 Good evening, Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley. What a blessing to be with you guys this evening once again, as we prepare our hearts for what God wants to do in and through our lives in this next year. I am not Pastor David Rosales, if you don't like my message. If you do, my name is Pastor Brennan Bealer. I am so excited for what the Lord has in store for. I've been praying for this evening for several weeks now and what the word of God would be for Calvary Chapel for 2023. What God wants to do in each of our lives, moving forward into this next year. And I'm so excited I've come with such anticipation today because I believe that God who has done great things is just getting warmed up. And I believe that God yet has greater things to do in and through your lives and in and through this church in the years to come, that the best days truly are ahead as God has great things in store for us. And so I want to share with you from the book of Haggai. If you don't know where Haggai is, it's okay, just wait for the person next to you to turn there and then steal their Bible. It's the only time you're allowed to steal. Biblically is in church, if it's a Bible. I want to talk to you today a little bit about realigning our personal priorities with God's plan and purpose for your life. Realigning our personal priorities with God's purpose and plan for your life. I want to share a message with you that I've entitled proper priorities. And would you pray with me as we prepare our hearts to hear a word from God? And Lord, we do ask once again that as we gather here on the eve of a new year, a new opportunity to really do what you've called us to in the year to come. Lord, we understand tonight, at least we need to Lord, understand the importance of living for you as our top priority. And so Lord, as we look forward to this next year, give us courage to follow you wherever the spirit would lead us. And would you lead us by your spirit? Would you fill us afresh with your spirit? Understanding that we can do nothing apart from your spirit. Lord, we need a work of your spirit in our lives and in this church. And Lord, help us never to be so foolish to think that what you began in the spirit that we can complete in the flesh. And so tonight, Lord, we acknowledge our need for you. And Lord, we pray that we would hear from you tonight more than a sermon being given, a message being preached or a person sharing. Lord, would you speak to the hearts and the lives of your people? Lord, because we need to hear from you. And give us, Lord, what you would have for us this night. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the beginning of a new year, oftentimes it comes with a reanalyzation of what's most important for us. As the end of a year comes to a conclusion and we begin a new year tomorrow, many of you are shifting things around, reprioritizing what maybe you didn't do last year or this past year and what you would really like to see accomplished in your life this next year. For many of us, we call that prioritization or priority shifting. We call that New Year's resolutions. How many of you here tonight with a show of hands have made a New Year's resolution? Something that you would, some of you aren't raising your hands because you know I'm gonna set you up. Don't do it, don't do it, don't raise your hand. But many of us do. I spent a little bit of time doing some research and according to the pollster statistic, I looked up the top five New Year's resolutions in the US for 2023. And here they are. Fifth place is spending more time with the family and friends at 37% of the US has that desire. In fourth place, 39% of the US wants to save more money. In third place, at 40% of the US is losing weight. At 50% of the US in second place is eating healthier and holding the number one spot, which is many people's resolutions. If you go to a gym tomorrow, you'll see this to be true, is to exercise more. 52% of the US is resolving to eat better, lose some weight, exercise more, save some money. And maybe if I have time after all of those things, spend some time with family and friends. Now with a show of hands, how many of you have ever struggled to keep a New Year's resolution? Oh, you're gonna lie in church, okay. For most, if not all of us, we know resolutions oftentimes they don't really last. And that's why one of my favorite resolutions is to make a resolution to break all your resolutions. That way you can do one. I love what one person said. They said, my resolution this year is to, well, my resolution is to be less awesome because that's the only thing that I do in excess. I said that, no, I'm kidding. But as we start this New Year, reprioritizing what's most important for us and what we really wanna see accomplished in our lives, the resolutions that we have, we have to understand our actions and convey our priorities. Have you ever thought, what's most important for you for 2023? I know you've been thinking about that, maybe something that you want to accomplish. Well, let me just say your actions will convey your priorities. And your priorities, listen, they aren't what you say they are. They're actually revealed by your decisions you make and how you live. In other words, your priorities are reflected in how and what you spend your time, your money, your resources, our energy, and our talent and abilities on. In so many time, what's most important gets drowned out, doesn't it, by the demanding and the most urgent. We never had a chance to get to that because, well, these things came up. I wasn't able to save any money this year because my car kept breaking down. I wasn't able to do those things that I really wanted to do because the demanding and the urgent came up. And I understand there are pressures in life. That's the reality. Pressures from work, demands at home, expectations and tasks to be accomplished. Do this, be there, finish that, call them. And it seems that everybody wants something from you. Family, friends, employers, classmates, people need things from you, they want things for you, but listen, God has a plan to work through you. And