There is no substitute for the preaching and teaching of God's Word. Each weekday on enjoying the journey, Scott Pauley leads us in a brief study of Scripture.

Today, on the weekend pulpit, we are happy to share a full-length Bible message given through Scott's pulpit ministry. These messages were recorded live in a local church or gospel event in recent days. It is our prayer that the message will be a help to you today. This evening in this closing study, I want to take you to the opening verses and the closing verses.

Now, the opening verses we've read, perhaps you've read it two or three times now, the closing verses we've not yet seen, but I want you to connect the opening and the closing

of this little prophet's book. And I want to show you, I like bookends really, on the book,

a great principle about our God. I look at Haggai chapter one, verse number one. In the second

year of Darius the king, in the sixth sixth month in the first day of the month came the

word of the lord by hagiah the prophet unto zirubable the son of chilil governor of judah and a joshua

the son of josedek the high priest saying may i just pause a moment and point out he's speaking

to the governmental leader and to the religious leader.

How many of you like the government leaders to get right with God? Can I get a witness there?

All right? How many of you think you'd be really good for our country if the religious leaders all got right with God?

How many of you are with that? Now, let me show you something really interesting.

When the book starts, he starts by speaking to the leaders, but before the book ends, he will address the governmental leader,

the religious leader, and then he will say, and all the people. I love this. It starts with leaders.

There's no doubt about that. God deals with leaders, and they're most accountable. But don't you ever

forget this. you're going to

meet god for your response to the word of the lord no matter what anybody else does so if washington

doesn't get right with god you're still going to answer to god for what you do with the word

look at verse number two thus speak of the lord hosts saying, this people say the time has not

come, the time that the Lord's house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggah, the prophet saying,

Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your sealed houses? And this house lie ways. Now therefore,

thus said the Lord of hosts, consider your consider your ways you have so much and bring in

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