Only One Room Away

 

Esther 2:8-9, 12, 16-17

8 So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.

9 And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king’s house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.

 

12 Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)

 

16 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

 

 

1. Most of us know some of this story of the book of Esther. How a peasant Jewish girl was chosen from 1460 of the most beautiful maidens in the land, someone who was not Persian, did not have a royal family, but a little Jewish girl from an exiled and conquered people, chosen to enter the room of the king.

 

1. How many of us come to church, and when we enter the building we look at the clock, “ok, just about an hour or hour and a half and I can get home and relax?  Please don’t raise your hands, because I don’t want to know.

 

In the days of the tabernacle, the people would be in the outer courts, because only the priests could enter the holy place. Then only the high priest could enter the holiest of holies, one time in that year.  The people could see the glory of God shine down. They could see the presence of God descend on the holiest of holies. They were just one room away but they could not enter. One room away from the presence of yawah, from their deliverer, their one mighty God… but they dared not enter in.

 

They could not enter in because of being unclean and the atonement was not for them individually, yet only for the whole people. It was going to take something more powerful than the blood of bulls and goats to invite them into the room of the king.

 

Here we are with the blood of Jesus on our lives, God in us, the hope of glory. The glory of God, the very presence of his majesty is just one room away…. And we come into his presence with singing…we enter his courts with praise. And then we are ready to go home.  And we are capable of entering into the throne room!

 

As with Esther, God can overcome human weakness and failure and elevate your position to his throne room.

 

Never underestimate the potential of one encounter, one service, one time of worship of the king.  Too many of us stop with the good feeling of praise…the tingle of a move of the Holy Ghost…but that is in the courts……….. God is looking for someone…his bride, to enter into his throne room. It is just one room away…and yet many stop trying, give up and never enter into the presence of the king.

1. One encounter with the king… one night with the king, can turn a peasant into a princess…One night with the king changes everything.

 

There is an old saying about being plugged in to 220… when you are plugged in you know without a doubt you are plugged in.  When that 240 volts goes across your hand. There is no doubt in your mind or anyone around you that you have been hit by electricity!!  Big tough dudes, thinking they are invincible…hit by 50,000-volt Taser and fall flat on their face…

 

When you are joined or plugged in to the spirit of the Lord………………. You know without a doubt there is no controversy that when you get a hold of God…you know it!  And people around you know it too.

1. I don’t know about you… But when I desire to get a hold of God…………. I don’t want to seek him for a little sensation………… I don’t desire for a small little touch…………………………………………………. When I cry out to God and want him with me…………….. I want a full charge……………… the total load…. All that I can get!!

When you are joined with God……………… you are going to know it……….. Nobody has to tell you, nobody has to show it to you.  Nobody has to explain it…………………………………………………………… when the power of the almighty God comes on the scene you will know without a doubt if you are plugged in!

As with Esther, seeing the king was not automatic.

 

Preparation takes time

1. Anytime the president goes anywhere…it is not a last minute decision.  They have 90-day advance parties that go out and look over and investigate where the president is going to be….

It takes preparation and planning to move all his staff, security, the limos, the helicopter, the doctors, and all his aides…. It does not happen over night.

1. Esther was a good girl… a Jewish girl, they say very lovely.  But her best was not good enough to get in the kings throne room.
2.  Not that she was bad… but her very best still was not enough to be in the presence of the king.

She could not have any earthy smell….

1. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
2. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
3. 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
4. 17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Our lives are fragranced by the blood of Jesus Christ unto God…not a second person but the eternal spirit of God which the fullness dwells in Jesus.  In this life there is two paths: Death and life. This fragrance to those in death smells of death because they see no light. But those of life…it is a sweet aroma unto the Lord.

 

Paul is saying that there is no middle ground…either you are following death and death is what you smell like…a horrible stench to the Lord or you are following life…and bring a sweet fragrance unto the Lord.

 

So when I say Esther could have no earthy smell to go before the king… something had to happen to her because the king was only used to the smell of beauty and splendor.

Imagine if you took a tour of the hog processing plant in Guymon.  There is no worse smell than a hog farm or plant. The stench is so bad it will actually cause your head to hurt…it is the stench of death…and you are not familiar with that smell and it is revolting and all you want to do is get away from that smell…

 

The smell of death and sin is revolting to God. He is a holy God and savior, and in his presence is the fragrance of angelic worship and praise to him… death and sin is actually repulsive to God.

