Good afternoon, Grace City.<\/p>\n
It is a joy to be here with you today<\/p>\n
and an absolute privilege to have this<\/p>\n
opportunity to preach the word of God. I<\/p>\n
want to thank Ajan Nati, the elders, and<\/p>\n
the leadership for inviting our family<\/p>\n
here. And it's what a what a delight it<\/p>\n
is. Um my family and I have been in<\/p>\n
Bangkok now for about three years. And<\/p>\n
typically we worship and serve at Banga<\/p>\n
Christian Fellowship.<\/p>\n
But our family, one of our favorite<\/p>\n
games, if uh slides are up, one of our<\/p>\n
favorite games is Uno.<\/p>\n
Now, I know there are many variations,<\/p>\n
but I'm a bit of a traditionalist, and<\/p>\n
so I like regular Uno.<\/p>\n
One of the cards in the game is the Uno<\/p>\n
reverse card.<\/p>\n
For those of you who might not be<\/p>\n
familiar with the game, um, play goes in<\/p>\n
a certain direction and then when<\/p>\n
someone plays a reverse card, play<\/p>\n
continues in the reverse direction.<\/p>\n
So, I could be sitting there waiting to<\/p>\n
play my card, that will make the person<\/p>\n
to my immediate right draw four cards,<\/p>\n
and I'm excited to do it. And then the<\/p>\n
person to my immediate left plays a<\/p>\n
reverse card. And then the play<\/p>\n
continues further and further and<\/p>\n
further away from me.<\/p>\n
One of the key phrases in today's text,<\/p>\n
if not the entire book of Esther is the<\/p>\n
reverse occurred.<\/p>\n
No, Mori and Esther did not play an<\/p>\n
actual uno reverse card,<\/p>\n
but the reverse<\/p>\n
of what was expected and what was<\/p>\n
supposed to happen occurred.<\/p>\n
An incredible,<\/p>\n
incredible thing.<\/p>\n
You see, the people were supposed to be<\/p>\n
destroyed and yet the reverse occurred.<\/p>\n
Perhaps for some of us<\/p>\n
worshiping here or worshiping online,<\/p>\n
maybe you are<\/p>\n
praying for a breakthrough.<\/p>\n
Maybe things have been going in a<\/p>\n
certain direction and you're hoping that<\/p>\n
God can change things. Maybe you're<\/p>\n
hoping that God will play that reverse<\/p>\n
card in your life.<\/p>\n
Maybe<\/p>\n
it's in<\/p>\n
waiting for a visa or maybe a document<\/p>\n
that just hasn't been moving.<\/p>\n
Perhaps someone you know or someone you<\/p>\n
love has had an unexpected turn in their<\/p>\n
life or maybe it's in our ministries.<\/p>\n
What does today's text tell us<\/p>\n
about God reversing and changing all<\/p>\n
things? And what encouragement can we<\/p>\n
glean from it?<\/p>\n
If you have your Bibles, please turn to<\/p>\n
Esther chapter 9.<\/p>\n
Esther chapter 9 verses 1-19.<\/p>\n
I'll be reading from the English<\/p>\n
Standard Version and it'll also be up on<\/p>\n
your screens.<\/p>\n
Now in the 12th month, which is the<\/p>\n
month of Adar, on the 13th day of the<\/p>\n
same, when the king's command and edict<\/p>\n
were about to be carried out, on the<\/p>\n
very day when the enemies of the Jews<\/p>\n
hoped to gain the mastery over them, the<\/p>\n
The Jews gained mastery over those who<\/p>\n
hated them. The Jews gathered in their<\/p>\n
cities throughout all the provinces of<\/p>\n
King Ahasser to lay hands on those who<\/p>\n
sought their harm.<\/p>\n
and no one could stand against them for<\/p>\n
the fear of them had fallen on all<\/p>\n
peoples.<\/p>\n
All the officials of the provinces and<\/p>\n
the sat traps and the governors and the<\/p>\n
royal agents also helped the Jews for<\/p>\n
