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Haggai 2:10-25 Destined to be Holy; Feb. 24, ’13, SACC, Pastor Carl Crouse

2/25/2013

I am honored to share with you a bit of my chicken scratchings from God’s Holy Word. Once again, as I come to the close of a series, I pray I have done justice to the richness of the text and you have received a word of encouragement, and even confidence to ask the Lord to stir in you a change of heart/mind/patterns.

It’s All About Grace…. One comment on Zerababbel and the “signet ring” The last word is a word of grace… A signet ring is more than asthetic, the signet ring carried with it the authority of the King ~ an official letter or decree would be sealed with wax, and then the King, would take the signet ring and impress the wax before it dried... “I will treat you like a signet ring on my finger.” Zerabbabel should never have been chosen to be the governor, or God’s signet ring, yet God, in his infinite grace chooses a most unlikely person.

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Let God Shake Up Your Life: overcoming Disappointments; Hag. 2:1-9; 2-17-13, Pastor Carl

2/18/2013

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Disappointments with yourself, others, God, so common.

Haggai can be dated: 1:1 Aug. 29, 520 B.C., 1:15, Three weeks later, Sept. 21 the temple work begins. Now in Chapter 2, almost a month later, Oct. 17. How easy it is to begin a new project, then after newness is over, the questions of doubt come: can I make it through… can I keep this commitment. One of my counseling instructors, an ordained minister, said that it was his practice to meet with a couple a few times for their wedding, but then he required that a year after they were married they come in and talk. He felt it was only after the honeymoon, after the dust had settled, after the couple had worked through some of the issues, only then could he be help them sort through stuff. The Lord sends Haggai back to the people. After the initial burst of energy, when disappointment and doubt creep into their minds, the Lord sends Haggai to bring a word of encouragement to focus them on the Lord once again.

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Haggai 1:12-15; Let God Shake Up Your Life: Three Ingredients for a transformed life ~ Feb. 10, '13 ~ Pastor Carl Crouse

2/11/2013

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When your life is stuck in a rut, if you have patterns in your life that are leading you nowhere, maybe you don’t even like your life, it’s time to get some new ingredients, change things up… do things differently… Try a different recipe if you don’t like the same food. If it isn’t working, do it a different way! Change something!

In Haggai’s day, the people are stuck in a rut. Life is hollow. God used Haggai to speak to the floundering Israelite people. Life was meaningless for them: “You drink, but never have your fill” say Haggai (Hag 1:6). A thirst that cannot be quenched. That’s great in America if you are trying to sell a product ~ could you imagine what ads would be like if the truth were told: you’ll never perfect this video game, you’ll need more and more… how many ads are really the carrot on the end of the stick that you’ll never reach: the fun loving bar scene full of 20 something year old patrons all getting along with happy fulfilled smiles is a dream… The Lord Jesus Christ wants you to be filled.... a thirst that can-be-quenched. Jesus says to the woman at the well, a woman that is searching for meaning and satisfaction: “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14). Our culture creates an unquenchable thirst, the desire for more, never enough ~ but this is not what God wants for us in our spirit. He wants us to find peace and satisfaction. Wholeness.

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Haggai 1:7-12 ~ Let God Shake Up Your Life: Reject a Defeatist Attitude ~ Pastor Carl, Feb. 3, 2013

2/4/2013

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(WJBP ~ I’ll tell you what that means towards the end of this message….memorize them…)

Last month I had an online student loan I thought I paid off. A week later when I logged in to make sure everything was recorded properly, I discovered 26¢ left on the loan. I spent five minutes cursing the system ~ then I entered 26¢ to pay off the loan. RED FLAG: “you must enter a minimum of $1.00….” uh-oh. So I try entering a $1.00. READ FLAG: “That’s more than the amount you owe.” …
How often do you feel like no matter what you do you can’t win? ~ some people withdraw and don’t want to come out of the house, others get angry, some find ways to escape to a different world, a happy place, resign themselves to a compromised life.

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Haggai 2:10-25 Destined to be Holy; Feb. 24, ’13, SACC, Pastor Carl Crouse

Let God Shake Up Your Life: overcoming Disappointments; Hag. 2:1-9; 2-17-13, Pastor Carl

Haggai 1:12-15; Let God Shake Up Your Life: Three Ingredients for a transformed life ~ Feb. 10, '13 ~ Pastor Carl Crouse

Haggai 1:7-12 ~ Let God Shake Up Your Life: Reject a Defeatist Attitude ~ Pastor Carl, Feb. 3, 2013

Carl Crouse, Pastor

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