From Esther’s Risk to Christ’s Guarantee: A Theological Review

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Transformation Church, stand to your feet.
[00:00:02] We are so glad that you're with us today.
[00:00:04] We're going to put our hands together.
[00:00:07] Yep, put your copy down.
[00:00:08] Here we go.

[00:00:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
We're going to sing about God.
[00:00:33] Holy is Your Name I don't want to take it in vain
[00:01:14] Holy is Your Name I don't wanna take it in vain Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh Holy is Your Name I don't wanna take it in vain
[00:02:26] Holy is Your Name I don't want to take it in vain
[00:05:39] You know I know

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Awesome.
[00:05:55] Thank you, music team.
[00:05:56] All of you can have a seat really quick because we are very excited that today we are going to celebrate baptisms.
[00:06:04] That's why we got the pool open.
[00:06:06] We're going to invite our participants to walk up on the stage.
[00:06:10] Can we just give them a round of applause as they make their way up here?
[00:06:16] They're coming I promise.
[00:06:18] So I want to take a moment to explain to you what baptism means so that we can all be celebrating in one accord together.
[00:06:26] You know each of these participants walking on the stage and getting ready to enter into that pool, they have said yes to Jesus.
[00:06:33] They have said yes to that gift of salvation that is only found in Him.
[00:06:37] and so now they are making a public declaration of that yes and they're sharing it with all of you because we are a church family and we get to celebrate together they didn't say yes just to an individual gift of salvation they said yes to an invitation to God's multi-ethnic multi-generational family
[00:06:57] and so that means that we encourage one another we pray for one another we're there during the hard times and we're there during times of celebration like today and so each of these individuals is a child of God and they're going to go down into the water and then they're going to come up out of the water and I want to hear just celebration you can clap you can cheer you can go crazy because all of heaven is rejoicing right now along with us and so feel free to celebrate that and remember when they're going down into the water
[00:07:27] It's a symbol of them dying to their old selves just as Christ went to the cross and died on our behalf.
[00:07:34] But then when they get out of that water, it's a symbol of them rising to the new life available to them and to all of us in Jesus just as He did, just as He rose on that third day in new life.
[00:07:45] And so thank you for celebrating with us.
[00:07:47] We are so excited.
[00:07:48] Our music team is going to sing a song and you can feel free to worship and you can feel free to celebrate as well.
[00:07:55] So let's get ready to do that, family.

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
We worship you Jesus We give you the honor Come eternal
[00:08:28] You stepped into time, born in Bethlehem, a holy sign Angels adored you, heaven sang, shepherds rejoiced, and our Savior came
[00:09:08] Born a Savior, Emmanuel Prince of Peace, Common King Emmanuel God with us Born a Savior Born a Savior, Jesus
[00:09:59] Lord you have us saved, shepherds rejoice, our Savior came, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace
[00:10:48] Rejoice with your God All the honor, all the praise belongs to Jesus
[00:11:04] Holy, holy is the Lord, born to us a child is born.
[00:11:20] Glory, glory to the Son, let earth rejoice, our King and King.
[00:14:21] Come we King Emmanuel God with us Born a Savior Emmanuel Prince of Peace Come we King Emmanuel God with us
[00:14:52] He's God with us and He's born a Savior You came to save the lost You're God with us You're born a Savior He will be called Mighty God, Mighty God, God with us
[00:15:25] He will be called the Prince of Peace and the Everlasting Father He is Mighty God, He is God

[00:16:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
God we give you praise today and we celebrate all that you have done we thank you that there is new life in your name we thank you that we get to walk in freedom because of your blood
[00:16:47] God, we believe that those names that you hold hold so much power.
[00:16:52] We believe that you are Emmanuel, God with us.
[00:16:55] We believe that you are Everlasting Father.
[00:16:59] We believe that you are the Mighty God.
[00:17:03] We believe that you are called the Prince of Peace.
[00:17:07] We honor you.

[00:17:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I believe that you are who you say you are.
[00:17:18] and you'll do what you say you'll do you'll come through you are always able I believe come on church we say you've already made a way so I'm running through pardoned ways straight to you
[00:17:45] You are always there

[00:18:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Day to age you stay Constant you remain Every mystery The questions I've carried Are safe within your will So I trust you even still I

[00:18:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
You are who You say You are And You'll do what You say You'll do You'll come through Cause You are always able I believe that You've already made a way So I'm running through parted ways Straight to You
[00:20:55] Your blood was spilled and by your stripes I have been healed and every promise you fulfilled I believe
[00:21:10] That you rose again in victory That's that same power within me I'm born again, I've been made free I believe, I believe that the gates of heaven
[00:22:58] And on the day I've run a race I'll finally see you face to face And nothing then will separate I believe, I believe That I'll join with every tribe at home
[00:23:24] The Lamb of God Singing Holy, Holy, Holy One I believe, I believe, I believe That You are who You say You are And You'll do what You say You'll do God You'll come through
[00:23:52] you are always able i believe can we say it with faith today that you've already made a way so i'm running through parted waves straight to you you are always faithful then we'll sing
[00:24:19] We will sing the highest form of praise until He comes again, we'll sing!

[00:24:48] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
And we'll dance in Your presence until You come again
[00:24:56] Hallelujah, hallelujah

[00:25:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
We'll dance in your presence, dance in your presence

[00:26:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
And Jesus right now we will sing hallelujah which means the highest form of praise until you come again because we know that you are good not because we expect something in but in return but because you are worthy of our hallelujah you're worthy of the highest praises you're worthy of all the blessing and honor and glory and power it all belongs unto the name of King Jesus
[00:26:34] We give you praise and we love you.
[00:26:37] We love to sing your praises, God.
[00:26:40] We love to be with you.
[00:26:43] We love for you to dwell inside of our hearts.
[00:26:45] When we say, King of glory, come fill this place, God, we're saying, King of glory, would you come and fill our hearts so we would be so full of your spirit, walking in the light of your love.
[00:26:58] King of glory, come and fill us.
[00:27:01] We give you all the glory, honor, and praise.