oftentimes, because of the things that happen in our lives, the busyness and the needs, the necessity to follow through on the plans that God has for you and his desire to work through you, oftentimes gets pushed aside because of the most urgent and demanding. And our problem, though, isn't necessarily the volume of demands, though they may be many. Our problem isn't the lack of time management skills or scheduling skills, although those may be lacking. The problem always comes down to this one thing, proper priorities. Let me define for you what a priority is. It's to find this way. It's to focus one's attention and energy on that which is most and truly important. So let me ask you again, what is your priorities for 2023? What's your priorities? What's truly your focus, your attention, your energy spent on? It's what's truly most important to you. And to simply understand what's at the top of your priority list, all you have to do is consider the things that you spend your time, your money, your energy, and your focus on. And our lives will always be filled with full of problems and difficulties. There will be a lack of provision when our priorities are not on God's. You see, there's a major differentiation in our lives when we have our personal priorities differ from God's plan and purposes for our lives. And if we allow our personal priorities to differ from God's plan and purposes for our lives, we're gonna see problems at hand in our lives. And that's what we see in our text today in Haggai chapter one. I wanna give you a little bit of history and backstory behind the text that we're about to read so that you'll have a greater understanding of what we're going to read because in this day, what happened during the time of Haggai's ministry, in 586 BC, the people of God, the Jewish people, they were disobedient to what God told them to do. And because of their constant disobedience and rebellion, God allowed them to be taken away in captivity by the Babylonian Empire. Taken away in Babylonian exile, but just as Jeremiah had prophesied that after 70 years, miraculously, supernaturally, God would bring them back to their homeland. But this would be a lesson for a generation to understand. But when they were taken away in captivity, Solomon's temple was completely destroyed and leveled. The temple represented God's presence with his people. But just as God had promised, after 70 years, he miraculously and supernaturally allowed his people to go back to Jerusalem for the purpose and plan that God had for them and that was to rebuild the temple. The temple was their place of worship, the place that they could come to and meet with God and to be taught his word and to sacrifice unto the Lord worship and give to God. Their place of worship was completely destroyed, but God said, I'm gonna bring you back to rebuild the place of worship. And you know what they did? Well, they were really excited to be out of captivity, to go back to their homeland and to rebuild the place of worship. They were really excited at first. The book of Ezra tells us a little bit about that. Initially, they were very energetic and excited to serve God in ministry and to do what God had called them to do. But after some time, eight years to be exact, well, they began to grow weary and doing good. The building of the church, the ministry that would be taking place, God's plan and purposes for their lives began to be put on the back burner. The project, it wasn't progressing like they thought it would. Compared to Solomon's temple and all of its glory, what they were doing seemed so insignificant to them. And plus the people in that region, well, they didn't want that work to take place. And so there was opposition, attacks, challenges and difficulties from the local people that weren't in favor of what they were doing. And so they began to give up on doing what God had called them to do. The plans, the purposes, the calling that God had placed upon them. And it wasn't that they were in outright rebellion to God, they just became apathetic towards the calling of God. We just don't have time for that right now. And what ended up happening is they lost their proper priorities. And instead of focusing on building God's work and God's plan and building the place of worship, well, they began to put all of their efforts on their personal priorities and building back their own homes. And that was their focus, their personal priorities, instead of God's priorities. You know, priorities like where are we gonna live and what kind of house will we have and what kind of life will we live and what kind of job will I work and what will I do and what will I need to do in order to get the job that I need to have to have the lifestyle I want. And consequently, they left God's plans in shambles in order to fulfill their own plans. God's plan in a forsaken condition to focus on their own comfortability and the work that God called his people to came to a standstill. So 16 years later from the time that God originally brought his people back to Jerusalem, 16 years later, now God calls a man named Haggai to speak to his people, to exhort his people on behalf of God, that the spirit of God would come upon Haggai and speak on behalf of God to his people, to exhort them, to get their priorities back to the proper place, not to forget their purpose and their proper priorities. And God uses this message that we're about to read as a catalyst for finishing the work that God had called them to do. It says in verse two of Haggai chapter one, thus speaks the Lord of hosts saying, this people says, the time has not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built. The people weren't saying that the Lord's work shouldn't be done or shouldn't move forward. What they were saying is, it's just not the right time to do it. That is to say that God's work would revolve around my schedule instead of making my schedule revolve around God's work. And God rebukes them for that because God's work should never revolve around our schedule. But our schedule should always revolve around God's work. But the people were saying, well, it's not a good