Author: Tim

Sermon Audio: Haggai: Establishing Priorities
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Haggai 1-2
Duration: 23:31
Size: 11.1 MB

The Minor Prophets
Haggai: Establishing Priorities
Haggai 1-2

Haggai spoke to the Israelites that had returned after 70 years of captivity.

Nothing was done to rebuild the house of God and the people have become apathetic and complacent.

Without the Temple of God, there won’t be the worship of God. And without the worship of God, the people are left without a spiritual compass.

There is something here for us to think about: We always seem to find the time for the things we really care about.

At its core, the real issue is not about time; it is an issue of priorities.

If we try to go for these without God, we can never be fulfilled.

Seek the Blesser and you’ll have the blessings. Seek the blessings (things of this world) and you may miss the Blesser.

Don’t be too concerned about the looks, the number of people, or the size of the church. Be concerned rather with the Glory of God.

We live for the audience of One. In everything we do, we glorify our heavenly Father!

Sermon Audio: Zephaniah: The Three Lies We’ve Believed
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Zephaniah 1-3
Duration: 22:57
Size: 11.1 MB

The Minor Prophets
Zephaniah: The Three Lies We’ve Believed
Zephaniah 1-3

The key to this book is the phrase “the Day of the Lord.” It’s a common phrase used in the prophetic books but Zephaniah used it more than any other prophet.

Complacency looks harmless but it is deadly. Man will self-destruct eventually, if nothing is done to arrest this digression (or regression).

God wants us to live the way He has intended, so that we can enjoy life to its fullest–one that is good, abundant, righteous and free from sin.

This is the attitude the Lord is looking for. Stay humble and seek God.

The truth is we all need Him. Be humble and seek Him. Don’t lean on self-confidence, it cannot give you success.

Those who throw themselves before God and ask for mercy will get it.

One writer sums it well: God will intervene in history, even catastrophically, to judge humanity’s complacency and indifference, and to restore men to the conditions of blessing that He originally intended for them to enjoy.

God is no different today than He was then. We would do well to seek Him first, in every area of our lives.

Sermon Audio: Habakkuk: God of the Unexpected
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Habakkuk 1-3
Duration: 21:45
Size: 10.6 MB

The Minor Prophets
Habakkuk: God of the Unexpected
Habakkuk 1-3

Israel has fallen and Habakkuk ministers in Judah and struggles with the problem of evil in his days.

The structure is simple–Habakkuk complains to God, God answers him, he launches into a second complaint, God replies and then he responds with a song of worship.

We can pour out your heart to God without fear. The Psalmists do that often–1/3 of the Psalms are laments–expressing frustrations, disappointments and even anger towards God.

Time does not work against God. It works against us–we rush for time, we fight against time, we try to beat the clock.

The Babylonians had just defeated the Assyrians, and the Lord is going to use them against Judah.

Even if we do not understand, can we trust Him enough not to put any expectations on Him?

This is the reason why we can trust Him even though we do not fully understand or agree with His ways.

Habakkuk is not trying to be optimistic. The challenges are there, but he is willing to trust God and put his hope in God.