[00:27:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:27:11] You may be seated.
[00:27:13] Wow, we've been able to worship through gathering, to worship through baptisms, to worship through music.
[00:27:19] Let's give it up to the Lord for what he's doing in and through his bride called Transformation Church.
[00:27:26] It's so good to see each and every one of you today.
[00:27:28] My name's Paul Allen.
[00:27:29] I'm one of the elder pastors here.
[00:27:31] I want to say thank you for joining us.
[00:27:33] To our first-time guests, we are so glad you're here with us today, and we trust that this service is a gift to you today.
[00:27:40] And we'd like to know about your time with us, so on your worship guide or in the seat back in front of you, there's a connection card.
[00:27:46] If you would take some time, fill that out.
[00:27:49] At the end of the service, take it to the Next Steps area in the lobby.
[00:27:53] and we have a special gift for you and that's a copy of Pastor Derwin's book The Good Life and that's our way of saying thank you for being with us today.
[00:28:00] Also for those of you who want to connect that have been here a part of TC perhaps you have a prayer request you want to know areas where you can serve or a group that you can join that connection card is the best thing to do that as well so fill that out go to the next steps area.
[00:28:15] Well, as we continue to worship, we get to worship through generosity now.
[00:28:19] And I want to say thank you, Transformers, for your faithfulness and your generosity.
[00:28:24] God continues to do amazing things.
[00:28:27] As we don't give to Transformation Church, we give through Transformation Church to see our world transformed.
[00:28:35] And because of All Gifts Sunday, thank you for the faithfulness of so many of you.
[00:28:39] For those of you who took God at His Word and gave for the first time, we're so proud of you and we want to encourage you that generosity is an act of worship and an act of obedience.
[00:28:49] And it's amazing to see what God will do in our lives as we follow Him with that.
[00:28:54] Well, there are several ways to give today.
[00:28:56] You can give online, you can give through our app, or you can give in one of the generosity boxes on your way out today.
[00:29:03] We want to remind you of our Christmas Eve services.
[00:29:06] Those are coming up Christmas Eve here at T.C.
[00:29:09] Indian Land, 12, 2, and 4.
[00:29:12] At T.C.
[00:29:13] Lake Wylie, 12 and 2.
[00:29:15] These are great times to invite family and friends to a service to enjoy Christmas Eve, so we encourage you to do that.
[00:29:23] Well, we want to take a look at what's coming up in January of our new series called Thriving.

[00:29:59] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Let's pray.

