Well, good morning, church, and happy last week of school. Amen. There was so much emotion around that statement. Depending upon what season your life in, right? If you are a student, you can't wait for this world this week to be here. If you're a parent, you're like, what are we going to do with them for the rest of the time? If you're a grandparent, you're like, well, I know what you're going to do with them, you're going to drop them at my house. It's how it works in a lot of our house. Man, I'm so glad you're here today. Just want to take us back for a moment to last week. You guys stepped it up. We introduced our Guatemala initiative last week, our impact to reach Guatemala. And you guys blew it out this week. Just want to let you know, we've got almost 160 of you coming to dinner tonight, the Guatemalan dinner. That says two things. Either you're incredibly obedient or hungry. Not sure which, but we'll take either one. But secondly, there is about 50 to 60 kids that are already sponsored with a lot more to go. And I cannot wait to see how many of you go with us in July. Can't wait to be with you in Guatemala serving. On top of that, just had some incredible financial conversations this week with people going, hey, this is the season we're in right now, but we want to be part of this program. You know, just when I thought that church couldn't get any better. It did. This past week and you guys stepped it up. On top of LifeGroups blowing it up right now, people at church, new families every week. It has been an incredible, incredible season of you guys just saying yes to God, which, by the way, if you're on the sidelines, if you're kind of checking it out, this place, watching as a casual fan, I'm just going to say it. Jump in. Jump in and just watch what God does in your life. 

In fact, that's what we're going to look at this morning. We're going to watch a group of people this morning that God challenged to say yes. And actually, it's one of the strongest challenges in the whole Bible. But most of us throughout the case of our kind of Christendom, we skip over this little story, but it is an incredible one. The year is about 530 B.C before Christ and God's chosen people, the Israelites, the Hebrews, they had been taken by Babylon into captivity. Babylon defeated Egypt earlier in about 600 B.C. They swept through all the nations on the way back home, which is present day Iraq. And they basically took all the people that they wanted to into their control to make them their servants. Well, Babylon ruled for a while, but as things go, eventually the Persians came around and absolutely routed the Babylonians. They overtook the Babylonians. And King Cyrus looked at all of the Hebrews, the Israelites, and said, Listen, I am still in control. I still rule this part of the world. But if you want to Israelites, you can go home and live in your country. And I will still rule over you there. I'll rule over you and your country. So about 50,000 of God's people, the Jews, right? The Israelites, the Hebrews, however you want to say it, they went back, and they started and made this journey back to their land that God had given them. But here's the thing. None of them, or very few of them had ever even lived there before. They were too young. They were in captivity for 70 years. So now they're marching home to a place that had never really been home to them. They never really knew what it was or what it was like. They had heard the stories from their parents. There were probably a few older people along the journey, but now they're being called back home to the place that they knew God had given them the promised land. Right? There’re distinct borders there's places God promised this to them, and now they're walking as God's people back into a land, setting up their lives as God's people. 

Just like us. But there's a struggle. We're going to look at their struggle this morning. If you got a copy of Scripture this morning, I want you to turn with me to the Old Testament book of Haggai, or maybe your Old Testament prophet taught or professor, said Haggai. Either way, the Old Testament book of Haggai, I'm going to promise you the easiest way to find it is to go to the table of contents, look for the page number, and then find the book alright. There ain't no shame in that game. That's what it's there for. If you want to go old school, go to Matthew and go back three books. It works that way too. Or just let's to be real, hit it on the app, right? In fact, I bet if we did a true false test prior to me saying that there was a book of Haggai in the Bible that probably about 80% of you would go, I don't even believe that's in the Bible. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. But here's my promise to you as we look at this book this morning, over the next 3 to 4 hours, it's going to become your most favorite book that you have ever looked at. I'm just kidding. But it really is an incredible book. You see, the remnant is heading on this four-to-five-month journey back to their land. It's about a thousand miles that they're heading. And when they get there, they find out that people are living there. People are living in their properties. That was their ancestral properties. But the vineyards haven't been tended. The fields hadn't been plowed and most importantly, the temple. Right. God's presence in this place has been totally destroyed. It's been totally knocked over. There was not one stone that was left. 

