Bill Johnson - Re-Engage With God's Purpose for Your Life
Thank you, thank you. Uh, good morning, good morning, good morning! Good to see you. Please be, oh, I love you too, thanks, thanks, thanks. We had this, uh, how many of you were at the leaders this week at all? I’m so glad you guys are with us today. Um, I think it’s the first time I remember us having an event that was not led by an individual; it was led by a culture. There was a momentum that we just all stepped into and benefited from. It was such an encouraging thing for me; it was really, really quite amazing. So, uh, yeah, it was good. I benefited; I hope you did. Hope we all do.
All right, a young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and anything else he could think of to clean up the bird’s vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up, and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot; the parrot got angrier and even more rude.
In desperation, John threw up his hands, grabbed the bird, and put him in the freezer for a few minutes. The parrot squawked and kicked and screamed, then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he had hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door of the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John’s arm and said, «I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I’m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.» John was stunned at the change in the bird’s attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird spoke up very softly: «May I ask what the turkey did?»
Grab your Bibles, if you would, and open to the book of Haggai. It’s, uh, the third to the last book in the Old Testament. So if you get to Matthew, turn left; if you get to Isaiah, Ezekiel, or any of those guys, turn a hard right. It’s a little two-chapter book. Several times last night, I actually woke up thinking about this book, about the book of Haggai, and I love the book. Um, mainly because probably 40 years or so ago, the Lord really spoke to me out of the second chapter, verse 9, where it says, «The glory of this latter house will be greater than the former.» This, for me, is a prophetic statement of God’s intent that if you think the book of Acts was exciting, wait until you see what He’s about to do in the latter times.
There are bookends to this season called the church: there’s the outpouring in Acts, and then there’s the glory of the latter house and what God intends to do. That was important for me to find food like that to feed my soul on because I grew up around people whose whole delight was in things getting worse and worse until Jesus finally had to come and rescue us. My dad never bought into that, but there were people that we ran with who just seemed to have that way of thinking. I just don’t pay attention to anybody’s theology on the last days if it doesn’t take faith to obtain it. A lot of that stuff actually requires fear to obtain it. You actually have to, in a sense, partner with the ineffectiveness of the gospel. Many believers have greater faith in the return of Christ than they do in the power of the gospel. Come on, right? While the return of Christ is going to be glorious beyond imagination, the power of the gospel is what makes it so. It prepares things for that to happen.
Anyway, I woke up a number of times last night just thinking, which is not normal for me. I don’t usually wake up thinking about minor prophets, but, as spiritual as you may think I am, that’s not what happens at all when I wake up. I really don’t want to tell you, but I don’t think of that. But I woke up a number of times just thinking through this particular story. So let me give you kind of a background so that you have a little bit better appreciation for what we’re about to read. Haggai was one of the prophets. In fact, it’s stated in Zechariah chapter 6, I think verse 17, that when they rebuilt the temple, they succeeded through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah. In other words, the prophets actually enabled the people of God to succeed in their purpose, to succeed in their assignment.
Israel, after they had come into the promised land, lived there for a while and fell into such deep sin and refused to repent, so God raised up the Babylonian Empire to take them literally captive. They became servants in the Babylonian world, and the Lord had given them this word, a promise that they would be released and would someday go back. In fact, He said 70 years—Jeremiah gave this word that there would be a 70-year period of time that they would then be released to go back and rebuild the temple, rebuild the city, the nation. That period of time came, and what happened is people were released from Babylon, went back to Jerusalem, and started to build. I forget how much they got done, but they didn’t complete the assignment. They basically got, I think, the altar in place and things of that nature. So they came back to their purpose and then just slowly got distracted. How many know you don’t wake up one day on fire for everything God has told you to do and the next day decide to go, «Man, I’m going to do the opposite»? It just doesn’t happen that way; it’s a slow gradual turning, just through complacency, through callousness, through disappointment, those kinds of things.
So in Israel, somehow, they went from this place of knowing why they were alive, grateful that they were released from slavery, to now becoming their own people again. You can imagine what that felt like to be released from that bondage into liberty and freedom, but they lost the gratefulness for that gift that God gave them, and they slowly turned to where they just started to be self-absorbed. They became absorbed in their own world, building their own kingdom, building their own homes, and doing all the stuff necessary for their responsibilities. Sometimes we embrace responsibilities that almost defile our primary responsibility and disengage us from why we’re alive. You can responsible yourself right out of divine purpose, and it seems noble. You may be able to convince everybody around you that you’re doing it for the right reason, but when it disengages you from why you’re alive, it works against the real nature of Christ in you.
