A Great Project (Haggai 1)

[0:00] So yeah, everyone, if you'd like, can open up to Haggai chapter 1. In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, son of Josedach, the high priest.

[0:24] This is what the Lord Almighty says. These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house. Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai.

[0:36] Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses while this house remains a ruin? Now this is what the Lord Almighty says. Give careful thought to your ways.

[0:48] You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm.

[0:59] You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. This is what the Lord Almighty says. Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honoured, says the Lord.

[1:15] You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why, declares the Lord Almighty, because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.

[1:30] Therefore, because of you, the heavens have withheld their dew 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 people and livestock, and on all the labour of your hands.

[1:46] Then Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, Joshua, son of Josedach, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him, and the people feared the Lord.

[2:04] Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people. I am with you, declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, son of Josedach, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people.

[2:24] They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty their God on the 24th day of the sixth month. That is the word of God. Thank you, Venus, and happy Wai-Tangi weekend, everyone.

[2:41] I hope you have lots of relaxing plans, hopefully with some more sun to accompany you this time. So for those that don't know me, my name is William, one of the pastors here, and it's a great privilege to open up the pastors that we just heard read.

[2:58] Why don't you pray with me, and we're going to listen in on what God has to say for us. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you for bringing us all here today, some of us rejoicing, some of us struggling as we sang in that first song.

[3:17] Help us through this word and through your gospel to recommit to your great project, to be blessed with your presence and favor as we hear and follow your word today.

[3:28] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So in our driveway, if you've ever visited, is a handcrafted cubby house. This is how it started, a whole bunch of pallet wood.

[3:42] Lockdown made us really bored for things to do. And so towards the end of 2020, it was just a lot of hands on deck, me looking up online how to build things and failing, and eventually some kind of construction that I could call a cubby house.

[3:59] Our kids loved it, but it was kind of unfinished. I kind of did two walls, and then I thought I'll try and convince my wife, Cheryl, to put the other two walls in.

[4:10] Had big dreams of maybe putting little planters on the outside, get a garden going, get really organic and that sort of thing. Two years later, my mother-in-law has put some nice planters of vegetables, but essentially it's unfinished.

[4:29] Unfinished business. So all around you, as you drive around, there's lots of unfinished business, right? Whether it's a house across the street from you, whether it's that big hole in the ground in Highland Park that I drove past earlier this week.

[4:43] I think there's meant to be a pack and save there, but we'll see. We'll see what the Lord provides. Yeah, unfinished business all around us, right? And that's natural, isn't it? We take an inventory of our lives.

[4:55] There's so much unfinished business. Things that we started with zeal, and then other stuff got in the way. And that's kind of a story of Haggai, isn't it? A great project, but gradually forgotten.

[5:10] And as our church thinks deeply this year about being built up in Jesus, our theme verse, as we want to be rooted in the gospel, well, we want to read the scriptures that our Lord Jesus read.

[5:21] We want to hear from the prophets our Lord Jesus taught from. And that includes a book like Haggai, right? Haggai is one of the books that came to mind as Pastor Albert and I were reflecting on this theme for the year, what would be good as a church to be journeying through.

[5:36] So we'll look at the book of Haggai over the next two weeks, and then straight after that, we'll be looking at the book of 1 Corinthians. So Old Testament, New Testament.

[5:47] So this is a short book, right? There's two chapters, so it's a two-week series. Which some of you will be like, yes, we're making so much progress through the Bible. And of course, the first step to hear from Haggai is to actually find it in your Bibles, right?

[5:59] So who has a paper Bible here, like me? Okay, a few of us, all right? It's like one page online, so it's a blink and you'll miss it kind of book. Of course, if you're technologically advanced, you just press the button and there it is.

[6:12] Tuck between Zephaniah and Zechariah. Who are they? Usually when we go into the Old Testament, we go into familiar books, don't we? All right? What's a familiar book? A psalm, like last week.

[6:23] That was very familiar. Or maybe last year, we went through the Genesis account. Everyone knows the Genesis account. But I want to suggest to you that Haggai, all right, however you pronounce it, is a hidden treasure.

[6:36] And though it's one of the minor prophets, there's nothing minor about this prophet's message. As Venus has already explained so well, to a people small in number, and discouraged perhaps, Haggai has some major thoughts for them and for us.

