Don't Stop Now!
Haggai 2:1-9
If we are honest there are times in life when we just want to give up. This is especially true concerning the ministry. We are not simply fighting stress, discouragement and exhaustion.... we are fighting an adversary (Satan) who is "walking around like a lion seeking whom he may devour". This is not just the case for pastors, quitting is a temptation for each and every person who serves the Lord in any capacity.
Many of the giants in church history faced great difficulty and were often tempted to give up and walk away from their calling. An example of this is found in the diary of John Wesley:
- Sunday, A.M., May 5 - Preached in St. Anne's. Was asked not to come back anymore.
- Sunday, P.M., May 5 - Preached in St. John's. Deacons said "Get out and stay out."
- Sunday, A.M., May 12 - Preached in St. Jude's. Can't go back there, either.
- Sunday, A.M., May 19 - Preached in St. Somebody Else's. Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn't return.
- Sunday, P.M., May 19 - Preached on street. Kicked off street.
- Sunday, A.M., May 26 - Preached in meadow. Chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during service.
- Sunday, A.M., June 2 - Preached out at the edge of town. Kicked off the highway.
- Sunday, P.M., June 2 - Afternoon, preached in a pasture. Ten thousand people came out to hear me.
After all of that rejection a lesser man would have given up. But Wesley persevered and reached many souls for Christ! Perseverance is "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success." Perseverance is also referred to as... "stick-to-itiveness.
Someone said "Postage stamps are getting more expensive, but at least they have one attribute that most of us could emulate: they stick to one thing until they get there." - Some of you may be at a point where you are ready to give up on serving the Lord. I hope that through this message you will find the motivation to "stick to it!"
Some sermons are intended to encourage those who are not working for the Lord to start. Some are intended to encourage those who have quit serving the Lord to return to their area of service. We have endured both of those types of sermons as we have journeyed through the Book of Haggai. But today's message is intended for an entirely different audience. In our selected text, God has a message for those who are actively... faithfully serving Him. It is a message of encouragement, assurance and motivation. I would like to walk through the first 9 verses of Haggai chapter 2 and preach on the thought "Don't Stop Now!"
We have seen a transition in the people of God throughout the 1st chapter of this book. They have gone from being inactive and idle to working to accomplish God's plan for them. After being delivered from the Babylonian captivity, God's people began to build luxurious homes for themselves. While they were focused on themselves, the Lord' Temple lay in ruins. God punished His people for their inactivity and He confronted them. He encouraged them to "consider their ways". Then on September 21st in the 2nd year of King Darius' reign the people began to work to rebuild the Lord's house.
As we read through chapter 2 it seems that the people may have reached a place of discouragement. The Lord had promised Israel that if they would obey Him, He would be with them. This passage proves that God is faithful. He was with them and He recognized that they needed to be lifted up. God shows up and gives them the inspiration and motivation to keep pressing on for Him.
There are times in the Christian life and in our service for the Lord when we are tempted to quit. Maybe you are at that point right now...If so, there is a message for you today and that message is DON'T STOP NOW!!
- Dr. Jerry Falwell used to say “It’s always too early to quit.”
One of the biggest reasons that people quit serving the Lord is discouragement. I would like to encourage the discouraged by saying....
IV. Don't Be Discouraged ...God Sees Your Effort - v1 ¶In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, 2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, 3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
The Lord knew exactly who was working on this Temple. He called them out specifically: Zerubbabel, Joshua and the remnant of the people. How did the Lord know who was working on the Temple? He knew because He was with them - v13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord’s message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.” - God perceived something among His people. Listen to his question in verse 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?"
The people had been working for almost a month. Progress was being made. But some were comparing the present foundation to the former temple that had been destroyed. Perhaps they were disheartened because in their eyes it was much smaller. In fact, when the foundation was laid there was a contrast in the people's responses to this phase of completion. We are told in Ezra 3:10-13 that when the foundation for the Temple was laid: Those who had seen the first temple wept and mourned because the new temple did not appear as grand as the first. Those who had never seen Solomon's temple rejoiced, shouted and praised for joy that the foundation had been laid.
What the people did not realize is that God does not measure success the way that man does. Though some of the people were discouraged God was pleased. Listen to what He said in Zechariah 4:8-10 "Then another message came to me from the Lord: “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. 10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
If God was pleased with their progress nothing else mattered! Often we become discouraged when we compare our service with the service of others. This is a direct result of pride! You look and it seems that the church across town is having more success than yours and you get discouraged. You compare your class with the one down the hall and you fell like a failure and discouragement sets in. You learn that the person across the isle has led more people to the Lord than you and you get discouraged. The person who sang the special this week gets a bigger applause than you and you get discouraged. Someone gets more attention than you for their area of service and you get discouraged.
The fact of the matter is that God never called you to be a better preacher than someone else. He never called you to be a better teacher than someone else. He never called you to be a better singer than someone else. He never called you to be a better witness than someone else. God has called you to serve in a specific place for a specific purpose.
So many people get discouraged if they are not recognized and praised by their peers. They get discouraged if they do not have the success that others have. You feel that no one sees your effort and no one cares. If you are doing the right thing for the right reason... if you are serving the Lord where HE has called you to serve with the purpose of bringing Him glory, you can rest assured that GOD SEES YOUR EFFORT!
