Gods Perfect Timing

My likelihood of me hearing it ring is pretty slim. So you may, if you don't get me on the church phone, please call on the home phone and spread that word around because it's not before they were both ringing in the same house and that won't be true next week when we make the change. Got a beautiful new office. I hope you'll all come out and see it. Tiles been put down all over the floors and Sovereign Grace Baptist Church office and so it's going to be really exciting to be in there.

The place for Brenda and place for me and it's really nice. So come and see it. It's. It's something to behold. Wanted to make that announcement then.

Secondly, I wanted to just simply say this is the first of a two part message on Thanksgiving. Tonight will be the other half. Tonight's message. The tables are turned on Haman, who has been exalted. He will be abased.

And. And this morning it's God's perfect timing. God's perfect timing. It just amazes us to see how God intervenes that way. So, two thank yous for Thanksgiving season.

The first is thank youk, God, for providentially protecting us yous people. And thank youk, God for keeping youg people safe so the promised seed Jesus could be born. And I don't know what you're thankful for this morning, but I trust that I'm able to deposit something in your heart that you'll be thankful for. I'm impressed so much in this book with God's divine or sovereign or providential intervention into the affairs of his people. It gives me so much hope and satisfaction and gives me great hindsight.

I can see in my own life, as I've never seen it before, how God has been so much involved in my life, bringing to pass that which he designed as best for me. And I would like to encourage you to see that and join with me in the future to keep seeing that. What a difference life is when God's at the center. Well, in chapter one of Esther, please turn to Esther, Chapter six. In chapter one of Esther, we've seen Vasti, the Queen, dethroned for insubordination.

The Queen Admiral, made an improper request of her and she would not be embarrassed with that and she lost her queenship. In chapter two, Esther is exalted to queen and Mordecai is exalted to be one of the judges. Esther's uncle is Mordecai. In chapter three, Haman, a new man comes on the scene and he's exalted to be vice king or vice regent of all of the Persian empire under King Assurus. And in doing so, the king says that everybody is to bow down to him, to show respect to him when he comes in their presence.

But Mordecai, being a Jew, knew he could only bow down to God, and therefore he refused to do it. And hatred burned within Mordecai, and he sought revenge. And so Mordecai, in chapter four, sponsors a decree that all the Jews, on a certain day, nine months away, I believe it's 11 months away, is to be killed. And that decree is sent out all over the Persian Empire. So this involves hundreds of thousands of Jews that were scattered throughout the Persian Empire.

And so Mordecai puts on sackcloth and covers himself with ashes, as do many of the Jews, perhaps all of them. And Esther soon learns of her uncle Mordecai looking despicable in that way. He's even at the city gate acting like that, crying out, woe is me. You know, terrible wailing going on over this terrible crisis upon the people of Israel. So Esther sends messengers to and clean clothes to Mordecai.

But Mordecai refuses to clean clothes and sends back the messengers, telling her about the decree that was sent out from Haman and King Astor.

So Esther, found, after much debate, agrees to go in before the king, knowing that by going in without being invited, her life was absolutely in danger, and unless the king would hold forth his scepter, she would be slain. That was something you just didn't do. But she went in. She had not been with the king for 30 days, and so she felt she had fallen out of favor. Nevertheless, she said she would go in.

So Esther goes before the king in chapter five, and the king does hold out the scepter, and her life is spared. And she says, after his request, what would it be? I'll give you up to half of the kingdom, she says, I would like for you to come to a banquet and bring Haman. And so her Haman and King Ahasuerus come to a banquet. And at that banquet, she announced she wanted another banquet the next day.

So the excitement was beginning to build up, of course, and Esther was gaining more courage throughout the delay of time. And Haman was becoming very proud because he was included in something that was just the king and the queen and Haman. But in spite of all that, when he went out through the city gate on his way to his home, he had to pass by Mordecai in the city gate and There was Mordecai refusing to bow down to him. So by the time he was home, he was angry, he was ugly, and so he unloaded all the great things that he had, his many children, his riches, and all this to his family. But he says, but all this means nothing, because Mordecai will not show me the respect that's due me.

