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Sunday Message: Consider Your Ways · CCC West Covina

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Our text today is that Old Testament book of haggai and the
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title of today's message is consider your ways.
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And while you're searching for haggai, if you need any help,
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it's the 37th book out of 39 in the Old Testament, you might
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want to go to the last book, Malachi go back Zakaria and
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then, hey guys, before Zachariah, but while you're
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searching for it, just want to give a warning for all the
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parents here today as you go home today, and your kids are
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scrounging for the Loose Change in the ashtray and the car or
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digging through the sofa for Loose Change is because their
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Sunday school teacher told him to do so.
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Okay, there's a next four weeks, they'll be a children's missions
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offering and there's a display in the back.
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The Thai flag is back there and the children are going to raise
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money to buy a book called knowing the one true God.
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We gave that book out for you a few months ago to reach
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Buddhist, but there are 6,000 prisoners in 71 prisons in
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Thailand that are doing Bible correspondence courses, through
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an organization called The way of life and the Thailand women's
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ministry. So, they would like that book in
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tithe eight dollars a copy and they want to buy six thousand.
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I'm to disciple these prisoners with.
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So we're going to have our children raise as many much
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money as they can. You know, if you don't have any
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children and you want to drop your greenbacks or any Loose
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Change, there's a five gallon bucket there and then there's a
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newsletter from the Thailand's women's ministry that you can
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find more information. How to give if you want haggai
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chapter 1, I trust you found it there.
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It's the and shortest book in the Old Testament, 38 verses
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only two chapters but let's look at haggai.
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Chapter 1, verse 1 in the second year of Darius, the king in the
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six month, on the first day of the month.
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The word of the Lord came by the hand of haggai.
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The Prophet to zerubbabel the son of shealtiel, governor of
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Judah, Andrew Joshua, the son of josedech, the high priest, thus
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says, the Lord of hosts, these people say, the time has not yet
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come to rebuild the house of the Lord.
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In the word of the Lord came by the hand of haggai.
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The Prophet, is it time for you yourselves to dwell, in your
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panel houses, while this house lies in Ruins.
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Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts consider your
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ways, you have sown much and harvested little you eat, but
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never have enough. You drink, but never have your
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fill you, clothe yourselves, but no one is warm and he, who earns
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wages does. So, to put them in a bag with
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holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts
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consider your ways Go up to the hills and bring wood and build
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the house that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be
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glorified says the Lord you look for much and behold it came to
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little and when you brought it home, I blew it away.
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Why declares the Lord of hosts, because of my house that lies in
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Ruins, while each of you busies himself, when in his own house,
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therefore, the heavens above have withheld, the do and the
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Earth has withheld, its produce, and I have called for a drought
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on the land and on the hills on grain.
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The new wine the oil and what the ground brings forth on man
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and Beast and all their labors Vin's Rubble is son of chatel
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Joshua. The son of josedech, the high
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priest with all the remnant of people obeyed, the voice of the
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Lord, their God and the words of haggai the Prophet as the Lord
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their God and send him and the people.
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Feared the Lord, then haggai the messenger of the Lord, spoke to
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the people with the Lord's message.
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I Am with You declares the Lord and the Lord stirred up, the
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spirit of zerubbabel's. The son of chatel governor of
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Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, son of josedech, the high
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priest, and the spirit of all the, remnant of the people and
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they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts.
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Their God, on the 24th day of the month in the six month in
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the second year of Darius. The king.
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Let's pray, father. As we leave here today, may we
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know more of you and we know mo what it is.
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We are to do as we look in this wonderful book of haggai in
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Jesus name. Amen.
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Today is January 15th, 2023, and when the history books are
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written, I don't know what significant thing will happen
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today, but when you look through history, there are dates are
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significant, aren't they? It was in 3000, BC.
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That the building of the pyramid began, it was in 776 BC.
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That the first Olympics were held, it was in 490 BC that the
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Greeks, defeated the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.
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It was in 323 that Alexander the Great died, 214, BC the Great
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Wall of China was started in for ad.
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Jesus Christ was born in 1492 Columbus discovered America,
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1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed 1863
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slavery was abolished 1969 The Man in the Moon and so on.
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But what about 520 BC? It's really an insignificant
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date in world history, but as far as the Bible is concerned,
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it was Very important day because in August 29th.
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Yes. We know the exact date 520 BC
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the word of the Lord came to an insignificant Prophet named
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haggai who told them to go to the remnant of people and tell
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them, get busy rebuilding my house, no more excuses, no more
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procrastination, no more laziness, no more, fluence for
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your own house and forgetting about my house.
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Stir the people up and rebuild the Temple haggai.
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The word means Festival. So many commentators believe he
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was born. During one of the three
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festivals that the Jews celebrate, he was probably born
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during the Babylonian captivity and we know that he returned
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with his Rubble. Remember, there were three
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deportations and there would be free returns to Jerusalem after
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the 70 years of captivity and zerubbabel would lead the first
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return and that's when haggai came with him.