[6:55] We see over and over again, the call, think carefully about your ways. And we also hear, do not fear. And we also hear, the Lord is with you twice.

[7:08] And we even hear, that the Lord will shake the heavens and the earth. And what is desired by all the nations will come. These are powerful prophetic words, aren't they?

[7:20] Words that are worth listening to. And perhaps to us, PCBC, small in number, perhaps discouraged, after many years, I think Haggai has something to say to us too.

[7:32] Think carefully about your ways. Do not fear. The Lord is with you, as you join in his great project here at PCBC. So let's dive in.

[7:45] Now look, the Bible is a big book with one big storyline. Okay. And the story of Haggai comes late in the Old Testament. So for some of you who are more visual, here's a bit of a diagram, kind of God's big picture.

[7:59] So this diagram comes out of a book that Vaughan Roberts, our friend that visited us earlier this year, he wrote. So come talk to me if you want a copy.

[8:09] But basically this is a summary. And where we are, in the next slide you'll see, is this little section during the prophesied kingdom. The prophesied kingdom.

[8:20] So the story of Haggai comes late in the Old Testament. After God creates the world. After our first parents sinned. After one of their descendants, Abraham promised a people and a place under God's rule.

[8:32] After they've established themselves as a legitimate kingdom, right? With a monarchy and everything. And after the kingdom collapses and tears into two. After God's people are scattered into captivity for their sins.

[8:47] And then when they come back. Haggai 1 verse 1 tells us. Have a look. In the year, the second year of King Darius. On the first day of the sixth month.

[9:00] Not the year of King David, the warrior champion king. Nor the year of King Solomon, the wise and the peaceful. It's the year, the second year of King Darius.

[9:14] Who's not an Israelite. God's people are a tiny remnant living under the rule of a foreign king. And under Babylonian kings like Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, the Israelites who were from the southern kingdom, ripped away from Israel, forced to assimilate in Babylon or die.

[9:36] They struggled. Some of you have read the book of Daniel, right? Men like Daniel and his friends. They had to adopt the Babylonian way of life. Their customs, their culture, their worship or risk death.

[9:48] Death. But then a new king is raised up. The Babylonians are conquered. The Persian king Cyrus and his armies in 539 BC, they occupy Babylon and they bring in a new empire.

[10:04] And actually this is as the prophet Isaiah predicted and names Cyrus actually in Isaiah 44. And Cyrus brings in a change in approach. Let me refer you to Ezra 1-2 where we hear this.

[10:18] Under a new edict, a new ruling, the Jews are now allowed to return to their promised land to rebuild a temple for their God at Jerusalem in Judah, to restart their worship.

[10:32] But according to Ezra and Nehemiah, they get this ruling, go back, build the temple. And yet only a small minority of the Jews, just 50,000 Jews out of millions, choose to make the trip home.

[10:49] The rest actually, after years in Babylon, stayed there, comfortable. And so imagine this, a great risk and sacrifice, these 50,000 people, a tiny remnant of Jerusalem, they begin to rebuild.

[11:06] Actually in Ezra, it describes, they even get an altar built, offerings resume, and there's actually a foundation lay for the temple, right? And yet all this time, their enemies frustrate their plans.

[11:21] Ezra 4-5 says, they frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus, king of Persia, down to the reign of Darius, king of Persia, two kings later.

[11:31] And so Haggai introduces us, we'll go back to Haggai 1, back to Jerusalem. So you want to imagine the scene. This is Jerusalem on the 29th of August, 520 BC.

[11:43] That's the date right there. From Cyrus to Darius, means 539 BC to 520 BC. Who's good at maths? What's 539 minus 520?

[11:55] 19, thank you. 19 years of opposition. The temple, after 19 years, as complete as a concrete pad on a hill.

[12:07] And the leaders supervising this project, there's Zerubbabel, the governor. There's Joshua, the high priest. I mean, we've been gathering as an English service for three and a half years now, but they've been trying to establish this temple, right?

[12:26] Jerusalem 2.0. They've been going at it for 19 years. And these are all powerful people, okay? They even got royal blood. We'll talk about that next week.

[12:37] But here in verse 1, you want to imagine them as tired leaders. Tired leaders. And to tired leaders, verse 2, notice who speaks.

