WEBVTT

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 Welcome.

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 Again, if this is your first time, my name is Chris.

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 I'm one of the elders here at Watermark.

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 We're going through a new series, and we're going to unpack this over the next four weeks

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 together.

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 But before we do, many of you know that my wife and I are expecting a baby in October.

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 That wasn't our response, but hey, that's good.

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 But one of the things as you've been reading kind of parenting advice and books is a lot

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 of these books, they tell you that one of the most important things that you can give your

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 child is your own marriage relationship.

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 Your children will be grown up and brought up if your own relationship is healthy between

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 you and your wife.

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 And as I've looked and I've observed many couples over the years, what I've noticed

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 is that before you have children as couples, often many couples, they spend lots of time

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 communicating together, hanging out, going on dates, all kinds of things.

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 And then the kids arrive.

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 And when the kids arrive, suddenly life goes crazy.

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 And in the craziness, they never intend to, but actually the focus becomes all on the kids.

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 And so every conversation is just about the kids.

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 Everything, the whole schedule, the whole world revolves around the kids.

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 And what actually happens over time is the couple themselves just drift apart and their

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 marriage relationship becomes functional rather than intimate.

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 And actually, that is what the book of Haggai is really all about.

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 Because, actually does anyone know where the book of Haggai is in the Bible?

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 Because it's one of those books, if you actually look through your Bible and you read your Bible

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 regularly, you have kind of brown marks on the bits you read a lot.

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 And then there's a kind of big white section here, which is kind of completely untouched,

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 which are called the minor prophets.

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 Haggai is one of these.

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 And we've looked at one of them, Habakkuk, in the last three weeks.

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 And we're looking at this one called Haggai.

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 And the first time I said to my wife a while ago that we were looking at Haggai,

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 she thought I was saying hanggai, which is the word for shopping.

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 So we're going to do four weeks on shopping.

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 If you don't speak Cantonese, that is a Cantonese word for shopping.

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 So, Haggai is a story about busyness and neglect.

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 It's a story about asking the question, which is a very relevant question for us

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 in one of the busiest cities in the world, of what does it really mean for us to be part

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 of God's people, the church, in a busy time.

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 And as we're going to look through this, what we need to know is the story of the Bible,

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 the story of humanity is that humans are only at home, only in a truly blessed place,

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 when we are living in the presence of our Creator God in life-giving relationship with Him.

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 And so, the Bible story goes on that actually that's what we were made for,

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 but we walked out of the relationship, we walked out of home,

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 we decided to go our own way, doing our own things.

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 And the whole Bible story is how a God who doesn't need us,

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 but out of great love, has been pursuing us to call us back home to Himself.

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 And if you go through the Bible story, you'll see He takes this people, the Israelites,

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 takes them out of Egypt. By His grace, He brings them to Himself, He gives them His law,

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 even though they're a complaining, messy, rebellious people.

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 And He says to Moses, He says, I, though I'm a holy God, I want to dwell with you.

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 I want to be with you.

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 I don't want a functional relationship with you.

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 I want this intimacy with you and my people together.

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 And the only way that Scripture shows is that a messy, unholy people,

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 for this gloriously beautiful God can spend time with them,

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 is if He creates a space.

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 A space which first of all was called the tabernacle, a tent of meeting,

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 which then becomes the temple.

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 And it's the place where heaven and earth were meant to meet together.

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 It's kind of like the hot spot of God's presence on earth.

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 And that place is where an unholy, unclean people,

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 through sacrifice and the forgiveness of their sins,

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 could come and enter into this place with God and worship Him as a community.

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 And so this temple became the symbol of what it meant to have God

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 right at the center of your community.

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 This is some of the background to the Book of Haggai.

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 Because fast forward a few hundred years, it's 586 BC.

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 And the most traumatic event in Israel's history has taken place a few years earlier.

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 66 years earlier.

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 Sorry, in 586, the temple was destroyed by the Babylonians.

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 Do you remember Habakkuk mentioned about the Babylonians?

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 Well, they've come.

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 They've been, they came, they went, they left nothing.

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 They destroyed the city.

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 Israel's whole identity, their top leaders were taken away to Babylon

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 and their whole identity was gone.

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 The temple, it felt like everything that they should be was gone.

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 What was their God up to?

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 And then what you see is moving on in history, 50 years later,

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 this new empire comes in, the Persians.

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 They come in and they're kind of, they've got a different political strategy.

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 They're not smash and burn.

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 They're kind of, if we make you guys happy, so we send your people back to where you belong,

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 then actually you'll be happy with us and everyone will be fine and we can rule over you.

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 And so that was the Persian thing.

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 They sent the Jews back and many of these Jews came back with visions of rebuilding this temple.

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 They were keen.

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 They were excited.

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 They wanted to rebuild worship in their homeland.

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 And they start building and then you read in the book of Ezra,

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 where they get some opposition, things get hard and they stop building.

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 And because they were living in temporary accommodation,

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 you know, they've got kids, they've got to get into schools.

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 You know, they've got work, they've got to get done.

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 And there's so much else to do that actually it's fine not having to build a temple for a little while.

