![]() I want to take you to a passage that really does address the question, “Why do I need the Bible in my life?” It’s Isaiah 55 I’m going to read verses 10 through 13: The first time through, we’re going to do summaries of the various books in Scripture, and then we’ll go back and begin to look at the first chapter of every book of the Bible.īut before we begin that, I want to do some preparatory things that ask the question, “Why do I need to study the Bible? What is the Bible actually about? What will the Bible do for me?” And then when we cover those things, we’ll then launch into the study of the various books of Scripture. We call it “The Gospel: One Chapter At A Time,” where we’re going to trace the redemptive story through every book of the Bible. I think of myself as a Bible teacher, that everything I write about emerges from the study of God's Word.Īnd so I am excited to launch this journey with you. But the thing that really excites me, that gets me up in the morning, that motivates me to do what I do is the Word of God. You probably know me as the person who writes on marriage and parenting and other Christian life issues. I'm thankful this book is in the Bible it confronts the deepest of our questions and gives us hope. The power of the message of Esther is that God is not absent even in the moments where He seems He's absent. These are these moments where you have to do what Hebrews 11 says, “You must believe that God exists and He rewards those who seek Him.” I'm not going to give way to belief in the functional death of my Redeemer even in moments where I do not see His hand. You shouldn’t conclude, because you can't see the hand of God, that God isn’t at work anymore then you should conclude that the sun isn't shining because you’re in your basement and you can't see it. This God who seems absent is actually working to protect and preserve His story. God raises up unlikely instruments He raises up this woman whom He uses to continue to protect and propel His plan for His people and His plan for the ages, His plan of redemption. He will never stop working until His work is complete.Īnd as I have said before, this is a theme throughout all the Old Testament. It’s that in those moments where God seems most absent, God is actually actively working. ![]() And you would think maybe that Esther then is a different biography it's a biography of a woman who gains power and changes the story. You see in Esther arrogant kings, no heart for God, who have power. It seems like God has walked away, when it looks like bad people are prospering. Judge the nature of your living faith in those moments where none of that exists, where you're alone, and it seems like the heavens are brass, it seems like the promises of God don't include you. Listen, don't judge the quality of your faith by your excitement on Sunday morning when you're surrounded by people with hands raised, and you’re remembering the truths of the gospel. And maybe the drama of Esther is how will the people of God live when God doesn't seem near? How do you live in those moments when God doesn't seem near? It's about those moments in the history of God's story and in the history of our story where God does not seem anywhere to be found, where God seems absent. I think the absence of God in Esther is why Esther is in the Bible. We’ve seen God's presence in all these books we’ve seen the way that He works we've seen His love for His people we've seen Him we've seen Him we've seen Him. Yeah, you heard me right-God's not in the book of Esther, and you would wonder then how does this fit in this redemptive story? I thought this story was the biography of God, God’s story, the redemptive story, ultimately the story of Jesus. If you read the book of Esther, you may wonder why in the world is this in the Bible? It is the one book of the Bible that does not mention God at all. (this transcript has been lightly edited for readability)
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