So his family and friends are invited, and they hear all this, and then they advise him, why don't you build a gallow 75ft high tall and hang Mordecai on that gallow that pleased him no end. And so immediately he set carpenters to work, pounding away as they built the gallow. And this is where we're at in chapter six. And so this morning we pause to be thankful for the way God, in his perfect timing, turned things upside down and protected his people, therefore protecting the line for his son Jesus to be born to be the Savior of the world. Father, bless us now as we look into the chapter six of this great book, and as we see your marvelous hand in all these things, we ask it in Jesus name, Amen.

Well, we already see that Queen Esther was raised up for this very hour. We already see that God knew all about Haman's plan to destroy Israel. God knew all about that. And so before it ever came about, he raised up Esther to be there for that very time and that very moment. So the dethroning of Vasti is clearly understood as the hand of God, and the exalting of Esther is clearly understood as the hand of God.

And Mordecai, who was nothing but a peasant, so to speak, becomes a judge again. We'll see how altogether important that is, because in the course of time, as a judge, he had learned about a plot to kill the king, and he turned it in, and he had spared the king's life. Now all of that fits into this wonderful thought here. On the providence of God and his great work in the affairs of man. If you leave this place not seeing God in your life every day, then I suggest you get an appointment with the optometrist.

Yes, that is done by getting on your knees and saying, God, show me your marvelous hand in the affairs of my life. Chapter six. That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the Chronicles. They were read before the king.

The king could not sleep. Haman is having the gallows built and he's home. I don't know. It was the banging of the hammers that he couldn't sleep. I don't know why he couldn't sleep.

Perhaps he had troubles in his kingdom. Perhaps he was sleepless over the seeming urgent request of Esther that he just was getting so anxious. I wonder what it is she wants. That she continued to put it off and off until. I can't wait tomorrow to hear it.

I wonder if it's this. I wonder if it's that. I wonder if it's something else. Or was it coincidence that he couldn't sleep? You have nights that you can't sleep.

Or better yet, folks, it was God who caused her, caused him to not sleep. Now, the reason I say that is not some pulling out of the air. Because when you start putting all together, that's going to happen in the next few verses. There's hardly any other answer.

I remember a time in my life, and I'm not embarrassed to tell this. It's important to tell where I oftentimes was having trouble going to sleep. But once I got to sleep, man, look out. I'm done for the night.

But there was this time in my life, a little over two years ago when I couldn't. I went to sleep, but I woke up wide awake like I hadn't slept at all. That was not me.

And I lay there and I could not go back to sleep. And I began to see sheep scattered all over the hillside. And I began to imagine a voice saying, whose sheep are these?

And I began to cry like Isaiah of old. I said, they're mine. They're mine, Lord. And it's as though I could say back. I could hear back the voice and be their shepherd.

So I get up the next day wondering what all this is. And I write this article that I published on Strike the sheep and strike the shepherd and you scatter the sheep. And the next day I go to bed and the same thing went to sleep. But in the middle of the morning, like 3 or 4 o', clock, I wake up wide awake. And again I see these sheep scattered all over the mountains.

And I hear this voice in my mind, whose sheep are these? Did you ever have a sleepless night? I'll never believe until God tells me himself that that wasn't given to me by God. Because out of that came Sovereign Grace Baptist Church. That's right.

I would have never, ever started Sovereign Grace Baptist Church had those experiences not happened. I believe with all my heart that God brought that on to give me directions that I needed very bad at that time in my life. But I also believe that this was even more meaningful where he can't sleep Assurus, the king couldn't sleep. And he calls in for the chronicles to be read of the events that go on in the kingdom, and notice what happens. Verse 2.

And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthepah and Trish, two of the king's units and doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Assurus. So what's he found? It's recorded how Mordecai had warned about the coming assassination of the king. It was all written down there. And he says, well, listen.

He interrupts immediately. And he says, what honor or dignity has been bestowed upon Mordecai for this? And the king's servant who was attending him said, nothing has been done for him. God caused the king not only to have a sleepless night, but to call for the reading of the records of his of his reign. And not only did he call for the reading of the records of his reign, but they read the particular place for Mordecai had saved his life.

Was that by accident, by circumstances? Was it just here happened to be that way? Did he request it because he had business on his mind? If I can't sleep, I might as well work. Did he request these because he knew that reading of it would be boring and it would put him to sleep?

Or did he request it not knowing that a sovereign God had a sovereign purpose to bring about his decreed intent? I believe the latter. Of course I believe it, because how can you deny it when you see what's happening? And we'll read on, What honor and dignity have we bestowed upon Mordecai for this? And the king's servants who attended said to him, nothing's been done for him.

