Living in Exile: The Gospel Pattern of Grand Reversal
The gospel has a pattern of grand reversal. The failure to grasp this reversal is at the heart of every failure of religion. And the switch between who's going to die in the story of Esther reflects the gospel.
Living in Exile: For Such a Time as This
We're living in an age where everyone thinks they can redefine who they are. They can make themselves whatever they want to be. We tend to think about what's in it for us and to set things up for our own benefit. And then we have Esther, who is being called to give her life away for such a time as this.
Living in Exile: Winning Favour
We live in a day that is decreasingly dominated by Christian ideals, and all of us will be faced with moral conundrums. We must do the right thing, but also be canny and wise. Esther is a story of winning favor with man through the favor and grace of God.
Living in Exile: A Strange Providence
There's an aspect of the book of Esther that's important to catch, but it's hard because of the narrative technique used. It's not immediately obvious to us, but it's meant to make you laugh—in a "gallows humor" sort of way.
Contend for the Faith: Keep On Going
The church in America has utterly failed God's people. It has not taught on sin and on the darkness of the human heart because we've wanted a feel-good message. The result of that is that we always say that the problem is outside of us. But Jesus says the problem is within.