the fear of Mori had fallen on them for<\/p>\n
Mori was great in the king's house and<\/p>\n
his fame spread throughout all the<\/p>\n
provinces. For the man Mori grew more<\/p>\n
and more powerful.<\/p>\n
The Jews struck all their enemies with<\/p>\n
the sword, killing and destroying them<\/p>\n
and did as they pleased to those who<\/p>\n
hated them.<\/p>\n
In sus of the city citadel itself, the<\/p>\n
Jews killed and destroyed 500 men and<\/p>\n
also killed Parandatha and Don and<\/p>\n
Aspatha and Paratha and Adalia and<\/p>\n
Aridatha and Pararmashta and Arasai and<\/p>\n
Aradai and Bisatha, the 10 sons of Hmon,<\/p>\n
the son of Hamidatha, the enemy of the<\/p>\n
Jews. But they laid no hand on the<\/p>\n
plunder.<\/p>\n
That very day the number of those killed<\/p>\n
in Susa the citadel was reported to the<\/p>\n
king. And the king said to Queen Esther,<\/p>\n
\"In Soua, the citadel, the Jews have<\/p>\n
killed and destroyed 500 men and also<\/p>\n
the 10 sons of Hmon. What then have they<\/p>\n
done in the rest of the king's<\/p>\n
provinces? Now what is your wish? It<\/p>\n
shall be granted you. And what further<\/p>\n
is your request? It shall be fulfilled.\"<\/p>\n
And Esther said, \"If it pleased the<\/p>\n
king, let the Jews who are in Soua be<\/p>\n
allowed tomorrow also to do according to<\/p>\n
this day's edict, and let the 10 sons of<\/p>\n
Hmon be hanged on the gallows.\" So the<\/p>\n
king commanded this to be done. A decree<\/p>\n
was issued in Souza, and the 10 sons of<\/p>\n
Hmon were hanged. The Jews who were in<\/p>\n
Soua gathered also on the 14th day of<\/p>\n
the month of Adar, and they killed 300<\/p>\n
men in Susa, but they laid no hands on<\/p>\n
the plunder.<\/p>\n
Now the rest of the Jews who were in the<\/p>\n
king's provinces also gathered to defend<\/p>\n
their lives and got relief from their<\/p>\n
enemies and killed 75,000 of those who<\/p>\n
hated them. But they laid no hands on<\/p>\n
the plunder. This was on the 13th day of<\/p>\n
the month of Adar. And on the 14th day<\/p>\n
they rested and made that day a day of<\/p>\n
feasting and gladness. But the Jews who<\/p>\n
were in Souza gathered on the 13th day,<\/p>\n
on the 14th, and rested on the 15th day,<\/p>\n
making that day a day of feasting and<\/p>\n
gladness. Therefore, the Jews of the<\/p>\n
villages who live in the rural towns<\/p>\n
hold the 14th day of the month of Adar<\/p>\n
as a day for gladness and feasting as a<\/p>\n
holiday and as a day on which they send<\/p>\n
gifts of food to one another.<\/p>\n
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be<\/p>\n
to God.<\/p>\n
Now, before we dive into today's text,<\/p>\n
we have to address how uncomfortable<\/p>\n
this text can be.<\/p>\n
The Bible says that the Jews killed and<\/p>\n
destroyed their enemies and did as they<\/p>\n
pleased to those who hated them.<\/p>\n
This sounds so barbaric.<\/p>\n
The Jews killed at least 75,000 people.<\/p>\n
And Esther, when asked what she<\/p>\n
requested, she requested another day so<\/p>\n
that the killings could continue.<\/p>\n
And the Jews respond by having a<\/p>\n
celebration with feasting and gladness.<\/p>\n
Usually when we think of the book of<\/p>\n
Esther, we think of iconic and<\/p>\n
inspirational quotes like for such a<\/p>\n
time as this or if I perish I perish.<\/p>\n
I think it's safe to say that none of us<\/p>\n
have art in our homes that have Esther<\/p>\n
saying and let the sons of Hmon hang on<\/p>\n
