 today, let me paint a picture of where we are and what is 22 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:39,120 happening up until this point. So there is a king, King Xerxes, 23 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,880 and he is holding a huge elaborate banquet for his 24 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:47,320 Princess, his nobles, all his officials. 25 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:54,160 And this banquet, it lasts for an crazy number of days, 180 26 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,360 days. I mean, imagine the waistline, 27 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:02,520 you know, he is showing off his power, his wealth, his splendor 28 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:07,600 because Persia was a world power and the king was one of the 29 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,320 wealthiest in the entire world. And at the same time, his queen, 30 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:15,920 Queen Vashti, she is also holding a banquet in the royal 31 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:18,520 palace. And it's all going really well 32 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:23,360 until one day the king, he gets very drunk and he decides to 33 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,760 summon his wife, Queen Vashti, to come. 34 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:31,800 And she's a very beautiful woman and he wants basically to parade 35 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:36,800 her in front of all the men so the men can look at her and Ogle 36 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,440 her. And she does what any self 37 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,200 respecting woman would do and refuses to go. 38 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,760 And this, of course, then angers the king, and he's so 39 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,840 embarrassed by this that he banishes Vashti forever from the 40 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,040 Kingdom. And so then he goes about 41 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:59,240 appointing a new queen, and he's brings in all these beautiful 42 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:03,240 virgin women from across the empire into his harem. 43 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:08,360 And from all of them, he would choose just one to become queen. 44 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:14,000 And out of his entire harem, King Xerxes, he chooses Esther. 45 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,320 And she was a Jewish orphan. She was adopted by her uncle 46 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,280 Mordecai. And the king loved Esther more 47 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,120 than any other woman, and he crowned her queen. 48 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:31,200 And Esther, she hid her Jewish identity from the king. 49 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,440 Now, in the meantime, the king, he promotes this guy called 50 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,520 Haman, and he promotes him to become Prime Minister. 51 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,120 And one of the very first things that he does is he issues a 52 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:48,400 decree that whenever he walks by, he expects everyone to bow 53 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:53,240 down wherever he is. And Mordecai, Esther's uncle, 54 00:03:53,240 --> 00:04:01,120 refuses to do this, which infuriates Haman to the point 55 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:07,600 where he goes to the king with 10,000 large sacks of silver and 56 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,720 he asks for permission to destroy the Jews. 57 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:17,720 The king agrees and issues an edict that goes out across all 58 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:23,720 127 provinces, saying that on the 7th of March next year, in 59 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:28,240 one single day, every Jewish man, woman and child must be 60 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,520 killed, slaughtered and annihilated. 61 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:38,600 Now, upon hearing this most horrifying edict, Mordecai, he 62 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,960 goes into mourning. He's wearing sackcloth and 63 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:44,560 ashes. And he quickly sends word to 64 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:49,400 Esther that she must go to the king to stop this terrible 65 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,840 decree. But Esther's afraid. 66 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,760 She's afraid to approach the king without being summoned. 67 00:04:58,280 --> 00:05:01,040 And she knows that if she goes to the king without being 68 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,640 summoned, she is likely to face instant death. 69 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:07,880 But Mordecai can see the bigger picture. 70 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:10,720 And he sends back this answer to her. 71 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,120 And so if you have your Bibles, we're in the book of Esther, and 72 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:16,840 we're going to start in Esther chapter 4. 73 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:19,480 But we are moving all around this book today. 74 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:25,840 So we're chapter 4, verse 13. This is what Mordecai says. 75 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:30,760 Do you not think that because you are in the King's house, you 76 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,000 alone of all the Jews will escape? 77 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:37,160 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for 78 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:41,600 the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's 79 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:46,040 family will perish. And who knows but that you have 80 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:51,720 been, that you have come to your raw position for such a time as 81 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,320 this. And so today, what we're going 82 00:05:54,320 --> 00:06:00,440 to look at is what does it mean for us to stand in the gap, to 83 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:05,400 stand in the space between heaven and earth for those who 84 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,360 desperately need it? Now, when I read the Bible and I 85 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,840 read books of the Bible, you know, there are like you, I'm 86 00:06:12,840 --> 00:06:15,520 sure there are some parts that I wish I could have been there 87 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:17,760 for. I wish I could have witnessed. 