There is a moment in The Two Towers, the second book of The Lord of the Rings when, after falling to his death, the wizard Gandalf returns. Now transformed into "Gandalf the White," he reveals himself to his friends at a critical moment in their battle against evil.

As they celebrate his return Gandalf says, "The great storm is coming, but the tide has turned." This was when, after endless failures, setbacks, and defeats, the good guys began to see their fortunes change. Much was still ahead, but now everything is turning in their favor.

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We return to the book of Esther at just such a moment. We've seen the waters building up. Esther bravely approached the king though it might have meant her death. We saw the tide turning against Haman, as he was forced to honor Mordecai. Now, we are at the point when Esther does what God had always intended her to do. The waters have been rising and rising… and now the wave is about to crash.

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Esther 6:14-7:2 – Esther makes her plea to the king

Esther 6:14–7:2: While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared. So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”

Last week, we read that Haman was brooding with his family over his growing problem. While they are still talking, he is taken away to Esther's feast. Chapter One showed us just how much Ahasuerus loved feasting. Once again, he is merry with wine after a big party. 

He again tells her he'll grant anything she asks of him. This isn't just a pleasantry. The king's honor is at stake. He told her, "Whatever you ask, it will be granted to you." The king is so enamored with her, that he's offering half of his kingdom. A man who has obsessively sought to expand his kingdom is now willing to give half of it away… for the sake of his young woman. That's very good because what Esther is about to request is nearly as costly as that.

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Esther 7:3–4: Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.”

Woah. Perhaps Ahasuerus was expecting her to ask for a new dress or something. But this!? While enjoying a relaxing party put on by his wife, the king learns that some enemy has been plotting to kill her and her people. Quite the ol' matzo ball to fall into his lap, eh? You might have some similarities between this moment and a moment at the start of this book. 

In chapter one, the king was also feasting. Merry with wine, he makes a request of his queen. Vashti, however, insults him by saying no. Again, Ahasuerus is merry with wine. But it's the queen who is making the request… but will the king respond the same way?

In addition to this, the book is contrasting the character and favor of these women. 

Vashti insulted her king and lost his favor.

Esther has honored her king and is being given favor.

What's interesting to note is that Vashti's fate was sealed over a seemingly frivolous request and response. But Esther's request affects the fate of every Jew—and could be sealed with just a word from the king. Boy, how the stakes have escalated since chapter one!

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Esther says that, had she only been sold into slavery, she wouldn't have bothered the king. She is stressing how serious the situation is—for her to bother him with this at all. You might be thinking, "This is a pretty reasonable request to make. Why is she talking like this?" Esther understands the gravity of what she is asking. She isn't just asking Ahasuerus to save her people. She is asking him to rescind an edict he made. That was not a small thing in the least. A Persian king could not revoke a royal edict—once it was signed.

Esther has nothing to repay the king for this request. Remember, Haman offered the king a huge sum of money to kill the Jews.

She is also echoing the words of Haman in chapter two, when he said it was not profitable for the king to tolerate the Jews.

Esther's got nothing. She can't barter for her people's lives. A feast can't repay what she is asking the king. If the king is going to save the Jews, it will require favor Esther has not earned. What we call grace. Esther is asking for the salvation of her people—something too expensive for her to pay for—if the king does it, he is showing her favor she has not earned.

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But let's be honest. Is it really the king who is going to make this decision? Can an earthly man be righteous enough to show even his queen this much grace? I recall a verse in Proverbs that says the heart of a king is in… whose hands? Remember what we said about the book of Esther. God is working behind the scenes. Incognito, if you will. While it looks as if Esther is begging Ahasuerus for help, she is demonstrating faith in God.

Esther's decisions leading up to this moment demonstrated faith. 

She asked Mordecai and the others to fast (implying prayer) for her. 

She said was willing to die, if need be, to save the Jews.

She doesn't know how the king will respond, but she steps out on a limb to ask, anyway. That's how walking by faith can feel like sometimes, as if we are stepping out onto thin air. But when we do, we discover that our feet are on much firmer ground than if we trusted in the "sturdy" things of this world. Esther pleads with the king to save her people. And we see how God moves his heart in the next verse.