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 So like one year goes by, two years goes by, three years goes by, 15 years goes by.

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 And the temple, which was just a pile of ruins, is still there.

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 And they don't even notice it.

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 Because they've been walking past every single day, getting on with their busyness, getting on with their lives.

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 And they've forgotten who they were made for, and what they were really made to be living for.

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 And you know, this I think, is one of the reasons why this book is a very challenging one for us.

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 Because in Hong Kong, isn't it a place where we have so many distractions, so much to do?

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 And Boko Haggai is going to challenge us.

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 Who's at the center of our lives?

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 Who's at the center of this church?

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 And so we get to 29th of August, 520 BC.

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 It's one of the most specific dates we absolutely know for definite because of archaeology.

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 And four months, over four months until December, Haggai comes on the scene.

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 God raises him up and another prophet called Zechariah to speak to these people who are very busy.

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 And he brings them God's word.

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 To first of all, the political leader, Zerubbabel.

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 Then to the religious leader, Joshua.

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 And then to the whole community.

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 And that's what the book of Haggai is all about.

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 This is his message.

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 Okay?

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 So are you with us?

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 Good.

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 Five people are.

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 Great.

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 Let's go.

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 So I've got three things that I want to talk about.

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 The first thing is you build what your heart loves.

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 Okay?

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 Do you know in TST, there is a building called The One.

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 Has anyone been in The One?

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 Yeah?

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 Do you know like the tycoon who built it, do you know he gifted it to his wife?

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 And he called it The One because he wanted it to be for the one love of his life, his wife.

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 There is another building in Chunwan which is called the Nina Tower.

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 Has anyone, do you know the Nina Tower?

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 It's like tall.

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 Like most buildings in Hong Kong.

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 Frankly.

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 Frankly.

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 Yeah.

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 Don't go for identification on that basis.

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 But I don't know actually.

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 I don't want to judge her character.

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 I don't want to judge any of those things.

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 But it's called the Nina Tower.

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 And just judging by her name, by the name of the building, who do you think it's built for?

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 Nina.

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 Well, that's very interesting.

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 Interesting.

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 Because this is the story that the people are back in the land of promise.

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 They're in the right place.

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 They're here together with community, with the right people.

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 They've got all this kind of some religious practices going on because they have priests and offering.

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 They seem to have some of the right religion, but they're missing something.

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 They're building the wrong building.

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 Here's what Haggai says.

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 Thus says the Lord of hosts.

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 These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.

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 Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai, the prophet.

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 And I like this because he's quite sarcastic.

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 It's quite British.

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 He says, is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?

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 You see, what Haggai is saying is you are really busy.

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 You are building something with your life.

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 But you are building a house for yourself and you are not building my house.

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 And notice what's the fundamental thing about a house.

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 It's actually who lives there.

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 And the house of God, it's not just primarily about a building.

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 It's actually primarily that actually your heart was meant to be in this place where God was manifesting his presence.

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 But actually you are going, yeah, okay, not now.

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 Maybe in a little while we will get around to that.

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 But man, don't you know we have a whole load of other stuff going on in our lives right now.

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 And it's not like they don't care about the temple.

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 They are going, we care.

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 We care.

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 It's just like, hey, do you know how much homework my kids have got at the moment?

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 It's like, do you know that I've got a deadline next week?

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 Do you know this is just a crazy time at the moment?

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 Come back in a little while and then I'll just kind of really pursue God.

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 Like, but just not in this season right now.

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 And Haggai goes, okay.

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 Yeah, I know it doesn't seem to be a good season for you because you are really busy.

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 And you don't seem to have time for me, but you've got plenty of time to panel your houses.

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 And what he means by that is he's not just saying, hey, you need a place to shelter and place to live.

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 No, paneling was actually, it was expensive decoration that they're putting around their house.

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 So they're not just going to Ikea for their basic furniture.

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 These guys are looking through every online store they can to get the best mahogany teak wood and get all the matching designs going on so that they can make their place the most beautiful flat in the entire of Jerusalem.

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 And Haggai goes, yeah, you don't have a lot of time, do you?

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 Because you're actually building your own little tower, your own little house for your own little comforts.

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 And you've neglected me.

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 You don't have time for me.

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 And you know, I think this is really challenging.

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 Because to neglect the temple was to say to God, your presence, your glory, the worship of you is not a priority for mine now.

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 I've got things which are more important than you, thank you very much.

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 That's what they're really saying.

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 But it's really interesting.

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 I don't know when you go to, in Hong Kong, when someone asks you, how are you doing?

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 What does everyone answer?

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 I'm busy.

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 Right?

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 They say I'm busy.

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 And we are busy.

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 We've got a whole load of stuff going on.

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 But I've also discovered something.

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 Someone once said, what the heart loves, the will chooses, the mind justifies.

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 What I mean by that is this.

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 We ultimately always do what our heart loves most.

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 And then, because we love something, we choose to do it.

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 And then, because we choose to do it, then we find reasons to justify why we did it.

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 Okay?

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 So, for example, you know, you have a friend who maybe is lonely on a Friday night, but they ask, hey, can you hang out on Friday night?

