1. To discover the three aspects the Lord presented for bringing the present glory to the house of Israel.

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1 The Present Glory Biblical Reference The future glory of this temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven s Armies (Haggai 2:9a) MODULE 3 LESSON 1 Objectives 1. To discover the three aspects the Lord presented for bringing the present glory to the house of Israel. 2. To recognise the importance of the revelation of the Cross in the life of a believer. 3. To become committed to building God s house by being an active part of His revival. INTRODUCTION The temple of God gave direction to the people of Israel. Nevertheless, when they turned away from God s laws, His judgement came on the nation and the temple was destroyed. The people suffered many hardships, including The Diaspora - when the tribes of Israel were scattered across all the nations of the earth. God later had to move the hearts of His people to go back to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the temple. When they had returned, they were so absorbed in their problems that they took their eyes off their primary goal - rebuilding the House of God. People can only be saved through the preaching of the Gospel. When people sink into religious conformity, they lose their vision, their spirit of conquest, their faith, and their direction. In Haggai 1, God exhorts His people and provides a diagnosis of the crisis. The root of the problem was very simple: They were not committed to building the House of God. Through the prophet, the Lord Himself presented three aspects necessary for bringing the present glory to the house of Israel. Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified, says the Lord (Haggai 1:8 NASB).

2 1. GO UP THE MOUNTAIN (Psalm 24:3) Consider this question: Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Psalm 24 provides the answer: The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the Lord (Psalm 24:4-5a). Note that ascending the mountain of the Lord implies: Purity of heart. Holiness of soul (guarding our lips from words that do not edify, avoiding speaking negatively). God told Moses to go up Mount Sinai. There He revealed the Ten Commandments to him, along with instructions for building the tabernacle. The Lord concluded by warning Moses to do everything according to what He had shown him. I was impacted when I read about John s experience of prayer in Revelation: On the Lord s Day I was in the Spirit (Rev 1:10a). I asked myself, Why does John say that he was in the Spirit, if we assume that he lived in the Spirit, that is in another dimension, in the dimension of faith? God made this question so real to me that I started to pray, and He told me: Son, I want to teach you what I mean by being in the Spirit. John s prayer was no longer the normal kind of prayer, a prayer he usually prayed. It was an intense prayer, a perseverant prayer, a prayer of decision, just as Jacob experienced when he wrestled with the angel, when he said I will not let you go unless you bless me (Genesis 32:26b). When we pray in this way, we break the glass ceiling, we go beyond the natural, and we leave the world of simple logic and enter into the Kingdom of God. In this way, we ascend the mountain of the Lord and obtain the blessings He has for us. The Lord told Joshua, I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses (Joshua 1:3). They won ground through one-on-one battles. If Joshua and his army overcame and stepped foot on the land, they conquered it. We however are now in Jesus kingdom, so our conquests happen in the realm of faith. If we step over the imaginary line and ascend the mountain of God, we will see the blessings the Lord has for us. We will be able to see the size of our ministry, we will sense God s provision for our homes, and we will visualise all that we desire, both spiritually and materially. Today, God wants to motivate you to ascend His mountain, to break away from the traditional, to leave aside the ordinary, to leave the world of simple logic and to enter into the divine land. Ascend the spiritual mountain, enter the presence of the Lord and pray with all your heart until you see the blessings God has for your life.

3 2. BRING WOOD When Jesus came to the earth, He said, on this rock I will build my church (Matthew 16:18a) and changed Simon s name to Peter (meaning rock). Peter later said, You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5a). The wood that the Lord was referring to here was the Cross, where Jesus died. When he says, Bring wood, you cannot bring an unknown kind of wood. The wood of the Cross must first be revealed to you before you can bring it. The Lord is telling you, Come up the mountain of God and experience the revelation of the Cross. Get to know Jesus, not through tradition, or by hearing about him in history, but through personal experience. Identify with the Cross until you feel you are literally crucified with Christ, until you feel that Jesus death is your own death, that every curse, bondage, sickness and oppression from the past is left completely destroyed on the Cross of Calvary. It is impossible for those who have not experienced the revelation of the Cross to build the house of God. As pastors, we aim to lead our church into this dimension to ensure that each believer has the revelation of the Cross. Mel Gibson s movie, The Passion of the Christ, shows a reflection of Jesus suffering. It is striking how the movie s director attempts to depict the pain of our Saviour; it shows how the Roman guard s whip burned with rage against Jesus, mercilessly tearing apart His flesh. All of the crucifixion, however, was written about long before it ever happened, in prophecies throughout the Bible. The Messiah suffered, not for His own sake because He had no sin of which He needed to repent, but for us. He did all this so that you and I could be free from curse and eternal condemnation. When we understand the revelation of the Cross: Our eyes are opened and we receive Jesus death as our death to sin. The curse we carried, the oppression and bondage that ruled us for years, is destroyed. Whoever experiences the revelation of the Cross, will no longer allow the enemy to tempt him or her through the desires of the flesh. When you understand the power of the cross, you live each day in victory. Paul understood the power of the Cross and said, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20a). Every day we bring our nature to the Cross of Calvary, we take the wood and we tell Him; Lord, today I bring my nature before You, I deny myself, take up the Cross of Christ and follow You. I renounce my own wil, I renounce my own desires and I accept your will.