88 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,520 You know, I would have loved to been there seeing Moses parting 89 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:26,120 the sea, you know, or Pentecost, The disciples in the upper room, 90 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,040 you know, violent wing, tons of fire. 91 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:32,000 They're suddenly the Holy Spirit is upon them. 92 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,120 There is an account in the book of Acts I would love to have 93 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,560 witnessed where the Apostle Paul, he is there and he is 94 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,360 talking, talking, talking. He's talking for a very, very 95 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:45,400 long time. And there is a young man there 96 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:50,200 that falls asleep as the Apostle Paul keeps talking and talking 97 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:54,080 and he is about 3 stories up and he's by a window. 98 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,640 He falls asleep. He falls out of the window to 99 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,120 his death. Can you imagine Paul then 100 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:04,280 suddenly jumping up and he runs down the flights of stairs and 101 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:07,920 he throws himself over this young man and he comes back to 102 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:10,800 life again. I mean, it really takes the 103 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,760 phrase boring someone to death to a whole nother level, doesn't 104 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:15,960 it? And I personally feel quite 105 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:18,040 comforted that the apostle Paul did that. 106 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:23,560 It makes me feel a bit better. So many parts of the Bible I 107 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:27,640 longed to have been part of. But the book of Esther is not 108 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:31,360 that. You see, the world that Esther 109 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:36,120 lived in was horrifying. It was the time where leaders 110 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:39,560 were selfish, immoral and corrupt. 111 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:45,240 Where human life was seen as cheap and worthless, where 112 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,120 people live for themselves, where they were lovers of 113 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,680 pleasure rather than lovers of God. 114 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:55,360 It was a time of worldly pomp and show. 115 00:07:55,480 --> 00:08:01,200 It's all about flashing the cash and image and beauty and sex and 116 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:04,160 power and debauchery of every kind. 117 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:09,800 I could go on and on. Does any of this sound familiar? 118 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,360 Ester's world and our world aren't as far removed as we may 119 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,840 think. In fact, our worlds are pretty 120 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:24,520 similar. Just like God called and placed 121 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:30,480 Esther into a specific time, into a specific place, God has 122 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:36,679 called and he has placed us at a specific time, into a specific 123 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:42,679 place for such a time as this. At such a time where men and 124 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:46,320 women and children are held against their will and they are 125 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,600 forced to become slaves, domestic slaves, sex slaves, 126 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:54,920 forced to commit crimes, forced into manual labour, where 127 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:59,200 suicide is prevalent. At a time where thousands and 128 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:03,040 thousands of the most vulnerable children are living in our care 129 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,520 systems. At a time where millions of 130 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,680 individuals and families are facing poverty. 131 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:14,760 At a time where homelessness is rising all the time. 132 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:19,760 At a time where children as young as nine are seeing porn 133 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,400 and they're seeing it as a normal part of everyday life. 134 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:28,280 At a time where drug and alcohol addiction are wrecking lives and 135 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:31,760 wrecking families. At a time where millions of 136 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:36,120 people are experiencing significant isolation and 137 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:41,200 loneliness, you see, it's clear through the story of Esther that 138 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,320 God's hand and his favour was on her. 139 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:49,040 Any of those beautiful women in the King's ha room could have 140 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,720 been queen, but God allowed it to be Esther. 141 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:57,680 And Esther enjoyed all the the favour of the Lord by being 142 00:09:57,680 --> 00:09:59,800 queen. You know, she had freedom, she 143 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:03,640 had authority, she had agency, she had power, she had 144 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:08,040 splendour, she had wealth. And we see the favour of God 145 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:11,920 over Esther's life in Esther chapter 2 verse 15. 146 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:16,280 And it says when the turn came for Esther, the young woman 147 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:21,280 Mordecai had adopted to go to the king, she asked for nothing 148 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,760 other than what Hagai, the King's eunuch who was in charge 149 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:29,800 of the harim suggested. And Esther won the favour of 150 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:36,120 everyone she saw. But we favour comes the weight 151 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:39,480 of responsibility and stewarding that well. 152 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,880 And we see the responsibility that Esther she needs to carry 153 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:47,040 because of God's favour that is on her. 154 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:52,040 And in chapter 4 verse 14, Mordecai says, For if you remain 155 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:56,440 silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will 156 00:10:56,440 --> 00:11:00,040 arise from another place, but you and your father's family 157 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,720 will perish. And who knows, but you have come 158 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:07,280 to your royal position for such a time as this. 159 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:12,000 The responsibility and the weight of Esther's task is 160 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,160 suddenly is huge. Suddenly it's immense. 