Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV); 2 Timothy 4:2-5 (AMPC); 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT); 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (AMPC); Jeremiah 23:29 (AMPC); John 6:60-69 (MSG); Haggai 1:2-10, 12 (AMPC); Haggai 1:9-10, 12-13 (MSG); Haggai 2:4, 6-9 (AMPC); Haggai 2:7-8 (MSG)
Pastor John:
Morning, welcome to church today. Pastor Sharon and I are in agreement that the words that we speak are going to flow out of the praise and worship, sound and song and they’re going to minister to you, and they’re going to bless you and they’re going to change things in your heart that need to be changed and only the Holy Spirit knows what to change. As much as men may look at your world on the outside, it is God who knows what’s going on in your heart. It is He that is able to change what goes on in your heart. It is only the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that can change you.
So, we are in agreement that whoever watches this, whoever hears this message, whoever is part of this service, today, another day, in South Africa, some other part of the world – we agree that the word will change you and alter you, become a fruitful part of how you live your life in Jesus Christ. Amen. Hallelujah.
Pastor Sharon and I just want to talk to the Heritage people for a moment and just say that we have a very unique opportunity that has presented itself to us. That is, as I said last week, I don’t thank God for Covid, but I thank God in Covid because we’ve been able to do so many wonderful and great things in our ministry. We’ve grown in leaps and bounds and so many different things have happened in our ministry in the time of COVID. It’s just glorious. It’s God’s abundant overflow. It’s God’s new doors that He’s opened for us, Sharon. All of the words that God spoke about what will happen in His church have been happening to us from last year, this year and it’s just been accelerating and increasing.
So, here in the Witbank auditorium and the Witbank campus, we have an opportunity to do some alterations to the church building and so we’re going to continue to do digital church on Sundays while we do the alterations. But if you just keep watching your WhatsApp and your emails and you go on to the website, you will see that we are making some plans to meet with you in small groups that we can minister to you during the course of the week, so that we can stay in touch and share some of the wonderful things that God is doing for us. Praise the Lord. Amen. So, housekeeping work is done.
I’m going to read to you from the book of first Peter and this is something that the Lord has been speaking to us about for a while that it’s a beautiful thing when you’re a blood-bought family or a blood-born family, as well as a blood-bought family. God has paid a price for us, Jesus has paid a price for us that we can be the blood-bought family of God. Actually, all of us that have been born into blood-born families, our flesh that is born into a blood-born family will pass away, and it will cease to be meaningful, but when you are born into the blood-bought family of God, your spirit and your soul live eternally in the blood-bought family. Therefore, God places a very high priority on what we do on the earth as a blood-bought family because this is the only time we can actually live together in this body and as a spiritual blood-bought family.
I just want to read to you this scripture in Peter chapter two verse nine, 9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV). What we’ve been ministering on, Pastor Sharon is He’s called you out of Babylon. He’s called you out of the system of the world. He’s called you out of the ways of the world. He’s called you out of things that the world says this is how you’ve got to do things and it’s darkness, into the marvellous light, 9into His marvelous light; 10who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10 NKJV).
And so like we were saying last week, Pastor Sharon, at a time like this when the Lord has placed a strong message, a strong mantle to speak about His church and what He wants to get done in His church – particularly with finances and prosperity – we have the mercy for it. We have the favour for it. We have the grace for it because we’ve been called out of and into. Hallelujah. Amen. I know you want to go to the book of Haggai, or you’re going to read a prophetic word in the meantime.
Pastor Sharon:
I’ve got a sequence here. I wanted to remind you again how these scriptures came. I was praying for Pastor John and the things that God has told Pastor John to do and part of the word that the Lord brought through Brother Jerry in 2020 was to ministers. It says here; Understand this, there is no lack of money in the body of Christ, only a lack of obedience but I’m changing that. I’m moving upon numerous people. And they will follow through with what I’m instructing them to do. So, all of these revelations, the things and the teachings that Pastor John and I are bringing you are on the back prayer.
