You Reap What You Sow - I

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God check out virtue our website for Christian women go to harvest.org/virtue reach out regarding the reimbursable chakra for the Lord notice today. Pastor Greg Moore recombination times in our lives we so for someone else and we weren't wrecking the Bible says your father who sees you as you will you will be rewarded for every kind. This morning you've given for the Lord over your log. God is not forget Pastor Greg Laurie brings a message after will begin in just a moment.

Pastor Greg, it's hard to get our minds off of what's going on around us know the Lord doesn't want us to be anxious though busy yeah that's right they below. The Bible says don't worry about anything or be anxious about anything but pray about everything in the peace of God that passes all human understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. So let's try to get perspective, you know, one thing that I've shared with folks as were facing this pandemic called coronavirus together as number one.

We need to be practical. Follow the guidelines of the CVC number two. We need to be prayerful. Let's be calling on the Lord to arrest him churn this virus away. And thirdly, we need to be proclaiming that is telling others about Jesus and fourthly we need to have perspective just be reminded of the simple fact God is still on the throne. The Lord is in control and really get through this together trying encouragement today and a reminder that there's so much more good encouragement online, including an intimate weekend worship experience with pastor Greg called Harvest at Home, found harvest.org check it out well as Pastor Greg brings his main message today will see how so often people report they show our case in point today comes from the story of Esther. Let's listen.

My wife came home from the market. A while back, and justly, to unload the car started about you but I'm one of those guys that wants to get as many bags of my arms as humanly possible. I don't make multiple trips so I got all these bags you know in my arms and I'm carrying the men many bags and many groceries in these bags Brad and and canned goods and some vegetables.

Then some eggs and I dropped one bag. What's bad that I drop. Of course, why, why have all those bags that I dropped the bag a big because there is a law of the universe is called Murphy's Law heard of it. Murphy's Law is if anything can go wrong it will usually of the most inopportune moment.

What we started junkets on the real law, but there are real laws that govern our universe. There is a law of gravity which basically was discovered by Newton that says things tend to go down word or a simple way to put it. What goes up must come down is a law of thermodynamics that tells us all things are breaking down another way to put it. You will of aged a lot more before the end of this service and finally there's a law of sowing and reaping that one is in the Bible.

Galatians 678 and just as surely as there is a law of gravity and a law of thermodynamics.

You better bet there's a law of sowing and reaping peers of the Bible says be not deceived, God is not mocked whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. If you sows of the flesh shall reap corruption, but of the cells of the Spirit reap life everlasting that we tend to think of the law of sowing and reaping in a negative sense all that if you do that, watch out your report. Just so that's true. But the law of sowing and reaping this both positive and negative. Again, if you sort of the flesh shall reap corruption or deadness.

That's negative. What if you sold of the spirit, you'll reap life ever lasting that we see that played out in the story before us. Haman, the villain in our story. Reap what you sow and he reap corruption, but then Esther and her cousin Marta KI reap life ever lasting. Let's see how played out. Let's pick up when we last left off and by the way, if you ever been a part of this Esther series here. Sort of a flyover of what we've seen so far. King Xerxes is ruling Persia, he decides to throw a giant fees so he invites all of his lords and leaders in government officials in the town and by the way this fees. This party lasted for six months. The king provided all the food all the wine everything and I think he was sort of buttering them up for an invasion he was going to mount against Greece on the heels of this fees which did not go all that well and so the king is started showing all this cool stuff guys tend to do that though they they want to show you all the cool stuff and does so he's bringing out all the things he owns in his beautiful palace and all the goblets and things that the wine is served and now is going to bring out his crown jewel, the beautiful Queen' so he gives the order bring cream varsity head and tell her to come in wearing her crown. I want her to parade right through here and I want all those guys and see what an awesome wife. I have all varsity wanted no part of it. Now we don't know exactly why some commentators think that when the text says bring her in wearing her crown the King Xerxes meant only her crown and obviously she would like that idea.

But even if that wasn't it. The idea was he was sort of objectifying his wife cheating or more like a possession, then the wife. She was so she flat out refuses and it's a scandal in the kingdom of the king states that you cannot let varsity act that way because if she gets away with this.

None of our whatsoever do what we tell them to do again. You got to get rid of her.

So varsity is out. And though they effectively have a beauty contest the Ms. Persia beauty contest if you will. In the winter will become the next Queen of the kingdom. So all of these girls apply on one girl kind of makes her way to the top. She was a young girl and orphan.

