Cornerstone Christian Center
Cornerstone Christian Center
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi | Minor Prophets
Have you ever felt like you're giving God your leftovers instead of your best? The Minor Prophets—those often-overlooked voices at the end of the Old Testament—speak with surprising relevance to our modern spiritual struggles.
Through the voices of three speakers exploring Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, we discover a common thread that weaves through these ancient messages: God wants our whole hearts, not our convenient offerings.
Haggai challenges us to recognize divine grace even in difficult circumstances. When the Israelites prioritized their luxurious homes while God's temple lay in ruins, their efforts were frustrated—harvests failed, wages disappeared into "bags with holes." This wasn't punishment but redirection, a loving parent narrowing options to guide wayward children home. God's response to their obedience? "I am with you"—four words of profound comfort that still echo today whenever we return to Him.
Zechariah speaks to those in low places through vivid night visions. A man standing among humble myrtle trees shows God's presence in our valleys. A high priest in filthy garments receives cleansing, not condemnation. A lampstand continuously fed by olive trees reminds us that our lives are sustained "not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit." When depression, anxiety, and grief make us wonder if God sees us, Zechariah whispers: "Return to me, and I will return to you."
Malachi delivers the most pointed challenge: God doesn't want our leftovers. The Israelites brought blind and lame animals for sacrifice while keeping the best for themselves. "Try offering them to your governor!" God says. "Would he be pleased?" We're often guilty of the same—giving God our last fifteen minutes before sleep, our spare change after all bills are paid, our remaining energy after work exhausts us. God invites us to test Him by bringing our first fruits and watching Him "throw open the floodgates of heaven."
Ready to stop giving God what falls from your table? Join us as we discover what happens when we put Him first again.
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All right, gentlemen, welcome to Prophets Anonymous. I'm Haggai and my problem is getting people to stop redecorating their houses and actually build God's temple. Apathy, pure apathy, apathy, haggai, please. I had to explain flying scrolls of judgment and chariots with multicolored horses. They just stared at me blankly, then asked about their goats. I had to explain flying scrolls of judgment and chariots with multicolored horses. They just stared at me blankly, then asked about their goats. Try telling people they're robbing God with their bad offerings, zechariah, and that their priests are corrupt. I spent my whole career basically screaming Stop being awful. Seriously, my workday involved interpreting dreams for kings who'd dismember me on the spot if I got it wrong. Then there was the fiery furnace incident and, of course, the lion's den. Just another Tuesday, lions Furnaces, and I was upset about a blind lamb. Oh yes, your apathy and bad offerings truly resonate. Now who wants to hear about the four beasts of the apocalypse, next week's topic? Why won't anyone listen to me, except Daniel, apparently?
Jason Brown:How many people are enjoying the minor prophets? I am, and, man, it's fun to watch these guys have their little session together and complain to each other. None of us ever do that, so it's very good to hear it. I want to say thanks to Jeremy, who has been making these videos for us, original every single week, for every video. Man, what a skill set. Appreciate you, man, you know. Today we continue in our Minor Prophets theme and we get to hear from three different voices today, excited for that, and get to hear and open up our hearts to what God wants to speak to us. The first person that's sharing today is Miss Amy, and she is someone who's a licensed minister working on her ordination, has served in many different places in the church, works with us here at the office, but also leads as a life group leader and beyond. Today we're going to get to hear from her and from her voice, but first let's listen to the prophet.
Speaker 1:Today we're going to get to hear from her and from her voice. But first let's listen to the prophet. Checks vanish into a bag with holes. Why? Because you focused on your houses while God's lay ruined. God said consider your ways. All right, fam, update. If something unclean touches another, does it make that unclean? Yes, that's why your efforts were tainted. All your work was affected. But now, because you are rebuilding and turning to Him, god promises from this day forward, I will bless you. This isn't just about wood and stone, fam. It's rebuilding our lives, our community, and getting hearts right with Him. That's where real joy is. Keep this momentum. Let's show what happens when we put God first. Stay blessed, jerusalem.
