“Give Carful Thought To Your Ways”
Haggai 1:5; 7
January 2nd 2011 — New Year’s Sunday
“Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.”
Haggai 1:5 (NIV)
INTRODUCTION:
> William Gladstone once said, "Tell me what the young men of England are doing on Sunday and I will tell you what the future of England will be."
> The same could be said regarding the United States. Tell me what people do on Sunday in the United States and I will tell you what the future of the United States will be.
> When the people of Israel returned to Jerusalem, they found the city in total ruins. The returning Jews began to rebuild the city little by little until they finished the foundation of the new Temple.
> However their neighbors, the Samaritans, and other neighbors feared the political and religious implications of a rebuilt temple so they did everything to vigorously oppose its reconstruction. They managed to halt work on the temple.
> The Jews became apathetic toward the religious condition of their nation. They began to focus on rebuilding their own homes, planting crops, and building their economic stability, while neglecting the Temple of the Lord God!
> The Lord sent Haggai to prophecy to the people. Haggai went to the Political and Religious leaders of Jerusalem and declared…
Now this is what the LORD Almighty says, “Give careful thought to your ways.”
> This is the central theme of His sermon. He says the same thing twice. First, in vs. 5 and then in vs. 7…
Now this is what the LORD Almighty says, “Give careful thought to your ways.”
> God knows the hearts of the people.
He knows where people’s desires are.
He knows what matters to us.
> At the coronation of King Solomon, when David proclaimed Solomon King and handed him the plans of the Temple, this is what King David said to his son, Solomon…
“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.”
1 Chron 28:9-10 (NLT)
> God sees to the heart. He knows where our heart is. He knows where our priorities lie.
> Haggai was telling the people, God knows where your heart is and that your heart isn’t committed to the work of the Lord—recommit yourself to rebuilding your spiritual life, and all the other things will come together.
> Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:58…
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)
> When we are committed to the Lord’s work, everything else will come together for us.
> Notice what the LORD God says to Israelites through Haggai…
This is what the Lord Almighty says, "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built…" "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while [My] house remains a ruin?" Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 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." This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build [My] house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the Lord. "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."
Haggai 1:2-11 (NIV)
> The people of Israel were busy with their own agenda. They didn’t consider what God’s agenda was for them. So God closed up the heavens and ceased pouring out his blessing upon them.
> If they would have committed to God’s agenda, God would take care of everything else.
> This is not just an old testament teaching. Jesus taught, in Matthew 6:33…
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matt 6:33 (KJV)
> Jesus is not teaching that there will never be difficult times of hunger or need. He is teaching that these times will always be there—but we can do nothing about them in our own strength and through worry. There is only one being who holds all the resources we need in His hands—God Almighty.
> Jesus is teaching us that if we commit ourselves to God’s kingdom and His business, God is fully committed to us and will take care of us!
> Jesus said, in Matthew 6:26...
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matt 6:26 (NIV)
> This week a bird flew into our pain-glass window and broke it’s neck. I tried to revive it. My heart was broken for the beautiful little creature. But, it had gotten riled up and worried and confused and killed itself.
> We must live our lives focused on the Kingdom, not on ourselves!
> Dr. W.A. Criswell was preaching in the North Shore Baptist Church in Chicago. He was entertained at the home of one of the church’s prominent deacons, James L. Kraft, who was superintendent of the Sunday school and founder of Kraft Foods.
> As they spoke together, Kraft said that as a young man he had a desire to be the most famous manufacturer and salesman of cheese in the world. He planned on becoming rich and famous by making and selling cheese, and began as a young fellow with a little buggy pulled by a pony named Paddy.
> After making his cheese, the youth would load his wagon, and he and Paddy would drive down the streets of Chicago to sell the cheese. As the months passed, young Kraft began to despair because he was not making any money, in spite of his long hours and hard work.
> One day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk to him. He said, “Paddy, there is something wrong. We are not doing it right. I am afraid we have things turned around. Our priorities are not where they ought to be. Maybe we ought to serve God and place him first in our lives.”
> Kraft then drove home and made a covenant that for the rest of his life he would first serve God and then would work as God directed.
> Many years after this time together, Dr. Criswell heard James Kraft say, “I would rather be a layman in the North Shore Baptist Church than to head the greatest corporation in America. My first job is serving Jesus.”
> James Kraft was an example of a man who put God first and sought first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
> We, too, have examples of men and women in our church who have put the kingdom of God first and God has provided. Don’t look to the world for your examples. Look to the Godly examples of the men and women among us who have sought first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness—the James L Krafts of New Hope.
> It’s never too late to make a fresh start! Haggai 1:12 says…
Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: "I am with you," declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.
Hag 1:12-15 (NIV)
> The people listened to the message of Haggai and they recommitted their lives to the work of the Lord. They restored a healthy fear of the Lord and the went to work to rebuild the Temple of the Lord Almighty.
> This is a beautiful testimony to what God can do in our lives. We can get off track and make unwise decisions. The Lord can speak to us through a sermon or through His word and we can recommit to building His kingdom. We can restore a healthy fear of the Lord and get back on track doing the work He called us to do.
Conclusion:
> Let me challenge you today with the same challenge that Haggai presented the people of Israel…
“Give careful thought to your ways.”
Give careful thought to what you are doing with your time.
Give careful thought to what you are committing your financial resources toward.
Give careful thought to what you are committed to building this year.
> Paul wrote, in Galatians 6:9…
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
Gal 6:9 (NLT)
> The preacher of a large church in Missouri went to see an advertising executive. He said his church had marketing dollars to spend and wondered which medium would be most cost effective for them. Television? Radio? Newspaper?
> The executive paused, then said, “I recommend that you construct a single billboard.” The answer was surprising to the preacher to the point of being comical, but he listened patiently.
> The executive said, “Build that billboard on your church property and face the message inward, toward your parking lot.” Huh? The confused preacher suspected his question had been misunderstood.
> The executive went on to explain, “You don’t need advertising. In your church members you have what amounts to the largest sales force in town. Use the billboard to encourage your people to do what God has called them to do.”
> What a truth! We don’t need to spend more dollars on advertising! We need to get going doing what God has called us to do this year. If we all do that, then God will take care of all of the rest!
Closing Song: “Revelation Song”
Communion:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
1 Corinthians 11:23-29 (NIV)
> Today, on this first Sunday of the New Year we are challenged to examine our lives and ask if we are building the Kingdom of God as He has called us or if we are more focused on our own business.
> As we receive the elements of the Lord’s Supper, lets seek the Lord and His Kingdom and His righteousness with all of our heart.
> Let us ask God what is it He wants to do in our lives for the New Year…
The Bread:
> The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was broken for you, preserve you blameless, unto everlasting life. Take and eat this, in remembrance that Christ died for you.
The Juice:
> The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this, in remembrance that Christ's blood was shed for you, and be thankful.
Closing Prayer:
