Take your Bible and turn to Ezra if you would, Ezra chapter number 5. Ezra chapter number 5 tonight. We'll jump right into the message and then we'll have prayer time. Ezra chapter number 5, we have been working our way through this book and we've got stalled right here in chapter number 5 for a little while. And I'm going to read a couple of verses in this chapter, and then we're going to move on to Haggai, and look at those last two messages. You remember, some of you still have your outlines with you, and I hope you got that with you, kind of follow along. But anyway, we've been looking at Haggai as well, and he spoke four messages he gave to this remnant of people. You remember here, chapter number 4 they had started building the house of God, the temple there. And they because of the pressure and the persecution and all that went involved in that the work ceased for about 15 years. And the government stepped in and caused it to cease. And for 15 years the foundation lay there, nothing was built upon it. And then you had these two prophets come along, Haggai and Zechariah. And they came along and they began to preach and prophesy. And what happened is God stirred up their spirit and they revived and they started back working on the temple there, there in Jerusalem. And thank God, I'm glad we got some, it's a blessing to see these two men. They came on the scene and they preached what God told them to preach, thus saith the Lord. And that's exactly what we need today. We need preachers that are preachers, thus saith the Lord, don't we? And if I was to preach politics to you, I wouldn't help you. Some of them make you mad. And I wouldn't do any good if I preached on the Reader's Digest. You wouldn't get anything out of it. You might laugh a little while. I wouldn't do any good to preach from the Inquirer or the Star. That wouldn't help you a lick. But if you're coming here, the Word of God preaching to help you. And that's exactly what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4 and verse 2, Brother Wesley. He said, In other words, he said, Timothy, you be ready to preach and preach whether it's popular or unpopular. Oh boy, I like that, don't you? And God help us today to preach the Word of God when it's popular and when it's not popular. And let me say this, and I'm not trying to be a prophet of gloom and doom, but I believe the closer it gets to the Lord's return, the less popular it's going to be. But by the grace of God, we're going to keep on preaching it, amen. And trust that God will smile on us. Let's look in Ezra chapter number 5. We've got a lot to cover. And I'm going to hit the ground 100 mile an hour. And we're going to preach a little while, then we'll go in our prayer requests, and then you'll be on your way. Ezra chapter number 5, look at verse number 1, if you would. It says, Then the prophets Haggai, the prophet, And Zechariah, the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel, son of Shealtel, and Joshua, the son of Joseph. We've mentioned this before several times, but let me just bump this again. Zerubbabel, he would have been what would be considered the civil leader during this time, government leader, if you please. And Joshua, he would have been the religious leader of this time. It says, And begin to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem, and with them will the prophets of God help of them. So here these two men, Brother Chester, they come on the scene, Haggai and Zechariah. They come upon the scene, they prophesy, they preach, thus saith the Lord. And God Almighty stirred the spirit of the remnant of these people. He also stirred the spirit of Zerubbabel and Jeshua. And they got back to working, Brother Malcolm, on that temple there in Jerusalem. You remember in Ezra chapter number 1, the Lord already said that you're to build that temple there in Jerusalem. It's called the House of God. As a matter of fact, many times in Ezra, it's called the House of the Lord God. That's why we've titled this series, because it's called that several times in the book of Ezra. But in chapter number one, you remember the Lord through Cyrus said, you build that temple there in Jerusalem. It had been destroyed 70 years prior. It had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The Babylonians came in there and invaded Jerusalem. And by the way, the prophets already said that they were going to come in here. There was going to be a kingdom from the north. That would have been Babylon. It was going to come in. It's going to come in Jerusalem. It's going to destroy Jerusalem. They tore the walls down, burned the gates with fire, and they destroyed the temple there in Jerusalem. And Brother Donnie, it was already prophesied that that