the gallows.<\/p>\n
But this is in the Bible.<\/p>\n
And as followers of Christ, we believe 2<\/p>\n
Timothy 3:16 that says, \"All scripture<\/p>\n
is breathed out by God and profitable<\/p>\n
for teaching, for reproof, for<\/p>\n
correction, and for training in<\/p>\n
righteousness, that the man of God may<\/p>\n
be complete, equipped for every good<\/p>\n
work.\"<\/p>\n
For us modern listeners of the word,<\/p>\n
these passages and many passages<\/p>\n
can be hard to read. For example,<\/p>\n
Joshua's conquests<\/p>\n
and what we just talked about in the<\/p>\n
book of Esther, the fact that we<\/p>\n
remember and highlight these<\/p>\n
inspirational verses, but yet many of us<\/p>\n
have never read or remember the<\/p>\n
slaughter that happened.<\/p>\n
Perhaps it highlights our propensity to<\/p>\n
highlight certain portions of scripture<\/p>\n
and ignore or gloss over others.<\/p>\n
For example, the story of David and<\/p>\n
Goliath.<\/p>\n
Probably one of the most famous stories<\/p>\n
in the entire Bible.<\/p>\n
We teach it in Sunday school. Our kids<\/p>\n
do crafts related to David and Goliath.<\/p>\n
You all are probably familiar with the<\/p>\n
story.<\/p>\n
David, the young shepherd boy, faces the<\/p>\n
giant, heavily armored Goliath. And he<\/p>\n
faces him with nothing more than a sling<\/p>\n
and five smooth stones. And David, in<\/p>\n
faith, trusting in God, approaches a<\/p>\n
giant and defeats him. Yay.<\/p>\n
And we usually stop the story right<\/p>\n
there.<\/p>\n
For those of you who've read it, I'm not<\/p>\n
going to spoil it, but what happens next<\/p>\n
is really gruesome.<\/p>\n
The fact of the matter is, brothers and<\/p>\n
sisters, there is violence in the Bible<\/p>\n
and even holy war.<\/p>\n
But as we just said, we believe that all<\/p>\n
scripture is useful and necessary for<\/p>\n
all of life<\/p>\n
and faith.<\/p>\n
Now, regarding holy war, a lot of people<\/p>\n
have objections to holy war and scholars<\/p>\n
and commentators have written very<\/p>\n
wonderful and insightful volumes. But<\/p>\n
allow me to give four things about holy<\/p>\n
war that might be helpful. The first<\/p>\n
thing is that holy war is always<\/p>\n
commanded by the Lord or the prophets.<\/p>\n
It's never up to the people of God to<\/p>\n
take violent action on their own accord<\/p>\n
or at their own whim.<\/p>\n
Second,<\/p>\n
holy war almost always is reserved for<\/p>\n
taking or holding the promised land.<\/p>\n
And third, holy war is a war of judgment<\/p>\n
against evil. God as a righteous, holy<\/p>\n
judge judges evil. And finally, the Lord<\/p>\n
fights for his people.<\/p>\n
The Lord fights on behalf of God's<\/p>\n
people to judge evil as the righteous<\/p>\n
judge.<\/p>\n
And yet, even with all this,<\/p>\n
some parts of scripture can seem unfair<\/p>\n
and unjust.<\/p>\n
And if you have questions like that,<\/p>\n
that's great. We need to wrestle with<\/p>\n
some of those hard portions of scripture<\/p>\n
because all of it is breathed out by<\/p>\n
God. If you have questions, please talk<\/p>\n
to your pastors and elders. Now, I'll be<\/p>\n
available after service if you have<\/p>\n
questions, too. We need to wrestle with<\/p>\n
these passages and not just gloss over<\/p>\n
them because they make us a little<\/p>\n
uncomfortable because there's incredible<\/p>\n
truth in them.<\/p>\n
So, now that we talked about that, let's<\/p>\n
dive into today's text. I believe the<\/p>\n
