This sermon emphasizes the importance of repentance and turning from sin to receive God's blessings. It highlights the need to prioritize God's agenda above our own desires, drawing parallels between the discipline of God in the Old Testament and the concept of discipline in the New Testament. The message encourages self-reflection and seeking God's forgiveness before offering worship or service.

Wow, you know, there's just so many things going on with the church right now, but I don't ever want to lose sight of the cross I don't want us to forget why we're here and you know, as far as our building project, you know We're still looking, you know and everything nothing really new to report So many good things going on though, and and I forget, you know, I forget everything that happens It's like, you know a dvd. Hopefully you still remember our stop and think dvd Do you realize that people still order that thing all across the nation all around the world last week? You know, we sent out last week. We sent out 15 000 of them I mean it's just in one week Churches across america are now ordering them so they can pass it out to their neighbors and you know And and so that the gospel can just keep going forth and people can hear the message of the cross And I thought that would be encouraging to you as every day People are emailing calling in and saying man. I need to get some copies of that You know, I have unsaved friends and just people who don't know jesus and and all because the ministry has started here through you guys It's just it's just a cool thing just to know I I just forget all the things are going on here at cornerstone And praise god for that. Well this week we finish off the book of haggai. Okay, and we will finish and um, But gosh, it's one of those things where I hate to just move on unless i'm sure we really get it Okay, we gotta get the message of haggai. Otherwise, we'll just do another four weeks and go back, you know, it's It's it's that important and it's a pretty simple message Okay, it's a very simple message. The message is this there were people who were neglecting god's work, right? In order to build their own home. So god cursed them So then the people go we don't like god's cursing. Let's go rebuild the temple They rebuild the temple and god says from now on i'm gonna bless you Pretty simple story, right? You know first grade you can explain the book of haggai they get it And so it's a very simple lesson for us. The lesson is this I should put god's agenda above my own right Okay, I shouldn't put my own home my own desires all this stuff. I gotta put god's agenda and just go Okay, god, what do you want me to do with my time my life my resources? I want to put that first and then you'll take care of everything else But if I flip-flop that and put myself first, you're just going to frustrate my life anyways And so let me put you first your agenda first simple simple point put god's agenda above your own And if I were to you know ask you hey, is god's agenda more important than yours? 90 of you would say absolutely god's agenda is more important than mine The question is is what does that look like in southern california And the question i've been asking myself is that do we have any examples of that in southern california I mean any Of a person who really puts god's agenda before his or her own Have you ever thought this Do you ever wonder if we're all all? Every single person in cornerstone church every single person if we are all fooling ourselves Into thinking that we're living out new testament christianity And that we are so far short of the way the early church lived But we feel okay about it because everyone's so much worse than us nowadays That we feel okay I mean does that thought ever cross your mind because when you read the new testament, you know Like like we've been doing those of us who've been reading through the new testament in a year And the old testament, you know It's just showing the life of christ and the the standard that he calls for Then I start reading the book of acts and I look at the way the christians live and I go wow Look at what they did. They gave everything. I mean god truly was first in their lives. That's what the christian is supposed to look like See and the problem is nowadays What we would label as a person who's overboard A person who's just a fanatic What we call a fanatic overboard extreme christian today is what they used to call christians You know and now we're saying oh that guy's just he's gone overboard. He's gone nuts everything else But when I read the new testament, I go wait a second Look at the standard here And are we fooling ourselves and really all of us all of us myself include all of us in this room Are we just kidding ourselves? It's like this when I was in college I went to hong kong. I went to hong kong to visit my relative. That's where I grew up You know as a little kid and so I wanted to see where I grew up, you know meet relatives I'd never seen before and my grandma took me around all around hong kong and uh, and every time she introduced me to someone They would say the exact same thing They would look at me and go wow you know, which means I know isn't that funny? and uh No, but what it means you guys are already laughing. But what what what it means in english is basically Wow, he's so big, you know, he's so big, you know