It’s appropriate to ask, on the day of our AGM, how committed are you to the work of God here at St Theodore’s? It’s a question that we all need to consider as we come to look at Haggai ch 1.
If you’ve been here over the last month or so, you’ll know that we’ve been working our way through Zechariah. The main issue in Zechariah, as it is in Haggai, is the rebuilding of the Temple, as a place where God’s name will be known, and to which all the nations on earth will be drawn in worship. But the interesting thing is that even though these two prophecies were written within a couple of months of each other they each give a different angle to the message. In fact, it’s as though they were two sides of the same coin. One of the things we’ve discovered as we’ve looked at Zechariah, is the encouragement to keep working at the project, even though their resources are poor, because in the end what matters is that God is with them. The success of their task depends on the power of God, not on their own ability. But here in Haggai we find a different slant on the message. Here we discover that the success of the project also depends on the willingness of the people to play their part.
Here we discover 4 things that the people need to do if the Temple is to be rebuilt. Here we discover 4 things that we need to do if the Church of God is to be built. They (and we) need to Refuse to Offer Excuses (vs1-2), Get their Priorities Right (vs3-6), Get Involved in the Lord’s Work (vs7-12), and Receive God’s Enabling (vs13-15).
Refuse to Offer Excuses (1:1-2)
The prophecy begins with a date. It’s the 2nd year of King Darius, on the first day of the 6th month. Dates are no longer set by the Kings of Israel, notice, but by the King of Persia. Perhaps that’s a reminder to the people of how far they’ve sunk through their rebellion against God. For those who are interested, the date is Aug 29, 520 BC. That is, it’s the end of the summer harvest. And it’s addressed to Zerubbabel and Joshua, the leaders of the people. They’re the representatives of the people in the political and religious spheres, respectively. And the message comes with a sad ring to it. It begins by referring to the people of Israel as "This People". In the past they were always "My People," even in some of the later prophecies when god was warning them of the judgement to come, but now there’s a certain distance between God and them. The reason for this distance becomes clear as we read on. They’ve failed to rebuild the Temple. They’ve been more worried about building their own houses and businesses than worrying about God’s House. And, he says, listen to the excuses they give: "The time isn’t yet right". They can’t rebuild the Temple because there’s so much to do to get their own properties fixed up. Their businesses are still struggling. They need to put all their energy into making their businesses pay so they’ll have money to give to the Temple fund.
There’s something of a modern ring about this isn’t there? Life’s so pressured these days. If I don’t work on Sundays the boss will get upset and I mightn’t get that next promotion. I’m working 6 days a week and Sunday’s the only day I have for myself or my family. I hear all sorts of excuses for why people aren’t able to worship with God’s people on a weekly basis.
The same goes for evangelism. There are all sorts of reasons you can come up with for not sharing your faith with others. They won’t want to hear. They’re quite happy the way they are. Why should I impose my views on them? They might think less of me if they know I’m a Christian. They might even poke fun at me. What if they ask me questions I can’t answer?
And there’s another side to this excuse that the people give. "The time hasn’t yet come for the Temple to be built" might be a roundabout way of saying God hasn’t done his bit. That seems to be the implication of what follows. Things are still tough for us. When God helps us get on our feet economically, then we’ll get round to working on the Temple. When our bank balance builds up a bit, then we’ll happily contribute to the building fund or the budget deficit. I remember talking to someone in a previous congregation about how much they gave to Church. They were fairly well off, living in a very nice house in an expensive part of the suburb. They explained to me that they believed in tithing. That was a good start, I thought. But then they said that what they tithed was what they had left after they’d paid their tax and their house repayments, and any other major expenses. In fact their tithe was nothing like a tenth of their income. But of course if God did his bit and their income increased, then they’d have more to give.
This is a warning for us isn’t it? It’s very easy to blame God for what we’ve failed to do. Often our excuse are mere pretexts for our own laziness or our own fear. They might even hide a selfish reinvestment of our time in our own pet projects. It’s interesting isn’t it, how I always seem to be able to find time for those things that are a high priority for me. That in fact is the next thing Haggai has to say.
Get Your Priorities Right (1:3-6)
Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4"Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruin?"
Their excuses seemed plausible enough if you didn’t examine them too closely. After all, a person does need somewhere warm and dry to call their own. They did need to rebuild their houses when they returned from exile. But when you look at what God says to them you discover a couple of things that they weren’t actually admitting.
First of all, these weren’t just shacks they’d put up to keep out the weather. They’re panelled houses. These are the sorts of houses you expect to see on a heritage tour of Britain. Cedar and walnut panelling. Inlays and beautiful cornice work. Perhaps even the sort of thing you might find in some of our houses. Not that these things are bad in themselves. It’s just that building these fine houses had taken precedence over building God’s house.
God’s response is simple. He says that God’s work must come before our work.
