Esther 3 - 6.9.25

Scripture

‭‭Esther‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.”

Observation

King Xerxes just promoted a man named Haman to be the highest, most powerful noble throughout the entire empire. The king ordered that all his officials would bow down and show respect to Haman every time he passed by. Mordecai though, refused to bow down to Haman. Being of Jewish descent, Mordecai knew that bowing down to anyone but God would be an act of idolatry, a sin against God. Mordecai’s act of defiance infuriates Haman. Haman then plots a way to kill not only Mordecai, but a way to eliminate all the Jewish people throughout the entire empire of King Xerxes.

Application

Be a Christian with strong convictions. Stand up for Jesus! 

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”-Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭28‬ ‭

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.”-‭‭Matthew‬ 10‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭

Mordecai could have easily caved in under peer pressure here. I mean the old adage of, “Well everyone else is doing it.”, didn’t even cross his mind. Mordecai was a man with strong convictions. He knew that bowing down to anyone but God was going to be a blatant act of idolatry. It was a sin against God! Mordecai refused to bend at the knees and follow the world’s ways. Instead, Mordecai stood tall for the ways of God.

Now I know in today’s world we can feel that same pressure. Whether it’s at work, or even amongst our own family and friends, we can be afraid to stand up for our faith and what we believe in. We can have that fear of being reprimanded by our boss, or even isolated from our friends because of our faith and beliefs. But take heart! Stand firm on your convictions and beliefs. Be someone, like Mordecai here, who was more concerned about pleasing God, rather than people. Know that we have a reward that awaits us in Heaven because of our faithfulness. Stand up for Jesus! 

“But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.”-Revelation‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬b

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the time I cower away from my convictions. Forgive me for being worried more about pleasing people than pleasing You. I pray that you give me the strength and courage to stand firm in my faith for You today. Help me to be a man who is bold in my convictions. Help me to be a man who lives solely to please and honor You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gadd

1 Corinthians 11 - 6.6.25

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-27

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”

Observation

In this chapter of the Lords Supper or Communion, Paul is correcting the abuse of the people on how they were handling the Lord’s supper. We just had communion this past Sunday and we do not mixed feast with communion, so I wanted to focus on some points of the communion itself.

Application

One of my favorite teachers from the past had some points to look at when it comes to communion,

1. Devine Command: Assemble with the people of God to celebrate the memorial of Jesus Christ.

2. Blessed Privilege: the table we are called to is the Lords, he is the host, and he has invited us.

3. Necessary Memorial: Reminds us of the cost of our purchased salvation.

4. Humbling Confession: We are imperfect people; we are unworthy, and we need to be humble in our confession of our sin.

5. Essential act of Faith: Our participation in the Lords table is an act of faith.

6. Solemn warning: We should not look at the communion table as just a ritual. Taking communion in an unworthy manner is a sin.

We need to focus on our preparation and approach. Communion is not a ritual but an act of remembrance of His sacrifice for our sins. Pastor Levi has mention more than once when we get up Sunday morning, we need to prepare our hearts for worship at home not when we walk through the doors at church.

If you are struggling on communion Sunday, there are a couple options in preparation for communion: 1) We have great prayer warriors who will pray with you before service starts. Confess what is in your heart. 2) If your heart is not in the right place, it is okay to not partake in communion.

Prayer

Lord, help me to always realize the cost of my purchased salvation. May communion not become a ritual. Forgive me when I came to your table with an unprepared heart. Thank you for the new covenant and your love for me. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen.

- Robert Oberg

1 Corinthians 10 - 6.5.25

SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 10:1 - 10

Idolatry Then and Now - Warnings from Israel’s History

1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

OBSERVATION

When it is written that “their bodies were scattered in the wilderness” it’s an example that the Israelites failed to keep their focus on God, and they started giving themselves to idolatry. Some of the Corinthian Christians not only got too close in their association with idols (false gods, Idols made out of stone and wood) they also made an idol out of their own “knowledge” and their own “rights.”  Also, Israel, in their idolatry, surrendered to the temptation of sexual immorality.  They worshiped sins of the flesh. 

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 

APPLICATION

What is idolatry today?  Even for those who do not bow physically before a statue, idolatry is a matter of the heart—pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions and ultimately rebellion against God. Some Christians not only get too close in their association with idols; they also make an idol out of their own “knowledge” and their own “rights.” 

We all are tempted one way or another; every day: saying the wrong words, watching the wrong media, hanging out with the wrong people, spending money on the wrong things, etc.  You name it…”I am tempted______” –fill in the blank.   We can and should take warning from the bad examples of Israel.  God’s words are the way out…we are not locked into temptation, it’s a choice.  Think twice.  The difference is---because of Jesus Christ we have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God, a divine presence that dwells within believers, guiding and empowering us. This is a beautiful reminder that we are never alone in our journey of faith; the Holy Spirit is our helper, comforter, and advocate.

PRAYER

Dear Lord Jesus, words fail me, and with tears, I thank you for being my/our helper, comforter and advocate. Temptation comes when we least expect it; and in the many ways  we are most vulnerable.  I/we are not perfect.  And Lord, as difficult reading and understanding your word can be because of the time it was written, YOU show us how to identify with the experiences of the men and women in biblical times because we have your Holy Spirit in us…and because of this—You WILL show us what to avoid and be with our choices when we turn to you FIRST in any dilemma. Thank you, Father GOD, for your unfailing grace, unmerited favor. AMEN!

- Charleen Zakarian