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Esther 7:5-8 – The King condemns Haman

Esther 7:5, 6: Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.

Oh boy, here we go! Esther takes a leap of faith and exposes Haman to the king. If you already know what happens next, you might not appreciate the gravity of this situation. Haman is Ahasuerus' most trusted adviser. He's like his vice president, his prime minister, or his chief of staff. Esther had no idea what was going to happen the moment his name left her lips. But we are not left in suspense. The Bible says Haman was terrified. 

All his confidence was gone. Haman knew he was in big, big trouble. 

Remember, he was just forced to honor Mordecai. And his family responded to that by saying the Jewish people would be his doom.

Now, Haman just discovered Esther was a Jew! All is lost for this guy!

Not that I'm sad about it.

Haman tried to pull the wool over the king's eyes. He had misrepresented the Jews as Ahasuerus' enemies—so he'd be happy to let Haman kill them. Now, the king knows Haman was trying to kill his wife! The tide has turned against Haman and the waves are crashing down.

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Now, just imagine what Ahasuerus is going to do to Haman. Remember, this is a man of war—who prizes his power above all else.

One time, a noble asked this king not to force his son to fight in battle. Instead, Ahasuerus cut the son in half and had the army march between the pieces.

Haman knows he is as good as dead.

If it were me, I would have immediately lunged for Haman. I mean, I'm not a violent man, but if someone was plotting to kill my wife… I would have given him the thrashing of a lifetime. But we already know that Ahasuerus—for all his anger and pride—can be shockingly indecisive. In this book, he rarely made decisions without his counselors telling him what to do. So, instead of immediately calling for Haman's arrest, he does this!

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Esther 7:7: And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king.

The king is so mad, that he needs a minute to collect his thoughts. He was probably storming back and forth in the garden, trying to decide what to do. You may think Ahasuerus is showing restraint and wisdom, leaving the room to think things through before acting. But this isn't the kind of situation that requires a drawn-out decision-making process. This is something that requires quick action. Remember, the queen just told him the man trying to kill her was right there! Why on earth would the king leave Esther alone with him!?

Do you see how stupid that was? I know Ahasuerus can be thick sometimes, but come on! What would have stopped Haman from stabbing Esther the second the king's back was turned? We know at this point Haman is kaput. But in his desperation, he might have done something crazy.

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But we already know the tide has turned. God is ramping up his plan to save his people. And he's not going to let a foolish move by Ahasuerus thwart his plan. I already explained that Esther was showing faith in God, not the king. Now, we see why. The king should have killed Haman right there. Instead, he makes a strategic mistake that could have ruined everything.

But God doesn't let that happen. When God is working on behalf of his children, even human fumbles won't stop his will from being done. Instead of Haman doing something terrible, he begs Esther for his life. The man is a wreck. All his confidence is gone. Things have so turned against him, even begging for his life backfires!

Just look:

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Esther 7:8: And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face.

This is just too good. Here Haman is, blubbering like a baby, begging for mercy. He has totally forgotten himself. Instead of properly groveling before the queen, he throws himself on her couch. At that very moment, the king returns. Of course, in his state of mind, he assumes the worst. The ESV is very nice when it says "assault." It seems, though, that this word should have been rendered closer to "violate." Ahasuerus literally thought Haman was trying to rape Esther right there in the palace.

If you thought the king couldn't get any madder… he is beside himself with rage. It's actually pretty hilarious. Haman was once the cock of the walk. He could do no wrong. Now, he can't do anything right. He's begging, "Oh, God no! Please, help me! Help me!" And the king sees this and thinks, "Are you kidding me—right here in my house!?" The servants, probably scared that they hadn't already arrested Haman, cover his face as a sign of support for the king.

We've read recently in Proverbs how terrible the wrath of a king is. Imagine the wrath of a king who thinks you were trying to violate his wife? They waste no time. The king is convinced Haman is an enemy. But, yet again, someone else tells Ahasuerus what to do. And, yet again, we see God orchestrating everything to deliver his children.

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Esther 7:9, 10 – Haman is killed on the gallows made for Mordecai

Esther 7:9–10: Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.