[12:50] Not a distant God. This is what the Lord Almighty says. The Lord Almighty. In Hebrew, what's used here is a combination of God's special covenant name, Yahweh, and then a description.

[13:07] Yahweh Sava'oth. The Lord, the one who commands all the armies of heaven. And actually this description, the Lord Almighty, you'll see it through the whole book, right?

[13:18] It's Haggai's favorite way to refer to God throughout the book. And in verse 2, he sums up the people's hearts. The Lord Almighty says this. These people say, the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house.

[13:34] Perhaps they might have said to each other, it's been nearly 20 years of hard slog. We've had enough. It's not our time to build this temple.

[13:45] Look, outdoor worship's not bad, right? As long as the sun's out, it's good enough for me. How about you? Yeah? Yeah, we're okay with this. Besides, life is busy.

[13:56] My house, you know, I need to renovate it. I need to keep adding things to it like everyone else. It's not our time to build this. Oh, I'm getting old now, right?

[14:07] 20 years at this. I reckon we leave it to the next generation of leaders, right? How about they do it? They'll sort it out. That's not our time to build this. But to these people, to these people, right?

[14:21] We've seen the word of the Lord summarize the stalled rebuild. And now to these people, the word of the Lord comes, and it's direct to the people.

[14:33] It comes through Haggai. And let's have a listen again to verse 4 of Haggai. It says this, Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses while this house remains a ruin?

[14:45] Across the street from our house, there are 11 units being built, right? On one property. It's amazing, right? Lots of fun to watch.

[14:57] Imagine, though, if the builders came to build this building all the while while they were sleeping in a tent at home. That's the picture here, okay?

[15:09] Right? Here in Haggai's first prophecy, God is rebuking the people. They're neglecting their priority project to rebuild his house. That's the whole point for them to immigrate back to Jerusalem.

[15:23] And in fact, the verse actually literally accuses them. The NIV, I think, catches it nicely. Is it a time for you yourselves? The word you is mentioned twice, okay? Is it time for you, yes you, to dwell in your paneled houses while this house is desolate?

[15:37] I'm not an architect, so I don't know what paneled houses looks like in the Old Testament, but it's only called or described that way, all right, in the context of Solomon's temple and his palace, okay?

[15:51] So when you see paneled houses, think the Parnell Mansion. Think the Viaduct Penthouse. Think the... Not Remira.

[16:02] That's all right, Johnson, right? We'll leave you out of it this time. Look, that's the rich, luxurious place. You, you're living in rich houses while God's sanctuary is a concrete pad.

[16:16] This is the first of many contrasts in this very short prophecy. But remember, before we get discouraged, okay, before we feel, oh, that burns, remember who Haggai is speaking to, right?

[16:28] It's not the majority of Jews who have decided to stay in Babylon. It's the faithful few who came out. For a while at least, they did put God's kingdom above their personal comfort.

[16:41] For a while at least, they worked hard at building God's temple. They did. But they were discouraged at the lack of progress. And over 19 years, the focus gradually shifted from building the Lord's house to upgrading their own house, raising their own families, starting their own projects.

[17:05] The Lord is not rebuking pagans who don't even know Him. The Lord is challenging faithful followers who have lost heart. Have you ever been the only person to show up to cell groups after church or a Bible study or a leaders meeting?

[17:25] Are you part of a ministry team here or in the past and you've served diligently at your area faithfully while others don't even notice or care? Have you ever secretly wondered, I've been here for ages.

[17:43] Maybe it's time to back off a bit. You know, after all, I've got, it's a new year, I've got new things to do. I'm seeing someone new or I've got a new project to work on.

[17:53] I've just started a new job. I'm moving house this year. Lots of things are happening in my life. It's not my time to build here. Myself included, all of us struggle, don't we?

[18:08] We struggle with the tension between kingdom sacrifice and our personal needs. And you know what? If we throw in the way that the world teaches us to look for pleasure and not pain as the main goal of life, right?

[18:24] You don't like it, don't do it. Or you do you. That's the message we need. And you throw in, perhaps in your culture or your upbringing, the pressure of bringing honor, not shame to your loved ones, your family, right?

[18:39] She's getting married. We're so proud. He ruined his life. We don't talk about him. No wonder it's hard, even for God's faithful people, to lose sight of God's priorities and the drift towards personal agendas, is it not?

