Series: A Time To… [#2]
A TIME TO RESPOND
Haggai 1:12-15
Introduction:
There was a young man who was visiting his grandparents. His Grandpa was in his study reading and the boy walked in carrying a peach. The boy said something that his Grandpa didn’t hear, so he handed the peach to him. Thinking his wife had sent him a snack, Grandpa took it and ate it. Just as he swallowed the last bite, the boy said, “Grandpa, I didn’t want you to eat it. I just wanted you to get the worm out!” Not listening can leave a bad taste in our mouths.
Haggai 1:12 (NIV)
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, 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.
You must respond to…
1. The voice of the Lord.
The people of God heard His voice. Did they hear it audibly? No. So how did they know what God was telling them? How do we hear the voice of the Lord? God speaks to us in different ways. God speaks to us through prayer, Bible study, circumstances, other believers, and dreams and visions. That means when you hear a sermon, read your Bible, say a prayer, hear a Sunday School lesson, etc…; you need to listen for God’s voice. In this particular case, God used a preacher to be His mouthpiece and the people recognized this fact.
Why in this verse did God have the writer list Zerubbabel (the Governor) and Joshua (the High Priest) before the rest of the people? God is letting us know the importance of leadership. The truth is, what is important to the leadership will become important to others. If God has placed you in a place of leadership, understand that others are watching and waiting to see what you do. There are some here who can either influence people to serve or to protest. The people heard the voice of the Lord and they obeyed because they feared the Lord. This word “fear” means to have a respect and reverence for God. They obeyed because of their respect and reverence for God; not man.
Haggai 1:13-15 (NIV)
13 Then Haggai, the LORD’S messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: “I am with you,” declares the LORD. 14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, 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, 15on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
You must respond to…
2. The stirring of the Lord.
The only way we will succeed is through God and when He is with us nothing can stop us. We can have confidence in our service to God because He is with us each step of the way. Once we realize that God is with us, it stirs up excitement within us. When God stirs us up, it is hard to keep us from being obedient. The people began building.
Conclusion:
I pray that you have heard the voice of the Lord and because of your love and respect for God you will obey. I pray that God has stirred your hearts and you are excited about what God is about to do through you.
