Somebody Loves You

Raul Ries: When we look at the scriptures and we see what God says to each one of us individually, that as the Lord is moving, as he is moving, what is your priority within your life? If we ever are going to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in the church, then we need to strip ourselves from self fully completely.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio, the Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. As we explore what it means to live as faithful followers of Christ, Raul will urge us to take an honest look at our goals and priorities. The world continually pulls us in countless different directions, but the Lord calls us to fix our eyes on eternity. As you keep God at the center of everything you do, your life will take on lasting purpose in building his kingdom. With the lesson, priorities are a must. Here's Raul Ries in the book of Haggai.

Raul Ries: Now the book of Haggai is really important because it speaks about priority. I don't know what your priorities are, but the priority that Haggai brings up is God has to be first. If God is not first, then who's first in your life? Yourself? Your children? Your job? Your finances? How are we going to get the message out to a world that is totally destroyed? And you know what's incredible also, to hear the cry of the church today, where is the power of the church? Where is the power? I go back and I listen and I watch some things from the '70s through the '80s through the '90s to the year 2000 and all the way through to the present time.

And you can see the change in the church every time you go through every one of those years. But you know, my faith has never changed. I don't know about your faith. I still worship the same Jesus. I still read my Bible. I still read upon the Lord. And I'm not trying to be self-righteous. I'm trying to tell you what's kept me for 45 years, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think that when we look at the scriptures and we see what God says to each one of us individually, that as the Lord is moving, as he is moving, what is your priority within your life?

If we ever are going to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in the church, then we need to strip ourselves from self fully completely. Are you willing to be that vessel to ask him to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and to give you those gifts, 21 gifts? And also at the same time, your talents God's given to you. How to use your talents? Read Matthew chapter 25. The Matthew 25 will tell you what the Lord is going to not only judge on whatever he gives you, he wants you to multiply it. And if you don't multiply it and you bring back the same thing he gave to you, read chapter 25 what happens to people.

The Lord doesn't mess around. Jesus is Jesus. He's the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the master, the savior of the world. And my desire and your desire should be not to make excuses, not to make excuses. God doesn't like excuses. He likes you to be honest. Say, Lord, I haven't read. I haven't prayed. I've been spending so much time on myself and on my computer, my iPad, and my phone. And that's not going to get you in eternity. That's just a temple thing. What's going to get you into eternity is your relationship with Jesus.

That's the bottom line. Let's begin with chapter one beginning with verses one through four. It's going to be chapter one verses one through 15. Conviction. Are you being convicted by the lordship of Christ? You see the prophet here dates all his prophecies as though he kept strict diary like keeping a diary of all the important events in rebuilding the temple. Now let me share what he says. The Lord has had the children of Israel in captivity 70 years in Babylon. That's where Daniel is. And they release the Lord releases 43 or 45,000 Jews, a remnant that was in Babylon to go back to Jerusalem, to go back to their land for one purpose, build my house.

What they did is they build their houses and not the house of God. And man, God really really gets on them here because the Lord wants his house to be a place of worship. He doesn't want his house to become a plague house. You know, no conviction. You can drink. You can go here. You can do this. And all of a sudden, the Lord begins to take away the church instead of adding to the church because people don't witness. Your neighbors, your friends see that you're just a carnal person and not a spiritual person. So they say, why should I listen to them?

And the way the prophet begins here, he starts making excuses for yourself. He starts verse one. He says, in the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, I love this. The word of the Lord came by the prophet. The word of the Lord came by the prophet. See, right off the bat, as he's writing this book, the prophet says, this is what God is saying. This is what God gave to me. So what I'm going to speak is what God gave to me. And then he says, to Zerubbabel the son of governor of Judah, to Joshua the son of Jehozadak the high priest saying, and we will see in a moment verse two.

So the prophet is dating back the prophecy. See, the new moon was a time when the people assembled for worship as do the orthodox Jews today to the present time. And thus it was an appropriate occasion for the preaching of Haggai, that divine message to the people that God brought back. The God brought back for them to listen to what God had to say. And then in verse two, look how he says it, real and plain. He says, thus speak the Lord. There it is again. Thus speak the Lord of host. The Lord of host note is what he says.

You know, it's interesting that when he uses the Lord of host, it's not mentioned in the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch. It's used 80 times in the prophets. And what he says here, thus speak the Lord of host saying the God of the armies, the war host here, the God of the armies, he says, thus the people say. This is not what the people were say, what you say, what I say. These were God's people. And this is what they were saying. The time has not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.

This is not the prophet. This is not God. These are the people. These are the people of God. God's house today is not this building. You are the temple of the living God. Are you building your house spiritually? Know you not that you're the temple of the living God, and any man defiles the temple of God, God himself shall destroy him. Read your Bible. That's in 1 Corinthians 3:16. And when God speaks, he says, this is what I say and this is what I expect. So that remnant that went back their duty, the Lord released them, his grace, his love, and mercy.