Her parents died. She had been raised by her cousin Mordecai. He was about 15 years older than her. Her name was Hadassah.

We know her better, as Esther and she had extraordinary beauty. The king laid his eyes on her, and he chose her, and she became the queen of the kingdom. If this was a fairytale. It would've ended right there with the words and they lived happily ever after with this is not a fairytale. This is a Bible story and it's a piece of history as well enter the villain of the story. Payment who hatches a plot to exterminate more decay I and the Jews. Now this was a blood feud that went back a long ways because the Bible tells us that Haman was in a gag.

I doesn't mean a lot to us. Try even saying that word sit with me any gag I don't ever name your child a gag right or a cat that meant he was a descendent of King Gad, who was in about enemy of Israel and the Lord directed King Saul to destroy king a gag and Saul disobeyed and so now here's one of his blood descendents who hates the Jewish people, and here's more decay. I also a blood descendent of a Jewish man so Haman was elevated to be the second most powerful man in the kingdom is the Prime Minister becomes walking by the orders given. Everyone bows when Haman comes by more decay. I will bow and I just ticked Haman off and he wanted to kill more decay I and then he decided he was going to kill the people of more decay. I so he goes to the king against the king to agree to sign a decree that all the Jewish people across the entire kingdom of Persia will be put to death and they posted these signs in one year. You will all die very similar to what happened later in Germany. Remember when the Nazi party came in the power the way they treated the Jewish people. They would go to their shops and stores and they would have to put a star of David there identifying themselves as Jews and then they began to destroy the stores in the property of the Jews in and then the Jews are wearing these little yellow armbands to identify themselves and soon the Nazis were shipping the Jewish people about the concentration camps like Treblinka and Auschwitz and others so it's a similar thing I want to have you all wiped off the face of the earth well working I found out about this and there's only one person can help it. Esther, who said you and she's there in the palace. Maybe she can influence the king, so he stands outside the palace. Preston sackcloth and ashes morning this horrible thing. Esther didn't even know about it. Nestor heard about her cousin out there not dress very well.

She said here send him some new clothes.

Talk about missing the point. Girl I'm trying to communicate something to you. Your people are in trouble and you're living in the lap of luxury up there in the palace. You don't even know what's going on and then more decay. I says to Esther and Esther for this is a signature passage from the book.

Don't think for a moment you will escape there in the palace because of the other Jews are killed and you keep quiet deliverance will arise from the Jews from some other place you and your relatives will die, but who knows that God is the place you where you are for such a time as this now. Interestingly, Esther had not revealed of the King. She was a Jew. Up to this point because Mordecai told her not to. Now is saying is time to play your hand. It's time to declare yourself a Jew. It's time to appeal for your people and so Esther says the more decay. Okay I'm in a go to the King by the way, if you go to the king when you're not. Some of you might be put to death, but I will go to the king. I will put it all on the line and she says there and Esther chapter 4, I want you to be fasting for me and I want you to be praying for me and I will die if I have to die if I must die, I will die. So she says be in prayer for me affecting Jesus.

Fasting is really another way of saying be praying for me. So now Esther is showing her true colors me without question.

She was extraordinarily beautiful, drop dead gorgeous beautiful but she had inner qualities to match that character was about to be revealed. It's been said character is not made in crisis. It's only exhibited Pastor Greg Loring will have the second half of his message just a moment pastor Greg, one of the things radio does best is give people immediate information. Well were drowning in information right now. Yes, but we want to use radio to deliver a dose of hope in the midst of this concerning information going yet. We really do. Dave you know I think of Kovic, 19 like a storm and a storm is a beginning in the middle ended and working to come to the end of this prayerfully very soon, but until that day. I want you to remember something Jesus is with you in your storm. He's on board your little boat that's been tossed back and forth to the waves of information that can cause a person to panic very easily. If you remember that when the disciples were see the sea of Galilee actually there was a great storm. They called on the Lord who came up on deck, and he rebuked the storm and then he said to them, oh you of little faith, and so we need to have faith listen.

They need to take the place of fear and prayer needs to take the place of panic. So let's be looking to the Lord right now.

And remember this better to be in a storm with Jesus than anywhere else without great reassurance pastor Greg continue his message now now the true character of Esther is going to shine.

But she's waiting for the right time in the right place with the right words to appeal to the king. So our story begins in Esther chapter 5, verse one.

Let's read together. Three days later, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace just across from the King Saul, the king was sitting on his royal throne facing the entrance and when he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court. He welcomed her, holding out the gold scepter to her.

