The elevation of Haman to power and the beginning of the conflict between him and Mordecai. Discussion of what Haman's selection meant in the context of Persian court politics and of the reason why Mordecai would not bow down to him. Beginning of Mordecai and Esther's plan to dispose of Haman.

This first session gives the historical background to the Book of Esther, introduces the characters and explores the personality and manner of governance of King Ahasuerus. We also discuss how Esther came to be chosen as queen.

The lure of idols lies in the human desire for works salvation. We think that the busier we become, the holier we get. False gods pander to that desire. A lamentation over Ephraim and a promise of eventual return.

God chose to tell us about Himself using the vehicle of a book. If people understood what the book is trying to do and how it should be read, there would be a lot less junk theology. Torah means teaching, not law, so the Bible should be read as a guide book. As an example this talk covers the two creation stories in Genesis - why there are two and what we are to learn from that.

Malachi, written after the Babylonian exile, addresses a jaded and cynical priesthood. They are just going through the motions to satisfy the crowd and maintain their places in society. In this they are very similar to much of the modern church.

With the current court rulings on homosexual 'marriage' and health care, the government has forfeited the pretense of moral authority. Now words mean whatever the strongest say they mean. Curiously, this presents a great opportunity for believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Being surrounded by hostiles simplifies our problem greatly.

Joy is a major theme in Scripture and in certain cases we are commanded to rejoice. What is joy and how does one summon it on command?

Forgiveness is a genuinely difficult subject. Dr Stephen Marmer has broken forgiveness into three more manageable chunks - exoneration, forbearance and release. Each concept applies to different situations and calls for different actions on your part. This can bring Y'shua's (Jesus') command to forgive much closer to where we live.

Some in the Messianic movement come out of the Sunday church and slide right into Judaism losing the Savior in the process. A Savior is central to God's purposes for His Creation and this talk explores some of the reasons for that.

The prophet says that the nation is living under a curse that they don't even discern. So too many today are living with curses which they do not recognize or perceive. In this, it is not sufficient simply to keep your own skirts clean. Because God judges nations, the righteous will go down with the wicked if they have not resisted that wickedness.