161 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,960 It's so daunting for her. And Mordecai is urging her. 162 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:23,440 You cannot stay silent. You cannot not do nothing. 163 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:30,400 He's reminding her that God has put her in this position. 164 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:36,160 You see, with favour comes the responsibility to steward that 165 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:40,040 into action. And we see Esther's actions in 166 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:43,480 verse 15. Esther sends this reply to 167 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:46,600 Mordecai. She says to him, go gather 168 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:50,320 together all the Jews who are in Sousa and fast for me. 169 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,040 Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. 170 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:56,960 I and my attendants will fast as you do. 171 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:00,240 When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is 172 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:04,760 against the law, and if I perish, I perish. 173 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:09,800 So Mordecai went away, and he carried out all Esther's 174 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:14,280 instructions. So Esther, she recognised the 175 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:19,800 favour of the Lord on her, she understood the responsibility of 176 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:24,600 what that brings, and then she actioned that, risking 177 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:28,320 everything. And as Christians we have all 178 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,800 received and we all carry the Lord's favour. 179 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,800 I love what it says. In Ephesians chapter 1, Paul 180 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:39,520 explains what this looks like. He tells us that we are blessed 181 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:43,080 in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in 182 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:45,880 Christ. He tells us that we're chosen in 183 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:50,280 Him before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless 184 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:53,760 in His sight. He tells us that in love we're 185 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:57,160 predestined for adoption, adoption to sonship through 186 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:01,560 Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. 187 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:06,160 He tells us that we've been lavished with His glorious grace 188 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:08,840 which He has freely given us in the One He loves. 189 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:12,640 He tells us that in Him we're redeemed through His blood and 190 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:16,400 the forgiveness of sins. In Him we're also chosen and 191 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:21,800 predestined and included and sealed with the Holy Spirit. 192 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:27,120 Do you see? Do you see what incredible, 193 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:33,480 unmerited, undeserved, unlimited favour we've we carry, we have 194 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:38,920 received through Jesus? And because of that, just like 195 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:43,120 with ESTA, we have this incredible opportunity to make a 196 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:47,680 difference, whether it's in our homes, our schools, our 197 00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:53,120 families, the universities we go to, our workplaces or in our 198 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,520 communities. Friends, we aren't just there by 199 00:13:56,520 --> 00:14:00,000 accident. We are there to steward that 200 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:05,520 interaction like never before. God has called every single one 201 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:09,880 of us in this room and in the rooms of Hemel and Hatfield for 202 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:14,120 such a time as this to stand in the gap. 203 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:18,040 And so we see Esther. We see her stand up. 204 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:22,880 We see her rise up with courage, with faith, with prayer and 205 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,080 fasting. She stood in the gap for the 206 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:28,080 Jewish nation, her people, God's people. 207 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:31,120 She stood in the gap for her friends and her family. 208 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:34,560 She stood in the gap for the people who she knew and the 209 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:39,400 people that she will never meet. She petitioned the king on their 210 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:43,080 behalf. She interceded on their behalf. 211 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:49,240 She was the go between. Esther was willing to stand in 212 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:53,960 the gap for those who can stand for themselves, for those known 213 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:59,120 to her and those that she'll never meet friends. 214 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,960 Accepting the call to stand in the gap is one of the most 215 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,440 important things I think we can do as Christians. 216 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:08,560 You see, things happen when we stand in the gap. 217 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:13,360 Chains break, light breaks, light shines Into Darkness. 218 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:17,280 Freedom comes, faith rises up, Peace invades. 219 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,680 Hope beckons. Healing takes root. 220 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:22,440 Impossible things become possible. 221 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,360 We are not here just to live our lives. 222 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:31,040 We are here to challenge, to change, to influence our 223 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:34,720 families, our friends, our community, this city, this 224 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,080 region, this nation, and the whole world for Jesus. 225 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:45,240 God put his hope in Esther to save the Jewish nation, and He 226 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:49,080 puts his hope in the church and His church. 227 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:56,320 It's us. We are the light for the world 228 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:58,560 in the darkest corners of the world. 