was going to happen. And for 70 years, they went into captivity to Babylon. And then the Lord said, at the end of those 70 years, you're going to go right back to Jerusalem, and you're going to rebuild the temple, and you're going to rebuild the wall. Here in Ezra, we see the rebuilding of the temple, and then in the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah and that crowd's gonna build the wall. Now, here's an interesting thing, if I can make a spiritual application, Brother Price. Here's a spiritual application. Isn't it interesting, church, that when they went back to Jerusalem, Brother Jeremy, they didn't build the wall first, they built the temple first? You say, preacher, what's so significant about that? It started with the interior, then they built the exterior. Do you know that's the way salvation works? God Almighty changes the heart, then He changes the behavior. Hallelujah for that. Thank God for that. The Word of God, God's Holy Spirit, He works on the inside. He changes a person's inside. He grants that person repentance and faith. And when they get saved, their conduct begins to change. You know, that sounds awfully like 2 Corinthians 5, 17. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away. Behold, all things become new. I tell you, it's a great blessing tonight to be saved by the good grace of God, to know that God Almighty is still saving souls. He's still changing lives. He's still making new creatures out of sinners. Hey, it's a blessing tonight to be saved by the good grace of God. Thank God. That's the way salvation works. But you see what religion does is religion tries to change that. What do you mean by that, preacher? Religion says you need to clean up your act first. You need to stop your smoking. You need to stop your doping. You need to stop drinking your killer time and low life. You need to stop drinking your bud dumber and stop using foul language. And then when you do all that, God is going to receive you. That's not the way it works, friend. You realize that you're a hell-bound sinner. You realize you're lost without Jesus Christ. And then in repentance, you call upon the Lord and he saves you by his amazing grace. That's the way salvation works, Brother Kenny. Thank God God deals with that heart. God speaks to that heart. God comes seeking that sinner. Matter of fact, that's the way it happened, isn't it? God came to seek and save that which was lost, Luke 19, 10. Brother Brian, I wasn't seeking the Lord. He was seeking me. I was running from him. I was living in rebellion, doing my own thing. And thank God one day he came by my way, saw me in my sin, Save me by the good grace of God and put me on a solid rock. He established my goings. Brother Chester put a new song in my mouth. No more of that old mess. He put amazing grace in my mouth. He put I surrender all in my mouth. Thank God. He put in my mouth my sins are forgiven. I tell you, it's a joy to be saved tonight. Thank God. If you're not saved tonight, you're the one that's missing out, not us. Did you hear what I said? I'll tell you what the world does. The world looks at us and thinks we're the craziest people on the earth. I got news for you, friend. I'm heaven bound with a hammer down. I'm going to heaven with a smile on my face. It's that crowd out there. They're on the highway to hell, ACDC used to sing. And I'm going to tell you one thing. I'm on the highway to heaven saved by the grace of God. I'm happy tonight. I'll tell you, it's a joy to be saved. Man, if you're not saved tonight, you're missing out. You say, preacher, will God save me? I'll tell you one thing, He'll save you. He'll turn you inside out. Is it okay if I preach on Wednesday night? Thank God, it's wonderful to be saved. Hallelujah for salvation. I'm just happy, happy, happy tonight. Can you tell? I'm telling you, it's a joy to be saved, brother Tom. It's a joy to know that my sins are forgiven. Past, present, and future, they're all forgiven. Hey, let me say this to you tonight, friend. If you're not saved, come to Jesus Christ. He'll save you. You say, preacher, I've lived a bad life. So did I. Say, preacher, I lived a rebellious life, so did I. Preacher, I lived an ungodly, filthy, wicked life, so did this preacher. But thank God for the amazing grace of God. Thank God for the blood that washes away our sin. It doesn't matter how black your life has been. The blood of Jesus Christ will wash your slate clean. You can leave tonight, hey, you can leave tonight with the joy of God down in your soul, the peace of God in your soul, knowing that your sins are gone. Boy, I tell you, it's a joy. I said all that to say this. That's the way salvation works. People say, well, I'm gonna join the church or I'll