Grace Covenant Church of Mid Mo
Sunday 14 June 2026
  • Zechariah 3:4 NKJV
    Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
    Church, today I want to preach from this thought: A Bounce Back Spirit.
    Not a spirit of pride.
    Not a spirit that says, “I’ll show them.”
    Not a spirit that lives bitter, angry, wounded, and hard to touch.
    I am talking about a sanctified bounce back spirit. The kind of spirit that has been hit, but not destroyed. The kind of spirit that has been accused, but not abandoned. The kind of spirit that has been delayed, but not denied. The kind of spirit that has cried, prayed, fasted, waited, and still says, “God is not finished with me.”
    A bounce back spirit is not born in applause. It is not developed when everybody understands you. It is formed when the enemy has built something with your name on it, but God has already written another ending.

    Mordecai at the Gate

    Esther 2:19 NKJV
    When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate.
    Mordecai was not seated on a throne when this trouble began. He was sitting at the king’s gate.
    The gate matters.
    The gate is close to the palace, but it is not the palace.
    The gate is near authority, but it is not yet the place of honor.
    The gate is where you can serve faithfully and still be overlooked.
    Mordecai had already saved the king’s life in Esther 2:21-23, when he uncovered a plot against King Ahasuerus. His good deed was written down, but not rewarded at that moment. That can preach all by itself. There are some things you did right that heaven recorded before earth recognized. There are prayers you prayed, sacrifices you made, tears you wiped, burdens you carried, wrongs you refused to return, and heaven wrote them down. The people may have moved on. The room may have forgotten. The crowd may have never clapped. But the record still stands.
    There are times when you do right, and nobody celebrates it. You protect, serve, sacrifice, pray, cover, warn, and stand, yet the room moves on as though nothing happened.
    But heaven does not forget what earth overlooks.

    Preaching Emphasis

    A bounce back spirit can serve at the gate without losing its identity.
    A bounce back spirit can do right before reward comes.
    A bounce back spirit does not need applause to stay faithful.

    Possible Line to Preach

    Some things you did right were written down before they were ever rewarded.
    But a bounce back spirit can serve at the gate without losing its identity.
    Mordecai’s deed was written in the book, but his reward was delayed. And delay can test the soul. Delay will ask you, “Will you still be faithful if nobody calls your name?” Delay will ask you, “Will you still do right when wrong is being promoted?” Delay will ask you, “Will you still sit at the gate when Haman is walking through the palace?”

    Haman Rises

    Esther 5:13 NKJV
    Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
    Haman was promoted, but he was not whole.
    He had position, but he did not have peace.
    He had authority, but he did not have security.
    He had access, but he did not have humility.
    The king promoted Haman, and everybody bowed before him, except Mordecai. Mordecai’s refusal was not stubborn rebellion. It was covenant conviction.
    There are some things a child of God cannot bow to.
    There are spirits that want submission, but they do not deserve surrender.
    There are systems that demand worship, but worship already belongs to God.
    Haman could not enjoy his wealth, his children, his position, or his honor because Mordecai would not bow. Pride can have a house full of blessings and still be tormented by one person it cannot control.
    And when a person knows who they are in God, the enemy gets frustrated. The enemy does not just want your body present. He wants your soul bowed. He does not just want you tired. He wants you surrendered. He does not just want you hurt. He wants you renamed by the hurt. But Mordecai refused to bow. He stood in his place, even while sitting at the gate.

    Preaching Emphasis

    Pride always needs another person beneath it to feel tall.
    Pride cannot enjoy promotion when it cannot control the room.
    Haman had title, but Mordecai had covenant.

    Possible Line to Preach

    The enemy does not just want your body present. He wants your soul bowed.
    This is why we cannot build our lives on pride. Pride always needs another victim. Pride always needs another bow. Pride always needs another person beneath it to feel tall. But Proverbs 16:18 , says pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
    Proverbs 16:18 KJV 1900
    Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.

    The Gallows Are Built

    Scripture Anchor

    Esther 5:14 CJB
    At this Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows seventy-five feet high constructed, and in the morning speak to the king about having Mordekhai hanged on it. Then go in, and enjoy yourself with the king at the banquet.” Haman liked the idea, so he had a gallows made.
    Esther 7:10

    Preaching Notes

    Haman built gallows fifty cubits high.
    This was not private. This was public.
    Haman did not only want Mordecai dead. He wanted Mordecai displayed.
    That is how accusation works. Accusation does not only want correction. It wants exposure without mercy. It wants your name damaged. It wants your story reduced to your lowest moment.
    But Esther 7:10, says Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
    The very thing Haman designed for Mordecai became the instrument of Haman’s judgment.

    Preaching Emphasis

    God can reverse what the enemy built.
    God can turn the trap into testimony.
    God can make the weapon formed against you testify that it did not prosper.