229 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,080 We are hope carriers for the hopeless. 230 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:06,440 We are called to stand in the gap for the abandoned, the 231 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:11,440 orphans, the hopeless, the abuse, the lonely, the outcast, 232 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:18,440 the voiceless and say enough on our watch in 2026, this is not 233 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:21,920 OK. He's calling us not to remain 234 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:26,160 silent, not to sit back and think, well, this doesn't 235 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,200 directly affect me so I can forget about it. 236 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:35,640 You see, with favour comes responsibility, and with that 237 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:42,160 responsibility comes action. To stand in the gap is action to 238 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,480 use our voices. Action to pray and fast and 239 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:50,320 intercede is action for those close to us and for those we 240 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:53,760 will never meet. To stand in the gap takes 241 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:57,120 obedience. And at first, Esther, she wasn't 242 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:59,400 obedient. She wasn't obedient to what 243 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,160 Mordecai was asking of her to do to go to the king. 244 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:04,680 In fact, it was the complete opposite of that. 245 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,680 And we see that in chapter 4, verse 10. 246 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:11,359 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai all the King's 247 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:14,800 officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for 248 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:18,359 any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court 249 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:23,119 without being summoned, the king has but one law that they be put 250 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:27,520 to death unless the king extends the gold sector to them and 251 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:31,160 spares their lives. But 30 days have passed since I 252 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:35,720 was called to go to the king. You see, she was more concerned 253 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:40,400 about her own life than she was for the Jewish nation. 254 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:45,240 She discounted herself because the road that she was being 255 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:47,880 asked to walk down would cost her something. 256 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:51,320 It was not a straightforward Rd. you know. 257 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:55,160 It was not easy. In fact it felt an impossible 258 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,560 task. And yet just 5 verses later she 259 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:00,920 says this to Mordecai in verse 16. 260 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:05,760 I will go to the king even though it is against the law. 261 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:14,040 And if I perish, I perish. How did Esther go from no to If 262 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:20,360 I perish, I perish one word, obedience. 263 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:23,480 You see, her feet went before her heart. 264 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:29,360 God is looking for those who are willing to stand in the gap in 265 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:33,480 obedience to Him. Edmund Burke says this All that 266 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:37,880 is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. 267 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,800 Esther was willing to lay down her life in order to stand in 268 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:51,440 the gap for her people. When I was 15, my mum became 269 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:55,120 incredibly unwell and she went from being this person that was 270 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:59,360 absolutely full of life and full of energy, running around 100 271 00:18:59,360 --> 00:19:02,600 miles an hour, to just being able to lie in her bed all day 272 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,120 long and do nothing. And she kept going back and 273 00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:07,640 forth to the doctors and they kept saying it's a virus, it's a 274 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,520 virus. And eventually they diagnosed 275 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:14,200 her with ME and my mum could do nothing. 276 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:16,920 She could hardly speak, she could hardly eat, she couldn't 277 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:21,200 lift her head from the pillow. On a very, very good day, she 278 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:23,800 would sit in the armchair in front of the fire for a few 279 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,240 minutes and that would be her on a very good, good day. 280 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:33,880 And me and my brother and my family, we experienced the 281 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,560 effects of people standing in the gap for us. 282 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:43,560 Those who faithfully prayed for my mum's healing, they prayed 283 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:48,240 that she would get better. They prayed, they fasted, they 284 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:53,800 interceded on our behalf. They also helped us practically. 285 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:58,040 They stood in the gap practically for us and over time 286 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:00,600 my mum did start to get a little bit better. 287 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,680 She could do things but she needed a wheelchair when she 288 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:07,240 went out, she would need sleeps in the car if she was out and 289 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:10,160 she would need at least two or three sleeps in the day every 290 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:16,320 day and our whole body would just be in pain all the time. 10 291 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:21,880 years later, my mum is not recovered. 292 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:25,840 She's in the position I've just told you, and we've just had our 293 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:30,360 first. Their first grandchild and she's 294 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:36,760 giving thanks for Kaya's life. He's about one at the time, and 295 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:40,680 she's thanking God for him. Because when I was young, I was 296 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:43,680 significantly unwell as well. And because of the medication I 297 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:46,680 was on, I was told I may not be able to have children. 