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 And you just say, hey, listen, I'm really busy at the moment.

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 I'm really sorry.

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 But then someone comes along and offers you tickets to the favorite band of all time, and they're doing a one-off gig in Hong Kong.

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 And it's incredible.

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 Suddenly, you've got amazing amounts of time.

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 You clear heaven and earth to be able to get to that concert.

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 Right?

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 Because we do what our heart loves.

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 Or, it's also very interesting.

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 One thing I've noticed is also, you know, I sometimes ask people, how are you doing with reading scripture and praying and things?

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 People say, yeah, I'm just so busy at the moment.

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 I just don't have time.

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 And then it's really interesting.

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 Like, a few weeks later, I suddenly find out they've enrolled in an MBA course, or they're CFA, or they're doing a master's,

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 where they've now created 15 hours more time per week.

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 And you go, how did you find time?

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 And the reason wasn't because there wasn't time.

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 It's the reason because their heart wanted something.

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 And so you'll readjust, you'll shape your schedule according to what your heart loves.

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 Now, we're all busy.

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 We all have a lot of stuff to do.

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 But what's interesting is, I think, for many of us, we pack our schedules with so much things that we have no margins.

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 This is Hong Kong.

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 Right?

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 Don't we all do that?

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 We just got to, you know, seize the day.

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 And we make all kinds of decisions, whether it's studying, extra sporting events, all kinds of things.

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 And then often it means that actually, certain things which could be really important, whether it's connecting with CG,

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 or whether it's coming on a Sunday to worship, or whether it's having someone in your life that you can just walk alongside.

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 Those kind of, we shove them aside, and we just make decisions to say, oh, I've got to do this.

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 But we don't invite other people into our lives to say, hey, have you just checked how your heart's doing with worship?

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 You can do all of those things and worship God, but you can also do all of those things and worship yourself.

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 We, as a community, need to be people who are willing to just go, hey, can you just check that my heart's okay as I'm making this decision?

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 That this is not about me, but this is actually about him.

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 How often do we do that?

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 Normally what we do is we make decisions, and then we just inform everybody else of our decision.

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 But if we're a community of worship, then our love for Christ means help me to worship God, because I know my heart is likely to stray.

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 You know, we did a spiritual health survey.

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 I don't know if you filled it in.

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 And it's really encouraging about the health of the church.

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 But one of the things that a lot of you said was actually, I feel spiritually dry in many ways.

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 And I wonder whether actually many of us are spiritually dry because we're busy doing a lot of stuff.

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 But actually, even busy doing stuff in church.

00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:46.000
 But it can be that we've lost something that is crucial.

00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:52.000
 We've lost the sense of wanting the presence of God in our lives.

00:16:52.000 --> 00:17:00.000
 You see, you know Moses, when he comes out of Egypt and he's going into the Promised Land,

00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:05.000
 God says to him, I'm going to send an angel before you into the Promised Land.

00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:10.000
 And the Promised Land is like the most amazing place of blessing you can imagine.

00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:12.000
 I mean, it's got every Ferrari you want.

00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:14.000
 It's incredible.

00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:21.000
 But Moses says, if your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.

00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:28.000
 What he's saying is, as a church, we could be packed with people.

00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:30.000
 We could have hundreds of baptisms.

00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.000
 We could have everything you want.

00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:33.000
 The greatest discussions.

00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:34.000
 The greatest speakers.

00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:35.000
 The greatest music.

00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:37.000
 You could have all of that.

00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:40.000
 But if God is not in our midst.

00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:43.000
 If we are not seeking him.

00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:46.000
 If we're seeking just his hand, not his face, then it's worthless.

00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:50.000
 Because his presence is what defines us as a people.

00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:53.000
 Not all the stuff we do for him.

00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:57.000
 And so, in our craziness.

00:17:57.000 --> 00:18:02.000
 You know, Paul, he said, I consider everything rubbish.

00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:08.000
 Compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:14.000
 And I sometimes look at my heart and go, oh, that's not my prayer actually often.

00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:20.000
 My prayer is often, God help me to know some blessing in my life for this area and that area.

00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:25.000
 But he wants us to be a church which is hungry for the presence of God.

00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:28.000
 Do you know John Wesley?

00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:29.000
 Do you know John Wesley?

00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:31.000
 That is an English preacher.

00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:35.000
 Do you know his mom gave birth to 19 children.

00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:38.000
 She was a busy woman.

00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:42.000
 I mean, it was a crazy household.

00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:44.000
 She homeschooled them all.

00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:45.000
 Okay?

00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:51.000
 But this mom, she knew within all her craziness that she needed the presence of God.

00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:54.000
 And do you know what she did?

00:18:54.000 --> 00:19:01.000
 She would, at a specific time of the day, she would sit down on a chair in their living room.

00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:04.000
 And she would put her kitchen apron over her head.

00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:06.000
 And she would pray.

00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:10.000
 And when she did that, all the other kids knew she's praying.

00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:15.000
 Because in her craziness, and we don't all have the amount of time.

00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:16.000
 Yes, we have limited capacity.

00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:21.000
 But she did that because she desired, she wanted the presence of God.