Stop reading.

What honor has been done for this man? You see, Herodias writes that it was a point of honor among Persian kings to reward all benefactors, but by somehow God's providence, we know not why, except that it was overlooked. And Mordecai was never honored. But we know that the reason he wasn't honored was because it was not the time to honor Mordecai.

God does all things in his own timing, and you'll see that so perfectly here. What's going on that evening and throughout the night a gallow is being built to hang Mordecai on by wicked Haman. What's going on throughout the night in the palace, God keeps his king awake, causes the chronicles to be read about the very circumstance when Haman, I mean Mordecai, had saved his life. And now he wants to honor Him.

Perfect timing may be just a breath away from whatever's going on in your life too. Never worry, God has not left. I couldn't help but bring out something and he can tell you about it if he wants to. But Johnny Sloan called me this week and he unveiled about a phone call that had came to him and he was practically in tears telling me about the timing of that phone call. He said, so it was right after we talked the day before, then this phone call came.

You ever have those situations? Do you brush them off or do you say, thank you God for your perfect timing? I'll let Johnny tell you the details if he wants to.

No other night was Mordecai's life in such danger. The gallows were being built while Haman slept in fault security.

God had his clock running his way.

Richard Sbib Sibbes S I don't know how you say it. S I B B E S says this. Nothing so high that is above God's providence. Nothing so low that is beneath it. Nothing so large that it is bounded by it.

Nothing so confused, but God can order it. Nothing so bad, but he can draw good out of it. Nothing so wisely plotted, but God can disappoint it.

God's perfect timing and God's perfect timing is connected with God's perfect record.

Notice that they read the chronicles. All part of God's purposes. Did you know that God has a record that God keeps records of you and me?

Malachi 3:16 says, Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

Just as all the good kings of Persia remembered those who had done good and noble things to protect the king, and so on, so our good King in heaven remembers. He never forgets, and he always is benevolent in his rewards. Matthew 25 is a good example of that. It said, then the king will say to those on his right hand, come, bless my Father, and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me.

I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked, you closed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger, and take you in, or naked and clothe you or when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you. And the king answered and says to them, assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it for one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me. Come and inherit the kingdom, King God will never forget. And he writes it all down in a book of remembrance, and he'll never forget.

And he's benevolent in his rewards. Hebrews 6:10 says, For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you shown toward his name, in that you minister to the saints and do minister King Astrus forgot King Jesus. Doesn't king asterisk under the leading of the Almighty God was brought to remembrance of the good deed of Mordecai. Providential timing, folks, not accidental faith. If you can't see the hand of God and the providential timing and all that, then you must have a problem.

Because as we go through the book of Esther, chapter after chapter, there is no mistaking, though God's name is absent, his works are everywhere.

In verse 4 and on we see the providential abasement of Haman. Not on unfortunate circumstances, but it's a providential abasement. Haman had become exalted to the heights, and God must bring him down. And Israel had been brought down to the depths, and God will bring them up.

Verse 4. So the king said, who is in the court now? What did get you back in the setting? Remember, the Chronicles have just been read. What kind of rewards was given to Mordecai?

Nothing. Who's in the court? He hears a noise outside his room.

Now, Haman had just entered the outer court of the king's palace. He entered to suggest that the king hang Mordecai in the gallows that he had prepared for him. And the king's servant said to him, haman is there standing in the court. And the king says, let him in. Providential timing.

God brings Haman to the king court early in the morning. Haman woke up early because he's in an anxious spirit and he wants to get there in a hurry before any other business hits the king's ears. Because he wants to ask that this wretched Mordecai be hung in the gallows 75ft high, where everybody could see it. He could be completely embarrassed before them all.

He was outside the door waiting for an audience with the king. The king spoke first when Haman entered.

And he asked him a simple question. How would you honor someone that the king wants to honor? Give me some suggestion Haman.

So Haman, verse six came in, and the king asked him, what shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor? Now Haman thought in his heart, whom would the king delight to honor more than me? Uh huh. And Haman answered the king, for the man whom the king delights to honor, let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal chest placed on its head. And then let this robe and horse be delivered by the hand of one of the king's most noble princes that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor.

Then parade him on horseback through the city square and proclaim before him, thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.