Now, it sounds like a big deal for us, but for them, you've got to remember, the temple was the place of God's presence. It was a symbol of his power. It was a symbol of his choosing. It was a symbol of God's reign and rule and choice of these people. When they get back into this land and there is no temple, it has been destroyed, it's been knocked down. So, they return home they get to work on their lives, right? They're working and their families are working in their homes. They're working on their employment, all of the important things in life. And then Haggai gets this word from the lord. Haggai is the first prophet post the exile to Babylon, right? I bet you knew that, right. He's the first prophet that comes out of it. And God says, Hey, Haggai. I need you to tell him something. And that's how we get this little two-page booklet somewhere buried in the back side of the Old Testament. And it really is a message of hope. You might not see the hope right at first, but I Promise you, it's a message of hope for this 50,000 people. And it's a message of hope for all of us who claim to be God's people today. All right. That should be long enough for you to find out. 

Here we go. Let's jump in. Here it is. Right, right. Ready? Here we go. In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the six month, the word of the Lord came through the Prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jozadak, the high priest. Wow. What a verse right what a verse. Some of you are like Matt, I could just hear that read over me over and over and over that verse changed my life, right? That's the one about. I heard that my high school years, I probably wouldn't have strayed, right? No, you wouldn't have. So, what do you do? When you get a verse like this, right? When you get to a guy, I can't pronounce the son of a guy I can't pronounce in a place, I don't even really know where you're talking about time period, I don't have a clue what is going on. What do we do when we get to those verses? 

Well, I tell you what most of us do, we skip it. Right? We skip over it. But let me just say this. Don't just skip it. Don't skip it. Why? Well, number one, it's the word of God. But number two, what you've got to realize that this is the truth line. This is the line that sets up this idea that what is about to happen, it's not a fable, it's not a parable. It's not a story from a long, long time ago. It is the truth you see, the calendaring system of the day consisted of this, right? What do we just see? There's a local leader. There's a big leader. There's a time, there's a month, there's a day, there's a location. And now we know who said it. This is the Bible's way of saying; this is a fact. This is a fact. And we would do well to pay attention to it. We would do well to mold our life around it. It's a real location, a real place, a real time. And it shows God's heart towards them. Therefore, it's God's heart towards us. Why? Because God's heart never changes His precepts never change, his love never changes. And God says this is for them. And this is for us. It's a challenge to the 50,000. But it really, it's a challenge to us. And God looks at the, the messenger Haggai. He says, Haggai listen, I need you to go tell these people this message why it never seems to be enough. I need you to go look at him and I need you to tell him why it just seems like everything in life that they do, that they never feel like they are fulfilled. 

That's a little bit of an American problem, right? Why does it seem like no matter what they do? It just doesn't seem like their lives are complete. Look at verse 2. This is what the Lord Almighty says. These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house. Now, remember, they love God. They love what God has done. They've gone back. They've had time. They've set up their lives. They've got their things put back together. They're building their businesses; they're tending their vineyards. Their houses are in order. And they truly are in a place in their heart where they're saying, God, one day I will be in a spot God, one day I'll be in a spot to bless you. One day God, I'll be in a spot to be used in your kingdom. One day, God, I will be, and my family will be successful enough for you to take us and use us in the house of the Lord. Use us to give to the House of the Lord. Use us to make an impact in the House of the Lord. I can just hear the Israelites saying, Man, God, I pray God that you put me in a place one day that I can bless your name. But God, I need to work on my stuff first. I need to work on my family first. I need to work on my house first. So, God says, Haggai, go talk to those people and tell them I want them to join me now. I want them to join me now. Look at verse three. 

Then the word of the Lord came to the Prophet Haggai. Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses? While this house, God says My house, lies in ruin? Now, this is what the Lord, everybody says, give careful thought to your ways. That's going to show up five times throughout this whole verse. Give careful thought to your ways. Listen to what he says. You have planted much. But you harvest little, you eat but you never have enough. You drink, but you never have your fill. You put clothes on, but you are not warm. You earn wages, catch this, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. Isn't that good? I just saw some of you just kind of nudge your spouse. You're like that's our life verse. That right there, honey. We have found the one right there, right? Man, we work like crazy. We put money into our bank account like crazy. It feels like there's a hole in the bottom of it. It feels like I have gotten, like, eight raises over the course of the last ten years, but I got nothing more to show to it right now than I had then. Nothing seems to matter. The question is, how can we work so hard, but yet never feel like we're fulfilled? Never feel like we're making a difference. Never feel like we're getting to that spot where God says, Aha, I have enough. You know the reason he's about to tell us? He's about to say, Well, I just wanted to show you right here that I mean, the first reason for us is gas is $4 a gallon, right? I mean, that's it. That's it. For us. But really, really what you're going to see is Israel, they really want it to be in God's house. They're really going to be involved with God. 

