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Caring for God’s House
Haggai 1:1-9
Past 2 weeks we have been considering 5 dream teams for TBC 60th
Remember the vision of God will not merely happen to us
God’s vision will happen through us
Began with worship, discipleship, today facilities not too exciting
Want you to remember with me TBC facilities through the years
TBC began Sept 21, 1947 in a tent, 1948 Quonset Hut
August 15, 1960 A frame building, burned June 14, 1969
For 2 years met at Crawford and Julia R Ewan school
October 3, 1971 present building dedicated
Might say pastor why all this stuff about buildings
Isn’t the church to be the people of God? More than building
True, but LHL headline, “Cats might just have everything now:
Hot shooting coincides w\opening of $30 Mill practice facility”
Wrote that before yesterday, stools with players names on it
Key card entry to get in, hot tubs, message areas
See buildings matter, so a part of our dreams for next 60 years
Include dreams for our facilities, consider prophet Haggai today
Haggai is easy to overlook, probably not many sermons from it
But great story, about 600 BC Bible says & history confirms
Jews were conquered by Babylonian empire under Nebuchadnezzar
Daniel Hananiah, Azariah & Mishael taken into captivity.
Nebuchadnezzar found Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem
Had a lot of gold so took it back spoils to Babylon.
Over 65 years Jews endured captivity, hundreds of miles from home,
When Persian Empire rose to power defeated Babylon.
King Cyrus, no beef w\Jews so let Jews return home to rebuild
Estimated 40,000 did so in but some stayed in Babylon or Persia
536 BC book of Ezra describes temple work started w\excitement
Worship amidst ruin of Solomon temple to reclaim spiritual life
Haggai picks up story 16 yrs later when temple still only foundation
Book is carefully chronicled see vs 1 spoke over 4 month period
Call to care for God’s house, two lessons for us
1. Face OPPOSITION AND DIFFICULTIES
Haggai 1st of the 3 prophets in OT who spoke to the remnant
It’s possible that Haggai is an old man in his 70’s or 80’s;
if so he one of few in Israel who could remember the majesty &
splendor of Solomon’s temple been destroyed by the Babylonians
Seems for Haggai temple represented home of the presence of God
So why did they not finish the job?
Ezra 4:4-6 NLT hints, 4 Then the local residents tried to discourage
& frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work.
They bribed agents to work against them & to frustrate their plans.
This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and
lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne.
Years later when Xerxes began his reign, the enemies of Judah
wrote a letter of accusation vs the people of Judah & Jerusalem.
In other words city got all upset, why TBC no new sanctuary
City said not enough parking,
After a couple of years the people lost heart about temple
Went on to building their own homes finally 520 BC
Zechariah called out Zerubbabel & people to resume temple work.
Warning! THE WORK OF GOD CAN BE DELAYED
God will not force His people to do what they do not want to do!
When Jesus went to Nazareth could not do many miracles
Because of the people’s unbelief
16 years later people said vs 2 It’s not time to build temple yet
People lived in paneled houses, God’s temple in rubble and ruin
Vision of God does not happen to us but through us
People had other priorities fixing up own places, starting new life
No time yet for God, sound familiar? I am too busy to help
I have to work Sundays not time for churchboss
I’m working 6 days a week Sunday is only day I have for myself
& family. Excuses why no worship God each week.
Recipe for frustration STARTING BUT NOT FINISHING, SELF-CENTERED LIVING, MISLEADING APPEARANCES, NO LONG TERM PURPOSE will be mad every time
Worst of all people began to believe and live down to what enemies said they believed in opposition & difficulties more than did God! WATCH OUT they same can happen to us they didn’t have the $$ or the people to do it either, they were busy too
The people allowed FRUSTRATION to become PROCRASTINATION 16 yrs Israel walked around foundation, & dreamed about a temple, but it did not happen.
Opposition of those around them, so they gave up
They got so used to way things were never asked what could be
Why the prophets called the people to remember! To dream again
In this our 60th year we need to as well
2. GAUGE YOUR SPIRITUAL ZEAL
How do we deal with a spiritual downturn? When things tough
When we face difficulty or are depressed what happened here
What are our excuses for not living out faith boldly?
Haggai’s message in 3 words CONSIDER YOUR WAYS
Give thought to your ways, put it to heart the ways you walked
"Wait a moment, listen to me," Haggai tells countrymen,
"there’s something gone wrong in your relationship with God, &
I’m going to reveal the insight that God has given to me."
Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in paneled houses,
And this temple to lie in ruins? Vs 4 NKJV
think long & hard about our motives and actions,
Do you see that you have lost your priorities?
“As you travel down life’s pathway, may this ever be your goal:
Keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hole!”
God is still God always will be, God wants to work through us
Haggai says consider your ways look at consequences of action
Vs 6 NIV You have planted much, but have harvested little.
You eat but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill.
You put on clothes, but are not warm.
You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.
Your life is futile because you have left me out
Because of the neglect of all things pertaining to God,
Everything else is falling apart
See how Haggai describes it, 1. lean harvest, 2. all buffets never full
3. wine so watered down it would not satisfy.
4. Clothes that were inadequate protection from the weather
5. don’t have enough $$ to go around
Reality is w\out God as focus of life, Your life is pretty meaningless,
Are you dealing with emptiness? Eat drink but not enough
Are you waiting until you can afford to give rather than
trusting God to provide miraculously after you give
Completing temple would send vital message about God & people.
Temple would honor and please God show people git er done
May wonder why Haggai so concerned about temple only a building. Haggai saw material stuff couldn’t produce satisfaction\well-being. Human life built on a spiritual base until then all messed up.
Their lack of ACTION showed SPIRITUAL APATHY
Enthusiasm for God and worship had just about left
They had lost interest, they were indifferent, been there done that
They were lazy & bored, kind of how some people feel about TBC
Their initial enthusiasm was dulled by the day to day
Remember something important. They stopped pursuing God’s
purpose only because their enemies threatened them,
and the attack that everyone was afraid of never happened
They got a temple committee together
It had gone through all the other leadership teams
Made plans, got workers, got materials, got started
But some how along the way they lost their spiritual steam
A dream without a positive attitude produces a daydreamer.
A positive attitude without a dream produces a pleasant person
who can’t progress.
A dream together w\a positive attitude produces a person
with unlimited possibilities & potential.
John Maxwell, The Success Journey, p.49
God says, "Is the problem really that you think it’s not yet time to take me seriously and step out? Why are you on the sideline instead of being in the game?
They had forgotten something. Fact that they were there in the land at all proves that God’s time had come after 70 years. Real reason, was that they were not willing to put God first. Their own comforts, convenience and their own desires came first.
Why did people give $30 million for a practice facility?
Because basketball is BIG in Ky
Have to have the best facilities to get best recruits
God has called us primarily to put the building of the house of God not just brick & mortar building, but the church of God. There are people all around us that the Holy Spirit intends to add to house of God if we are his instruments & channels of his working.
Great question Haggai confronts us w\is: how can we find time to advance our interests so eagerly, so carefully, so thoughtfully -- spending so much time thinking about advancing our own material gain & then excuse ourselves from the work of building the house of God by saying, "It isn’t time yet"?
When was the last time we added to the building?
When was the last time you stepped out on faith? Are there a lot of unfinished things in your life? How long have you held God off with excuses & fears
Trinity is a prime target for discouragement like Haggai’s people
Remember what things used to be like, over 500 in SS
We were like Solomon’s temple here in Lexington, on top
11 buses going out all over town, people joining regularly
Remember such glory days is our church only in past tense?
Spawning ground of great spiritual leaders.
Perhaps some remember the heavenly days of Trinity tired now
Maybe discouragement feel what you are doing for Christ is of
so little significance that you may as well quit.
John Piper looks at passage and says build more than you see
God’s remedy Vs 8 GET WITH IT
God to mountains bring timber & get w\it start today
Lord we are humbled by recognizing how often we leave your work undone. We confess we’ve behaved selfishly & been confused about our spirituality. O God, please speak to us about changes that need to be made in the priorities of our lives. We give ourselves to you because you are w\us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray Amen.
A Road for the Next 60 Years:
Caring for God’s House
January 21, 2007 Jay Davis Robison Haggai 1:1-9
What difference does a building make?
“Cats might just have everything now:
Hot shooting coincides with opening of $30 Million practice facility”
1. Face
4 Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. 5 They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne. 6 Years later when Xerxes began his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Ezra 4:4-6 NLT
Recipe for frustration
The people allowed to become
2.
Haggai’s message in 3 words
Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in paneled houses,
And this temple to lie in ruins? Vs 4 NKJV
You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. Vs 6 NIV
Their lack of showed
A dream without a positive attitude produces a daydreamer.
A positive attitude without a dream produces a pleasant person
who can’t progress.
A dream together w\a positive attitude produces a person
with unlimited possibilities & potential.
John Maxwell, The Success Journey, p.49
God’s remedy Vs 8
