· In the movie "Groundhog Day" actor Bill Murray wakes up to the same day over and over. He finds himself confronted with the same situations he had faced just the day before all over again; only of course it isn’t a new day–he’s stuck on groundhog’s day. Only he is aware of the repetition which is taking place as he experiences the repetition of the day before. Confronted with the same choices once again, Murray is able to change what had happened previously by making a different choice.
If only it were that easy! How many of us have ever had a day that we would like to live over again. If only we could go back and right our mistakes; if only we could learn from our mistakes before others were hurt.
We have been looking at a series of messages taken from the book of Haggai A WORD TO THE CHURCH.
We have learned from the prophet Haggai that just as God called the nation of Israel to complete the work of building the temple, God is likewise telling us to complete the work He has called us to do. Jesus wants to build His Church, and it is being built through you and me!
We looked first at “GOD’S WORK DELAYED”. Satan cannot destroy the church, but he would like to see it’s work slowed down. The devil can keep us from doing God’s work as our priorities get out of balance through just being comfortable. In order to fulfill God’s purpose we must keep God in His rightful place as our #1 priority as we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
Then we looked at “GETTING GOD’S WORK DONE!” We’ll do nothing for God unless we follow His plan for action: Assessment -> Agreement -> Action–Getting God’s Work Done! When we make an accurate assessment of our priorities we will come into agreement with God and with one another. Until we come into agreement nothing can be done; remember the African proverb, “The man who tries to walk two roads, splits his pants.” As we join together in unity we are then able to move forward and do the work God has call us to; that’s action that will accomplish His purposes.
Last week, I know I got a little excited, DON’T QUIT, THE BEST IS YET TO COME! God knows that we can become easily discouraged and just want to quit when our perspective gets out of balance. When we begin to focus on the good ol’ days instead of looking ahead to where God is taking us, when we focus on the temporal instead of the eternal it’s hard to see clearly. God wants each of us to be encouraged and move forward, to continue the work that He has called us to do because the best is yet to come!
Now as we come today to this fourth message HOLD ON! GOD’S BLESSING WILL COME, I want to preface it with two things which I believe to be true about each of us.
First, I think that DEEP DOWN EACH OF US REALLY WANT TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT; even if it were possible to repeat a day trying to correct its mistakes, none of us would want to/ we would rather get it right the first time. Put another way, our desire is simply to obey God, to not the things that lead us into sin.
Secondly, I’m fairly confident that NONE OF US OBEY GOD ALL THE TIME. Each of us have come to find ourselves falling short of what we know is right. As James says, "We all stumble in many ways" (James 3:2 NIV).
We all would like to obey God; unfortunatlely it easier said than done. If only we could go back and correct all of our mistakes; if only we could make things right with God and our fellow man, but we can’t.
I have good news for you. What we can’t do; God can!
Putting the truth of this morning’s message simply, SIN HAS POLLUTED OUR LIVES, BUT GOD HAS PROMISED TO BRING HIS BLESSING INTO OUR LIVES THROUGH OBEDIENCE. Because of sin each of us are defiled; we are marked as unworthy and unacceptable by God. We can do nothing to change our condition, BUT GOD CAN, AND HE WILL!
1. IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?
The nation of Israel began to wonder if doing the work of God was really worth it. Where was the promised blessing of God that was to come through obedience to his Word? After all if obedience has no reward, then why bother trying to obey God; why not just live like the rest of the world and not worry about it?
+ Haggai 2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: (NIV)
The timing of this third message from the Lord is significant. It has now been three months since the people began the work on the temple. Two months have gone by since Haggai spoke God’s word of encouragement to the people; “Don’t quit; the best is yet to come!”
The people are now beginning to wonder if it’s really true. Is it really worth the effort to obey God? Where is the promised blessing? Their economic standing has not improved; they are still not a free people–their homeland is the occupied territory of the Persian Empire. For some folks it seemed that even as they obeyed the Lord it had only gone from bad to worse!
WE SOMETIMES FIND OURSELVES IN THE SAME SITUATION. We renew our commitment to serve the Lord; we begin a new work for God and we seem to find ourselves in worse shape than before. Is it really worth it?
2. GOD ANSWERS OUR QUESTION WITH A QUESTION. It’s a divine quiz time.
+ Haggai 2:11-13 11"This is what the LORD Almighty says: ’Ask the priests what the law says: 12If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’" The priests answered, "No." 13Then Haggai said, "If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?" "Yes," the priests replied, "it becomes defiled." (NIV)
We may struggle to understand the meaning of the questions God asks Israel, but they understood perfectly the point God was making.
The Jewish people knew that some things were set apart as holy. For instance a bowl might be consecrated for use in the temple, while an identical bowl might be for use in a home. The first bowl is considered holy; it is set apart for special use. The second is common or ordinary; it is said to be unholy. The only way for the unholy object to be made holy is for it to be consecrated or set apart for service unto the Lord.