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So haggai Zechariah and Malachi the last three books, the Old
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Testament, we call them the post-exilic prophets, they are
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the prophets who prophesied after the remnant came back from
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the 70 years of captivity to really understand those three
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books. You need to read azra and
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Nehemiah those five books kind of go together.
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So hey guys, considered a prophecy book but Ezra would
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give the history and haggai actually takes place between
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Ezra chapter 4. And as our chapter, Five.
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It's only 22 chapters 38 verses making it the second shortest
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book in the Old Testament after Obadiah, it's quoted once in the
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New Testament, in Hebrews 12 26, which Lance will be looking at
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in a couple weeks and there are basically four messages from
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God. And we're only look at the first
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message a day in chapter one, and that's the message of rebuke
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or what? I've entitled, it consider your
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ways some commentators have called haggai, The Gospel of
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work. Work the Evangelical do or
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philosophy of action. So we read chapter 1 and we have
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a simple outline in your bulletin.
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If you can find you in your bulletin on the inside page
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there we have the rebuke versus 12 for the reminder verses 5 to
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11 and the response verses 12 to 15.
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Let's look at the rebuke. First verses 1 to 4 and there
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you have some sub points to setting the saying and the
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selfishness. Let's look at the settings.
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Verse 1, you notice right away. It says in the second year of
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Darius, the king in the six month, on the first day of the
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month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of a guy.
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The prophet to zerubbabel the son of shealtiel, governor of
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Judah and Joshua, son of josedech, the high priest, when
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you look at a new book and I know we're only doing this for
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one. Sunday is sometimes easy to do.
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I like to do the who, what, when where, why High, especially in
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the historical books and even though, hey guys, a prophecy
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book, Ezra gives the history. Let's do the Who?
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What when, where why hi? Who's the who?
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Well, who is King Darius King, Darius is going to give a
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decree. Okay jerubbaal and Joshua I
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mentioned 5 times in 38 verses haggai is mentioned as the
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prophet and then you have the remnant The Remnant that return
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from Babylon and we'll talk a little bit more about them.
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What's Happening Here? What we have a profit is going
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to encourage the people, after the word of the Lord comes to
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him, to speak to the people, The Remnant to resume the work of
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rebuilding the temple that Simple, the win is very
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important when well in 536 BC and you find this in Ezra
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chapter 1, verses 1 to 4. As a result of the Proclamation
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from King, Cyrus the Persian king Israel was allowed to
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return from Babylon to their Homeland, and zerubbabel would
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lead that. Joshua, the high priest would
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come, there would be three returns one under zerubbabel one
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under Ezra, and one under Nehemiah.
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But this first one which were talking about today, about
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50,000 Jews would return in 536. They immediately began to
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rebuild the Temple. You can read about that in Ezra
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chapter 3 and 4. They laid the foundation of the
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temple and they started doing the morning and evening
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sacrifices. But then those Samaritans would
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come. And the Samaritan said we want
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to help you rebuild the Temple and Joshua.
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I'd say you have no part of rebuilding a temple with us.
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We don't want anything to do with you those.
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Samaritans would stir up trouble.
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They would write a letter to then, Cyrus is now dead.
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So the letter would go to the new king king artaxerxes in Ezra
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chapter 4. And and King artaxerxes was make
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a decreased, stop the work and so they would force the work to
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stop. So for 16 years, from by 36,
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2520, the work stopped. That's what's happening here.
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That's the setting. So we're talking about 520 BC.
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And you notice very, First in the second year of Darius, the
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king of Judah, the king in the six-month first day, that is
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August 29th, 520 BC. When you look at verse 15, it
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says on the 24th day of the month in the six month, in the
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second year of Darius. The king that is September 21st,
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520 BC. And then in Chapter 2, there's
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two more dates, October 19th and December 18th, 520 BC.
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So we know that haggai prophesied for four months, only
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four months, But the Bible is so Pacific, precise.
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It gives you the exact dates. That's the win.
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The, where is Jerusalem? Specifically the temple in our
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text seven times? It says the house, the house of
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the Lord, the Temple of the Lord.
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Why is this book here? Well, God is telling the people
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then, and I think he's telling us today that God's work.
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Never stops. God's work.
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Should never stop and gods workers.
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Should never procrastinate, should never be lazy.
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Should never fear. Position but obey the Lord and
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finish the work that he's given us.
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That's the setting. Let's look at verse 22 saying
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and there's two points in verse 2.
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We have the name and we have the actual excuse.
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It says in verse 2, thus says the Lord of hosts before we can
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get to the saying or the excuse we need to look at who is saying
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this. It says thus says the Lord of
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hosts. Why is God called the Lord of
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hosts 14 times. In 38 verses he is called the
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Lord of hosts. It's used 284 times in the Old
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Testament, quite often in the prophecy books.
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It's a term in Hebrew for Jehovah Sabbath, and it
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literally is translated the lord of the armies.
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The name denotes is universal sovereignty.
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Over every Army, both spiritual unearthly, the Lord of hosts is
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king of heaven, and king of Earth.
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Remember that beautiful verse in Psalm 24, 10, who is this king
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of glory, the lord of hosts. He is the king of glory.