Here is a bit of an appropriate bookend. Harbonah was one of the eunuchs sent to fetch Vashti at the start of the story. Once again, playing a key role in events. Isn't it interesting how he is the one who tells the king how he should punish Haman?

Harbonah is not only giving the king wise counsel, but he is advocating for Esther's family. He reminded the king that Haman wants to kill the man who previously saved his life.

Even the king's servants are allying themselves with Esther and Mordecai, pleading on their behalf. This is a turnaround from when the king's servants had previously accused Mordecai of wrong when he didn't bow to Haman in chapter two. God's plan is rolling out in full force and he's enlisting unlikely people to accomplish it.

Notice how the text contrasts the loyalties of Mordecai and Haman in this moment?

Haman was a high-ranking officer, yet he plotted to destroy Ahasuerus' queen and her people.

Mordecai went out of his way to save the king from a plot to kill him, getting nothing in return at the time.

With that brilliant contrast explained to him, the king doesn't have to spend any more time deliberating. He immediately follows Harbonah's advice and hangs Haman on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.

For those who don't know, these weren't Old West-style gallows, that use a rope.

Persians used tall spikes to "hang" someone. A victim was impaled, with the pole piercing most of their body.

I searched for some illustrations. Many of them online are inaccurate, showing rope gallows. But there are a few ancient carvings that show what they were really like, as you can see…

There were other pictures, but they were far too graphic to share. But as you can see, the body was pierced on a sharp stake.

The jury's out on whether they killed the man first, then impaled him, or they stuck him up there while he was still alive.

Either way… it's bad.

Public executions are still common in some parts of the world… they are meant to disgrace the offender even in death and send a message to the living.

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God is quickly consummating his plan to save his people. The immediate threat has been dealt with: Haman is dead. The very implements created to destroy Mordecai were turned on his enemy. This is what God is often busy doing for his people, even when they don't see him.

God turned a great evil for good. Where have we read about that before? (Spoiler: all over the Bible!) But the work is not finished. In our final passage for tonight, we see how Esther and King Ahasuerus further honor Mordecai.

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Esther 8:1, 2 – King Ahasuerus elevates Mordecai to replace Haman

Esther 8:1, 2: On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

The king gives Esther the house of Haman. What does that mean? Esther could do whatever she wanted to Haman's family. If she wanted to kill them, she'd kill them. If she wanted to enslave them, banish them, whatever, it would be done. That's quite a bit of power to give to a young woman, huh? I'm sure Esther had a few ideas on what she'd like to do to these people. But instead of taking vengeance into her own hands, she once again displays great wisdom.

She uses this opportunity to honor Mordecai. Esther reveals to the king that this man who once saved his life was her adopted father. This would have impressed Ahasuerus quite a bit. "You mean, the man who prevented an attempt on my life is the father of my beloved queen? Excellent!" Without consulting his advisers, Ahasuerus gives Mordecai Haman's ring. This was the very same ring the king gave Haman in chapter two—the king's own ring.

This meant Mordecai now had the power that Haman once had. This Jew is standing beside the most powerful king in the world.

We've seen this many times before, right? God positioned Joseph to advise the king of Egypt. He positioned Daniel to advise the king of Babylon.

Now, Mordecai is in this lofty position. With Mordecai in this role, Esther sets him over Haman's family. Instead of taking out her anger on them, she lets Mordecai decide what to do with Haman's wife, sons, and relatives. We find out later what he does to them, but you can use your imagination.

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This moment is a good cap on the night's events. Haman is defeated and Mordecai is given his job. We just saw God turning around the evil meant for Mordecai back on his enemy. Now, he is vindicating Mordecai—not only removing danger and the reproach he felt but promoting him to a high place of standing. This is what God does for his people. As I said, he is in the business of turning evil into good. But he goes even further and bestows honor on those who trust him, as a way of lavishly showing his love for them.

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In this short passage, we saw the wave of God's wrath crash down on Haman. In a matter of minutes, the Lord turned everything around for Esther and Mordecai. He used the wrath of the king to destroy Haman and elevate Mordecai to a place of power. All because of Esther's act of faith. Esther was asking for something huge from the king: go back on his own edict to save her people. She had nothing to barter with; a few feasts aren't worth the lives of millions.

