Agape Christian Center
You Snooze You Loose
Join us this morning for our Sunday Morning Message with Pastor John Pelizzari at Agape Christian Center in Belton Texas 76513
Locations & Times
Agape Christian Center
321 N Penelope St, Belton, TX 76513, USA
Sunday 10:00 AM
YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE!
Hebrews 13:17 (MSG)
Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?
How do you handle instructions?
Haggai 2:9
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.
Glory = The form in which God reveals Himself.
a. The sign and manifestation fo His presence.
1. God wants His glory back in His church.
2. God wants the church’s focus back on God, not His blessings.
3. When His glory is in the house, there is peace.
4. This obviously means there must be:
a. Healing; because you’re at peace knowing you no longer have sickness / disease.
b. Prosperity; because you’re at peace over your financial situations.
c. Victory; because you’re at peace over the outcome concerning your matters.
5. Some people think that is you are in the perfect will of God that you won’t have any troubles.
a. Jesus was not only in the perfect will of God, but He was the perfect will of God and the Bible tells us He suffered much.
b. But, it was through His suffering that He learned obedience.
c. As a matter of fact, satan himself showed up a couple of times to mess with Him.
d. Yet, in all His trials / tribulations, He desired to manifest His Father’s glory.
Haggai 2:6-8 (NLT)
[6] "For this is what the Lord Almighty says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake the oceans and the dry land, too. [7] I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord Almighty. [8] The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord Almighty.
6. Historically here...this was the temple that Solomon had built that had been destroyed by the Babylonians.
7. How is God gonna get our attention?
a. Notice two things will be signaling His intent to get your attention.
Shake - Hb - to cause to rumble.
8. First, He’s gonna mess with your comfort zone and the things you put your trust and security in other than God Himself.
a. He’s gonna drop the button out from beneath your feet to get your attention.
b. Your gonna wanna complain and quit like never before.
9. This shaking is intended to get our attention and it’s a signal, a sign if you will that God is getting ready to fill this house with His glory.
a. But, He’s gotta get you out of your zone and into His.
b. So He’s gonna break up the ground where you’ve planted yourself and refused to budge.
10. Second, He talks about treasures.
a. Two meanings here:
1. Treasures out of darkness = souls.
2. Treasures = finances.
11. He said the silver / gold is His.
12. So in order to get your attention, He’s gonna shake you financially.
13. That will get everyone’s attention.
14. Did you notice with His glory comes prosperity...silver / gold.
15. So what happened that pushed God’s glory, His presence and His power out of the church and out of the lives of individual believers?
Haggai 1:2
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.
16. People didn’t think it was time...people said they didn’t have the time...people didn’t want to make the time...For the Lord’s house.
17. What were they busy doing?
Haggai 1:4 (NLT)
"Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?
18. Their main focus was self and living comfortably.
19. See - the Israelites had returned from captivity out of Babylon.
20. They had rebuilt the walls around the city of Jerusalem and their houses.
a. They get a hold of the prosperity message ‘ceiled houses’ and that’s all they focused on...material gain.
21. Like churches today: all about money, who you’re in with, your title, your suit and tie, jewelry, dress and hats...
22. In the meantime, souls are slipping into hell, brothers and sister in your own church are doing without, the church needs repairs and remodeling yet we expect it to be filled and beautiful without effort.
23. we need to understand, if we are interpreting these scriptures correctly that God’s house and kingdom comes first.
24. But then also, some people within the church are more focused about their part of the ministry instead of getting a picture of the whole thing.
a. Their part is a small part of the overall vision that God gave the Pastor for that church.
25. So, the consequences of this mind set...
Haggai 1:6
Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
26. Not enough of anything...
27. The solution:
Haggai 1:8
Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
28. This is a prophetic picture of the church’s condition today.
Haggai 1:9
Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
29. We thought God had been holding out or holding back.
a. Here - it was the Israelites lack of commitment to God’s house that held God back from committing to their houses.
Haggai 1:10-11
[10] Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. [11] And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
30. So things got tight.
31. The children of Israel needed to change their priorities so that the glory of God could return.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
32. Today, you are that temple of God.
33. We are the present house of Haggai 2:9.
34. In the Old Testament, God manifested Himself only at certain times upon certain people.
a. And then He only came upon people but didn’t dwell in people.
35. So we can have the glory today, all the time at every service.
36. History is beginning to repeat itself and we are becoming just like the Israelites.
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
37. Seek ye first - His Word, His presence, His glory...
38. But you have got to want His glory more than His gifts.
39. That means changing our priorities, getting uncomfortable and setting aside our personal agendas.
2 Chronicles 5:13
It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord;
40. Everyone is in place and doing / giving their best.
2 Chronicles 5:14
So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for
the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.
41. The glory came.
42. Notice - it was reverse of today’s service. Here the people ministered and the pastors got slain in the Holy Ghost.
ALTAR CALL
Father, I want the greater glory. I am now willing to do whatever is necessary for the greater glory. I am willing to follow you and make your kingdom number one in my life. I am willing to drop some of my own agendas. I believe you’ve called me out today so I wouldn’t have to go through the shaking process.In Jesus‘ name, amen!
