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LESSONS OF COURAGE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT PART 4. Standing Up. for what's. Right.
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LESSONS OF COURAGE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT PART 4 Standing Up for what's Right
The only restriction on the drinking was that no one should be compelled to take more than he wanted. But those who wished could have as much as they pleased, for the king had instructed his staff to let everyone decide this matter for himself. Esther 1:8 (NLT)
“…Xerxes was half drunk with wine…” (NLT) “…King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine…” (NIV) “The heart of the king was merry with wine.” (KJV) Esther 1:10
We must stop behaving as people do in the dark… So behave properly, as people do in the day. Don't go to wild parties or get drunk or be vulgar or indecent… Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires. Romans 13:12-14 (CEV)
…You are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a Christian yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Don't even eat with such people. It isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. 1 Corinthians 5:11-12 (NLT)
Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Ephesians 5:18 (NLT)
Wine produces mockers; liquor leads to brawls. Whoever is led astray by drink cannot be wise. Proverbs 20:1 (NLT)
“One reason I don't drink is that I want to know when I am having a good time.” ~ Lady Nancy Astor
Persia Babylon ETHIOPIA
THE PERSIAN EMPIREat the time of Xerxes Ecbatana Susa Persepolis ETHIOPIA
On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was half drunk with wine, he told… the seven eunuchs who attended him, to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted all the men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very Esther 1:10-12 (NLT)
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. Esther 1:10-12 (NLT)
FOUR FACTS FOR RIGHT LIVING 1 Some things are beyond your control.
“If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.” ~ Johnny Carson
FOUR FACTS FOR RIGHT LIVING 2 What’s right is right, regardless of the situation.
A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout. Proverbs 11:22 (NLT)
People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. Proverbs 10:9 (NLT)
The LORD hates people with twisted hearts, but he delights in those who have integrity. Proverbs 11:20 (NLT)
FOUR FACTS FOR RIGHT LIVING 3 Sometimes doing the right thing will cost you.
“Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also every official and citizen throughout your empire. Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king. Before this day is out, the wife of every one of us, your officials throughout the empire, Esther 1:16-19 (NLT)
will hear what the queen did and will start talking to their husbands the same way. There will be no end to the contempt and anger throughout your realm. So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be Esther 1:16-19 (NLT)
forever banished from your presence and that you choose another queen more worthy than she.” Esther 1:16-19 (NLT)
[Xerxes] sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his home. Esther 1:22 (NLT)
“Queen Vashti represents a good example of the limits of a wife’s submission. The command for a wife to submit to her husband is clear in Scripture (Eph. 5:22-24). But it is not absolute and without limits. The woman
does not give up her dignity as a human being when she becomes a wife. Neither should she allow her principles to be trodden underfoot by an unprincipled husband. Marriage does not give the husband license to pursue
his basest sexual fantasies, and neither does it enslave the wife to fulfill them.” ~ Charles Swindoll
But after Xerxes’ anger had cooled, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made. Esther 2:1 (NLT)
FOUR FACTS FOR RIGHT LIVING 4 Whatever happens, God can use it for good.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 (NLT)
LESSONS OF COURAGE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT PART 4 Standing Up for what's Right