The other thing that He wanted me to keep reminding you about is what Pastor John and I have been called to do. Last Sunday we read to you out of Colossians one but this Sunday I’m going to read to you out of two Timothy, chapter four, and verses two to five from the Amplified Bible. This is reminding you what Pastor John and I are called to do in the local church with God and with you and for you.
This is God’s instruction to Pastor John and me. Look at this, verse two, 2Herald and preach the Word! So you could put Pastor John and Sharon or as God would call us, John and Sharon, Herald and preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word – we are preachers of the Word, we are to herald the Word – are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] So that’s what God instructs us to do through preaching the word we have to show you in what way your life is wrong. And convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching. 3For the time is coming when [people], God’s people, will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, 4And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions. 5As for you, John and Sharon, be calm and cool and steady, accept and suffer unflinchingly every hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fully perform all the duties of your ministry (2 Timothy 2:2-5 AMPC).
So now when Pastor John and I have read something like this in the Word because we read the Word and we let scripture breathe to us, we understand that we are accountable to God to obey this scripture. Right?
Pastor John:
Pastor Sharon, if I can just interrupt you. It’s one of the most challenging things I think that when the scriptures say, 3For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather… (2 Timothy 4:3 AMPC). Most people will say, “That’s not me.” Most people who do exactly that will say, “That’s not me,” because in their own minds they will justify themselves that that’s not me. I’m actually hungry for the Word so I’ll go where I can get more Word. That’s what they’ll say. But actually, what they’re looking for is the next word that’s got some drawcard to it to please themselves. The only way that you can actually say this is not you is when you are truly planted in a local church, and you’re functioning in a local church, and you operate in that local church, then you know that that’s not you, otherwise you jump from place to place, from conference to conference, from church to church, from teacher to teacher trying to find what the next best teaching is that’s out there.
Pastor Sharon:
So, then there’s this other scripture too, that the Lord wants you to see. It’s in Second Timothy, chapter three. Second Timothy, chapter three, it’s a very powerful scripture for you to be meditating on. It’s 16, verse 16 and 17 from the New Living Translation. And it says this, 16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. So it’s not Pastor John and me who are telling you what’s wrong in your life. It’s the scriptures that the Lord gives Pastor John and me to bring to you and it’s this scripture that tells you what’s wrong with your life. I’m going to read that again. It’s a very important scripture for you to understand that 16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17God uses it, Scripture. God uses Scripture to prepare and equip his people to do every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT).
Well, you know, the Amplified Bible as well is so powerful here. 16Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness. Verse 17, why? 17So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17 AMPC).
So, when the Lord gave me this scripture, emphasised this scripture to me to be one of the scriptures to bring, Pastor John, the Lord said this to me, “Scripture will speak. Let My scriptures speak loud and clear. Let them speak Big and Bold.” The scriptures He brings to us are intended to come to you into your heart big and bold. Hallelujah.
It was a very big thing that God did; you know Pastor John, there’s this thing that you said on the 14th of February that I just want to remind everybody about in your message, you said this; it’s going to be a rather serious thing I have to say right now. But in the middle of last year, the Lord began to speak to us, “I’m coming to take the children, I’m going to free the children from the Babylonian system that wants to offer up children to the spirit of Molech.” I thought on that. Please, once again, Pastor John and I want to remind you don’t listen to this message today in isolation of all the others because otherwise, you’ll be disjointed. Because this has to be taken in context of all of the messages that we’ve been teaching. And he wants to take our children, especially the Christians’ children, he wants them to be completely sucked into the world system so that their energy, their giftings, their talents and everything can be taken up by the world system, the Babylonian system. What’s happening now is that another word is coming from God. We know that this word is going after the spirit of Mammon, money, wealth, possessions. Right? That wants to control what you think about money. And whether you are poor, or rich, it wants to control the way you think about money. Because when you’re poor, it says you don’t have money to sow, so you’ve got to hoard it and keep it for your own needs. Well, that just says that your money is the most dominant force in your life, and the spirit of mammon, you’re already serving it, whether you have money or whether you don’t have money. If you have money and you want to keep it for yourself and keep it so that you can control it so that you’ve always got above and you’ve always got enough for other stuff that you can do, that you know your trust is not in God, then mammon’s got you.
