Engaging, weekly Bible teaching from Pastor Jeff Struecker
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June 15, 202638 min
Esther: GOD is always in control / Pastor Troy Singleton
Big Idea: GOD is always in control Esther 10:1-3King Ahasuerus imposed a tax throughout the land even to the farthest shores. All of his powerful and magnificent accomplishments and the detailed account of Mordecai’s great rank with which the king had honored him, have they not been written in the Book of the Historical Events of the Kings of Media and Persia? Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus. He was famous among the Jews and highly esteemed by many of his relatives. He continued to pursue prosperity for his people and to speak for the well-being of all his descendants.1. God can move in a supernaturally, natural way.2. God’s move never rules out our actions.3. God allows His people to be tested.4. God’s children can rejoice. Next Steps:Believe: I surrender control of my life to Jesus today.Become: I trust God to handle every situation in my life.Be Sent: I will help someone serve God this week.Discussion Questions:1. Do you trust God’s will in every problem you face in life? Why or why not?2. How does the book of Esther reflect God at work in your life, even though at times you don’t feel His presents?3. Are you honest with your feelings to God when you face challenges?4. Would you prefer God tell you how He’s going to fix something in your life or guide you through it?5. What qualities do you possess that make you a good leader?6. How does this story encourage you to stand up for justice, even in the face of great challenges?7. Pray for the Holy Spirit to allow you to remember and talk about acts of great leadership with someone this week.
June 8, 202636 min
Esther: Gratitude is the seed, attitude is the fruit. / Pastor Jeff Struecker
Big Idea: Gratitude is the seed, attitude is the fruit.Esther 9:18-32 I. Take time to celebrate your faith. Esther 9:18-22But the Jews in Susa had assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. They rested on the fifteenth day of the month, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing. This explains why the rural Jews who live in villages observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a time of rejoicing and feasting. It is a holiday when they send gifts to one another. Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all of King Ahasuerus’s provinces, both near and far. He ordered them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar every year because during those days the Jews gained relief from their enemies. That was the month when their sorrow was turned into rejoicing and their mourning into a holiday. They were to be days of feasting, rejoicing, and of sending gifts to one another and to the poor. II. Remind yourself of God’s deliverance. Esther 9:23-28So the Jews agreed to continue the practice they had begun, as Mordecai had written them to do. For Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them. He cast the pur—that is, the lot—to crush and destroy them. But when the matter was brought before the king, he commanded by letter that the evil plan Haman had devised against the Jews return on his own head and that he should be hanged with his sons on the gallows. For this reason these days are called Purim, from the word pur. Because of all the instructions in this letter as well as what they had witnessed and what had happened to them, the Jews bound themselves, their descendants, and all who joined with them to a commitment that they would not fail to celebrate these two days each and every year according to the written instructions and according to the time appointed. These days are remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim will not lose their significance in Jewish life and their memory will not fade from their descendants.III. Pass it on to the future generations.Esther 9:29-32Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote this second letter with full authority to confirm the letter about Purim. He sent letters with assurances of peace and security to all the Jews who were in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in order to confirm these days of Purim at their proper time just as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had established them and just as they had committed themselves and their descendants to the practices of fasting and lamentation. So Esther’s command confirmed these customs of Purim, which were then written into the record.Next Steps: Believe: I need to start my faith journey today.Become: I will spend time celebrating my freedom this week.Be Sent: I will share my testimony with someone this week.Discussion Questions: What are you most grateful for today? How often do you remind yourself of God’s simple gifts when life isn’t going your way?Do you have a way of celebrating your faith regularly? If so, how?Do you know your family’s journey of faith? Does your family know yours?If there were a festival to celebrate your personal faith, what would it be called?With whom did you last share your personal testimony?Ask the Holy Spirit for the opportunity to share God’s grace with someone this week.
June 1, 202636 min
Esther: God doesn’t change problems; he changes people. / Pastor Jeff Struecker
Big Idea: God doesn’t change problems; he changes people.Esther 9:1-17 I. God moves at the perfect momentEsther 9:1-5The king’s command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews’ enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them. In each of King Ahasuerus’s provinces the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them. Not a single person could withstand them; fear of them fell on every nationality. All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the royal civil administrators aided the Jews because they feared Mordecai. For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful. The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them. II. Only God can turn the tidesEsther 9:6-10In the fortress of Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. They killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. However, they did not seize any plunder.III. God is the only warrior that mattersEsther 9:11-17On that day the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa was reported to the king. The king said to Queen Esther, “In the fortress of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek will also be done.” Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, may the Jews who are in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out today’s law, and may the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hung on the gallows.” The king gave the orders for this to be done, so a law was announced in Susa, and they hung the bodies of Haman’s ten sons. The Jews in Susa assembled again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men in Susa, but they did not seize any plunder. The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces assembled, defended themselves, and gained relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not seize any plunder. They fought on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar and rested on the fourteenth, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing.Next Steps: Believe: I need God to change me today.Become: I will serve someone in need this week.Be Sent: I want to see God change my city, one person at a time.Discussion Questions: When was the last time you faced opposition for doing the right thing?Who in your life does God most need to change?Has there been a situation you thought was too far gone for even God to change it?If God is the only factor that matters in our problems, why do we worry about our circumstances?Describe a time when you persevered, even though you wanted to give up. How did it turn out?How does it affect your faith when God doesn’t respond when you want him to?Pray for the Holy Spirit to make you an agent of change in your city.
May 26, 202632 min
Esther: There’s no going back, but God can make a better way forward. / Pastor Jeff Struecker
Big Idea: There’s no going back, but God can make a better way forward.Esther 8:1-17I. Don’t forget your past. Esther 8:1-2That same day King Ahasuerus awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed her relationship to Mordecai. The king removed his signet ring he had recovered from Haman and gave it to Mordecai...II. Don’t pout over your past.Esther 8:3-8Then Esther addressed the king again. She fell at his feet, wept, and begged him to revoke the evil of Haman the Agagite and his plot he had devised against the Jews. The king extended the gold scepter toward Esther, so she got up and stood before the king. She said, “If it pleases the king and I have found favor with him, if the matter seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let a royal edict be written. Let it revoke the documents the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. For how could I bear to see the disaster that would come on my people? How could I bear to see the destruction of my relatives?” King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he was hanged on the gallows because he attacked the Jews. Write in the king’s name whatever pleases you concerning the Jews, and...III. Let your past become the first step to a new future.Esther 8:9-14On the twenty-third day of the third month—that is, the month Sivan—the royal scribes were summoned. Everything was written exactly as Mordecai commanded for the Jews, to the satraps, the governors, and the officials of the 127 provinces from India to Cush. The edict was written for each province in its own script, for each ethnic group in its own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language. Mordecai wrote in King Ahasuerus’s name and sealed the edicts with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses bred in the royal stables. The king’s edict gave the Jews in each and every city the right to assemble and defend themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate every ethnic and provincial army hostile to them, including women and children, and to take their possessions as spoils of war. This would take place on a single day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. A copy of the text, issued as law throughout every province, was distributed to all the peoples so the Jews could be ready to avenge themselves against their enemies on that day. The couriers rode out in haste...IV. God WILL turn your painful past into something beautiful!Esther 8:15-17Mordecai went from the king’s presence clothed in royal blue and white, with a great gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. The city of Susa shouted and rejoiced, and the Jews celebrated with gladness, joy, and honor. In every province and every city where the king’s command and edict reached, gladness and joy took place among the Jews. There was a celebration and a holiday. And many of ...Next Steps: Believe: I need Jesus to forgive me for my past sins today.Become: I trust God to turn my past into something beautiful. Be Sent: I will help someone who is haunted by their past this week.Discussion Questions: If you could wipe one thing out of your past, what would it be? Has a painful moment in your past made you a better person today? If so, explain how.How has your past shaped the way you see the world?What does it look like to get “stuck” in your past?Would you prefer for Jesus to redeem your past or Jesus to remove it? Explain your answer. Who do you know that needs to move beyond their past?Pray for the Holy Spirit to use you to minister to someone whose life is a mess this week.
May 18, 202631 min
Esther: God’s plan happens through human hands! / Pastor Jeff Struecker
Big Idea: God’s plan happens through human hands! Esther 7:1-10I. You might need to get your hands dirty.Esther 7:1-4The king and Haman came to feast with Esther the queen. Once again, on the second day while drinking wine, the king asked Esther, “Queen Esther, whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek, even to half the kingdom, will be done.” Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if the king is pleased, spare my life; this is my request. And spare my people; this is my desire. For my people and I have been sold to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept silent. Indeed, the trouble wouldn’t be worth burdening the king.”II. God perfectly placed you to carry out his plan.Esther 7:5-7King Ahasuerus spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?” Esther answered, “The adversary and enemy is this evil Haman.” Haman stood terrified before the king and queen. The king arose in anger and went from where they were drinking wine to the palace garden. Haman remained to beg Queen Esther for his life because he realized the king was planning something terrible for him.III. God displays his power through ordinary people.Esther 7:8-10Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually violate the queen while I am in the house?” As soon as the statement left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “There is a gallows seventy-five feet tall at Haman’s house that he made for Mordecai, who gave the report that saved the king.” The king said, “Hang him on it.” They hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger subsided.Next Steps: Believe: I surrender everything to Jesus today.Become: I will trust His plan, even when it’s scary.Be Sent: I offer my hands to Jesus this week.Discussion Questions: When was the last time you felt God working through you? Explain.Why does God choose to include people in his plan for the future?What causes some Christians to hesitate to minister to people in need near them?Read Revelation 13:8. If God had a plan before He created the world, how do you fit into it?When do you feel you were making the biggest difference in someone’s life? What is God’s plan for your city? Explain it using Scripture.Pray for God to use you to accomplish his plan for your city this week.
May 11, 202634 min
Mother's Day: The Father shows his heart through a mother’s love. / Pastor Jeff Struecker
Big Idea- The Father shows his heart through a mother’s love.Proverbs 31:25Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.I. A mother’s strength isn’t measured at the gym.II. A mother’s honor isn’t measured in likes or shares.III. A mother’s hope isn’t measured on the easy days.Next Steps:Believe: I need to experience God’s love for the first time today.Become: I will bless the women in my life who have blessed me.Be Sent: I will serve a mother in my neighborhood who is struggling. Discussion Questions:Is there anyone in your life who had a bigger impact on you than your mother? In what way did your mother leave the biggest impression on you?Describe your mother’s faith.How did your mother influence your view of God?What habit did your mother have that you’d like to keep? (Or definitely won’t keep?)If your mother has passed, what’s one thing you’d like to say to her today?Pray for opportunities to serve mothers in need around you this week.
May 4, 202638 min
Esther: Once God tips the first domino, your story becomes unstoppable. / Pastor Jeff Struecker
Big Idea: Once God tips the first domino, your story becomes unstoppable.Esther 6:1-14I. There’s a nail-scared hand putting your pieces in place right now!Esther 6:1-3That night sleep escaped the king, so he ordered the book recording daily events to be brought and read to the king. They found the written report of how Mordecai had informed on Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, when they planned to assassinate King Ahasuerus. The king inquired, “What honor and special recognition have been given to Mordecai for this act?” The king’s personal attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.”II. Nothing on heaven or earth can stop God’s hand.Esther 6:4-9The king asked, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman was just entering the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him. The king’s attendants answered him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” “Have him enter,” the king ordered. Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king wants to honor?” Haman thought to himself, “Who is it the king would want to honor more than me?” Haman told the king, “For the man the king wants to honor: Have them bring a royal garment that the king himself has worn and a horse the king himself has ridden, which has a royal crown on its head. Put the garment and the horse under the charge of one of the king’s most noble officials. Have them clothe the man the king wants to honor, parade him on the horse through the city square, and call out before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor.’III. God’s timing is never random.Esther 6:10-14The king told Haman, “Hurry, and do just as you proposed. Take a garment and a horse for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the King’s Gate. Do not leave out anything you have suggested.” So Haman took the garment and the horse. He clothed Mordecai and paraded him through the city square, calling out before him, “This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor.” Then Mordecai returned to the King’s Gate, but Haman hurried off for home, mournful and with his head covered. Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai is Jewish, and you have begun to fall before him, you won’t overcome him, because your downfall is certain.” While they were still speaking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and rushed Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.Next Steps: Believe: I need Jesus to start his work in my heart today.Become: I will trust God’s plan this week, even when it doesn’t make sense. Be Sent: I will play my part in God’s plan for my city this week.Discussion Questions: 1. Do you feel like God is a bit late in your life? In what areas of your life?2. Looking back, can you think of a time when you only realized later that God’s timing was perfect?3. How should trusting God’s timing change your reaction to delays or setbacks?4. Have you seen God’s hidden hand at work in your life this week?5. What are some unhealthy ways you try to rush God’s timing? 6. In what area of your life is God calling you to be more patient this week?7. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you see your role in God’s plan for your city.
April 27, 202634 min
Esther: Living by faith is simple, but NOT easy! / Pastor Jeff Struecker
Big Idea: Living by faith is simple, but NOT easy!Esther 5:1-14I. Faith must be courageousEsther 5:1-2On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing its entrance. As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she gained favor with him. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.II. Faith is always patientEsther 5:3-5“What is it, Queen Esther?” the king asked her. “Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be given to you.” “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for them.” The king said, “Hurry, and get Haman so we can do as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared.III. Faith makes you persistentEsther 5:6-8While drinking the wine, the king asked Esther, “Whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be done.” Esther answered, “This is my petition and my request: If I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and perform my request, may the king and Haman come to the banquet I will prepare for them. Tomorrow I will do what the king has asked.”IV. Faith leaves no room for prideEsther 5:9-14That day Haman left full of joy and in good spirits. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the King’s Gate, and Mordecai didn’t rise or tremble in fear at his presence, Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai. Yet Haman controlled himself and went home. He sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh to join him. Then Haman described for them his glorious wealth and his many sons. He told them all how the king had honored him and promoted him in rank over the other officials and the royal staff. “What’s more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she had prepared. I am invited again tomorrow to join her with the king. Still, none of this satisfies me since I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King’s Gate all the time.” His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows seventy-five feet tall. Ask the king in the morning to hang Mordecai on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.” The advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows constructed.Next Steps: Believe: I have been living for myself; today, I surrender to Christ in faith.Become: I will trust God’s timing this week. Be Sent: I will share Jesus with someone this week.Discussion Questions: What do you use to measure how much you’re living by faith?When was the last time you measured this? How satisfied are you with the results?How can we actively prepare ourselves spiritually to demonstrate courage in our daily lives, according to Esther's example?How does humility play a role in true courage for a Christian?What intimidating situations are you currently facing that could call for boldness like Esther's?Will you pray a bold prayer like Esther for someone in need this week?Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you live out a bold faith this week.
April 20, 202630 min
Esther: No one else can play your part in God’s plan. / Pastor Jeff Struecker
Big Idea: No one else can play your part in God’s plan.Esther 4:4-17I. God’s plan is usually confusingEsther 4:4-8Esther’s female servants and her eunuchs came and reported the news to her, and the queen was overcome with fear. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear so that he would take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept them. Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who attended her, and dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what he was doing and why. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the King’s Gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened as well as the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the slaughter of the Jews. Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa ordering their destruction, so that Hathach might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and command her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead with him personally for her people.II. Fear only gets in your wayEsther 4:9-12Hathach came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther. Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai, “All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been summoned—the death penalty—unless the king extends the gold scepter, allowing that person to live. I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the last thirty days.” Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai.III. You are an essential part of God’s planEsther 4:13-14Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. 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.”IV. You don’t need anything but faith Esther 4:15-17Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.” So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.Next Steps: Believe: I’m ready to surrender to God today.Become: I will face my fear with the help of the Holy Spirit.Be Sent: I will carry out God’s plan to reach my city.Discussion Questions: How have you seen God at work around you this week?What do you believe God’s plan for humanity is? Do you believe that God has an essential role for you to play in that plan? Explain.Is faithfully carrying out God’s plan always easy or pleasant? Do you find it intimidating to talk to people about your faith? Explain.Did something confusing happen recently that made you question God’s plan?Pray for God to use you to help someone follow Jesus this week.
April 13, 202633 min
Esther: When one person suffers, the whole community should feel it. / Pastor Jeff Struecker
Big Idea: When one person suffers, the whole community should feel it. Esther 4:1-3I. Who will be the first to plead for God’s mercy? Esther 4:1When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly.II. There’s always tension between society and spirituality. Esther 4:2He went only as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate.III. God hears when the whole community prays. Esther 4:3There was great mourning among the Jewish people in every province where the king’s command and edict reached. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.Next Steps: Believe: I need God’s mercy for my desperate soul today.Become: I will mourn and pray for my community this week.Be Sent: I will push back darkness in my community this week.Discussion Questions: What is your neighbor’s biggest struggle today?Have you had a spiritual conversation with your neighbor yet?How comfortable are you demonstrating your faith in public? Explain.Do you believe that God expects you to pray for the sins of your community? Explain your answer.What is the best way to show your neighbor that you care about their struggles?Why is it sometimes easier to ignore your neighbor’s pain than to enter into it with them?Pray for your neighbors by name today.
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