What The World Needs Now Is A Word From God Series

What The World Needs Now Is A Word From God.

Haggai Sermon Series (2 of 3) 7/31/11 FBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson Speaker

Introduction:

A We could overlook the significance of the time stamp on this text (2.1) if weren’t careful.

1 Stuff means stuff to God (Numbers, colors, dates have significance to Him.) (You will see this in late September when I begin teaching about the Tallit/Prayer Shawl.)

a “On the twenty-first of the seventh month . . .”

b Lev. 23.33,34; 41-43

aa Feast of Booths, which was/is a God appointed time to remember the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, sleeping in tents while they enjoyed the manifest presence/Shekinah glory of God 24 hours a day.

bb 1 Kings 8.2, Solomon dedicated the Temple he built during the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths!

cc From Solomon’s Temple sacrifice would have been offered on its alters, worship offered up to God, ministry performed to the Lord.

c Zerubbabel’s Temple would be continuation of this things and the encouragement given on the 21st of the seventh month is just confirmation! (Times change but ministry goes on!)

2 The people Zerubbabel was leading in the rebuilding of the Temple were not just building wall, but they were also hitting a wall spiritually. DISCOURAGED

a There were people still around who had seen Solomon’s Temple with their own eyes (Zerubbabel one of them) and all they heard was how elegant, opulent the former Temple was and it was.

aa The older generation would constantly talk about back in the day were when they were kids/coming up had this/did that and the old was much better the new.

bb (Ceilings, doors, floors, walls, furniture, molding, etc. were all covered w/ gold.)

cc (We saw Solomon’s Temple. You guys are building a Sanford & Son Temple.)

b The attitude of the older generation were crushing the younger generations spirit, tainted their attitude and discouraged them from doing what God had called them to do for that time.

c Our attitudes effect those who serve, labor, work, worship beside us.

3 Last week we learned how God dealt with 16 years of excused absences.

a How Israel allowed the oppositions opinions, money, selfishness to side-track them from fulfilling their destiny/calling for 16 years.

aa God sent the prophet Haggai to preach four sermons over about a four month period to them moving again.

b Learned how they obeyed, worshiped & went back to work on the Lord’s House. Stirred their heart.

B Today, we’ll resume this mini-sermon series with “Changing Your Attitude Altars Your Altitude”

1 We will see how . . .

a Courage is an attitude (state of mind, world-view).

b Attitudes can adjusted by the Almighty (You are not predestined to be negative, bitter, critical, scoffer, mocker).

2 Pray

I Courage is an attitude (Courage (chazaq) is used over 300 times in Scripture.)

A Three times God encourages the Temple Builders to take courage (2.4)

1 These are the same people He shredded in chapter 1 for their excuses, apathy, flawed priorities, allowing the enemy to stop the work in the first place, etc.

a You may have been disobedient, disengaged, disingenuous, derelict in Christian duty, fallen away, dropped out, embarrassed your family, friends, church . . . but God still has a destiny for you.

b If you get right with Him, He’ll have a word for you.

2 Take Courage can mean to be agile, quick, be strong, conquer, be consistent, be alert, to bind or to restrain. (opposite of cowardice.)

a The temple builders (Jews) had became discouraged in their building project.

aa Three weeks before they were on fire, revival, broken, restored, back on track...

bb Now, they are bummed out.

b This was the enemies plan “B.”

aa If the enemy couldn’t keep them from building the Lord’s House then he would attack their attitude of how they did the work!

bb The devil is just as content if we defeat ourselves as if he had done it himself.

c Solomon’s Temple was opulent, elegant, extravegent, lavish, moneyed.

aa They’d say to themselves, “What we’re doing is nothing compared to Solomon’s Temple. We’re just stacking blocks . . . we have no gold, no ark, no contents . . . just stacking blocks.”

bb v.3, God & Haggai agree it isn’t no Solomon’s Temple.

d God says, “Your not building Solomon’s Temple; you’re building my house!”

aa God doesn’t ask them to do what they and Him cannot do together; give what they cannot give; go where they cannot go with Him together.

bb The people were beating themselves up because what they were doing/building didn’t seem like much.

cc Zechariah 4.9,10, “God doesn’t despise small things...why should we?”

dd I think it is a devil’s victory when we hold ourselves to a higher standard than what God holds us to. (Where does the bible tells us not to dance?)