time for us to be focused on that and spending our time on that, our energy, our money on the place of worship, serving God in the building of the place of worship. The excuse that they were using is an excuse that is familiar in all of our lives, isn't it? I don't have time for that. Or as that viral woman on YouTube said, ain't nobody got time for that. And so a lot of the excuse that they use 25, 100 years ago, 25 centuries ago is the same excuse that we use today. Well, I do believe that God's work should move forward and God's plan and purposes for my life, but just not now. One day, someday I'll get around to that. And what we do is we make God's plans revolve around our schedule instead of having our schedule revolve around God's plans. They weren't saying, no, they just were saying not now. The excuse is I don't have time for that. I don't have time. And we can be guilty of that, excuse, can't we? This isn't a good time with my personal schedule or my work schedule. This isn't a good time to give generously while the way that the economy is going. It's just not a good time for that right now. It's not a good time for me to serve the Lord with my life or fulfill the calling that he's already placed upon me because I'm trying to work my way up in the company or I'm trying to graduate from high school or college or whatever it may be. It's not a good time right now. But listen, if it's important to you, you will find a way. If it's not important to you, you will find an excuse. Remember this, there are seven days in a week and some day is not one of them. What God calls you to do, many of us can be guilty of this, can't we? Of just saying God one day, God some day and putting off what God would want us to do today. Why? Because our priorities don't line up with his. But look what happens when that takes place. Look at verse three with me. Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying, is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses and this temple to lie in ruins? The response from God when they said it's not a good time, the Lord says, well, you live in these paneled houses that is fully refurbished, remodeled, beautiful homes. They were taking care of their lives personally, but they were forsaking the plan that God had them to fulfill. Now listen, God is not condemning having nice things nor having a nice home, but what he is calling into question is this, their priorities. It comes down to what is a greater priority? The people were more concerned with the things that they wanted, the type of life that they desired than the work that God had called them to. And the problem with the people is that they were content to let the work of the Lord suffer at the expense of their own comfortability. I don't have time, but whatever we want, we will make time for. And as a result though, because of the way that they were living with their own personal priorities as the top priority instead of God's plan and purposes, the people suffered. Maybe the last year was a difficult year for you. Can I just say, one of the best things that we can do going into a new year is making God's priorities and God's plans the number one priority of our lives. They did it. And so what took place is they had difficulty needlessly. Look at verse five with me. It says, now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. I think at the end of a year going into a new year, I think it's important for us to do that, to consider our ways, to think about how we are living personally, not the person next to you, not the person sitting in front of you, but the person that's within you. Who is this person living for most? What is this person living for most? To consider your ways, God says. And then he goes on to say, you have sown much and bring in little. You eat, but you do not have enough. You drink, but you are not filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes. God says to his people, when you live for your priorities instead of mine, it's as if you plant much, but you harvest little. And that can mean something different for each of us in the personal application from this passage. That might mean you make a lot of sales pitches if you're in sales, but you're not able to close very many deals. That might mean that you do a lot of work, but you see very little result come from that work in the workplace. And it just seems like you're not getting a return on your investment. The ROI is super, super low. Why is that? God says, well, when you have your priorities over mine, here's how it's always gonna be. You're going to plant much, but harvest little. You invest your time, your money, your efforts and energy, but what comes from that is gonna be very little in comparison to what you thought you would have received. Then he says, your wages disappear as if you're putting them in pockets with holes. Listen, if you're in tough times, providing is a greater challenge perhaps for many than ever before. And have you ever experienced this where you work some extra jobs or you take some extra side projects to make some extra money to try to offset that deficit, but then you get your paycheck, you deposit it into your bank account, and then you open your bank account and you're like, where did it go? You ever have that experience where it's like, Lord, I just received this and it's already gone. It's like, I didn't blow my paycheck, but it's like my paycheck is blown away. Well, that's exactly what God says is going to happen. Seems like you can't get ahead. You try to save, but the Bible in a different passage actually says God doesn't prevent or withhold the devourer. It's like we plant, but then it's devourer. Whatever we do, it's just, it's not what we thought it was gonna be like and you eat but are not satisfied. That's amazing because for some of you, you related to the part where, yeah, I'm having a difficult providing, I'm having a difficult time with income right now, but some of you are like, no, this year's been better than ever before. I actually have more because of all the work. Well, look at this. You eat but are not satisfied. Even those who obtained