06/12/20 33 CP’S FROM THE BOOK OF ESTHER — Long ago I announced to my church after the morning worship service that God had called me into the preaching ministry. I was invited to preach that Wednesday night. As I prayed, God laid on my heart to preach Esther—the entire book! In fact, as soon as I “got the message,” I immediately outlined the entire book in a series of 33 two-word phrases, each one a word beginning with “C” followed by a word beginning with “P.” RELAX—below I’ll just mention the first 3 phrases (for now! Years later I preached a whole series of messages from this list).

Early on Esther was a COMPLACENT PARTICIPANT in a COMFORTABLE PALACE in a COMPROMISING POSITION. 1) She was blessed with great beauty. Her uncle Mordecai seemed to dote on her; he entered her in the king’s “beauty pageant,” which she won. She had every reason to be a COMPLACENT PARTICIPANT. 2) Then she enjoyed all the luxuries and perks of the king’s COMFORTABLE PALACE. 3) But, as her uncle suggested, she told no one that she was Jewish; she found herself literally in a COMPROMISING POSITION.

These three characteristics are true of many American believers. We’re basically pleased with our situation; we are not motivated to change—we’re COMPLACENT. Our jobs, houses, cars, etc. have made our lives all too COMFORTABLE. But, beneath the surface, we’re no different than the unbelievers around us. George Barna reports that on 66 different lifestyle issues—from lying, cheating on tax forms, divorce, immorality, etc.—the statistics for supposed believers are identical to those of unbelievers! Many of us are in a COMPROMISING POSITION.

Thankfully in Esther 4:14 (CSB) Mordecai challenged her, “If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” Maybe you and I need to take that challenge as well. FORGET about how COMFORTABLE and COMPLACENT we are; ask God’s FORGIVENESS for and FREEDOM from that COMPROMISING POSITION; and FOCUS on the TASKS God prepared for us ahead of time (see Eph. 2:10)!