And so when the Lord began to speak prophetically, and He said, “This is the year of abundant overflow. This is the year of the local church. This is the year to go big and bold. He is actually speaking and saying, “I want you to be free from the gods of this world system. I want you to be free so that your freedom can actually cause God to pour His abundance, pour it in overflow, pour it into your life. But if you’re not seeking Him, then you’re allowing that spirit to continuously affect your decision making. Powerful statement that, Pastor John.
Pastor John:
I want you to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit here, Sharon, because there’s a lot I can say about that statement. The fact is that people think you have to have money – and I said this last week – you have to have money to be affected by the spirit of Mammon. But you don’t. How much time do you spend? If you could have some kind of recorder, and you could record all of your thoughts, all of your anxieties, all of your worries, all of your plans, all of your ideas, all of your dreams, everything that you have – how much of that relates to money? How much you think about money every single day from paying your rent, to meeting your needs, to buying a car, to doing whatever – for future planning, current planning, current lack, current abundance – what to do with money? How much of your thinking is taken up with it?
So, if you’re actually in a place where you’re thinking about God more than money, then you’re on the right side of the equation. But we spend so much time thinking about money, or all the things that we want to do that require money, as opposed to praying about things and asking God what He wants us to do. And that is where you can begin to see; where does my life fit into this equation? What is consuming my time? Where is my thought-life on this matter?
And so, again, you can say, “Lord, I want to be someone who is thinking about You and speaking to You and meditating on Your Word, and actually putting You first place. Every time I want to think about something, I want to plan for my future, I want to pray about it. I want to submit it to You. I do not want to be thinking about the money that it is going to cost, or about whatever I can do to facilitate to make it happen. I want to follow Your guide and Your lead on this.” Then you are beginning to follow the plans and purposes of God and not controlled by the spirit of Mammon that says, basically, do whatever you want to do, when you do, as it pleases you to do it because you’ve got the money to do it.
Pastor Sharon:
And it is an amazing, astonishing thing, how much God and Jesus have to say about wealth, possessions, finances. So, we are bringing you Scripture. We are bringing you the scriptures God wants to speak to your hearts. Hallelujah. So, I am just going to go here now.
Yes, from the Message Bible, John 6. We are going here. We are talking again, I want you to see again how people do find messages, some messages very hard. We have had that experience all of our preaching, teaching life in the church, to the local people in the church. We have seen how people have been offended at the word that we brought there that God has had us bring. Right? Just the same people got offended at Jesus when He brought messages. So you need to understand again, God wants to remind you again if you get offended with these messages, what to do – you fall on the rock of offence. That very scripture that’s offending you, is the scripture that you need to be taking to the Lord in relationship so that that scripture can break into pieces. Jeremiah 23 says, 29Is not My word … like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock [of most stubborn resistance] in you? (Jeremiah 23:29 AMPC). So, Jesus is the rock, but in you, there are rocks of stubborn resistance. The only thing that can break it down is your repeated going to that very thing that offends you.
So, here I am wanting to read to you, it is from the Message Bible. John 6 from verse 60, 60Many among his disciples heard this and said, “This is tough teaching, too tough to swallow.” 61-65Jesus sensed that his disciples were having a hard time with this and said, “Does this (throw) rattle you completely? So, there was a message that Jesus brought that threw the people completely. Right? That’s the offence that you have to work through and get through. What would happen if you saw the Son of Man ascending to where he came from? The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen. That is what Pastor John said earlier on, it is only the Holy Spirit and you allowing the Holy Spirit with the scripture that offends you to work in your heart, and break into pieces the rock of most stubborn resistance in you that will not want to live like that scripture. So he says here, Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word. All Scripture is God-breathed. Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this.” (Jesus knew from the start that some weren’t going to risk themselves with him. He knew also who would betray him.) Verse 66 says; 66-67After this, many of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: “Do you also want to leave?” 68-69Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves (John 6: 60- 69 MSG). So, God wanted to remind you that there are teachings that are tough. And this is one of them. If you are going to be conformed to Jesus and to His Word, then this is one of them.