4 When someone has experienced the revelation of the Cross, they are able to help many people and are able to see lives surrendered at the feet of Christ. Paul said: When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). The centre of your message must be the Cross; that is where you find your source of inspiration. The Lord is telling you: Come up the mountain, die with Christ, experience the revelation of the Cross, deny yourself, take up your Cross and follow Me every day. 3. REBUILD THE TEMPLE In one of his letters, Paul tells the Ephesians that they are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). This was an era when the Church burned with passion for the Lord. Christians were willing to offer their own lives for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. The threat of being thrown into the gladiator s arena to be killed and devoured by lions did not worry them; they burned with passion and love for Jesus. As time went by however, Christians began adapting to their circumstances and fell into conformity. The Lord had to exhort them to return to their first love (Revelation 2:4-6). When our first love is lost, it can only be restored through genuine repentance. I once asked our church s leadership team in Bogotá, Do you remember how you used to burn for Jesus when you first got saved? The majority of them had previously had a deep compassion for reaching the lost for Jesus; they were sold out for God and would defy every obstacle they faced. They were always the first to arrive at intercession in the mornings and would do anything they could for the Lord. However, almost without noticing, some of them allowed themselves to be trapped by people s flattery once they had reached their goals, and this started to affect them. Even though God gave them sufficient time to repent, three of them refused and God had to take them out of the church. When they left, the church experienced tremendous freedom because everyone s eyes were opened and they all humbled their hearts in repentance before the Lord. God not only restored the Church, He gave us a greater anointing for conquering.

5 Activity 1 - Handout - tudents Haggai 2:9 (NLT): The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. Romans 1:16 (NLT): "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."

6 Activity 2 - Worksheet - Students Write a short description of what you think Jesus went through on the cross in the first person, as if it were you:

7 4. REMAINING LOYAL AT ALL TIMES As believers, we will have to face adversities. One of the areas where the enemy will try and seduce leaders is in their loyalty. Jesus is the greatest example of faithfulness; who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (Philippians 2:6-7). When the Father entrusted Jesus with the responsibility of redeeming humanity, and all that this implied, He neither doubted nor discussed it. He obeyed and did all that the Father asked Him to do. He also said, I have come in my Father s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him (John 5:43). He who speaks on his own does so to gain honour for himself, but he who works for the honour of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him (John 7:18). Jesus never dared to give His own message; He always preferred to submit to the Father s command. Those who lose their loyalty generally stop honouring those who have been their authorities. Paul said, Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves (Romans 13:1-2). When we remain loyal, God will increase in us the anointing to win souls and make disciples. When we remain faithful in times of trials, we will be able to help those who are in the midst of battles to emerge victorious. CONCLUSION Continuous, lasting success in carrying out the work God requires a life completely surrendered at his feet. Our commitment is something dynamic, not static. This means that every believer who commits to rebuilding His house must be sure that they are, at all times, living in the realm of the Holy Spirit, and that they are progressing to greater levels of conquest as they recognise that all the glory is the Lord s.

8 Destiny Training - The Present Glory Module 3 Lesson 1 Name: Pastor: Date: Please hand in at your next training session Activity Questionnaire 1 1. Once the imaginary line is crossed into the level of faith, what are the things that you long to conquer? 2. What can bring the Latter Glory into a life? a. b. c. 3. Mark T (True) or F (False): a. When you have the power of the Cross you will live every day in victory. ( ) b. Who can go up the mountain? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully ( ) c. It is impossible for someone who has not experienced the Revelation of the Cross to build a house for God. ( ) d. We must remain faithful, and then God will increase the anointing within us to win souls and make disciples. ( ) 4. Complete the following: a. Let everyone be subject to the, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, rebels against the authority is against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring on themselves. (Romans 13:1-2). b. The latter glory of this house will be greater that the former, ( ).