You guys, I'm releasing you. Go build my house so I can worship. You build my house and people can come and worship. But if I don't have a house, how can they worship me? How are you treating the house of the Lord in your own personal life? How are you treating it? Because as I read these people, he said it's not my people, but these people, he didn't personally say my people because they were not his people at this time because of the sins they were committing. And then he says in verse three, again, the authority.

Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying, so here again three times already, the word of the Lord. You think God is speaking, you bet he's speaking. And they're not listening. How many times has God has to speak to you? How many times that he has to speak to you and speak to me before we get the message? Before he punishes you, before he takes away, before he chasing you such a way and say, you know what, he who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church.

We are the church. Seven times, seven times he says, listen, pay attention to what I'm going to tell you. And you see in verse four here, as he goes on, he says, is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your panel houses in this temple be in ruins? That's the message. Man, what happened to my house? You notice your panel houses, the wood for the temple that was being brought for the temple, guess what? They were building their houses with God's material. They're God's material, God's money. They were building these beautiful homes. And God says, what about my house?

What happened to my house? What happened to my house, you self-centered people? If you steal from God, you will reap it big time. Will the man rob God? No. No, we can't rob God because he is God. He's the one that gives. He's the one that takes away. He's the one that brings punishment. He's the one that does everything according to the word of God because he wrote it. He spoke it. He gave it to the prophets. This is what I want. And then all of a sudden, all of a sudden, listen what he says in verses 5 through 11.

He starts considering your ways before God. Allah verse five right away. He's going to say it three times in the book. We're all going to see it twice in chapter one because I'm not going to chapter two. He says, now therefore thus saith the Lord, there is for time thus saith the Lord of host. Check this out. Consider your ways. Stand back. Stand back. Look at your ways. What are your ways spiritually? What are your ways carnally? Man, we got to everyday consider our ways. Here he's asking the people, consider your ways. What are you doing that you shouldn't be doing?

Are you doing what I've told you to do? You see, in the need of the hour was to consider literally it means let their hearts to their actions. The heart again. The heart is so deceitful, desperate wicked. Man, where's my heart? Where is your heart?

Guest (Male): You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. Don't forget it's our joy to support you in your spiritual growth. Visit us at somebodylovesyou.com for a wide selection of Bible packed resources including Raul Ries titled Called, Chosen, and Committed. It's available on CD and USB. Now back to more with Raul Ries.

Raul Ries: You see the Jewish people could easily evaluate the nature of their acts by results which issued from them. I mean, not everybody can be wrong. I guarantee you that among the 43,000 there were people say, man, we shouldn't do that. The reason we were released is to come here to our home to build a temple so that we can worship God in spirit and in truth. That's what he told the Samaritan woman. You worship God in spirit and in truth. It means God has to be worshiped in reality as he real in your life. What is it going to take for the church or should I say the churches to wake up?

To wake up to what God is saying in these last days, especially days that are very dangerous for the church. Because he says, now that I spoke to you, consider your ways, now I'm going to tell you why these things are happening in your life. Verse six. He says, you have sown much in bringing little underline that. You're bringing little. You're stealing from me. You see, God is saying here you guys, I'm going to tell you the problem. You have sown much but bringing little. You eat but do not have enough. You drink but you are not filled with drink.

You clothe yourselves but not one is warm. And he who earns wages earns wages, puts it into a bag with holes, underline that. A bag with holes. Your bank account. Heavy stuff. Thus saith the Lord. This is God's word. This is what God is saying to the church today. You sow so much but you don't have enough in anything that you do. Why? Cuz you stole from me and you keep stealing from me. They extended themselves to the fullness extend in the time of sowing. They spare no effort to ensure prosperity. But their returns in the harvest were all together disappointing because of what they were doing.

They didn't recognize it. Bags with holes, wages were so small, they vanish in the face of daily necessities. The workers earnings were soon gone. And you see there is no contradiction between the description of poverty here and the description of the seal expensive houses in verse four. God is not lying. That's his go back and look at yourself. Look and see what's happening. You see in other societies the wealthy were found along with the poor class. They took advantage of the poor. The wages are in every age in men's history prove the truth. Matthew 6:33, seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given unto you.

Who's first? God. God, not you, not me, not my wife, not my kids, not my grandkids, God number one. Man, we got to get it together. If there's going to be a church in the next four or five years, we got to get together. What's going to happen to your kids? What's going to happen to your grandkids in the next five years? If you're not an example, if you're not doing what the Bible says and not preaching to them, be careful of preaching to people. The best way to preach is with your life. With your life, that's the best way to preach to people.