So Esther approached and touched its tip. Then the king asked her what you want. Queen Esther, what is your request. I'll give it to you to have of the kingdom said well if it pleases your majesty let the king and Haman come to the door banquet I prepared for the king so the king turned to his attendance at said tell him to come quickly to a banquet as Esther has requested so king.

The king and Haman went to Esther's banquet there drinking wine that the king said Esther tell me what you really want. What is your request. I'll give it to you. Even up to half of my kingdom. Esther replied, this is my request and deepest wish. If your Majesty is pleased with me and wants to grant my request come back with Haman tomorrow. It is amazing think that she would have just close a deal right there.

You know, outed Haman and his plot revealed that she was a Jewish girl and this was attack against her and her people, but she's waiting she's waiting for the right tribunal. Timing is everything, because a lot of times were impatient.

Are you an impatient person I can be the other day we were. We had a grandkids and there were going to school and they had eaten something but my granddaughter Allie was still hungry and my wife Kathy said can you make Allie semantics. I said sure I can do pride myself on my scrambled eggs and does so Kathy sets the heat really low. She says that's the key to cooking scramble leg so their fluffy well the heat was low and I poured the eggs in the little pandan and nothing's happening and I she's good kids got a go to school so I crank up the heat and you know another finally forming and I put them on a plane. I realize are a little on the rubbery side and Allie took one bite she said I'm not hungry anymore so that was her nice way of saying copper your eggs are horrible but see I didn't do it right. I was too impatient. We can do that.

Like why don't wait for this person. The belief that pressure them to believe. I don't wait for this to happen, to make it happen. I wanted take things in them.

I only had but we need to understand there's a time for every event under heaven.

The Bible says the time to be silent in a time to speak, and you know we all may have a king in our life. And by that I mean there's some person, like the king that may be intimidates us there might be in authority over us. Might be a boss might be a professor might be that person that seems to have it so together so above you. So top you think they would never listen to the gospel. Listen to this. No one is beyond the reach of God. Think of someone right now you think they would never listen to me they would never be a part of the gospel. How do you know that when her to start praying for them. Think of young Stephen as he stood before the Jewish Sanhedrin which was sort of like the Supreme Court of the day. He had been charged with preaching the gospel and he stood before these gentlemen, and he began to share his faith and their anger began to grow and they were so mad at him and they finally gave the decree that he should be put to death and he prayed for that as he was dying, he said, Lord, don't lay the sin against their charts.

He was the first martyr of the early church, but among those men of that Jewish Sanhedrin was a notorious Saul of Tarsus and right on the heels of this event Saul of Tarsus begin to hunt down arrest and prosecute Christians men women and children will you know the rest of the story Saul of Tarsus ended up meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road. He was converted and he became the apostle Paul, but I suggest to you that seed was initially sewn in Saul's heart by young Stephen who did not back down from his faith because he thought God could reach that guy. Maybe even prayed for Saul. So now the moment is come as stricken approached the king it says verse three.

The king says what you want. Queen Esther what your request, I'll give it to you, up to half of my kingdom. That's a good day when the king offers up. By the way, so she's been waiting on the Lord Jesus well of it, please your Majesty, Esther abide three. Let the king and Haman come to a banquet today that I prepared for the king now Haman is so excited.

He's thinking everything's going my way. All of my scheming mom plotting my undermining is finally coming to fruition. The queen is invited me to a banquet with the king were five what a happy man. Haman was as he left the banquet think everything's going my way, to wipe out the Jews powerful all its awesome so no going back a little bit in the book there was a threat against the king. Two of his bodyguards wanted to kill him. This became known tomorrow. Callie was made to the king, he told the king the plot was foiled. The bodyguards were executed, but morning care was never rewarded for this wonderful act of sacrifice, a one night. The king can't get to sleep. We've all had nights like that and so you try counting cheaper drinking warm milk and sometimes reading will help put you to sleep so the king had something red to menu the king your people read to you and he says pull out that book, the history of the Persian Empire to start reading so the reading so many come across a story of the averted plot against his life because what weight go back over that again.

What happened to me that who was the guy who helped me there that was morally chaotic was he ever rewarded for that. No king. He wasn't really what we need to write that wrong… Reminds us that there are times in our lives. We did something for someone else.

When word recognized. The Bible says your father who sees you in secret will reward you openly listen you will be rewarded for every act of kindness in every word of testimony you've given for the Lord over your life.