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It's interesting. That God would denote himself in
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that name, the Lord of hosts. He uses that name to address the
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remnant of people. God had never said stop the
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work, okay? But the People did because they
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feared the Kings attic. They feared, the opposition you
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notice in verse 12. The people are going to learn to
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fear the lord and get busy and obey the Lord.
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But it's interesting, I find that here the people feared man,
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and they did not fear the lord, so God uses us name.
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The Lord of hosts 93 years later.
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The Third Return would come and a man called Nehemiah would
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come. He knew all about fearing the
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Lord Nehemiah. Has my favorite book in the Old
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Testament and we see Nia by a Praying at least 13 times.
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Why does he pray? Because opposition comes turn
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with me back to the book of Nehemiah quickly.
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And there's a, there's just, I just love the book of Nehemiah
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because every time opposition comes, look at Nehemiah chapter
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4, just like the people in our text today opposition would come
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and 90-something years. Later, opposition would come, we
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need a Wants to rebuild the walls.
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There's always opposition whether it's rebuilding the
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temple or rebuilding the walls, but in Nehemiah chapter 4 verse
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1. It says now, when sanballat
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heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly
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enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.
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And he said, in the presence of his brothers and the army of
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Samaria. What are these feeble Jews
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doing? Will they restore it for
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themselves? Will they sacrifice, will they
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finish it in a day? Well, they revive the stones,
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out of the Heap of rubbish and the burn ones at that and
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Tobias, Oh, the ammonite was beside him and he said, yes,
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what they are building. If a fox goes up in that wall,
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he will break down the stone wall.
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Notice what Nehemiah does verse 4 of chapter 4 hero, Our God for
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we are despised turn back there, taunt on their own heads and
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give them up to be plundered and land where they are captives.
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Do not cover up their guilt and let not their sin.
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Be blotted out from your site for the provoked, you to anger
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in the presence of the building Nehemiah.
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Prayed, and time, and time. Again of a chapter to take you
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to chapter six, more opposition comes up and they tell Nehemiah
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to stop working and I love Nehemiah 66.
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It says in verse 3 Nehemiah, they tell Nehemiah, come meet
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with us, we want to talk to you. They actually wanted to murder
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Nehemiah and Nehemiah says, in chapter 6 verse 3, I am doing a
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great work and I cannot come down.
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I love that verse Nehemiah knew he was working for the Lord of
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hosts Nehemiah knew there would be opposition.
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Position. But he was not afraid, but the
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people in our text in haggai here, they were afraid and they
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stop the work. Let's look at the actual excuse
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and that's found in the latter part of verse to be.
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These people say, the time has not yet come to rebuild the
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house of the Lord. The task of the rebuilding of
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the temple was on hold for 16 years.
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Notice how God calls the Jews. These people kind of sour
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casterly, right? But remember, these people
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They're the ones who left Babylon, okay, they're the
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zealous ones, who returned to Jerusalem.
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They're not like the people who stayed behind in their
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comfortable house is in Babylon. Most of the Jews stayed behind
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in Babylon because they had a good life there.
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They had a, they were Protected Their remember, Jeremiah 29.
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Jeremiah told him settle down. Build houses.
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Have families obey, the government.
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So, a lot of the people stay but these 50,000 return and one
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Pastor said, these are The right people who had special Devotion
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to the Lord and Zeal for his house, they left Babylon because
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they had Zeal for God's house, they returned to the right place
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Jerusalem and the comfortable life.
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They left behind in Babylon and they started the right work in
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rebuilding the temple. They were working for
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righteousness. Ezra tells us that when they
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arrived in Jerusalem, they took up an offering.
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They started the sacrifices they wanted.
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To serve God. But when the king gave the
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decree to stop the work and and the opposition came they
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stopped. So they stopped doing the right
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work and they settled down for 16 years but after all they had
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the right to build homes, didn't they?
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For their families. They had to make a living
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agriculturally so they had to plant crops they had to
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establish schools and shops and start Commerce and trade which
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are all valid Pursuits. But an August 29th, 520 BC, God
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sent haggai to rebuke this Rama not and say no more excuses.
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The people were saying with this, excuse that, when a more
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convenient time comes, we'll rebuild the Temple when things
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get better politically will rebuild the Temple.
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When things get better, economically will rebuild the
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Temple. When there's peace and
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protection from our enemies. And then we'll rebuild the
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Temple. Just an excuse.
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Let's move on from the saying to the selfishness in verses 3 and
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4. God is going to speak for a
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second time. And he's going to ask a question
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in verse 4. The word of the Lord came by the
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hand of haggai, the Prophet, is it time for you yourselves to
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dwell in panel houses. While this house my house lies
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in Rune, God is going to accuse the remnant of having plenty of
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time for themselves while pleading for lack of time.
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For God, God accuses the remnant of having plenty of money to
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spend on their own Comforts and Pleasures while claiming not to
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have enough money to do God's work.
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These people have a roof over their heads, while God Temple
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doesn't have a roof over it. Instead of putting God first,
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The Remnant put their affluence first.