The Jews also knew that the law also specified that certain things would cause an individual or other things be considered defiled or unclean. For instance, if you came into contact with a dead body you and the clothes you are wearing would be unclean. Or ladies, the law stated that you would be unclean a certain time each month, and any man who touched you during that time would also be unclean. Only after the requirements of the law had been fulfill could those things declared unclean again be made clean.
GOD’S QUESTIONS: God asks two questions that are related to each other. The first is in verse 12 and the second is in verse 13. We can simplify this as follows:
1. If the holy touches the unholy, the unholy remains unholy.
2. If the unholy touches the holy, the holy is defiled and becomes unholy.
Let me put it another way. Sin spreads; it cannot be contained by human energy or will. Evil will not be idle; it will seek to contaminate everything around it. Someone has said, “Sin is like spaghetti sauce, it stains everything it touches.”
· Let me illustrate that for you like this. There was a time before certain medications and vaccines that if you were diagnosed with certain diseases such as small pox that you would be quarantined. Why? It was to keep the sickness from spreading. If a healthy person comes into contact with a sick person, health is not transferred to the sick individual. However, if a sick person comes in contact with a healthy person, the healthy individual may become ill.
· Can I make this illustration a little stronger? I know our children are with us this morning so I’m going to do this as discreetly as possible. We are all aware of how some diseases spread through intimate contact between two people. Now just use your imagination with me. If you are hear this morning and had one of the donuts that were available prior to the service, then I want you to stand up because right now you are sick. We all know that donuts are bad for us and now we have proved it! Now those of you who are still seated, look around at who is standing. If you shook hands hugged or made contact in any way with any one of these individuals then you also need to stand, bcause now you are sick too. Let’s do that once more, if you’re still seated and greated any of those now standing, will you also stand because you’re sick now too. Notice: ONLY THOSE WHO ABSTAINED FROM MAKING ANY CONTACT WITH EITHER THE DONUT OR THOSE STANDING ARE STILL WELL. Parents if you have a hard time making the application to this then you need to see me later because you need to talk about it with your kids at their level.
Now how many of you understand that holiness can’t be caught? Just because you hang around with church folks or read the bible doesn’t make you holy. Sin contaminates everything it touches.
Sin spreads like dirt; regardless of how well you clean your house it won’t take long before it will need to be cleaned again. The same is true in our lives. One act of obedience, or one prayer is not enough. We are called to a life of obedience.
+ Ephesians 2:8-10 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)
3. GOD’S APPLICATION TO HIS PEOPLE
Now look back at what Haggai the people of Israel and communicates to us today. In verse 14 with an important application to the truth he has spoken.
+ Haggai 2:14 Then Haggai said, "’So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ’Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled. (NIV)
Haggai is telling the people that just doing the work of God is not enough. The people thought that because they had begun the work of building the temple that now everything would be okay, but it wasn’t! In God’s sight it wasn’t just their actions that counted; GOD EXAMINED THE MOTIVE OF THEIR HEARTS.
When your heart is impure it contaminates everything you touch! You cannot fool God.
+ Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (NIV)
Putting it simply: It’s what’s on the inside that really counts! As 1 Chronicles 28:9 says, “the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” (NIV)
4. GOD’S PURPOSE FOR DISCIPLINE
✞ Haggai 2:15-17 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. 16When 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. 17I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, YET YOU DID NOT TURN TO ME,’ DECLARES THE LORD. (NIV)
Underline in your bibles the statement, "’yet still you did not turn to me’ declares the Lord." More important than having the building of the temple completed was the reality that God desired an intimate relationship with His people.
The people had started a great work for God, BUT THEIR HEARTS HAD NOT TURNED TO GOD.
+ See Hebrews 12:5-10
God does not discipline us just to punish us. Understand this: God disciplines you and I to restore us into right fellowship with Him. God wants us to turn to him in order that we might "share in His holiness."
5. HOLD ON! GOD’S BLESSING WILL COME
+ Haggai 2:18-19 18’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: 19Is 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.’" (NIV)
What is God telling His people? What is God telling us? HOLD ON! GOD’S BLESSING WILL COME!
God tells them to remember this day! It is the day that God not only called them to obedience, but today is the day that God calls them into relationship with Him!
TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION! Remember this day as the day Jesus reached down and saved you
God then gives them the promise of His blessing–-continued obedience will bring about God’s purposes in their lives, and ours too.
Look in the barns, is there any seed left to plant? God says that He will bless it. Every farmer knows that you can’t plant today and then harvest tomorrow! But every persistant farmer know that his hard work will be rewarded at harvest time.
+ Galatians 6:7-9 7DO NOT BE DECEIVED: GOD CANNOT BE MOCKED. A MAN REAPS WHAT HE SOWS. 8The 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. 9LET US NOT BECOME WEARY IN DOING GOOD, FOR AT THE PROPER TIME WE WILL REAP A HARVEST IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP. (NIV)
Don’t give up when it seems that your situation has gone from bad to worse. HOLD ON! GOD’S BLESSING WILL COME!
