Overcoming The Mountain Of Disappointment

Pastor Allan Kircher

Shell Point Baptist Church

November 3rd, 2013

Haggai 2:1-9

OVERCOMING THE MOUNTAIN OF DISAPPOINTMENT

Satan/always doing/utmost/stall/work of God.

• He hindered/Jews/building/temple

• Today he endeavors/hinder/people/God/spreading/gospel.

• Only design is to hurt the cause of God.

• To do his infernal work, he has many weapons in his arsenal.

• greed/anger/Malice/false accusation/lust/Evil desires

• the temptation to revenge.

• Of all his weapons/none/sharper/one called discouragement.

• If he can get/saints/God to despair over their efforts

• His battle is already won.

Disappointment is the theme of this passage.

• People/Israel/prophet Haggai/disappointed/discouraged.

• Years earlier/586 BC/Babylonians had invaded Israel.

• Taken/people/Babylon as captives.

• Babylonians destroyed Solomon's Temple/Jerusalem.

After 50 years, some/people/allowed/return/Israel.

• They began/process/rebuilding/Temple.

• Work stopped/opposition/Samaritans.

• 16 years/Temple remained unfinished.

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Then, God raised up/prophet Haggai to call the people back to their task of rebuilding the Temple.

• People responded/voice of God's man/began to build again.

• Only a month/they became discouraged/again wanted/quit.

• were disappointed/Temple/building

• Discouraged in the work they were doing.

Haggai writes to them/challenge them/encourage them/carry on.

• That is a message I think we could all use today.

• Do you ever get discouraged?

• Do you ever find yourself disappointed/your work/Lord?

• We all do!

Times when disappointment looms over us like an impossibly high, impassable mountain.

If we are not careful: Our disappointments can:

• Derail our lives and cause us to lose faith and focus.

• Even cause us to quit/Lord.

The lessons taught here can help us when we are overwhelmed by disappointment and want to quit.

I want to talk to you about Overcoming The Mountain Of Disappointment.

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I. THE CAUSES OF DISAPPOINTMENT

The reasons for their disappointment are many

• Most of them revolve around a bad memory.

• Memory can be a blessing or a curse.

• Jews were guilty/focusing/negative

• Forgetting all about/positive.

• For these Jews memory was a heavy burden that hindered their progress.

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v. 3a The Things We Remember – Haggai asked the question, “Who is left among you that saw this house in her former glory?”

• Haggai prophesied in 520/Temple/destroyed/586 BC.

• 66 years since Solomon's Temple had been destroyed.

• some people among/Jews/seen/first Temple

• One built by Solomon.

• They remembered its glory, it's gold covered walls

• contained $20,000,000.00 worth of gold

• Its splendor, its size, and its breathtaking beauty.

• Recalled/glory days

• Shekinah glory/God filled/temple

• House of God reverberated with his praises.

Same people looked/Temple/building now

• Seemed to be an embarrassment to them.

• seemed so small/so shabby

• Compared/wonderful Temple/destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.

• Scene is described/Ezra 3:9-13.

• These people looked back/remembered the past.

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Remembering the past is not always a bad thing, but they chose to live in the past, that is never good!

All they could consider was how things used to be, had no interest in how things were now.

• I have been/here 10 years…

• Some/you/been around a lot longer/I have

• Have truly seen many changes/church.

• Sometimes, we/so tied/past/we have no interest/future.

• just want things/way they used to be

For these Jews memory became a curse

• they not only remembered the past

• They chose to live there!

• When we choose to hold on to the past

• We refuse to serve God/present/remember/wrong things

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B. v. 4-5 The Things We Forget

In these verses God reminds them He was with them in the past.

• There when they crossed/Red Sea.

• Author/all/great miracles that adorned Israel's past.

• Always been/them

• There during/glory days/Solomon's Temple.

• Always been there.

• Standing by every promise He had ever made to His people.

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Then, God tells them that He is still there!

God said, “I am still here, just like I have always been!”

Think about what the Lord is telling them. He is saying,

• “Abraham is gone/Moses/David/Solomon is gone.

• The first Temple is gone. But, I am still here! Fear not!”

You see, they looked/Temple built/Solomon/they remembered its grandeur and majesty.

They looked/Temple now building/were discouraged/differences.

• What they could not see was God did not see a difference!

• God not concerned/external glory/house.

• This house just as much His as the first.

• Prepared to dwell there/meet/His people there

• Bless there just as much as the first Temple.

God is telling them:

• Forget about the past/who isn’t here

• Forget about/things you don’t have any longer

• Those things are gone and gone forever!

• In spite of that, God is here! He has never left.

• His power is still the same.

• Therefore, keep working!

• Don't look back to the past.

• Don't worry about who isn't here, focus on Who is.

• Don't be intimidated by daunting circumstances