1. For Such A Time As This! Seeing God When God Can’t Be Seen! Esther 3 & 4

2. Many times God’s purposes don’t seem apparent. –In a moment of weakness, you wonder if God knows, you wonder if God cares, you wonder if He can do anything about it?

3. 1.What happens if you don’t get out of that condition? –You may spend a lot of time in discouragement or depression...If Christ wasn’t really raised from the dead, if He is not in control, Paul said that we of all men are most miserable. –You very well may become bitter...its hard to have joy if you believe God doesn’t love you or God doesn’t care.

4. 2.How do you explain the fact that sometimes God’s purposes don’t seem apparent? –Sometimes they don’t seem apparent because they haven’t come to fruition yet... –God is preparing us for what’s about to happen, molding and shaping us for future ministry. –At other times, those purposes are there right now, but for a variety of reasons, we’re missing them.

5. see, the truth is... –It is possible that many of us here today, find ourselves in situations that we have concluded are meaningless... when the fact is... –God is either preparing us for something right around the corner... –God is providing us with an opportunity for ministry, FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS, and so far we’ve missed it.

6. Main Point Even when it seems that God cannot be seen, He is sovereignly working all things for His glory and our good. In each stage of this story, we learn principles to help us see God’s purposes even in situations where they’re not readily apparent.

7. I.Haman’s Plot What lessons can we learn from Haman’s plot? –God often allows evil to occur to show the depth of depravity of the person who does not know Him. Beware the Haman in all of us. It is only by the grace of God through Christ that we have access to His presence.

8. Often God allows evil as a backdrop for the righteous acts of His redeemed children. –If you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God wants to showcase His glory, and His power, and His truth through your life. If we were to think more clearly, we would appreciate the opportunity to stand out in what the dark contrast provides. Unfortunately, too often we lash out at the very backdrop God has provided for a contrast.

9. II.Mordecai’s Direction A.There’s no question that God will accomplish His purposes, the question is, will you allow yourself to be used. He’s going to get the job done and He’d like to use you, but if you will not yield yourself to Him, someone else will have the joy and blessing of seizing that opportunity for ministry and service.

10. How did Mordecai know that God would not allow Haman’s plot to entirely destroy all those of Jewish descent? –because Mordecai believed the Word of God. You and I will never have the fortitude necessary to see God’s purposes in difficult times unless we’ve dealt with the mater of walking by faith [in His Word] regardless of what our circumstances might seem to indicate.

11. B.Don’t forget, God may have put you in this situation, for just such a time as this. Either God is using the circumstances of our life to prepare us for a ministry opportunity down the line just like he used the events of chapter 2 to prepare Mordecai and Esther… Or He has placed us in situations right now, where those circumstances though they seem difficult, are divinely designed ministry opportunities like chapter 3 – for such a time…

12. III.Esther’s Decision Esther had to decide, was she going to make the hard choice and stand up and take the challenge...or was she going to miss the opportunity to serve God in an unusual way? –4:16 –There are worse things than dying, and one of them is, failing to do what God wants me to do.

13. Lesson for Life It is time to take a stand – in the sovereignty of God you are here right now… –Where you are right now is exactly where God wants you to be… Preparation Mode Face to Face with Opportunity.

14. Final Thought In God’s sovereign plan, you and I were designed to minister to THIS culture TODAY, for such a time as this.