Aimee:I am a cattle rancher. I know you probably weren't thinking she looks like she should be driving a tractor, but it's true. My husband, gil, and I are part owners in my family's cattle business in Washington State and a couple of years ago we helped out at Branding Day, where we herded all the cows into a chute and that way we could get a closer look at them, see if they needed any medicine and check their overall health. In this photo I am with my cow number 33, just before she was released from the chute. And, in case you cannot tell from her facial expression, I was happier to be there than she was released from the chute. And, in case you cannot tell from her facial expression, I was happier to be there than she was.
Aimee:Understandably, cows don't like being herded. They don't like being told where to go. They really don't like getting squeezed into the chute. Some of them resist our efforts and all of them are impatient to get away, but we do it for their own good. We are so concerned about the cow's well-being that we're willing to inconvenience them, even to annoy them, because we know it will help them in the long run. Sometimes that's exactly what God does for us. He narrows our options, inconveniences us and even risks annoying us all, because he wants to show us his grace. My question for you today is do you recognize God's grace? Do you recognize God's grace?
Aimee:The prophet Haggai lived in Jerusalem after the Hebrews returned from their Babylonian exile. The four prophecies recorded in his two-chapter book took place over a span of just four months. He and Zechariah prophesied alongside one another and they both lived during the same time as Ezra and Nehemiah. Let's read Haggai 1.1. In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai, the prophet. Scholars have been able to narrow down the date in this passage to August 29th, 520 BC. These were real people living real lives, and God, who never changes, treated them the same way he treats us. Let's continue.
Aimee:These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord. Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins? Wood was scarce in the Middle East, so a paneled house was a sign of luxury. It was an extravagance. The people were taking extra time and effort to care for their personal homes while the temple lay in ruins. Well, they tried to rebuild it when they first returned from Jerusalem, but they got no further than the foundation before some nearby stopped their progress. And there the project lay for 16 years.
Aimee:Verse 6. You have sown much and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough. You drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.
Aimee:Do you ever feel like, no matter what you do, your efforts don't work out? Maybe you feel like you're being funneled into a chute? That's one of the ways God gets our attention. Sometimes he narrows our options until we finally turn on to the path he has planned for us. A parent does the same thing for their child's own good. A dad might build a fence around the front yard to keep his toddler from running into the street. A mom might tell her teen that he can't go to a party because there will be no adults present.
Aimee:The temple was the place where God met with the Israelites, so by not rebuilding it, they were revealing that their priorities were all out of order. They put nearly everything else before their relationship with God. At this point, god could have thrown up his hands, told them they were out of chances and sent them right back into captivity or destroyed them altogether. But that's not what he did. He lovingly corrected them. He pointed out their shortcomings and then clearly told them how to escape their predicament. He does the same for us. God loves us no matter what, but he encourages us to repent from our sin and head in the right direction.
Aimee:Do you recognize God's grace? Verse 7, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways, go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified. The people obeyed the voice of the Lord, their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet. Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message I am with you, declares the Lord. I am with you. Even though up to this point, the people hadn't prioritized their relationship with God, he had remained with them. Even when we are in a season of pre-obedience and aren't prioritizing our relationship with God, he remains with us. Do you recognize God's grace? Verse 14 tells us that the Lord stirred up the governor, the high priest and all the people, and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, on the 24th day of the month.
Aimee:In the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king, or on September 21st. It took them just 23 days to mobilize and obey. They finally set aside everything and prioritized what mattered to God. Let's move on to Haggai, chapter 2. In the seventh month, on the 21st day of the month, or on October 17th, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai, the prophet who is left among you, who saw this house in its former glory. How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?
Aimee:The first temple, the one that Solomon had built, had been legendary for its opulence. People had come from all over the world just to see it for themselves, and once they saw it, they realized it was every bit as amazing as the stories that they'd heard. So when it was painfully obvious that this new temple was a mere shadow of the old one, the people got understandably discouraged. But the Lord encouraged them. Be strong, all you people of the land. Work, for I am with you, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit remains in your midst. Fear not, I will fill this house with glory. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, and in this place I will give peace. This is a messianic prophecy. This very temple that the Hebrews were constructing was the same one Jesus would enter more than 500 years later. He was the glory that would fill the temple, and he is the prince of peace.