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And the Bible says that when you put anything before God first
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that's idolatry. S res, 37 tells us that when
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they returned, they took up an offering and they raise money
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and they had this sidonians bring.
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Sidonians were famous for for Timber and lumber they would
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bring cedar trees and they brought Cedar and lumber from
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Lebanon to build the work. One has to wonder that maybe
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they took some of that nice Lumber and used it on their own
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houses. What do we learn from this first
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point here? Aren't we?
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Also like the remnant we are believers or Not lit,
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unbelievers, unbelievers, don't come to church, we come to
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church. We're not like to see any
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Christians who only come on Christmas and Easter.
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We're not like those Facebook Christians who post cute little
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poems, but really hardly ever come to church.
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We come we worship. We have a Zeal to sing to serve
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the Lord, or at least, maybe we did, maybe time has passed since
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when she first became a Christian and you've lost.
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Someone has deal, maybe you settle down, maybe you've gotten
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busy with things of the world and let the things of God slide.
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You know, we too can make excuses, can't wait.
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Yes, I'm a witness but it's not a good time to share Jesus
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Christ right now. Yes, I know I should tie but I
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have bills mortgages and expenses.
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Yes, I know, I should serve, but I really don't want to stay for
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two Services. The word of the Lord by haggai
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comes to such people is that you?
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God still says, what is the condition of my work in your
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home? Your church, your neighborhood.
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God still says Are you doing to fulfill the purpose for which
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you've been set forth, apart by Jesus?
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God was excusing. The remnant of having plenty of
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time for themselves while pleading for a lack of time for
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God, God's work should never be procrastinated.
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God is going to do what he wants when he wants how he wants
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whenever he wants when he wants. So from the rebuke, let's move
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to point number 2, the reminder verses 5 to 11.
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And first off, we have the consideration it says in verse
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5. Now, therefore sus says, the
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Lord of hosts consider your ways, that's the title of
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today's message. And then you go to verse 7.
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He says thus says the Lord consider your ways in Chapter 2,
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it says consider three more times 05 times.
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He tells these people consider he's telling them think
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carefully about what you're doing.
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Look at your life, look at the consequences of your actions.
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Okay? And what's transpired in your
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lives after neglecting God's work for 16 years, God's going
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to specifically mention five things, he says sewing eating,
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drinking clothing and earning money.
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And with each one of those things, God gives an answer that
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you did not receive what you expected when you sewed, when
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you ate, when you drank, when you put on clothes when you're
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in. In fact, you got virtually
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nothing out of those five things.
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God is telling the people of Israel.
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Hear the remnant reappraise your situation.
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Take a close look at how things are reconsider your behavior.
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It's kind of like us today. We have that saying today, the
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hurry or I go the behind your I get, right?
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It's a picture of Our Generation cars.
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Houses gadgets vacations. And the end result is, many
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Christians are never satisfied. What is the cause of it?
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There was a very famous Pastor Doctor.
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George Truitt. He was the pastor of the First
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Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and I think he was also the
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leader of the Southern Baptist convention for a while and he
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had a big church in Dallas and he had a lot of Rich.
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Oilman, that would come to his church.
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So one day an oil, a wealthy oilman invited Pastor, true it
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to his house and after dinner, the man took Pastor to it to the
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roof of his house and he indicated the huge oil fields in
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his backyard and he said dr. True it.
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That's all mine. I came to this country, 25.
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Five years ago, penniless and now I own everything as far as
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you can see in that direction then he turned the pasture to
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another Direction and he showed him, the fields of wheat and
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grain and said, it's all mine. I own everything as far as you
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can see in that direction, then he turned to the East and
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pointed to her judge heard hudes of cattle and said, it's all
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mine everything as far as you can see.
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In that direction is mine one final time.
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He turned toward the west and pointing to a great.
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In forest and said it's all mine. 25 years ago, I was
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penniless, but I worked hard and saved.
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And today, I own everything as far as you can see in this
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direction that direction that direction.
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In that direction, the rich wealthy Oil Man, paused for a
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minute. He was expecting some praise
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from Pastor true it but to his astonishment Pastor true, it
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lovingly put his hand on the rich, oilman shoulder and
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pointed upward and said my friend.
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How much do you own in that land?
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The man dropped his head and Shane and said, I never thought
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of that. Let's move from the
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consideration to the command verse 8.
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God just says go up to the hills and bring wood and build the
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house. God says, two things here.
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Get the job done and the goal is to glorify God get the job done.
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Just go. Okay?
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Forget the opposition. I'll take care of that.
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I'm the Lord of hosts. I'm the god of the armies of
23:30
Heaven. I can handle any opposition.
23:32
Opposition is always bound to come when we do God's work
23:36
wherever we go and we see it in Ezra it did.
23:40
Come God says no excuses. Get the job done.
23:44
What you started. 16 years ago I never told you to stop working.
23:48
God says stop procrastinating. Stop rationalizing.
23:50
Stop the excuses. And start realizing the right
23:54
priority and start resuming. The work says the Lord of hosts
23:58
get the job done. Done.
