Putting First Things First
Haggai 1:12-15
Rev. Brian Bill
1/22/12
A couple weeks ago, Reed Blunier, age three, came up to me and gave me a gift. He said it was for “Pastor Cheesehead.” It was a book called, “Kids Say the Cutest Things About God.” I’d like to read a few of the things kids say.
God wants kids to be quiet in church so we don’t wake up all the sleeping people.
God doesn’t mind if I do a not-so-nice thing if I say I’m sorry to him at night.
God made the dinosaurs, but they didn’t work out.
If God makes everything, like the sun and the trees and lakes, why can’t he make my bed?
Our minister does all the talking, and God does all the listening.
I like Sunday School because God doesn’t give us any math to do.
I love the faith of kids. I heard about a young girl who was not allowed to go to the Sunday School picnic because she had misbehaved in church. For the next few days the girl behaved so well that her mom changed her mind and said she could go to the picnic after all. Surprisingly, the child’s reaction was one of gloom and sadness. The mother asked, “What’s the matter? I thought you’d be glad to go to the picnic?” To which the girl replied, “It’s too late…I’ve already prayed for rain.”
This morning I want to submit that it’s never too late to do what’s right as long as we keep the main thing the main thing.
We’re in the third week of our series on the Book of Haggai. Here’s what we learned two weeks ago:
• Let’s proceed and stop procrastinating
• Let’s prioritize God and stop living for our own pleasure
Last week we discovered that God wants us to:
• Pause and Ponder
• Look and Learn
• Go and Get
Today we’re going to see in Haggai 1:12-15 that God’s people responded rather quickly to God’s commands: “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.”
Their Response
Haggai’s preaching first moved the leaders and then the rest of the remnant to respond.
1. They hear and obey. In 1:8, God is very specific on what He wants them to do: “Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored.” God takes great pleasure when we treasure Him and obey what He says. I love how verse 12 begins: “Then…” As a result of what they heard, they heeded God’s call: “Then Zerubbabel…Joshua…and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God…” That reminds me of the words from that great hymn: “Trust and obey, for there is no other way.”
We’ve taught our girls this truth: Delayed obedience is still disobedience. If you’re drifting and want to get back, then practice immediate obedience. Good intentions don’t matter; only obedience does. Is there something you have not done and you know that God wants you to do it? I like what one person has said: “We have only one day to follow God and it’s not yesterday because that day is gone. It’s not tomorrow, because we can’t be certain that it will come. All we have is today.” As Hebrews 3:7-8 says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Would you notice that in verse 2, they are called, “these people” and now they are referred to as the “remnant”? The first term reveals that some distance had happened in the relationship. The second term shows that they were not rejected but were redirected. They were disciplined in order to get back on duty.
2. They fear and don’t delay. Check out the last phrase in verse 12: “…And the people feared the Lord.” We’ve been taught that the word “fear” means “to revere.” And that’s true…most of the time. But here it refers to being frightened or to have consternation. Literally it means “to fear in the presence of.” Like us, they needed to have “the fear of God” put in them.
One verse that I keep coming back to is found in Isaiah 66:2: “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” And check out Psalm 2:11: “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.”
A recent study by the Barna Group found that almost 60 percent of Christians ages 15 to 29 have distanced themselves from active involvement in church. That stat is not new to me but the reasons why this is happening have now been spelled out. David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, says that young people find churches shallow: “[They] tell us that…Christianity has become so hip, so watered-down, so about entertainment – and they’re looking for something of more substance.”
It’s interesting to me that when churches preach the Word of the Lord robustly and without compromise, people are drawn to Lord of the Word. That’s how it’s always been according to Acts 9:31: “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.” Churches that are filled with fluff or stale ritual are being abandoned. I want to publicly thank each of you for your eagerness to hear from the Word and for your desire to fear the Lord. One of my mottos this year is that as I get older I want to get bolder. Will you join me?
