The Time is Now: Part 1 - "The Hard Right" with Craig Groeschel - Life.Church

The Time Is Now

Scripture References

Primary text

• Haggai 1:2
• Haggai 1:3-5
• Haggai 1:6
• Haggai 1:7-8

Other references

• Acts 2

Overview

God’s people once abandoned the work of rebuilding His Temple because the project became difficult. Through the prophet Haggai the Lord declared, “The time is now.” Craig Groeschel draws a straight line from that moment to ours: when we delay obedience, our lives feel empty; when we move in faith, God meets us. The sermon calls each listener to identify any unfinished assignment, choose the hard right over the easy wrong, and take the first visible step today.

Context

Life.Church is celebrating more than 1,500 baptisms, evidence that God is still transforming lives. The new series walks through the Old-Testament book of Haggai, written to exiles who had returned to Jerusalem yet stalled on God’s work for 14 years.

Main Points

1. When expectations crash

• Many arrive at stages of life thinking, “I thought there would be more.”
• Career, marriage, parenting, or “trying religion” can still leave a hollow place when God’s call is sidelined.
• That same disappointment colored Judah’s mood in Haggai’s day.

2. Backstory: from Solomon’s glory to Babylon’s ruin

• Solomon built a breathtaking Temple.
• After his death Judah drifted into idolatry.
• 587 BC: Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, dragging the people into 50 years of captivity.
• 538 BC: about 50,000 Jews returned, laid the Temple foundation and altar, but opposition from Samaritans stalled the work for 14 years.
• During the delay they built elegant “paneled houses” for themselves.

3. God’s wake-up call: “These people…” (Haggai 1:2)

• God, usually saying “My people,” distanced Himself: “These people say the time has not yet come.”
• Observation: we often interpret opposition as a sign God is against us; in reality, meaningful obedience usually attracts resistance.
• Principle: The closer you move toward what matters to God, the more likely you’ll face opposition.

4. Choose the hard right over the easy wrong

• Refrain taught: with God’s help, repeatedly pick the hard right instead of the easy wrong.
  • Forgive rather than resent.
  • Live beneath your means rather than pile up debt.
  • Persist in God’s calling rather than quit when it becomes difficult.

5. God’s three-step plan (Haggai 1:7-8)

“Go up into the mountains, bring down the timber, and build My house.”

• Simple clarity: God supplies the next step, not the entire blueprint.
• His Word is a lamp to our feet—steps 1-2-3 come before He shows 4-5-6.
• Modern parallels:
  • Want health? — eat wisely, sleep, exercise.
  • Want financial freedom? — seek counsel, spend less, pay down debt.
  • Want a healed marriage? — humble yourself, apologize, resume the practices of love.

6. The unfinished assignment

• Each listener was asked to identify something God once prompted—an apology, a ministry, a gift, a conversation, a habit—and view the rest of the message through that lens.
• Craig’s own example: years of resisting daily prayer with his wife because it felt inconvenient; obeying produced deeper emotional, spiritual, and even physical closeness.

7. Obedience is ours; outcome is God’s

• We are not responsible for results—only for taking the next faithful step.
• Blessings on the other side of obedience are greater than imagined, but they remain unseen until we act.

8. Salvation invitation: “The time is now”

• A life filled with things yet empty inside needs Christ, not more pursuits.
• Jesus died and rose to forgive every sin and bring new life.
• Many responded, lifting hands to surrender to Jesus as Lord.

Key Truths

• Delay in obedience breeds spiritual emptiness.
• Opposition often confirms you are on the right track with God.
• God typically reveals direction in manageable steps, not full roadmaps.
• Obedience requires choosing hard rights over easy wrongs, empowered by the Spirit.
• Outcomes belong to God; faithfulness belongs to us.

Response

• Identify one unfinished assignment the Spirit brings to mind.
• Take the first visible step today—no further details required.
• Replace excuses with prayerful action: go up the mountain, bring down the timber, build.
• When faced with choice this week, consciously pick the hard right over the easy wrong.
• Engage in Christian community (Acts 2 fellowship) for support and accountability.

Closing

Craig urged every believer to stop talking and start doing. God’s message through Haggai echoes now: the time is now. Each act of obedience, no matter how small, positions us to witness God’s power and provision.

“Go up into the mountains, bring down the timber, and build My house.”

Prayer

Craig thanked God for speaking, asked for courage to act on unfinished assignments, and interceded for those just beginning their walk with Christ, that they would follow Him wholeheartedly.