Haggai’s Call From Stagnation To Renewal

Sermon – Haggai’s Call From Stagnation to Renewal

Scripture Text: Haggai Chapter 1:1-15 “On August 29 of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave a message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord. You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops. I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!”

So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, on September 21 of the second year of King Darius’s reign.”

Introduction: Stagnation can naturally happen when you don't make any changes for a long time. This is not a lesson on Idolatry or sin, this is a warning against staleness. This causes you to become more and more set in your ways and less and less inclined to make changes. It's difficult to leave somewhere comfortable when you've had bad previous experiences. Pinpointing the cause of stagnation is crucial for finding the right solution. Here are the common culprits: Lack of Clear Goals – Without a compelling vision, progress can feel aimless. Fear of Change – Comfort zones can be deceptive, making it difficult to take risks. It can happen after a setback, an illness, an injury, a difficult relationship or even when we've spent a long time caring for people. Stagnation means to not flow or move. So, in essence we can become stuck.

Renewal is a matter of the heart. Renewal begins when believers realize that something has changed, become weak and died. Israel had lost so much, their temple, temple worship and the presence of God. The work God assigned them to do had come to a halt. Now being sidetrack, looking for someone to blame, they only needed to look at themselves. Then God said, Consider your ways or set your heart upon your ways. An outpour occurs when heaven comes down, but renewal begins with a spark from within. It is when the Lord sparks the enthusiasm in the heart with a hunger and a desire to be and do what God commands. That expression “consider your ways,” means to closely consider our ways and actions in the light of the word of God.

Let me share a story with you about some church people… It’s about 4 people in the church whose names were Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. The story goes as follows, “The church had some financial responsibilities, and Everybody was asked to help… Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it… Anybody could have done it… But you know who did it? Nobody… It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Then the church grounds needed some work, and Somebody was asked to help… But Somebody got mad, because Anybody could have done it, and after all, it was really Everybody’s job… In the end the work was given to Nobody, and Nobody did a fine job.