Text: Haggai 1:12-15, Title: The Anatomy of Repentance, Date/Place: NRBC, 3/4/07, AM
A. Opening illustration: my talk the other night about the causality of the immoral lifestyle in Cambodia
B. Background to passage: Haggai had just finished a stirring message from God about the people’s failure to love God first and foremost, and desire His awesome presence through worship at the temple. The Lord speaks to their misplaced priorities and self-centered, rather than kingdom-centered existence. And according to our text today, the people responded appropriately with repentance. So, almost 20 years after they had returned and failed to rebuild the temple, and about three weeks after Haggai began to declare the Word of the Lord, they began to get busy. So, our text gives us some great insight about our response to the Word of God on a daily basis, and how to repent, and what happens in repentance.
C. Main thought: So we will look at three aspects of repentance that took place in the fall of 520 BC in Jer.
A. Two Human Responses (v. 12)
1. First note that the leadership led. The same two men that were mentioned up in v. 1 led the revival. However, the leaders were not the only ones; the text speaks of the “remnant of the people.” Explain them as those that have emerged from the chastening woodshed of God humbled and purified from iniquity. Some commentators suggested that they were the remnant because they did obey and fear. Next, note that they associated the words of Haggai with the voice of God. The prophet’s authority does not come from experience, age, education, wisdom, etc, but from God. His message is authoritative because it came from the throne. Now to the point: the people first heard/obeyed and they feared. The word implies a willing heart that listens (word can be translated “hear” as in the Shema). They listened to God, not only heard, but listened, and brought forth fruit worthy of repentance. And secondly, they feared the presence of the Lord. The fear of the Lord was very close to the center of OT teaching, and often used of the response toward judgment. Both of these words are imperfect tense telling us that their actions are continual.
2. Neh 1:5-7, Dan 9:3-10, Isa 6:9-10, Ps 66:16, Pro 1:7, Deut 6:2, Acts 2:43, 5:11, 9:31, 19:17,Matt 10:28, Ex 15:11, 2 Sam 7:23, 2 Cor 5:11,
3. Illustration: I’ve met a lot of leaders in the Army who were very competent—but they didn’t have character. – Gen. Schwarzkopf “The danger is that we become used to listening to the word without responding in actions, to feed the intellect without moving the affections and impacting the will.” Simply looking at Buddy when he has done something bad, and he runs.
4. If revival and repentance is to take place the leadership within the congregation must be the ones to stand up and acknowledge their failure, and lead in repentance. Within a church, people will not follow a one-man show. They want to see that all the leadership is hearing and doing what God says. Within the church of Jesus Christ there will always be those that are the true remnant, who have emerged pure from testing, and truly have a kingdom priority. And there were also be those that never get it—those that are always here, but never hear. The word never gets into their heart; they believe in a superficial sense, or at least they claim to, but fruit is not borne. Are you part of the remnant at New River? I get tired of people in the pastoral ministry/church growth movement trying to teach that leader must wait a long time before attempting major change, time to build all the necessary relationships. And I know that they are well-meaning, and probably very wise, and very pragmatic; and I know that a leader should build relationships with his people; but the only relationship that authority is based upon in the kingdom is with God. Our Southern Baptist culture says that a leader must win the support, not scripture. Scripture teaches that when the message comes from God through his messenger, it needs no other authority. We must take careful steps to prevent the monotony of our life as a Christian becoming our enemy. We must reverence the Word as they did in Neh 8 and wept because of their failure. We must be reflective and evaluative of our own life. We must be diligent to record or remember specific things about which the Lord has convicted us of. Formulate a plan, and look for accountability if you really want to obey the Lord. Discuss with family and friends how God spoke to you, and how He is working in your life. Much of all of this begins with our fearing God in a healthy fashion. We don’t worry that God may judge, punish, chasten us, much less take our life. We don’t reverence a God who had done the might wonders that the bible says our God has done. We never tremble before the presence of the Holy One who has come down to deal with us. Fathers don’t tremble before the God who will call them to account for how they deal with wives and children. SS teachers don’t tremble before God who they will attempt to speak for each week. Church members do not fear God’s wrath as they hold grudges and live unfaithfully to the covenant that we have agreed to. And if we do not fear Him, how do we expect sinners to tremble?
B. A Divine Promise (v. 13)
1. Notice the conjunction marking order “then.” When the people began to fear and obey God, He shows up! Remember this is what they wanted—His blessing. For maybe the first time since their return from Babylon the manifest presence of the Lord has returned to Israel. And remember this was the problem in the last message—the people didn’t want God’s presence. But now they (the remnant), convicted and contrite, desire the Lord, and He assures them of His awesomely satisfying, work-sustaining, priority reordering, brilliantly blinding presence. But do remember this promise applied to the remnant.