Esther was, instead, throwing herself on the mercy of the king, hoping he would show her tremendous favor. As I pointed out, Esther wasn't trusting that this Gentile king would act righteously. Instead, she was hoping that God would turn the king's heart.That's an important distinction to make. Although it was a human king that had to make the decision, Esther's faith was not in the man, but in God.

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In moments of crisis, our human tendency is to look to earthly help. Something or someone you can see or touch. That makes us feel confident and at ease. But we need to remember that circumstances are deceiving. What looks "firm" by the world's standards is hardly firm at all. Our true hope lies in Christ. Even when we are dealing with people, God is the one at work behind the scenes.

That's our first takeaway from Esther 6:14-8:2, you can write this down. Trust in God's Grace, Not Man's Power.

You might be seeking help from a boss, government official, spouse, or friend. Don't be fooled into thinking that this person (or circumstance) holds your solution. God is the one who governs all things. And we know he is working all things out for our benefit.

As Psalm 146:3-5 says, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God."

God can change the heart of a stubborn boss in your favor. Or soften an angry spouse so you can reconcile. But even when the circumstances don't improve, we can trust God is doing good on our behalf.

There was a season of my life I don't like to talk about. Soon after I moved across the country, to a new state and town, I got a job.

Very quickly, I discovered that this "dream" opportunity was a nightmare. It was an incredibly stressful, unsupportive work environment that bordered on abuse.

I hated every minute I was there. I pleaded to God for help as I wrote emails to HR explaining what was going on.

For a time, it looked like things might improve. Changes were being made to the office that could have made it a better place to work.

But, in the long run, I knew the problems ran much deeper than a few simple fixes.

While some things changed, the climate of stress and mistreatment was too great for me to handle.

Did God fail? Of course, not. Instead, he demonstrated to me that this was not where I belonged.

No matter what happens in the circumstances of life, be encouraged! God is on your side. He is the one we can trust wholeheartedly, regardless of who we're dealing with.

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Esther understood this, even as she pleaded for help from the king. We saw that the king was moved by her plight. But he made a boneheaded move by leaving the room! As I explained, Haman could have attacked Esther. In just a second, all could have been lost. The tide had already turned, though. God was quickly enacting his plan to save Israel—and not even Ahasuerus' foolish missteps were going to thwart it.

Mistakes and failures cannot stop God from doing his good work in our lives. Even when we fail, God is faithful. This is our second takeaway from tonight's passage. Trust in God's grace, not man's Power. Second, you can write this down: Human Failings Cannot Stop God's Will. This is pretty comforting news. Because we will fail again and again. And people we count on might fail us again and again. 

But God never fails. And what's so amazing is that God can do good—a lot of good—despite the presence of sin, weakness, or just plain stupidity.

When I was in high school, I was very open about my faith in Jesus. I looked for opportunities to share the gospel with my classmates.

I quickly developed a reputation for being a Christian. And in a public school full of sinful teenagers, that wasn't a good thing. To them, at least.

But one day, a girl approached me, asking about what I believed. I was mystified because nobody did that. Most of the time, I got a cold shoulder.

This student, though, really wanted to know about Jesus. You'd think I would have been excited to share my faith.

I wasn't. I was actually suspicious about her motives! I admit, I am a stupid person. I shared Jesus with her, though, and invited her to my youth group.

She was there that week. I ignored her during the service. Because, again, I couldn't believe she was interested in the Lord.

Despite my total failure to reach out to her, other people in the youth group befriended her. She showed up to church that Sunday. Eventually, she brought her parents and other family members. And they all got saved.

The most fruit I saw during my time in high school was when I completely failed to do the right thing!

I couldn't take credit for it, perhaps what I did was discourage her from coming to Jesus. Despite that, God had his hand on her and her whole family.