Aimee:So if you ever feel as though your efforts aren't good enough and your best attempts don't measure up, remember this. How you feel doesn't matter. The important thing is doing what God has told you to do. He is more than sufficient and he will fill in the gaps, making something amazing out of your best efforts. God doesn't want or need your perfection. He wants your heart. In these verses, god reminded the people again of his presence, and he's reminding you of his presence today. You need to walk on the path he's called you to and let him take care of the rest.
Aimee:Haggai delivered his final two prophecies on December 18th. In the first one, he used the concept of ceremonial cleanness and uncleanness to help the people understand that, because their hearts weren't clean, everything they did came to nothing. God caused their efforts to fail in order to help bring them back to him. This is also how he guides us today. He guides us today. Sometimes he works through discomfort. That's the best way to prompt us to move out of our sin and into his much better plan. God is gracious and he'll do everything he can to encourage us to change. The rest is up to us. Do you recognize God's grace?
Aimee:Haggai's final message was to Zerubbabel, the Israelite governor and a direct descendant of King David. In 2 Samuel 7.16,. God had promised David your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. Since that time, a lot of water had flowed under the bridge. The people had repeatedly rebelled. God had finally allowed them to experience his corrective judgment, and now they were having a bit of a rocky start as they tried again to be people worthy of his name. Verse 23,. I will take you, o Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you. God reminded Zerubbabel that he always keeps his promises and had not abandoned his covenant. Zerubbabel himself would be God's representative because God had chosen him. Today, god is reminding you of his promises In the past. If you refused to obey and found yourself being funneled into a narrow space, know that it was God's grace taking you there. He wants a loving relationship with you. Do you recognize God's grace?
Jason Brown:What a great word. What a great challenge to us. This next speaker we have is Ms Serena, and she is our kids director here at Cornerstone. It's a blessing having got a chance to know her. She's grown up here in this church and God has used her and refined her and continues to do so. She's finishing up to get her ministry credentials. We're excited to hear from her and what God has to share today. But first let's listen to the prophet.
Speaker 1:What's up, visionaries? Prophet Z here back with a quick divine download. You guys ready for some serious truth bombs? First, I saw mysterious horses patrolling a dark valley, reporting back to God. God sees everything happening on earth. Next, four horns scattered God's people. Then four blacksmiths appear to smash those horns. Justice is coming for those who oppress us. Then a man measuring Jerusalem, but the city was too vast. God himself will be a wall of fire around us, protecting us without walls.
Speaker 1:I then saw Joshua, the high priest, accused in filthy rags. God cleansed him, giving him clean robes, full forgiveness and purification. Next, a beautiful lampstand fed by two olive trees Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord Almighty. Then a giant flying scroll appeared, carrying a curse. It showed God's judgment for stealing and lying, his seriousness for holiness and truth. I saw a woman named Wickedness sealed in a basket and carried far away by winged figures. God will remove evil from the land completely. Finally, four chariots burst from mountains, patrolling the whole earth, ensuring God's judgment and peace reach everywhere. So, visionaries, what's the big takeaway from all these incredible insights? God is active, he has a plan and he is powerfully with us. He promises restoration, protection and his spirit's power to finish what he starts. So keep the faith, keep building and stay visionary.
Sarina:Have you ever had a season in your life where you just didn't feel like yourself, when the joy is quiet, when the anxiety is loud and you start to wonder God, do you see me? I've been walking through a season like that myself Grief, mental fatigue, battles with focus, anxiety, inadequacy and just a lingering heaviness. I came to Zechariah not expecting much, but what I found was God's heart wide open. Even when we feel lost, forgotten or stuck in the ruins of life, god still speaks. Still speaks. Zechariah 1.3 says therefore, tell the people this is what the Lord Almighty says. Return to me, declares the Lord Almighty, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty In Zechariah. It's not saying we got to prove ourself. It's not saying we have to get it together. It's just saying that we just need to return to him, and that's something that we all can do. We can just come as we are. It's God's invitation to broken people. See, zechariah spoke to people just like us. They had just come out of exile and they were home, but the temple was half finished. Life wasn't what they thought it was going to be. They were grieving their past, they were overwhelmed in their present and they were unsure about their future. Zechariah sends this person or, I'm sorry, god sends this person, zechariah, which his name means the Lord remembers, and he sends him with a message of hope that God remembers. He remembers his promise and he remembers his people, and he remembers you in your messy place. Return to me. It's an open door.