[18:58] The Lord keeps speaking. Verse 5. Listen with me. Now this is what the Lord Almighty says. Give careful thought to your ways. You're planted much, but harvested little.

[19:12] You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. Read wallet, if you are a guy.

[19:24] Look, where the NIV says, give careful thought to your ways, the literal reading, in the original language, is set your heart upon your walk, your path.

[19:36] And notice again, who's speaking, right? The Lord Almighty. In other words, here is wisdom for your heart, from your commander-in-chief.

[19:48] So listen up. Consider this. You have planted, but you have harvested nothing. You have eaten, and you're still hungry. You drink, but you're still thirsty.

[20:00] You get a paycheck, all of it disappears, before you do your grocery shop. And you skip to verse 9 and 10, and you'll see with me, he keeps going. You expected much, but see it turned out to be little, right?

[20:11] The Lord throws in more and more descriptions, of the return, is not worth the investment. What we put in, is not matched with what we get out. These are reverse immigrants, right?

[20:24] Back to Jerusalem, who have not found milk and honey. They've found thorns and thistles. Why? Verse 9 tells us, because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.

[20:37] I think we want to be careful here. Haggai, he's writing, he's prophesying to a specific people, in a specific time. Okay?

[20:48] So we want to think about their context first, before our context. We want to be careful, not to just draw a straight line, without thinking, about the logic in their day, to us today.

[21:00] And yet, this is a logic, that God's people, in Haggai's time, would have expected, as they lived, after the law of Moses. Okay? The promises of Moses.

[21:12] In Deuteronomy 28, which Zerubbabel and Joshua, those high priests, right? And governors, they would have memorized Deuteronomy, the Torah. In Deuteronomy 28, Moses reminds the generation, about to enter the promised land, that there will be blessing, when you obey, and curses, when you disobey.

[21:31] If your heart is fixed, on earthly pursuits, don't be surprised, if it does not return, what you promised. Don't be surprised, if you are judged. Don't be surprised, if you are disciplined.

[21:44] And so that is a world, that the old covenant people, including the people of Haggai's day, knew, and lived, and understood. And so you might think, well, we know Jesus now, so it's different, right?

[21:58] And yet, even the New Testament, does record times, when God's people, are disciplined, for misdirecting, their worship, for prioritizing, themselves, besides God.

[22:14] We are part of the new covenant, promise that, Jesus and his blood, has paid for our sins, and has brought us, into his kingdom, his family. We gather into a new people.

[22:26] And yet, for example, in the church of Corinth, some brothers and sisters, they were abusing, the Lord's Supper, right? You can read that description, in chapter 11, and they were treating it, like one of their old, pagan parties, okay?

[22:39] All right? Imagine the Lord's table, as a Saturday night, booze up. And the apostle Paul, warns them, from the Old Testament, listen up.

[22:50] Here are some stories, of people dying, in the wilderness, in numbers. And he says, 1 Corinthians 10, 11, these things happen to them, as examples for you, written down as warnings for us.

[23:03] So don't make the mistake, of thinking, New Testament, no problem. Even as God's people today, the New Testament, warns us, obedience will bring God's delight.

[23:15] Disobedience, brings God's displeasure, discipline, perhaps even, even death. And I'm not going to point to you, every specific reason, behind every struggle, that we will encounter, as God's people today, as God's family.

[23:32] But like Haggai, maybe I can invite you, give careful thought, to your ways. Give careful thought, to your ways. Church, whenever we seek, our own kingdom first, whatever that looks like, don't be surprised, if God, withholds blessing, from us.

[23:52] Material, and otherwise. But in contrast, if we seek first, the kingdom of heaven, what does the Lord Jesus say? Alright, seek first the kingdom of heaven, and his righteousness, and all these things, will be added to you.

[24:08] Right? Listen to Jesus, as he taught, seek first God's kingdom, then everything we're anxious about, what we eat, what we drink, what we wear, our heavenly father, will look after.

[24:21] He will. And if you're here, and you don't know, this heavenly father, the one who provides everything, can I, can I ask you, can I appeal to you?

[24:34] What are you seeking for, in this life? What are your, panelled houses, that you're trying to build, and build, and build? Are you like the rest of the world, so caught up, in what everyone else, worries about?