You see, the king would have answered the question, asked the question to anybody that happened to be outside that door. But you see, it wasn't anybody. It was Haman. That's what you have to see here. God had brought Haman just at the time that the king had the chronicles read about Mordecai, whom he chose to honor because of what had happened to him.

But pride is all that Mordecai can hear out of their request, his own personal stinking pride. Who in the world does the king honor more than me? Why, he's exalted me already to vice regent of all of Persia. He must be very grateful for the way I'm running things.

So Haman chose to answer the king based upon his own selfish pride, and he laid it on thick.

Nothing would satisfy Haman more than king for a day.

Put on royal robes that the king himself has worn.

Bring out a horse that the king himself has ridden, and let him ride on it. Make sure it has a royal quest on the front of the horse, his head, the quest of the king himself.

Have a noble prince, one dressed with authority, Put the robe on him and put him on the horse, and lead him through the streets crying. This is what is done for a man the king delights to honor. And shouted up and down the streets of Susan.

His pride had blinded him, hadn't it, that it entrapped him?

And pride cometh before the fall.

So God brings haman low, verses 10 through 14. Then the king said to Haman, hurry. Take the robe and the horse as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai, the Jew who sets within the king's gate. Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.

So Haman took the robe and the horse arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square and proclaimed before him, this shall it be done. Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.

Afterwards, Mordecai went back to the king's gate, but Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered.

Then Taman told his wife Zerath and all his friends everything that had happened to him, and his wise men and his wife and cheriths said to him, if Mordecai, before you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him, but will surely fall before him.

And while they were still talking with him, the king's eunuchs came and hastened to bring Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Let's go back to verse 10 and imagine Haman's demeanor. Do all this to Haman, I mean, to Mordecai of the Jew. Have you got a good imagination? Well, enjoy mine for a minute. I think all the blood rushed out of his face.

I think he was as pale as a ghost. I think his body began to shake terribly, uncontrollably.

I think he was mixed. Confusion mixed with rejection just flowed through him. It was like a dark cloud that hoovered over him.

But I want you to also imagine Mordecai's surprise when Haman showed up with the robe and the horse and says, the king wants to honor you. Put on the robe and get up on the horse.

You see, Mordecai is wearing sackcloth and is covered with ashes.

And he puts on the royal robe and sets on the royal horse.

From sackcloth the robes of royalty, from a doomed race to one the king chooses to honor.

One wonders if Mordecai hadn't already heard about the gallows as being built and who it was for. And when he saw him coming, he wondered if they weren't going to capture him right then and do it, but instead it was to honor him. Can you imagine, Mordecai? Would you wear his shoes? Just a moment.

How would you feel? Huh? Is this true? You said what?

Oh, my. How he must have rejoiced in how God can turn the tables.

Imagine for a moment how this sets up Esther's banquet for the king and Haman.

Here she's going to reveal Haman's wicked plot to eradicate the Jews and say, and I am a Jew.

And the king had just made Mordecai a Jew, the hero.

The king loved Esther, and the king didn't hate the Jews. It was Haman that Hated the Jews because Mordecai wouldn't bow before him. Notice it ends with quickly ushering Mordecai. I mean ushering Haman into the presence of Esther and the king.

Imagine the Jewish nation at this time, those people in Shushan that witnessed what happened.

Imagine the hope they must have felt, knowing and that pending upon them was a decree that all the Jews were to be eradicated. And yet here their leader Mordecai is being led through the streets and honored on the king's horse with the king's robe.

Can you think of the hope that must have flowed through them at that time? Don't you think since they were the people of God, they saw God's marvelous intervention in this? What can this mean?

How unusual are the ways of God.

It gave them hope, especially to those that had lost their hope. There's people that can seem to have hope no matter what's happening. And there's those that lose hope over little things. Our God is good. He cares about the hopeless as well as the hopeful.

Fifthly, I'd like you imagine each step of begrudging Haman.

He's grabbed the horse, he's brought it to Mordecai. He helps him up, puts a robe on him, helps him up. He comes down the street shouting, this is someone the king wants to honor. He planned to embarrass Mordecai, but it's he that's being embarrassed.

He wanted Mordecai dishonored, but it's Mordecai that's being honored.

He wanted to turn the king against Mordecai, but the king is honoring him.

But what is he going to do? The king commanded it. He has no choice. He drops his head and goes out the door and on his way to the stables, and all the way through pulling that horse, thinking, oh, woe is me.