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The goal is to glorify God and I think this is the key part of
24:03
our message today. It says there in the latter part
24:06
of verse 8, be mrs. Words that you ought to
24:08
underline in your Bible that I may take pleasure in it and that
24:14
I may be glorified, says the Lord, the rebuilding of the
24:18
temple would give glory to God. So, the people would obey his
24:22
commands. That's where the word of God
24:24
would be taught by the Levites in the priest.
24:26
That's where they would worship. That would declare, That to the
24:30
world that God was worthy of a dwelling place where he could be
24:34
worship the rebuilding of the temple.
24:36
Would refocus the attention of the Jews, on the worship of God
24:39
and not their own interests. Worship of God, always comes
24:44
before the work. A man.
24:46
God would make his presence there in the holy of holies in
24:49
the temple. What does it mean to glorify
24:51
God? The Westminster Shorter
24:53
Catechism says, what is the chief end of man?
24:57
Man's Chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever,
25:02
the New Testament. First Corinthians 10:31 says, so
25:05
whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for
25:11
the glory of God, Charles Spurgeon said, listen carefully
25:16
you will never glory in God. Till first of all, God has
25:22
killed your glorying in yourself.
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I'm going to say that. Again, because it hit me like a
25:28
ton of bricks you will never glory in God.
25:32
Till first of all, God has killed all your glorying in
25:36
yourself. So what do we learn from this
25:39
point here? Well, remember narcissist
25:42
narcissist. He was that mythological
25:44
character, who fell in love with his own reflection.
25:47
So today we have that word narcissist and we live in the
25:51
most narcissistic Society in the history of mankind are Shin is
25:57
becoming increasingly infatuated with its own image.
26:00
Self-improvement self-satisfaction
26:03
self-gratification are the primary concerns in our narrow
26:07
world. I must be fulfilled is the world
26:09
today. That's why we have so many
26:11
abortions. That's why we have so many
26:13
divorces. It's all about me.
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But a god-centered Christian is to be absolutely opposite of a
26:20
narcissistic. A god-centered Christian is
26:22
consider about who he is and what he says, rather than his
26:26
own interests. But commitment to the material,
26:28
rather than spiritual is always, a phenomenal hindrance to the
26:32
fear of the Lord in our Tech's. The remnants responsibility was
26:36
to rebuild God's house in our context today, it's just set,
26:41
our spiritual matters first, and to get on with serving God, with
26:46
the best of our abilities. God takes pleasure when the body
26:50
of Christ functions and serves We've Just Begun 2023 and we
26:56
don't need to waste Another day, another week, another month in
26:59
especially a year no more excuses.
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John says God says, get the job done.
27:04
And the question is, are you glorifying God?
27:07
When a lady goes in the nursery and holds a baby?
27:10
So a mom could actually attend church, there glorifying, God,
27:15
when there's somebody out there in the 50 degree weather
27:17
protecting the cars and protecting the children in
27:21
security, that's glorifying. God Usher's.
27:24
And greeters who helped out a glorifying god.
27:27
Helpers who helped are glorifying, God Sunday school
27:29
teachers, who spend 23 hours preparing their lesson.
27:32
So that the children can hide God's word in their heart.
27:35
They are glorifying God. So you have to ask the question
27:39
what can I do to glorify? God is God, taking pleasure
27:43
verse 8, in what I do am I glorifying God and all that I
27:46
can do from the command to the clarification clarification in
27:52
verses 9 to 11 God is going to tell them why.
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They didn't receive what they expected.
27:59
So he's going to give the expectation.
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And then the reality, the expectation of these people was
28:05
abundance, wasn't it? Now, it's an Agriculture and
28:08
agricultural economy, right? So if you have lots of harvest,
28:12
you're going to get lots of money.
28:14
You're going to sell your going to have trade, your have
28:16
security, you're gonna have a blessed future, you're going to
28:19
Prosperity or not power. So the people here who waited 16
28:23
years, while they built their panel houses, and forgot about
28:25
the work of the Lord, They remind you of the rich fool in
28:29
Luke 12, you remember, look, Luke 12.
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I think we turn to this Parable probably once a month here at
28:35
Christ Community Church, but Luke 12, if you want to turn
28:38
there with me, Luke 12. The only place in the Bible
28:41
Lance's said, where God calls somebody a fool?
28:43
It reminds me of the people here at the remnant.
28:46
In Luke chapter 12 verse 13. Someone in the crowd said to
28:49
Jesus teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with
28:52
me but Jesus said to him man who made me a judge or arbitrator.
28:57
Over you, then Jesus said to them, take care and be on your
29:00
guard against all covetousness for one's life.
29:03
Does not consist in his abundance of possessions and he
29:07
told them a parable saying the land of a rich man produced
29:10
plentiful and he thought to himself, what can, what shall I
29:13
do? I have nowhere to store my crops
29:16
and he said I will do this. I will tear down my Barns and
29:20
build larger ones and there I will store all my grain and my
29:23
goods and I will say to my soul soul you have Ample Goods laid
29:27
up for many years. Relax, eat drink, be merry, but
29:31
God said to him fool this night, your soul is required of you and
29:36
the things you have prepared. Those whose will he be?