[24:47] What to eat, what to drink, who to date, where to live? If so, Jesus invites you, seek him first, seek his kingdom first, turn away from these gods, gods of money, sex, worth, approval, trust and obey, instead a king, who paid the ultimate price, his own life, his own life, that we might be, his ultimate treasure, seek him first, seek Jesus, and if you know, that Jesus treasures, you enough, to die for you, you won't need, to find your worth, in anything else, this world, offers you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, the rebuild, stalling, haven't we, I've heard this challenge, from the Lord Almighty himself, and now, in the last few verses, we see, that the rebuild is going to restart again, restart again, because the God of angel armies, he's not content, for his temple, to sit unfinished, and so, in the midst of this, his rebuke, actually, we find our memory verse, right, verse 8 and 7, he says through Haggai, right, verse 7 says, this is what the Lord Almighty says, give careful thought to your ways, go up into the mountains, bring down timber, and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it, and be honored, says the Lord, join his great project, says the Lord Almighty, seek his kingdom first, this is God's invitation, stop spending all our time, and energy on, on crops, on careers, on houses, come and finish, the Lord's work here, and you know what, you know what's encouraging,

[26:31] God's people in Jerusalem, we read, do just that, don't they, right, we see in verse 12 to 15, they actually obey, I mean, when you read the prophets, of the Old Testament, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, all these others, with big long names, they prophesy, lots of words, and usually, no one listens, they ignored, but Haggai's prophecy, is different, it's encouraging, it seems to bring about, verse 12, repentance, they turn around, from their ways, and faith, they go to, obey the voice of the Lord, all right, look at verse 12 again, ends of Rubber, son of Shealtiel, Joshua, son of Josedach, the high priest, and the whole remnant, of the people, they obey the voice, of the Lord, their God, and the message, of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord, their God, had sent him, but why do they obey though, right, you might read that verse, right, and that last bit, and the people feared the Lord, ooh, they were scared of God, that's what fear means to us, perhaps, right, we fear the dark, we fear spiders, but the word translated, fear in the scripture,

[27:40] A-R-A, has a richer meaning, than just, I'm scared of something scary, okay, the word fear, has this rich meaning, that includes, bowing down, before the face, of a king, it's kind of like, a sports team, paying attention, to their legendary coach, it is like soldiers, saluting their victorious general, that is fear, that is reverence, that is respect, and this comes of course, not from a distant deity, it comes from the Lord, right, in capitals it means, someone who has promised, to be with them, it's a trusted relationship, it's through a trusted relationship, with God, that we get wisdom, right, Proverbs 1a, the fear of the Lord, is the beginning of wisdom, that's a posture we all need, before a holy God, and so, they obey, because they fear the Lord, they have a rich, respectful relationship, with their maker, and their sustainer, and some of us, we've been here members, a while now, haven't we, right, who's been a member here, the longest,

[28:56] I don't know, someone call it out, so Billy's been a member, for a day, welcome brother, I've been a member, for two and a bit years, I guess, from 2020, anyone beat that, 10 years, no, yeah, yeah, 10, okay, 15, all right, I don't know, yeah, okay, thank you Vincent, look, no matter how long, you've been a member here, all right, here's a question, that you can ask, for yourself, even today, can you see anything, that needs a willing helper, can you join, in God's great project, here at PCBC, it could be, to greet our visitors, and regulars, you know, joining the ushering team, perhaps, it could be, to learn a new skill, I've never mixed sound before, but, I'm going to learn from song, because he knows what he's doing, it could be just, hey, I've never read in public, but, I wouldn't mind reading, a verse, before, Pastor William preaches, it could even be, to haul some timber, right, literally,

[29:57] I think earlier this week, Uncle Ben was cutting some timber, for the baptistry, and I was like, that was so timely, wow, that was so timely, haul, you know, pull the timber in, I nearly joined him, I had a sermon to write, but, sorry, I didn't join him, sorry, he looked like he was having fun, though, maybe next time, maybe it's to invite a friend, to church, right, that's an act of service, isn't it, come along, come and see, come and hear God, through his word, come meet some brothers and sisters, changed by Christ, or maybe it's bringing, the gospel, to our workplaces, right, like our brother Johnson, who reads scripture, who does bible studies, with his work colleagues, or maybe you just gather, a friend or two, at school, at uni, right, someone who doesn't even know Jesus, say, let's look at, the bible together, would you like to, explore, the story of Jesus, wouldn't it be great, to see PCBC English, as a place where everyone, has some role, in God's great projects, wouldn't it be great, to see PCBC English, as a place where, there's ministry, lots of it, ministry, from the pew, and not ministry, from, from the few, one, two, three, so think carefully, consider your ways, maybe in 2023, in fear of the Lord, you can chip into, some unfinished business, here, among this building project, so that our commander in chief, may take delight in it, and be honoured, if you have willing hearts,