Everyone literally without exception everyone they introduced me to would look at me me and go wow, he's so big, you know and I didn't have the heart to tell him. It's not that I'm so big, you know You're so small, you know, you know Because it's like everywhere everywhere I went, okay, I want to show you a picture of my grandma and I in hong kong There's me and grandma That awesome Okay Get over the outfit it was the 80s and um That was the height of everyone though Okay, that's just the way people are out there. She was average height And so everywhere I went it's like wow so big, you know, and and and that but what's the reality, you know? okay, go ahead and turn that off, please and um Um Reality is no i'm just in your little corner of the world and in your corner of the world Everyone's really small. So I look big You see and and my point is is is we here in southern california Man for if you serve just the tiniest bit and you give the tiniest bit to god You're gonna have people coming around you going. Wow. You are so godly. You are so spiritual. You are such a great christian And when in reality I think what you're saying no It's just that You are so self-centered And we here in our little corner of the world see me valley california We are so self-centered So selfish so greedy so materialistic That anyone that gives just a little bit of sacrifice No way, you gave 10 for you give 11 of your income. Let's name the building after you. Let's just call you know, this is Because you know what? I look at the new testament standard And I look at the way they live. I mean don't you ever do that? Don't you read, you know, like in the new testament and go man these people gave everything Everything They give everything and do we even get it And is it really the cornerstone church is such a thriving godly spiritual church Or is it just that we live in such a selfish self-centered corner of the world where everyone has so much that we appear spiritual Just because we're so far beyond them That's why it's so important that we always Compare ourselves to the word of god Not to the people around us You see you can start feeling self-righteous so quickly if you start looking at the people around you The way the world lives around us and here in southern california. Wow, they are so evil And the bible says don't compare yourself to them. Jesus says when he prayed for the church. He says father sanctify them by the truth Your word is truth He says the way you need to purify the church Is not by advice from other christians and other people telling you how wonderful no, no It's by the truth and sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth And the bible says don't get conformed. Don't be conformed to the pattern of this world Don't just listen and see everything out there and soak it all in he goes but be transformed By the renewing of your mind and that takes place through the washing of the word Through meditating on this and saying god, what do you want from me? Because everyone else will tell me i'm a godly man and then I read this book and I go. No, here's your standard Is this still your standard? Or are you feeling like you're big? The only reason why we would feel big is because we're looking around At our corner of the world and seeing how small the faith is out here How small the sacrifice is how small the giving the service everything the devotion the purity That for a person to say well i'm gonna maintain my virginity till i'm married it's like whoa No way, you would really do that And it's like are you kidding me? That's the very basics of this book That's the given the obvious that we lift up and say is so wonderful You know, I I want to just pray that that we don't Dumb down the scriptures In this in this church and lower the standards and even today I just I just want us to really just look at what does the word of god say? Would you join me in a word prayer? Father may we be people who are truly convicted by your word That we don't justify and rationalize and compare And find people who agree with us so we feel better about ourselves God may we seek out the truth of your word and your word alone even this morning in jesus name. Amen Haggai chapter 2 verse 10 says On the 24th day of the ninth month In the second year of darius the word of the lord came to the prophet haggai. Okay So now it's it's three months into it Okay, basically is what you need to know by that that just helps us understand remember last week We talked about they were four weeks into building the the temple. Okay now in this section They are three months into building the temple. It's just about done now And so god speaks through the prophet haggai a third time He speaks to him on the 24th day of the ninth month verse 11 This is what the lord almighty says lord almighty almighty says ask the priests what the law says If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment And that fold touches some bread or stew some wine or other food. Does it become consecrated? and the priests answered no Okay, so so he asked this question he goes and and uh, you can say a lot of us have been reading through the old testament too, you know in that bible reading program and you read the We've been we just got done with leviticus and we're in numbers now And when you read the old testament When you read leviticus and numbers Some people say