They wanted to bless God they want God to bless their house. But they're looking at God going, God, you're just going to let me get on my feet first and then I will jump over after my house is running and being your house. Look at what God says in verse seven. This is what the Lord God Almighty says. Give careful thought to your waist. There it is. Second time. Go up into the mountains, bring down timber and build my house. Invest in my house, give to my house. So that I may take pleasure. In it and be honored, says the Lord. You expect much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, God says, I blew away. Now here's some of you now are going see, that's why I don't like God. He blows away my take home pay right there, right he takes it away. Maybe. But why? Watch what he says. Why declares the Lord Almighty. Because of my house. Which remains in ruin while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you watch this, the heavens have withheld their due. And the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields, and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else. The ground produces on the people and the livestock, and all the labor in your or of your hands, No. 

Look, I get it. This is heavy. This is heavy. And I don't know any other way to walk through this other than to take these two books, read the books, do a little inductive Bible study, pull out some principles from Haggai that we can just beg God that he changes our heart in. So, take out your notes. Here's the first one. Number one, sometimes Haggai says. Sometimes spiritual attacks are from the spirit. Are from the spirit. When you write that down, capitalize the spirit. Why because those matters. Now, look, if you're if you're new to church, you will quickly find out that people in church like to throw out this language of spiritual attacks. We like to throw out these things. Now, don't get me wrong, there are spiritual attacks. They are real. They are there. But sometimes something else may be going on. I met a couple of once they came running into church, they were a little bit late. You know, that look on your face when you're late to church, it's like, don't leave me, don't see me. And just let me sit down they were like that. They ran in and I went over, and I greeted them. I said, hello. Hey, how was the morning? Like you, Pastor, you're never going to believe what happened this morning. I go, really? What happened this morning? They're like Satan did not want us to be there. I'm like, Oh, really? OK, tell me the story. I'm hooked. I got a couple songs left. Let's do this right. They said we ran out of gas on the way to church. Satan did not want us to be here today. And I was like, Oh, OK. And look, I was really kind in this moment. Because I knew I needed to preach and didn't want this on my heart, what I should have said. But I didn't because all I said was, Man, you know what? I'll pray for you. I'm sure that was crazy and moved on. What I should have said was this. Let me ask you something. Did you fill your car up with gas last night before you went to bed? And if they would have said yes, then I would have been like, yeah, you know what? You're right. That is a spiritual attack. Satan did not want you to be here this morning, Or have you been driving around empty for the last three days? Right. And just thought you were going to make it to church. That might just be lazy, right? That's not a spiritual attack. My granddad said to me once, and I quote, There's a fine line between Satan and stupid. There is a very fine line. Now don't. I know that's like language, whatever. My granddad said it, he was a pastor. It's OK. 

But here's the deal. I look at my life so many times. I look at my life so many times. And here's the deal. There's so much stuff that happens in my life that that I that I really should not say I'm under a spiritual attack, but I'm really just under a stupid attack. Right? Because I've invited it in my life. I've introduced it into my life. I've brought it into my family. I have chosen to live like this. And now my life is running on empty. And of course, eventually I'm going to run out of gas. Israel is in a place right here. This 50,000 people where they have the right heart, the right purpose, the right path. But they say, God, first things first, I've got to get my house in order. I got to get my financial portfolio in check so that one day I can be generous to God and God goes, Oh, oh, that's how this works? God, if you'll only just bless me now, then I can be generous later. God says, you know why there's a hole in your pocket, right? Because I blew it away. You know why you're living The Shawshank Redemption story, right? Right now, right? Why because I'm the one that controls what you have and what you don't have. Now wait Matt. What are you telling me? You're telling me that God does this to me. Well, yeah, that's what the Bible says. You see, God tightens the faucet of our success when it's moving in the wrong direction. He tightens the faucet. It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow. He might let you run with the desires of your heart for a very long time. But I guarantee you this God will tighten tour faucet of success, just like he's doing theirs. 

