Epistle for November 7, 2008
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E-pistle
Dr. Dan Hite, President FreeWay Foundation November 7, 2008
A King Dethrones His Queen
( Esther 1:1-22)
I. Concentration: on the events of this chapter
1. Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) of Persia (who succeeded Darius I in 485 B.C. and
ruled for 20 years over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia) called a great
6-month celebration for all his officials and servants, vv. 1-8.
2. During the final week's drunken orgy, Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti
to appear in the banquet hall and "show her beauty," but she refused to come,
vv. 9-12.
3. The king became angry and conferred with his counselors, who advised him to
dethrone Vashti and to replace her with another woman "who is better than she
is," vv. 13-20.
4. Ahasuerus did so, and proclaimed that all wives must honor their husbands,
acknowledging them as the master of the house, vv. 21-22.
II. Meditation: on the spiritual implications of these events
1. Pride was at the heart of Ahasuerus' actions: "he showed the riches of his
glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many
days," v. 4.
2. Drunkenness on wine (being under the influence of alcohol) caused the king to
violate propriety by inviting his wife to display herself before a group of drunken
men, v. 10.
3. The influence of a leader can have a great effect upon the conduct of all the
followers: the king's wise men feared that Queen Vashti's behavior would cause
all the wives in the kingdom to despise their husband's authority, v. 17.
4. Although the Bible instructs wives to honor their husbands (in fact, there is to be
mutual and reciprocal submission), this principle does not mean that a wife, for
example, should violate God's laws and/or her conscience merely because her
husband commands her to do something, Ephesians 5:21-22; Acts 5:29.
III. Revelation and Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Walk humbly before God, Micah 6:8.
2. Abstain from the use of alcohol and all other mind-altering drugs, but be filled with
and controlled by the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 5:18.
3. Recognize the great impact that my influence can have on others . . . for good or for
bad, Matthew 5:16; Romans 14:7-8, 12-13, 21.
4. Treat my wife with honor and respect . . . loving her as "Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for her," Ephesians 5:25.
The One and Only Gospel
(Galatians 1:1-24)
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Paul sent greetings to the believers in the region of Galatia, vv. 1-5.
2. Paul emphasized that there is only one true gospel, vv. 6-10.
3. Paul recounted his call and training by God to be an apostle, vv. 11-17.
4. Paul wrote of his contracts with Christian leaders in Jerusalem, vv. 18-24.
II. Observations: on the gospel of Christ (I Corinthians 15:1-4, 9-10)
1. The gospel includes Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, according to
the Scriptures, vv, 3-4.
2. Believing this gospel (good news) brings personal salvation, vv. 1-2.
3. The gospel also gives a firm foundation upon which a believer may stand
by faith, v. 1.
4. The true gospel is all by grace . . . God's gift, not man's works, v. 10.
III. Meditation: on the one and only true gospel
1. A "different" gospel (without Christ's death, burial, and resurrection) is not
a gospel at all, vv. 6-7.
2. Some persons pervert (corrupt) the gospel by adding the requirement that
believers must do certain good works (such as baptism) to be saved, v. 7.
(See Ephesians 2:8-9)
3. The preaching of another (anti-Christ) "gospel" is Satanic in origin . . . "an
angel from heaven," v. 8.
4. Persons preaching a different gospel (other than salvation by grace through
faith) are accursed . . . under divine judgment of hell, vv. 8-9.
IV. Revelation: on how Paul received the "gospel" he preached
1. He did not receive the gospel truths form other men, vv. 11-12, 16.
2. He spent three years in Arabia and Tarsus in communion with Christ before
even meeting with the apostles, v. 18.
3. He spent only 15 days with the apostles in Jerusalem . . . out of a total of 14
years, vv. 18; 2:1.
4. His gospel came by direct revelation from Jesus Christ, v. 12.
V. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Get "back to the basics" of the gospel . . . for salvation (past, present, and
future) and for spiritual assurance and growth in my daily life.
2. Recognize Satan's hand in the spreading of a false "gospel" . . . by works.
3. Submit to my spiritual leaders, but NOT as my primary source of truth.
4. Allow Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, to reveal His truths and His purposes to me
directly, as I spend time in Bible study, meditation, and prayer.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
During the month of November, I am going to be putting some Thanksgiving facts at the
bottom of the E-pistle. ENJOY!!
Thanksgiving Day is one of those joyous events we celebrate with lots of love and
gratitude. It's a very significant day in United States and the world over.
TheHolidaySpot is happy to bring you facts associated to the Thanksgiving celebrations.
1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in
November in the United States.
2. By the fall of 1621 only half of the pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower,
survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to give a thanksgiving feast.
3. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.
4. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving.
5. The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620.
6. The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America.
7. The Pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the name of "Mayflower".
8. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621.
9. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
10. The drink that the Puritans brought with them in the Mayflower was beer.
More next week.
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