Royal Apparel Esther 5: 1

click to Read the passage: Esther 5  (a new browser window will open)

1) God's child has been drawn into a position of royalty.

Esther - into king's royalty

(I Peter 2:9-10)

-a sovereign work of God

-a highly privileged people to have been sovereignly chosen

-we make salvation so easy.- it was never easy to God!

-we need to comprehend more of the great work of salvation.

2) God's children are to wear their beautiful royal apparel

(Esther put on her royal apparel) 

We are not to take it off.

(Isaiah 61:3, 10, 11 - Our testimony of being wedded to Christ.)

(I Peter 2:11-20)

We appear as the bride of Christ before the world.

-every act of conduct and every thought is to be consistent with the claims of Christ.

-we leave on (don’t remove) the pure white linen clothing of Christ's righteousness.

3) The standing of a believer is not in his own stead, but in the stead of the royal Son of God.

(standing)

(I Peter 2:21-25 /1 Corin. 1: 30, 31/ Romans 4: 6-8 – imputation of righteousness (II Cor. 5:21)

-we don't stand on our own merit, intellect, preparation.…

-we only can stand upon the righteous redemptive work of Christ.

-we say we stand on the Word of God - no - the Word of God stands in our stead.

-we have no influence or control over the Word of God. Only God does.

-we dare not take one step in our own stead, God never intended for us to.

If you can hold the Word of God and not be humbled, you are standing in your own stead. If 
you can hold the Word and not fear, you are standing in your own stead.

4) A believer is privileged to enter into the inner court of God because of his royal standing.

(in the inner court of the king's house)

The believer priest has access to God in the holiest. (Heb. 10:19-22)

Here is the intimate fellowship of guidance and sustaining renewal. God knows of our 
need for this intimacy. We need desperately to know God. We hunger for Him. He is our
God-given heritage. 

Hebrews 9: 15

To intimately know Jesus is our privilege. Phil 3: 8-14

5) A believer cannot appear before God except adorned with royal apparel.

(of the king's house ••• )
It doesn't only mean there is no entrance to heaven without His righteousness; carnality is
not in keeping with royal apparel.

The reason prayer is not the mighty fortress and power it should be is because God's
people are not properly adorned when they pray. Mediocrity is never God's standard. 

Carnality impairs fellowship.

-Prayer privileges are to one in royal apparel.

-Fulness and blessings are to one in royal apparel.

The reason satan is causing such havoc in the church today is because God’s people are
not conducting themselves in a righteous holy manner.

Examples of royal apparel:

Holiness, purity, uncompromising, judicious, loving, forgiving, merciful, wise, unselfish,
loyal to Christ, unwavering, obedient, submissive, faithful, repentant and clean,
brokenness to God ….

6) God is uniquely positioned in immutable royalty, His only place.

(the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house)

The Rule of sovereignty- Isaiah 6: 1; 14:24,27; 40:1, 14; 46: 11 

Only God qualifies for His throne.

In heaven’s royal abode. Oh the beauty of heaven! A place of royalty in its purest, most 
powerful form.

7) God's children are permitted to enter in and partake of divine royalty but never to 
control it for their own gain. 

(opposite the entrance of the house)

(2 Peter 1:3, 4, 8, 11, 17-21)

The entrance and the throne are separate.

-God's people enter in but they never occupy the throne, only God does.

-We need to be ever so submissive to what God desires. 

Of ourselves we are not sufficient to carry out the work of God. Only in Jesus is their sufficiency.