Ecclesiastes 3 lists several items that are described as having their specific time. The first verse, in fact, drives the point home, saying, "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven."
Solomon then goes on to give examples of what he’s saying, giving one item, then relating an opposite item. Like, "A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance." On and on the list goes, comparing and contrasting items that all have their specific times of being performed.
And one of the series of activities that’s mentioned there tells us that there’s "A time to break down, and a time to build up." Now, that’s not talking about a "nervous breakdown." It’s never time for that!
It’s referring to the fact that there are specific, God-ordained times when some things don’t need to stand any longer, and then, that there are some things that need to be built up and erected. And in church work, and in progressing in the direction God is wanting to take us, there are several things that can hinder both of those works from being done.
We can fail to tear things down and remove them. Everything has its season. Seasons have both a beginning and an ending. Many people think God only starts things, and then expects us to do them from now on. But look through the Bible and you’ll see that God is the Author, and the Finisher. The Alpha and Omega.
That tells me He starts things, but that there comes a time when He’ll finish it. Everything has a time, and everything has its season. The manna, the brazen serpent, the cloud by day and fire by night -
all of the things that God used to deliver His people with had their rightful season and time.
And not only that, but even people have their season. Moses had his season. Joshua, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets, all had their season. We can, and often do, miss the season and time of God. And that means that we must constantly be seeking God’s direction for the Kingdom. What does God want to do now? And, what does God want me to do now?
And when there are things that God is through with, that we won’t break down, it hinders the building and coming forth of what God wants to do now. I think that’s one reason why the Lord told Jeremiah that he had called him "to root out, pull down, destroy and throw down, THEN to build, and to plant."
Some things had to be removed before other things could be raised! *And you only break things down when you recognize that something else needs to be built up. And so, somettimes, we fail to discern the time to build. I said recently, "God’s work, done God’s way, will have God’s support." That’s very true.
And included in doing things "God’s way," is doing things in God’s time. It’s amazing to me, how that, in some things, in some areas, we want to rush God, and in other areas we want to put God off! We often want God to move on our schedule, doing things our way, in our time. But at last check, none of us created or holds time in our hands! It is God who did, and He calls upon us to operate in His time.
And in the text, we see Israel, the remnant having returned from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple. We see them failing to do that work, the Lord’s work. They had become distracted, and the work of the Lord had suffered. And we see them, in their actions, wanting to argue with God about what time it is, how that time should be spent, and what they should be involved in. They had their own agenda, and God had His. And in their actions, attitudes, and words, we can identify some spiritually hazardous areas that we need to take note of in our own lives.
I don’t know how far I’ll get, but let’s begin, and we’ll see what happens. God directly challenges the people’s actions of apathy, (which doesn’t sound right), by speaking through the prophet Haggai. The word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel the govenor of Judah, and to Joshua the high priest.
The Lord said, "These people say, ’The time is not come, the time, that is, to build the Lord’s house.’" Again, the Lord says through Haggai, "Is it time for you to dwell in your cieled houses, and leave this house in ruins?" In 2 Timothy 3:16, it says that the word of the Lord is "profitable for reproof..." We see that being exercised here.
And in these first couple of scriptures, we can already see the nature of the exchange between them and God. It doesn’t take a scholar to determine that God was not happy with them. God is revealing that the way they see things, and the way He sees things, are completely different.
And for us to have views that are different (between ourselves) is one thing. But when your view varies from God’s view, it’s a very dangerous thing. *So let’s look quickly here at two things that give us a diagnosis of the problem, which can reveal some problem areas for some believers and churches today. And I believe that the Lord wants to bring us under His microscope tonight and inspect our status.
1. The Procrastination in the Lord’s work.
In v. 2, the Lord repeats what the people have said, and the way they have behaved. "You say that it’s not time to build the Lord’s house." The house of the Lord has laid in ruins for many years. We’re not talking about a few days of putting it off. This went on for well over a decade. There reason: It never seemed to be the right time. But this attitude and approach brought a rebuke from the Lord. And in v. 8, He directly commands them to "commence build-ing the house!" So, they said it wasn’t time, but God said it is time!
The real problem with procrastination, especially when it comes to the Lord’s work, is that it shows a lack of passion for that particular act. *I want you to get this then: They didn’t have a passion for the house of the Lord.
*That implies a lot of things: No passion for worship, prayer, praise, communion with God. The fact that they didn’t care whether the house of God was built or not showed that they weren’t really interested in the God of the house! And so, they weren’t just showing a lack of passion for physical labor, they were showing a lack of passion for Spiritual relationship!
And procrastinating, or habitually putting off, the Lord’s work, which revealed a lack of passion for the Lord and His work, would be bad even by itself. But that wasn’t the full problem, and, perhaps, wasn’t the main problem.
2. There’s the passion for their own projects.
You see, these were not people lacking in passion. These were people with misdirected passions. The Lord confronts them in v. 4, asking, "Is it time for you to dwell in your cieled, paneled, elaborate houses?" Their houses were paneled houses, which meant built with wood. In other words, it required the same physical labor as the house of the lord would have.
In v. 9, the Lord said, "Every man is running to his own house." It showed that they were passionate and eager to go. They were passionate, but their passions were out of priority. They were eager to do what they wanted to do. They ran to fulfill their own agenda. What about you? What priority do you give to God’s work, to building His Kingdom?
Here’s a little test: Most of us probably already have a few things on our agenda for this coming week. Things we have to do, and want to do, and will do. *There are some things that we must do. But do you know, have you considered, have you sought out to know what’s on God’s agenda this week? Not what He’s going to do, but what’s on His agenda for you?
Even I am guilty at times of planning and creating my own agenda without consulting God’s agenda first. And that attitude, action, and activity reveals that, yes, I am passionate. But my passions are sometimes out of priority.
Let me give you a few questions to ask as a test, or guide, in determining your priorities. How can I identify what my priorities are?
1. What would others say our priorities are?
2. What do we think about?
3. What do we talk about?
4. How do we spend our spare time?
5. How do we spend our spare money?
6. What "gives" when we face a conflict of priorities?
*So where are you at? You may need to spend some time PRIORITIZING YOUR PASSIONS!