Hebrews 610 says God is not unjust. You will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help him. So listen, God does not forget, and so now work you guys going to be rewarded for the story just I love it. That's classic. So the next morning king wakes up our lesson. We got to do something about this guy that saved my life goes on in the court right now Haman is okay, bring them in here. So payment is brought into the presence of the king takes his own Haman. I have a question for you.

What should I do have I really want to honor someone ever really want to show them how much I appreciate what they've done. What is the best thing that I could do. Haman was so narcissistic and wicked. He thought the king was talking about him and is as well. If I were in your shoes. What I would do is I would put him on your royalty.

I would put royal robes on him and I would have him lead through the kingdom.

This is what happens to the man that the king wants to honor the king says excellent idea to that for Mordecai Chi Chi Chi Mordecai oh you can. This is like he's dying inside so he Mordecai get on the horse on the robes mosquito is walking to the kingdom. This is what would be done for the man that the king wants to honor Mordecai's did not there. All right, very name of this burning up inside talk about poetic justice.

As you know, we're only partway through the story Mordecai is reaping the fruits of his good character. When the story continues here on a new beginning pastor Greg Laurie points out Haman is about to reap what he has shown. Now the full presentation is available to download or on CD for the download just go to our website@harvest.org and look for the title you reap what you sow. Or you can call us here at a new beginning for the CD had 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 pastor Greg is almost impossible to escape all the news about the coronavirus you know it's it's all were hearing about and it is important, obviously yes.

But God's word has help for us that transcends pandemics and epidemics and is the perfect time to make available your new addition of the Bible it really is Dave and I think a lot of people are intimidated by the Bible.

They want to read the Bible. They don't know where to start and so this is a Bible that's really design for a person like that. It's almost as though were sitting down at a table over a cup of coffee with social distancing. Of course, and I and I'm taking you through a Bible study. I'm explaining things to you I breaking it down for you just like I do on this radio broadcast. As you are a listener and you know so the new believers Bible has hundreds and hundreds of brand-new notes that I have written.

I've been working on this for a number of years and it's finally out of were very excited about it as a lot of us are spending more time indoors instead of endlessly watching television or being bombarded with information that can discourage you. Why don't you take some time to open the word of God. Let me send you a copy of the new believers Bible and it will enrich you it will strengthen you and it will give you hope and a time were for some there's hopelessness, but we have hope in Christ. One person took the word of hope and made it an acronym HOPE holding on with patient expectation.

Any know what the Bible is described as an anchor of hope. So get the anchor to hold you in place. Get your copy of the new believers Bible and I will send it to you for your gift of any size know some of you can't give a lot.

I still want you to have a copy some of you can give more. Of course, thank you for that support is generously so we can continue to be a beacon of light to people who need it right now, maybe more than ever, and in addition to the help that were providing through this new Bible we also offer some online help. Every week, every weekend through harvest.org or tell us about that. That's right, we have launched a new service every Sunday. It's called Harvest at Home and I will be sharing the message with you will have a little time of worship. It's geared to the viewing audience because we can't meet publicly right now so you can bring church into your home, you know, years ago, my uncle Fred Jordan had a television program called church in the home. I remember watching it as a little boy on the black and white television in my grandparents house or doing the same thing but in modern times, bringing church to your home so if you would like some encouragement in biblical perspective. Your to be a part of it. So basically you just go to harvest.org and Ron live every Sunday we start very early in the morning and we have multiple broadcasts throughout the day and even into the evening. I would encourage you to not only watch but baby I get the app for your Apple TV. If you have that or the Roku box and then you can watch it on your television set and invite people from your neighborhood over you can all watch it together and have a church service in your own house so go to harvest.org this Sunday and be a part of Harvest at Home. Yeah, that's right.

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Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org. Easter is the most hopeful time of year. Pastor Greg Laurie points on the pathway to eternal life. Jesus Christ came out of it empty to fill our you know who needs hope this Easter season bring them to hear the good news Pastor Greg special music at no Easter is the perfect someone picture does not get to know the Lord. 82% of the uninsured are likely to attend church have a friend or coworker, neighbor or family member invites and here's the big difference this year to do it all online. That's right, Easter is coming to you dear how is your tablet to your phone wherever you want to view it. Just go to harvest.org to find out more, let's work together to reach the largest group of people we have ever been able to make contact with this company. Easter is harvest Easter on line next time. As we continue our study of the story of Esther Haman and Mordecai will see how Haman finally reaps what he sows more from this fascinating account. Next time you beginning possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor great free daily email, devotions@harvest.org