God says, Look, I was the one making sure the crops didn't grow, the drought, the livestock isn't working. Why? It's quite simple because God will not take a back seat to anything. He won't take a back seat. He might let you run in that direction for a while. But what is he saying? You know, while your crops are going, you know what always feels like there's a whole, you know, one there always feels like you can chase and run and work all the hours you want to because you're running in the wrong direction. You're running in the wrong direction. Man, I hope we can realize that God has a real hard time blessing our paychecks when it's really more about our priorities. 

That's what they're living in. But Matt, one day I'm going to be there one day I just need time there. Let me just say this. God doesn't care about one day. He already owns that day. He already has all he wants. What he wants. Right? Now is your heart. What he wants right now is your obedience. What he wants right now is your submission to him in whatever it is that you have. God says your heart is about your house and not my house. You not only have houses. You got paneling in your houses, he says. Like 70-inch panels right in your house. 

They're there and it never seems to be enough, does it? I mean, let's just be honest with each other. It never seems to be enough. In all of our families. When our first gift is not to the Lord, I can guarantee you it will never be enough. There will always be holes in your pockets. The pocketbook will always be leaking that cash unless your kids steal it first. Right? That's it. And when we choose that life, there's always a bigger vacation, there's always a bigger house, there's always something going on. And look, I can, I can feel people going Matt, You're telling me God throttles our financial lives? Yeah, he does. Why? Because we're not giving to him. It's what he's saying to these people right here. You see, a lot of us have a problem with this text because we think God is fighting against us. But let me say it like this. Yes, we need to see God as eternal. As loving. As the great I am. But on this side, we need to see God as a good father. A good father that sees the trajectory of eternity in our lives. 

I remember when Dalton was a little kid. It's really easy, isn't it, parents? When the kids first learn how to walk, they're like, little wobbly, like little things. They just fall over and fall over, and they're really slow. But when they start to run, the game changes, does it not? When they start to get, like, faster than you almost. And there's a quick they dart everywhere, and you don't know where they're going. Dalton and I were playing in the yard one day and throwing the football. I think we're throwing the football or whatever. And all of a sudden, the football went into the road and all of a sudden, he looked up, was like, hey. He went to the road. I need to run and get the football out of the road. Well, the problem was the Ford Explorer did not know he was running into the road that was coming down the road. I had two decisions at this moment. A, I could give Dalton the desires of his heart. And allow him to chase the football into the road and see what happens when Dalton - a four-year-old meets Ford Explorer. Which would not have ended up well. Or B, my choice as a good father, was to do everything I could to run, dive, grab him by the back of the shirt, jerk him off the curb into the grass, scrape his elbows up and make him cry. Which one was the good father? That's the point of the story. That's the good father. That's what God is saying right here to these people. We can sum it up like this. Here's number two. It's pointless to put our pleasure ahead of God's pleasure. It's pointless. That's the message of the first verses. Look at what it says. The first verses are looking at us going, Who am I living for? Verse seven This is what the Lord. Almighty says. 

Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains, bring down the timber and build my house. Look, you might want to highlight this next phrase, so I may take pleasure in it and be honored. Says the Lord. God says you have no problem paneling your house, but what about my house? Look, God's plan for eternity is for His church, the bride of Christ, the Big-C Church and the local church to be resourced to fund the world, the nations, and bless his kingdom. They're bringing the salvation of many into the world. And I learned a long time ago that my contentment does not rest on what I have in my house. But what I have, and I am giving to God's kingdom. That's the story here. Man, I'm so thankful I grew up in a house that taught me no matter what God is first. No matter how hard times are, no matter what it looks like, I can remember getting a $10 allowance and it was five and five ones. And one $1 would always be sitting off to the side of the other ones. Why? Because it was my dad showing me my contentment is not in my house. It was in God's house and God's kingdom. You see, when we set our lives on his priorities, it is so freeing. It's so freeing. Why? Because we start to see that all this stuff is not mine and it doesn't even matter anymore. And then we start trusting God with this idea of God, I don't know how all the bills are going to get paid, but God is yours anyway, so you better get to work. Chop, chop. Right? It is yours. Now, we don't say chop chop. We say Amen. That's Greek for chop chop. Right? 