2. Ex 33:13-17, 2 Sam 7:3, Josh 1:5, Isa 41:10, 64:5, Jer 1:8, 19, Matt 1:23, Matt 28:20, Acts 18:10, Rom 8:28,
3. Illustration: that song Your Grace is Enough, the three Hebrew children, Philip Crosby, in his book March Till They Die, tells of a forced march of American and European soldiers in Korea. In November of 1950, Philip Crosby and his friends, as they passed close to those GI’s who were having a hard time keeping up, would say slowly in a whisper, so as not to be heard, "God is near us in this dark hour. His love is real. His mercy is real. His forgiveness is real. His reward is waiting for us." You don’t have to be alone in your hurt! Comfort is yours. Joy is an option. And it’s all been made possible by your Savior. He went without comfort so you might have it. He postponed joy so you might share in it. He willingly chose isolation so you might never be alone in your hurt and sorrow. –Joni Erickson Tada
4. Isn’t it interesting in life that if we begin to live life God’s way, things begin to fall into place for us. Not that we are without problems, but that we are with the Lord. His all-satisfying presence is enough to calm our fears, remove our doubts, supply our strength even during the most difficult circumstances. And as we spoke of last week, if we are dissatisfied, we are probably seeking satisfaction in the wrong places. And it is the presence of the Lord we need. So stop seeking your needs, and begin seeking his face, and all these things shall be added unto you. Become the remnant in your home, in our church, in your office, and you will experience the presence of God to strengthen, sustain, empower, and satisfy every need. But do not claim the promise if you are not willing to walk the walk, for it will not be.
C. A Divine Provision (v. 14)
1. It is amazing how that the bible usually balances teaching on both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man—Phil 2:12-13, Eph 2:8-10, Luke 15. And what we saw in the beginning of this passage was the response of men toward God, but in the last part of the text we see the ultimate cause. God provided the “stirring of the spirits” of the leaders and the people. In the Hebrew, the verb is in the Hiphil form which indicates causality. God is the ultimate cause. Zerubbabel didn’t manipulate the people through a slick presentation. He didn’t get the latest trends in church growth to stir up the remnant. God reached into the innermost beings of these men and people and inclined their heart toward Him and toward the work. What a great and grand truth—the absolute sovereignty of God in all things even down to the desires of our hearts and intentions of our wills. There is a sense in which we must act for ourselves and incline our own hearts, but ultimately behind all that God is doing the prompting.
2. 1 Chron 5:26, 2 Chron 36:22, Ezra 1:5, Prov 21:1, 2 Tim 2:25, Acts 11:18, John 15:5, 2 Cor 8:16, Heb 13:20-21, Ps 119:36, 141:4, 1 Kings 8:57-58
3. Illustration: “In fulfilling the work of the kingdom, it is surprising how often the church focuses on the human level (at the expense of the divine one) and robs God of the glory due His Name.” There are things about my testimony and call to ministry that I cannot explain without the prodding of my will by God.
4. Where God guides, He provides. And in this case, where He commands, He provides. God will always provide us the resources to accomplish what He wants. If things happen in our lives, it is because of Him. And this applies not only to Christian people, but to all people. This means that God can cause your unbelieving boss or spouse to have favor toward you or Him. This truth is not an assault on human autonomy. It is an exaltation to the fame of God. It elevates our understanding of His power and our dependency on that power for everything that we do. If God didn’t provide the unction, we would never do anything good. Here is the very practical application: if God is to revive us at NRBC, we are to grow and flourish for the kingdom, if that unbelieving spouse or coworker is going to come to know Christ, it will all be because God does it. Therefore, we should be on our faces begging the Great Sovereign of the Universe to work in the hearts of men and women. This is why prayer is so important to church growth, evangelism, missions, etc. God has to do the real work. Decisions are fine, but if they are manipulated instead of borne within the heart of a person by the work of God, they will not last.
A. Closing illustration: If God did not bless, not one hair, not a solitary wisp of straw, would grow; but there would be an end of everything. At the same time God wants me to take this stand: I would have nothing whatever if I did not plow and sow. God does not want to have success come without work, and yet I am not to achieve it by my work. He does not want me to sit at home, to loaf, to commit matters to God, and to wait till a fried chicken flies into my mouth. That would be tempting God - Luther
B. So the Lord stirred up the remnant of the people and the leadership, they obeyed and feared God, God promised His presence, and the work commenced.
C. Invitation to commitment
