Waiting for Blessings
Haggai 2:15-19
Rev. Brian Bill
2/19/12
We all have important dates in our life. I know my birthday is coming up but I’m not telling you when because I just want to slide by this one. The date of our wedding was July 13, 1985. Beth’s birthday is marked in my memory. The birthdates of each of our daughters is indelibly etched in my mind. The dates of my parent’s birthdays are on my calendar. I even sort of remember the birthdates of my four sisters…though I usually end up sending belated birthday cards to them. I even remembered February 14th this year and gave Beth a dozen roses, a mushy card and we enjoyed a meal together at La Mex.
And on this date in history, many things happened. Some were pretty superficial while others were more significant.
• The “Family Circus” cartoon strip debuted on February 19, 1960.
• The first test flight of a Boeing jumbo jet took place on February 19, 1969.
• On this date in 1945, 30,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima.
• And it was on February 19, 1913 that the first prize was inserted into a Cracker Jack Box.
As we wind down our study of the Book of Haggai, there are some time stamps that give us the setting for the prophet’s sermons.
Haggai 1:1 – “In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month…”
Haggai 2:1 – “On the twenty-first day of the seventh month…”
Haggai 2:10 – “On the twenty fourth day of the ninth month…”
Pastor Jeff reminded us of the significance of this last date, which corresponds to December 18, 520 B.C. on our calendar: “It had been exactly three months since they had started rebuilding the temple. It had been two months and three days since his last sermon…And in exactly five years to the day, the Temple will be dedicated.”
He had two main points that bear repeating because they were so powerful.
• Holiness is not contagious. It must be deliberately sought out and cultivated in an intimate personal relationship with God
• Sin is contagious. It’s like spaghetti sauce – it stains everything it touches.
I want to mention something at this point but will only use initials so that parents can explain more should they think their children are old enough to hear about it. I thought that would get your attention. After hearing about the STD outbreak at PTHS, I’ve been saddened and reminded how important it is for parents, in partnership with our student ministry, to promote purity among our teens. This statement is certainly true: “Sin will take you farther than you were planning to go, cost you more than you wanted to pay and keep you longer than you were planning to stay.”
Let’s briefly recall the back-story of the Book of Haggai. After returning from exile in Babylon, God’s people have been tasked with rebuilding God’s Temple. They eagerly laid the foundation but because of opposition and their own selfish priorities, they stopped working for 16 years. Haggai was called on the scene to mobilize the people to get back on the job. After putting God back at the center of their lives, they went to work doing what they were called to do. That’s how chapter one ends.
Two weeks ago we learned that God works His way and His will for His glory and He takes us through times of shaking so that we will be saved which results in shalom. But now it’s been three months since they started the rebuilding project and frankly the people are wondering where God’s blessing is. Have you ever asked questions like these: Is it really worth it to follow God? Why am I still struggling so much when I’m trying to do what’s right?
Today’s text is really part two of the sermon Haggai began in verses 10-14. By the way, because you’ve hung in there during this series on Haggai you’ll be one of the few who will be able to come up to Haggai in heaven and say, “Hey, I read your book and listened to some sermons from it.”
Let’s pick up his preaching beginning in verse 15: “‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on -- consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,’ declares the Lord. ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. From this day on I will bless you.’”
Our outline today is simple and easy to remember.
• Reflect
• Return
• Receive
As we walk through the passage these three words will become evident and we’ll see that the order is really important. In other words, most of us won’t return to the Lord until we first reflect. And we can’t receive blessings from Him until we reflect and return.
1. Reflect. Haggai is picking up on a theme that he hammered home in the first chapter as once again we’re told to “give careful thought.” This is really the major message of the book and is unique to Haggai, occurring five times in two chapters: in 1:5, in 1:7, in 2:15 and twice in 2:18. Idiomatically it means, “To lay your heart on the road.” Literally it means to “bring your mind to bear upon your ways.” The New Living Translation puts it like this: “Look at what’s happening to you!”
Let’s look at verse 15: “‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on -- consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple.’” Haggai is asking them to carefully consider how life was working out with the Lord not at the center of it. For almost two decades, they focused only on themselves and things fell apart. Check out verse 16: “When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.” The grain harvest was down 50% and the grape harvest was down 60%. God brought His chastening because they were chasing wrong things.
Verse 17 helps us see that God was behind this: “I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail…” The blight came from the east winds that whipped out of the desert. Mildew came from the moist Mediterranean winds to the west. And hail came down from heaven which crushed what was left of the crops.
In verse 18, the people are told to give careful thought twice: “From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought.” God was calling them to focus not on the time they had stopped working but to remember the day they got back to work. This is a good word for us. Instead of staying locked into the pain of the past and being suffocated with shame, remember how far you’ve come. Think about the things you are doing right instead of the things you previously messed up.
We’re called to give careful thought about ourselves but we should also think carefully about things in our society. While we may never know the circumstances that led to Whitney Houston’s death, and I’m certainly not interested in judging her from a distance, I do want to point out that success and stardom doesn’t ultimately satisfy. It’s a fact that she abused alcohol and drugs and made poor choices. Let’s learn from this, friends. The only way to find satisfaction is to put God at the center of our lives and do things the way He has determined. Solomon discovered this truth and wrote it all down in the Book of Ecclesiastes. I recommend that you read it.
2. Return. Why was all this happening? Was it because God just arbitrarily likes to punish people? No, not at all. God’s purpose in their problems was ultimately redemptive. He was trying to get their attention so that they would reflect and then return to Him. We see this in the last part of verse 17: “‘…yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord.” It’s interesting that even though their hands were back at work, their hearts were far away.