00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:24.000
 And when you want the presence of God, you just get creative.

00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:25.000
 Right?

00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:27.000
 You just get creative.

00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:34.000
 So let's be a people who are getting creative in our business about how we're going to seek God.

00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:38.000
 Because that's what it means to worship Him.

00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:41.000
 That's the first point.

00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:43.000
 We build what we love.

00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:45.000
 Second point.

00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:47.000
 Does your building leak?

00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:49.000
 Okay.

00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:52.000
 Verse 5 and 6.

00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:57.000
 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord, consider your ways.

00:19:57.000 --> 00:20:01.000
 You have sown much and harvested little.

00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:03.000
 You eat, but you never have enough.

00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:05.000
 You drink, but you never have your fill.

00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:07.000
 You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm.

00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:11.000
 And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.

00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:16.000
 Many of us know we should be investing our lives in God's kingdom.

00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:21.000
 But just knowing it doesn't make you do it, does it?

00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:24.000
 Because you invest in what you think you're going to get a good return from.

00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.000
 Right?

00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:30.000
 Don't you sink all your time and money into what you think is going to work in your life.

00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:37.000
 So what Haggai is saying is, he says, okay, let's just do a little appraisal.

00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:43.000
 Where's all your activity and busyness got you?

00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:45.000
 He says, you've sown much.

00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:47.000
 That's work in an agricultural community.

00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:50.000
 They've been overworking to get promotion.

00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:51.000
 You eat and drink.

00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:53.000
 That's enjoying comforts and pleasures.

00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:54.000
 You clothe yourselves.

00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:55.000
 That's shopping.

00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:57.000
 Are you now content, he says?

00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:01.000
 Have you got, you know, as you're scrolling through all your online shopping,

00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:03.000
 have you got enough clothes now?

00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:06.000
 Are you like, I never need to buy anything else?

00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:13.000
 As you think, he says, you put wages, you earn wages, and you put them into a bag of holes.

00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:17.000
 And he says, that's your pay slip at the end of the day, end of the month.

00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:24.000
 And so at the end of the month, do you always come back and go, you look at it and go, wow, I'm so content.

00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:26.000
 I have all the money I need.

00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:28.000
 I never need to earn any more.

00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:32.000
 Because I'm satisfied with what I have.

00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:45.000
 What we tend to do is we tend to look over and we go, see if this works.

00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:50.000
 We go, okay, I've got to fill my life with all this stuff.

00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:56.000
 I've got to fill my life with my salary, with my work, with my kids, with everything else.

00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:58.000
 This is where my hope is found.

00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:03.000
 And suddenly what you find is your NPF rises, the rent rises, your school fees rises,

00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:05.000
 and the things that you thought you got in your salary start going.

00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:07.000
 And you go, oh no, I need to earn more.

00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:11.000
 And you go, okay, let me just get a better job.

00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:16.000
 And you're just going, okay, if I can just get a bit more money,

00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:19.000
 if I can just get a bit more time, if I can just get a few more clothes,

00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.000
 if I can just get a bit more.

00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:26.000
 And what happens is, after a while, do you get the point?

00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:30.000
 Isn't that actually much of our lives in Hong Kong?

00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:34.000
 Don't we actually live our lives building a building with holes in,

00:22:34.000 --> 00:22:40.000
 with a leaky roof, chasing, chasing, chasing, chasing, chasing,

00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:42.000
 then look over the next person who seems to have a bag,

00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:45.000
 which has got a little bit more than we have.

00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:48.000
 And then we think we've got to put more in ours.

00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:51.000
 And what Haggai is saying,

00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:53.000
 he's saying,

00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:57.000
 just look at your life.

00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:00.000
 Where are you chasing after?

00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:01.000
 Is it working?

00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:03.000
 Are you really satisfied and content

00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:06.000
 if you're chasing after all those other things?

00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:10.000
 And he says this, verse 9, he says,

00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:13.000
 Look for much, behold it came to little.

00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:16.000
 And when you brought it home, I blew it away.

00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:18.000
 Do you know what he's saying?

00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:22.000
 He's saying, for some of us, our work feels meaningless.

00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:25.000
 We feel dissatisfied with our work.

00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.000
 Some of us feel dissatisfied with our studies.

00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:33.000
 Some of us feel like we're just frustrated all the time in our relationships.

00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:40.000
 And he's saying that maybe that could be

00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:43.000
 because you've been chasing after the wrong thing.

00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:47.000
 And maybe God may be gracious enough to you

00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:52.000
 to allow you to live with dissatisfaction with areas in your life

00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:56.000
 because he's doing it to show you grace

00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:59.000
 to bring you back to a building that's going to really stand.

00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:02.000
 Not a bag that's got holes in it in your life.

00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:09.000
 Sometimes he's bringing you to a place where he wants to show you

00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:14.000
 if you chase after money, that's never going to be your hope.

00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:17.000
 You chase after your family to be everything for you,

00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:19.000
 it's always going to let you down.

00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.000
 You chase after me, you've got something that's sustainable and will last.

00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:29.000
 You know, I know of someone who was totally consumed by his work.