29:39
So, is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not
29:42
rich toward God. If you notice there, six times,
29:46
the rich fool says, aye, aye. Aye, aye!
29:49
There's no thought of God. There's no thought of giving to
29:52
the poor. There's no thought of The God
29:54
Who allowed him to be rich and why he's rich.
29:58
When we procrastinate, when we get lazy and serving tithing,
30:01
get our priorities off God, it's always on I and God says to the
30:05
rich fool. You're a fool in a guy.
30:07
He tells the people consider your ways.
30:10
The people when they harvested, when they planted, they were
30:14
expecting a lot. What was the reality verses 9 to
30:17
11? I love what God says here.
30:20
I blew it away. God, speaking, the heavens above
30:23
you have withheld, the do the Earth has withheld, its produce
30:27
I called for a drought on the grain, the wine and the oil.
30:31
You see exactly what God did hear.
30:33
God call for a natural disaster. God.
30:36
Punish the remnant of people because they had neglected
30:39
rebuilding his house, he calls for a natural disaster.
30:42
He makes the the drought come to discipline, his very own
30:47
children of Israel. Now, if God is going to
30:49
discipline the children of Israel with a natural disaster,
30:53
how much more will he discipline us when he needed?
30:56
We just In three weeks a month ago, in Hebrews chapter 12,
31:01
Verses 4 to 11 on Lance priest, three messages on discipline.
31:06
Okay. So I don't need to talk a lot
31:07
about this. Those were very convicting
31:09
messages, but if you neglect, God and nothing else you do is
31:14
ultimately going to prosper. It's that simple.
31:17
God sent an emptiness into their hearts, so that the people might
31:20
awake from their spiritual idolatry and turn back to him.
31:24
We often give the example of lat Remember lot lot looked towards
31:29
Sodom got lot lean towards Sodom got learned about Sodom.
31:35
Then he went and lived in Sodom. Then you actually let it Sodom
31:40
and he ended up losing everything right.
31:43
Psalms 106 15 says God gave them what they asked for, but sent a
31:49
wasting disease among them and Pastor.
31:52
Lance has said, multiple times. You've been here a long time,
31:54
you heard Lance State as many times.
31:57
Careful what you ask for because God may just give it to you and
32:00
he might send a wasting disease in you.
32:02
It's the beginning of a new year.
32:04
It's going to be a tough year, right?
32:06
It's going to be a tough year with inflation.
32:08
It's going to be a tough year with things going on in our
32:10
country, are your priorities, right?
32:12
God says, consider your ways. Proverbs 3 verse 9 and 10, says,
32:16
honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of your
32:20
produce, then your barns will be filled with plenty and your Vats
32:25
will be bursting with why. Wine from the reminder.
32:28
Let's go to the third point, the response in verses 12 to 15.
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In verse 12 we have two words, obedience and reverence, okay,
32:39
we mentioned before that most of the prophets preached the word
32:42
of God, they didn't have any success right but haggai
32:47
Zechariah and Malachi are post-exilic prophets and they
32:51
had success. They had success perhaps because
32:54
the people had learned about the destruction.
32:57
The 70 years in Babylon. So they ended up when they had,
33:01
they got rebuked. They learned.
33:03
There were no more excuses. They learn that they need to get
33:06
busy with the word of God. It says that in verse 12, they
33:09
obeyed the voice of the Lord, their God.
33:12
And then it says the people feared the Lord, you know, for
33:16
haggai there was success and the lead it says the leaders obeyed
33:20
and when the leaders obeyed The Remnant obeyed and why did they
33:24
obey? Because they had reverence And
33:27
reverence is a spiritual prerequisite for spiritual
33:30
blessing. They had a new reverence for
33:33
God, you know, it's really impossible to fear God properly
33:37
without obeying him. Okay, if you fear God, obedience
33:41
or, reverence are inseparable. If you have a reverence for God,
33:45
it affects your tithing. It affects your serving.
33:47
It affects your study of the word of God.
33:50
It affects your sharing of the Gospel obedience, and reverence
33:53
is what we see here. Let's move from the response.
33:57
To the reassurance. And here you have two words
34:00
protection and provision and gods going to God's reply.
34:05
To the people is very simple for words.
34:08
I Am with You opposition would come.
34:12
I wish we had time to turn to Ezra but in Ezra chapter 5, just
34:16
like Ezra three. When they 16 years before when
34:19
they started to rebuild the Temple opposition came in Ezra
34:23
chapter 5 Captain, I the governor came and If elbow zany
34:27
and Associates came, they said who gave you this decree to
34:31
rebuild the house? What are the names of the men?
34:34
And they took their names and they wrote another letter to
34:37
now. King Darius King, Cyrus is dead
34:41
King, artaxerxes dead and out Darius the great as the king and
34:46
they write a letter and they expect the same response.
34:48
King Darius is going to come back and say stop the work.
34:52
Doesn't happen. King Darius writes and says
34:55
leave the work. Of the Lord alone, let them
34:59
rebuild. And even he says so much in Ezra
35:03
chapter 5. You know, it's really
35:04
interesting that in Ezra one, God used the heart of a pagan
35:08
King Cyrus to rebuild the Temple of Israel.
