Don’t Miss the Signs
Haggai 1:1-15
* Signs are a part of our life. Everywhere we look we sign stop signs, road signs, speed limit signs, school zone signs, caution signs, and the list goes on. In fact, billboard sign have become so prevalent that some communities has declared a moratorium on new signs. Candidly, sometimes there are so many signs that we tend to miss the message.
* I suggest that this is the case in spiritual matters. This is what I see in our text this morning. As we have heard the words of Haggai, there are four signs which I have discerned, but we need a context to grasp.
* Most of us know that Solomon built the ornate temple of the Lord and some 400 years later, in 586 BC (approximately), the city & the temple were destroyed by the Babylonian empire with King Nebuchadnezzar leading the way and taking the people in captivity. For a half-century this was the life of the Jewish people. Then in 539BC Cyrus, King of Persia, defeated the Babylonians and began to allow the Jewish people to return to their homeland. Led by Zerubbabel, they returned to Jerusalem to resettle and rebuild. Believing they had divine mandate to rebuild the temple, the foundation was laid. This was a huge event. Ezra 3 tells us that the younger people shouted for joy and the older priests wept loudly. In fact, the last sentence in Chapter 3 says, “And the sound was heard far away.” However, Ezra 4 & 5 tells the story of opposition to the rebuilding of the temple and town. Candidly because of the opposition, people lost interest in completing the project & so what should have taken 3 or 4 years, was delayed for 15+ years.
* Haggai comes on the scene in 520BC with a poignant, convicting message from Jehovah God. He preaching (prophesy) is aimed at awakening God’s people to HIS work and will, which they were not doing. Don’t miss this, “they didn’t realize what they weren’t doing.” They missed the signs. Today, from this text, let me encourage you to not miss importance signs.
1. Signs of Spiritual Apathy – To be apathetic is to be indifferent, to have a lack of concern, lack of passion, motivation, or even interest. So the question is how can a people who claims to be God’s people become apathetic to His wishes, will, and words? I’ll suggest 2 practical ways;
a. Replace God’s Word. – In verse 2 we read three words which give us one clue as to how people (who belong to God) can become apathetic. The verse says, “The Lord of Hosts says this; ‘THESE PEOPLE SAY.” To tell the truth this is almost like us saying, “They say” when we know what “they say” is untrue. In fact, this is exhibit A that people tend to think we know better than God. God says, “Do this” but we say “it won’t work or should wait.”
* This is exactly what happened in Jerusalem. God performed the work of returning them to their homeland, gave them the resources, and at the first sign of opposition they chose to replace what God had clearly directed them to do. Before we get too judgmental of these people, we might need to consider that the tendency of the modern day “church person” is to do the same thing. For instance, our Lord Jesus said, “I am THE way, truth and life, and NO ONE gets to the Father except by me.” While no one here would openly take issue with this, many times our attitude says something differently. Admittedly, our stated reason for this is to show compassion and grace. For instance, someone dies. The family looks to you for encouragement. You know the deceased to be a good person, but you also know that he/she rejected every effort you made to share Christ. As far as you know, this person died in their sin, so “What do you say?” Do you replace God’s truth with the words which, you think, they need to hear or do you take every thought captive, measure every word, pray about your response, and find a way to honor God’s word and plant the seed of salvation in their lives.
* As much as we might not appreciate this illustration, compassion is not given by false theology and false hood. Additionally, when we replace God’s word with our own words, pretty soon, we will come to believe our words over God’s truth and apathy will set in.
b. Resist God’s Word. – Look at verse 3 and sense the tone with which God asks the penetrating question. When I read this verse, I read it this way, “Is is REALLY time for YOU YOURSELF to make it all about YOU and your desires and abandon what I’ve told you to do?” Going out on a limb, I will say this, when any of us begin to focus on “self”, resisting God’s will is close at hand. Why? Because God calls for self-denial, sacrifice, and service. God says, “Take up your cross and deny yourself.” We say, “Take up yourself and deny your cross” and in doing so, we resist our call from God. Here is the tragedy; anytime we resist anything, we become cold and hard like a callous. Callousness breeds apathy.
2. Signs of Spiritual Atrophy – Make no mistake about our spiritual life: apathy always leads to atrophy. Physical atrophy is a decrease in the mass of muscle and thus, a weakening in strength. Spiritual atrophy is the loss of spiritual strength and awareness from lack of use. Consider two things which can result in spiritual atrophy;
a. Dissatisfaction – Look at verses 5 & 6. God says, “Consider carefully what you are doing.” It is a call for me when someone says, “You better think about what you are doing?” Very has the impact of dissatisfaction.