00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:33.000
 And his father kept calling him and saying,

00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:36.000
 Hey son, I haven't seen you for a while.

00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:38.000
 Can you come round?

00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:40.000
 And the guy goes,

00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:42.000
 Sorry dad, I'm just really busy at the moment.

00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:44.000
 Really busy, I'll call you next week.

00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:46.000
 Father calls him up next week and says,

00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:49.000
 Hey son, I really want to talk to you.

00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:51.000
 I've got some stuff I need to share with you.

00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:54.000
 The son says, Hey listen, I've got a project deadline the end of this week.

00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:56.000
 Sorry, I can't do it.

00:24:57.000 --> 00:25:00.000
 Another time, next week, the father calls him up and says,

00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:01.000
 Listen, it's really urgent.

00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:02.000
 I really need to talk to you.

00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:06.000
 The son says, Hey listen, just give me a little bit more time

00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:08.000
 and I'll come round and I'll kind of chat to you.

00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:10.000
 But I'll call you.

00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:12.000
 Don't you call me.

00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:14.000
 A week goes by.

00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.000
 A month goes by.

00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:18.000
 The son is actually feeling pretty content

00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:21.000
 because he's now able to focus on what he needs to focus on.

00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:22.000
 At the end of the month,

00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:25.000
 he gets a call from the hospital.

00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:27.000
 They say,

00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:30.000
 Hey, I'm really sorry to tell you, but your dad's just died.

00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:32.000
 He had cancer.

00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:36.000
 He's been trying to call you, but he just couldn't seem to get through to you.

00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:45.000
 Doesn't your perspective change your view of what's important

00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:49.000
 when you see life in the light of what really counts?

00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:56.000
 For some of us, God wants to break and change the things in your life

00:25:57.000 --> 00:26:01.000
 so that you can see that he is more important than anything else you're chasing after.

00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:08.000
 And what he says, that actually, because anything else is sinking sand,

00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:10.000
 only Christ is solid ground.

00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:13.000
 Because you know where history is heading?

00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:18.000
 History is heading to a place where if you're part of God's people,

00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:23.000
 it will be us as his people and Christ dwelling together in perfect relationship.

00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.000
 That's where the goal of life is.

00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:27.000
 That's perspective.

00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:32.000
 And do we want to live for that now in our lives?

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:36.000
 He says,

00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:39.000
 What we should be doing as a church,

00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:41.000
 go up to the hills,

00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:42.000
 bring wood,

00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:44.000
 build the house that I may take pleasure in it,

00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:47.000
 and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.

00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:49.000
 Do you know what that means?

00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:52.000
 He says,

00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:57.000
 Will you live for my eyes and my pleasure?

00:26:58.000 --> 00:26:59.000
 Like,

00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:01.000
 there are some things that will scare you,

00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:03.000
 that he will call you to do.

00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:05.000
 Because actually,

00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:07.000
 if you're going to start building his house,

00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:11.000
 sometimes that will mean your house will not have so much time on it.

00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:14.000
 And sometimes that's scary.

00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:18.000
 It's scary when he calls you to share your faith with somebody else.

00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:20.000
 And you're like,

00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:23.000
 My house of my reputation could die here.

00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:25.000
 But he says,

00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:26.000
 Will you invest in it?

00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:28.000
 Will you invest in it?

00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:29.000
 Because,

00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:31.000
 do you live for the pleasure of God?

00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:33.000
 I don't know if you've thought about that.

00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:35.000
 Do I live for the pleasure of God?

00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:36.000
 It's not like,

00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:39.000
 I've got to do a whole lot of things to make him feel like he's happy with me.

00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:41.000
 No, he's already chased after us.

00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:44.000
 But do we go,

00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:46.000
 Oh,

00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:49.000
 I know God you're calling me to hang out with my community group right now,

00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.000
 but they just suck.

00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:52.000
 So, I'd rather not.

00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:53.000
 I'd rather do my own thing.

00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:55.000
 Or do I go,

00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:56.000
 Oh yeah, they may suck,

00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:58.000
 but actually I know that it pleases you.

00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:00.000
 So I'll do it anyway.

00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:02.000
 Even though I know,

00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:05.000
 that's not the first thing I want to do.

00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:07.000
 But I want to do what you want me to do.

00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:09.000
 Because I want to worship you.

00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:10.000
 And I want you to be pleased.

00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:15.000
 When your boss calls you to do something which you know that maybe you shouldn't be doing,

00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:16.000
 but you're afraid.

00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:18.000
 Because you want to please him.

00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:21.000
 Will you at that point go,

00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:22.000
 Actually,

00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:23.000
 God,

00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:25.000
 I'm going to live for your eyes.

00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:27.000
 I'm going to live for what you say.

00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:29.000
 I want to live for your glory.

00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:31.000
 And I'll trust you with the rest.

00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:33.000
 Do you see what that means?

00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:35.000
 Does your building leak?

00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:37.000
 Are you building,

00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:38.000
 you build what you love.

00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:40.000
 Last thing.

00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:43.000
 The power to build.

00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:46.000
 It says,

00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:47.000
 Zerubbabel and Joshua,

00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:50.000
 the high priest with all the remnant of the people,

00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:53.000
 obeyed the voice of the God.