Okay, so now we are going to go again to Haggai. We are going to go again to Haggai. Right? We finished off with that scripture last week, but God wants you to see it again. You know, I heard people this morning when I was praying, asking the question, “Now how must I believe that you hear from God?” Well, it’s a very simple, easy thing. We know His voice and when we’re preparing for a message, we go into His presence, and we spend time with Him – Pastor John and me, individually and sometimes together. We say, “Lord, what is it that you’re wanting to say to your people?” And then we pray, and we pray in the Holy Ghost. And so that’s how He gives us messages.
Pastor John:
You heard someone ask the question?
Pastor Sharon:
I heard in the Spirit someone ask the question; “So, you say that these messages are coming from God. How can I believe you?” Because many people do not know the voice of God. So they think we don’t know the voice of God, either, like they do not know the voice of God. So they think we’re just sitting and going -suck out of my thumb, let us see what scriptures I can bring this Sunday? You know what I mean?
Pastor John:
Well, I have a very simple answer to that question, my darling. Is it in the Bible?
Pastor Sharon:
Yes.
Pastor John :
So, then they must choose whether the Bible is true or not. Whether we speak it or we do not speak it, we are the ones who bring it or someone else brings it. If you do not choose to read the Bible, then you do not see these scriptures. But it is in the Bible. We are not just sprouting forth scriptures. We happen just to be putting the scriptures by the leading of the Holy Spirit in a context so that everybody can understand it. But it’s still the Bible.
So, if that question is in someone’s spirit or soul and they don’t have the answer for it – it’s still the Bible. I’m glad you actually mentioned that Pastor Sharon because while we were sitting here, I myself have been sensing the leading of the Holy Spirit on this matter. There are many people that have many religions out there. Many religions. Some of them have ceremonies that they follow. Some of them don’t have ceremonies that they follow. Some of them profess to proclaim a god with a different name as their god. Some of them have idols that they worship as their god. This logical debate of this one god and they’re all the same god, and it doesn’t matter which god you call him and what you call him. It’s the same universal God. And so whatever you do, however you choose to get to God, that’s all okay.
Well, the fact of the matter, Sharon, is that I do not hear, and this is a very simple test, I do not hear any other religion have a curse word that the curse word is Jesus or Jesus Christ. So, why is that that only this one religion has a curse word that is spoken in movies, that is spoken in daily life? The only religion that has a curse word, that is the name of one God. Why? Because He is the only One that died and rose again. The only One whose power is still at work in the earth today because He is alive, He is not dead. He is still the only God Who, although His body died and He was raised from the dead. That’s why we are a peculiar people, that’s why we are a peculiar nation. But here’s where the Lord wanted me to just momentarily say this, Sharon. The reason the Lord has us talking about the system of the world, who serves a god that demands the energy of their children. So, they serve the god in the system that says, your children must have the best education, they must go to the best university, they must play the best sport, they must be afforded the best opportunities. The reason why people do that is not because that is just a good parental thing to do. The system is designed to absorb the children and focus on a system that is designed to totally take all of their affection, all of their energy, all of their attention, all of their skill, all of their talent and use it in the name of building a life for myself.