But that's where the freeness comes in. It's like, Lord, I know that I'm obedient. I know that I'm giving to you and God, this is yours. If you have lived this life, you could stand here and testify today where it doesn't make sense. But God says, Watch this. Watch this. I'm going to do it. I'm going to honor them. I'm going to give it to them. I read something this week that challenged me, and it just asked me a question. It was one line. It says this. Am I'm more concerned with my 50-year financial plan than I am my 5000-year financial plan? You see, Satan knows that he, if you are a believer, that he cannot stop you from meeting Jesus, but he knows He can ploy against you to keep you from being effective, and he can keep you living for only the panels in your house. That's what's being said. So, here's how the people took it. Look at verse 12. Then Zerubbable the son of Shealtiel, Joshua, the son of Jozadak, the high priest, and a whole remnant of the people. 

Watch what they did obeyed. They obeyed. They didn't complain. Now the church is preaching on money again. No, they obeyed. The voice of the Lord and their God and the message of the Prophet Haggai. Because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai. The Lord’s Messenger gave this message of the Lord to the people. Watch what he said to them. I'm with you, declares the Lord. You might want to circle that. Might want to thumbs up, because I need you to hear that this morning. God is with you. So, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the Son of Shealtiel, the Governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and they began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God. And on the 24th day of the six month it started. What happened right there? Look at the process. Then they obeyed, then God is with them. Then they started working on the kingdom. Write this down. The stirring of the spirit comes after the serving of the Spirit. 

The stirring of the spirit in our lives. It comes after the serving of the spirit. I've had so many conversations with people over the years, who say Matt, I just don't get the spirit thing. Should I feel it? Should I experience it? Should I know that it's working in my life? To which I would say yes, there are times in your life where you need to sense the spirit working in your life. So, the logical question is Why don't we sense the spirit? It's easy. Why? Because we're more about our house than this. We're more about our agendas and our priorities than God's agendas. So why would God want to bless and be a part of something that is not honoring Him? But I can be really honest with you. I struggle with honoring my kingdom too much, ask Melissa. Right? I struggle with it, and I have to continually remind myself that Jesus did not die on the cross to bless my life. He died on the cross to save my life and to have my life. 

That's the story here. Don't hear me wrong. We don't work or we don't give for our salvation. We work and give out of our salvation. Well, Matt, I'm just really not sure what God wants me to do in that. I just really feel like I need to draw back and really just kind of pray on that. What does God want me to do? To which I would just say, do something. Do something. Do you realize the only thing that we ever draw back on and say, well, I just really need to pray and see what God's will on that is, is the things that we really don't want to do? Have you ever noticed that? You're not going to sit in the parking lot here in a couple of minutes and go, God, we're going to wait right here until you tell us where to go eat. You'll starve to death, right? But we do when it comes to, hey, what do you think about serving? Do you think about leading VBS? What do you think about leading students? What do you think about leading a life group over here? What do you think about giving? Well, you know, I may need to pray about that one Matt. No, you don't. Why? 

Because you never need a word from God when you already have a verse from God. 

And God has already been very clear to these people and us that his house is first. His house is first. It's first. And rest assured, God said, If you make my house first, I'm going to make your house blessed. You say Matt, are we getting the prosperity gospel? Yeah, we are, because that's what Jesus said. He said, I'll bless it. I will fill it. I will sew the holes up. When you begin to make your priorities there. Now, I don't know if I'll ever have enough to do that. Listen, God is the one who determines what you have. It's your priorities that he wants. It's your sacrifice. Watch what happens in chapter two. We're going to fly through this chapter. Here it is in the second year of King Darius on the 21st day of the seventh month, the Word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai. Speak to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jozadak the high priest and the remnant of people and ask them, who of you is left that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem like nothing? A little homework for the week read Ezra Chapter three. Why? Because you got the old people over here that remembered what the temple looks like, how grand it was, how incredible it was, how incredibly ornate it was. And this temple didn't look like that. They were exiles. They didn't have that much to give. They just didn't have it. So, they built the foundation, and the older people step back and they kind of cried a little bit. 

