1) Pre-Reading Introduction
The Bible is always the best commentary on the Bible. To get a clear picture of what is happening in Haggai, we have to know the events described in Ezra chapters 1-6.
About 50,000 people had returned from exile in Babylon; returned to Jerusalem with great faith that God would do great things. Indeed God HAD done great things by enabling them to return just as God had said through the prophet Jeremiah. King Cyrus himself sent them back with his blessing! God was at work! It was a new beginning! It all began so well. They first rebuilt the altar so they could resume worship and have God at the centre of their lives. They then began to rebuild the destroyed temple. They planned well. They had money and gathered materials for building. They carefully laid the foundations. And, to celebrate, they held such a wonderful, emotional worship service that people miles away could here it. It all began SO well!
But almost immediately there was opposition. (The devil is never happy when the work of God is progressing.) Enemies of Israel stirred up trouble to stop them rebuilding. And after some years these enemies obtained an official warrant from the new king of Babylon, Artaxerxes, that the Israelites must stop the rebuilding of the Temple.
The years passed by... 5, 10, 15, perhaps 18 years...and a sign stood over the unfinished temple that read: ‘Under Construction’.
The people seemed to have given up hope that the temple would ever be finished. And so they started building up their own houses instead...
[Haggai is read – it takes about 7-8 minutes!]
Have you given yourself FULLY to God and his purposes? Is there anything keeping YOU from giving yourself FULLY to the work of God? Haggai’s is a message to a discouraged people. A people faced with the harsh realities of living by faith in the real world. God uses Haggai to call Israel back to their main purpose in life: That is, to be about God’s work. In 5 prophecies, Haggai speaks to 4 potential hindrances to God’s work. Do you personally recognise any of these hindrances?
1. Believing a Lie
The people had believed a lie v2, ‘It’s not the time yet to build God’s house’. Who said so?!
The people themselves had put their heart and soul into building nice homes for themselves! v4. You can bet that they raised the money, put their back into it, obtained any legal documents and did all they needed to get their own homes sorted out. But dressed up in spiritual sounding words, a lie going around, that said, ‘It’s not time yet for the Lord’s house to be rebuilt’.
Now, before we condemn them too much, consider this: 10-18 years ago King Artaxerxes had issued a royal order that the work on the temple be stopped. No wonder they felt it wasn’t time for the temple to be rebuilt! But according to God, the Israelites had given in too easily. God didn’t care if some king had said stop. God was saying build my house!
I wonder what lies we have believed? Now isn’t the time for me to be involved in the things of God. First I’ve got to work and make some money....
But the main point is this: you care about your own home and work but you don’t care about God’s home and work. Is that true for us? Am I also more concerned about home comforts than I am about the work of God?
The fact is, this neglect of the work of God was having some terrible consequences on Jerusalem. They planted but didn’t harvest. They wore clothes but were cold. Their money was never enough to live on (does that sound familiar?!). They had returned from exile expecting great things and lots of blessing but it had all gone pear-shaped. Why? V9. Because they were busy with their own work and not busy with God’s work. Yes, their personal and national economy was in ruins because the work of God was in ruins. (Does that sound familiar too?!)
See, here’s a spiritual principle I’m not willing to surrender to the prosperity gospel preachers. If you put God and his work first he will always make sure you have all you need. If you give your all to the Lord, the Lord will meet your every need.
What did Jesus say in Matthew 6:33? “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (clothes, food, drink, etc) all these things will be given to you as well”.
Am I seeking first the things of God or seeking first my comfort, my wealth, my children’s education, my mortgage paid off, my leisure time? Haggai warns us that if our priorities are upside down it will have consequences for us as well as consequences for God’s glory.
They had believed a lie. They had focussed on self instead of God. And it was affecting both their own good and God’s glory.
2. Living in Fear
The second potential hindrance to God’s work is fear. This isn’t directly addressed but is implicit in God’s wonderful little promise in 1:13, “I am with you declares the Lord”.
This promise is an invitation to not be afraid. I am with you. I’m on your side. You’re not alone. You will succeed!
You see, after God has spoken in Haggai’s first prophecy, something amazing happened...
The people, v12, obeyed the voice of God! They heard God telling them about their nice houses and his ruined house, and they repented. This is a generation of people who were different. A generation of those who didn’t just know God’s word but acted on it. And as soon as they did, God sent this promise to strengthen them: I am with you.
That’s how it works with God. One, He tells us to do something. Two, if we obey, he immediately comes to strengthen and help us to obey. That’s the essence of what we looked at a couple of home groups ago... Work out your salvation (live obeying the Lord)... and as you do you will find that God is working in you so you want what he wants and have the power to do what he wants you to do. When we choose to do God’s work he says I am with you. Just like when Jesus tells his followers to make disciples of all nations.... as they do that they will find...?? I am with you always. That’s not just a warm hearted sentiment; it’s a promise given to those who say yes to the things of God; a promise of his power to help you succeed.
And so, v14 God stirred up the spirits of the governor, of the high priest and of all the people.
And once again they began work on the house of God.
God speaks.
If we listen and obey he will come to strengthen us and stir us to action.