[00:30:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
All right, before we do our traditional welcome, I wanna drop this on you.
[00:30:13] So starting January 4th, we're gonna kick off a brand new series called Thriving.
[00:30:18] And so for those of you who are new to Transformation Church, when I go on my summer sabbatical slash study break, I plan out the whole sermon series for the next year.
[00:30:27] And so we're gonna kick off 2026
[00:30:30] Moving from surviving in our mental health, surviving in our finances, surviving in our singleness, surviving to actually learning how to thrive.
[00:30:40] There's going to be 40 days of prayer that we're going to go through together.
[00:30:45] and at the end of the series we're going to begin our transformation journey that's brand new that's all i'm going to say right now but here's a couple things i want you to do i want you to be prayed up and be expected it's going to be a great year also uh here at tc indian land at the 10 o'clock if you look around every seat is full so i want to encourage you if you don't want to sit on the stage on january 4th
[00:31:12] I would encourage you to look at the 815 service or the 1145.
[00:31:18] Most people who are not followers of Christ and most people who are checking out a new church are going to come at 10.
[00:31:24] Well, as you can tell, our 10 is packed.
[00:31:26] We got room for about 400 more people each in our
[00:31:31] 815 and 1145 so pray about it but the more room you create in the 10 o'clock is the capacity by which we can reach more people on another note it's not a good thing to know that we have to talk about those types of things in light of people saying the church is shrinking well God is doing an incredible incredible work here so in 2026 we're not just gonna survive no more
[00:31:56] We're going to learn how to thrive in the gospel.
[00:32:00] Can we thank God for that?
[00:32:01] Yep.
[00:32:01] Let's thank Him in advance.
[00:32:03] Yep.
[00:32:04] Also, as per our tradition, let's take a moment to welcome all of our guests who are physically at Transformation Church Lake Wylie, physically here at Transformation Church Indian Land, and those watching digitally from around the world.
[00:32:17] Let's give a big welcome to our first-time guests.
[00:32:20] Thank you.
[00:32:20] Now, let's give a big welcome to the over — listen to this now — 1,400 correctional facility partnerships.
[00:32:28] That is
[00:32:29] Thousands of men and women who are tuning in to the gospel.
[00:32:33] Let's give it up to our brothers and sisters, welcome.
[00:32:37] and to the TC family, you look marvelous.
[00:32:39] Welcome, welcome, welcome.
[00:32:41] So as you know, here at Transformation Church, because of the good news of Jesus, because of the Evangelon, the gospel, we believe that life matters from the womb all the way to the tomb.
[00:32:52] The gospel is that Jesus Christ is Lord of the entire universe and he proved it because the cross is bloody,
[00:33:01] Sin has been dealt a death blow.
[00:33:03] He rose from the dead.
[00:33:04] Death has been a death blow.
[00:33:06] And He is ascended at the right hand of the Father, ruling and reigning through His people.
[00:33:11] Therefore, life matters not only in the womb, but all the way to the tomb.
[00:33:18] From the womb to the border.
[00:33:20] From America to around the world.
[00:33:23] For God so loved America first.
[00:33:28] When those words were written, there was no American people.
[00:33:32] For God so loved the world.
[00:33:35] If you wanna argue, argue with Jesus, not with me.
[00:33:39] That's what it's like normal Christianity is we love the world.
[00:33:45] Because life matters in the womb, for years, we have partnered with the Women's Enrichment Center, and when we give financially, when we give generously,
[00:33:57] It makes a tangible impact.
[00:33:59] Would you guys welcome Julie Walters, Executive Director of the Women's Enrichment Center.
[00:34:05] And so, Julie's awesome, and she's used to this now.
[00:34:11] She knows when we call her, she about to get some money.
[00:34:13] So Transformation Church, on behalf of your generosity, we want to present a $50,000 check to the Women's Enrichment Center to continue the great work.
[00:34:26] The work that we're getting to partner, that means you too, if you gave, this is a part of what you're doing, is they're gonna buy a truck to pick up Amazon gifts to disperse to the people who have tangible needs.
[00:34:37] Sometimes people are concerned about, if I bring a child into the world, what help will I have?
[00:34:43] Well, we as Christians are like, duh, we the help.
[00:34:45] and so when you're partnering, we're helping.
[00:34:48] Continue the great work and let's just extend our hands and we're gonna pray over her.
[00:34:53] Father, I thank you for Julie and I thank you for the Women's Enrichment Center and I thank you for the future voices that will be heard because of this gospel partnership.
[00:35:01] Continue to bless her to be a blessing and make that truck a fancy truck in Jesus' name, amen.
[00:35:06] I love you, thank you.
[00:35:10] By the way, I like your new haircut.
[00:35:12] I bet the sisters like it too, don't they?
[00:35:14] Yeah, you got it faded.
[00:35:15] There you go.
[00:35:16] She's been hanging around at TC.
[00:35:18] Uh-huh.
[00:35:20] By the way, if you're new here, I joke about race all the time, so lighten up.
[00:35:25] If you don't get it, watch an episode of Archie Bunker or Sanford and Son.
[00:35:29] You'll be fine.
[00:35:33] Also, guys, before I dive into the message, last week we done something new called our All Give Sunday.
[00:35:41] As you know, there are two tribes in Nigeria who don't have the Bible in their own language.
[00:35:46] And so we prayed about raising $300,000 to put the Bible in their own language.
[00:35:53] That's amazing.
[00:35:54] We've prayed about starting a multi-ethnic church network.
[00:35:57] If you look around, you will see this is what heaven's going to look like.
[00:36:01] There's no white section, a black section, an Asian section, a Latino section.
[00:36:06] It's gonna only be a section for people who've been blood-bought, which is a variety of all of us, right?
[00:36:12] and so and also we're gonna get a turning lane and all types of things and so this is our first year we didn't know what was gonna happen and so guys you know hey whatever we decided to all give we're gonna be happy with and you know we did the best that we could and man the other service knew I was joking already you guys are like what do we get eight dollars hey guys together on all gifts Sunday six hundred and eight thousand dollars eighty seven ninety six yeah
[00:36:42] Hey guys, okay, okay, I know I gotta run down this though.
[00:36:46] So, 1900 givers, of that 1900, 500 plus were first time givers.
[00:36:54] Congratulations, way to walk by faith.
[00:36:58] And a hundred of those were under the age of 12.
[00:37:04] There we go.
[00:37:07] Now,
[00:37:07] Okay, let me pause here.
[00:37:10] Let me speak to the person who used to be like me.
[00:37:12] I got poisoned.
[00:37:13] I would flip through these weird, whacked-out Christian TV stations.
[00:37:17] They always talked about money.
[00:37:18] So let's make this first thing first.
[00:37:20] God doesn't need your money.
[00:37:21] He's not broke.
[00:37:23] We're broke.
[00:37:25] And what breaks us?
[00:37:26] Greed.
[00:37:27] Financial anxiety, stinginess.
[00:37:31] How is being stingy helping you?
[00:37:32] Is it getting you out of debt?
[00:37:34] Is it getting you out of anxiety?
[00:37:35] No.
[00:37:35] So God wants us to give so that he can break the power of greed.
[00:37:41] And when you give, we're literally saving lives.