Let that be a comfort to you. You cannot fumble so badly that God can't do his job. That's not to say our disobedience won't put us through unnecessary trouble. Submitting to God's word will get us closer to his will faster than if we stubbornly kicked at it. But it does mean that neither Satan nor this world is going to block God's plan for your life. The issues you face, the failures of other people, won't stop God from making good on his promises.

Isaiah reminds us of God's ability to perform his work, no matter what, in chapter 55 verse 10, 11:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Whatever God says, it is going to happen. And we can take comfort in that truth, even when the waves of life are crashing down on us.

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As we read, after a little bit of waffling, the king quickly took care of Haman. The enemy of the Jewish people was hanged on the very gallows he built for Mordecai. It's really hard to over-emphasize the irony of what happened. Not only did Haman fail, but he was destroyed by the work of his own hands. We could ask, "Why didn't God just prevent Haman from doing all this in the first place? Why not stop him from hatching this plot?"

Well, for one thing, we wouldn't have had this amazing outcome! Sometimes, God is so good, he prevents bad things from happening to us—things we will never know about. Other times, he lets the weapon against us be formed—only to defeat it before our very eyes.

Our takeaway from this is knowing that God is not sleeping, even as bad men do bad things. Here is our third point for the night. As I said, Trust in God's Grace, Not Man's Power; Human Failings Cannot Stop God's Will. And write this down: God Repays Evil With Justice. That's another comforting truth, right? The evil Haman planned for Mordecai was thwarted. And Haman was rightfully punished.

God is not in the business and letting evil go unpunished. This is not to say that we will see his justice all the time, right now.

I write news articles for a living. I see, every day, evil people escaping justice. I see very vile men thriving like kings.

Not every Haman gets skewered on a stake, no matter how much we want it. But rest assured, God has a very long memory.

Every act of evil will be punished. Revelation makes that very clear:

Revelation 20:11–15: Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done… And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Every sinful deed will be visited by the Lord. The Hamans of our world are not getting away with anything. There will come a day when they will have to stand before their Maker and give an account of their life. And if their names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life, they will face one fate: eternal torment in the Lake of Fire.

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I don't say that glibly. It is a very sobering thing to realize that many people will face eternal death because of their sins. And when you think about the evildoers of our world, you need to remember that. Their evil will not go on forever but will be punished. That is such a certainty, that we need to have compassion on evildoers.

I know what you're thinking. "I should have compassion on that guy? Do you know what he did Adam? Do you know what they did to me?" Yes, people have done very ugly things—some of them to us. But when you realize that those who do not trust in Jesus Christ will face a fate too horrible for our minds to fully comprehend, we should fall on our needs begging God to show them mercy.

Let's not forget that we were facing the very same fate as they were. Oh, you might not think of yourself as evil as Haman. But, if you are being honest, you'll have to admit you have done some pretty despicable things in your life. Haman actually got off easy. His was awful but pretty quick. The death we face lasts forever. And it is only because of the blood of Jesus that we have been saved.

As I said, God repays evil with justice. But because of his mercy and great love for us, he repaid our evil on the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. We don't have to fear being stuck up on a gallows like Haman, because Jesus willingly hung on the cross for us. All so we can be forgiven.

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After God repaid Haman's evil with justice, Esther told the king who Mordecai was. The king rewarded Mordecai with Haman's ring. Esther gave Mordecai power over Haman's house. Just a short time before that, Mordecai was scheduled to be hung on the gallows. It looked as if he and his entire people were going to be wiped out.

But suddenly, he was put on the king's horse and praised by the city. God has elevated him to the position once held by his enemy. It would be very easy for us to assume God was honoring Mordecai, because of the man's faithfulness and good works. But let's not forget that Mordecai was guilty of sin, the same as everyone else. He was the one who told Esther to lie about her Jewishness.

Despite this, he was a man who trusted his God. His wise words to Esther in chapter four were the major turning point in this story. God honored Mordecai in such a dramatic way, not because Mordecai was worthy, but because he was trusting in God's power to save his people. What does this mean for us? I can't promise you that if you trust God, you'll end up ruling beside a Persian king.