This is exciting stuff. I dare us to pray, Lord, stir up our spirits!
And it makes me wonder what kind of a generation we are... Are we those who hear the voice of God, for instance in this message tonight? Those who say, right, Pastor and Deacons, help me get stuck into the work and purposes of God!
3. Living in the Past
The third potential hindrance to the work of God is seen in 2:2-9...
In Ezra when the foundations of the temple were laid many older people cried with sadness not joy! See, they could remember the massive temple Solomon had built. And God asks the people about this... God seems to say here, you’re discouraged aren’t you! You think this new temple is nothing compared with the old one, don’t you! Well I’ve got news for you! v9, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former one!” Of course it would – 400 years later Jesus – the Lord of Glory – would be standing in it!
But some of them were looking back. They were craving the ‘good old days’, as if God had grown old and weak and would never do anything new or radical again.
We all do that in some sense, don’t we? Truth is, most things seem better afterwards. We tend to look back with rose coloured spectacles. And yes, those were good days. The temple was big and grand. But the point is, God isn’t finished yet!
What God says here reminds me of when Jesus says that outrageous thing in John 13:12, “He who has faith in me will do... even greater things than I have been doing...”
God isn’t finished yet. God is still as passionate as ever about the glory of his name. He still has much he wants to accomplish through us. Dare we believe that in our generation here at HBC we could see a wonderful revival? Do we believe God is able to pour his Spirit out so much in this area that hundreds or thousands start getting saved?
In the 18th century no-one had ever heard of missionary organizations. But a young man called William Carey had a vision to take the gospel to the unreached parts of the world. He had a vision for the power of the gospel and the building of God’s house. In one sermon he declared, ‘Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God’.
God reminds them, Hey! My Spirit is still with you! v5, I’m the God who covenanted with you and brought you out of Egypt. I haven’t changed! Be strong and work and expect great things. Don’t live in the past!
How’s our ATTEMPTING of great things going? How are we doing when it comes to EXPECTING great things?? May God revive us by his Spirit!!!
God has pointed out the problem: their houses are built but God’s isn’t.
God has strengthened them with a promise: I am with you because you have obeyed me.
God has warned them about turning into Mrs Lot: don’t look back, look to the great things I long to do.
4. Living a Defeated Life
The fourth potential hindrance to the work of God is a defeated life. A sinful life. Yes, even God’s people can lead sinful lives...
They may be God’s people. They may be back in God’s city Jerusalem. They may even be doing holy work: building the temple. But just as they have repented and are on the right track they need to continue to be devoted to a holy life.
That reminds us of what it says in Colossians 2:6, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him...”
In chapter 2:11-19 Haggai goes up to the priests and asks them some questions.
Say, if consecrated/religious meat touches wine or oil... does the wine or oil become holy?
No, say the priests.
Say, if a person who’s been near a dead body touches holy food... does the food become unholy?
Yes, say the priests...
You see, that was the Law of Moses where holiness doesn’t seem to spread as much as sinfulness does.
What God seems to be saying to them is that it’s easier to become unclean and sinful than it is to become holy. Four times in Haggai God says, ‘Give careful thought’... 2:15 Give careful thought to this from this day on – give careful thought to how you live. Give careful thought to the sad state of your life before you repented. God is reminding them of the curse of sin that they were under before they repented. Curses he warned about in Deuteronomy 28...
And we should be under no illusions. If we choose sinful attitudes, thoughts, lifestyle, we are choosing to accept sin’s curse at work in our lives. No wonder some Christians lead such complicated, joyless and unfruitful lives...
It’s a good exercise to sit down and do what God is urging here. To give careful thought to how our life was or would be without Christ. I encourage you to reflect on that!
God says to them, Contrast that old life with the life of blessing I am now giving you. That wonderful promise in v19, “From this day on I will bless you.” From the moment we accept Christ as Lord God gives us that promise too. “From this day on I will bless you.” But we must make sure we continue to live in Christ, because the moment we step out of him and his ways we step out of the way of blessing.
Give careful thought to this! Says God, because I want to bless you from now on!
Conclusion
...So how did they get on? Did they finish the project? How did it go?
Again the book of Ezra, in chapters 5-6, gives us the bigger picture of what happened.
The Israelites did indeed start rebuilding the temple. But AGAIN came opposition. Again someone tried to get the King – this time King Darius – to stop the building work. But this time God changed the King’s heart. And the opposition backfired on Israel’s enemies. And with 4 years of hard work, the Temple was completed.
The last prophecy in the book is to the governor Zerubbabel. He was a descendant of David. And God promises to be with him. So the prophecy ends reminding the people that God’s promise to send a Saviour-Messiah-King though David’s line... that promise is alive and well.
From our vantage point in history, we see that King Jesus did indeed come and save. The same King who says to his people, seek first the Kingdom! Receive me as Lord and Saviour! Then commit your life to seeking the kingdom, and building God’s House.
He would come to us tonight and say, yes... build my house - I am with you - Be strong and look to the future – and I will bless you! As the Apostle Paul would say, “Therefore brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Whose house are you building?
