Building God's House

I. Introduction
A. New eight week series next week: God’s Greatest Commandments
1. The Ten Commandments
2. The Shema Israel
3. The Beatitudes
4. The Lord’s Prayer
5. The Greatest Commandment
6. The New Commandment
7. The Great Commission
8. The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
B. Haggai
1. Nebuchadnezzar overran Judah around 586BC and took God’s people into exile in Babylon.
2. Then, about 70 years later, Persia has taken over from Babylon and King Cyrus has sent a number of Jews back to Judah to rebuild the temple that still lies in ruins because of the Babylonians.
3. During these days of restoration and rebuilding, God sent at least three prophets to communicate His will to His people: the last three prophets of the OT: Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
II. Haggai 1:1–1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” 3 Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. 7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”
A. The Jews who originally returned from exile were full of joy and optimism, and full of a zeal to rebuild the temple of the Lord.
1. But it didn’t take long for this zeal to wane as political difficulties and practical realities obstructed and halted the work.
2. And after a while, the people came to a conclusion expressed in v.2, “The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.”
3. And instead of devoting themselves to building God’s house, they focused on their own houses:
a. 4 “dwell in your paneled houses”
b. 9 “each of you busies himself with his own house”
4. But because of their misplaced priorities, God did not support or prosper their efforts to improve their own welfare. He actually thwarted those efforts.
a. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. ...9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, it blew away...10 the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 a drought came on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”
5. Why did God oppose their efforts to take care of their own lives?
a. 9-11 “Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. 10 This is why the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 This is why I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”
b. 9 “When you bring home the fruit of your labors, I blow it away.”
B. What’s this have to do with us, over 2500 years later? There is no temple lying in ruins waiting to be built.
1. There have been many prophets and prophetesses whom God has sent to communicate His messages to people, many more than are named in the Bible. The Bible itself tells us this.
2. And even the prophets who are named in the Bible, we don’t have all of their prophecies in Scripture. There are quite a few prophets in the Bible whose prophecies are not recorded there.
3. Why would God allow so much prophecy to be lost to us? Why aren’t they in the Bible?
4. It seems like a lot of prophecy was needed for specific people of groups of people at a given time. But they weren’t needed by all of God’s people during the other periods of history.
5. But God made sure that the prophecies of Haggai were preserved for all ages and for all people.
6. Why? Well, obviously because we need them, because they are relevant to us, because they say things we need to hear. Remember 1Cor.10:6, 11 “These things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did... These things...were written down for our instruction.”
C. What if there is a temple today lying in ruins waiting to be built? What would it be?
1. This certainly isn’t about church buildings. Christ’s people are the NT temple
a. 1Cor.3:16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”.
b. 1Peter 2:5 “You yourselves – like living stones – are being built up as a spiritual house.”
2. The NT temple is the church Christ is building – Matt.16:18.
3. Can anyone dispute that in many ways, Christ’s church is in ruins today?
D. And this is what is supposed to be our first priority – Christ’s kingdom in our hearts, His kingdom among our families, in our church, in our community, and among the nations of the world.
1. He wants us to reach our spouses, children, relatives, neighbors, work associates for Christ.
2. He wants us to “set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Col.3:2
E. You see, largely, Christ builds His church through His people.
1. This can mean bringing people into the church and it can be building up the people of the church.
2. Ephesians 4:15-16 “We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
3. 1Cor.12:7 “To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
III. Haggai 1:12-15 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD’s message, “I am with you, declares the LORD.” 14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
A. As a result of Haggai’s prophecy, the leaders of Israel obeyed and restarted the building process. Only this time, God worked WITH them instead of AGAINST them, for they were building HIS house instead of their OWN (v.12-14). And, in spite of further obstacles, they completed the temple project within four years and dedicated this new temple to the Lord in 516BC.
B. Two times: “Consider your ways!” v.5 & 7
1. Have you noticed what’s happening in your lives? This is the word of the Lord. The opposite is our natural tendency. Think about what you’re doing! Why? Because what is natural is often contrary to what is good and right and best.
2. What is your life like? Is it flourishing by God’s grace?
3. I’m not referring to how smoothly things are going, or whether you’re prospering in earthly ways.
4. I’m talking about whether your faith is thriving in the grace of Christ, and your humility and your love and your gratitude and your service of God’s people and your witness for Christ in the world.
5. Is it possible that God is thwarting you instead of helping you?
6. Is it possible that God is opposing you in your life?
7. Are you focused on your own earthly situation instead of your spiritual welfare and that of family and church?
C. Don’t you want God working for you instead of against you?
1. Does it ring a bell when you read: 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. ...9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, it blew away...10 the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 a drought came on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.
2. Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Matt.6:33
a. That’s God working for you because you are working for Him.
3. Haggai 2:15-17 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. 18...But now that the foundation of the LORD’s temple is laid...19 from this day on I will bless you.
4. God promises He is for us, how can He work against us?
a. Sometimes God working against us is the thing we need most – like these Jews.
b. For instance, what if the thing we are pursuing is actually an idol. Isn’t it loving for God to work against our idolatry? So, it can be very loving of God to work against us.
c. But of course, God never works against us when our ambition is to do His will. Then He works for us. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps.37:4
IV. There are three obstacles here in Haggai which get in the way of building God’s house: difficulty, distraction, and disappointment.
A. Difficulty
1. All of us know the feeling. You start a project with enthusiasm. But it turns out to be far more difficult than we thought it would be. And so the project is suspended with the full intention of getting back to it and finishing it. But time wears on and other projects dominate our attention and soon it has been a long time and nothing at all has been done toward finishing that original project.
2. But the most important things of life are often the most difficult – and require long, continuous attention.
3. And laboring for the kingdom of God is sometimes the hardest & most discouraging thing we do.
4. It’s so easy to grow accustomed to the way things are and just be willing to allow them to remain that way, instead of fighting to change them.
5. Today there are a lot of Christians who have given up on the church. They have grown too discouraged trying to fix things, and they are too weary to keep striving.
6. But this is wrong! It’s just like the Jews who said, “Now is not the time to rebuild God’s house!” They grew weary of well-doing. (Gal.6:9)
7. God calls His children to live lives of service to one another. To be just concerned about our own earthly lives is a blatant and intolerable contradiction of the gospel.
a. Hebrews 10:24 ...let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.
8. Think about the work Jesus did to build the kingdom. Think about when He cleansed the temple – overturning tables, and using a whip to drive the money-changers out.
a. And then His disciples remembered Ps.69:9, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:17
9. Does zeal for God’s house consume US? It should.
a. Isaiah 62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.
B. Distraction
1. There are so many earthly needs around us, and they can so easily distract us from bigger things.
2. You know, wherever you go in the world, most people aren’t religious zealots or political militants. Most people just want to earn a living and take care of their families.
3. And there’s certainly a good side to that.
4. But that’s really not what we’re supposed to be doing. God has called His people to do more than survive. He’s called us to love Him and love our neighbor. He’s called us to seek first His kingdom. He’s called us to be fishers of men. He’s called us to make disciples of every nation.
5. Haggai told the people that they had mixed up priorities. They were so busy with their own houses that they had no time for God’s house. Isn’t it the same today?
6. Jesus talked about this in Matt.13:22 "and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” But the good soil bears much fruit: it multiplies.
7. We can’t just say, “As long as things are comfortable in my own corner, I can be content.”
8. What do we put as our first priority: our own physical comfort or the eternal welfare of people? Our first priority must be to build God’s house, not ours.
C. Disappointment –
1. Haggai 2:1–9 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel, 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.’ ”
2. Some of them were very old and remembered the old temple.
3. Even though it hadn’t been completed yet, the new temple was clearly not nearly as glorious as Solomon’s temple had been.
4. “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?”
5. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work anyway, for I am with you. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.
6. And then the Lord makes a new promise. “In a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory...The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former.” Haggai 2:6-9
7. Sometimes Christians have trouble finding a church as good as the one they used to go to.
8. Sometimes members of a church feel like their church isn’t what it used to be.
9. And when this happens, people find it hard to work hard for the church because it’s not as good as what they have in their memory.
10. So what is God’s answer? He says, “Things may not be as glorious right now as you would like them to be. But don’t slack off. One day, I’m going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake all the nations, and I am going to fill this house with glory like you’ve never seen before.”
11. And that’s true for us too. One day we will reap glorious fruit from all our sowing (Gal.6:9).
12. Psalm 126 was written at the same time as Haggai’s prophecies, addressing the same situation.
a. Ps.126:5-6 Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! 6 He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
13. The church experiences advances & reversals. But our enthusiasm for God’s kingdom, & our zeal in working for its welfare shouldn’t be dampened when there’s a lull in terms of growth or action.
V. Conclusion
A. All this certainly applies to each one of our families and to our church life here together and to our outreach in the world. But this principle doesn’t just apply to things out there.
B. For some the project which has most obviously been abandoned is the building of their own soul.
C. So many of our Christian souls lie in ruins. How about me? How about you?
D. It is so easy to neglect because no one notices, or so it seems.
E. And so there is disorder and neglect. Maybe we hope to get to it one of these days, but it has been many days of saying that and we are no closer to returning to the project than we were when we first abandoned it.