So, they live, they grow up, and as they’re growing up, they’re taught go to school, get the best marks, achieve the best you can, go into a discipline of study or go into a discipline of skill development, do what you do best, meet someone, marry someone, have children with someone and then you have children that have children and then you die. So, what is the meaning of all of this in your life? The whole meaning of this is that that spirit wants your whole life to be about yourself, wants to be about yourself so that you don’t worship God with everything that He has given you. That’s the spirit, the idol of Molech. So, when people come with their theories about God, and the universal god, they don’t want to talk about the spirits and the idols and the worship of those other gods that affect the earth this way. They only want to talk about it in a very holistic, very naturalistic, very fuzzy, warm feeling – everybody has the right to choose their own god. That effectively makes them the god because if you have the right to choose the god that you want to serve and give everybody else the right to choose whatever god they want to serve, then it makes man god. That is exactly what that spirit of Molech wants you to think that you are god. Then Mammon is the same thing, Pastor Sharon. He wants you to say that all this accumulation of wealth that you’re after, it’s so that you can worship with your finances at the altar of whatever you desire with your money. Thank you for opening that for me to speak.
Pastor Sharon:
And you know, Pastor John, and what is also one of the philosophies of this world system is that Jesus was a good man, but they actually may not say that because they must call Him a liar. They must call Him a liar because Jesus Himself said, “I am the Truth, the Life, and the Way. No man comes to the Father but by Me.” So, they can’t call Him a good man, they have to call Him a liar because He said He is the Only – He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. He didn’t say there are some other gods that you might make up that are the truth, the way, and the life and I am just one of them. I am the one that is going to die, shed My blood – perfect Lamb of God – and when I rise again but it’s ok if you want to choose other gods. Anyway, you’re touching, you’ve pushed my button here this morning.
Pastor John:
You touched my button too.
Pastor Sharon:
So here we go. Here we go about God’s thinking about your wealth and your possessions and your money. This is how God thinks. This is how God thinks. So, we are going to Haggai chapter one out of the Amplified Bible, and we are going to verse 2. Look at this, 2Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say, The time is not yet come that the Lord’s house should be rebuilt. Verse 3, 3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins? 5Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways and set your mind on what has come to you. 6You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough. You see, this is what happens when you chase. You just never have enough. You drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it. 7Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways (your previous and present conduct) and how you have fared. 8Go up to the hill country and bring lumber and rebuild [My] house, that’s seeking first the Kingdom of God, and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified, says the Lord [by accepting it as done for My glory and by displaying My glory in it]. And then verse nine here says, 9You looked for much [harvest], and behold, it came to little; and even when you brought that home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house. I see you not seeking first My Kingdom. I see I am not your first love – that Jesus spoke about in the book of Revelation when He wrote to one of the churches – you have left your first love. You don’t seek first, I see, I see, My house, and He says here Because of My house which lies waste while you yourselves run each man to his own house [eager to build and adorn it]. 10Therefore the heavens above you [for your sake], oh, Pastor John, I love that. His love puts us between a rock and a hard place. The heavens above you [for your sake] withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its produce (Haggai 1:2-10 AMPC).
Pastor John:
Can I read that out of the Message Translation?
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, please.
Pastor John:
The Message Translation says, 9-10You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves, this is verse 9. You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves but nothing has come of it. So that doesn’t matter whether you have a lot of money or little. It is still what’s the purpose of having this. There is nothing that can come of it, it has no purpose if it’s your own ambition. The little you have brought to my Temple I’ve blown away—there was nothing to it. 9-11“And why?” (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) “Because while you’ve run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins. That’s why. Because of your stinginess. And so I’ve given you a dry summer and a meager crop (Haggai 1:9-10 MSG).
Pastor Sharon:
There we go. I mean, He is such a loving God. How can … what a hypocrite we are when we say, bless me, bless me, bless me, bless me but You’re not first. But make me Your first. But You’re not my first but make me Your first. That’s a hypocrite, John. You know what I mean? And so, I want abundant harvests, but don’t ask me to not be stingy. Don’t touch my money. I want You to bless my children but don’t touch them. Don’t touch My plans for them.
Pastor John:
Wow, babe. This is why we knew when we started to talk about this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we know that we are shooting holy cows. Those holy cows are, we are directly speaking light where there is darkness because how will the people know unless there is someone that’s sent to teach them and it is the teaching of the Word that brings light. I mean, we have gone ad nauseam, people that have been with us for a long time talking about just how we ourselves had to fight, and learn the Word of God and know and fight our own battles of the soul. That said, we must send our boys to private schools, we must do this, we must do that because this is the best education they can have. And send them to university if they want to go, do all that kind of stuff. We had to fight our own battles by the Word of God, to say we must put them in God’s hands.