The issue is always the heart. Psalm 51:17 tells us what God is after: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” So many of us are just so stubborn, aren’t we? God may be trying to get our attention through afflictions but we refuse to return to Him. Can I encourage you to reflect right now and see if these Scriptures shake some things loose in your soul so that you’ll return if you’ve drifted away?
Isaiah 9:13 – “But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.”
Jeremiah 5:3 – “O Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.”
Amos 4:9 – “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards; I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord.”
Let’s not be like King Ahaz who went south spiritually when tough times came: “In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 28:22). How about you? Do you become more faithful or more faithless when you go through trouble?
You can hear God’s passionate plea to His people by turning over one book to Zechariah. This prophet ministered during the same time as Haggai as they tag-teamed in preaching to the people. In verse 1 we see that his message came in the “eighth month of the second year of Darius.” That means it was preached about a month before Haggai’s final sermon. Check out verse 3: “This what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
Are you ready? Will you reflect and then return by repenting?
3. Receive. After reflecting and then returning, God promises that we will receive…but it won’t always be on our timetable. We see this in verse 19: “Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit…” There was not much seed in the barn because they had planted it in the ground, hoping for a harvest that would be bountiful. These four crops were essential to their economy and involved food (fig tree), drink (vine), fuel (olive tree), and dye (pomegranate).
“From this day on I will bless you.” I wrote some things down after reflecting on this phrase.
• Point in time – “From this day on…”
• Person – “I” means that God Himself will do this.
• Promise – “I will” refers to the certainty that what God says He will do.
• Purpose – God’s purpose is to “bless.” This is the first use of the word “bless” in the book.
• Personal – Notice the word “you.” God loves you and cares about you and wants to personally bless you.
Here are some take-aways from this verse.
• We are blessed when we obey but we don’t always see it right away. After delaying for 16 years the Jews had finally started to rebuild the temple. But they had a long way to go and their fields were still barren. It’s now the month of December and they won’t see any harvest until May or June. It takes time. I think some of them were wondering if all this was worth the effort. Many of us look at our life the same way. We feel like we’re so far away from what we should be that it’s easier to say, “What’s the use? Why bother trying? Things will never be different.”
• Keep making right choices. If you’re in a mess today, just remember that you didn’t get where you are overnight. You got there by taking a thousand steps in the wrong direction over a long period of time. Therefore, don’t be surprised if it takes you quite a few steps to get your life back in order again. Someone said it like this: We should strive for a long obedience in the same direction.
• Consequences will still come. Just because you’ve returned to God doesn’t mean that He will take away all the consequences. You can be forgiven but mistakes can still mess with us years later. Turning to God does not immediately undo the results of our rebellion. Some of you know exactly what I mean.
• The harvest will come eventually. Gardeners and farmers understand this principle. You don’t plant today and then harvest tomorrow. Historically it took God’s people four years to finish rebuilding the temple. No doubt they faced continued opposition and discouragement. But by starting to rebuild they were planting fresh seed in the ground. Things often look bleak before God brings His blessings. God loves to do much with our little. Seed is meant to be sown. Plant it in your kids. Live out your faith. Talk about Jesus all the time. Share the gospel with your neighbors and co-workers. This “Harvest Principle” is spelled out in Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
I want to mention two additional insights when it comes to the topic of blessing.
1. If you want to be blessed then honor God with your giving. I’m serious about this. God lays out a challenge in Malachi 3. He actually asks us to test Him by giving at least 10% and then see what happens. Check it out in Malachi 3:10 – “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’”
2. If you are a born again believer, you’ve already been blessed. Once you put your faith in Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:3 says that you really don’t have to beg God to bless you…because He already has: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
Starting Over
My guess is that most of us would like a make-over, or a do-over, or certainly a fresh start. Each day we’re alive we have that opportunity but we have to mark the moment. We have to say, “This is the day I will obey.” If that reflects where you are today, let’s say it together: “This is the day I will obey.”
It was during this month, 44 years ago, that PBC was born. Here’s what it says in our 40th Anniversary Booklet: “Pontiac Bible Church began in 1968 with the slogan ‘The End of Your Search for a Friendly Church.’ The founding trio, Ray Tuley, Ron Beach and Bob Cramer, determined the church would be built on God’s Word and would reach people of all ages. Gerry Bennett, a truck driver and lay minister, preached the first sermon on February 25, 1968. Twenty-seven people attended that service held in the old Christian Church located on the corner of Washington and Chicago Streets in downtown Pontiac.” February 25th will always be a significant day in the history of PBC.
A very important date for me is October 3, 1979. That’s the day that God saved me from my sins when I was in my dorm room at the University of Wisconsin. I’ll never forget that day because it’s my spiritual birthday.
I want to invite a friend of mine up right now because I want you to hear his story about how God used a specific date to get his attention.
Interview with BJ Carter
1. Tell us about yourself.
2. What happened within you when Mitchell died?
3. You texted me one night last month and said you were ready to be saved. Tell us what was going on in your life that brought you to this point.
4. Describe what happened on January 24th?
5. Now you want to be baptized, right? Why do you want to do that?
Invitation
What about you? Have you reflected on your life? Are you ready to make this the day you turn to Christ for forgiveness of sins? Will you choose right now, right here to believe and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Mark this day, February 19th, 2012 as your spiritual birthday. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
If you’ve reflected and now you’re ready to turn to God so that you can receive what He desires to give you, would you pray this prayer from your heart?
“Lord, right now, at this very moment, I admit that I am a sinner. As I reflect on my life I see how self-centered I’ve been and I’m now done living just for me. Thank you for sending Jesus to die as my substitute on the cross and I now turn to Him by faith and confess that He is Lord. I repent of the way I’ve been living and receive the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Thank you that the resurrection gives me hope of change through your power over the grave. From this day forward, on the 19th day of February, 2012, I determine to live with you at the center of my life and I look forward to receiving the blessings you will give me. Amen.”