    Possible Line to Preach

    Some of what the enemy built for your destruction is about to become evidence in the courtroom of God’s justice.

    Narrative Movement: Mordecai in Sackcloth

    Scripture Anchor

    Esther 4:1 KJV 1900
    When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;
    Psalm 30:5 “Sing praise to Adonai, you faithful of his; and give thanks on recalling his holiness.”

    Preaching Notes

    When Mordecai heard the decree, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes.
    Do not rush past his grief.
    Faith does not mean you never cry.
    Faith does not mean the decree did not hurt.
    Faith does not mean the betrayal was not real.
    Mordecai cried with a loud and bitter cry. The pain was real. The threat was real. The pressure was real. But sackcloth was not Mordecai’s final garment.

    Preaching Emphasis

    Your grief is real, but it is not final.
    Your tears are real, but they are not final.
    Your sackcloth is real, but it is not your last garment.

    Possible Line to Preach

    Do not make a permanent identity out of a temporary garment.

    Esther Moves into Consecration

    Scripture Anchor

    Esther 4:14–16 KJV 1900
    For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

    Preaching Notes

    Esther is pulled into the moment by Mordecai’s word.
    You have to truly know who is on your side!
    “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
    Esther could not hide in the palace while her people were marked for death. Sometimes God’s deliverance is connected to somebody’s obedience.
    Esther called for a fast before she went before the king.
    Before public courage, there was private consecration.
    Before she stood in the palace, she humbled herself before God.
    Before she risked her life, she covered the assignment in fasting.

    Preaching Emphasis

    A bounce back spirit is fed in the presence of God.
    A bounce back spirit is strengthened by prayer.
    A bounce back spirit is purified by obedience.
    A bounce back spirit asks, “Lord, do not just get me out. Get glory out of what I have been through.”

    Possible Line to Preach

    We cannot ask God for reversal while refusing consecration.

    The Night the King Could Not Sleep

    Scripture Anchor

    Esther 6:1–3 KJV 1900
    On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

    Preaching Notes

    On that night, the king could not sleep.
    Haman was plotting.
    Mordecai was threatened.
    Esther was preparing.
    The Jews were fasting.
    And the king could not sleep.
    God troubled the sleep of the person who had access to the record.
    The king asked for the book of records to be read. Out of all the pages that could have been read, they read the place where Mordecai saved the king’s life.
    This was not luck. This was providence.
    The hidden hand of God was turning pages in the night.

    Preaching Emphasis

    God knows where your name is written.
    God knows what page they skipped.
    God knows what obedience went unnoticed.
    God can open the record in the right season.

    Possible Line to Preach

    When God is ready to reverse a thing, He can trouble the sleep of the person who has access to the record.

    Narrative Movement: Haman Must Honor Mordecai

    Scripture Anchor

    Esther 6:6-11,

    Preaching Notes

    Haman comes to ask permission to hang Mordecai.
    Before he can speak death, the king asks about honor.
    Only God can interrupt a death request with an honor question.
    The king asks, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?”
    Haman thinks the honor is for himself, because pride always assumes the room is talking about it.
    He suggests the robe, the horse, and the public proclamation.
    Then the king says, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew.”
    Haman came to destroy him privately, but he had to honor him publicly.

    Preaching Emphasis

    God can make what hated you serve what He is doing in you.
    God can make the mouth that criticized you declare what He placed on you.
    God can dress you in honor in the same city where the enemy wanted you humiliated.

    Possible Line to Preach

    Haman came in with death on his mind, but God had honor on His schedule.

    The Garment Connection: Joshua the High Priest

    Scripture Anchor

    Zechariah 3:4 KJV 1900
    And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

    Preaching Notes

    Now we move from Mordecai’s gallows to Joshua’s garments.
    Joshua the high priest is standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan is standing at his right hand to oppose him.
    Joshua is wearing filthy garments.
    The accuser has something to point at.
    The stain is visible.
    Joshua cannot deny what he is wearing.
    But God does not let Satan control the sentence.
    Before Joshua gets reclothed, Satan gets rebuked.
    Before the garment changes, the accusation is silenced.
    Before the people see the new robe, heaven deals with the voice trying to define him by the old stain.
    Then the Lord says, “Take away the filthy garments from him.”
    And He says, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes,” Zechariah 3:4,.

    Preaching Emphasis

    God does not only forgive. He reclothes.
    God does not only remove the stain. He restores dignity.
    God does not only cancel accusation. He gives a new covering.

    Possible Line to Preach

    The enemy wanted Joshua condemned, but God wanted Joshua clothed.

    Theological Weight

    God Reverses

    The gallows were real, but they were not final.
    The plot was real, but it was not sovereign.
    The accusation was loud, but it was not Lord.