Pastor Sharon:
And to seek His plans for them That is the world’s apart thing. I do the world way or I seek Him first. That’s the worlds apart thing. Do as everybody else does, or seek the Lord for His plans.
Pastor John:
And you know, Sharon, I can bring these two parts together right now. When God said to Abraham, “Let me be your God, and you be My people and I will bless you. I will pour and you will just have abundance.” Then at one stage, Abraham is having a conversation with God and he said, “What is the purpose of all of this blessing that You have blessed me with – all this wealth, all this increase, all this amazing stuff – when I have no children?” And then He said,” I will give you children because you will teach them after My ways.” And so that’s where you bring, where we give our children to God and our financial blessing is in the order of God, He gives us so much for ourselves because we put His house first. We put His ways, His church…
Pastor Sharon:
We seek Him first for everything.
Pastor John:
And that is why when we recognise we are part of a blood-bought family that the family of God and the things that the family of God have got to do – our assignment, our purpose and things that our church family must accomplish. This is the best investment you can make into eternity. Then God says, “I will hold nothing back from you.” Then you can have more.
Pastor Sharon:
“You withhold, good, fine, then harvest will be withheld from you.” But you withhold nothing. I withhold nothing. That is the covenant. That is the covenant.
Pastor John:
If I might say, at this point, Sharon, that and we have said it before, but you and I live completely blessed. Brother Jerry, Brother Copeland, all the people that we hang around, they live blessed lives.
Pastor Sharon:
The people that God has divinely connected us to for the last 40 years.
Pastor John:
We live blessed lives. They live blessed lives. Some people will say well, and there are a lot of justification and lots of reasons that people say, talk about them. But they do not know how completely sold out to Jesus they are. And they do not know that they have passed so many tests with Jesus with their money, with their life, with their obedience. People do not realise that when Brother Jerry’s driving around on one of his how many Harley Davidsons he has and when he’s flying around in his private jet, they do not know the story about how God said to him go to Kenya, and go and take the Gospel to Kenya. He ended up staying in a grass hut, a grass hut that had a grass bed with no windows and no door in a grass hut, in a grass village for weeks fighting sangomas or witchcraft people. They don’t know that that was something that he had to obey God on. And God said, “Thank you for obeying Me. Thank you for going to that land and taking the Gospel to people.”
Pastor Sharon:
They don’t actually understand that their level of obedience to God that they all will at the drop of a hat give everything to God any time. Over and over and over again.
Pastor John:
And they have done it. Had paid off houses and God says give it to someone. Have paid off cars and God says give it to someone. And churches and airplanes.
Pastor Sharon:
Airplane after airplane that they have given away that have been paid up, to other ministers.Obedience to God on the level of Jesus.
Pastor John:
Yes. And then when people look at the abundance that they walk in, they have something to say because that is all they see.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s all they see. Oh, you chase like that?
Pastor John:
So then they think because they chase it, then they are chasing it but actually, they’ve been seeking it.
Pastor Sharon:
They’ve been seeking God first.
Pastor John:
They’ve been seeking God. They’ve been seeking everything about God. They’ve been following His way of doing things. They’ve been pursuing Him. They’ve been chasing God, chasing God, they’ve been God-chasers, God-seekers, lovers of God, lovers of the ways of God.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes. Not lovers of money at all.
Pastor John:
Not lovers of money at all. And then God just heaps stuff upon them. Then when He does, they can’t give it away fast enough and He keeps heaping more.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s exactly right. We have been personal witness to that. We’ve been recipients.
Pastor John:
And we’ve been recipients ourselves.
Pastor John:
Hallelujah.