Anyway, we’ve got this incredible book. So what Haggai does is he comes with this prophetic word for the people of God, and what prophets do in this case—hopefully, you’ll see it; if not, you can read through the two chapters and you’ll see more clearly—first of all, Haggai comes to the people of God and he lets them know, «This is why you’re in the hole you’re in,» so he defines their problem. Secondly, he gives them a way out. He says, «This is what you’ve got to do; here’s your assignment.» So let’s get re-engaged with why you’re alive. And then he comes to them at the end, which you see in Chapter 2, and he says, «The glory of this latter house will be greater than the former; I will fill this temple with glory.»
What’s the point? The point is that he just defines the hole they’re in, gets them out of the hole, and then gives them a lofty target they could never have the intelligence to even ask for. It’s so great; it’s so glorious. This God who calls them out of this place of bondage into a place of liberty calls Himself the desire of the nations. Somehow, there’s a connection between the people of God stepping into their rightful place, into their rightful purpose. Somehow, there’s a connection between that and the nations being awakened to this person Jesus, as that which satisfies every cry of their heart. Jesus describes Himself as the desire of the nations, which basically means everybody hungers for Him; they just don’t know what they’re hungering for. They just don’t know His name. So it’s got to be illustrated, modeled, preached—everything displayed to let people know this is how you fulfill what you were born for. Amen?
All right, that’s enough talking. Let’s, um, read out of Haggai chapter 1. Let’s go ahead and start with—we’re going to read quite a few verses, so if—make sure you have your Bible open. If you don’t have one with you, scoot next to that real friendly neighbor that you have, all right? And if they don’t have one, don’t scoot so close because you might scare them. All right, verse 2: «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.'» Then the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet, saying: «Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this temple lies in ruins? Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Consider your ways. 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.' Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Consider your ways. Go up to the mountains, bring wood, and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified.' You looked for much, but indeed it came to little, and when you brought it home, I blew it away.» Why, says the Lord of hosts? «Because my house lies in ruins while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore, the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.»
Please notice sometimes there’s lack because our priorities are out of place; our values are not correct. We actually repel the provisions of the Lord, the blessings of the Lord. Amen? Bill, that’s a very good point. «Therefore, the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men, livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.» Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet. As the Lord their God had sent him, the people feared the presence of the Lord.
Okay, two more verses. Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people, saying: «I am with you,» says the Lord. And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God. I like several things that I get provoked about, stirred about in this particular story, this passage that we read. One is the command to be strong, the command to be courageous. We’ve looked at this in recent days even out of Joshua chapter 1, verses 5-9, that it’s been such a huge part of my own journey, my own life.
I was thinking earlier about this passage out of Isaiah; He says, «I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid? Who do you think you are being afraid when I told you I’d be with you?» Right? See, to move in fear, I have to lose consciousness of His presence and His promise. Wow. I’ve made an exchange. I make an exchange from the God who revealed Himself to be with me and given me promise and purpose, and I make the exchange from living aware of those two realities and embrace fear in its place. Fear is faith in the inferior. The word of the Lord came to the nation, exposing what they had done. He says, «You dwell in your paneled houses; the house of the Lord lies desolate.» The house of the Lord, in this storyline for our sake today, is not just a building, a church building; it’s the purpose that God has assigned to you.
For every one of us, it’s made a little different—there may be evangelistic work, maybe serving in a rehab home. It’s whatever—we’ve all been given assignments of the Lord. There’s a reason why we’re alive; there’s a reason why we are members of a body, members of one another. We each have a role to play, and being fully engaged in the purpose of the Lord causes us to have the impact and the effect on humanity that He has assigned us to have. Oftentimes, I have made this mistake too many times; it’s embarrassing to count. But how many times I have in my life waited for God to do something when He was waiting for me to do something? Oh, wow. It’s like the easiest mistake for me to make, and I don’t know why. It’s something that happened that— a mistake I seem to repeat too often. But I’ll be in a moment where I need the deliverance of the Lord; I’ll need the miracle, the provision, the breakthrough—the word, the direction, or something—and I’ll wait and wait and wait, and nothing happens. Then I finally discover I have to act.
