These events happened in the days of King Xerxes,who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces. The celebration lasted 180 days—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of his majesty.
Esther 1:1-4 (NLT)
Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, reflecting the king’s generosity. By edict of the king, no limits were placed on the drinking, for the king had instructed all his palace officials to serve each man as much as he wanted.
Esther 1:7-8 (NLT)
On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended him… to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger. He immediately consulted with his wise advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice.
Esther 1:10-13 (NLT)
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)
How can I avoid pride’s destruction?
Admit ______________________________.
And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5 (NLT)
Submit ______________________.
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.
The Bibles tells us amazing stories that have characters who either model remarkable character to emulate or awful character to avoid. The four main characters in the Book of Esther, King Xerxes, Mordecia, Haman and Esther, are very unique and interesting. Two have little Christ-like character and two have remarkable Christ-like character. We will look at each character to glean how God might form our character to be more Christ-like.
Wes Olds is a 1993 graduate of The University of Kentucky and received his Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2002. Prior to coming to Grace Church in 2006, Wes began a multi-cultural, urban church called The Rock-La Roca United Methodist Church in Lexington, KY (2002-2006). While there, he co-founded Lexington’s “Room in the Inn”, a ministry of hospitality and shelter for homeless men. From 1997-2002, Wes was a Pastor with Youth and Evangelism at Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington. From 1994-1997, Wes was Pastor with Youth at Christ United Methodist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and from 1991-1994 was the Director of Youth Ministries at Versailles United Methodist Church in central Kentucky.
Wes has served as an adjunct instructor at Asbury University, a ministry mentor with Asbury Theological Seminary and has been a contributing writer for several projects with Group Publishing and United Methodist Communications. He has been a guest speaker and worship leader for retreats at local churches and conferences for youth and adults.
Wes is a leadership coach for Spiritual Leaders, Incorporated (SLI) training pastors on creating generative leadership environments. Through SLI, Wes has facilitated yearlong incubators for over 75 pastors in Florida, Kentucky, and Kansas.
Wes is married to Becky and they have one teenage son named Caleb. Wes loves music and plays guitar, enjoys fishing, sports, history and hanging out with his friends and family.
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Character Development - Part 1 - CC | Sermons | Grace Church
These events happened in the days of King Xerxes,who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces. The celebration lasted 180 days—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of his majesty.
Esther 1:1-4 (NLT)
Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, reflecting the king’s generosity. By edict of the king, no limits were placed on the drinking, for the king had instructed all his palace officials to serve each man as much as he wanted.
Esther 1:7-8 (NLT)
On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended him… to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger. He immediately consulted with his wise advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice.
Esther 1:10-13 (NLT)
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)
How can I avoid pride’s destruction?
Admit ______________________________.
And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5 (NLT)
Submit ______________________.
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.
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