00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:55.000
 They're going,

00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:57.000
 they're listening to this message and they're going,

00:28:57.000 --> 00:28:58.000
 I know that that's me.

00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:00.000
 I've neglected my time with God.

00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:02.000
 I've neglected worshipping him.

00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:06.000
 I've neglected the community of his presence where he dwells.

00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:07.000
 And they're going,

00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:08.000
 what do we do?

00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:10.000
 And it says,

00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:11.000
 The people feared the Lord.

00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:12.000
 Then Haggai,

00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:13.000
 the messenger of the Lord,

00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:16.000
 spoke to the people with the Lord's message and said,

00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:18.000
 I am with you,

00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:20.000
 declares the Lord.

00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:23.000
 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel,

00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:24.000
 Joshua,

00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:26.000
 and the spirit of all the remnant of the people,

00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:27.000
 and they came and worked.

00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:36.000
 Are we a people who are open and listening to what God wants to call us to?

00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:37.000
 These people they're seeing,

00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:41.000
 they've neglected the glory and honour and the worship of him in their lives.

00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:43.000
 But it's not enough to go,

00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:44.000
 okay,

00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:46.000
 I haven't done all that I should have done,

00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:47.000
 like Ed was saying earlier.

00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:49.000
 It says,

00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:51.000
 The Lord stirred up their spirits.

00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:52.000
 Do you know what that word means?

00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:56.000
 The word stir up means to wake someone from sleep.

00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:59.000
 To wake someone from sleep.

00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:01.000
 They didn't just resolve in their minds,

00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:03.000
 I'm going to be a more faithful person.

00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:04.000
 They didn't just say,

00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:06.000
 okay, let's get inspired and now we're going to go,

00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:09.000
 like we've heard a great TED talk and now we're going to go and build this thing.

00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:12.000
 They're going,

00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:15.000
 God is the one who stirs up his people.

00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:18.000
 I don't know, are you a sleepy Christian?

00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:19.000
 I don't know if you thought about that.

00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:21.000
 Are you a sleepy Christian?

00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:23.000
 Are you a tired Christian?

00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:27.000
 You feel like you've just been working and working and working.

00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:32.000
 Are you a dead to God person?

00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:36.000
 That actually you're not even engaged with him at all?

00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:39.000
 Are we a sleepy, comfortable church?

00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:42.000
 We're happy to have our own little bit of religion,

00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:45.000
 but actually, ultimately we're really building our own houses.

00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:53.000
 Most religions, God sends prophets like Haggai to just tell them what they should do

00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:58.000
 and then the gods kind of sit back and expect the people to just get on and do it.

00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:00.000
 And if they don't, they kind of slap them around the head

00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:02.000
 and punish them for not doing enough.

00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:05.000
 That's what most religions are like.

00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:08.000
 But that's not what the God of the Bible is like.

00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:15.000
 Because the God of Christianity is the one who saw that we are asleep in many, many parts of our lives.

00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:18.000
 That we're tired in many parts.

00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:22.000
 But he comes to wake us up, to have relationship with him.

00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:30.000
 Do you know, the book of John tells us the word of God became flesh and dwelt amongst us.

00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:36.000
 The word dwelt, that's the same word as the tabernacle, that thing which became the temple.

00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:39.000
 In other words, Jesus is the word.

00:31:39.000 --> 00:31:42.000
 He is the place where heaven and earth meet.

00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:46.000
 And we are called to come to him, to his presence.

00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:52.000
 Do you know, he left the glory of heaven to come to you and to me.

00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:57.000
 You know, when he chose 12 disciples, do you know, he says,

00:31:57.000 --> 00:32:02.759
 He chose them and he was going to send them out to preach and to teach and to do a lot of stuff.

00:32:02.759 --> 00:32:04.480
 Do you know what he says before he does that?

00:32:04.940 --> 00:32:10.500
 He says, he appointed 12 people that they might be with him.

00:32:12.279 --> 00:32:13.759
 Then he sends them out afterwards.

00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:17.220
 But first he wants us not just to be doers of everything.

00:32:17.299 --> 00:32:18.960
 He wants us to be beers with him.

00:32:20.099 --> 00:32:21.259
 Are you being with him?

00:32:22.299 --> 00:32:23.980
 Are you enjoying his presence?

00:32:24.619 --> 00:32:26.759
 Are you walking and longing for him?

00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:31.220
 Will you move heaven and earth so that he might be the center part of our lives?

00:32:33.059 --> 00:32:35.680
 You know, the night before Jesus dies, he's in agony.

00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:37.200
 He's in the Garden of Gethsemane.

00:32:37.380 --> 00:32:40.700
 He's got his best friends there, those 12 that he chose to be with him.

00:32:41.380 --> 00:32:43.799
 And he says, hey, could you just stay with me a little while?

00:32:44.339 --> 00:32:45.059
 Pray with me.

00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:47.160
 And he goes off in agony.

00:32:47.259 --> 00:32:47.839
 What do they do?

00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:50.539
 They fall asleep.

00:32:51.640 --> 00:32:52.920
 I find this encouraging.