The young people now, they were excited about it. They wanted to be part of God's plan and whatever God was going to do in their life. And God looks at him and says, Hey, listen, Haggai, I need you to talk to these people who feel like what they have is so small that I can't do anything with it and watch what I'm about to do. Verse four. But now be strong Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, Joshua, son of Jozadak The high priest. Be strong. All of your people of the land declare the Lord. For I am with you. 
Declares the Lord Almighty. Watch, it's about to get really good. This is what I've covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, that my spirit would remain among you. Do not fear. This is what the Lord Almighty says. In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth. The sea in the dry lands. I will shake all the nations and what is desired by all nations will come. A little side note, that is that the Christ the living God will come. That's what He's talking about right there. 

And watch what He says. And I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty. The silver is mine. The gold is mine, declares the Lord. The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house, says the Lord God Almighty. And in this place, I will grant peace, declares the Lord. God says, Hey, forget about the old days because I got some new work going right here. And if you'll just sacrifice and you'll give to me, I will bless it. God says, never look at your time and your talents and your treasure and what you're able to sacrifice. And God says, Never look at that and think that I can't do something with that. In fact, write this down. Number four, it's never the size of the sacrifice that matters to God. It's the fact that it is a sacrifice. That's what matters. It's not how many zeros are with it that matters. Is the fact that it is a sacrifice. And it is a first. And best in doing it. They sacrifice and God blessed. What are we seeing? He is going to fill this next temple. Now, what about this next temple that he's talking about? Now, remember history? The next temple that they're about to build is the temple that Jesus stood on the steps of and taught. It's the temple that he threw the moneychangers off. It's the temple they while he was on the cross, the veil was split. And the presence of God and the presence of man now joined together because of the death of Christ on the cross. What is he saying right here? He's saying, because of your small little sacrifices right here, I will bring salvation and mankind back to God. That's what he's saying. 

Hey church, that's what God does with our sacrifices. The key is, is that God blesses our sacrifices with our life sacrifices, our time sacrifices, our financial sacrifices. God told the Israelites, I will bring through this place, my presence. And look, when somebody like me stands up and begins to teach on giving to the Lord, I'm not talking about us I'm talking about giving to the Lord, and I'm talking about what God does in our life. And here's the thing. I love teaching this to you guys, and here's why. Because so many of you already live this lifestyle. So many of you are faithful in your giving and you give over and beyond. In fact, three different times this week alone, I had conversations or emails that started off like this. I don't know how God did it, but I said yes, and God filled me back up. I didn't have it. I didn't know how it worked. The numbers didn't work, but God did this. and I'm talking some amazing things were God filled people's lives back up. Why? Because God is in the business of sewing our pockets up. And changing our desires. By the way, you know, this is the only time in scripture that God says that we should test him. That we should test him in it. 

Malachi three look at this in verse ten, it says, bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Trust me in this, says the Lord, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing. There will not be room enough to store it. You know, God says, Try it and watch. I don't need your stuff. I need your heart. I need your obedience. I need your faithfulness. I need your priorities in your life and watch how I'll fill it back up. Do we give so that he will fill it back up? No, no, no. That's a messed-up theology. We give because he is already given to us, and he promises that sacrifice will be blessed. That's God's heart. It's His heart. And just like these Israelites, we've got to learn that our contentment doesn't come from what's in our house. It comes from what God's house is doing. 

Let's finish the book really quick. All right. Haggai has another speech as a couple of months later, he says this. On the 24th day of the ninth month and the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the Prophet Haggai. This is what the Lord Almighty asks. Ask the priest, what the law says, if someone carries a consecrated meat and the fold of their garment, in other words, they're holding out their garment, they're carrying it around and it touches some bread or stew or some wine or olive oil or other food. Does it become consecrated? The priest answered, no. Then Haggai said If a person that is defiled by contact with a dead body, touches one of these things, does it become defiled? The priest said, Well, yes, it does. The priest replied, It becomes defiled. Then, Haggai said, So it is with these people in this nation in my sight. What's he saying right here? Haggai shows back up. On the scene. He's like, Hey, Priest, let me ask you something. If you're carrying around a piece of consecrated meat that's been offered to God and it touches something else, does it make that other thing holy? The priest is like no. Why would it do that? OK, well, what if you are carry it? What if you are defiled? What if you are unclean and you touch something that is clean? Does it make that clean thing not be clean anymore? They're like, Well, yes. And we know this right? I mean, logical. You send a third grader with strep throat to school, right? What happens in the class to the well, kids make that kid sick? No, the sick kids makes them well? That's what God is saying. 