Pastor Sharon:
It says here in verse 12. Look at the result and these people. This is the kind of people God’s looking for. That’s why we’re speaking to you. We’re speaking to you, Heritage of Faith people, of what God’s wanting us to become now, 12Then Zerubbabel, verse 12 in Haggai, son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people [who had returned from captivity], listened to and obeyed the voice of the Lord their God – how did they obey the voice of the Lord their God? [not vaguely or partly] What a people. What an obedience, what a willingness to say, “We’ve been loving our own homes and look at Your House, Lord. We have not sought first. This is a repentance, John. Listened to and obeyed the voice of the Lord their God [not vaguely or partly but completely, according to] the words of Haggai the prophet. According to the words of Pastor John and Pastor Sharon. Since the Lord their God had sent him, and the people [reverently] feared, look at the fear of the Lord here, see the fear of the Lord here and [worshipfully] turned to the Lord (Haggai 1:12 AMPC).
Pastor John:
Can I read again? Can I read that out of The Message translation, Pastor Sharon?
Pastor Sharon:
Please.
Pastor John:
It says halfway through verse 12, 12…all the people with them listened, really listened. It is not that they just heard it, they really listened, to the voice of their God (Haggai 1:12 MSG). How? Through a messenger. When God sent the prophet Haggai to them, they paid attention to him. So they listened, really listened, paid attention to him. In listening to Haggai, they honored God. In listening to the word that we bring people will honour God. How do they listen? They pay attention.
Pastor Sharon:
They really listen. Not vaguely or partly.
Pastor John:
That means they go ahead and do it. 13Then Haggai, God’s messenger, preached God’s Message to the people: “I am with you!” which was God’s Word to them (Haggai 1:13 MSG). I am with you. He is with us now. This message that God has called us to bring that He’s given us to bring, He’s saying, “I am with you. I am present. I am present in this message. I am present bringing you the Word of God that is designed to bring abundant overflow not because you chase but because you seek.”
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, you seek first and you build His house first. Right, and then this is how it finishes if I can wrap up with this, Pastor John. After they obeyed God not vaguely or partly but completely. In Haggai chapter 2, look at this here now from verse 4. 4Yet now be strong, alert Pastor John. I know it’s Zerubbabel there, but Pastor John, be strong, alert, and courageous, O Joshua… and be strong, alert, and courageous, all you people of Heritage of Faith, says the Lord, and work! For I am with you, says the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:4 AMPC).
And then verse 6. We can see the results of abundant overflow here now. 6For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake and make tremble the [starry] heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land; 7And I will shake all nations and the desire, this word here desire is the gold. It is the finances, it is the land, it is the wealth. I will shake all nations and the desire and the precious things of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. 8The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:6-8 AMPC).
He is saying, “What, you want to withhold from My house? Think I can’t get you harvests like this?” 9The latter glory of this house] shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace and prosperity, says the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:9 AMPC).
Pastor John:
And again, Sharon, in The Message translation it says 7And I’ll shake down all the godless nations. They’ll bring bushels of wealth (Haggai 2:7 MSG). In other words, they – the nations, the system that’s against God – they will bring their wealth to God’s people.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes. But God’s people will get it because they don’t love it.
Pastor John:
They don’t love it and they don’t chase it. Because if you seek God and you put God first that wealth will come. It is what it says, 7And I’ll shake down all the godless nations. They’ll bring bushels of wealth and fill this Temple with splendor.’ … 8 ‘I own the silver, I own the gold’ is the decree of God. (Haggai 2:7,8 MSG). So this is directly that, Pastor Sharon. We keep saying it because we don’t want to be misunderstood. We know that this message that we are preaching today has been misused in the body of Christ to Christians. But those people that know us, that live with us will know that we are not charlatans. We are not people that are coming after your money for our sake. We are coming after it, we are coming with a message that will bring deliverance to you because God wants to bring deliverance to His people. But we know that one of the ways that the enemy wants to stop this message is he wants to discredit it.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes. It’s the religious spirit, it’s a very sneaky thing. He comes to Christians and says, “Ja, you see, all they’re after is your money. And we know because those, look. Look what they did.”