[00:37:46] We also want to train you up in financial stewardship.
[00:37:50] That's why we have Crown Ministries.
[00:37:52] We don't want you having anxiety with money.
[00:37:55] We don't want you stressed out with it because whatever is an idol will deform you.
[00:38:00] If greed is your God, follow your anxiety because a false God never gives you peace.
[00:38:07] Also, when you look at T.C.
[00:38:09] Lake Wylie, when you look at T.C.
[00:38:11] Indian Land, when you look at our incredible online things that we do and the money we give away, do you think that just fell out of heaven one day?
[00:38:19] No, people sacrificially gave.
[00:38:22] Way back in 2009, I worked at an investment firm when I played in the NFL because I didn't want to be broke when I was done playing, and so we invested well.
[00:38:32] And then God was like, you're gonna plant a church.
[00:38:34] I'm like, that's awesome.
[00:38:35] We're gonna raise a lot of money.
[00:38:37] He goes, yeah, starting with you.
[00:38:38] We was like, wait, what?
[00:38:40] So we cleared out a bunch of mutual funds because we saw what could happen.
[00:38:46] And so Vicki and I knew if we wanted our congregation to be financially healthy, if we wanted our congregation to bleed generosity, we had to hemorrhage and lead the way.
[00:38:55] And it's the best return on investment I have ever given.
[00:38:59] Your cryptocurrency may have tanked, but the gospel won't.
[00:39:02] Yo CD may not yield and keep over the inflation, but the gospel will.
[00:39:08] So we wanna set you free.
[00:39:10] So in the pastoral sense, I am so proud of this congregation.
[00:39:15] You guys are simply astonishing.
[00:39:18] Thank you for the privilege of being able to serve you, all right?
[00:39:22] You're like, why he got this in his hand?
[00:39:24] because we're going through a series called Jesus is Better.
[00:39:27] And what we're learning, here comes a big word, is that Jesus is the hermeneutical key for understanding scripture.
[00:39:32] What in the world does that mean?
[00:39:33] Hermeneutical comes from the Greek word hermes, of Greek mythology, the one who ran with a message.
[00:39:38] Well, hermeneutic means
[00:39:39] to understand the message of the Bible.
[00:39:41] Jesus is the key to understanding the Bible.
[00:39:44] So from Genesis to Revelation, from beginning of the Bible to the end, there's a crimson cord that stretches and it's about Jesus.
[00:39:52] Jesus is a better Adam.
[00:39:53] For example, Adam sinned and hid behind a tree.
[00:39:56] Jesus died on a tree to forgive our sins.
[00:39:58] Noah saved people in a boat made of wood from the flood.
[00:40:02] Jesus saved people on a cross because of the flood of blood.
[00:40:06] Y'all picking up what I'm putting down?
[00:40:09] Jesus is a better Joseph.
[00:40:11] Jesus is a better Moses.
[00:40:13] And we learned that Jesus is a better David.
[00:40:15] The story of David and Goliath ain't about you picking up your stones and throwing your rocks.
[00:40:21] That story was about how God saved the nation of Israel so Messiah Jesus could come and not pick up stones but pick up a cross to defeat the Goliath.
[00:40:33] You and I never could.
[00:40:34] Sin and death.
[00:40:36] Now we're gonna learn about
[00:40:38] Queen Esther.
[00:40:40] On the count of three say Esther.
[00:40:41] One, two, three.
[00:40:42] Esther.
[00:40:44] Esther was quite remarkable.
[00:40:47] Let's pick up the story.
[00:40:49] How is Jesus a better Esther?
[00:40:52] Well first, Esther risked her life to save her people who were the Judean or Jewish people.
[00:41:00] Now I'm gonna pause here and I want to model for you that follow Jesus.
[00:41:05] Not everybody knows the biblical story.
[00:41:08] In 1997, before I came to Christ, I didn't know who Esther was.
[00:41:12] So please make sure you share the whole story.
[00:41:14] And by the way, we as Christians sometimes think we're the point of the story.
[00:41:18] No, Jesus is the point of the story and he's inviting us into his story, which is about his Father's glory.
[00:41:24] Now let me get to the story.
[00:41:26] Genesis 11.
[00:41:28] These people decide, you know what, God, we don't want you, we're gonna make our own gods.
[00:41:32] So they make a tower, the Tower of Babel, that's a ziggurat, and demons who disguise themselves as gods were coming up and down, and God's like, nope, I got a plan to rescue the world.
[00:41:41] Adam and Eve messed it up, but I got a plan.
[00:41:43] So he confused their languages.
[00:41:45] Genesis 11, they scattered.
[00:41:46] Genesis 12, he calls a guy by the name of Abram, and he says, Abram, I'm gonna change your name to Abraham.
[00:41:51] Why is that important?
[00:41:52] because Abraham means father of many.
[00:41:55] So Abraham, Isaac, and then Jacob.
[00:41:57] Jacob, the last son, is Israel.
[00:42:01] That's what he's known for, is Israel.
[00:42:03] That means one who wrestles with God.
[00:42:04] There was a famine.
[00:42:05] They go into Egypt, but Israel's son, Joseph, had got thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by none other than his brothers.
[00:42:13] So Joseph does his thing, he has gifts and abilities and he saves the entire nation of Egypt from famine.
[00:42:22] Well Joseph dies and there's a new Pharaoh and he's like, who are all these immigrants in my land?
[00:42:27] He forgot there was an immigrant that saved his land.
[00:42:29] But that's another story for another time.
[00:42:35] So God raises up a man named Moses.
[00:42:38] And we learn that Jesus is a better Moses and the years go by and the nation of Israel says, we want a king, a man like everybody else.
[00:42:45] And God's like, you don't want that.
[00:42:47] We're like, yes, we do.
[00:42:48] He's like, okay, I'm not Burger King, but I'm gonna give it to you your way.
[00:42:54] And eventually that leaves the King David, now 500 years go by.
[00:42:59] and the children of Israel, the Judeans, are now in what's called exile or diaspora because they disobeyed God and they are in the land of a king named Xerxes.
[00:43:11] He has a Hebrew name but it is very hard to pronounce and I'm not gonna distract you.
[00:43:17] So we're gonna go by his Greek name, Xerxes.
[00:43:20] By the way, that is a dope name.
[00:43:22] On the tackle, Xerxes.
[00:43:25] Okay, I know, I'm a football player.
[00:43:26] It all feels just like football.
[00:43:28] So, Xerxes has all of his kingdom, all this multi-ethnic kingdom.
[00:43:32] I mean, he is running the world.
[00:43:34] He is the man, right?
[00:43:36] And he's having a party, they drinking, they eating filet mignon and chitlins.
[00:43:40] It is incredible.
[00:43:43] And then he's like, where my woman Vashti?
[00:43:45] Where the queen at?
[00:43:46] Queen Vashti, come on!
[00:43:48] So in other words, he wanted to show her off.
[00:43:50] Now, the older Jewish commentaries from centuries ago would say that when the king wanted his queen Vashti to come out with her crown, that actually meant naked.
[00:44:01] So that's probably why she said no.
[00:44:03] Like, you're not gonna parade me around, you sicko.
[00:44:07] Back then, you do not tell the king no.
[00:44:09] So she gone.
[00:44:12] So the king is like, man, I need, go find me some virgins throughout all my land.
[00:44:17] So there's a lookout for the next queen.
[00:44:19] Well, there's a guy named Mordecai, he's a Judean, and he had a niece that he was raising as his daughter, and she was beautiful, the scripture says, beautiful and well-built.
[00:44:29] So that's what it just said, I'll just tell you what it said.
[00:44:31] And so anyway, she passes through, and eventually,
[00:44:34] Esther becomes queen of the land.
[00:44:37] Well, Mordecai is sharp.