Sarina:God speaks to his people through Zechariah in eight night visions, and the overarching of what he's saying is I still working, even when it feels like everything is falling apart. We're going to look at three visions today. The first is the myrtle trees. Zechariah 1, 8 through 10 says this I saw in the night and behold a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, swirl and white horses. Then he said what are these, my Lord? The angel who talked with me said to me I will show you what they are. So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered these are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth. So in this scripture we see a man that's the angel of the Lord and that represents God, and he's among the myrtle trees, which are humble and low, fragrant shrubs. So we have these myrtle trees, trees and myrtle trees often represent peace and restoration and humility. So this scripture is depicting God's presence in that low place. Are you in a low place today? God is there with you. He isn't afraid of a low place. Today, god is there with you. He isn't afraid of your low place. He meets you right in the middle of it and you're not alone in it. You may feel like you're drowning in finances and drowning in stress. God is right there with you.
Sarina:The second vision we're going to look at is the cleansing of Joshua the high priest. Zechariah 3, 1 through 4 says then he showed me Joshua the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan the Lord rebuke you. O Satan, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you. Is not this a brand plucked from the fire? Now, joshua was standing before the angel clothed in filthy garments, and the angel said to those who were standing before him remove the filthy garments from him. And he said behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you and I will clothe you in pure vestments. Just, joshua is standing in filthy clothes, which is a symbol of sin and shame and failure. And God says remove his filthy clothes. God was not there to condemn, but he was there to cleanse. He meets us in our sin, he meets us in our shame and he meets us in our failure.
Sarina:The last one we're going to look at is the golden lampstand, zechariah 4, 1 through 3. And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who was awakened out of his sleep, and said to me what do you see? And I said I see and behold a lampstand, all of gold, with a bowl on top of it and seven lamps on it, with seven lips of each on the lamps that are on top of it, and there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left. So you have this lampstand being fed by two olive trees, being fed by two olive trees, and this is a picture of God's constant supply and his constant spirit that dwells with us and his spirit at work.
Sarina:In Zechariah 4, 6, it says not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, whatever your situation, even if it seems impossible, it's not bigger than your God. The mountain that you're facing, the fear, the depression, the fatigue, it's not bigger than the God who walks with you Even if your temple is in ruins, even if your life is a mess. God is right there and he's going to help you finish what he started in you right there, and he's going to help you finish what he started in you In Zechariah. He wasn't just talking about rebuilding a temple. He goes on to say that God is the one who rebuilds hearts, and that's what the focus is. It's rebuilding our heart. It's rebuilding our relationship with God relationship with God. We need to remember that God is dwelling in our midst, that he's the fountain that will be open to cleanse.
Sarina:God's encouragement to the people through Zechariah is the same for us today. You may have forgotten hope, but God hasn't forgotten you. God sees your exhaustion, god sees your stress, he sees your grief, he sees your anxiety, he sees your depression and he's not looking for you to have it all together to come to him, and he's not looking for you to have it all together to come to him. He's not looking for perfect people, he's just looking for returning hearts. I've been in a season of my life where I'm trying to rebuild again, but sometimes it feels like the bricks keep falling down. I've asked God where are you when my mind won't rest? Where are you when I'm grieving? Where are you when I don't feel like me anymore? And then the whisper of Zechariah 1.3 is right there, there, return to me, and I will return to you, because in the chaos and the mess of everything that I was going through, all I had to do was look up and see that God was right there, beside me, in it, with me, in the mess and the chaos. It's like Peter walking on water in the storm. He was fine when he looked up at God and he had his eyes fixed on him, on Jesus. As soon as he looked at what was around him, he fell in. But what happened? Jesus grabbed him and he brought him up with him.
Sarina:So how do we respond to Zechariah? The first thing we do is we come as we are, we return to him Zechariah 1.3, return to me. That's all you have to do, just return to him. Return honestly, return as you're weary, Return anxious. You don't have to have the answers, you don't have to put it together, just return.
Sarina:The second thing we do is we rebuild. We focus on God, not on the chaos, not on the mess, but on the promise of restoration. We have our eyes fixed on him, even if it's one brick at a time. It's not by our strength but by his spirit he's rebuilding, even if it feels slow. And the last thing we do is we remember. Even if we've forgotten what hope feels like, god hasn't forgotten us. He hasn't forgotten you. Remember that, he remembers you. He hasn't forgotten your story. He hasn't forgotten what you've walked through, and Zechariah is proof of that. We must remember who we are. We are God's chosen people and he never left us.
Sarina:My question to you today is will you return to God, even in the middle of your mess? Maybe today all you have to bring is exhaustion. Maybe you're walking in the middle of grief, of depression, of anxiety, of a load that you have a hard time explaining. Maybe your temple, your spiritual life, feels more like ruins than a sanctuary. But the Lord says I will dwell in your midst. A fountain of hope will be open to cleanse you. Return to me and I will return to you. He's not looking for perfect people, he's calling for returning hearts. So come with your wounds, come with your questions. Come even if your faith is hanging by a thread, because he remembers you and he's not finished yet.
Jason Brown:That's a great word, great words to us today so far. Our third speaker today is Josiah. He is our youth director here at Cornerstone. We're blessed to have he and his wife, who work with us, and part of our team here. It's exciting he's just on the precipice of getting his credential as well to be a minister here in the symbols of God. But it's exciting to see what God has been doing in and through them and their story. But first, before we hear from him, let's hear from the prophet.
Speaker 1:All right, fam, it's Malachi and I've got a message straight from the Lord, god of Israel. This is for you. Remember the covenant? We're his people. But honestly, lately you're bringing blind, lame, sick animals for the sacrifices. You wouldn't give that to your own governor, but you think it's good enough for the king of the universe. That's just outright contempt for his name and the priests. You're supposed to be guiding the people, but you're leading them astray. Your lips should preserve knowledge, but you've corrupted the covenant and the tithes. Will a mere mortal rob God? Yes, you are robbing him. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, test him in this says the Lord Almighty and see if he won't throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out blessing on you. So what's the word? Turn back, revere his name. Before his great day, a messenger will come to return hearts. He wants to bless you, but not at the expense of a relationship with him. Think about it, good morning.
Josiah:Good morning. Well, my name is Josiah, I am my wife and I, like Pastor Jason, have the privilege of leading our youth ministry here at the church. If you're a youth student, we meet every Sunday night at 5.30. It's a little shameless plug, but I'm excited to be able to share with you today. I have a question for you, or more of a group activity that we're going to do. So if everybody would raise your hand with me and, if you're online, put a hand-raise emoji. What we're going to do is we're going to I'm going to say a couple numbers and, as I say, how many siblings you had growing up, if you would then pull your hand down. So, if you are an only child, go ahead and put your hand down. If you have one sibling, go ahead and put your hand down. Two siblings, okay. Three siblings. Four siblings, five siblings Saw a lot of hands up. Six siblings, seven siblings Goodness. Eight siblings, nine siblings, you can put it even higher. Nine siblings, you put it even higher. 10 siblings, goodness. 10. Okay, so that's the max. Okay, so that's crazy.
Josiah:Well, I want to tell you, when I was growing up and the more siblings you had, the more you know this to be true that when you're growing up and your family wants to go to a restaurant the rare time that that actually is a mutual agreement between the parents it's very hard. It's very hard to go to a restaurant when you have a bunch of siblings or I should say children, the poor parents. But growing up I had five siblings, six total, including myself, which was a lot, and we would go to a restaurant very rarely. We'd either go to Longhorn or we would go to Red Robin. We'd go to Longhorn because we had a family discount, because my mom worked there, and then Red Robin is just very rarely. We'd either go to Longhorn or we would go to Red Robin. We'd go to Longhorn because we had a family discount, because my mom worked there, and then Red Robin is just very good. But we'd go and on this rare occasion, and something that would always happen is there'd be like one of us I'd be like running through the aisles and screaming and freaking out, and then there'd be one of us who's like screaming on my parents' lap and they're like just losing their mind, and that was pretty uniform for us, and so that's why we didn't really go out as a family.
Josiah:But there's something that my dad would always say every time we'd go out is he'd say every time, do not order what you're not going to eat. Do not order what you're not going to eat, because, as you know, the more you order, the more expensive it is, and as is it's like half the paycheck to be able to go out with 10 siblings, my goodness. So what's interesting, though, is food as leftovers is not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, it's not as good as when it's fresh and when it's new and when you first get it. But when it comes to our relationship with God, god does not want our leftovers. God does not want our leftovers in our life. And what do I mean by this? So oftentimes in our life, we approach our situations in our life with the perspective and the point of view that every other thing takes priority over our relationship with God. So oftentimes, so many things come before our walk with Jesus, and if you don't believe me, or if you're like I would never do that, let me give you a couple examples, not to be too real, but I literally caught myself doing this the other day. I was budgeting with my wife and we had gone through, and we were like okay, we have this money for rent. We have this money for utilities. We have this money for rent, we have this money for utilities. We have this money for we budgeted our vacation fund and then we got to the end and we were like we didn't budget our tithe. We didn't budget our tithe. Or sometimes maybe in your life when you look at what it would take to serve at church, your energy is used all throughout the week and then by the time you get to serving to furthering the kingdom, you're like, oh, I don't have energy for this because all my energy was used over here. And let me tell you this is a backwards way of thinking. What God is asking for is our first fruits. God is asking for not what's left over, not the table scratch. God is not asking for the leftovers. God is asking for our first fruits. God is saying I'm not interested in your leftovers.
Josiah:So we're reading in Malachi today, and in Malachi just a little backstory to who he is. He was a prophet. Obviously he was the last prophet of the Old Testament Pretty cool. And leading up into or at the end of Malachi, there was a 400-year span of prophetic silence, and so this is the last book of the Bible until we go into the New Testament. And so we're going to read in Malachi 1, 7 through 8. And it says this you place defiled food on my altar. But you ask how have we defiled you by saying that the Lord's table is contemptible when you offer blind animals for sacrifices, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or deceased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor. Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept? You says the Lord Almighty.
Josiah:God is saying I don't want what's convenient, I don't really want what is super easy to acquire If you work a job that is hard-earned money, correct. God is not asking for the table scraps. God is not asking for what you have left over. God is asking for your heart. He's asking for the first fruits of your heart. God is saying I don't want what's convenient in your life, I don't want what is left over. And in today's day and age, so often times we sit on our phone and we're scrolling and then, like right before bed, we're like oh, I didn't read my Bible today. Pull out the Bible, you get 15 minutes in before you doze off and fall asleep, if that right, just being honest. But the problem with this is God is asking for the beginning, not what's left over. What's left over, god is asking that, before we go into a hard day of work and a hard day of using our energy for other things, to give him the first fruit of our day, to give him the first fruit of our life. That is what God is asking for today.
Josiah:Malachi 1-2 says I have loved you, says the Lord, but you ask how have you loved us? They act as if God hasn't proven his love. They're acting like God has. He has to prove it a little bit more before I'm like okay, now I can do this. God has proven his love, I promise you. The problem is not God. The problem is our heart, because we are so hesitant to give God our first fruit. We are so hesitant to say God, this is yours, god, I give this over to you.
Josiah:And in this situation, the Israelites are literally gaslighting God. They're literally saying, they're literally saying God like didn't we give you? Like, like, why don't you feel like we love you? I don't get it, but they know, you know, you know in your heart of hearts that, as you're sitting here, if this is, if we are not putting God first in our life. We know in our heart. God knows, you know, and God does not want some checkbox relationship with you. God is looking for a relationship with you. That is so much more than I showed up I was like 15 minutes late to church but I still showed up and then I gave my tithe this week. It was like the second half of my budget and I wasn't able to really give my full tithe, but I mean I gave something this week. You know, you know your heart and God knows your heart. God does not want some checkbox relationship with you. God wants authentic, heartfelt relationship with you. The Israelites kept asking God like what do you mean? What do you mean that we are not giving you the first fruit?
Josiah:It says in Malachi 3.10,. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be enough room to store it. God wants to bless you today. God wants to bless you. He wants to transform your heart and your mind. You have a purpose and a calling, but the only thing that is preventing you from reaching where God is trying to place you in your life is you. The only person stopping yourself from being where God is calling you to be is yourself.