Pastor John:
Right. And there are some high profile people that have really abused God.
Pastor Sharon:
But I’m not throwing the baby out with the bathwater and we make no apology for this message.
Pastor John:
No. Exactly. Exactly.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s it.
Pastor John and Sharon:
Hallelujah.
Pastor Sharon:
How much time we still got here?
Pastor John:
We’re done.
Pastor Sharon:
Are we done?
Pastor John:
We’re done.
Pastor Sharon:
Oh. [sigh]
Pastor John:
You want to read one more scripture?
Pastor Sharon:
I didn’t even get through. I just got through into my introduction but we’ll have to go into the next part next week because it is the collective greatness. Let me just see here if there’s one more scripture that I maybe want to leave with the people. No.
Pastor John:
I think the Lord has said what He wants to say today, baby.
Pastor Sharon:
You’re right. You’re right, Pastor John. You’re right. Ja, the next time, because one of the things the Lord said is, “I want you to show them people in My Bible, a people that became like this.” So in Haggai, you can see a people that didn’t obey God vaguely or partly. They obeyed Him completely. Ja and you saw in the time of David, we said that last Sunday, how David gave his most precious things and he said, “Now who else is going to give precious things?” And how they brought their precious things, right? For the building of the temple in the time of David. And so, next week – I’ll give them a little heads-up here. If you want to go study this for yourself during the week, although you should be in the message, it is second Chronicles chapter 29, chapter 30 and chapter 31. It’s about a people that completely transformed. Completely transformed in a time of God in their time. So, there we go. We’ll go there next Sunday.
Pastor John:
You know, Sharon, just to finish off with this, if people hear this message and they say, “Wow, you know, God’s asking a lot of me to give more, everything or more than I can afford. I’m not sure that I can obey this message.” Well, if those kind of thought processes are happening, then where do you think they are coming from?
Pastor Sharon:
Not from the Lord.
Pastor John:
Not from the Lord. So where are they coming from? They’re coming from fear, anxiety, or even a religious spirit that says, “Don’t obey this message because I want to keep you stuck in the world system and I want to keep you captive all the time.”
Pastor Sharon:
All the days of your life. I want you stuck in the world system of economics.
Pastor John:
And if you haven’t had an opportunity to listen to my message on Laban’s syndrome, then go find it on the website and listen to the message and get the notes on Laban’s syndrome. Because the world is Laban’s syndrome. They want to keep you in debt, they want to keep changing the rules, keep changing the game economically and financially, and they want to hold you to their own system and not to a system that God has designed.
So, let’s pray.
Pastor Sharon.
Ja, all these Scriptures keep coming.
Pastor John:
I know. This is the way we are when we talk amongst ourselves. But we’re on camera now, Pastor Sharon, so we’ve got to wrap this up now. You know.
Pastor Sharon:
I know. We’re going to have another wrap-up.
Pastor John:
Otherwise, we will just have our own Bible study for the whole time, you know. So, we just pray that the peace of God will be upon you. The peace of God that passes understanding will come upon your mind and your heart and your soul so that the peace will allow this message to flourish. The peace will allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
We pray that in this week that comes ahead, no weapon formed against you will prosper. You are protected by the Word and the blood of Jesus. We pray that you are blessed going out and blessed coming in. And as you seek God as your first place, we pray that the blessings will overtake you. Abundance will be in overflow in your life and you will increase and you will be blessed. Hallelujah. And we believe in Jesus’ name, Sharon, that no sickness and no disease will come to your household and steal your future. In Jesus’ name.
Pastor Sharon:
In Jesus’ name.
Pastor John:
And if you’re in agreement you can say; “Amen”. I hear you say Amen on the other side of the screen. Thank you for being with us in church today.
Pastor Sharon:
We love you all.
Pastor John:
We love you.
Pastor Sharon:
Each and every one.
Pastor John and Sharon:
Bless you. Goodbye, everybody.
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