Sermon Tone Analysis

Friends, time to step up!

Esther 4:14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish.

And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Tonight, people around the world will celebrate the feast of Purim, which celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from one of many of Satan's attempts to purge them from the world.

Mordechai gave Esther a great challenge then, "and who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such as time as this?"

This is a challenge for all of us!

As each generation is raised up, God appoints men and women to rise up to the challenge of that age.

We are alive in this day and in this hour (an amazing day and hour, at that) and God is saying, "Whom shall I send?

And who will go for us?"

He is awaiting those who will come forward and say "Hineni" here am I, in Hebrew!

And if we fall short of this challenge, "deliverance may arise from another place!"

Friends, let's not let that happen -- God wants to use us!

Let's rise to the occasion!

God has great things ahead!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah

Houston, Texas

Editor's Note: We just posted a timely prophetic update on Worthy Watch.

Be sure to watch: Purim, Gog and Magog, Where Are We Prophetically?

Editor's Note: We'll be speaking in Texas over the next few weeks, let us know if you're in the area and would like to attend a service!

If you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP.

You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com

for more information.

John 2:12 (NASB95) — 12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

From this point, It would seem that Jesus becomes estranged from his mother brothers and sisters.

That is there is does not seem to be much of a relationship.

There are customs and ways of the people, in there religious ways that did not fit.

Jesus would keep the Law perfectly both to the letter and context by which it was given.

Problem is, that the culture had its way, and that did not fit with how Jesus who is the giver of the Law fashioned it.

Not much different that it is of this day.

there is a way that the world practices religion and thinks it is right.

and then there are those that practice the truth which sets him her and family as odd balls.

Mark 3:21 (NASB95) — 21 When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”

Mark 3:31–35 (NASB95) — 31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” 33 Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”

34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!

35 “For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

John 7:3 (NASB95) — 3 Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing.

Insinuation; “we are not your disciples!”

Also would come the decision from those in His hometown (Mark 6:1–6; Luke 4:14–30)

There are those who will find this to be true.

The faith of some will alienate themselves from their love ones, Parents from Children, children from parents even husbands and wives when and unbelieving spouse refuses to live with a believing spouse.

Or when the truth does not line up with the cultural religious norms.

Apparently this was the case of many in the first century Christianity

Luke 12:51–53 (NASB95) — 51 “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth?

I tell you, no, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.

53 “They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Luke 14:26 (NASB95) — 26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

this is not say one of the qualifiers of the Christian life is to dump your relationships.

It means you must be willing to let them go when those close relationships refuse and even become hostile against you because of your following the way.

Jesus seem himself to have that testing.

Capernum is on the Northern portion of the Galilee sea.

right on the coast

John 2:13 (NASB95) — 13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Passover was a yearly feast (appointed festival) it was one of three Jewish observances that required Jews to make a pilgrimage from wherever they were in the world to go up (in elevation) to Jerusalem.

In our study of the Life of Christ we had studied previously the celebration noting that it is an eight day observance beginning with Passover followed by the week of unleavened bread.

This will be the first of The three Passovers that Jesus will observe during his earthly ministry, but it is not the first Passover that he ever observed.

He has made this pilgrimage many times prior throughout his life.

Jesus was at home in this place as he had recognized it as a 12 year old boy.

Being left behind as an oversight by His parents was to him being left at home.

John 2:14–17 (NASB95) — 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

AS Jesus grew in wisdom and in statue growing up in Nazareth, Jesus would become more burdened with the way the leadership treated what he would call his Father’s house.

It was not just distorted religion but it was the desecration of what was to be set apart for the worship of God.

to desecrate that which was sacred, was not just to attack that which is the building complex but to do damage to the souls of the people.

taking away from them their meeting place with God.

There is apparently two cleansings of the temple.

The Synoptics recorded the cleansing at the end while it is John who records it at the beginning.

the first may have took the culprits all by complete surprise.

the second the authorities were ready.

Religion as it has become today is a money making enterprise.

As big business it is, one would think that the hearts of people would be that much more closer to God.

But where there is a dollar to be had then there is a way to use religion to dip into the pockets of the people.

there is legitimate given and then there is commerce.

The temple over time had become a market place which was one way to pad the pockets of Religious leaders and the institution.

Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum teaches in his coarse, “The Life of the Messiah” that this was known as the Circus of Annas.

Annas the high priest.

Like Christmas.

the unbelieving world don’t mind Christmas especially the retailers.

They expect a lot of money to be spent in their stores this time of year.

they may be God haters but if they can make a buck in the name of religion, then so be it.

And though it is claimed for an occasion when we observe the birth of our Savior, how many really know the Christmas story at all?

Who knows the Jesus and the significance of that day?

there would be the sale of the livestock.

Unspotted lambs would be the highest commodity.

Now if you were fortunate and you lived in Cana, and you raised a little perfect wooley, great!

You would bring it with you and you didn’t have to purchase a lamb at city prices.

You would bring your lamb to one station wait in line for inspection.

One of Anna’s cronies would be doing the inspecting.

Oh and how keen of eye did the priests have.

they would more times than not find a speck which would disqualify this lamb for sacrifice.

then the priest would point over to where one could be purchase ;a bonifide lamb.

there was the coin changers.

One cannot give to the temple with roman coin. it had to be converted to Jewish kosher standard.

So for your convenience there would be a table set up where for a small price you can exchange your roman coinage for temple coins.

Maybe you’d get 75 cents back for a dollar given.

all of this was to line the pockets of Annas.

It was extortion in the name of religion.

Nothing new under the sun.

Making a pilgrimage to the temple for the poor had become a burden, not a time of celebration and Gladness to be in a place of worship.

The very practice was like the God and the Mafia was working together for their own benefit.

Jesus saw this year after year, his life blended into the Jewish society without bringing notice to himself as he grew up until the day when his divine purpose upon this earth would be revealed.