This happened to Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. Moses was leading them, and in Exodus 14, there’s this wonderful series of verses that I find so entertaining and helpful at the same time. Moses stands before the nation and says, «Stand still, and you will see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.» Yeah, powerful prophetic word! The very next phrase has God talking to Moses, and He says, «Why are you crying out to me?» So, here’s Moses, he gives this profound word: «Stand still, you’ll see the salvation of the Lord.» The very next phrase has God talking to Moses: «Why are you crying out to me?» What’s the implication? After Moses gave that strong prophetic word, he cried out to God for help, for confirmation. Please, please pull off what I just said, something to that effect. I don’t know. And the Lord says, «Why are you crying out to me?» And then He says this: «Tell the children of Israel to go forward.»
Now there’s a slight difference between standing still and going forward. It’s ever so slight. In other words, Moses thought God was going to act, and everybody would get to watch. God was saying, «You’re going to act, and then I get to act. I get to ride on top of what you’re doing. When you go forward, that’s when I will extend my hand to bring about the deliverance that’s needed.» And oftentimes, it just takes discernment, and I don’t know how to do this; I think if what you’re trying isn’t working, try the other. You know, if you’re waiting for Him to show up and it’s not happening, then do something.
Yeah, amen? All right, well anyway, so Israel’s now in this place, where they are building their homes or taking care of themselves, but God says, «It’s not working, is it?» You make all this money, you put it into a purse, it’s like a hole in your purse. The crops that you grow, I blow them away; the clothes you make, they don’t keep you warm; you’re not full of food; you’re not drunk with drink. It’s not working. What did God do? They got distracted from their assignment by personal need. What did He do? He increased their personal need. There are times when the Lord puts us in a situation. In fact, this is how I think it works, you can figure it out yourself. I think there are times He—because I’ve made a poor choice, a wrong choice. I’m not talking about immoral or unethical; I just mean not choosing the best for what God wanted for my life—not acting how I should act—because I make a poor choice, I end up in a situation that on my best day I can’t get myself out of. The only answer is His deliverance, and there are times where He will follow up on our series of poor choices with, «Okay, you didn’t learn by my direction, so now you’ll have to learn by my deliverance.»
It may sound strange to you, but this isn’t punishment. There are times where the greater the difficulty you face, the fewer options you have, and we usually choose better when we have fewer options. So Israel’s in this place, He says, «I’ve turned your efforts to take care of yourself into nothing.» So what did the prophet do? He just exposed the hole they’re in; he says, «Now go up on the mountain, get wood, start building what I assigned you to do. Get back to your assignment.» The scripture says, «They feared the Lord.» Actually, the phrase that I really like here in chapter one says, «They feared the presence of the Lord.» The spirit of God was with them in such a pronounced way that they became re-engaged with why they were alive.
I’ve had—years ago, I used to have issues with my left knee. It would get dislocated, and I would have to—oh goodness, I’d be laying in a driveway; my uncle would be over. I’d tell him what to do because I remember my coach did it in football. He would put the foot there, pull the bottom leg out, and then slowly straighten it, and there’s this loud pop. And then I’d just limp for days, you know? It’s a gross experience. Chris was there one time; I said, «Chris, help me.» He came over, put his foot there, and became Dr. Chris. Dr. Chris, yeah! He brought deliverance to my life.
Sometimes, you know, when that thing’s dislocated like that, it’s alive, but it just can’t function. A lot of believers are dislocated from their purpose—alive, but they have no function. The prophet comes to re-engage, to reset that which is out of order, and I’m so thankful for the prophets. I’m telling you, you know, Chris and the whole team here—the ones that we’ve been relating to for so many years—this really today is about my love and affection for the prophets. I know the horror stories; I’ve heard them, and I’ve read them. But at an early age, my dad introduced me to some prophetic people that were a strong part of outside ministries that would come and serve at Bethel. They were, I—in my late teens, early 20s, they spoke so deeply into my life and have ever since, and I’m thankful to have been connected to genuine prophets who love God and love people. That’s the miracle right there: the love of God and the love of people part—that’s the part we’re looking for. And honestly, we’ve been gifted with that.
So this is about my appreciation, in a sense, for God raising up the Haggai of today to put the bone back into place. And then once it’s back into place, all right, this is where we’re headed. Now that you’re re-engaged with why you’re alive, your purpose for being, now this is where we’re going. We are headed towards a temple—not a building—a house of God that is once again filled with glory. The manifested presence of Jesus becomes the predominant feature. Because what happens in this chapter, as you read through the story, is there were people that saw what was rebuilt. The old men were crying because it wasn’t nearly as nice as what used to be, and the young men were as excited as could be because it was better than anything they had ever seen.