Josiah:It's this heart of hesitancy where we're saying well, I want to give this up, but food is expensive. I can't tithe in this economy. That's real. But God is asking that you test him in this. God is asking that, sure you don't have energy. Okay, he gets it. Sure you don't have energy. But test him in this Show up and serve at your church. Test him in this Try giving and serve at your church. Test him in this Try giving your tithes and offering and see the blessing that falls out upon your life just from your obedience.
Josiah:God's saying trust me. God's saying you can't do this by yourself. You can only do it through me, and it is time you let go and you trust me. God is calling us to trust him today. So oftentimes we as humans, we put our careers before our calling. We put our hobbies before our calling. Why do we do that? I'll give you a short answer. Hobbies are fun and your calling is challenging. Hobbies are fun and your calling is challenging, and we do not want challenge, but let me tell you that God, through you going through the storm, he will hold your hand through the storm, like Serena said, he will pull you out of that water if your eyes are fixed on him. Trust him in this.
Josiah:Stop giving God the scraps that fall off the table. God is calling you today to stop giving him the last bits of your energy, to stop giving him the last bits of your energy, to stop giving him the last bits of your life and to give him your first fruit today, because God's after your heart, not just your habits. God is after your heart, not just your habits. In Romans 12, when it says this offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Give your body as a living sacrifice to God. Test him in this. Test him in this. Test him in this today. As I close, I have one question for you is are you in your life, are you giving God your first fruit today, or are you giving him what's left over? Are you, in your life today, giving God your first fruit, or are you giving him the scraps that fall off the table?
Jason Brown:man. Such good words today from everyone that shared such a blessing to hear from each and every one of these voices. We heard about Haggai, we heard about Zechariah, we heard about Malachi, and each one of them challenging us in our perspective, challenging us in our perspective towards God in our heart. After him, amy brought such a great and encouraging word today, a challenging word to us in the concept that Jesus is our peace, jesus is our grace and the grace of God that we experience that's only through him and that we should turn our heart and our lives towards him, that God wants our heart and God keeps his promises. Serena shared with us about her own situation and how God was with her right in the middle of her struggle and even in the prophet's life, the words that God gave in these depictions, these visions, how God is with us, even in the low places. He hasn't left us alone. God is with us, and that we're called to be those that remember what God is doing, that we return to him, we rebuild our lives. We remember the goodness of God, but, friends, it's not by might nor by power. It's by the goodness of God, but, friends, it's not by might nor by power. It's by the spirit of God, that we are sustained and that we are upheld and that we are empowered to do what he's called us to do. Josiah brings such a great challenge to us and that God's not interested in our leftovers, that he wants our first and our best, and that he's saying listen, test me in this that I won't pour out blessing that you can't even handle. But you have to first be obedient. You have to put him first, and it says even in scripture and other places put first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added unto you. What a great challenge for us today. Each and every one of these aspects, each and every one of these pieces of what God wants to say to us and how he's challenging us to draw near to him.
Jason Brown:Maybe you're here today and you've never made a commitment to follow Jesus. Today is your opportunity to do so. See, for us that's what it means. To be a Christ follower is to embrace Christ's work for us in our lives. It's to invite him into our heart and life, to ask him to forgive us of our sins. So each one of us has to answer that question of have you embraced Jesus?
Jason Brown:I would challenge us, as we look towards the cross today, to understand the weight of such an important symbol. See, the cross for us is a symbol of freedom. It's a place that was meant of destruction and pain and anguish and torture and death. And Jesus, he took all of our brokenness and all of our shame and all of those things, all of our sin. He took it upon himself and he took it to the cross, and it's upon that cross where he gave his life for us so that we would not have to pay this price. But, friends, what I love is that Jesus is not dead. He is alive, and so we have a living relationship with a living God, and it's not something that's passe or past. There's no tomb for Jesus that he's in because he is alive, and so our hearts and our lives, our relationship, is with him, and that's why today we embrace him. We say Lord, forgive me of my sins. Lord, I believe you are who you say you are. Lord, I want to come and have a new relationship with you.