[00:44:39] Mordecai is wise, and he's hanging out near the palace, and he hears about two of the king's eunuchs.
[00:44:46] That means men who had their manhood removed.
[00:44:49] Explain that to your kids how you want to.
[00:44:51] Anyway, they want to kill the king.
[00:44:54] So Mordecai's like, Esther, check this out.
[00:44:57] They're trying to kill the king.
[00:44:59] So Esther tells the king, Xerxes, and the king is like, thank you.
[00:45:05] So he's saved.
[00:45:06] Now in the meantime, there's a guy named Haman.
[00:45:08] And Haman is a bigoted racist.
[00:45:11] He hates all the Judeans.
[00:45:13] Matter of fact, he eventually does an edict throughout the land in different languages that he's gonna exterminate all the Jews.
[00:45:21] Let's pause here.
[00:45:22] This is really important.
[00:45:24] This Christmas, do not let racism be at your dinner table.
[00:45:31] You think it's just harmless words.
[00:45:33] Eventually, those words make it into people's minds and it moves people to do horrible and heinous things.
[00:45:40] How much do you think the Jews were talked about in Germany before what was talked about put people in concentration camps and burned them in ovens?
[00:45:51] So don't be a coward this Christmas.
[00:45:54] If you got relatives that are speaking hateful, harmful things, racist and bigoted things, and you say you follow Jesus and you sit there and be quiet, you're gonna have to deal with Jesus.
[00:46:04] He got you at that table.
[00:46:06] The message of Christmas is one of a God who so loved the world.
[00:46:10] And I don't care if it comes from the White House or the outhouse, do not sit there and take it.
[00:46:17] well i just want to have peace no no you know what peace is it's confronting lies and ugliness listen listen what happens verbally eventually moves people do you guys remember in covet when our asian brothers and sisters were just being attacked for being asian don't be silent until it happens to you matter of fact
[00:46:47] That's what Mordecai tells Esther.
[00:46:50] Like, just because you're in the palace, you ain't gonna get away with it.
[00:46:53] You're a Jew too.
[00:46:56] So, he's like, Esther, you gotta go to the king.
[00:46:59] But here's the problem, if you go to the king, and he doesn't invite you in with his scepter,
[00:47:05] You gone, literally.
[00:47:07] Let's pick up the story.
[00:47:08] Esther risked her life.
[00:47:10] Woo, I love me some Esther.
[00:47:11] She is courageous.
[00:47:12] By the way, by the way, really quick.
[00:47:14] You know what courage is?
[00:47:15] Courage is when faith meets God and you do more than you thought you could do.
[00:47:22] Oh, y'all ain't picking up what I'm putting down.
[00:47:24] Y'all just want to have a good Bible study.
[00:47:25] Well, I've never knew that about the Bible.
[00:47:29] The goal is not for us to go, wow, that was a good Bible lesson.
[00:47:33] No, the goal is to know the God of the Bible so that we can have courage so that our faith can meet a holy and loving and awesome God to become the people, the husbands, the father, the sons, the daughters that God has created us to be.
[00:47:45] The goal isn't just to sit in the seats and hear a message.
[00:47:48] The goal is for the message to hit us and transform us and what happens in the seats is to go to the streets.
[00:47:58] Here we go.
[00:47:58] Teenagers, look at this.
[00:48:00] Esther sent this reply to Mordecai.
[00:48:02] Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa.
[00:48:06] So that was the capital.
[00:48:08] And fast for me.
[00:48:10] Don't eat or drink for three days and three nights.
[00:48:12] I know somebody else who was down for three days and three nights.
[00:48:18] I and my female servants will also fast in the same way.
[00:48:22] After that, I will go to the king
[00:48:27] Even if it's against the law.
[00:48:30] If I perish, I perish.
[00:48:34] Wow, what courage.
[00:48:35] So Esther risked her life to save the Judeans.
[00:48:43] King Jesus gave his life to save his multi-ethnic people.
[00:48:49] Check this out.
[00:48:51] Jesus walks into the law court of heaven.
[00:48:55] Say substitution with me.
[00:48:57] One, two, three.
[00:48:59] He's our substitute.
[00:49:01] If you and I approach the king, we would not have access.
[00:49:04] We need somebody who is like the king to give us access.
[00:49:09] And so Jesus, the king of kings, comes to his father on our behalf and it says, Christ redeemed us.
[00:49:15] That means to buy.
[00:49:17] Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
[00:49:22] But it is written, curse is anyone who hung on a tree.
[00:49:25] What does that mean?
[00:49:26] It simply means this, that each and every one of us has broken God's law.
[00:49:30] Now I'm not gonna argue with you, I'm just gonna give you a little illustration.
[00:49:34] If you and I are okay, why are self-help books the most profitable selling books there is other than pornographic romance novels that women read all the time that no pastor's ever challenged them on?
[00:49:50] Oh, y'all be liking it when I get them in.
[00:49:52] Get it, pastor.
[00:49:54] Hey ladies, let's read our book.
[00:49:56] about Jerome of London.
[00:50:00] Yeah, you're getting some pornography that way too.
[00:50:02] Cut it out in Jesus' name.
[00:50:05] Like, oh, we like it when you get the men, but that's just my little novel.
[00:50:10] I just likes to escape.
[00:50:12] Yeah, that's called sin.
[00:50:14] Give that attention to your husband.
[00:50:16] It's okay if his stomach a little big.
[00:50:17] You'll find him sexy again.
[00:50:21] It's okay if his hair gone, you'll find him sexy again.
[00:50:24] How can you give your all to your husband when your eyes are somewhere else?
[00:50:30] Okay, let's continue.
[00:50:32] So Jesus,
[00:50:34] God takes the curse, He takes our place, and He redeems us.
[00:50:39] That means not only are we forgiven, but we are His.
[00:50:43] And when you become His, He doesn't play daisy theology.
[00:50:47] Remember when you were a kid, I don't know if y'all do this no more, but you get a daisy and go, He loves me, she loves me not, you know that?
[00:50:52] God don't do that.
[00:50:53] God goes, I love you.
[00:50:54] How do you know?
[00:50:56] Because when you was a mess, I loved you.
[00:50:57] When you were addicted, I loved you.
[00:50:59] When you were broken, I loved you.
[00:51:01] I love you, I love you.
[00:51:02] Why?
[00:51:02] Because I'm God and I love you.
[00:51:04] How do you know?
[00:51:05] The cross is bloody, the tomb is empty.
[00:51:07] Come on into my loving embrace.
[00:51:10] But not only does he save us, ourselves, he brings us into a family.
[00:51:17] For those of you who were baptized into Christ, we saw a physical
[00:51:21] Expression of the internal reality of being baptized into Christ.
[00:51:26] For those who are baptized into Christ, you ready, have been clothed with Christ.
[00:51:31] If you as a follower of Jesus look down upon another Christian, you're looking down on Jesus because we're all wearing the same clothes.
[00:51:39] How dare we?
[00:51:41] Listen, do not let paid partisan politician hacks on YouTube or Instagram blind you from the reality of God's people are called to love.
[00:51:52] Do not be indoctrinated by that nonsense.
[00:51:55] Receive the doctrine of God that we're all clothed in Christ.
[00:51:59] But not only that, it says there's neither Jew nor Greek.
[00:52:02] You know what that means?
[00:52:03] There's no ethnic supremacy.
[00:52:06] Since the beginning of time, people have always tried to find a herd or a type to say, we're better than you.
[00:52:11] Here's the deal, at the foot of the cross, we're equal.
[00:52:13] We are all sinners in need of God's grace.
[00:52:18] Slave or free deals with economics.