Listen to what Matthew Henry says: “A holy fear of God will have a great influence upon our obedience to Him…If we fear Him not, we shall not serve Him.” I want you to notice the order here. When we hear and obey and fear and not delay, then God goes to work. Jesus taught the same thing in John 7:17 when He said, “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” When we obey, God reveals more of His way.
After responding, God then gives them some reassurance. When they hear and fear, God shows up! Let me just say that when we do things God’s way, He makes a way for them to work.
God’s Reassurance
1. His presence is with them. Look at 1:13: “I am with you.” The God of the angel armies promises to be with us when we hear and fear. Here are some other passages that affirm this truth
• 2 Samuel 7:3. When David desires to build the first temple, God says, “I am with you.”
• Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
• Matthew 28:20: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
• Romans 8:31: “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
God is not only with them, He also awakens them.
2. His power wakes them. We see this in 1:14: “So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel…and the spirit of Joshua…and the spirit of the whole remnant of God’s people.” They moved from apathy to an awakening. God moves within us so that we will move forward. The word “stirring” means to “wake up a sleepy person so they’re alert and ready for action.” That reminds me of an old Keith Green song called “Asleep in the Light.” “You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done. The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can’t fight, 'cause it’s asleep in the light. How can you be so dead when you’ve been so well fed? Jesus rose from the grave and you, you can’t even get out of bed.”
Check out how Philippians 2:12-13 pulls all this together: “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” We could say it like this: Where God guides, He provides. God’s work ultimately depends on God. He gives the orders. He gives the energy. And He works out His will and His ways for His pleasure and glory.
The Result
The order here is important. Knowing that God is with us gives us great comfort. Then His power awakens us so we can get to work serving. After the Spirit stirred, 1:14 tells us that they “began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God.” God’s workers went from being delayed to being disciplined to being deployed. God’s encouragement leads to empowerment.
There are two extremes to avoid. One is to experience a stirring and not do anything about it. The other is to serve in your own strength without any stirring from the Spirit. Listen. The stirring of the Spirit must lead to serving. God’s work depends on God’s Spirit. Church, it’s not enough to just be stirred emotionally but to be stirred to action. It’s time to pause and ponder, to look and learn and to go and get! The Holy Spirit is stirring…now let’s get to work and serve like never before!
We must hear and fear and then get ourselves in gear! We can do that because He is with us and He has awakened us. The good news of Haggai is that the people responded to the prophet. That seldom happened when the prophets did their preaching! I find that encouraging. When they repent and rededicate themselves, revival breaks out! What is God asking you to do? How can you obey Him…today? Remember that delayed obedience is really disobedience.
Standing Up for Life
On this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, we affirm, along with thousands of other churches, that every person from conception on, is an image bearer of God, stamped with divine dignity and worthy of protection. In the now almost 40 years since Roe v. Wade, more than 50 million babies have been murdered in their mother’s wombs.
I just finished reading a very challenging new book called, “Innocent Blood” by John Ensor. Here’s part of what he says: “Clearly, if we are to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord then we must, when faced with the imminent death of the innocent, fear God more than man and let our faith in Him quicken into courage.”
I wonder how God will quicken each of us with courage to do that which is right on behalf of those who can’t speak up for themselves. I’d like us to watch this brief video called The Sanctity of Human Life and then we’re going to hear from a couple who have been quickened to take a courageous step.
Interview with Colin and Lynette Duncan
There seems to be an adoption awakening going on at PBC recently. In the last couple years I think of Paul and Melissa Barth adopting Ellie, and Dan and Christi Ucherek adopting Malaki. And right now I know of three other couples in process – Brian and Whitney Bell, John and Leslie Grampp, and Colin and Lynette Duncan. We thought it would be helpful to hear from one of these couples this morning so I want to ask Colin and Lynette to come up right now.
1. Can you tell us how God has “stirred you” to take this step of adoption?
2. You’ve had a heart for India for some time. Can you explain how this came about?
3. How does God’s presence give you peace as you walk through these steps?
4. Can you give us an update on where you're at in the process? Did something special happen on January 20th?
5. How can we pray for you?
6. Colin and Lynette also have a blog that they write where you can follow their progress.
