Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

Have you ever been promised something, but you have to wait a while for it to come? We’ve all been there. The promise of marriage, the promise of Christmas, the promise of a vacation or a new job – big promises and great anticipation for their fulfillment. As Christians we live with a promise and we await the promised land. So, how do we live in between?

Life is full of questions. We all have lots of things we’d like to ask God that we believe one day those questions will be answered. But how do we live now – between the questions and the answers? That’s what we’ll be talking about this week.

Have you ever been in one place when you were supposed to be in another? As Christians, we are called to live in the world but not of the world. Because of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross we are free from the power of sin, and yet still not free from the presence of sin. We are called to depend wholly upon Christ and at the same time to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. On this earth, we live with this holy tension. In many ways we live life in between. In between what is already positionally true now, but still not yet practically realized. In this next series, we will explore how to live in between. We’ll study through how to live in between sinner and saint, in between the questions and the answers, in between the promise and the promised land, in between God and Caesar, and in between knowing and doing. This practical series will serve as a guide for how to live life now, in the in between.

There are certain moments and feelings in life that we wish would never end and could keep on going. As we come to the end of our study in the book of Esther, we enter into a time like that. You won’t want to miss the finale as we’ll see the importance of remembering those good times and celebrating God’s goodness to us.

Recently, the NBA’s Boston Celtics had the opportunity to do what no other NBA team had ever done in the playoffs—turn the tables on their opponent to win the 7-game series after losing the first three games. Sadly, the Celtics were not able to join their city’s Red Sox, Major League Baseball’s only team to ever come back from a 0-3 deficit (and – Can you tell Pastor Steve isn’t writing this email? – it was against the Yankees!); they lost Game 7 to the Miami Heat, and the game wasn’t especially close. It’s stuff like this that makes sports so appealing to us—these kinds of heroic and against-all-odds moments. There is something in us that comes alive when the tables are turned. And in this week’s passage in Esther 9, we see the tables turning in a big way as God works on behalf of His people. There are some great lessons in this passage to encourage us in our mission to make disciples for Jesus.

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and thought you reached the end of the story only for there to be another twist in the plot? Life works that way. We think there is a resolution to a circumstance, but then something happens revealing the circumstance is not yet resolved. The same thing happens in the book of Esther. Haman is dead, Esther has identified herself with God’s people, Mordecai is alive, everything is good, or is it? You won’t want to miss the next turn in the story of Queen Esther.

There is something about human nature that really appreciates a real plot twist. It pushes us to the edge of our seat when something happens that you just don’t see coming. One of the most amazing plot twists in all of scripture occurs in Esther 7.

Have you ever watched a sporting event and you see the momentum shift? There is a feeling that comes over the crowd as the team that was behind is now turning things around. A sense of excitement or dread, depending on your point of view, takes over. As we continue our study of Queen Esther, The Weight of the Crown, we come to a momentum shift in the book. The world would look at this shift and call it coincidence. As Christians, we see God’s invisible hand of providence.

As we continue our Esther series this Mother’s day, I’m so excited for you to hear Will Smith bring God’s word. He is a faithful brother who loves God, loves people, and loves God’s word. Our church family has benefitted by his ministry in a variety of ways and this Sunday we will benefit from his study and proclamation of God’s truth. So, whether this Sunday is a time of celebration or heartache I know you will be encouraged as we lift our eyes heavenward to the king of kings and lord of lords.

Have you ever learned to play a sport or an instrument? As you play more and more you tend to get better and better. One of the characteristics of the Christian is growth. As our faith is activated we grow in relationship with God and the effect that has on our daily living. We’ll see and be challenged by that in the next scene from the life of Queen Esther.

As we look around the world and our own lives we see countless things that are not as they should be. Circumstances and cultural norms that should be different. When we read the story of Queen Esther we see a world not so different than our own – a world filled with sin. This week we will see some of those things that should not be, but we will also see an active God working all things together for the good of those who love Him.

When we see movies play out on the big screen sometimes those stories can be romanticized. As we read the Scriptures, we can do much the same thing. We can imagine a fairy tale like setting, where the scenes and the characters are sanitized from the stain of sin. One character we often do that with is Esther. This week we’ll see that while Esther was not perfect and her life was far from idyllic God did not desert her. He doesn’t desert us either even with all our stains.

We live in a world of uncertainty with danger seemingly lurking behind every shadow. Many are trapped in a confused maze punctuated with misery. Esther could relate. She seems almost out of place in the Bible. The book of Esther contains no mention of God, no reference to faith or worship, no prediction of the Messiah, no talk of heaven or hell – there is almost nothing religious about it. At least on the surface. But, when you dig a little deeper into this mesmerizing story you’ll find that past the dramatic beginning, suspenseful plot, villain, hero, damsel in distress, twists and turns in every direction God is at work invisibly, yet with invincibility to bring his sovereign plan to completion. In our next series, The Weight of the Crown, you’ll be encouraged that God works in the quiet areas of your life and you’ll be challenged to live courageously for the sake of others.

He is risen! The reality of the resurrection impacts every moment of every day. This weekend we get to celebrate that in a special way during our Good Friday gathering at 6:00 and our Resurrection Sunday gatherings. On Easter morning, we will see how Mark relays the good news of the resurrection. Here’s a hint: he doesn’t end his gospel in a way we would expect.

As we approach our celebration of Resurrection Day, we’ve been studying through Mark’s gospel. Particularly, the passion week. This Sunday, we’ll look at the crucifixion. Mark leaves out detailing the horrific pain of the crucifixion, instead he highlights the obedience of Jesus. I hope you’ll join us this week as we join with the church around the globe proclaiming Jesus is the Son of God.

We’ve all suffered to varying degrees. Most of us would just avoid suffering altogether if we could, but in this life it is unavoidable. Jesus, the suffering servant, calls his followers to take up their cross and follow him. His example prepares us for how to suffer Christianly. Amazingly, Christian suffering results in hope. So, as we examine the suffering of Jesus on Sunday I have this confidence that we will walk away hope filled.

We’ve all had moments where we’ve failed. We’re not the only ones. Missionaries have felt the sting of failure. Jesus’ disciples, all twelve, knew failure. However, a relationship with Jesus changes our identity from failure to more than conqueror.

As we continue missions month here at Central. I’m so excited that this week we will have the privilege of John Lennon bringing us God’s word. John and his wife Rhanda are missionaries to Ecuador and they were commissioned through the ministry of Central. He continues to be a faithful encourager and friend to me. I’m sure you will be encouraged as John opens up Mark’s gospel with us this Sunday.

There is something about having a meal with someone that helps people let their guard down and open up. Often times you can learn details about someone during the course of meal that would just never come up otherwise. Sometimes as you learn about others, you also learn about yourself. We’ll see that this week as we continue our study in Mark’s gospel as Jesus as a meal with his disciples.

Sooner or later every one of us faces difficult circumstances that we feel ill equipped to handle. How do get prepared for circumstances like that? Well, Jesus prepared his disciples for difficult times that would be far beyond them. That preparation is so valuable for us today.