    God Reclothes

    Joshua stood in filthy garments, but he did not leave in filthy garments.
    Mordecai sat in sackcloth, but he did not remain in sackcloth.
    The God who removes iniquity also restores honor.

    God Redeems

    God does not waste pain submitted to Him.
    The plot becomes testimony.
    The pressure becomes formation.
    The enemy’s weapon becomes proof that God kept His servant.

    Christological Turn

    Scripture Anchor

    Colossians 2:14-15,
    Matthew 28:5-6,
    Romans 8:11,

    Preaching Notes

    Esther points us forward.
    Mordecai’s deliverance points us forward.
    Joshua’s rich robes point us forward.
    Every reversal in Scripture leans toward the greatest reversal of all: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
    The cross looked like the enemy’s gallows.
    Calvary looked like defeat.
    The nails looked final.
    The spear looked final.
    The tomb looked final.
    The stone looked final.
    But early on the first day of the week, God showed the world that death does not get the last word when the Son of God is in the grave.
    Colossians 2:14-15, tells us Jesus wiped out what was against us, nailed it to the cross, and disarmed principalities and powers.
    Satan thought the cross was a gallows, but God turned it into the place where redemption was displayed.
    Hell thought Jesus was finished, but heaven knew resurrection was coming. So just for a moment I am going to take from Dr. S.M. Lockeridge Sermon That’s My King
    The Bible says my King is the King of the Jews. He’s the King of Israel. He’s the King of Righteousness. He’s the King of the Ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of Glory. He’s the King of kings, and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King.
    I wonder, do you know Him?
    My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful.
    Do you know Him?
    He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s Saviour. He’s the centrepiece of civilization. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He’s the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Saviour.
    I wonder if you know Him today?
    He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleansed the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captive. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent. And He beautifies the meek.
    I wonder if you know Him?
    He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory.
    Do you know Him? Well…
    His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. And His yoke is easy. And His burden is light.
    I wish I could describe Him to you. Yes…
    He’s indescribable! He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hand. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. Well, the Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him.
    Yeah! That’s my King, that’s my King.
    Amen!

    Preaching Emphasis

    We bounce back because Christ got up first.
    Our recovery is rooted in His resurrection.
    Our cleansing is rooted in His blood.
    Our future is rooted in His victory.

    Possible Line to Preach

    Jesus did not merely survive death. He conquered it.

    Main Refrain to Repeat Throughout

    You are not finished. You are being re-clothed.
    You are not buried. You are being brought forth.
    You are not defeated. You have a bounce back spirit because Christ got up first.

    Application to the Church

    To the One at the Gate

    Stay faithful.
    Stay humble.
    Stay clean.
    Stay watchful.
    God knows your gate.
    God knows your name.
    God knows your record.
    Your grief is not your final garment.
    Your tears are not your final sound.
    Your mourning is not your final season.
    God can give beauty for ashes, Isaiah 61:3 “yes, provide for those in Tziyon who mourn, giving them garlands instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a cloak of praise instead of a heavy spirit, so that they will be called oaks of righteousness planted by Adonai, in which he takes pride.” ,.

    To the One Facing Gallows

    The enemy’s plan is not greater than God’s purpose.
    The structure may be built, but the story is not over.
    The plot may be visible, but God is still working.

    To the One in Filthy Garments

    Stop letting accusation preach to you.
    Stop agreeing with shame.
    Stop wearing what Jesus removed.
    If God has removed it, let it be removed.
    If God has clothed you, walk like you are clothed.

    Heart Check Questions

    What garment has the enemy tried to make me wear?
    Where have I accepted accusation as identity?
    What gallows has fear built in my mind?
    Can I stay faithful at the gate before God opens the palace?
    Can I let God vindicate me without becoming bitter?
    Am I asking God only to get me out, or am I asking Him to get glory out of it?

    Declaration Over the House

    I declare over this house that we will not die at the place where the enemy planned our ending.
    We will bounce back in holiness.
    We will bounce back in prayer.
    We will bounce back in obedience.
    We will bounce back in worship.
    We will not wear what accusation gave us.
    We will wear what grace has spoken over us.
    The filthy garments are coming off.
    The rich robes are coming on.
    The gallows will not be our testimony.
    Deliverance will be our testimony.
    In Jesus’ name.

    Altar Call Direction

    There are people who have survived the plot, but still smell like the pain.
    You made it through the betrayal, but you are still dressed in the garments of what happened.
    Today, the Lord is not only saving you from the gallows. He is changing your garments.
    Come to Jesus.
    Bring Him the shame.
    Bring Him the accusation.
    Bring Him the anger.
    Bring Him the fear that says you will never recover.
    The same Christ who rose from the grave can raise you from this place.
    The same Lord who rebuked Satan in Zechariah 3:2, can silence the accusation over your life right now.
    If you are here and you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, this is your moment.
    The greatest bounce back is not emotional recovery. It is resurrection life.
    Sin had us bound.
    Shame had us covered.
    Death had a claim against us.
    But Jesus came, died, was buried, and rose again.
    Romans 10:9-10, says that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
    Come to Him.
    Do not wait until you feel clean to come.
    Joshua was still in filthy garments when the Lord commanded the change.
    Come now.
    Let Jesus cleanse you.
    Let Jesus clothe you.
    Let Jesus save you.

