Consider Your Ways: A Call to Holiness
“Look Backward… and Forward”
Haggai 2:1-17
Big Idea: Looking backward is a catalyst to look forward and provides confidence that what God began in the past he is still doing today.
Supporting Scripture:
• Psalm 133
• Philippians 2:12-16
• Mark 10:41-45
SERMON INTRO:
Alan was in the 9th grade. He desperately wanted the love and approval of his dad but it seemed that whatever Alan did his dad found fault rather than graciousness and applause.
Alan was in woodshop and he made a gun rack. It took him all semester and he worked meticulously on it. His plan was to give it to his dad for Christmas; he poured himself into this gift.
The day came and with great anticipation Alan gave his dad the gift. Dad looked the gun rack over. He pointed out the unevenness in the wood stain and the glue that was showing on the backside of the rack. He commented that it would only hold two guns and they probably could not be very heavy ones either. He then gave Alan a less-than-enthusiastic thanks, set it aside, and moved on to opening another gift.
Alan changed that day. Unbeknownst to his dad Alan slipped into his bedroom and wept like he had never wept before. With the weeping came a hardening and a turn inward. It was a turning point that created a spirit of rage within him that he fought the rest of his life.
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We often fail to understand the impact of our words and actions. We don’t think through the damage that criticism and ingratitude does to others. We fail to grasp the seriousness of such a sin.
In today’s sermon we will discover that sin is contagious … it affects others and has ripple effects. We will also discover that some of the things we consider minor infractions have major consequences. And finally, we will discover that enriching relationships within the community of faith and building each other up are worth keeping our mouths shut.
Listen to Haggai 2:1-17 (ESV).
1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. 6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, 11 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: 12 ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” 14 Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. 15 Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, 16 how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. 17 I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord.
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Do you know what happened when past, present and future all walked into the same church at the same time?
It got tense!
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That is more than a joke I borrowed from schoolteachers in a grammar class – that is exactly what happens here in chapter 2 of Haggai.
The past, the future and the present arrived at the temple and it became very tense.
So tense, in fact, that God had to intervene.
It wasn’t that any of the people were being resistant out of defiance to God. It was their starting points gave them different needs, perspectives, expectations, and reactions.
I think that’s exactly what happens in many churches too. There is a wide (and apparently widening) gap between the experiences and expectations of generations within the Body of Christ.
The world has changed at such a rapid rate that it has caught many “greying temples” like myself flat-footed. Things that seem odd to us are normal for the younger generations and that includes the function, and practice of church.
The Barna Research group has found six reasons why young people are leaving the church. Now, as greying temples, we may not like these or even agree with them but that does not change a thing … they are the reality none-the-less and until we face it we will continue to see people walk away from Jesus and his church.
Isolationism. One-fourth of 18- to 29-year-olds say church demonizes everything outside church, including the music, movies, culture, and technology that define their generation.
Shallowness. One-third call church boring, about one-fourth say faith is irrelevant and Bible teaching is unclear. One-fifth say God is absent from their church experience.
Anti-science. Up to one-third say the church is out of step on scientific developments and debate.
Sex. The church is perceived as simplistic and judgmental. For a fifth or more, a "just say no" philosophy is insufficient in a techno-porno world.
Exclusivity. Three in 10 young people feel the church is too exclusive in this pluralistic and multi-cultural age. And the same number feel forced to choose between their faith and their friends.
Doubts. Over one-third of young people say the church is not a safe place to express doubts, and one-fourth have serious doubts they'd like to discuss.
{Adapted from a list by David Kinnaman in You Lost Me: Why Young
Christians are Leaving Church … and Rethinking Faith}
I give you the list only to show you the generational and philosophical gap that exists within the average “family church” in America.
Again, past, present and future all walked into the same church at the same time and it got tense!
Now the truth is, like in Haggai’s day, the issue is not that one generation is following God while another is resistant. It all stems from different needs, perspectives, experiences, expectations, and reactions.
So, maybe the advice God gave Haggai’s neighbors could serve us well today too.
• In chapter 1 Haggai addresses his neighbors’ unwarranted contentment with things as they were.
• In chapter 2 he addresses his neighbors’ unwarranted discontent with things as they will be.
And from this a call to the church emerges.
1. THERE IS A CALL TO REJECT A NEGATIVE SPIRIT (2:1-9)
The older generation looked at the temple’s reconstruction and could not help but compare and criticize. They could not see past their experiences to the “new thing” God was doing. They could not see the need for, to use Jesus’ words, “new wineskins.”
Haggai’s message was a clear call for them to stop with the judgment, despondency, despair, criticism and pessimism.
May I give you a personal experience with this? I don’t know when exactly I started being classified as “old” (I am only 52) but my kid’s generation certainly think I am and I must admit that I do see a shift in how churches are ran and what is expected of ministers today.
When I was studying for the ministry I was told things like:
• You are never too poor to have one clean and pressed white shirt.