be baptized and everything will be okay. No, that's not the way it works. Amen. You know what? I didn't join the church until I got saved. That's the right order, isn't it? Brother Malcolm, I didn't get baptized until I got saved. That sounds awfully scriptural, doesn't it? You know what happened in Acts chapter number 8, Brother Price? Here's that Ethiopian eunuch, and Brother Wesley, he's just come back from Jerusalem from worshipping. That man had been in Jerusalem worshipping, but he was a lost man worshipping. And by the way, we got people sitting in our Baptist churches like that. They're just as lost as the pewter sitting on. But here's this man, he's just come back from Jerusalem and been worshiping there, and he was reading Isaiah 53. You know what, they bound to preach the book back in that day in the synagogues. He was reading, how did he know about Isaiah 53? He heard it talking about in the synagogue. And they were talking about, he was reading Isaiah 53. Well preacher, what's in Isaiah 53? Talks about the suffering Savior, Brother Chris. It talks about Jesus Christ. It's a prophecy concerning his death. Brother Chester, it's a prophecy concerning his crucifixion, Brother Tim. It is a prophecy that says that Jesus is gonna die for sinners and he's gonna go through all that awful agony and he's gonna be marred beyond man. Do you realize tonight, friend, I know it's a Wednesday night, but do you realize when Jesus Christ was crucified, it was an awful death? We don't have a picture, we don't have a true picture of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He was marred beyond man. You excuse me tonight, he looked like ground up sausage and beef hanging on that cross. They had beat him. He didn't even look like a man. You say, preacher, why in the name of God did you do that? For your sin and mine. My sin and your sin was laid upon him. You want to see what sin looks like? Look at Calvary. Well, I tell you what, when you look at Calvary, sin don't look so appealing anymore, does it? When you look at Calvary and see what Jesus Christ did for sinners and that blood and the spitter running down his body, you're compelled to say, man, that makes me want to hate sin more. Thank God for salvation tonight. Salvation's not in your baptism. Salvation's not in your church membership, Brother Roy. Salvation's in Jesus Christ. You say, Preacher, I'm trusting my church membership. You'll bust hell wide open when you die. And I'm not trying to be unkind about it. You come to Jesus Christ and the blood of Jesus will wash your sin away. That baptism doesn't wash one sin away. Are you all with me, Brother Matt? That baptism of water don't wash one sin away. I tell you what washes sin away. It's the blood of Jesus Christ. Hey, it's the blood of Jesus Christ that washes away sin. And if you're here tonight, listen. I listen to the blood of Jesus Christ, I'll wash away your sin. You can leave tonight with your sins forgiven. I mean start over, new life, new creature in Christ. I'll tell you, that's great peace and joy! Hallelujah tonight. That's a great blessing. So here we got Ezra chapter number 5 and here they are now for 15 years. I've done nothing. Turn to Haggai very quickly. I got to hurry up. Haggai, I got carried away a little bit there. Haggai chapter number, turn to Haggai if you would if you go to the back of your Bible. If you go to the back of your Bible, you'll see Malachi turned back two books. You've been to Haggai or you can look in the front of your book and find out where it is and find the page number. Haggai, one of the minor prophets. We call them minor prophets not because they didn't have a message from the Lord, but we call them minor because they're very short. They're very short in their chapters and so forth. We call them minor prophets, but they didn't have a minor message, they had a major message. Anytime you give a message from the Lord, it's major. Hallelujah. Amen, amen. Here you are Haggai, we've already looked at it very quickly just by way of review. We looked at his first message, Haggai chapter number one, that was his first message and that was a word, he gave a word there of rebuke. By the way, if you want a theme of the book of Haggai, it would be simply this, first things first. If you want a theme of Haggai, it would be first things first. And what do we mean by that? These people, this remnant, Brother Donnie, this remnant of people, when they went back to Jerusalem, Brother Lamb, they laid the foundation, started building, they quit. Haggai comes along and he says, you know what? You've become mighty and different. You've become complacent. You put your interest above God's interest. Do we not see something like that today? Do we see any