00:32:52.920 --> 00:33:02.259
 The people who are closest to Jesus, who Jesus has told them, he's told them that he's going to use them in mighty ways.

00:33:02.320 --> 00:33:04.560
 They fall asleep right at the main point.

00:33:05.539 --> 00:33:07.380
 That's like the ultimate anticlimax.

00:33:08.759 --> 00:33:12.620
 And what Jesus does, he comes up to them and he doesn't say, you stupid idiots.

00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:14.019
 Can't you get your act together?

00:33:14.019 --> 00:33:14.700
 Come on.

00:33:16.539 --> 00:33:21.279
 He says, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:24.599
 I know that we struggle.

00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:27.940
 I know that it's hard.

00:33:27.940 --> 00:33:30.220
 But do you know what's going to happen?

00:33:30.539 --> 00:33:38.759
 The reason I'm going to the cross, the reason I'm going to leave my glory in heaven to come down to die on a cross,

00:33:38.980 --> 00:33:45.259
 is so that I can do what you cannot do with any of your religion, with any of you coming on a Sunday, with any of your activity.

00:33:45.500 --> 00:33:49.380
 I'm going to do the very thing that you need more than anything.

00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:51.180
 I'm going to bring you home to myself.

00:33:51.180 --> 00:33:57.640
 And what I'm going to do, he says, I will not leave you as orphans when I go back to heaven.

00:33:57.940 --> 00:34:03.440
 I will be with you and I will come to you and I will bring the Holy Spirit to you.

00:34:06.779 --> 00:34:07.759
 Do you know what?

00:34:10.099 --> 00:34:20.820
 The whole of history is heading towards Jesus and the church in this beautiful marriage of intimacy.

00:34:21.179 --> 00:34:34.699
 But right now, he wants us to stir up in our hearts with the Holy Spirit's power to awaken us so that we're willing to sacrifice and say,

00:34:35.159 --> 00:34:38.559
 I'm willing not to build my house so that I can build your house.

00:34:40.480 --> 00:34:43.359
 A friend of mine once took me out sailing.

00:34:44.919 --> 00:34:46.159
 I'd never sailed before.

00:34:46.159 --> 00:34:52.940
 And I did what most men do when they have no idea what they're doing.

00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:54.579
 I pretended to know what I was doing.

00:34:56.359 --> 00:35:01.319
 And so we got out into the middle of the sea and suddenly there was no wind.

00:35:02.579 --> 00:35:04.179
 And we were just stuck there.

00:35:05.980 --> 00:35:09.539
 I don't know if you've ever been stuck in the middle of the sea and you're not moving.

00:35:09.539 --> 00:35:13.199
 For 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes.

00:35:13.880 --> 00:35:15.619
 It gets a little annoying.

00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:17.920
 A little scary after a while.

00:35:18.300 --> 00:35:22.900
 And so what I thought I would do is I thought I'd kind of do a little bit of paddling myself with my hands.

00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:25.940
 Because hey, that's the kind of thing that if you want to move things on.

00:35:26.199 --> 00:35:27.880
 And I'm getting increasingly frustrated.

00:35:28.279 --> 00:35:30.480
 And my friend turns to me and he says,

00:35:30.920 --> 00:35:32.860
 What on earth are you doing?

00:35:32.860 --> 00:35:35.980
 What you need is wind.

00:35:36.960 --> 00:35:38.260
 What we need is wind.

00:35:40.579 --> 00:35:44.579
 In this church, we can have a thousand programs.

00:35:45.079 --> 00:35:48.079
 We can be busy paddling all the things we want to do.

00:35:48.740 --> 00:35:49.780
 Do you know what we need?

00:35:50.860 --> 00:35:57.300
 We need the wind of God's Holy Spirit to stir us up so that we see how beautiful Jesus is in our lives.

00:35:57.300 --> 00:36:02.560
 So that we're actually willing to recenter our whole schedules, our whole lives around him.

00:36:02.700 --> 00:36:04.680
 Because he is worthy of all of that.

00:36:04.940 --> 00:36:06.700
 And he wants to give us his spirit.

00:36:07.039 --> 00:36:08.500
 He's died to give us his spirit.

00:36:08.800 --> 00:36:15.840
 So will we ask him and invite him to change our hearts so that he would become the center of this church.

00:36:16.100 --> 00:36:17.320
 The center of our lives.

00:36:17.519 --> 00:36:19.780
 That we would worship him and build his temple.

00:36:20.300 --> 00:36:23.660
 The community that wants his presence more than anything else.

00:36:27.300 --> 00:36:28.539
 Let's stop for a minute.

00:36:30.840 --> 00:36:33.780
 I want us to take a minute in silence.

00:36:34.640 --> 00:36:35.800
 Maybe the band can come up.

00:36:40.640 --> 00:36:42.400
 I want you just to examine your own heart.

00:36:47.360 --> 00:36:51.140
 As you look at your life, what is driving you?

00:36:51.139 --> 00:36:58.299
 God is not after a whole busy kind of people who just get busier for him.