35:11
Then in Ezra 6, God uses King Darius to give the decree to
35:17
rebuild the Temple. But in Ezra for King artaxerxes
35:21
says, stop the work. And I make it the point.
35:24
That if those people when opposition, Jean King, if they
35:27
had held a prayer meeting like Nehemiah.
35:29
If they had cried out to God, the army of the Lord of host
35:32
would have helped them. Proverbs 20:1.
35:35
One says, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of
35:39
the Lord. He turns it.
35:41
Wherever you will, he turned it for King, Cyrus, he turned it
35:44
for King. Darius, God did not for King
35:46
artaxerxes because I think the people were lazy procrastinating
35:49
and were only thinking about themselves.
35:52
Matthew 28:20 says, I am with you always to the End of the
35:55
Age. God said, The people I am with
35:58
you and he says that today and when God protects us, God
36:02
provides in Ezra 6, Darius wrote back and he said, said the cost
36:09
of this house to rebuilt is to be paid by these men in full
36:13
from the Royal Revenue. Give them Bulls Ram sheep,
36:17
sweet, salt, wine oil, whatever they need.
36:20
Give them Daria says, so the opposition thought that they
36:25
would get the work stopped. Instead they actually had to
36:28
help support the rebuilding of the temple.
36:30
God is always going to provide for his work, isn't he?
36:34
So from the from the reassurance will finish with the resolve in
36:43
verses, 14 and 15. We have the stirring and we have
36:46
this starting three times. In verse 14, it says the spirit.
36:50
Now this is not the holy spirit. This is the spirit of zerubbabel
36:54
the. Holy Spirit, may have stirred up
36:56
the heart of zerubbabel, the spirit of Joshua and the spirit
37:00
of the remnant three times. They heard the word of the Lord,
37:05
and their hearts were stirred. They feared the Lord and they
37:08
obey them and they began the work of Lord and it's and then
37:12
so after they were stirred, they started.
37:15
So look at verse 15. Verse 15 of haggai.
37:18
Chapter 1 says on the 24th day of the month in the sixth month
37:23
in the second year of Darius. The king.
37:26
So from haggai, chapter 1 verse 12, haggai chapter 1, verse 15,
37:31
23 days, 23 days, they started working.
37:36
Now, why do they take 23 days? Well, they probably had to plan,
37:41
they had to organize, they had to get work teams together.
37:43
They had to get supplies, they probably had to hire experts and
37:47
get the wood and the iron the gold and silver.
37:50
They had to arrange protection. Probably so dates are very
37:54
important for us and let me so 23 days.
37:58
They were stirred up, they started the work history tells
38:01
us. It took about four years to
38:02
complete the temple and that Temple would go.
38:05
We continue all the way to King Herod, in the time of Jesus.
38:08
They would continue to work on it.
38:10
Until the Roman Empire destroyed in ad 70, but dates are
38:14
important in verse 1. Verse 15 is today.
38:18
The date, you would consider your ways, get your priorities
38:21
right with God. It's never too late to start
38:24
obeying God. So I just want to close an
38:26
application real quickly, three things.
38:28
Number one, God's work never stops.
38:32
Okay, God never told the remnant to stop working, they feared the
38:37
Samaritans more than they fear, God.
38:40
God gave a command for us to go in the world and preach the
38:43
gospel. And when you go to Acts chapter
38:46
1 he says that that you'll be my Witnesses in Jerusalem Judea and
38:50
Samaria. Nazir.
38:51
But you know those disciples like the remnant here who kind
38:54
of got lazy for 16 years and lost their focus for seven to
38:59
eight years. The disciples just stayed in
39:01
Jerusalem. After all the church was
39:04
exploding, right? 3000 5000, but the disciples
39:08
didn't leave Jerusalem. So what did God do?
39:11
Come to Acts chapter 8 and acts 8:1 says what a great
39:16
persecution broke out in Jerusalem and people were forced
39:20
out of Jerusalem, all of them, except the disciples.
39:23
And what do they do when they're forced out?
39:25
They went about preaching the gospel.
39:27
So, they went to the Samaritans, they went to the Ethiopian
39:30
eunuch. They went to the Roman Centurion
39:32
in chapter 9, and then in Chapter 13, they finally went to
39:36
the ends of the world. Okay.
39:39
So they were they Maybe they were little bit lazy.
39:41
God's work, never stops and if we stop it, God's going to start
39:46
it up. He took a in our text today.
39:48
He took a natural disaster, God caused a natural disaster to
39:53
drought and in Acts chapter 8, he caused a loud, the
39:56
persecution to happen. So his word would continue to
39:59
spread today, Presidents Governor's kings, make laws,
40:04
they make mandates, they passed agrees to try to stop the work
40:08
of God and the worship of God, we just had a had a, you know, I
40:12
won't get off this subject on covid but that's a reminder that
40:15
all around the world governments will pass laws the Hindus, the
40:19
Buddhists the Muslims pass laws that you cannot convert to
40:23
Christianity, but that will not stop the work of God.