Then he gives them the motivation they need for getting their priorities right. He does it by making 5 statements: "You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes in it." They think they’re working towards prosperity and success, but it’s all futile. Why? Because they’ve got their priorities wrong. All through the Old Testament, God has been telling them that prosperity will come as a natural consequence of living godly lives. It’s only when their relationship with God is right that they’ll enjoy the blessings of beingthe people of God. Jesus says the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount, doesn’t he? (Mat 6:31-33 NRSV) "Therefore do not worry, saying, ’What will we eat?’ or ’What will we drink?’ or ’What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Get your priorities right!
Again, there’s a very modern ring to v6 isn’t there? One of the great afflictions of our modern world is the sense of futility that so many people feel. We seem to be working harder than ever before, yet without any great results. We don’t seem to be any happier than people were 40 years ago. For all our modern appliances, convenience foods, easy access to entertainment, etc., we don’t seem to have any more time for leisure and recreation. In fact the opposite seems to be the case. We have less time to ourselves now than we ever did.
So what does God say? He says "Give careful thought to your ways." He says "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." How do we do that? Like the people of Haggai’s day we do it by working to build the house of God. As we saw a few weeks ago, that’s not the temple any more. The new house of God is the Church of Jesus Christ, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. (Eph 2:20). So start building. Get involved.
Get Involved in the Lord’s Work (1:7-12)
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider how you have fared. 8Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD" Now when the original group of exiles returned under Ezra, they’d cut down cedar logs in Lebanon to use for rebuilding the Temple. So what’s happened to them? Could it be that they’ve been used to build the panelled houses he’s just mentioned. In any case, they’re to get on with the job. No more excuses! Start the work!
Why? Because they can’t afford to ignore God. You see he explains to them why they’re living in such futility; why their crops have failed; why their businesses aren’t doing well. Why is it? "Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses."
This has a global application of course. As you look around the world you don’t have to look far to see how people’s disobedience, their greed, their ignoring of how God intended the world to be run, has led to environmental disaster, shortages of food and resources, the greenhouse effect, and so forth. Rom 8 says that the whole creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." The world will only be restored when people take God’s priorities seriously.
And you may or may not be aware of this in your own life. You may be able to think of times when you’ve purposely ignored God or rebelled against God’s rule, and things have gone badly for you. But remember that when these things happen, they don’t happen just because God feels like punishing you. He doesn’t just get narky and want to get even with you. He does it to bring you back to himself. He wants you to get back on track in following him.
Well, that’s what happens with the people of Jerusalem. We’re told they repented. "Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of the prophet Haggai, as the LORD their God had sent him; and the people feared the LORD." Isn’t that a great picture. From the leaders right down through the rank & file, the people all obeyed the voice of the Lord.
Are you ready to obey the voice of the Lord today? Last week, Graeme Peters reminded us of the great commission: 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." (Mat 28:19-20 NRSV) Are you ready to obey the Lord Jesus by telling others about him? By preaching the gospel to those friends and neighbours who don’t know Jesus as Lord? How about this instruction from Heb 10:24-25 "Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Are you ready to obey the voice of the Lord by committing yourself to meeting every week with his church, to encourage one another, to build one another up, to stir each other up to good deeds, to help to build God’s church here in Wattle Park. Or how about this instruction from 2 Cor 9:6-8: "The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work." Are you prepared to commit yourself to give to God’s work, generously and freely, to build God’s church here in Wattle Park?
Receive God’s Enabling (1:13-15)
Finally, how are you going to do that work? By receiving God’s enabling. Now that the people have decided to start the work, God sends another message to them. And what a great message it is. "I am with you, says the LORD." It’s the same promise Jesus made : ’remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ (Mat 28:20)
This isn’t like you or me saying ’Yes, I’m with you all the way.’ Or ’I’m right behind you’, when it isn’t quite clear just how far behind you we are. When God says ’I am with you’ he means ’I’m right there beside you, giving you the strength you need, lifting your weary arms, keeping your mind fixed on your objective, helping you when you meet obstacles, overcoming those who would oppose you.’
If you’re worried whether you can obey God in your work situation, take him at his word. Ask him to go with you, to strengthen you. If you’re worried how you can do the things you’re expected to do and still have time for God, for your family, for your husband or wife, for your friends, ask God to help you set godly priorities for your time, to help you manage your time better. If you’re worried about whether you can afford to support the work of the church financially, ask God to look after your finances. Trust him to care for you the way he does for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. Trust him to keep that promise that if we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then all these things will be given to us as well.
The message of Haggai isn’t an isolated message lost up the back of the Old Testament. No, it’s a message that comes through the whole of the Bible. That is, that our priority must be to put God first, and if we do, then he’ll look after us. It’s no use giving God the scraps of our time and energy. God asks for our all in obeying him, in doing his will. And he promises that if we honour him he’ll send us his Spirit to empower us, to work in us that which is pleasing in his sight. Remember what we found in Zechariah 4:6? "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts." And here’s what he tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (NRSV) "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us."
Let’s commit ourselves to God’s service, to the building up of his church, and to the spread of the gospel to those around us who haven’t yet heard it.