00:36:59.759 --> 00:37:10.599
 He's after people whose hearts, in the whole of life, want to move heaven and earth so that he might be pleased and he might be delighted.

00:37:11.179 --> 00:37:14.980
 Not because we have to earn it because he's already done everything for us.

00:37:14.980 --> 00:37:17.860
 But because we delight in his presence.

00:37:21.420 --> 00:37:23.099
 Just come before him right now.

00:37:23.240 --> 00:37:25.300
 And if you know that that's not your heart's desire.

00:37:27.219 --> 00:37:28.500
 But you want that.

00:37:31.219 --> 00:37:33.019
 Just call out to him right now.

00:37:35.219 --> 00:37:36.760
 Ask him to help you.

00:37:37.380 --> 00:37:39.559
 To fill you with the wind of his spirit.

00:37:40.519 --> 00:37:42.559
 That he would revive us.

00:37:43.260 --> 00:37:44.699
 He would awaken us.

00:37:45.480 --> 00:37:47.339
 We who so often fall asleep.

00:37:48.859 --> 00:37:50.639
 Come stir our hearts, Lord.

00:37:51.579 --> 00:37:53.199
 Come stir our hearts.

00:37:57.339 --> 00:37:59.179
 Just do business with God right now.

00:37:59.179 --> 00:37:59.239
 Come stir our hearts.

00:38:14.699 --> 00:38:31.159
 There are some of us here who we think we're Christians.

00:38:33.159 --> 00:38:36.519
 Because we do a lot of the right external things.

00:38:36.639 --> 00:38:37.460
 We come to church.

00:38:37.460 --> 00:38:39.659
 We give money.

00:38:40.059 --> 00:38:41.119
 We serve.

00:38:41.119 --> 00:38:41.179
 We serve.

00:38:41.179 --> 00:38:41.679
 We serve.

00:38:41.679 --> 00:38:42.179
 We serve.

00:38:42.179 --> 00:38:42.679
 We serve.

00:38:42.679 --> 00:38:43.179
 We serve.

00:38:43.179 --> 00:38:43.619
 We serve.

00:38:43.619 --> 00:38:44.619
 We serve.

00:38:44.619 --> 00:38:45.619
 We serve.

00:38:45.619 --> 00:38:46.619
 We serve.

00:38:46.619 --> 00:38:47.619
 We serve.

00:38:47.619 --> 00:38:48.619
 We serve.

00:38:48.619 --> 00:38:49.119
 We serve.

00:38:49.119 --> 00:38:50.119
 We serve.

00:38:50.119 --> 00:38:51.119
 We serve.

00:38:51.119 --> 00:38:52.119
 We serve.

00:38:52.119 --> 00:38:53.119
 We serve.

00:38:53.119 --> 00:38:54.119
 We serve.

00:38:54.119 --> 00:38:55.119
 We serve.

00:38:55.119 --> 00:38:56.119
 We serve.

00:38:56.119 --> 00:38:57.119
 We serve.

00:38:57.119 --> 00:38:58.119
 We serve.

00:38:58.119 --> 00:38:59.119
 We serve.

00:38:59.119 --> 00:39:00.119
 We serve.

00:39:00.119 --> 00:39:01.119
 We serve.

00:39:01.119 --> 00:39:02.119
 We serve.

00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:03.119
 We serve.

00:39:03.119 --> 00:39:04.119
 We serve.

00:39:04.119 --> 00:39:05.119
 God.

00:39:05.119 --> 00:39:07.119
 God may be challenging you right now.

00:39:07.119 --> 00:39:09.119
 Will you turn to me?

00:39:09.119 --> 00:39:16.679
 Will you lay down trying to find your security, trying to find your identity in anything other

00:39:16.679 --> 00:39:18.400
 than me?

00:39:18.400 --> 00:39:24.339
 Some of us have been making lots of excuses about why we can't spend time with God.

00:39:24.339 --> 00:39:27.940
 Some of us are making excuses why we're not sharing our faith.

00:39:27.940 --> 00:39:32.619
 Some of us have been making excuses that God has been talking to you and speaking to you,

00:39:32.619 --> 00:39:34.960
 but you've been going, not now, another time.

00:39:36.579 --> 00:39:39.059
 And God wants to say, get life in perspective.

00:39:39.380 --> 00:39:40.519
 Now is the time.

00:39:41.739 --> 00:39:45.460
 Come to me because I am gentle.

00:39:46.900 --> 00:39:47.859
 I am gracious.

00:39:49.239 --> 00:39:51.000
 I'm drawing you to myself.

00:39:51.920 --> 00:39:53.359
 I want you to come home.

00:39:58.859 --> 00:40:02.000
 If you know that there are some things you just need to kind of work through and you want

00:40:02.000 --> 00:40:08.360
 someone to pray with you, I want to invite you to be bold and to come forward and just

00:40:08.360 --> 00:40:10.960
 to the side, there's going to be some people who will be willing to pray for you.

00:40:12.639 --> 00:40:15.719
 Do not live for the pleasure of humans and man around you.

00:40:15.760 --> 00:40:17.019
 Live for the pleasure of God.

00:40:17.019 --> 00:40:46.980
 Let's just respond to him now in worship.