Lord is talking to all of us about<\/p>\n
the imperceptible<\/p>\n
and inconvenient covenant. The font's a<\/p>\n
whole lot bigger than it's supposed to<\/p>\n
be. So, it's supposed to say more, but<\/p>\n
it's supposed to say the imperceptible<\/p>\n
and inconvenient covenant.<\/p>\n
Now, we're going to address the three<\/p>\n
major words in that phrase one at a<\/p>\n
time. So, the first word is<\/p>\n
imperceptible.<\/p>\n
In the book of Esther, the name of God<\/p>\n
is never mentioned once.<\/p>\n
The temple and the law are strangely<\/p>\n
absent. There's not a single prayer<\/p>\n
uttered in the book of Esther, although<\/p>\n
the people of God do fast when they're<\/p>\n
faced with annihilation.<\/p>\n
But God is strangely absent. And in some<\/p>\n
parts of the narrative, it looks like<\/p>\n
God has absolutely abandoned his people.<\/p>\n
It looks like God has forgotten about<\/p>\n
him and we can't see him.<\/p>\n
And yet, brothers and sisters, those<\/p>\n
moments<\/p>\n
where it seems that God is absent<\/p>\n
are those moments where God might be<\/p>\n
powerfully present.<\/p>\n
God is imperceptible. But as you've<\/p>\n
heard throughout this series on Esther,<\/p>\n
the invisible hand of God has been<\/p>\n
guiding, leading, and protecting his<\/p>\n
people.<\/p>\n
And in the book of Esther, though God is<\/p>\n
not explicitly mentioned, there are a<\/p>\n
lot of coincidences. Let's look at some<\/p>\n
of these coincidence from just the first<\/p>\n
half of the book.<\/p>\n
King Aas Sueris is mad at his queen and<\/p>\n
he just so happens to host an ancient<\/p>\n
version of a reality TV dating show that<\/p>\n
Esther happens to win and she just so<\/p>\n
happens to become queen.<\/p>\n
And it just so happens that her<\/p>\n
relative, Morortei, just happens to be<\/p>\n
by the gate when two of the king's<\/p>\n
servants just happened to be talking<\/p>\n
about their conspiracy to kill the king.<\/p>\n
And Morai reports that to the king and<\/p>\n
it just so happens that decades that<\/p>\n
gets recorded in the king's chronicles<\/p>\n
and later it just so happens that the<\/p>\n
king can't sleep. And the king can't<\/p>\n
sleep. So he asks for his chronicles to<\/p>\n
be read.<\/p>\n
Maybe some of us can relate. When you<\/p>\n
read first and 2 Chronicles in the<\/p>\n
Bible, maybe you fall asleep.<\/p>\n
But the king has this red and it just so<\/p>\n
happens that the servants turn to the<\/p>\n
page where Mori is mentioned. And the<\/p>\n
king had forgotten about Morortei. But<\/p>\n
it just so happens that he remembers him<\/p>\n
and thinks, \"I need I need to reward<\/p>\n
Morai.\"<\/p>\n
And it just so happens this was when<\/p>\n
Hmon was plotting evil against Mori and<\/p>\n
his people. And instead Hmon has to lead<\/p>\n
Mori around the courtyard on a horse<\/p>\n
shouting things that glorify and honor<\/p>\n
Morortei.<\/p>\n
So many coincidences.<\/p>\n
If I were to tell you a story about my<\/p>\n
life like this, you know, if this thing<\/p>\n
didn't happen and then this other thing,<\/p>\n
if that didn't happen and then this<\/p>\n
other thing that didn't happen, well<\/p>\n
then none of this would have happened. I<\/p>\n
mean, what are the chances?<\/p>\n
Oh well,<\/p>\n
if I said that you would say oh well<\/p>\n
though are you are you cra that those<\/p>\n
situations that's those things happening<\/p>\n
that's cra the chances of that happening<\/p>\n
