International Panic Day
We live in a very interesting time in history.
With all the bad news- it is easy to grow fearful.
Take heart- June 18 is International Panic Day …
day for everyone to be worried/concerned,
license for you to have- meltdown- putting off.
Phil 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing
Introduction
Begin- two week series on book of Haggai.
Haggai- book w/end time message, but it contains eternal truths we can apply to our lives today.
Today- talk specifically about Eternal Investments-
how can we invest in God’s Kingdom.
In the current economic climate-investments-unstable,
God’s economics are different from the worlds.
i.e. asked- Interior Decorator- give us advice …
two Christian ladies- own a design business-
donate their services to churches,
chosen to invest in God’s Kingdom.
i.e. dentist-purchased land- right away for sewer …
contacted- Christian lawyer-
also seeds His time for free to churches,
again- man with a Kingdom perspective.
Historical Setting
Judah had been conquered,
Jerusalem burned,
Solomon’s temple had been destroyed, and
the people were carried away into captivity.
After being captive- 70 year- amazing thing happens.
Ezra 1:1-3 Haggai/Zech/Malachi-contemporaries
God moves on the heart of- ungodly king-
puts favor in his heart towards God’s people.
If God can move the heart of a King, He can move the heart of a president/governor/mayor …
What moves the heart of God- PRAYER!
Who is called to pray- the CHURCH!
Lk 18:8 "… when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" NASU
We need God to move the heart of our President.
Current administration- whether Rep/Dem-
fiscally and morally destroying our nation,
many saying- economy- collapse in 6 months.
Important- we get an end-time, Kingdom perspective.
Church- will not be raptured out of hard times (Rev).
As God moved- heart of Cyrus thousands of years ago, we need Him to move- hearts of our leaders.
Ezra 1:4-6
Everyone has a role in building God’s Kingdom-
and we are all called to support God’s work.
The Story
Under Cyrus 50,000 Jews returned to Israel.
Built an altar- began to rebuild- foundation- temple.
They encountered resistance from their enemies, got busy w/their lives- stopped work for 15 years.
The enemy hinders us today from doing God’s will.
Under the urging of Haggai- begin to build again.
Hag 1:1-4
This is a rebuke for Israel, but it can be an encouragement to us looking at it from afar.
The encouragement is that we would have- courage to embrace the truth God conveying to Israel.
Haggai was admonishing the Jews for not physically building/restoring the Temple of God.
The temple was that place where Jews would go to corporately worship God- God’s presence.
In was in the temple that Jesus said …
Mtt 21:13 … ’MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN." NASU
Today, God’s temple is the church- Body of Christ.
1 Pet 2:5, 9
Church, Body of Christ- temple of God today.
Yes- our bodies- individually- temple of God- but corporately we are a spiritual house being built for-
His habitation- He wants to live in/through us,
to proclaim His Excellency to the world.
Hag 1:5
Consider- to examine our thoughts, motives, priorities
NIV- give careful thought to your ways
MSG- take a good hard look at your life
Haggai- encouraging the Jews to see the world from a heavenly perspective/understand- purposes of God.
The warning is- you are more concerned with your personal life than you are with God’s Kingdom.
Hag 1:6-7, 9-11
One of the clearest pictures of how- the adversity a nation experiences- result of national disobedience.
How much of our current moral/financial crisis is the result of- national disobedience? God is not first.
God is saying- turn your heart back to me and take care of my house- I will take care of your house.
Each of us has a life to live- take care of ourselves, family, job- but also to build God’s Kingdom.
Haggai is saying to the Jews …
It is not time for you to be so focused on your own life that you neglect the Kingdom of God.
Improper priorities- lack of fruitfulness.
God’s resistance to our efforts is not His wrath, but His encouragement to fix our hearts on Him.
Hag 1:8
It took the Jews working together to build the temple.
We are interconnected w/one another so we can …
support and encourage one another, and
do together what we cannot do alone …
two better than one Eccl 4:9-12
two or three gathered together Mtt 18:20
We need each other to fulfill God’s purposes.
i.e. one person can …
take the beam down or renovate the foyer-
how much more when we work together.
give sacrificially to a missionary-
many givers together- multiply resources.
Hag 1:12
The people responded and adjusted their priorities.
Looked beyond personal lives- built God’s Kingdom.
As we do the same we will see God’s blessing.
The Bible calls this- showing reverence to the Lord.
Reverence-to be afraid, to stand in awe of someone …
it leads to a submissive heart towards them.
God told Abraham- sacrifice your son Isaac …
Gen22:12He said,"Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
His reverence was seen in his actions/way he lived.
God appeared- Mt Sinai w/thunder/lightning …
Ex 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin." NASU
God demonstrated His power to His people so …
they would turn from sin/adjust their priorities.
Summary
Three principles we can learn from these verses …
1. Encounter God
Jews needed-encounter w/God- revitalize- worship.
God resisted them because their priorities- skewed.
As God spoke to the Jews, speaking w/us today …
Mtt 22:37 ... ’YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
38 "This is the great/foremost commandment.
People today need a genuine encounter w/God.
2. Love People
Haggai was written to a people, not an individual.
They had to work together to restore God’s temple.
1 Jn 2- you cannot love God and hate your brother.
Also Jesus continues in …
Mtt 22:39 "The second is like it, ’YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
We must learn to Love People-
both inside and outside the church.
At COTRM- emphasize House Churches- where …
encourage one another,
learn from one another, and
love one another.
3. Share Life
God has filled us with His life …
His desire is for us to share it with others.
If you have had …
a genuine Encounter with God and
responded- by receiving Christ as Savior/Lord,
then you have the life of God living within you.
Jn 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ’From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’" NASU
We Share Life w/others-so they can enjoy eternal life.
This is building God’s temple here on earth today.
Our Mission as a church
In effect, these 3 statements make up our Mission …
Encounter God, Love People, and Share life
Changed-few words-clarify what want-communicate.
Changed- Worship God to Encounter God because it communicates what we want people to experience.
Out of an Encounter with God comes love/worship.
Changed- Serve Others to Share Life- we want to communicate living God’s life not just doing.
As we Share Life with others we will be serving them.
Conclusion
I challenge us to ask ourselves these questions …
What am I doing with my individual life?
What am I doing with my corporate life?
As Haggai told Zerubbabel, Jehozadak, the people …
this is not the time to be overly focused on our own houses to the neglect of God’s house.
God has called us to be …
TOGETHER, and to be KINGDOM builders.
There are consequences for skewed priorities.