298 00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:50,080 And so she was thanking God for his life. 299 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:54,960 And then as she was thanking God, God spoke to her and he 300 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,720 said to her, don't you think I can do the same for you? 301 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:03,240 I'm going to heal you. And so my mum came away from 302 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:07,080 that moment believing and holding on to what the Lord has 303 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,520 said and she kind of tucked it away within her. 304 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,480 And as time went on, nothing happens. 305 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:17,640 She kept hold of that word. And those people who were 306 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:23,360 faithfully praying and fasting and interceding for my mum, they 307 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:28,720 too kept hold of that word. That word, these faithful 308 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:33,960 people, they stood in the gap for my mum for years and years 309 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:38,200 and years. They interceded on her behalf, 310 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:42,640 sometimes on their knees, sometimes with Thanksgiving, 311 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:47,280 sometimes with heavy hearts, sometimes with lots of faith, 312 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:50,360 and sometimes with the tiniest bit of faith. 313 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:55,680 These dear people committed to bridging the gap between heaven 314 00:21:55,880 --> 00:22:00,320 and earth for me and my family, and particularly my mum. 315 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:03,680 Let's pick up the story in Esther chapter 5. 316 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:09,200 On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the 317 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,920 inner court of the palace in front of the King's hall. 318 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,040 The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall facing 319 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:18,760 the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther 320 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:22,440 standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to 321 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:24,760 her the gold sceptre that was in his hand. 322 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:29,880 So Esther approached and touched the tip of the sceptre. 323 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,120 Then the king asked. I bet she's thinking at that 324 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:35,160 point. Phew, it's not going to kill me. 325 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,880 What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? 326 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,280 Even up to half the Kingdom, it will be given to you. 327 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:47,800 So we see here Esther, she goes to the king, Her life is spared, 328 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:50,960 and the King's pleased with her. And so he says, tell me what 329 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:54,000 your request is. And so Esther invites the king 330 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,440 and Hayman to a banquet that day. 331 00:22:57,120 --> 00:23:01,120 And as the king is enjoying himself so much at the banquet, 332 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:05,400 he asks Esther a second time. And he says, like, what do you 333 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:07,120 want? What's your request? 334 00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:11,400 And Esther says again to the king, I would like to invite you 335 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:16,720 and Haman to another banquet the following day, where the king 336 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,760 asks Esther again, what is your request? 337 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:26,320 And she replied in Chapter 7, verse 3, if I have found favour 338 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:30,080 with you, your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my 339 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:32,880 life. This is my petition and spare my 340 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:34,520 people. This is my request. 341 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:39,480 For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and 342 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:45,600 annihilated. So Esther, she finally makes her 343 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:49,200 plea to the king. Can you imagine the tension in 344 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,840 the room at that moment as they're eating their banquet 345 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,520 together, you know, And she suddenly reveals the plot of 346 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:00,280 what is happening. And the king, he's outraged, and 347 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,200 he demands, what man would dare do such a thing? 348 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:05,760 Where is he? I mean, he's totally forgotten 349 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:07,320 that he accepted all that silver. 350 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:15,680 Esther points her finger and says, an adversary, an enemy, 351 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:19,680 the vile Haman. And at that moment, I like to 352 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,040 think of Haman. He's just taken a big chunk of 353 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:26,840 meat and he's chewing and he's stuck here and he's gulping, 354 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:32,440 gulping, gulping because he knows he's a goner as the king 355 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:37,880 orders that Haman be impaled on the very pole that he built for 356 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:40,360 Mordecai. I told you it was gory. 357 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:47,400 So, so far, Esther has had to go to the king three times. 358 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:54,320 God's favour is still on her life, her life has been spared, 359 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:59,040 and Haman is dead. But God's people are still 360 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:03,080 living under a death sentence. And so again Esther goes to the 361 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:04,920 king. Chapter 8, verse 2. 