• There is never an excuse for having shoes that are not polished.
• Doctors wear white coats – its their professional dress. Preachers wear suits – its their professional dress.
But somewhere along the line somebody “moved my cheese!” Somewhere along the line the expectations shifted. I began to observe a new and different paradigm for clergy and I was forced to ask myself some important questions.
Questions like:
• Am I looking at appearances or at the heart?
• Is this really that important?
• Am I making this into a “test of spirituality and professionalism”?
I was also fortunate enough to get to interact with the new generation of pastors. I taught their ordination classes, I mentored those in smaller churches or with less experience, and I quickly saw a deep love for Christ, a passion for the lost, and a commitment to Christ’s church.
I sensed God tell me very clearly that I was majoring on minors that did not offend Him or affect His work. I chose to become the younger generations greatest cheerleader rather than their most vocal critic.
Now this is not just a message for generational differences. It is a message for any differences within the body. We must remember that our words and attitudes have consequences … and ripple effects.
The neighbors of Haggai who saw the first temple were liable to rate the present effort as a poor imitation. Despair could quickly set in and snuff out any spirit of enthusiasm or joy that the new temple could have symbolized to those who had never seen the first.
Even God is offended at the criticism leveled by the senior-saints of Haggai’s day. He says, “Is it not as nothing in your eyes?”
Haggai says “Enough with the comparisons and criticism! How could any work done for God and connected with His great triumph in that final day ever be judged to be inferior, small or worthless?”
The judgmental comments were not helpful or motivating. In fact, they were tools of the enemy.
God instructs Haggai’s neighbors to do a few things other rather than compare, criticize and complain and he gives them a few ideas about how to accomplish it.
(I) BE STRONG
Three times he says “be strong.” (v.4)
It is easy to criticize. It takes faith to be strong. Criticism inevitably sucks the zeal out of others but “being strong” is a resolution that comes from within, trusting God when appearances say to do otherwise.
God not only tells them to be strong, he also tells them to:
(II) TRUST HIS PROMISES. (4-9)
Have you ever heard someone say “perception is reality”?
It’s a lie! Nothing could be further from the truth. We find stories all through Scripture of people who saw overwhelming circumstances only to discover that God sees a bigger picture and God’s intervention overrides the appearances we see.
When we look at the surrounding circumstances we can quickly become despondent and discouraged. But be of Good cheer! Jesus has overcome the world and he has a bigger agenda than what we can see. That is why we walk by faith not by sight.
WRAP-UP
1. There a call to reject a negative spirit.
2. THERE IS A CALL TO RELY ON A HOLY GOD (2:10-17)
In verse 5 God says “My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.”
With the comforting and enabling assurances of God’s strength, His ancient promise, and His Holy Spirit, there was no room for weakness, fear, or frustration.
We have reason to celebrate and be encouraged about what God is doing – not critical and condemning.
Friends, it is important to see the connection that the above has with holiness. Verses 10-17 teach us that sin is contagious … it spreads and affects others. It also teaches us that holiness is not “communicable” … the only way to be holy is to be connected to God. You can’t get it from anything you do or don’t do or associate with.
This is important! Haggai is telling the grumblers that their behavior is a sign of a soiled heart and that only by connecting with God they will have the heart and thoughts of God … holiness.
Jesus said, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
James talks of our speech in holiness language too. He says, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” (James 3:9-12)
When our words are biting, critical and judgmental we insult God, discredit the work He is doing, and discourage our neighbors. This is a matter of the heart. Jesus taught that a community rallying around him will be known by its love – not its friction.
Let us never forget … the future belongs totally to God. He will reorder all things and establish His kingdom on earth.
God is moving towards the future, and those who listen to God know that they are always within a step of undreamed-of-changes.
Let us never forget … God is building an Immovable Kingdom.
Very soon, now, warns the prophet, God is going to really rock this old planet. Our Lord will do this to remove everything changeable; the transitory will be replaced with the eternal.
Let us never forget … We have an Immovable King.
What God is doing today is motivated by the same end-game and vision as times past.
May I ask you a few simple questions as we close?
• Are you majoring on the minors?
• Are we cheerleaders or critics?
• Has God changed? Can he work through others the way he worked through you?
• Are you sinning against God and our brothers and sisters with your judgmentalism, criticism and skepticism?
• Are you being influenced negatively by another person and thus hindering God’s work through you and in you?
• Do the words you speak suggest the temple within you is sullied?
• Are you chasing after God?
“Consider Your Ways”
If we want to look backward then let’s use it as a catalyst to look forward. Let’s be convinced that what God did in our heyday He is still doing today.
As with any Old Testament passage we have to read Haggai’s words alongside the words of Jesus. I will close with these words from Jesus.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Those who have ears to hear
Let them hear
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This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
First Church of the Nazarene
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
www.banazarene.org