E N D
Hebrews 13:17 (MSG)
Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?
How do you handle instructions?
Haggai 2:9
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.
Glory = The form in which God reveals Himself.
a. The sign and manifestation fo His presence.
1. God wants His glory back in His church.
2. God wants the church’s focus back on God, not His blessings.
3. When His glory is in the house, there is peace.
4. This obviously means there must be:
a. Healing; because you’re at peace knowing you no longer have sickness / disease.
b. Prosperity; because you’re at peace over your financial situations.
c. Victory; because you’re at peace over the outcome concerning your matters.
5. Some people think that is you are in the perfect will of God that you won’t have any troubles.
a. Jesus was not only in the perfect will of God, but He was the perfect will of God and the Bible tells us He suffered much.
b. But, it was through His suffering that He learned obedience.
c. As a matter of fact, satan himself showed up a couple of times to mess with Him.
d. Yet, in all His trials / tribulations, He desired to manifest His Father’s glory.
Haggai 2:6-8 (NLT)
[6] "For this is what the Lord Almighty says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake the oceans and the dry land, too. [7] I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord Almighty. [8] The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord Almighty.
6. Historically here...this was the temple that Solomon had built that had been destroyed by the Babylonians.
7. How is God gonna get our attention?
a. Notice two things will be signaling His intent to get your attention.
Shake - Hb - to cause to rumble.
8. First, He’s gonna mess with your comfort zone and the things you put your trust and security in other than God Himself.
a. He’s gonna drop the button out from beneath your feet to get your attention.
b. Your gonna wanna complain and quit like never before.
9. This shaking is intended to get our attention and it’s a signal, a sign if you will that God is getting ready to fill this house with His glory.
a. But, He’s gotta get you out of your zone and into His.
b. So He’s gonna break up the ground where you’ve planted yourself and refused to budge.
10. Second, He talks about treasures.
a. Two meanings here:
1. Treasures out of darkness = souls.
2. Treasures = finances.
11. He said the silver / gold is His.
12. So in order to get your attention, He’s gonna shake you financially.
13. That will get everyone’s attention.
14. Did you notice with His glory comes prosperity...silver / gold.
15. So what happened that pushed God’s glory, His presence and His power out of the church and out of the lives of individual believers?
Haggai 1:2
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.
16. People didn’t think it was time...people said they didn’t have the time...people didn’t want to make the time...For the Lord’s house.
17. What were they busy doing?
Haggai 1:4 (NLT)
"Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?
18. Their main focus was self and living comfortably.
19. See - the Israelites had returned from captivity out of Babylon.
20. They had rebuilt the walls around the city of Jerusalem and their houses.
a. They get a hold of the prosperity message ‘ceiled houses’ and that’s all they focused on...material gain.
21. Like churches today: all about money, who you’re in with, your title, your suit and tie, jewelry, dress and hats...
22. In the meantime, souls are slipping into hell, brothers and sister in your own church are doing without, the church needs repairs and remodeling yet we expect it to be filled and beautiful without effort.
23. we need to understand, if we are interpreting these scriptures correctly that God’s house and kingdom comes first.
24. But then also, some people within the church are more focused about their part of the ministry instead of getting a picture of the whole thing.
a. Their part is a small part of the overall vision that God gave the Pastor for that church.
25. So, the consequences of this mind set...
Haggai 1:6
Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
26. Not enough of anything...
27. The solution:
Haggai 1:8
Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
28. This is a prophetic picture of the church’s condition today.
Haggai 1:9
Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
29. We thought God had been holding out or holding back.
a. Here - it was the Israelites lack of commitment to God’s house that held God back from committing to their houses.
Haggai 1:10-11
[10] Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. [11] And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
30. So things got tight.
31. The children of Israel needed to change their priorities so that the glory of God could return.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
32. Today, you are that temple of God.
33. We are the present house of Haggai 2:9.
34. In the Old Testament, God manifested Himself only at certain times upon certain people.
a. And then He only came upon people but didn’t dwell in people.
35. So we can have the glory today, all the time at every service.
36. History is beginning to repeat itself and we are becoming just like the Israelites.
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
37. Seek ye first - His Word, His presence, His glory...
38. But you have got to want His glory more than His gifts.
39. That means changing our priorities, getting uncomfortable and setting aside our personal agendas.
2 Chronicles 5:13
It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord;
40. Everyone is in place and doing / giving their best.
2 Chronicles 5:14
So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for
the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.
41. The glory came.
42. Notice - it was reverse of today’s service. Here the people ministered and the pastors got slain in the Holy Ghost.
ALTAR CALL
Father, I want the greater glory. I am now willing to do whatever is necessary for the greater glory. I am willing to follow you and make your kingdom number one in my life. I am willing to drop some of my own agendas. I believe you’ve called me out today so I wouldn’t have to go through the shaking process.In Jesus‘ name, amen!
E N D