And we’ve got that thing going on all at the same time! And then God says, «But I’m going to fill it with My glory.» So all of a sudden, that which was despised becomes the most glorious thing in the nation, and it becomes the very thing that activates the hunger in people—the nations—for God, the desire of the nations. There’s a verse I’m going to pull this way out of context, but I have the mic, so I can do that. There’s this verse in—it’s actually quoted in Romans 12, but it’s out of the book of Proverbs. And he says, «Your unusual generosity will awaken the conscience of people.»
Now think about that phrase: unusual generosity. In other words, there are things that you and I can do that activate the consciousness of a people, of a nation, of a city, of an individual, of a family to awaken the consciousness to what’s valuable, what’s important. How did it happen? It happened through serving; it happened through radical generosity. It happened through ministering to a person effectively in the spirit of God, and something awoke in them. And that’s what I think this book is about. It’s not just about the people of God building a temple; it’s about the desire of the nations coming into view through the people of God doing what they were born to do.
There is a role that you play; there’s a role that I play that only as we function together does it impact culture itself till they become awakened to what they were born for. The desire of the nations comes into view, and through your radical service and kindness and affection for people, a conscience is awakened. Chapter 2 starts with verse 4: «Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,» says the Lord, «be strong, Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and be strong, all of you people of the land,» says the Lord, «and work, for I am with you,» according to the word of the Lord I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. «So My spirit remains among you; do not fear. For thus says the Lord of hosts, once more, a little while, I will shake the heaven and the earth, the sea, and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and they shall come to the desire of all nations.» This is what God calls Himself: the desire of the nations. He wrote it into the code of humanity to have a hunger for this one thing—the only thing that could ever satisfy what they were born for.
It’s written there; they just need to hear it, and they need to see it. I will come, and I’ll fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts. «The silver is Mine; the gold is Mine,» says the Lord of hosts. «The glory of this latter temple will be greater than the former,» says the Lord of hosts. «And in this place, I will give peace,» says the Lord of hosts. Um, the Lord in His kindness finds a people that are disengaged from their purpose. They once were engaged in why they were alive, what they were to rebuild, what they were to do with their nation, their assignment. They become sidetracked into personal gain, personal pleasure, maybe just personal responsibility, but they become sidetracked.
The prophet comes and resets that bone in place, and all of a sudden, they find themselves back doing what they were designed to do, born to do. This process opens up so much stuff. I don’t know if any of those verses stand out to you, but to me, it’s like the prophet is saying, «Listen, you’re messing with such small, simple-minded stuff. This is about the nations. Wake up! You’re worried about lunch? Guess what? All the silver is His; all the gold is His. You think this is an ugly house compared to the former? Yeah? Well, guess what? He’s about to fill it with His glory.»
And He’s constantly resetting these things in attitudes and thoughts that have allowed such an infection of hopelessness, an infection of purpose—the absence of purpose—to creep into the hearts of this nation that was born for such divine significance. They lost touch; they lost touch with why they were alive, and the prophet comes and resets the bone, re-engages them, and then starts lighting this fire saying, «Listen, He’s about to fill the place with glory.»
And you just need to know it’s connected to what He’s done in the nations before. He filled you with glory as He made Himself the desire of the nations. And it’s your role and responsibility that helps to awaken the conscience of a culture, awaken the conscience of a city, of a people, of a family. It’s who we are. Yes, it’s our yes to divine purpose. It’s not—I mean, I love coming together; I’m glad we get to do this, and I–I don’t ever—not want to do what we do. I’m so thankful for this week with leaders who just marked me so deeply. I’m so thankful. But all of that is to make you powerfully significant outside of the building and shaping and infecting the conscience of a culture, awakening the value system of a people, defining the destiny of a people.
And all of this is connected to this God who says, «I will fill My house with My glory; I will fill My house.» I remember I think I quoted this to you not too long ago, but I remember a prophetic song that we had in Weaverville, goodness, 35 years or so ago—40 years ago. And in this song, the words went something like this: «Did I not fill the tabernacle of Moses with My glory? Did I not fill the temple of Solomon with My glory? How much more will I fill the place that I build with My own hands, My beloved?»
