Esther, Who Brought About the Blessing of Purim

This passage deals with the story of Esther, a woman who, while living in a foreign land, kept her identity as one of God's people and, facing the threat of her people's annihilation, made a decision at the risk of her own life. Just before Haman's evil plot was to be carried out, Esther saves her people by choosing, despite her fear, to fast and pray and to go before the king. The sermon emphasizes that Esther's action was not mere courage but an expression of faith that offers a 'good instrument' through which God can work.

The sermon points out that the wealth and power believers enjoy in the world are instruments entrusted to them for the kingdom of God. God helps believers only when they first change and offer good instruments; he does not intervene while they remain unrepentant. Therefore believers must use their position and abilities not to satisfy worldly greed but to worship God and keep the truth. It also reminds us that fasting and prayer are not formal observances but a spiritual decision to humble oneself before God and seek him earnestly.

The sermon says that everything believers have gains the power to work only when it is used for God. It conveys that when they stand with a resolve that is not shaken by the world's values and persecution and does not fear death, God protects them and judges their enemies. Finally, it asks how believers should prepare and offer, through their own lives, good instruments that would please God, and what kind of faith they should have in the process.