Jason Brown:The apostle Paul. He writes it like this to the church in Rome he says because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. You will be saved, for with the heart one believes and is just up by. With the mouth one confesses and is saved. Friends, today it's your day, it's your opportunity to embrace the love of Jesus Christ, to say yes to him. I'm gonna ask everyone in the room if you would just stand to your feet right where you're at you, just bow your head.
Jason Brown:Christians are praying today as people making decisions to follow Jesus. Friends, wherever you are online, take a moment, Take a moment and just let God speak to your heart about what he wants to do in your life. You hear today, you heard these challenging words about what it means to come to God as our source, what it means to embrace his grace. See, friends, we can't earn our way to a holy God. It's not possible. We can't buy our way in, we can't do enough good works. It's just not possible. It's only through the work of Jesus Christ, it's only by his work on the cross that we're able, that we're able to be reconnected with the Father. So today is your opportunity to say yes to Jesus, to invite him into your heart and life, as you're about here in the room, if that's you and you'd say, pastor, I just want to be included in that prayer.
Jason Brown:Today, I want to say yes to Jesus. Maybe it's for the very first time, or maybe it's recommitting your heart and your life back to God. I bet you just raised your hand, right where you're at. I just want to agree with you today. Thank you, lord. Thank you, lord, these people making decisions today. Thank you, god, friends online as well. Thank you, Lord, for people making decisions for you. I'm going to ask everyone if they would just pray this prayer out loud after me Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you In Christ's name. I pray amen, amen. Friends, we rejoice with you making a decision to follow Jesus today. Hey, if that was you and you made that decision today, let me encourage you in this. Connect with our team in the back. We wanna be able to put materials into your hands so you can be successful in living this life out with God. If you're online, connect with us. We don't want you to do this life alone. We want you to be successful living for Jesus.
Jason Brown:Friends, a challenge for all of us today is to respond to these words that these friends shared with us. It's to embrace the grace of God that's for us and to embrace him, giving him our whole heart, not holding back. Maybe you're in a difficult season, maybe you're going through something very stressful, and maybe you're in a low place. God is with you. God is for you and he wants to be more than just a side thing. He wants everything from your heart. He doesn't want your leftovers.
Jason Brown:So today, as we come to this altar, we do so with intentionality, asking for an impartation of his presence, an impartation of his spirit, for God to give us wisdom and direction, for him to help us as we forgive, as we walk in obedience, for his empowerment to live for him, to trust him for his provision in and through our life. Live for him, to trust him for his provision in and through our life. So let me challenge you that you would come and make an altar with God today and experience a new level of what he wants to do in your life. Lord, we thank you for these words today. We thank you for your scripture, holy Spirit. We thank you for breathing upon it, making it alive and rhema and transformative.
Jason Brown:Today, lord, we thank you how you challenge us. Lord, that we can be those who draw near to you and walk according to your will and to your ways. Lord, it is by your spirit that we're able to do these things and, lord, that you would have our first and our best and we would give you our heart entirely. Lord, as we come to this altar today, we do so with a heart, lord, to draw near to you. Lord, to seek your face and seek your presence. Lord, we pray that you would pour your spirit out upon us. We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Celeste Brown:How many of you appreciated our speakers today. I just want to say again thank you. Thank you to Serena and Josiah. Also, I want to thank the youth that joined our worship team this morning Amy and Gabe and Shiloh. They did a fantastic job. It is a different feel when you're on this stage, let me tell you, but if you see them, let them know that you appreciated them being there. Also, you can go on the app. We have water baptisms and baby dedications coming up in August and we would love to be a part with you and celebrate what God's doing in your life.
Jason Brown:We've also had some friends blow in from Texas, which is Adam and Rosie Stoffel. We're glad to have them in the house today back with us. You guys don't know, they were a part of us forever, forever on team with us here and made all the things go. Very appreciative to have you guys back with us today. Before we go, we want to pray this blessing over us. The Lord bless you and keep you. Lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. Lord, lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, I pray a blessing upon your church, your people. Lord, you empower us by your spirit to live your love out to those around us. We pray all this in the powerful name that is Jesus Christ. Amen, amen. Know this we love you very much here at Cornerstone. God bless you and have a great week.