You may want quit, but God is saying "DON'T STOP NOW!" Don't Be Discouraged... God Sees Your Effort! As we move further I would like to encourage you by saying:
V. Don't Give Up ...God Provides Strength - It seems that the people were growing weary from their labor for the Lord. So God comes with a simple message... He told everyone involved to "be strong"! - Haggai 2:4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
God wanted them to know that they were tired, weary and weak He was still with them. He also encouraged them to keep pressing on for Him. Essentially God was telling them.... DON'T STOP NOW!! When you labor for the Lord you often find yourself in a weakened condition. We become weak physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Many times we find ourselves at a point of weakness because we attempt to serve Him on our own power. If you attempt this you will surely fail!
Whatever your calling... wherever you serve... ALWAYS TRUST IN GOD TO GUIDE YOU! Look to Him for the assistance you need to complete the task that has been assigned. Trust in Him for the encouragement that you need to keep on keeping on.
God promised Israel that He was with them in v4 "for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts" ....and as His children we can claim that same promise!
Remember what Paul said in - 2 Thessalonians 3:... brethren, don't be weary in well doing. - Remember also what Jesus said in - Matthew 28:20 ...lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
We can rest in the promise that God is with us and He will provide us strength for the task at hand. But we have a responsibility as well. Knowing that He will strengthen us... we must continue to labor. Look at what He said to His people in verse 4 - "WORK" for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
There are going to be tough days. We will find ourselves at a point of weakness. In those times we must look to God for strength and not use our weak state as an excuse to stop laboring for Him.
Dear fellow-laborer... DON'T STOP NOW! Don't Give Up... GOD PROVIDES STRENGTH! As we move on I would like to encourage you by saying:
III. Don't Be Afraid... God Is In Control - v5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. 6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
As the people worked on this Temple they began to examine the situation and worry filled their minds. They were disappointed at the absence of precious metals to adorn this temple. This goes back to the fact that they were comparing this one to the first temple. Perhaps they noted the absence of the Shekinah glory as well. God again encourages His people .
First He reinforces the fact that He is with them. Then He promises to one day fill this house with His glory. Then He assures them that the silver and gold all belong to Him. Though the resources seemed scarce to the people, God was not worried. He owns it all and He is in control. God said that soon He would "shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations" - After this the people of all nations would bring offerings of gold and silver.
Many times when we attempt to work for the Lord, the Enemy will begin to fill our minds with excuses and tell us that the work is impossible. The Devil will tell us that we do not have the ability to succeed in our service for the Lord. It is then that we must remember that He who calls us is the One Who equips us. Satan will tell us that we do not have the knowledge to complete the task. It is then that we must remember that God is all knowing. Our adversary will tell us that we cannot overcome the obstacles that stand in our way. It is then that we must remember that God is all powerful. Often we are like Israel, we look at our resources and think that success is impossible. But just as He reminded His people back then, He is reminding us now that HE OWNS IT ALL!
During an especially trying time in the work of the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor wrote to his wife, "We have twenty-five cents--and all the promises of God! - W. Wiersbe, Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, p. 242.
Friend, we may not have much according to the world's standard, but we have all of the promises of God! If you look at the task that has been assigned to you and the resources seem scarce, remember that you serve the One who owns it all! If fear has gripped your mind and that fear is causing you to consider quitting on the Lord.... God would tell you today ...DON'T STOP NOW! Don't Fear... God Is In Control
- I have one final word of encouragement for you today:
VI. Don't Look Back ...God Has A Greater Plan - v9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
Though the people were discouraged by the sight of the new Temple, God promised them that the "glory of this new temple would be greater than the first one"
Israel would never be able to move forward for the Lord as long as they looked to the past. This is the case for us as a church and as individuals. Our church has a rich history. God has used this place to do some amazing things for over a century. But if we spend our time gazing into the past the future will pass us by! We can praise God for what He has done, but we must set our sights on what He wants to use us to do in the future!
Some of you were once devoted servants of the Lord. In the past God used you to accomplish great things for Him. But today you your days looking back at what you have done instead of working for God in the present. When you live in the past it will always hinder progress.
Church... our past may have been good, but God says the future is going to be even better. Dear Christian, you may have been used in a mighty way in the past, but God has a job for you to do today! There are some of you who look to the past with regret... you cannot change the past. But the future is filled with possibilities and opportunities! And God has a plan for your future! So DON'T LOOK BACK... GOD HAS A GREATER PLAN!
- A young man had grown weary in the fight. He asked an elderly lady if he should give up the struggle. He said "I am beaten every time," he said dejectedly. "I feel I must give up." The lady replied "Did you ever notice, that when the Lord told the discouraged fishermen to cast their nets again, it was right in the same old spot where they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing?"
Success will come in the Lord's time. But we must remain faithful to the task at hand. Israel's problem was that they were looking at the job very early in the process. It seemed that they were wasting their time. They were discouraged and weary. But God showed up and gave them the encouragement that they needed. And we can claim the very same promises He delivered to them in this passage.
To those who are faithfully serving the Lord, He has a message for you.... DON'T STOP NOW!
1. Don't Be Discouraged... God Sees Your Effort
2. Don't Give Up... God Will Provide Strength
3. Don't Be Afraid... God Is In Control
4. Don't Look Back... God Has A Greater Plan