God is looking at these people and saying this. Your lack of generosity is going to affect every other area of your life. It will drag them down. Why? Because God wants your whole heart. And just because God's saying you're living in the land of the holy, that doesn't make you holy God wants your life. Israelites and God wants our lives. So, here's number five's the last one. We have to become the people of God. In order to receive the blessing of God. We have to. Say, Well, I want you to keep reading the closing of. The book and watch what it says in verse 19. From this day on. I will bless you. I will bless you. The Word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time in the 24th day of the month, tell Zerubbabel the Governor of Judah. That I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 

Here's what the book closes with. It says, OK, you turned you gave to me and now I'm blessing you, I'm blessing you. God says, Look, I receive glory when my people give. And then He says, When you do, I promise to bless you. God says, I got you, you're mine. Don't worry. For I am in control. I'm on your side. I'll bring my kingdom. You are part of my kingdom. And I God says, I will bring salvation to this world. 

Listen, these people didn't need a better budget. They needed better behavior. They needed to say yes to God. 

You see, when we want God to bless our kingdom without submitting to His Kingdom. Who do we think we are? It never works. But when we submit to God and bless God's kingdom. Here's the deal. God always returns it to his kids. Now, does He return it in the way we think he does? Maybe sometimes. Sometimes not. But here's the deal. Will God pull the rug out from under you? Oh, yes, he will. As a good father. But on the flip side, God never doesn't bless a sacrifice. Never. Why? Because God loves his church. He loves his church. So, here's the kind of crux of this whole message is this It's just all about surrendering. Why is money such a big deal? Why? Because where our treasure is, that's where our heart is. It's quite simple. It's just as easy as that. Why does Jesus talk about money so much? Because he knows that's where our heart gravitates towards. It's quite simple. We fund our passions and I'm going to guarantee you one thing. You're going to tithe somewhere it might not be to the Lord, but you will tithe to something. You'll give to something. That's where your heart is. Why do we keep living in paneled houses, when God's house lies in ruins? 

Let me ask you something this morning. What is it you need to surrender to? Maybe today for you it's not about giving. It's just about your heart. And you need to give your life to Jesus today. That's where it starts, by you just surrendering your heart and saying Yes, Jesus, I need you. I need you to come into my life. I need you to forgive me my sins. I need you to set me free from this rat race of culture. Of saying this is who you need to be. And I want to be yours. And I'm just wondering, is that you this morning? Do you need to surrender your heart to Jesus this morning and say, Yeah, Lord, I'm yours? If it is, I'm just going to ask you to take out your phone, text up the next steps app. Just follow the prompts in there. Just see where it says what decision are you making today? Somebody will follow back up with you this afternoon and they'll walk you through what it looks like to give your life to Christ. It's quite simply you saying, Jesus, I need you in my life. Save me, forgive me, be my Savior and my Lord. But some of us, we are believers. My question to you is this. I'm trying to do this as sensitive as possible. Is to say what is your priority showing? Are they show in that Christ is King or the showing that your family is king, and your house is king? 

Maybe today it's time to stop tipping God when your heart just pulls at you, and start being involved with this kingdom regularly. Some of you, that's your first step to start giving regularly. Matt, I just don't know where that's going to fit in the budget. It's never going to fit in the budget. It's always going to be a hole in the pocket until you start. But Matt, I'm just not sure what that's going to look like. That's the key. Of having to say yes, lord, it's never a sacrifice until you're not sure. Some of you need to start giving regularly. Some of you, you need to step it up to the baseline of what Scripture asks of us, and that's 10%. You say Matt, I'm not sure I believe in tithing. Well, the Bible does. That's the baseline, that's the start. 

Some of you, that needs to be your goal over the next year. How are we going to get there? Were there we're getting there. Some of you are givers. But yet it's time to sacrifice. It's time to say Yes, Lord. Trust him with it. Trust him, it's not about us. We're just going to pass it on to ministry. It's about us all being involved with the kingdom. So, God's kingdom reaches the world, and you know that you're being part of it in what you're called to do. 

Lord God, I know this is a tough message. I know lunch conversations today. Are that's all this church talks about is money. I know it. God. But that's not it. It's just such a symbol of where our heart is. God save us today, those of us that need you. God, for the rest of us. Let us surrender to you. Jesus. It's in your name. 

Let's stand and sing together.