[00:52:20] In the Greco-Roman world, 50 to 85% of the world was a doulos, an indentured servant.
[00:52:25] So this is talking about economics.
[00:52:29] Friends, that's why we pay off medical debt for people.
[00:52:32] That's why we help the way we help.
[00:52:35] because your position in life should not dictate if you should have grace and be blessed.
[00:52:40] Some of the things that we do in this nation and in the church is, well, they're poor, they must be lazy.
[00:52:46] Really?
[00:52:46] Really?
[00:52:48] Maybe they didn't have a dad that hooked them up at the business.
[00:52:54] Oh, okay, sorry, did I get too, did I mess with your Protestant work ethic right there?
[00:52:59] It's like, just work as hard as you can.
[00:53:01] Can you imagine telling that to a Native American?
[00:53:04] Work as hard as you can and you'll be successful.
[00:53:06] Really?
[00:53:06] While you're herding me off to Oklahoma?
[00:53:10] Think about it.
[00:53:11] And then ladies.
[00:53:12] Women, you can be successful, but you can't vote and you can't work.
[00:53:15] Like, ladies, you literally couldn't vote until like 1920.
[00:53:19] Know your history.
[00:53:21] It's really important.
[00:53:22] And so we, as God's people, don't want to be a respecter of any person.
[00:53:29] We want to respect every person in Christ.
[00:53:31] And then lastly, male and female.
[00:53:34] Men and women are equal.
[00:53:36] You all want to hear some bull jivey?
[00:53:38] There's a group of people claiming to be Christians who don't think women should vote.
[00:53:44] That's crazy!
[00:53:46] Women, you need to know that, like literally, they're going, women should not, what you think, we in a cave?
[00:53:52] Some of the most brilliant people on the planet are women.
[00:53:54] And by the way, I'm preaching about a woman.
[00:53:56] It was a woman that brought the Savior into the world.
[00:54:02] Okay, I gotta continue, I gotta continue, I gotta roll, I gotta roll.
[00:54:06] Since you're all one in Christ Jesus, that we have this oneness, don't let nobody divide us.
[00:54:11] Now watch this, remember when I talked about Abraham?
[00:54:14] And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise.
[00:54:21] God made a promise to Abraham that I'm gonna give you a multi-ethnic family.
[00:54:26] If you follow Jesus, you are the fulfillment of that promise.
[00:54:35] How was Jesus a better Esther?
[00:54:37] Esther interceded for her people, the Jews.
[00:54:40] So watch this.
[00:54:41] Esther was wise.
[00:54:42] Ladies, we want some wise ladies in here.
[00:54:45] Wisdom is the skill to live life.
[00:54:47] So the king didn't know that Esther was Judean.
[00:54:50] He had no idea.
[00:54:51] Haman had no idea.
[00:54:53] So Esther was like, hey, I wanna, king, I wanna do a party for you and your man, Haman.
[00:54:58] So she did it one time, then did it again.
[00:55:00] And y'all, Haman, man, he put on his best suit, a Giorgio Armani.
[00:55:05] I mean, he walked in with his Ferragamo shoes.
[00:55:08] He took Uber Black there.
[00:55:10] I mean, him and his woman.
[00:55:12] And his woman was like, look, you know these Jews that you want to get rid of?
[00:55:17] This Mordecai, I want you to build a gallow.
[00:55:20] 75 feet high, because you're gonna hang it on him.
[00:55:23] She was giving him advice of how to commit genocide, right?
[00:55:26] Anyway, so they roll in, and you know, Esther's wise, Esther's wise, and Esther's like, King, there's something I want you to do for me.
[00:55:33] The king loves Esther, and he's like, what you need, baby?
[00:55:36] What you need, baby?
[00:55:38] Okay.
[00:55:40] So watch what happens.
[00:55:42] Then Esther addressed the king again.
[00:55:45] She fell at his feet, wept.
[00:55:47] and begged him to revoke the evil of Haman the Agite and his plot he had devised against the Jews.
[00:55:54] She interceded.
[00:55:58] Check this out.
[00:55:59] Teenagers, Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father interceding for us.
[00:56:04] Quickly, the word right hand does not mean that God has a literal right hand.
[00:56:09] That's what's called an anthropomorphic term.
[00:56:11] Big word for it means this.
[00:56:12] Human language for us to understand that Jesus, God the Son, is equal with God the Father and he is ruling and reigning right now.
[00:56:22] And you know what he's doing?
[00:56:22] Check this out.
[00:56:24] He's interceding for you.
[00:56:25] What does that mean?
[00:56:26] It means this.
[00:56:31] Who is the one who condemns us?
[00:56:35] Christ Jesus is the one who died and even more has been raised.
[00:56:40] He is also at the right hand of God and interceding for us.
[00:56:45] So let's pause here.
[00:56:47] One of the ways the dark powers are gonna attack you and me
[00:56:50] It's through things we've done in our past, narratives or stories we make up.
[00:56:55] And so what'll happen is we will project what happened in the past.
[00:57:00] So something bad, something hard, your nervous system goes, ooh, ooh, I remember that, danger, danger, danger, gotta run.
[00:57:07] For some of you, when you were young and you did wrong by your children, I mean by your parents, they iced you out.
[00:57:14] They didn't talk to you for a few days.
[00:57:16] So now that you're married, you do that.
[00:57:18] For some of you, you've seen your parents yell at each other or people yelled at you or you were abandoned or neglected or whatever it is, whatever trauma you have, the word trauma is wound, and so what we do is we reach in our backpack and we throw the knives at people.
[00:57:33] In other words, we bleed on people who didn't cut us.
[00:57:38] And Jesus is saying, in that moment, who condemns you?
[00:57:43] Nobody does.
[00:57:45] Because I've died and I've raised and I'm at the right hand of God interceding for us.
[00:57:51] The way this is described in Hebrew, I'm sorry, yeah, it's a Hebrew law court and Jesus is our defense attorney and the prosecutor is Satan.
[00:57:59] Guys, do you know where the devil is?
[00:58:02] The devil is not omnipresent.
[00:58:04] Diablos, the accuser, he's in the very throne room of God.
[00:58:08] Stop blaming stuff on the devil.
[00:58:09] He can't travel that fast.
[00:58:11] And plus, he never leaves the throne room.
[00:58:13] They're demons.
[00:58:14] Let me pause real quick.
[00:58:17] Stop blaming the devil for stuff you do.
[00:58:21] Oh, the devil ain't made you watch porn.
[00:58:23] You did that.
[00:58:24] Devil didn't make you lie.
[00:58:25] Your insecurity did that.
[00:58:28] People go, no weapon formed against me will proper.
[00:58:31] Yes, it will if you the weapon.
[00:58:34] You ever meet somebody like, man, ain't no weapon gonna form against me.
[00:58:38] All this debt I got.
[00:58:39] Ain't nobody tell you to buy this stuff you can't afford because you got an addiction.
[00:58:44] You feel what I'm saying?
[00:58:45] Hey, that's gonna end.
[00:58:46] We're gonna get healthy in this place.
[00:58:47] We're gonna let the gospel make us secure.
[00:58:50] We're gonna get over our hurt and our pain.
[00:58:52] We're gonna find purpose.
[00:58:53] You know why?
[00:58:54] Because when the devil's like, hey, hey, God the Father, you know this preacher you got Dewey?
[00:59:00] I'm not sure if you know, but let me tell you what this joker did back in 1988 in high school.
[00:59:06] Ooh, do you know all this?
[00:59:07] And Jesus looks at him and says, under the blood,
[00:59:13] and sits down.
[00:59:14] And the devil's like, wait, wait, wait.
[00:59:16] No, I'm talking when he got to BYU that freshman year, you know what he did?
[00:59:21] And then Jesus, like a Jamaican says, undiddy blood.
[00:59:25] Whatever you got to say, man, undiddy blood.