modern-day parallels of that today? We see that in churches today, don't we? My interest above his. Let me say that again. My interest above his. We're seeing indifference. We're seeing complacency. We're seeing apathy in churches today. Am I right on that? Better believe that's exactly right. That's why we need the Spirit of God to stir us up. We need a stirring up tonight. And not only do we need it in America, we need it right here in Trinity. We need God to stir up our spirits. We need a spiritual awakening. Thank God he's able to give it. If we repent, he'll give it. So Haggai comes in on chapter number one and he gives a word of rebuke. He says, consider your ways. What happens, the Lord stirs their spirit up. Then we look at the second message in Haggai chapter number two, verses one to nine. That was the second message that Haggai gave. It was a word of encouragement. He talked about three different temples. He said, number one, there's Solomon's temple. It was called Zerubbabel's Temple. And then there is the Millennial Temple during the reign of Jesus Christ. He said, all of that being true, he said, listen, that ought to be enough to motivate you to keep on building the temple you're building. Now tonight we're going to look at the third message. That's found in chapter number 2 and verse number 10. Here is the third message. And we'll hit this very quick. I've got to hurry up. Y'all still with me tonight? All righty, some of you are great. Look at verse number 10, it says, in the 420th day of the ninth month. You know what that is? Look this way if you would, that's December the 24th. Christmas Eve. Well, they wouldn't consider it Christmas Eve, but that's what we consider it. It says in the 420th day, in the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts. Ask now the priest concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment... By the way, let me just say this before I go any further. We're not going to do the book of Zechariah like we did this book. You say, Preacher, what do you mean by that? We're not going to go chapter by chapter by chapter by chapter by chapter by chapter to Zechariah. Man, we would be here a long time if I did that. So here's what we're going to do. When we get to Zechariah, I'm just going to give you an overview of the whole book, and then we're going to go back to Ezra and stay in Ezra the rest of the time. You follow what I'm saying? Man, we may not get to Zechariah tonight. We probably won't, because my time's slipping away. But look what it says in verse 12. It wouldn't bear holy flesh, and so I want to give you that so you can breathe a sigh of relief. You want to say, oh, boy, we got 14 chapters to take a ride with. No, we're not going to do that. All right, verse 12. If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priest answered and said, no. Then said Haggai, if one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priest answered and said, it shall be unclean. Now look at your notes. If you got your notes there in front of you, Let me just read what we have in our notes here. By questions addressed to the priest and two answers given from the priest, Haggai, from these verses, 11 to 13, shows that sin, not holiness, is contagious. Did you get that? Sin, not holiness, is contagious. It's catchy. It has an influence. Look what it says in the notes. It says, he applies this truth to the people, pointing out that as long as the Lord's house remains incomplete and their worship and service is half-hearted, everything is tainted and unclean. Wow, that's powerful stuff, isn't it? So, let's back up again and look at the date. The date is December the 24th. You say, what's significant about that? This message was given three months after the work on the temple had resumed. Now, don't miss that because that's important as we're reading through the rest of it. Let me say it again. This date, three months after the work on the temple was resumed, he gives this third message. Now, you say, why do you say that, preacher? Because verses 15 that we're getting ready to read, verses 15 down to verse 19, he gives a summary of God's chastening hand upon them. Now, watch this one. This third message, Brother Spencer, church, just to bless your heart. The first message was a message of rebuke. The second message was a message of support. This third message is a message of blessings. Let me show it to you. Look at verse 15 very quickly. Y'all with me now? Stay with me if you would. Verse 15, and now I pray you consider from this day upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord, since those days were, and I'm reading fast because I got to hurry up. When one came to an heap of 20 measures, there were but 10. And when one came to the press to draw out 50 vessels out of the press, there were but 20. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail and all the labors of your hands. Yet you turn not to me, saith the Lord. Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it now." Would you look this way momentarily? He's talking about God was chastening them because the temple had laid waste. Now look at verse 19. This is important. is the seed yet in the barn, yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the palm granite, and the olive tree hath not brought forth." Now, look this way very quickly. Now, three months now, they've been working on it, and they haven't seen the blessings of God until right now. Right now in verse 19, Brother Brian, at this point, he's getting ready to, by the message of the Lord, he's getting ready to, Brother Joe, say to him, God's getting ready to bless your work now. He's getting ready to bless it. Look what it says in verse 19. Is the seed yet in the barn? Yea, is it yet wine, and the fig tree, and the almond granite, and the olive tree hath not brought forth? Watch this. From this day will I bless you. He said, wait a minute, get ready. Here comes the blessings of God. Now, watch this. But you know why God did verses 15, 16, 17, and 18? Brother Kenny, the reason that 15, 16, 17, and 18 was true about this remnant was because of their disobedience. What do you mean by that, preacher? They had disobeyed God. He said, build the temple. The government said, stop. The Lord said, build it. Can I say that again? The government said, stop, and the Lord said, build it. Y'all still ain't got it. The government said, stop building, but the Lord said, you keep building. And because they obeyed government officials and they would not follow the Lord's command, God was displeased with them and God brought chastisement upon them. Let me tell you something. I much rather please the Lord and have God's hand upon me and smile upon me than to please the government any day. Did y'all get what I just said? Now look up here at me now. Let me say it again because somebody's not looking. I much rather have God's blessings on me than the government's blessings on me. You say, preacher, what is that all about? I'm gonna tell you what it's all about. When the government says, tells you to do something contrary to the book, you go follow the book. You say, why don't they throw you in prison? Come see me. Y'all come see me, bring me some biscuit and gravy and some good old fat back. And don't forget the collards. I like them collards, boy. I'm a collard eater. What am I saying? I'm saying that he's going to bless them. He was going to bless them, see, because now, Brother D., they're obeying God. They're getting back to work. They started that building on that temple. You know why? Because the Lord stirred them up through Haggai and Zechariah, stirred up their spirit. You know what Zechariah did in chapter number 1? I've got to hurry. Chapter number 1, Zechariah, here's what he did. He called them to repentance. He said, you folks need to repent. You turn from your sinful ways. You're supposed to be obeying God, not obeying these guys. Come on now, church. You're supposed to be obeying God, not these guys. You need to repent. Of course, Haggai came on the scene and said, consider your ways. You're not right with God. See, and what happened? The Lord stirred their spirit up more. They got back to work. Let me bump this in passing. If we have more preaching on repentance, we might see more revival. Let me tell you what, the vast majority of folks don't want to hear a message on repentance. You know why? Because it puts a demand on them. It puts a demand on them. It puts a demand on them. Hey, when you preach personal repentance, it puts a demand on them. That's why they don't want to hear it. They want to sit in the pew and say, this person here need that message. Hey, they want to sit in the pew and say, my wife needed that. My husband needed that message. My children needed that message. That brother needs that message. That sister needs that message. That preacher needs that message. Hey, you know what repentance does? Repentance, it zooms in and puts a crosshead right there on your heart. And it says you need to repent. And when that happens, Brother Jeremy, we're going to see God give revival, more repentance, and more preaching on the wrath of God. That's not a popular subject either, but we need more preaching on it. So, the third message, it was a message of blessings. Now, let me give you the fourth one. This is a blessing. Here's message number four. I told you it was four messages in the book of Haggai. Here's the fourth one, verse 20. I got to hurry. Good Lord, I got to hurry. My time is slipping away. Y'all stay with me. Just stay with me another four to five minutes. Look at verse 20. saying this is the fourth message to this remnant of people. Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth, and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdom of Israel. And I will overthrow the chariots. And this is going to be a blessing to you in that church. And those that ride in them and the horses and the riders, it shall come down to everyone by the sword of his brother. And that day, saith the Lord of hosts, I will take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Sheol, saith the Lord, and will make thee a signet. For I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts. You know what that is? That's all prophetic. That's a prophetic message He's given to this remnant, and specifically He's given it to Zerubbabel. Hey, this fourth message, it was a call to believe. And it's focused on, and it focused on his brother Tim, the Messiah, really. Hey, I mentioned this before, now hang on a minute, this is going to be a real blessing to you. Zerubbabel is in the line of Christ. Matthew chapter number 1 Luke chapter number 3 you find Zerubbabel in the lineage of Jesus Christ You say what's so significant about that? There's a bunch of significance about that. That means that Jesus Christ in these verses. He's prophesying of a coming Savior He's prophesying. Watch this of the coming conqueror This is a real, real blessing. It was a call to believe, number one, to believe that God will manifest His power. And we see that in verses 20 and 21 and 20. Look at verse 22. Look at what it says here. He said, you believe that God is going to manifest His power. Look at verse 22. I'm trying to hurry. I'm preaching fast. Verse 22, and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen. That includes the Antichrist. church, you know what the next event on God's calendar is? I believe it is the rapture of the church. You say, preacher, when can it happen? It could happen or not. We believe in the imminent. That just means it can happen any moment. Now I'm not going to set a date. I'm going to do that because there's only one that knows when, and that's the Heavenly Father. One day he's going to say to his only begotten son, go get your bride. And he's going to step out on that cloud. Come up hither! Be looking right at him. We're going to be looking right at him. I tell you brother, Tommy, what a day that's going to be. Man, we sing about it, preach about it, teach about it, talk about it. Thank God one day that's going to be a reality. Revelation 19, Brother Tim, he's going to put the Antichrist down. You say, what is he going to do, have a fist fight with him? No, he's going to speak the Word. Not like Benny Hinn, he's going to say, whew. You know Benny Hinn blows on folk now. If I had to smell his breath, I'd fall out too. He's going to put the Antichrist down. I mean, he's just going to speak the word. There's power in that Bible. And that Bible in your lap, there's power in it. That's the say of the Lord. That saith the Lord. Thank God for the book. Amen, amen. Hey, now notice, he's gonna put these nations, brother, these Gentile nations that have rebelled against God, he's gonna put them down. Who's that gonna include? It'll include China. Come on now. He's just gonna speak the word. I mean, there's gonna be conqueror here. Conquering the, listen, the desired nations will come. I tell you, that blesses my heart. Brother Allen, that blesses my heart tonight. I'm going to tell you. So, verses 20 and 22, he said, here's a message of believing. Believe that God will manifest His power. He's going to put down all kingdoms. He's going to rule and reign supremely. And you know what? It's going to be a glad day, Revelation 19. We've come back with him. Ride a white horse. You say, Preacher, can you ride a horse? No, but I tell you one thing, I'm going to ride it that day. Listen, I'll be like Roy Rogers. Yeah. Absolutely. And that's going to be a wonderful day. And now notice, notice he says in verse 23, now he says this, believe that God is going to magnify his prince. Verse 23, believe that God is going to magnify his prince. Who is that? Look at verse 23. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was a typology of Jesus Christ, my servant, the son of Judah, saith the Lord, and he will make thee a signet. Now, if you mark your Bible, let me tell you what signet is. Signet, it was a special mark of honor and authority and trust. Signet, it was a special mark of honor and authority and It was a special mark of honor and authority is what the signet was. All of this, all of this right here prefigures Christ. For I have chosen thee, saith the Lord, of host. You know what, listen, Christ is the one who executed divine and will of God on the earth one of these days. God's, God's, if you'll let me use the word, God's Zerubbabel. He is going to, He one of these days is going to execute His divine will upon the earth. Mark it down. You know what, that message that Haggai gave this remnant, I'll tell you one thing, no wonder it motivated them. No wonder they said, man, let's get back to work. Our Messiah's coming. Let's get back to work. Hey, church, look at me. Your Messiah is coming back. You know what it ought to do to us? It ought to move us. It ought to motivate us. Don't get discouraged. He's coming back. Just keep on serving him. I know it's easy to get discouraged, depressed and down hearted and down trodden in this world, but I tell you what, lift up your head. Listen, lift up your head. That's it. Brother Roy, you got it. Listen, our redemption draws nigh. Thank God he's going to change these bodies. We're going to meet the Lord in there. Hey, listen, don't quit and give up. Don't let the devil convince you it ain't worth it. Stay with it. Hey, stay with it. Just keep on keeping on for God. Just keep on keeping on for God. Now, so here's what we got here. We got here, we got here, we got here. God Almighty, verse 23, Christ is the one who's going to execute the divine will of God. Hey, do you know what? Listen, can I say this very quickly? Nearly 2,000 years ago, God sent his only begotten son into the world. Y'all listen to me. Nearly 2,000 years ago, God sent his only begotten son into the world, Jesus Christ. You know why he came? You say, Preacher, he came to do miracles. No, that wasn't his primary mission in coming. He did miracles, but that wasn't his primary mission. Preacher, why did he do miracles? To prove he's God. What did he do, church? He opened blinded eyes? He opened the deaf ears? Come on now. You know what he said in John? He said, I am. He said, I am the resurrection and the life. Only God can make that statement. He said, before Abraham was, I am. Only God can make that statement. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Only God can make that statement. No man can make that statement. Only God can make that statement. He went to Calvary. Brother Jeremy, he went to Calvary. And oh, my, my, my, that precious blood he shed there on Calvary. Listen, they put him in the tomb and three days later, he got up and he was in the tomb. He got up just like he said. Hey, brother, of course, he got up from the grave and he lives today. He's alive today. Say, preacher, preacher, do you really believe that a man got up from the grave? You better believe I believe it. I am convinced. Hey, I am convinced. I am persuaded that he got from the grave, and that he lives tonight. Thank God that stirs me up tonight. Woo, I'm glad he lives tonight. Hey, preacher, why does it get you so stirred up? Because he lives, you will. Glory to God, hallelujah tonight. Ain't that a blessing? Thank God. Some of you look like I wouldn't. Woo. Y'all look like that dog. What was that dog's name? Droopy. Hey, y'all remember that Droopy cartoon? Way to play. Hooray, hooray, hooray. That's what some of you look like when you talk about God coming back. I got something better than that. He's coming back to get you. Well, you can throw that one in the trash can. He's coming back to get us. He's coming back to get us. That ought to stir you up tonight. Hallelujah. What am I saying? Don't quit. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up. Don't give up. First things first, put Him first. Amen. Brother Matt, when you put Him first, and I mean put Him first, and look to Him and say, you know what? This world is in a mess. You know, I'll tell you what I thought about preaching on. I thought about preaching on the July 4th message, but I didn't. I'm glad I stuck with this. But you know what? You look at this world and the mess we're in, and I'll tell you what, it'll get you keep on keeping on if you keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. And I'll tell you what, church, listen to me. Let me inform you on something that you already know. You already know this, but let me inform you on something. He will never disappoint you. People will, preachers will, but he'll never disappoint you. Keep your eyes on him. Amen. Isn't that a blessing tonight? Let's pray. Father, bless we pray. We thank you so much for this passage of scripture. We're so thankful for Zachariah and Haggai who you caught on the scene and preached this wonderful message that stirred up the people and revived them. And they went back to work on that temple and completed it. Thank you for it, Father. Bless our prayer time in Jesus' name. Amen.