No, but our takeaway is no less wonderful. Our first point was Trust in God's Grace, Not Man's Power. Then, Human Failings Cannot Stop God's Will. God Repays Evil With Justice. And finally, God Vindicates His Children. After being mistreated, wrongfully accused, neglected, and sentenced to death, Mordecai became the second-most powerful man in Susa. Quite the turnaround, huh? Mordecai didn't earn this great reward. How could he have? Instead, God was intervening on his behalf. At the appointed time, God moved to destroy Mordecai's enemy and promote him.

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This is true for us as well. We were sinners, enemies of God. No better than Haman. Let me stress that again. As we've gone through this book, you probably were disgusted by the sinfulness of Haman. But don't be fooled. Our hearts were as wicked as this evil man's. But we don't have to fear being hung on a stake, because Jesus hung on a cross for us. The beautiful, precious, wonderful Son of God suffered as a criminal.

So, we can be vindicated before God. Just think about how Jesus took our place. He was mistreated, wrongfully accused, neglected, and sentenced to death. We know Christ took the punishment for our sin. But he also endured the pain from sins done against us. Romans 15:3 tells us, "Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, 'The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.'"

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In this life, we are mistreated, abused, neglected, and sinned against. Sometimes from people who should have treated us well. Maybe there's someone here tonight who has experienced terrible abuse. And you are wondering, "Why did God allow it?" Hear me when I say this, Jesus bore that pain. He knows exactly what it is like to be abused because he endured it on the cross for you.

And he is still in the business of bearing his children's burdens and pains. All so we can be healed, forgiven, and vindicated.

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What does vindication mean? It is to be made righteous. It speaks of our standing before God. We are not his enemies. We are not rebels he is ready to wipe out. We are righteous sons and daughters of God.

Vindication means God is not holding our sins against us. And it means he will defend us from the attacks, slander, and mistreatment that is done against us.

There was another evil man—perhaps eviler than Haman—who once persecuted Christians.

He hated them so much that he cursed them with every breath he took. And he went to great lengths to arrest believers and condemned them to death.

But one day, Jesus appeared to him while he was on the way to hurt more Christians.

And do you know what Jesus said to this evil man? "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

Why are you persecuting me? Not, "Why are you persecuting my church?" Not, "Why are you hurting these people?"

"Why are you persecuting me?" When Saul hurt Christians, he was hurting Jesus. 

That means Jesus was bearing the pain of every Christian who was being attacked by this man.

What happens to us, happens to him. That is how close we are to Jesus. In a certain way, there is no separation between us and him. You can be free of the pain you've endured, even from a lifetime of abuse, because Jesus will carry that pain for you. So, you can be healed and even forgive those who hurt you.

You might say, "It's not easy to forgive what they did to me." I know. It's impossible. Unless you let Jesus carry that pain. The memories might not go away. And you might never speak to those people again. But you can let go of the anger, confusion, and resentment and find peace.

Not because you can do that on your own. But because Jesus took that pain onto himself. On the cross, he was reviled, mocked, and abandoned for you. And even now, he is carrying our burdens. All because he loves you.

God promised this in Isaiah 54:17,

"No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication [is] from me, declares the LORD.”

God vindicates his children. You can stand in his presence, clean and healed. All because Jesus took your offenses—and the offenses done against you—when he suffered on the cross. We might not see all our vindication in this life. Our "enemies" might seem to be prospering in the here and now.

But, because of Jesus, this is what we are looking forward to…

Revelation 2:26-29: "The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father."

Mordecai got a ring. But we will rule and reign with Christ. The passage Jesus is quoting there, about the rod of iron, is from Psalm 2:9. That is a prophecy about him! Yet he is attributing it to us. I said what happens to us happens to him. But, what happens to him, happens to us. He will rule and reign forever and we will rule with him.

Not because we deserve it, but because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. He suffered and died, so we can be vindicated.

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If you are here tonight and you have not received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, now is the time. Don't waste another moment. Ask him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart. All the things we looked at tonight are true… for those who put their trust in Jesus.

If you are a believer here, be encouraged. The struggles you face right now are not the end of the story. You are like Mordecai. You may be facing down Haman's, incredibly difficult problems. But God will vindicate you. He will bring good out of evil. All because of Jesus.