[00:59:28] All of his sins is undiddy blood.
[00:59:31] Hey, y'all think I'm joking.
[00:59:35] Hold on, hold on.
[00:59:35] You guys think I'm joking.
[00:59:38] When those things come back, I go under the blood.
[00:59:42] You don't preach to yourself.
[00:59:45] You lie to yourself.
[00:59:45] That's what you do.
[00:59:47] Guys, if you count the number of times I say gospel and Jesus in a sermon, it's ridiculous.
[00:59:53] It's more than most places.
[00:59:55] Why?
[00:59:56] Because I don't want you to do self-help.
[00:59:58] I want you to go, Oh, God, I'm feeling shame.
[01:00:00] You know what I'm going to do?
[01:00:01] I'm going to run under the blood.
[01:00:02] I'm feeling guilt.
[01:00:03] You know what I'm going to do?
[01:00:04] I'm going to run under the blood.
[01:00:05] Oh, Jesus, save me.
[01:00:07] Under the blood.
[01:00:08] There's power in the blood of Jesus, and you're thinking about yourself.
[01:00:12] You know what your problem is.
[01:00:14] You ready?
[01:00:14] You think about you too much.
[01:00:17] Fixing your sin problem is not what you do.
[01:00:20] It's remembering you're under the blood.
[01:00:23] I'm under the blood.
[01:00:25] I'm holy.
[01:00:25] I'm blameless.
[01:00:26] I'm forgiven.
[01:00:27] I'm under the blood.
[01:00:29] Guys, it's really not that hard.
[01:00:31] The scene of the crime is your mind.
[01:00:34] Where are you setting your mind to?
[01:00:37] So every time the devil wants to bring an accusation against you, Jesus is like,
[01:00:43] Under the Blood.
[01:00:49] Also, teenagers, you're gonna go through some hard things, okay?
[01:00:53] It's not unusual.
[01:00:56] We're not yet in a new heaven and new earth.
[01:00:57] There's gonna be difficulties.
[01:00:59] And Jesus is gonna be there with us.
[01:01:02] Who can separate us from the love of Christ?
[01:01:05] Can affliction?
[01:01:06] Nope.
[01:01:07] Our distress?
[01:01:08] Nope.
[01:01:10] Our persecution?
[01:01:11] Nope.
[01:01:12] Our famine?
[01:01:13] Nope.
[01:01:14] Our nakedness?
[01:01:16] Our danger?
[01:01:17] Our sword?
[01:01:19] No.
[01:01:21] Because we are under the blood.
[01:01:25] You have a defense attorney right now, and you're like, Pastor, but you don't even know what I did last night.
[01:01:31] I don't know what you did last night, but I know what Jesus did 2,000 years ago.
[01:01:35] And what he did 2,000 years ago is greater than what you did last night.
[01:01:38] And the more you think about what he did 2,000 years ago, the less you will do what you did last night.
[01:01:46] Guys, that'll change everything.
[01:01:50] Like, we look for these formulas.
[01:01:51] It's not a formula, it's a person.
[01:01:54] who's saying, run to me, come to me.
[01:02:01] We have an intercessor, somebody who stands in our place.
[01:02:05] Let me take you back in time.
[01:02:07] Teenagers, now you might find this hard to believe, but at one time I was 10 years old in elementary.
[01:02:14] My jerry curl weighed more than my body.
[01:02:17] Now growing up on the west side of San Antonio, Texas, it was not for the faint of heart
[01:02:22] So every day after, I mean, there was just issues and you had to defend yourself.
[01:02:26] Now, I'm not an angry person.
[01:02:30] Like when I played professional football, I had to work myself into it.
[01:02:35] I had to work at it.
[01:02:36] Some guys wake up just mad.
[01:02:39] I wanna hit somebody.
[01:02:40] Like I had to work at it.
[01:02:42] And so, yeah, I was a little timid and I was gonna get into a fight.
[01:02:47] And you know, everybody gets around and I'm like, oh Lord.
[01:02:51] But you can't let nobody know that, man.
[01:02:53] Not where I grew up at.
[01:02:55] But I had a cousin named Daryl.
[01:02:57] He was red boned.
[01:02:59] That means he was light skinned.
[01:03:02] And I was like coming up like, and Daryl's like, Dewey, I got this.
[01:03:09] And then the dude was like, okay, I'm out.
[01:03:12] And I was like, yeah.
[01:03:13] I was like, hold me back!
[01:03:17] I was walking home like, thank you.
[01:03:22] Hey guys, Jesus says, I got this.
[01:03:28] Would you just let him get it?
[01:03:31] That's faith.
[01:03:32] Faith is, I'm gonna let you get it, God.
[01:03:34] Some of you, your problem right now is you're going, God, I got this.
[01:03:37] And he's like, I don't want your strength because you ain't got none.
[01:03:41] I want your weakness.
[01:03:43] Because if I have your weakness, you'll be stronger than you ever thought.
[01:03:50] Teenagers, check this out.
[01:03:51] Free teens.
[01:03:54] Esther exposed the enemy's plot.
[01:03:56] So in this banquet hall that she had for the king, she exposed this plot.
[01:04:01] Esther answered, the adversary and the enemy is the evil Haman.
[01:04:06] Haman stood terrified before the king and queen.
[01:04:09] So imagine Haman thought he was gonna get a promotion and he's sitting there terrified.
[01:04:15] Never forget this.
[01:04:16] The dark powers and even Satan himself is terrified of you.
[01:04:23] because of Christ in you.
[01:04:25] Let me just lovingly give a rebuke.
[01:04:27] The same for everybody.
[01:04:28] This is for some of y'all.
[01:04:30] When my wife and I became Christians and we started attending a church, Vicki and I would frequently ask ourselves, why are these people so afraid of everything?
[01:04:42] They afraid of Democrats?
[01:04:45] They're afraid of Y2K.
[01:04:47] Y'all remember Y2K?
[01:04:48] Don't act like you weren't scared of Y2K and you put cans of tamales away and stuff for when the clocks was gonna blow up.
[01:04:56] Like, why is it that Christians be like, yep, somebody on the internet said Jesus is coming back today.
[01:05:01] Why are we the ones that fall for that when Jesus is like, no, he's not coming back.
[01:05:05] So we couldn't, they were like afraid of public school.
[01:05:08] They were afraid of everything.
[01:05:09] And I'm like, guys, I'm a brand new Christian.
[01:05:12] But when I read the Bible, it actually says that demons tremble at the name of Jesus.
[01:05:18] It actually says that he rose from the dead.
[01:05:22] If he lives in you, why are you so scared?
[01:05:25] Maybe he don't live in you.
[01:05:34] We're not gonna have a scared church, y'all.
[01:05:37] And by the way, Democrats are Christians too.
[01:05:39] You ready for this?
[01:05:40] This is gonna blow you guys away.
[01:05:43] I got friends in Norway.
[01:05:46] There is no far right party.
[01:05:49] You do know that most Christians who've ever lived or who ever lived have no clue nor do they care what a Republican and Democrat is.
[01:05:56] and for you to think that that's a litmus test for Christianity is idolatrous, it's antichrist and demonic.
[01:06:01] And you've got brothers and sisters around the world who think we here in America have lost our everlasting mind and frankly it is embarrassing when I go international and I gotta try to explain this stuff.
[01:06:12] Not here, not in this place.
[01:06:13] We're gonna be kingdom people seeking God first, following him, who Jesus is.
[01:06:19] Now look, look, here's the deal, here's the deal.
[01:06:22] Look, some of you are gonna get mad, love you, and you can leave, and more people are gonna come who get the vision of what needs to take place, but I'm gonna feel sorry for you.
[01:06:33] We will not surrender our birthright to grifters and con artists.
[01:06:39] Jesus has done too much.
[01:06:43] Esther.
[01:06:44] It's like, you know what, I could sit here in the palace, but how quickly will they find out that I'm a Jew?
[01:06:49] Don't wait till it affects you to care.
[01:06:54] He was terrified, and Jesus defeated the enemy's plot.
[01:07:01] Okay, confession time.
[01:07:05] If I was God, and thank goodness I'm not, if I was gonna beat up Satan,