362 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,280 Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and 363 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:10,520 weeping. She begged him to put an end to 364 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:14,560 the evil plan of Haman which he had devised against the Jews. 365 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:18,600 Then the king extended the gold sector to Esther, and she arose 366 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:22,560 and stood before him. The king took off his signet 367 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:25,760 ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and he presented it 368 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:30,320 to Mordecai, and Esther appointed him over at Hayman's 369 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:35,600 estate. Notice here again Esther pleaded 370 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:39,880 with the king. She fell at his feet, and she 371 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,880 started weeping. You see going again. 372 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,920 It cost Esther something. It cost her her dignity. 373 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:51,320 It cost her her heart. She forgets about herself, 374 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:55,680 respect, and she becomes wretched before the king because 375 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,320 her heart was broken for her people. 376 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,080 Not only did she go again through obedience and 377 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:06,200 perseverance, but she also went again in the breaking of her 378 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:09,160 heart for her people. And I believe this is a 379 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,600 different side to Esther that we see now. 380 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:14,960 You see, her heart has caught up with her feet. 381 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:19,960 God has broken her heart for the Jewish nation. 382 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:26,520 Now they're not only her people, but she calls them my family. 383 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,560 And we see that in verse 5. If it pleases the king, she 384 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:34,040 said, And if he regards me with favour and think of 6, it's the 385 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,120 right thing to do. And if he is pleased with me, 386 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:40,520 let an order be written over ruling the dispatches that Haman 387 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:43,520 devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the King's 388 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:46,600 provinces. So how can I bear to see 389 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:50,640 disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the 390 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:54,680 destruction of my family? And then the king tells Esther 391 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:59,920 and Mordecai to write another decree in the King's name to all 392 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:03,520 the Jews as the first edict. It can't be revoked because it's 393 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:05,240 been sealed with the King's ring. 394 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:10,440 And so Mordecai and Esther, they grant the Jews permission to 395 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:14,280 defend themselves against those who try to harm them, which they 396 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:17,400 successfully do. The tables are turned, the 397 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,840 Jewish people have the upper hand, and no one could stand 398 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,440 against them. And all their enemies were 399 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:29,600 struck down. In Esther's obedience and in her 400 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:33,280 perseverance to do what God had called her to do over these last 401 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:37,440 three days, she eventually she sees breakthrough. 402 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:43,840 Even though she was on her own, God was with her every day for 403 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:48,160 those three days. Esther chose to go again, go 404 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:53,120 again, go again. God called her, awakened her, 405 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:57,960 changed her selfish attitude, broke her heart for her people, 406 00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:03,160 her family, to enable her to go again even when the odds were 407 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:07,640 stacked against her friends. God is the God of again. 408 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:12,480 He is the initiator. He who bought it will bring it 409 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:15,320 back. He who did it will do it again 410 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:18,920 so that we can be people who go again. 411 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:27,400 People who rise to the Lord's call again and again and again. 412 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:30,200 People who go again after knock backs. 413 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:34,160 People who go again after disappointment of not seeing 414 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:36,600 anything happen, not seeing breakthrough. 415 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:40,200 People who go again in the face of sickness, in the face of 416 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:42,480 eating disorders, in the face of addiction. 417 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:46,600 People who go again when it feels so often like it's one 418 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:52,160 step forward and two steps back. People who dare to pray and to 419 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:55,680 expect God to come and minister and bring healing. 420 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:59,760 When we've seen others die, or we've seen others fall away or 421 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:03,800 others give in to temptation, we have to go again. 422 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:09,080 Go again for the people, for the nation who don't know Jesus 423 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:11,840 right now. For our friends, our families, 424 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:16,400 our communities. Go again back to the foot of the 425 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:18,960 cross. Go again back to the threshing 426 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:22,400 floor of tears. Go again back to His Word. 427 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,280 Go again back to the temple of His praise and His sanctuary of 428 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:30,880 worship. To finish the story about my 429 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:37,040 mum, 10 years after my mum heard God say that He would heal her. 430 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:44,920 They were at a little Christian retreat centre and one morning 431 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:47,400 my mum went into the Chapel. There was no one there. 