40:27
People all over the world. In China churches are being
40:30
bulldoze. Pastors are being arrested being
40:32
put in persecution, some are being killed but these are men
40:35
like Moses parents. It says in Hebrews 11 23, they
40:39
were Afraid of the Kings attic. And that's what we have to be.
40:44
Remember God will to work never stops.
40:46
And number two, Gods workers are to never stop.
40:49
You can retire from the Southern California Edison Company.
40:52
You can retire from the Bonitas Unified School District.
40:54
You can retire from the LA Sheriff's Department, but you
40:57
can't retire from Ministry and serving the god you can take a
41:01
vacation. You could take a sabbatical.
41:03
I'm not saying you can't take a time of rest.
41:05
You know I remember an elder one night.
41:07
Got a phone call Sun Saturday night from what?
41:10
Was in the Sunday School leader of our church saying, I need a
41:12
substitute teacher tomorrow at 84, he went and taught and
41:16
substituted in Sunday school. I just recently, Lawrence whites
41:20
are driving to Tuesday night prayer.
41:22
Meeting at age, 94 to pray for Christ Community Church.
41:26
Bob Dyson's, you're taking the ushering, all the way to his old
41:29
age, they gave glory to God all the way to the end.
41:33
And so should we tell that great day when Jesus Christ returns?
41:37
No excuses. No prostitute for Nation.
41:40
No laziness God says, get my work done, so God's work, never
41:45
stops. God, workers never stopped.
41:47
And number three, we have to ask the question, am I robbing the
41:50
Lord, you know, I spent many years in management and business
41:54
and often I was also in charge of the phone banks at 8:00 the
41:58
phones open up. And literally, when the lights
42:00
go on, you can have three, four, five hundred phone calls at 8
42:03
a.m., and you've always got those employees that punch in
42:08
and slowly walk over to their deaths.
42:10
Scanned range their desk and get their coffee.
42:12
And then, we didn't have cell phones, but now, I guess they
42:14
text and stuff. And, of course, the boss would
42:17
have to yell out, get on the phones because, you know, we had
42:21
a goal. The phone calls had be answered
42:22
in four minutes now, it's like half an hour I think, but, but
42:27
you have to yell at people to get on the phones.
42:29
Those people, those employees would never steal merchandise
42:33
from the store, but they would steal time.
42:36
They would take five minutes extra at lunch five minutes of
42:39
break. They would put The least amount
42:41
of work in eight hours. They possibly could they would
42:43
steal time. But for Christians you have to
42:46
ask the question. Am I robbing the Lord?
42:49
Are you not willing to read your Bible and spend a few minutes
42:52
studying God's word in the morning?
42:54
Are you not willing to spend a few minutes of prayer each
42:57
morning? Are you not willing to give an
42:59
extra hour and a half to serve him on Sunday?
43:02
Are you not willing to come on Wednesday night and grow in
43:04
knowledge of the word of God? Are you not willing to give him
43:07
the first fruits of your paycheck?
43:09
You know, I Say this and I've shared this before. 30 years
43:12
ago, I was sitting in a pew at a previous Church.
43:15
My parents were in Ethiopia's missionaries at all.
43:18
I was content was was just to go to church.
43:20
I had a very good job in management, a new pastor,
43:23
arrived at that church and I'll never forget when he asked the
43:26
question, what are you doing for the Lord?
43:29
And he used the word of God to take me over the head with a
43:33
hammer and there was the one verse I'll share with you that
43:36
I'll never forget. Pastor Lance used Jeremiah 8
43:40
verse 7, which says even the stork in heaven knows her times.
43:45
And the turtledove, the swallow and the crane, keep the time of
43:51
their coming. That verse says, there are four
43:54
birds that know when to go south wind to go north, where to go,
43:58
why the birds know what to do, but Jeremy 70s with the words.
44:03
But my people do not know the rules.
44:08
The Lord or better translation. Do not know the requirements
44:11
that verse Hit me hard. And I had to consider my ways.
44:17
Will you consider your ways? God spoke through the prophet
44:20
haggai and said, consider your ways.
44:22
And he still says to us today, consider your ways.
44:26
The remnant learn to fear the lord and obey his word God's
44:31
word came to that Remnant and August 29th 520 BC and it still
44:35
comes today, January 15 2023. Today could be one of the most
44:40
important dates in your life. If you will consider ways.
44:45
Let's pray Father in heaven. We leave here today, knowing
44:48
more of you. Just ask that, you would have
44:50
each person search their hearts that each person would consider
44:54
their ways that the spirit of the Lord would speak to them and
44:58
ask them and that they would realize that your work doesn't
45:00
stop. That God's workers should.
45:03
Never stop till they great day. He calls him home and asked him.
45:06
Am I robbing the Lord? Is there something I can do?
45:08
More to glorify God? Is there something that you
45:11
would take pleasure in me? You serving you here at Christ
45:14
Community Church, tithing more, its hype Christ, Community
45:17
Church Father. May we leave here today,
45:20
searching our hearts and considering our ways in Jesus
45:23
name. Amen.