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Call to worship: Joel 2:11-17

Text: Esther 4

Sermon Outline:

1. Mourning in light of the truth: seeking God's mediation, 4:1-3.
2. Coming to the light: making the case to Esther, 4:4-14.
3. The moment of truth: deciding Who to serve, 4:15-17.
4. You, me, and our cross-bearing Mediator.

Prepare

Discussion Questions:

1. Read Esther 4.
2. There is great agony in 4:1-3. Why are the Jewish people mourning? How do the Jewish people mourn? Beyond weeping, what utility is there in fasting? Recall, Esther is a book with much feasting! Do we live in a world, like Ahasuerus, where no sorrow is allowed? Do we grieve with those who grieve? Do we fast? Why might we fast today?
3. In 4:4-14, we have a long dialogue between Mordecai and Esther. Despite her deep distress, how has living in the palace desensitized her to the anguish of her adoptive father and people? How is that shown? Have we grown cold to the trials of God's people in the world today? How does Esther initially respond to Mordecai's command? Recall, it's been previously stated that she always obeyed him. Is her response reasonable?
4. How does he who, at first, commanded her compromise and concealment challenge her hesitancy at this point? What has Mordecai come to believe? Do we ask ourselves, as we ought, why and how God has purposed to use us right now? In the home, across the street, at school, on the job, in this culture, as a spouse, as a parent, as a follower of Jesus Christ? Every day we're given opportunities to blend in with the world or stand out for Christ. What's our recent track record? How does Mordecai excite Esther to stand out in identification with God's people? To embrace God's redemptive purpose in her life?
5. The moment of truth has arrived for Esther (4:15-17). What does she decide? To Whom, should we chalk up this reversal? Think, how has God taken the ugly of your life and used it for His glory? What does Esther ask of the Jewish nation? What is her hope now in going before the king? What's the potential cost? How does Esther's decision to act as mediator for God's people parallel and so preach to us our Lord Jesus Christ? Are we reflecting Him by a cross-centered life for the benefit of His people?