432 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:51,440 Bible was just open. It was open on Isaiah. 433 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:56,920 And so my mum just looked at the Bible and one sentence jumped 434 00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:01,960 out and it's Isaiah 38 verse 9. And it said this a writing of 435 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:06,320 Hezekiah, king of Judah after his illness and recovery. 436 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:10,720 And she said to the Lord, could that be for me? 437 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:18,800 I am ill, am I about to recover? The next day my mum had the most 438 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:23,120 strange and strongest urge to climb a mountain. 439 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:27,600 Now they were at the foot of a mountain, this little retreat 440 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:31,000 centre, and my dad thought she was crazy because she couldn't 441 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:34,080 even walk to the end of the pathway before the mountain even 442 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:35,840 began. She tried the day before, she 443 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:39,920 couldn't do it. But being there, faithful and 444 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:43,640 kind guy that he is, he said, all right, we'll give it a go. 445 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:49,000 And so my mum started to climb this mountain that the day 446 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,360 before would have been impossible. 447 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:56,160 And my dad said, I started to panic halfway up when I realised 448 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:59,600 that there was no mobile phone signal and there was no way I'll 449 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,600 be able to carry her down the mountain if she collapsed. 450 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:06,200 But my mum walked all the way up the mountain and she walked all 451 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:10,120 the way down the mountain. She did not need it is amazing. 452 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:18,440 She didn't need any asleep. She her body wasn't aching. 453 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:22,240 She woke up the next morning and again, she was full of energy 454 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:25,520 and she said to my dad, I want to walk into the village and the 455 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,320 village was 2 1/2 miles away. And he's like, oh, no, I think 456 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:30,200 we need to pace it. You know, there's there's no 457 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:31,960 way. My mum is pretty stubborn. 458 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:34,200 She's like, no, I want to walk into the village. 459 00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:37,080 So the condition was they'd walk in, but they would get the bus 460 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,480 back. But my mum walked into the 461 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:42,000 village, she felt so good. She didn't get the bus back. 462 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:46,600 She walked back 5 miles, she walked that day and and she did 463 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:50,760 not pay for it after. And every day she just kept 464 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:55,120 living a normal life, doing the things that she always wanted to 465 00:31:55,120 --> 00:32:00,000 do day after day after day. And I remember shortly after 466 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,320 that they came to Scotland and we'd gone for a beach walk and 467 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:07,720 there was some really sheer stairs and it was like on top of 468 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,640 a mound, sorry, a really big hill. 469 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:14,640 And so my mum is the first up the stairs and then she runs to 470 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,960 the top of the hill and we're all still huffing and puffing, 471 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:21,320 you know, trying to get up. And she stands there going, God 472 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:23,600 has healed me, God has healed me. 473 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,480 Thank you, Jesus. It was amazing. 474 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,680 The Lord completely transformed my mum's life. 475 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:34,760 She's got more energy now than my dad. 476 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,920 Friends. The point is, my mum and dad and 477 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,360 all those supported them, praying in faith for my mum's 478 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:45,480 healing. They could have given up 10 479 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:49,080 years before when it looked like God had forgotten to follow 480 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:53,560 through on what he said He was going to do, but instead they 481 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:58,080 chose to go again. Go again with faith to believe 482 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,680 what the Lord had spoken would come to past. 483 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:06,040 Go again, believing that He can make the impossible possible. 484 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:10,360 To go again, to pray and fast and intercede. 485 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:14,120 To go again, to trust that God is in control. 486 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,240 To go again. To believe that she had not been 487 00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:21,440 forgotten, that the Lord sees her and knows her and knows 488 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:25,920 every part of her life. Friends, my mum's healing came 489 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:29,720 in a tiny Chapel in the middle of nowhere, with no one else 490 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:33,040 around. Reading one sentence from the 491 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:40,440 book of Isaiah. 20 years after she got ill, God said go again 492 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:45,080 Esther. God says go again versa Vineyard 493 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:50,720 go again, go again. Esther didn't waste the favor of 494 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:56,360 God, the cool of God, nor the opportunity God gave her to play 495 00:33:56,360 --> 00:34:00,520 her part. He is a God of again, so that we 496 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:05,280 can be people who go again and again and again. 497 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:09,080 For how much time is this? Amen. 498 00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:12,360 Amen. Wonderful.