gosh, that's where I just lose it. I just get bored stiff There's all these regulations of how we ought to build this how we ought to build that, you know All these sacrifices all this tedious stuff and and and that's when people quit they get to about this point and they quit And I lost it halfway through leviticus. Genesis was fun, you know, you know people dying everywhere and then exodus same thing And then you get to leviticus And numbers and you get all these meticulous regulations, what's that all about you guys those are very important books When you read how tedious god demanded his people to be in their worship of him It shows me a lot about god. It shows me that he has every right to demand excellence from us He has every right to tell us to be as meticulous as he wants us to be In our worship of him it shows me his standard of holiness saying look I consider this holy and so you better You better treat this seriously Because this is my agenda here and the Sacrifices, do you understand the point of the sacrifices? I mean here you have this beautiful temple, right? But what do they do in the temple? You know that they would bring these these sacrifices for their sin They bring these animals into this beautiful temple and they'd slaughter these animals They'd go up to that temple mountain. They'd slaughter just hundreds thousands literally at a time of animals Imagine being at this beautiful temple site On a hot day just roasting hot out there in israel And you've got all these slaughtered butchered animals and blood is running down All the way down the side of the hill all the way into the river the stench the disgusting smell everything that Sighted just would have shocked every sense in your body just gonna look oh It's disgusting in there Why did god make it that way? Because he wanted to show the people look this is how repulsive Your sins are in my sight This is how disgusting it is to me My I demand absolute holiness and this is this is this is the result of your sin the slaughterhouse He wanted us to know just how awful it was So they had these regulations and and and god here asked the priest he goes. Hey, tell me Okay, when you sacrifice an animal they're in the altar and you cook the meat and then you carry That meat on your garment. The garment becomes holy, right? Like yeah, yeah, you know, but now if that garment Touches something else according to leviticus. Does that other thing become holy also? And the answer was no according to the law that holiness Yeah, that that that meat whatever it touched like it touched that garment that garment's clean But once that garment touches something else, it doesn't mean that that makes you know Like if my garment touched that mic stand is that mic stand then become holy? No, it doesn't Because it doesn't communicate any further But then he asked this other question in verse 13 and and you can read about this in numbers But verse 13 then haggai said if a person is defiled by contact with a dead body A person defiled by contact with dead body touches one of these things does it become defiled? Yes, the priest replied it becomes defiled. Okay. There was another regulation. The regulation was this If you touch if you or I touched a dead body, this was the strongest form of of becoming unclean It would make you unclean for seven days if you touched a dead body And the law taught that if you touch the dead body, then you touch this holy object or anything You make it unclean So his question is he goes. Okay. Now, how about if a person touches dead body and he touches something does that? Uncleanness is that defilement transfer into the next object and the answer was yes, it does So while the holiness doesn't transfer on the sin does Okay, and then here's his point from that he says in verse 14 He says then haggai said so it is with this people and this nation in my sight declares the lord whatever they do and whatever they offer there is Defiled or unclean? He goes here's my point He says you people are unclean Because you have not repented of your sin because you didn't turn from your sin. He goes everything you touched became unclean See like he says the seeds like when you planted the seeds into the ground Do you know why they didn't spring up because you touched them? You passed on that curse of your unfaithfulness. So that's why the seeds didn't grow He goes I started cursing everything you touched and he goes in every offering you brought to me I looked at it and I go that's a dirty offering because you touched it You were sinful you touched it And so therefore the sacrifice itself Was sinful and unclean I think there's a very important lesson from that See these priests even though they didn't repent of the sin in their own lives They still brought the offering and god goes it doesn't matter you touched it So the offering doesn't help your sin any The lesson is this when you're living in sin, there's only one thing you can do that pleases the lord Turn from your sin You don't come to church and say well i'm living in the sin, but i'll go to church that'll make up for it I'll give a lot of money that'll make up for it I'll sing really loud with all my heart that'll make up for it. I'll pray i'll serve the kids I'll help the youth i'll build a building i'll do whatever i'll clean up That doesn't help, you know when you put the money in the offering your money Is unclean in god's eyes When you sing to him your voice is unclean in his eyes Until you repent of your sin Until you turn you cleanse yourself you confess to god and say god. I am. Sorry I've been living this life. That's a total lie. That is totally repulsive in your sight You turn from that you confess that and say god i'm going to turn And then bring your offering it's not just old testament Jesus said in the new testament Matthew 5 verse 23 Remember when he says if you're offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother Your brother your christian brother has something against you just leave your gift there in front of the altar First go and be reconciled to your brother then come and offer your gift He says look if you came here to give some sort of offering or service or worship to god But you know out there is another christian brother or sister and you haven't done everything you could to live in harmony with them right He goes then don't bother Don't bother serving me. Don't bother singing to me praying to me go get things right with that person first And I understand they may not forgive you. They may not do their part But you have to do everything on your part to get things, right? Because god says just leave the offering there. Don't worry about worship right now Your act of worship is to go out and obey me. I desire obedience rather than sacrifice Obey me. Listen to me First peter three verse seven speaks to the men He says husbands in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives Treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life So that nothing will hinder your prayers He says husbands you better treat your wife with respect you better honor her and treat her as this Delicate vessel you gotta take care of her and treat her as a fellow heir of the grace of life Basically, that's my daughter you're living with God says that's my daughter you're living with and you better treat her with respect so that your prayers will not be hindered Don't come here, you know say man, I can't stand my wife I treat her like trash all week and then come to church and pray to god He says just stop don't talk to me. I don't want to I don't want to hear your little voice. It just annoys me It's hindered. I saw the way you treated your wife Go back and make things right then come back and then pray to me Because right now whatever you touch whatever you give Is defiled in my sight. Anyways, I don't want it in my temple It's pretty powerful See some of you may have grown up in systems where you live However, you want during the week and then you feel like sunday mornings i'll come and i'll make up for it I'll make up for it. Maybe i'll sing louder give more. Maybe i'll take communion like four times You know, maybe i'll do this and i'll pray the lord's prayer like 30 times i'll do this i'll do that No all along ever since the beginning God says when you're in sin Confess it and turn from it. That's it And then offer to me But your good works don't make up for your crimes You confess you run to the cross for forgiveness again And you run to the holy spirit for strength and say god help me turn from this See these people whatever they touched was filthy Verse 15 now give careful thought to this From this day on consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the lord's temple He goes he goes remember he goes just today He goes take some time and remember what it was like before you guys started building the temple You remember how awful it was and then he reminds them verse 16 He says when anyone came to a heap of 20 measures There were only 10 when anyone went out to a wine vat to draw 50 measures. There were only 20 He goes I struck all the work of your hands with blight mildew hail yet. You didn't turn to me declares the lord From this day on from this 24th day of the ninth month give careful thought to the day When the foundation of the lord's temple was laid Give careful thought Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now the vine the fig tree the pomegranate the olive tree have not borne fruit From this day on I will bless you He goes remember this day Remember this day the 24th, what is it the 24th day of the ninth month? Whatever who cares it's whatever that day was he goes remember this day From this day forward he goes remember how it's been this whole time He goes if you don't remember go go look at your storage bins right now Where there's supposed to be all this seed. Is there any seed in there? None, right? There's nothing He goes how have the olives been doing this year? No olives, right? No pomegranates, no nothing nothing has sprouted up he goes remember how awful it was When you neglected the work of god remember how I cursed everything you did he goes I I used mildew I had things rot away. I had hailstorms come down and just destroy your crops Everything was destroyed and yet you you kept sinning against me. You didn't turn you didn't return to me He goes but now you guys have been building for three months I see your work So write it down in your calendars from this day on I want to bless you Watch what happens now What what a great statement? But he tells him I want you to remember how bad it was And and I know as as christians we're not to sit here and just meditate on how awful, you know Our sins are you know, because we're forgiven because of what