are are crazy it's impossible and in<\/p>\n
fact those coincidence coincidences<\/p>\n
might not be coincidences<\/p>\n
at all<\/p>\n
although God is not explicitly mentioned<\/p>\n
it is pretty clear that his invisible<\/p>\n
hand is guiding, leading and protecting<\/p>\n
his people.<\/p>\n
The same hand, the mighty hand and<\/p>\n
outstretched arm that guided God's<\/p>\n
people through the wilderness has<\/p>\n
protected God's people here in Esther.<\/p>\n
And today, that same invisible hand,<\/p>\n
though we may not perceive him, is<\/p>\n
guiding, leading, and protecting<\/p>\n
us.<\/p>\n
You may not be able to perceive God, but<\/p>\n
he is at work and you can rest in the<\/p>\n
fact that he is at work.<\/p>\n
Jesus himself even said that<\/p>\n
the kingdom of heaven is hidden.<\/p>\n
In the kingdom of heaven, its hidden<\/p>\n
nature is a feature, not a defect.<\/p>\n
God often hides spiritual treasure. And<\/p>\n
so you may not be able to perceive God,<\/p>\n
but God is at work in powerful ways.<\/p>\n
And I would imagine if we went around<\/p>\n
this room,<\/p>\n
we could tell some incredible stories<\/p>\n
of coincidences<\/p>\n
of how God's divine providence has led<\/p>\n
us to this place. If you move to<\/p>\n
Bangkok, I guarantee you you have<\/p>\n
stories of how God's providence led you<\/p>\n
to this place,<\/p>\n
if you're a parent, or if you're a<\/p>\n
grandparent,<\/p>\n
your children and your grandchildren<\/p>\n
need to know these stories.<\/p>\n
They need to know about the invisible<\/p>\n
hand of God, of how divine providence<\/p>\n
has provided for your family and led you<\/p>\n
to this point.<\/p>\n
If you're in a small group, your small<\/p>\n
group needs to know these stories. Needs<\/p>\n
to know how God has led you and<\/p>\n
miraculously provided for you. If you're<\/p>\n
a Christian, all of us, all of us have a<\/p>\n
story of how God miraculously met us.<\/p>\n
I want to invite you to close your eyes<\/p>\n
briefly and and bow your heads. And<\/p>\n
we're just going to pray very briefly<\/p>\n
and ask the Holy Spirit to highlight for<\/p>\n
you<\/p>\n
a testimony or a story. Maybe it was<\/p>\n
recent. Maybe it was a long time ago.<\/p>\n
Maybe it's something you remember. Maybe<\/p>\n
it's something you forgot. But ask the<\/p>\n
Holy Spirit to highlight for you a story<\/p>\n
or testimony that shows God's divine<\/p>\n
providence. Let's pray for a moment.<\/p>\n
And with our eyes closed and keeping in<\/p>\n
a posture of prayer, let's ask the Holy<\/p>\n
Spirit to highlight<\/p>\n
someone or some people that we should<\/p>\n
share this testimony with this week.<\/p>\n
Let's pray together.<\/p>\n
Amen.<\/p>\n
God may be imper imperceptible.<\/p>\n
We may not see him, but we can trust<\/p>\n
that he is at work.<\/p>\n
But how do we know he's at work?<\/p>\n
For some of us, if we're going through a<\/p>\n
valley or challenging times, how do we<\/p>\n
know that God is still working? The<\/p>\n
second word I want to look at is<\/p>\n
covenant.<\/p>\n
Our God is a God of covenant. He's a God<\/p>\n
who makes and fulfills his promises. You<\/p>\n
see, if the Jews were destroyed that day<\/p>\n
as their enemies had planned,<\/p>\n
the covenants that God made with<\/p>\n
Abraham,<\/p>\n
with Moses, and with David would have<\/p>\n
been hanging by a thread.<\/p>\n
Despite kings that didn't honor God,<\/p>\n
didn't know the Lord, despite enemies of<\/p>\n