I am building, you see, He said, «I will build My church.» All these other temples were built by people, but this one, He’s building. And in this one, if He’s going to fill an inferior house with His manifest presence, how much more is He going to fill the house that He is building, which is you, and it’s me; and it’s unto a purpose to harvest literally nations that could be discipled in the ways of Christ. This is why we’re alive. So the prophet says, «You’re in a hole—here’s how you get out.»
There’s the target: the latter days will be greater than the former. You thought the book of Acts was wild? Wait until you see what’s about to happen! Wait until you see what He’s about to do! And keeping that thing in mind is what helps me to pay a price because you cannot step into purpose without sacrifice. It must cost you; you don’t waltz your way into divine purpose. Amen?
All right, I told the Twin View campus, I said, «It’s not you guys; it’s that College View group that needs to hear this.» And now I’m going to tell you, it’s not you that has the problem; it’s that Twin View group that needs to hear this. Normally, coming to a subject like this, I would come to you affirming all the stuff that’s done right because that’s our life. I walk around this place; I’m amazed day after day after day. But in as much as I am thankful and honoring for what I’ve seen the Lord do in and through you that has so marked my life, I come to the realization in the middle of the night and this morning when I woke up that He wouldn’t be talking to me all night if we already got it all right.
It’s like mid-course corrections; it’s like, «Oh, get us to step more fully into what we’ve already said yes to!» I mean, goodness, I look around the room—the price that you guys have paid to be a part of this family, part of this house—from leaving jobs and occupations and homes and families and all this stuff just to be a part. Some of you crossed the globe; others of you just crossed the street, but you’re still here, and we’re glad and honestly so impressed and thankful with the price that’s been paid and continues to be paid.
But I feel like I have to be reminded of what got us here. Come on! It was that yes to divine purpose and the unwillingness to be distracted by, «Oh, I need to take care of this for me; I need to build my paneled house.» I need to, you know—figuratively, I need to give myself here because somehow you can over-responsibility yourself right out of divine purpose. And if I were to take the entire book of Haggai and summarize it, I would summarize it into Matthew 6:33: «Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.»
He’s re-engaging them with the power of priorities. The power of priorities—divine priorities. As we engage with divine priority, it attracts resource; it attracts divine activity; it attracts Heaven’s presence. Stuff happens simply because of priorities. Seek first the kingdom; all these things will be added. Goodness, we’ve done this countless times, but I become painfully aware of the fact that when I seek first the kingdom, God takes care of the stuff. When I start turning my attention toward this stuff, I lose the stuff, and I lose my awareness of the King and His kingdom. It only works this way; it only works with the right priority, the right appetite, the right hunger, the right giving myself unto the purpose of God.
Then this stuff, He manages for me, and He does a better job. His commitment to my fulfillment is better than I could manage myself. You doing all right? I’m trying to end, so take a rest. This phrase gets me. This is Psalms 103; I’ll just read it to you. This is where He says, «Who heals all your diseases, forgives all your iniquities?» And then He says, «Who satisfies your life with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.» Think with me! Who satisfies your life? When you seek first the kingdom, He does this stuff—the things He satisfies your life so that your youth is renewed.
I don’t know if this makes sense to you; there’s something about God taking care of the stuff we have secret desire for or ambition for, but we’ve laid it down in our service to Him, and then He goes and does it better than we could have asked for. He says, «You’re being renewed in your youth. You’re actually turning the clock back in your energy level, your vision level, your health—all these things are being turned back.» Why? Because God started satisfying the deep cry of the heart instead of you trying to fulfill it yourself. See, when I make the paneled house my goal, then I have holes in my wallet. I have food that doesn’t satisfy, etc., etc. But when I make His house, His assignment for my life, the priority, then suddenly it just all works really well, and it just turns the clock back. There’s renewed vision, there’s renewed hope, renewed energy—renews your life like the eagle.
So my prayer is, God, that you’d help us become unusually aware. In fact, I found myself praying this week for the dream life, so I’ll pray it for you right now: God, that You would visit us in the night; that our dreams would become prophetically clear; give us perspective on what’s coming; help us in the appetites of our hearts to really engage fully in what You’re saying and fully in what You’re doing, not compromising purpose for personal gain, but really embracing all that You’ve designed us for. Help us to live in such a way that we actually awaken a conscience in a city. God, we need it! I pray that for us as a church family. I thank You for family and friends that would join together, our online family—we bless You in Jesus’s name. Just pray, God, awaken in us the conscience that awakens a conscience in others. I ask this in Jesus’s name.