 

So Esther spent 12 months of a daily soaking and rubbing and sitting in aromatic tents of spices and myrrh and perfumes…. Till at the end of 12 months she literally oozed with a fragrance of perfume.

1. When the high priest sprinkled the blood upon the altar…. With the incense that brought the beautiful fragrance unto the Lord…
2. The sweetest fragrance unto our great God… is pure holy worship unto his name!

Esther took 12 months to smell good before the king…for one encounter she prepared…but it was worth it… for she was found pleasing before him above all those other before him.

1. We must decide to have an encounter with the king…we must be found worthy to enter the throne room…how to you smell before the king?

 

Who knows what one encounter with the king can do?  What deliverances of family, church and city can happen because somebody enters the throne room of the king?  We should not be satisfied with the outer court…   not satisfied with a far off view…

1. Some things are never satisfied!!!
2. Proverbs 30:15-16

15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:

16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

1. Leech………..Never satisfied………..if it does not get taken off………….Or knocked off……….. It will forever continue to draw blood……………..it will stay attached until it literally is about to explode and its weight is so great the point of attachment cannot hold it any longer.
2. . And it will just literally tear off……… because even though gorged it will refuse to let go of its hold.

 

 

 

It is never satisfied.

 

The grave is never satisfied………….Death is never happy or sedated. It wishes to take all it can.  Sin will forever refuse to loose its hold on mankind.

 

Barren womb, the lifeless, the non-childbearing is an embarrassment to all those around………….That no children are produced by the mother. It is never satisfied as long as it is barren, it is will not be satisfied.

 

The land thirsty and barren, with no water is never satisfied with just a drop. It needs a flood. Bring me a flood. It is not satisfied with a shower. It needs more and more and more.

 

A fire never desires to stop burning……… it will search and search for something to gather into the fire.   It is never satisfied……… as long as there is fuel it will burn and burn and burn.

 

Can we take a lesson from these???

1. Never enough and never satisfied with just being on…………… but plugged in to full power!!

Just as sin refuses to let go, just as death refuses to loosen its grip, so should we be when we get a hold of God as Jacob refused to let go. I will not let go

 

1. Many are drawn to the palace…and prestige of being in the throne room…the king of kings is asking… “Who will love me more than what I can give them?”
   1. Where is someone touching my heart instead of sampling my splendor of the palace?
2. You only need one thing and one thing alone to praise.  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise…but it does not stop there. Too many stop at praise…. Because it doesn’t take much to praise.   All it takes is…. Breath….
   1. Says … be thankful unto him. And bless his name…
   2. Praise and thanksgiving are the prerequisites of true worship….
   3. To know him is to worship him…  there is no dignity in worship…. Humbleness in worship…. To crawl up to the master as a dogs crawls up to lick the master’s hand… Is the attitude of true worship.
   4.  God does not care if your worship is in coordination or in rhythm with the music!!
   5.  I cannot sing a bit. I do not know keys… I do not know tones. I do not know to harmonize.  But I sing… I worship. I know I am doing good when I see the person next to me put his finger in his ear so I don’t throw him off key!!!

I sing to the Lord… whatever I have to do!

No dignity in flesh… but the majesty of the king is glorified… in worship.

1. One room away church………… come in the gates……….. Entered the courts.
   1. Now one room away is the throne room.

Some find it difficult to worship without something to be thankful for…   these are those in the outer courts.

You must develop a sweet fragrance for the throne room….

1. If Esther can prepare for a year for one meeting with the king…. Can his blood bought church prepare by repentance and praise and worship him for his good…. And holy????????

In closing

 

Must have a Mary spirit…. She stooped and broke the box of perfume and bathed his feet…  and the aroma filled the room…. The aroma of worship…

She started at his feet and made it to his heart.

 

She entered the room…. One room away…. The aroma of her worship!  Brought her to the throne room…

 

The king speaks to those in his throne room.  The king does not go to the courtyard and speak to his beloved…. His beloved comes to the throne room and that is where the king speaks…

 

MARY ENTERED THE THRONE ROOM….

John 20:11-18

11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Because of her insistence of going to the throne room!   Jesus made her the most important of messengers.

 

God will use and speak to those who make the step into the throne room of the king.

 

We are just one room away.  Will you make the step to reach the heart of the king?

 

1. Repentance
2. Worship
3. Time
4. Work
5. Humility
6. Your fragrance must be pleasing to the king
7. Decide to go past where you are…. And enter the glory of God….