Imagine what it was like when it was all over. The horse goes back to the stables. Mordecai humbly went back to be the city judge. Haman, completely broken, hurried with his head covered, back to his own home.

Imagine a home without peace. He comes into the door with his head down. His wife says, what happened to you?

You will never believe what happened to me. And he tells the story to his wife and the and the friends.

And as the friends and the wife was so able to do before they do again, they give him advice. They told him, build the gallows now. They tell him, you're in deep trouble, fella.

I think the one you wanted to crush is going to crush you.

All of his happiness is now grief.

All of his plans have come tumbling down while God is triumphing over evil and God's people are being protected.

Frederick the Great asked his personal physician one time, can you name me one single proof of the existence of God? And the physician reply was, your majesty, the Jews.

The Jews. And as we read the book of Esther, we say, the Jews. You see, the Jews were handpicked by God as the people of God. And through the Jews came the Bible. But more importantly, through the Jews came Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Continually and repeatedly in history, God has preserved his people for the sake of His Son and the promises that he's made. Psalms 83, verses 1 through 4 and 17, 18 say this. Do not keep silent, O God. Do not hold your peace. And do not be still, O God.

For behold, your enemies make a tumult.

And those who hate you have lifted up their heads. They have taken crafty counsel against your people and consulted together against your sheltered ones. They have said, come, let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more. And that just one psalm of the many instances where Satan has inspired the Hamans of this world, or the Herods of this world and so many more to eradicate the Jewish people.

Frederick the Great.

The Jews is a proof of the existence of God. 1. One of many things. But that's one verse 17 says, Then let. Then let them be confounded and dismayed forever.

Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, that they may know that you whose name alone is the Lord, are the most high over all the earth. Again, God reaches down and protects his people. He puts the enemy down and he lifts his people up. Is that your gun? Does he do that for you?

God's timing is always perfect.

We should cease to fret over the seeming delays of God's intervention.

You see, God is always at work behind the scenes.

Our God is not in a rocking chair up there. He got the world spin and he just leaves it spin. Let it work out, whatever it will. That's not the God of the Bible.

God is a God of intervention and perfect timing.

His eye is on his people. He will protect us, and he will always bring good out of evil.

And God's sovereign intervention and purposes involved the little things as well as the big things.

The lack of sleep, the calling for the Chronicles, the honoring of Mordecai, Haman being the first one into the king's palace that morning. And Haman be the one that would lead the Horse through the city with Mordecai on shouting this is one. The king wants to honor God's timing over little things as well as big things. So be sure you allow yourself to walk in the shoes of all that's involved here, just as you're a faithful Christian. Think of the faithful Jews and walk in their shoes.

Think of the hope that they got that day when Mordecai went through the streets. Or be the honored Mordecai who perhaps knew that that gallows for him, but certainly knew that he was swimming upstream by not bowing before Haman and knowing that something dreadful was going to happen because he could see it on Haman's face. Now he's being honored.

Walk in their shoes. The shoes of Mordecai. Walk in the shoes of Haman's family and friends.

Think of how God defrocked proud Haman of all his glory, or he will. Tonight's message so know that God is in all that goes on in our life, just as well as he was in Mordecai and Esther's lives. He is the unseen providential God, and He knows the end from the beginning, and he brings to pass whatever is right and proper to accomplish what he's decreed to do. And when you know all that, then be thankful. What are you going to be thankful for this Christmas?

I know this Thanksgiving, you pass around the table and you say, andy, what are you thankful for? Steve, what are you thankful for? Go around the table. Oh, I'm thankful for my wife. I'm thankful for my kids.

I'm thankful for this all. Those are wonderful things. But if you've listened this morning, let's get above that. As high and lofty as that is, let's go above it. I am thankful that God is a providential God that comes into the affairs of man and brings to pass all the decrees and protects his people and all that he's promised.

From Genesis 3:15, the seed of woman will all come about.

Thank you, God, for your perfect and providential timing in all of our lives. It is no accident that you're here this morning. There are no accidents.

Father, we thank youk so much for the word of God, and thank youk for a time in each year in the history of America that we can remember in a special way to be thankful. And we do thank youk for our wife and our children and our friends and all the good things that's happened to us, and even the bad things that's been good for us too. But oh God, as we look above. We thank you for you and all that you are and how you have divinely intervened in all of our lives to bring to pass that is what is best for us and that which you decreed. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.