* To read verse 6 is to sense the dissatisfaction among the people. For the person who has spiritual atrophy nothing seems to be good enough. (Read verse 6) You plant, eat, drink, and even dress, and it never seems to be good enough. Dissatisfaction is progressive which leads to chasing and doing the wrong things which then leads to more chasing and doing the wrong thing. It’s like being hungry and no matter how much you eat it is never satisfying. The result is that your stomach expands, the body gets larger, and your appetite seems to never be satisfied. You’ll discover;
b. Disappointment – The text says that you put your money in pockets with holes in it. First, does anyone do this today? Have you ever attempted to save money to buy something only to discover that when you thought you had enough money, you don’t? Either some of the money you thought you had was used for something else OR the price had gone up. In other words, you expectations were not realized. Verse 9 says, “You expected much, but it amounted to little.” When apathy controls your life to the point that atrophy or lack of activity sets in, you may well discover that the world seems unfair because the things you expect to happen never materialize.
* The outcome is that we want to blame someone else up to and including God. The exiles were returned to Jerusalem by the hand of God and given a task to accomplish, just like we are given today. Let me offer just a couple of modern day “for instances” of suffering both apathy & atrophy in the work of the Kingdom; a) When Sunday morning attendance is all that concerns you, b) When we check our “Christianity” at the door of the Worship Center, c) When Bible Study and Small Groups are unimportant, d) When all that is done in the church has to please you, and the list can go on and on. What surfaces is dissatisfaction & disappointment. These two can forge a spiritual discontentment which can help greatly.
3. Signs of Spiritual Awareness – In verse 5 and 7 Haggai calls the people to “think carefully,” “Evaluate”, and even “Consider” what they were doing. This type of examination & evaluation is the first step to awareness.
a. Recognize the Problem – Verse 9 leaves little to the imagination. God said you thought you were doing everything right and your harvest was ruined by ME and would you like to know why I did it? “My house is in ruins because you have placed yourself above me.” Back then it was the temple, today it is the work of HIS Kingdom. Those who have been rescued from the punishment of sin have now become so enamored with their own priorities that obedience to Him and His Kingdom’s work may not even be on the back burner. The problem is with Jehovah God.
b. Realize the Penalty – Verse 10-11 say this; “It is your fault that a famine will come on whatever you attempt to do.” Could it be that today those who claim to be born-again believers are suffering both personal & corporate famines because of our lack of obedience? God’s people seem to have no passion for “making disciples,” could this be the penalty for ‘having other gods before Jehovah?’ Many local churches are closing their doors today and it seems they would prefer to close their doors than to change their minds about “who” needs to be reached because it is not a circumstance of a dwindling population but rather a refusal to reach the people who are closest around us. I submit that it is “high time for judgment to begin at the house of God” that we become aware & awaken to the call which has been placed on us & this congregation.
4. Signs of Spiritual Awakening – Think about the process of awakening. It is not sudden for most and it is not done alone, most of the time.
a. Rousing of the Lord. – Verse 14 shows us this process. God stirred up or roused Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant of people. When they had considered the truth of their situation and were aware of their fallings, then God stirred their hearts through the words of Haggai, God’s messenger. It is my belief that God is stirring our hearts in this place. How will we respond?
b. Respect for the Lord. – The last sentence in verse 12 tells the story of why these people listened and heard God’s voice. They feared the Lord. This is the unpreached and even unspoken truth of our day. We attempt to bring God down to our size and make Him harmless so that people will accept Him. In the words of my South Mississippi vernacular, “This is sinkin’ thinkin’”. Think about it, who will serve a God who has no power & authority? Why would you want a God with no standards? If God has no standards, you are always guessing as to what is right or wrong in His Kingdom. I have figured out how to lead people to fear our Lord like was done in days past, “Get Him to appear in the sky.” Well, He will do this, one day, but then it will be too late. Without a healthy respect for the Lord, you and I will never respond to the Lord (which is the last sign)
c. Response to the Lord. – The word is that they obeyed the voice of the Lord by getting back to work on the temple. They returned to the task which God had set before them almost 20 years earlier. When they became aware and awake to God, they moved from apathy to awareness & from atrophy to action. God has given us a task, what are we doing?
To miss the signs is to miss the blessings of God.