[01:07:13] I don't think I would have been born in Bethlehem in the womb of Mary.
[01:07:18] Man, I think I would have rolled out like Battlestar Galactica with a fleet of angels with music like I'm like, Satan!
[01:07:33] Poof, you're gone.
[01:07:36] But you know what he chose?
[01:07:38] Human frailty and weakness.
[01:07:40] You know what he chose?
[01:07:42] To have violence done to him.
[01:07:44] You know what he chose?
[01:07:46] Mercy.
[01:07:47] Do you remember when Christianity was known for, blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is the kingdom of God, Matthew 5, 9.
[01:07:53] Blessed are the humble, for they shall inherit the earth, Matthew 5, 4.
[01:07:57] Do y'all remember that?
[01:07:58] Matthew 5, 5.
[01:07:59] Blessed are the merciful, for they will see the face of God.
[01:08:03] That's the kind of Christianity we want to have, because that's Jesus' Christianity.
[01:08:07] So good thing I'm not God.
[01:08:08] Look what God did.
[01:08:10] God did.
[01:08:14] You were dead because of your sins and because of your sinful nature was not yet cut away.
[01:08:21] Then God made you alive because you were a good girl and a good boy.
[01:08:25] Then God made you alive because you fixed all your problems.
[01:08:28] God made you alive because you no longer had mental health issues and anxiety.
[01:08:32] God made you alive because you got rid of your addiction.
[01:08:35] God made you alive because you didn't get divorced.
[01:08:39] No.
[01:08:41] Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all of your sins.
[01:08:46] That's the one thing that I super love about Jesus.
[01:08:50] I mean, he is the most pure love that there is.
[01:08:55] I mean, he crawls into our pig pen with us.
[01:08:59] He doesn't say, jump out, good luck.
[01:09:01] He says, no, no, I'm gonna get in the dirt with you.
[01:09:03] I'm gonna get dirt under my fingernails with you.
[01:09:05] I'm gonna get in the midst of it with you because I'm a lover and I've always loved you.
[01:09:09] People go, why does God love me?
[01:09:10] Because God is love.
[01:09:12] The reason why God love you is because God is love, period.
[01:09:16] And he wants you and I to experience that love so much so that the cross is still bloody.
[01:09:22] He forgave all your sins, past, present, future.
[01:09:27] He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it by nailing it to the cross.
[01:09:32] So every time you and I want to go historical and grab our sins and project, we're going back 2,000 years to Golgotha, the Jerusalem garbage dump, and climb up on the cross and grabbing a nail and pulling it out and throwing it at someone.
[01:09:47] Guys, don't go back.
[01:09:48] Leave it nailed to the cross.
[01:09:49] Leave it there.
[01:09:51] You're like, the pastor, how can I?
[01:09:53] You say, Jesus Christ.
[01:09:57] That was a black person, wasn't it?
[01:10:02] Who was it?
[01:10:02] Who was it?
[01:10:05] Hey, I'm from San Antonio, boss.
[01:10:14] I went west side real quick.
[01:10:16] I'm sorry, people online, I just had a west side moment.
[01:10:20] I felt like I was at home.
[01:10:23] In this way, he disarmed spiritual rulers and authorities.
[01:10:29] He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
[01:10:33] It looked like Jesus was shamed, but he shamed them.
[01:10:39] Esther stepped into the throne room hoping for mercy.
[01:10:44] Jesus stepped onto the cross guaranteeing it.
[01:10:52] Jesus is a better Esther.
[01:10:53] He's our advocate, our intercessor, our deliverer forever.
[01:10:59] So he goes into the king's court and he says, dad, they're with me.
[01:11:07] My righteousness is theirs.
[01:11:09] My blood is theirs.
[01:11:12] And I'm gonna intercede with them and tell the devil under the blood,
[01:11:16] and I'm always gonna deliver them because the dark powers have been defeated.
[01:11:22] So Transformation Church, this Christmas season, remember this, you are under the blood and Jesus is a better Esther.
[01:11:33] Let's pray.
[01:11:35] God of grace and mercy, thank you for your kindness.
[01:11:41] Thank you that we are under the blood.
[01:11:45] that we have a better Esther, King Jesus, our advocate, our intercessor, our deliverer.
[01:11:52] And right now at TC Lake Wylie and also here at TC NLN and online,
[01:11:59] If God the Father, the King, calls you into his courtroom, do you think you can enter by what you've done or by what Jesus has done?
[01:12:08] What I'm asking you is this, is have you allowed Jesus to be your substitute and have you chosen to follow him?
[01:12:16] Have you chosen to receive the forgiveness of sins and a new life?
[01:12:21] Hey, today you can do that.
[01:12:24] Right now, give your life to Jesus.
[01:12:25] If you've never done it before, give your life to Jesus right here, right now.
[01:12:31] I want you to repeat Romans 10 9 with me in the silence of your heart.
[01:12:34] This is what Holy Scripture says.
[01:12:38] Repeat it after me if you're ready to give your life to Jesus.
[01:12:41] If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross and rose three days later, you will be saved.
[01:12:52] Just say, I believe.
[01:12:55] He took my place on the cross.
[01:12:57] His blood forgives me.
[01:12:59] and three days later he rose again to live in me and to make me his.
[01:13:03] I believe and I receive and I choose to follow him all the days of my life.
[01:13:07] In Jesus' name, amen.
[01:13:09] Let's give God a round of applause, fam.
[01:13:13] All right.
[01:13:15] Listen, there's a connection card in the seat in front of you.
[01:13:18] Would you fill that out if you prayed to receive Christ?
[01:13:20] Check, I prayed to receive Christ.
[01:13:22] If you're online, let us know you prayed to receive Christ, okay?
[01:13:27] Now here's our soul tattoo.
[01:13:30] Live from the life of Jesus the better Esther.
[01:13:33] Re-listen to this sermon.
[01:13:35] Do the study groups.
[01:13:37] Do the study questions on the website is what I meant to say.
[01:13:41] And here's our action step.
[01:13:43] Invite someone to Christmas Eve.
[01:13:46] 82% of people will come to a church service if you invite them.
[01:13:52] Now, invite people who are not of a part of a church or people who don't know Jesus.
[01:13:57] If they go to another church, leave them there.
[01:13:59] They know Christ.
[01:14:00] We wanna reach people who don't know Christ, okay?
[01:14:03] So pray and invite.
[01:14:05] We got services.
[01:14:06] We got three here at Indian Land, two at Lake Wylie.
[01:14:10] I wanna pray that it is standing room only at all five of the services.
[01:14:14] Three here, two at Lake Wylie.
[01:14:17] Why?
[01:14:18] Because I want everybody under the blood.
[01:14:23] Hey, I love you guys, and I appreciate y'all so much.
[01:14:26] Can you welcome our campus hosts?

[01:14:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Thank you, Pastor Derwin, and a great way to help us to invite on your way out today.
[01:14:38] We have invite cards at all the doors.
[01:14:40] Grab some of those, and when you invite somebody, give them the card, and it gives them the time as well.
[01:14:45] This is our time for our benediction.
[01:14:46] Our benediction's a good word.
[01:14:48] So let's everyone stand up.
[01:14:49] Our good word is our vision and together we say upward inward outward upward for loving god completely inward for loving ourselves correctly and outward for loving our neighbors compassionately after we say that i point at you you point at me and we say transformers roll out why because this is just the
[01:15:11] And now it's time to go play the game.
[01:15:14] All right, on the count of three.
[01:15:15] One, two, three.
[01:15:16] Upward, inward, outward.
[01:15:20] Transformers, roll out.