    Call for Believers

    If you are saved, but you have been living under accusation, come.
    If you have been carrying bitterness from what Haman built, come.
    If you have been sitting in sackcloth so long that you forgot God still has robes, come.
    If you have been faithful at the gate and weary in your soul, come.
    If you feel buried under grief, disappointment, betrayal, or shame, come.
    This altar is not a place of embarrassment.
    This altar is a place of exchange.
    We are laying down filthy garments today.
    We are laying down shame today.
    We are laying down the smell of the plot today.
    We are laying down bitterness today.
    We are laying down fear today.
    We are laying down the need to fight everybody who hurt us.
    We are laying down the words that said we would never recover.
    And we are receiving the robe of righteousness, the garment of praise, the joy of salvation, and the peace of Jesus Christ.

    Altar Prayer

    Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before You as Your people.
    We have seen the plot, but we believe Your promise.
    We have seen the gallows, but we believe Your garment.
    We have heard the accusation, but we believe Your voice.
    Lord, rebuke the accuser over every life in this room.
    Silence every voice that has tried to name Your people by their shame, their pain, their past, or their failure.
    Take away the filthy garments.
    Remove iniquity.
    Remove shame.
    Remove fear.
    Remove bitterness.
    Remove the heaviness that has tried to suffocate praise.
    Clothe Your people with rich robes.
    Clothe them with righteousness.
    Clothe them with strength.
    Clothe them with holy courage.
    Clothe them with fresh joy.
    Clothe them with clean hands and a pure heart.
    Give this house a bounce back spirit.
    Not a proud spirit.
    Not a bitter spirit.
    Not a revengeful spirit.
    Give us a Christ-centered bounce back spirit.
    Give us the grace to survive the plot without becoming polluted by the plot.
    Give us the grace to be honored without becoming arrogant.
    Give us the grace to be restored without forgetting mercy.
    Give us the grace to walk in resurrection power.
    We declare that the gallows will not be our testimony.
    Deliverance will be our testimony.
    Shame will not be our garment.
    Righteousness will be our garment.
    Death will not be our ending.
    Resurrection life will be our portion.
    Because Jesus got up, we can get up.
    Because Jesus lives, we shall live also.
    In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

    Impartation Over the Church

    I speak over this house today that we are a people who bounce back in Christ.
    We will not bow to Haman.
    We will not be ruled by fear.
    We will not be dressed by shame.
    We will not live under accusation.
    We will not build gallows for others because gallows were built for us.
    We will walk in the mercy that saved us, the grace that clothed us, and the power that raised Jesus from the dead.
    I declare that this is a season of holy recovery.
    What was delayed is coming into remembrance.
    What was overlooked is coming before the King.
    What was written in faithfulness is being read in the right season.
    The Lord is troubling what needs to be troubled.
    The Lord is opening what needs to be opened.
    The Lord is exposing what needs to be exposed.
    The Lord is restoring what belongs to His people.
    We receive a bounce back spirit.
    We receive clean garments.
    We receive the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
    We receive the courage of Esther.
    We receive the faithfulness of Mordecai.
    We receive the cleansing of Joshua.
    We receive the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.

    Closing Charge

    Lift up your head.
    The story is not over.
    The plot did not cancel the promise.
    The gallows did not cancel the garment.
    The accusation did not cancel the calling.
    The sackcloth did not cancel the robe.
    The grave did not cancel the resurrection.
    You are not finished. You are being re-clothed.
    You are not buried. You are being brought forth.
    You are not defeated. You have a bounce back spirit because Christ got up first.

    Benediction

    Now may the Lord who rebukes the accuser keep you covered.
    May the Lord who removes filthy garments clothe you in righteousness.
    May the Lord who reversed the gallows give you peace in the face of every plot.
    May the Lord who raised Jesus from the dead strengthen you with resurrection power.
    Go in grace.
    Go in courage.
    Go in clean garments.
    Go with a bounce back spirit.
    In Jesus’ name, Amen.

      • Zechariah 3:4NKJV

      • Esther 2:19NKJV

      • Esther 5:13NKJV

      • Proverbs 16:18NKJV

      • Esther 5:14NKJV

      • Esther 4:1NKJV

      • Esther 4:14–16NKJV

      • Esther 6:1–3NKJV

      • Zechariah 3:4NKJV

Grace Covenant Church of Mid Mo
info@damascusministries.org
573-290-2144
https://www.mograce.org
17 members