They got to see Jesus working in your life. They got to see that Jesus is dominating, governing my life. He says in verse seven, thus saith the Lord, there it is again. How many times thus he have to say, thus saith the Lord, this is God. When are you going to believe me? Go up to the mountain, he says again. But before that, what does he say again? Consider your ways. Consider your ways. After another call to serious contemplation of their condition, the remedy is stated. He says again in verse eight, go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the temple that I God may take pleasure in it and be glorified, saith the Lord.

God is saying, build me my house so that I will have a house that you can worship me. You can worship me. In verse nine, he says, you're looking for a lot but indeed it came to little. Notice that. It came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. God, you had nothing to do with it. It was God because of your sin. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? He asked the question. Saith the Lord of host, there it is again. Because of my house that is in ruins, while every one of your houses is beautiful and you're running to your houses.

Every Sunday, every Monday, every day you run to your house. But are you building the house of God? Is that a priority in your life? In verse 10 he says, therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew and the earth with holds its fruit. God says, no rain, no fruit. No rain, no fruit. And it's very clear in verse 10 he says, therefore the heavens above withhold their dew and the earth with holds its fruit. And then he says, notice again, for I call for a drought on the land and the mountains. Who's that? God.

For I call. And he says on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth on men and livestock and in all the labor of your hands, everything everything you don't have, I've done it. More than once in Israel's history, God saw that there was need to bring the nation to a realization of her utter dependence upon him that all needs of life. And repeatedly in the Old Testament, teachers and prophets, they emphasize that in the path of obedience, Israel could know the proper balance in the forces of nature for her benefits and blessings from the Lord.

But the drought he sent on the land and the mountains affected the grain. No corn, no wine, no oil, nothing but judgment. Nothing but judgment to the people that became greedy and only thought of themselves and never of God. And God says, this is it. He says in verse 12 through 15 to begin to serve God in truth when they became convicted. Verse 12. And then Zerubbabel, here's the leader, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Joshua the son of Jehozadak the high priest and all, here it is, the remnant underline the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord.

They woke up. The voice of the Lord their God. And the words of Haggai the prophet as the Lord their God had sent him and the people fear the presence of the Lord. See, God sends people to wake us up. We got to listen. God didn't want to judge them. And when God saw true repentance, God said, okay, now we're on the way. Now we're going to build my house. Now you're going to worship me because you did this. Now you're doing this. You're repenting. You're coming back. You're availing the voice of the Lord. The message of the prophet had intended effect.

The people were quick to evaluate the message Haggai had for them. The will of God expressed through his servant their God. The message was given and now they're repenting and they're saying, God, we will do what you have said. We will do it. Verse 13. And then Haggai the Lord's messenger spoke the Lord's message to the people saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. I am with you. Thus saith the Lord. With the new spiritual insight, the people recognized Haggai as the Lord's spokesman. He vested with divine authority when he came to them and said, thus saith the Lord, I am his messenger.

This is the message he gave to me and this is the message I'm giving to you. Thus saith the Lord God, he says. I guess Haggai is very careful in his own personal lives because there was an interval of 23 days between this date and one given in verse one, 23 days. And I guess this morning before we leave here, I want you to look at your life. What have you given to God? Are you really the temple of the living God? Is God really with you? Do you really love the Lord? Are you reading?

Are you praying? Are you seeking him? How will you present yourself before the Lord when you go to be with the Lord? Will you hear that good and faithful servant come in? Or will you be judged? As the scripture says in 1 Corinthians chapter three at the bema seat of Christ when everything thrown to the fire, gold, silver, wood, hay, and stubble, and whatever burns, it's gone. But whatever remains, that's what you receive. And there'll be many they will receive nothing only salvation.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. Today's study was titled Priorities Are a Must. We've made an unedited version available to you for a donation of $5 or more. If you'd like to get a copy, just call us at 800 634 9165. And as you think about your priorities and consider any changes you need to align your life with God's will, we'd like to tell you more about a helpful resource titled Called, Chosen, and Committed. It's a 10 part study from Raul that's available on CD or flash drive. Every message celebrates the Lord's unconditional love while spurring you on and walking along the paths he's laid out for your future.

You'll find that when you trust God enough to fully surrender, he'll fill your life with meaning and bless you with the riches of his grace. To purchase Called, Chosen, and Committed, visit somebodylovesyou.com or call 800 634 9165. We'll send you Raul's 10 lesson series on CD for $22 or if you'd like on thumb drive for just $13. Our number again is 800 634 9165 or write to Somebody Loves You Radio PO Box 4440 Diamond Bar, California 91765. This ministry with Raul Ries is completely listener supported. We're so grateful for the partnership that helps us keep sharing the wisdom of God's word.

Next time we'll continue this series with a challenge to follow Jesus example in humbly yielding to the will of our heavenly Father. You'll see that just as Christ knelt before God in the garden of Gethsemane, you can come to the Lord with confidence in his perfect plans.

Raul Ries: This program is sponsored by Somebody Loves You Radio in Diamond Bar, California.