God's people, God continued to provide<\/p>\n
for and lead his people because he is a<\/p>\n
God of covenant.<\/p>\n
As Ajan Chan told reminded us last week<\/p>\n
that in chapter 3:13 there was an edict<\/p>\n
that the Jews would be destroyed and<\/p>\n
those same words are used in chapter 8<\/p>\n
11 and those same words are used in<\/p>\n
chapter 9:5 except now instead of<\/p>\n
against the Lord's people the reverse<\/p>\n
occurred and it happened for the enemies<\/p>\n
of God.<\/p>\n
And this is a common story throughout<\/p>\n
the scriptures<\/p>\n
where enemies of God's people or other<\/p>\n
people sought harm for the Lord's people<\/p>\n
and yet God worked it for good.<\/p>\n
Some examples like Joseph in Genesis or<\/p>\n
Daniel.<\/p>\n
Stories of how the things that people<\/p>\n
meant for harm, God used for their good<\/p>\n
and for God's glory.<\/p>\n
But this reversal<\/p>\n
points forward and it pales in<\/p>\n
comparison to the ultimate reversal.<\/p>\n
When the reverse occurred, the most<\/p>\n
ultimate reverse that occurred is the<\/p>\n
cross of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
The enemies of Jesus and Satan thought<\/p>\n
that they won. They thought they<\/p>\n
defeated the son of God. And yet what<\/p>\n
looked like utter defeat<\/p>\n
was his victory and was our victory.<\/p>\n
The lamb that was slain is the lion of<\/p>\n
Judah.<\/p>\n
The reverse occurred.<\/p>\n
And Jesus said<\/p>\n
that this cup<\/p>\n
is the new covenant in my blood. Our God<\/p>\n
is a God of covenant.<\/p>\n
And not only did the cross reverse the<\/p>\n
curse,<\/p>\n
but it also reversed things for us<\/p>\n
personally.<\/p>\n
Ephesians chapter 2 says that we were<\/p>\n
dead in our trespasses, but were made<\/p>\n
alive with Christ. You see, when we<\/p>\n
believed in Jesus Christ by grace<\/p>\n
through faith, God didn't take what was<\/p>\n
already there and make it a little bit<\/p>\n
better. We are not a version 2.0 of<\/p>\n
ourselves.<\/p>\n
No, the Bible says that we are born<\/p>\n
again.<\/p>\n
That we are a new creation.<\/p>\n
God has turned what was dead and has<\/p>\n
made it alive. We were as doomed as the<\/p>\n
Jews in the book of Esther. And yet we<\/p>\n
are saved by the great reversal of the<\/p>\n
We are saved because of him. And so by<\/p>\n
grace through faith all of us can be<\/p>\n
saved. That we who once had no hope as<\/p>\n
we said earlier we now have a firm and<\/p>\n
sure hope.<\/p>\n
And as the old song says,<\/p>\n
\"Let the weak say, I am strong.\" And let<\/p>\n
the poor say, \"I am rich.\" Because of<\/p>\n
what the Lord has done for us.<\/p>\n
Our God is a God of covenant. And so<\/p>\n
even when he's imperceptible, even when<\/p>\n
we can't see him, we know that he is at<\/p>\n
work because he is a God who makes and<\/p>\n
fulfills his promises.<\/p>\n
And he's a God of covenant<\/p>\n
at great cost<\/p>\n
at the cost of his only begotten son.<\/p>\n
But the covenant also has a cost for as<\/p>\n
well.<\/p>\n
Salvation is free, but the covenant of<\/p>\n
God costs us something as well. And the<\/p>\n
final thing we'll look at is the fact<\/p>\n
that the covenant is inconvenient.<\/p>\n
Now, inconvenient is not typically a<\/p>\n
word that we think of when we think of<\/p>\n
the word covenant.<\/p>\n
But as those who have been shown<\/p>\n
unfathomable grace,<\/p>\n
we are commanded to show grace to<\/p>\n
others. And that can often be<\/p>\n