[31:32] I can guarantee you, there is something, you can serve in here, right, whether it's worship, whether it's caring for someone, right, we have five different departments, there are lots of unofficial, departments, and groups, I'm sure, if you have a will, there will be a way, where you can join in, but whatever you do, PCBC, please don't just do it, to please your pastor, or to please your group leader, please don't just do it, to just get to know that guy, or girl better, please do it, in fear and reverence, of the Lord Almighty, our commander in chief, please do it, because the Lord has spoken, through his messenger, Haggai to you, please do it, because in fear of God, you want to seek first, his eternal kingdom, not just build, your panelled houses, and let's pray, that God will take care, of all our needs, here at PCBC, and in your life as well, I can't promise you, it will be easy, to build God's kingdom here, right, building projects, take hard work, and a spiritual building project, is even harder, because it involves people, who sin like me, and I definitely, can't promise you, that you'll become, rich and famous, if you sow into PCBC English, or the wider church, but I can assure you, if you're willing to commit, and build together, here as PCBC, it will glorify God, it will magnify his name, and as we build together,

[33:04] I can guarantee you this, the Lord's message to you, is this, I am with you, look at verse 13, I am with you, declares the Lord, and surely not, you might ask, I didn't bring any timber with me, I'm not a Jew, from 520 BC, how can you tell me, to claim this promise, here in verse 13, of Haggai chapter 1, and I can say that, you can claim this promise, not because you're Haggai's, audience, you're not, I'm not, but you can claim this promise, and even more, because the same Lord, who is present with his people, here in Haggai 1, in his infinite wisdom, he chose to come, and dwell among us, did he not?

[33:55] He was born of a virgin, he was named Emmanuel, which means, God is with us, in Jesus, and we look to the cross, and when our Lord, Jesus, as he lived on this earth, as he challenged religious authorities, as he spoke to people, and said, look, you tear down this temple, he's referring to his body, of course, you tear down this temple, and in three days, I will raise it again, John chapter 2, and guess what, it came true, three days after his cruel death, on the cross, he rises again, from the grave, he defeats death, he is the new building project, right, resurrected, and he immediately, then kick starts, an even greater building project, the church, right, no longer just a physical temple, in one place, but a spiritual building, the church of Christ, the household of God, and before he sends his disciples, out to make disciples, of all nations, what does he say to them, at the end of the gospel of Matthew, who remembers this, right, the great commission, he says to them,

[35:07] Matthew 28 20, behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age, friends, not even Haggai, could promise this, not even Zerubbabel, or Joshua, could guarantee, this promise, but the Holy Spirit, dwelling in every believer here, is our guarantee, that as we serve him, as we build his kingdom, God is with us, as we join in God's, unfinished business, as his precious children, we do not do it alone, we have a commander in chief himself, who pours his presence, and he wants his spirit, into our hearts, he says, I am with you always, that is a next level promise, isn't it, and yes, my cubby house, may never get finished, when Christ returns, and yes, your house, may still have leaks to fix, stuff to work on, but thank God, thank God, that one day, his church will be fully built, it will have all the nations, it will be worth the great sacrifice, it will one day, bring him great glory, and bring us forever joy, let's pray together, father, we give you thanks, though we are weak, and sinful, though our hearts, stray towards, building our expensive houses, our social media profiles, our worth, through what we own, and what we have in our lives, thank you father, that you are not content, to leave us there, so draw us back to you, help us repent, from our sins, of materialism, of idol worship, help us turn to you, our great God, our commander in chief, and to want, your great project finished, your church, your kingdom, father we thank you, we love you, help us to, join in, what you are doing, even now, in your kingdom, for your great name's sake, in Jesus name we pray,

[37:24] Amen.