what they wanted, it still didn't fulfill. It's what I call an if only. If only I could get that, if only I could get that car, you know, the really fast one, you know, that goes zero to 60 in three seconds. Unlike my car that I have right now that goes zero to 60 in three hours. That would fulfill me and people would look at me and I would be proud or the house or the boats or the RV or whatever it might be, you know, that will satisfy. I call those if onlys. If only I had this, well, then I would be satisfied. Then I would be fulfilled. Well, these people, they prospered economically, but they were still empty. They ate, they consumed, they got what they wanted, but it still didn't satisfy because you can be prosperous and successful in every way. And yet if you are not living for the Lord, you will still always be empty. They forgot their purpose. They lost their priorities because God was not the first priority in their lives. Their work was not fruitful or productive and the material possessions that they were able to accumulate in the absence of serving God did not satisfy. So here's the solution, verse seven. Thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. There it is again, for the second time in a couple of verses and this phrase will be repeated over and over and over again throughout this book. Consider your ways. Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified says the Lord. So here's the solution. Get back to what I've called you to do. Seek first the kingdom of God. Obey my commands, God would say. Do what I've told you to do. Put first things first. Have proper priorities. And when you do, when you put first what I've called you to do, when your first priority needs to be God's purposes and plans, when you do, watch what will happen. Verse nine, you looked for much, but indeed it came to little and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Another blown paycheck. Why? Why? Well, God says, I'll tell you why, says the Lord of hosts because of my house that is in ruins. While every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore, the heavens above you withheld the dew and the earth withholds its fruit. For I called for a drought on the land and for the mountains and on the grain and the new wine and the oil, underline oil. On whatever the ground brings forth on men and livestock and on all the labor of your hands. You work so hard to get what you're putting at top priority of your life and God says I'm keeping you from being able to obtain it. I'm gonna allow a drought, dry times, emptiness where my provision from heaven is not being poured out because you violated this non-negotiable foundational essential principle. And that is when things got difficult, you turned from me, not to me. When things weren't going like you thought they would in ministry, you stopped living for my priorities, God would say and started living for your own. You didn't do what God was calling you to do. You know, a lot of us can find ourselves in that position where we would say things like, you know, I don't have time to serve God or I don't have finances to give to God or I don't really have the ability to be able to do those things that God would be calling me to do because well, you know what? I can't make it to church on Sundays anymore. I gotta get a jumpstart on my work week and you know, I'm gonna try to pick up another thing or work late on Wednesdays. I can't make it to midweek Bible study anymore because well, I have these things that I need to get done. I have these priorities that I need to accomplish in my life. I don't really have time to spend, you know, with the Lord in morning devotions. Why will I gotta get up and beat trafficking and get a jumpstart on my day? That way I can get ahead of everybody else. But when you do, turn from the things that God has called you to do first, you see a lacking of God's provision and the reason why is God's provision is directly linked to God's priorities. Many of us don't even understand that, but it's true. So consequently, no matter how much you work to get the better job, to have the higher income, to buy the nicer car, to park in front of your nicer home with your nicer clothes, no matter how much more we work and the money we bring in or the things that we do, God withholds. It's like we're putting money in our pockets with holes. It comes in, but faster than it comes in, it goes out. And it seems like we're trying to save, but man, my dryer broke and now I gotta fix that it's gonna be $1,800, are you kidding me? We can hang try our clothes. Or the car breaks down and I have to get it fixed and the mechanic wants to charge me how much for it? Are you kidding me? Or my child is sick again. Lord, it's been three days since the last sickness in my home and the doctor bills are starting to pile up and it seems like you can't get ahead. Life happens to everybody and because sickness or cars breaking down or things like that, I'm not gonna say because you're not seeking the Lord, if you seek the Lord, your car will never break down. No, I know some other people that would say that, but I won't say that. I'm not gonna name any names, I know you want me to, I'm not. Someone said we know them, but I'll tell you this, oftentimes we miss seeing God's provision because we are not focused on what's most important. Following through and completing what God has called us to do. You need to learn this godly principle and apply this godly principle to your life this year. It's essential, necessary and needed. Seek God first. That's it. If you wanna summarize this entire message, proper priorities, it is put God's priorities as yours. Make what's most important to God, most important to you. What God wants you to do, what God has called you to do, what God wants to work through you in, make that number one in your life and when you do, you'll see everything else added. Wait, are you sure how do you know? Because Jesus said it in Matthew chapter 6, verse 33. We know the verse, but how many of us don't live it? Seek Him first. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. What things? The things that were just being taught about Jesus sharing on was the home to live in and the clothes to wear and what you're gonna eat. And I love that Jesus shared about the clothes to wear and what you're gonna eat. Don't worry about those things. Why? Because it's what we're often worrying about. Women are always worrying about, I don't know what I'm gonna wear. I have three closets and I have nothing to wear. But don't think they're off the hook guys cause the guys are thinking right now, well what are we gonna eat? You're eating lunch right now and you're thinking, I don't know what we're gonna eat for dinner. It's like the biggest calamity in your day is not knowing what you're gonna have for your next meal. Honey, what are you gonna make? God says don't worry about those things. Don't worry about what you're gonna eat, what you're gonna wear, where you're gonna live. Don't you understand if you seek me first, all of those things will be added. I have clothed the hills with flowers as you're gonna see shortly after these rains. Be reminded how the Lord clothes dirt. And if he clothes the dirt in that way Jesus said then how much more is he gonna know that you need clothes? Jesus isn't into streaking Christians. He knows you need clothes. We all know that you need clothes. And God will provide those things. He's not gonna let you go without. And he knows that you need to eat. He knows that what you need, he knows every need before you even know it. But he says do this, put me first. All too often what was happening 25 centuries ago is what's still happening in this day in God's people. Like God's people our priorities can slip out of order, can't they? When God places a call on a person's life and gives them the opportunity to serve him in ministry in the temple and the place of worship or be a part of building something and seeing something go forward by giving generously financially or by serving practically or just being a part of the church family and seeing God's work go forward that God would place a call on you. You're not here by accident. You aren't here because a friend or family member invited you originally. You're not here because you saw and stumbled across the building. You're here because God has called you here by name. God has placed you here to be a part of this family and God wants to work through you to see his work go forward. His plans and his priority and what he wants to do in you and through you in amazing ways in 2023. But we have to make sure God's priorities are our own. And just as God gave those people in that day the message of calling them back to proper priorities. He gives his people that challenge but it follows with a promise and God is challenging you today to rise to the challenge and all who would rise to the challenge here the promise of what God will do is I will provide everything else that you need. Now he doesn't say I'll provide everything else that you want. Lord if I serve you, you know if I show up to church on Sunday tomorrow morning, it's two days in a row Lord that's asking a lot. But if I do, Lord I'll have a red Ferrari. Pastor David will make sure to give you one tomorrow if you come to church. No, that's not what God is saying. But what he says what you need, what will be best for you will not be withheld. What God has for you will always be better than what you would have for you if you only knew the outcome. And what God says is what I will do in you and through you will be better. Ephesians chapter three says that doesn't it? I will do abundantly, exceedingly above and beyond anything that you could think or ask. That's what I want in my life because I have a really vivid imagination. I can dream up some pretty big things and I dream big and I pray big because I know if my prayers are small, well I can limit what God wants to do so I pray big and think big because God wants to do above and beyond anything I can think or imagine. So I imagine big. Or what do you want to do? And I pray big. Prayers that take faith. Prayers that take understanding that if God is not in it, it's destined to fail. And I want to be a part of something where when God does it, people that don't know God and people that do would look at it and say that had to be God. I pray that God would do something so above and beyond me, so something so beyond you, something so above and beyond us that when people look in the Chino Valley area, look at what God is doing here that they would say that had to be God. And what we need church is a work of the Holy Spirit. We don't need better programs. We don't need more ministries. We don't need anything but simply a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We need to see revival in our land. Listen, God is coming back soon, very soon. If you've looked at the news in the last week or two, you know God's coming back very, very, very soon. And we don't have a lot of time left to live. And whether if God delays until after we die and we live to the ripe old age of whatever that may be, or God comes back for us tomorrow, we'll never regret a life that's lived for God's priorities as number one. If you want to have the best 2023, make God's priorities yours. If you want to have the best year yet, don't compromise on the call that God has placed upon you. Fathers, husbands, men, men of this church, this would be a church led by the heads of their households that you would model and exemplify what it means to be a man of God, to lead your wife, to lead your family, to lead your children unto the Lord. And wives that you would fulfill the calling that God's placed upon your life. To follow the Lord and to submit to the Lord with your whole hearts. When we simply do what God has called us to do, we will see God do what we never knew or could imagine he would do. In your life, everything shall be added. Haggai shares this message of God. To exhort the people to make God's priorities their own. His message was heard, the people were stirred and the work went forward. May that be true for each of us too. May God's work, what he wants to do in us and through us move forward because we are obedient to him. Lord, I pray.