GOD’S PLAN FOR REVIVAL
Haggai 1:1-15 August 31, 2008
1. Idolatry & Immorality brought judgment of God
a. 70 Yrs. Exile – slavery & unprofitable labor
b. God caused Cyrus King of Babylon release
c. 538 issued decree – All who wanted to go home
i. less than 50k or 1 out of 6 answered
ii. longer & farther less you want to go home!
2. 2nd Month of return foundation of Temple laid
a. Enemies began to discouragement
b. God’s people listened & quit building
3. 16 yrs. not 1 stone – God sent Haggai & Zechariah
a. 6 month harvest past – crops meager – barely alive
b. no Temple – no worship – no time for God
c. mostly whining, complaining & criticizing
4. Instead of Judgment – God sent a plan
a. Revival
b. Rescue
1. ELIMINATION OF EXCUSES
A. Excuses Always Bring Separation
1. Back in Israel but still far from God!
a. Place never over rides the person
2. Startling Words – This People
a. Not my people
3. Closer God came the farther away they moved
B. Excuses Are Never Reasons The time is not come
1. Too Busy
2. Too Tired
3. Too Hard
C. Excuses Are Usually Transparent
1. the time that the Lord’s House should be built???
2. Words of amazement – time for everything but ME?!?!
3. What could be more important than meeting with God!
D. Challenge you to make a covenant with your God
1. Revival begins Next Sunday – do as Daniel
a. Purpose in your heart to be hear!
2. Instead of excuses why you can’t
a. Pray God would open doors so you can!
b. Why not take time off DOC leave – many hrs saved
c. might get sick – what better insurance?
3. Club meetings – already scheduled
a. whose schedule? Yours or God’s?
2. EVALUATION OF PRIORITIES vs. 5 Consider your ways
A. Undeniable Ranking
1. Stop for a minute and look at your schedule
a. who’s first?? – spend most time doing?
2. Temple in Ruins
a. Worship neglected
3. Who or what will be first in your life this week?
a. Lost are watching
b. Backslidden are watching
c. Lord is Watching
B. Undeniable Consequences Consider your ways
1. Labor without productivity
a. Crops are meager & weak
b. Lot of meetings without power
c. Feelings of self more important than God
2. Receiving without satisfaction
you eat but you have not enough
a. Spiritual high until you are crossed
b. worship God and get angry before leave bldg
c. nothing ever suits you!
3. Much but never enough a bag with holes
a. No matter what never satisfied
b. service to long – to short – to personal
c. blame everyone else but the problem is personal!
ELIMINATION OF EXCUSES
EVALUATION OF PRIORITIES
3. ACCELERATION OF INVOLVEMENT 7-12
A. Call for obedience
1. Establishment of the order of command
a. The Lord of Hosts
2. Can only be one commander in Chief
a. Gen. Douglas McArthur – order to only go so far
b. Chinese & North Kor. on the run – never another
c. determined to go home by way of China
d. Truman called him home and fired him
B. Cause for Obedience
1. Pleasing the Lord
a. I will take pleasure in it
b. Old saying When Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody …
2. Praise for the Lord
a. Do something that can only be explained by God
b. Don’t steal his glory
c. I will be glorified
C. Curse for Disobedience 9-12 upon all the labor of your hands
1. Dissatisfaction 9a
2. Dissension 9b
3. Disaster vs. 10
4. ACCENTUATION OF EMPOWERMENT Vs. 12-15
A. Divine Presence I AM WITH YOU
1. Personal
2. Intimate
B. Divine Power – Vs. 15the Lord stirred up the spirit a. If God be for us who can be against us Rom. 8:31
1 John 4:4 (KJV)
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Zechariah 4:6 (KJV)
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
C. Divine Promise 2:4
ELIMINATION OF EXCUSES
EVALUATION OF PRIORITIES
ACCELERATION OF INVOLVEMENT
ACCENTUATION OF EMPOWERMENT