inconvenient.<\/p>\n
You see, we are in a different point of<\/p>\n
redemptive history. In Esther chapter 9,<\/p>\n
the people of God were in grave danger.<\/p>\n
On that day, the 13th of Adar, the<\/p>\n
people of God were supposed to be<\/p>\n
destroyed.<\/p>\n
Hmon threw lots.<\/p>\n
As we'll probably learn next week, he<\/p>\n
threw lots and decided this was the day<\/p>\n
that the Jews were going to die and be<\/p>\n
destroyed. But instead, the reverse<\/p>\n
occurred. Instead of that thing, the<\/p>\n
reverse occurred and God saved his<\/p>\n
people in an incredible, incredible way.<\/p>\n
And so, this is a different point in<\/p>\n
redemptive history. I mean, that's 2500<\/p>\n
years ago.<\/p>\n
Now, the book of Esther is not holding<\/p>\n
up Morai and Esther as morally righteous<\/p>\n
people. It's certainly not saying that<\/p>\n
the killing of 75,000 people is a<\/p>\n
morally correct thing. The Bible is not<\/p>\n
holding up the kings of Persia as moral<\/p>\n
exemplars.<\/p>\n
But what the book of Esther tells us is<\/p>\n
that God works through sinful and fallen<\/p>\n
humanity<\/p>\n
to achieve his purposes and his<\/p>\n
You see, Hmon and his sons being hung on<\/p>\n
the gallows was a precursor to the<\/p>\n
crucifixion.<\/p>\n
The Romans didn't invent crucifixion,<\/p>\n
but they perfected it. And so Jesus hung<\/p>\n
on the cross. And Hmon and his sons,<\/p>\n
they died on a early a precursor, a<\/p>\n
prototype of the cross. But they died on<\/p>\n
the cross for their sins, for their<\/p>\n
evil.<\/p>\n
Jesus died on the cross<\/p>\n
for our sins.<\/p>\n
Because of our wickedness and our<\/p>\n
rebelliousness,<\/p>\n
Jesus hung on the cross.<\/p>\n
And we who should have known God's<\/p>\n
wrath, who should have been judged by<\/p>\n
the living God, have received salvation<\/p>\n
and receive life. What incredible news.<\/p>\n
And that God, that gracious God commands<\/p>\n
us to show that grace to others.<\/p>\n
You see, it's easier to respond to evil<\/p>\n
with evil.<\/p>\n
When we encounter evil, it's very<\/p>\n
inconvenient to respond with grace<\/p>\n
because when we do, we have to die to<\/p>\n
ourselves. It's very inconvenient.<\/p>\n
Now, sometimes<\/p>\n
I start to think<\/p>\n
I'm doing pretty good in my<\/p>\n
sanctification<\/p>\n
and then I get behind the wheel of a<\/p>\n
car.<\/p>\n
Nowhere is it easier to respond to evil<\/p>\n
with evil than in the car. We were<\/p>\n
recently in America and we were there<\/p>\n
for maybe a few weeks and someone was<\/p>\n
tailgating me and the moment they got a<\/p>\n
chance they went around me and they<\/p>\n
checked their brakes on me. That means<\/p>\n
they they pumped their brakes to like<\/p>\n
really irritate me.<\/p>\n
All of my training to be a pastor, to be<\/p>\n
a missionary<\/p>\n
all went out the window.<\/p>\n
It's so easy to respond to evil with<\/p>\n
But when we respond to evil with grace,<\/p>\n
that allows an opportunity for the light<\/p>\n
of the gospel to shine into a situation.<\/p>\n
But it comes at a cost.<\/p>\n
Just as our salvation comes at a cost<\/p>\n
for us to show grace, it comes at great<\/p>\n
cost to ourselves. is really<\/p>\n
Is there someone that maybe you're<\/p>\n
having a hard time forgiving?<\/p>\n
Maybe the Lord's put it on your heart or<\/p>\n
brought them back on your mind. Maybe<\/p>\n
the Lord is inviting you to pray for<\/p>\n
that person. They don't deserve your<\/p>\n
forgiveness.<\/p>\n
