Unexpected Joy | November 12, 2023 | Endurance

Are you or is someone you care about going through something that feels impossible to overcome? At times like this, God wants to meet you with surprising joy and gladness with Him and others. In a letter written to the Philippians during the challenges of his imprisonment, Paul recognized that the good work God started in him was not finished. You need to remember that you are invited to faithfully endure hard things with the help of the Spirit. Ask yourself: What kind of endurance and joy is God inviting you to, and how can you show up for others in faithful endurance?

KEY VERSES

• Esther 2:5, 7 NLT: 5 At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. 7 This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.

• Esther 2:11 NLT: 11 Every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her.

• Esther 3:8-9 NLT: 8 Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. 9 If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”

• Esther 4:1-3 NLT: 1 When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail. 2 He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning. 3 And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.

• Esther 4:13-14 NLT: 13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

• Esther 4:15-17 NLT: 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

HEARING WHAT GOD IS SAYING

One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above and dive in deeper to this week’s message.

Recap

+ Reconnect

To begin the study, each person answers these questions:

• What are you thankful for?
• What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?
• What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?
  

+ Recap

• Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.
• Did you live out your response from last week?
• Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?
  

Discovering What God Is Saying

+ Read and Retell the Bible Story

• One person reads the story out loud to the group.
• Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.
  
  

+ Read and Look

• Read the passage again (different version if possible)
• What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?
  
  

+ Read and Look Again

• Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.
• What does this passage say about people in general?
  
  

Doing What God Is Saying

+ Consider

• What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?
• How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?
• Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.
  
  

Sharing what God is saying

+ Praying Together

• Take prayer requests
• Pray together
  
  

+ Share

• Who in your life needs to hear this story?
• Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?
  
  

GIVING

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