jesus did on the cross he paid for it And so i'm clean now But it is healthy to remember How awful it was when you were not walking with god Christians You know those times in your life when you knew the right thing to do But you chose to rebel against god Remember that lack of peace you would feel You It's just that sense of like insecurity almost like, you know, okay god's really not gonna bless anything I do till I turn from the sin, but I can't turn from the sin because I love it too much And you were in just this downward spiral just sinking and you just never felt that peace of god You didn't you never heard those words. I am with you He doesn't remember that remember how awful it was And maybe that would cause you to turn But this whole concept of god striking everything they had and destroying it sometimes we today 24, you know, we We we look at that and we go. Well, that was the old testament, right? God would get mad at people. He punished people torture people take things away from me to even kill them Now we're living in the new testament. God doesn't do that anymore. God's completely changed, you know, and it's like no The bible says jesus christ is the same yesterday today forever is the same god In fact, the new testament teaches that god does the same thing hebrews 12 hebrews chapter 12 talks about god's discipline In hebrews chapter 12 verse 5 Listen to what it says. This is a very important passage. I think it's undertaught in churches today hebrews 12 verse 5 Listen to this He goes And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons My son Do not make light of the lord's discipline do not lose heart when he rebukes you because the lord disciplines those he loves And he punishes everyone. He accepts as a son Endure hardship as discipline god is treating you as sons for what son is not disciplined by his father If you're not disciplined and everyone undergoes discipline, then you're illegitimate children and not true sons Moreover, we we've all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it How much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live? Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best but god disciplines us for our good That we may share in his holiness No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful Later on. However, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it What's god saying god says he disciplines us he punishes us Okay. Now now we're very quick to to defend and say well That doesn't mean that every time something bad or something difficult happens that god is punishing me And that's true Okay, not every trial is a direct punishment from god But it's also true that sometimes it is Okay You kind of understand we we spend so much time in church saying well Not everything bad that happens to you is a punishment from god that we'd forget to emphasize. Well, the bible says that Many times it is Many times it's god getting your attention and thank god for that Many times he'll take away things from you Like he did with these israelites took away all their crops and everything else so they'd finally turn back to him He was disciplining them for their own good So he makes the statement and it's hard because of again the culture we live in he makes a statement where he says come on Every father disciplines his kid. I mean if you don't discipline your kid and show that you don't love him It was an obvious statement that was has been obvious all throughout time that of course we discipline our children That's what you do when you love them. Well, even that's a concept. That's not obvious anymore just in the last few years You know in in our culture our little corner of the world. Hey, don't discipline your kid You must not love them, you know, it's like wow you punish her You put restrictions You still discipline and that's so unloving So then we look at god and we transfer that on to him of like wait, he can't punish you How could a loving god punish you? Yet the bible says that's what he does because he loves you And that that's what a loving father does nowadays and the bible says don't take that lightly you see Whenever something does not go my way You know what? The first thing I do is I take an inventory of my life And I ask myself could this be god disciplining me? It's the first thing I ask. I don't blame god and go. Ah, why'd you do that to me? I don't deserve. I'm great. I immediately just look at myself and go Okay If I didn't get something I wanted I think okay. Well, is it because I valued it too much? Was it an idol to me? Am I being greedy? Is this about me or is it about god's kingdom? Am I putting myself above him and my desires above I evaluate my life as quickly as I can Because I want to I want to be one of those guys where god disciplines me and he's just got to hit me once like Okay. Okay. What do I gotta do? What do I gotta do? You know, I just Because I don't want to sit there and just take it and take it and take it, you know, it's like Okay. Okay. The tiniest thing the moment tiny things happen. I just go. Okay. What let me look at my life Is this a form of discipline? Let me let me just take an inventory Because I don't want to be under the lord's discipline forever. I want to learn what I need to learn and move on You know, and that's what the smart child does. It's like why don't I sit here and you know get beat?