They certainly can't earn your<\/p>\n
forgiveness,<\/p>\n
and you shouldn't give them your<\/p>\n
But the reverse occurs.<\/p>\n
Who's someone that is really hard for us<\/p>\n
to show grace and love to?<\/p>\n
As those who have been forgiven much, we<\/p>\n
can forgive much. As those who have been<\/p>\n
loved much, we can love much.<\/p>\n
Is there someone in our lives<\/p>\n
though it may be inconvenient to us that<\/p>\n
we need to share the love and light of<\/p>\n
the gospel with this week.<\/p>\n
Today we talked about the imperceptible<\/p>\n
It really is a miracle that God's people<\/p>\n
survived in exile under wicked kings<\/p>\n
and they flourished so that the<\/p>\n
deliverer could come out of the line of<\/p>\n
David.<\/p>\n
Now, for those of us those of us in<\/p>\n
Bangkok, we probably hopefully don't<\/p>\n
have any outright enemies that are<\/p>\n
seeking to destroy us.<\/p>\n
But we definitely feel<\/p>\n
opposition<\/p>\n
and difficulty and challenges.<\/p>\n
For those of you who've moved to<\/p>\n
Thailand, you're in a foreign land, a<\/p>\n
foreign culture.<\/p>\n
For those of you who are Thai and grew<\/p>\n
up in Thailand,<\/p>\n
being a Christian in some ways makes you<\/p>\n
foreign in this land as well.<\/p>\n
So, how can we, like the people of God<\/p>\n
at the time of Esther, shine the love<\/p>\n
and light of the gospel through the<\/p>\n
imperceptible and inconvenient covenant?<\/p>\n
You may not be able to see God, but know<\/p>\n
that he's at work.<\/p>\n
And it may be inconvenient to forgive<\/p>\n
and to show grace, but we can do so<\/p>\n
because we have a God who makes and<\/p>\n
fulfills all of his promises.<\/p>\n
And may that God, the God of covenant,<\/p>\n
be glorified. And may the light of the<\/p>\n
gospel shine on Bangkok<\/p>\n
through the imperceptible and<\/p>\n
inconvenient covenant shining in and<\/p>\n
through us transformed followers of<\/p>\n
Christ. Would you bow your heads and<\/p>\n
hearts with me for a moment in prayer?<\/p>\n
Almighty God,<\/p>\n
thank you for your great love that we<\/p>\n
sang about earlier.<\/p>\n
We didn't deserve it. We didn't earn it.<\/p>\n
We couldn't earn it.<\/p>\n
And yet, you willingly gave yourself for<\/p>\n
Hmon and his sons died for their sins.<\/p>\n
but you died for ours.<\/p>\n
Thank you for this great love.<\/p>\n
And I pray as those who've received this<\/p>\n
incredible love,<\/p>\n
may we<\/p>\n
by grace through faith<\/p>\n
live that out so that those around us<\/p>\n
would experience your goodness. I pray<\/p>\n
that as we share testimonies of your<\/p>\n
divine providence guiding us, that<\/p>\n
people would see the light of the good<\/p>\n
news of Jesus Christ in and through us.<\/p>\n
I pray for my brothers and sisters here<\/p>\n
at Grace City. Thank you for the new<\/p>\n
members that were received today. And<\/p>\n
may this church continue to be a beacon<\/p>\n
in this city for the good news of Jesus<\/p>\n
Christ, the imperceptible and<\/p>\n
inconvenient covenant God who is at work<\/p>\n
and who is going to win the battle. May<\/p>\n
you receive glory now and forever more.<\/p>\n
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20250730","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XC6-MDcoj3c","video_id":"XC6-MDcoj3c","video_duration":"32:34","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154\/revisions\/155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}