Sermon Tone Analysis

Haggai 2:1-23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2005

 

Introduction

 

Two weeks ago we looked at Haggai chapter one.

We saw how God challenged the people */to consider their ways./*

They had neglected God’s house and God’s work.

They were so busy building expensive homes and making money that God’s house lay in ruins.

They had forgotten the Lord their God.

So God commanded them */to consider their ways/*.

Praise God they heeded His Word and considered their ways.

They got back to work on the temple.

/In chapter 2, Haggai the prophet encourages them to keep the work going.

/This morning we will see 3 things; */Consolation, Confession & Coronation./*

 

1.

Consolation

 

/a.

Discouragement/

 

*2:1-3:* /In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying: Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying: *Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory?*

And how do you see it now?

*In comparison with it,* *is this not in your eyes as nothing?

*/

 

The Good Old Days

 

O how we love to remember the good old days; The Glory Days.

The time when we were younger and life was slower.

When QLD always won the state of origin matches.

Remember the time when we laughed more and cried less.

Remember the time when our relationship with God was closer.

The time when we loved Christ above all else.

Remember when we spent more time with our friends and less time working.

/O that those days were here again./

*/To think of those days discourages us because we’ve lost them./*

*/The people of Israel were discouraged too./*

They had started building the temple again.

/Although work was well under way, *discouragement *had crept in./ */Why?/*

Because some of the older folk remembered the glory of the first temple.

Solomon’s Temple was magnificent.

In comparison their building seemed so poor and worthless.

*/The questions Haggai asks are essentially rhetorical, causing the people to face openly the fact that their temple was not going to be as splendid as Solomon’s.

/*Haggai made the people admit their disappointments.

The good old days were gone.

/Yet this was still God’s house, built according to God’s plan and for His glory./

Ezra describes this time as well.

*Ezra 3:11-13:* /And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes.

Yet many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off./

*/What about us?

Are we discouraged?

/* Our Church isn’t as big as it once was.

Many of our ministries have ceased.

/Many of our close friends have moved on in the last 10 or 15 years./

Many of the blessings we enjoyed a decade ago have gone.

It’s hard to accept these losses.

In fact it’s very easy to become discouraged when we see that the glory days of yesteryear are gone.

To deny these facts doesn’t help us.

We must face the truth squarely if we want to learn from it; if we want to move forward again.

*/God knew what the people were thinking and brought it all out into the open./*

/b.

Encouragement/

 

*Haggai 2:4a: */Yet now *be strong*, Zerubbabel, says the Lord; and *be strong*, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and *be strong*, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and *work;* /

 

*/God commanded the people to keep working./*

/People who are discouraged need a word from the Lord./

So God encouraged His people with some wonderful promises.

*/He commanded them to be strong and do His work./*

/The leaders must *be strong* and so too the people./

*/God’s work needs devotion and loyalty if it is to succeed.

/*When God commanded Joshua to lead Israel into Canaan, /He told Joshua to be strong/ 3 times.

David gave Solomon a similar command before he built the first temple.

/God’s work is not for the weak or the fearful./

It requires strength and faith to overcome our adversary.

*Eph 6:10:* /Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

/

 

*1.

God’s Presence*

 

*Haggai 2:4b-5: /For I am with you/*/, says the Lord of hosts.

According to the word that I *covenanted *with you when you came out of Egypt, so *My Spirit remains* among you; *do not fear!*/

 

/Why should they be strong*?

They could be strong because God was with them.

Because God’s people had obeyed the Lord, He was with them.*/

The Lord of Hosts was in their midst.

The God who commands the armies of heaven was watching over them.

*/If God is for us, who can be against us?/* /This temple was nothing in comparison to what Solomon had built but that didn’t matter.

The important thing is that this was God’s work and they could depend on Him to help finish it./

*/At the same time, Zechariah encouraged the people to rebuild./

4:6:* /So he answered and said to me: This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the Lord of hosts.

/

 

/God remembered the covenant that He had made with Israel when He brought them out of Egypt./

The Lord would be faithful.

Whilst Israel obeyed the Lord, He would bless them.

*/Since God was with Israel they should be strong and do His work./*

They must not fear because Almighty God was watching over them.

*Hebrews 13:5b-6:* /For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you./

/So we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.

What can man do to me? /Fear paralyzes people and keeps us from doing what we should.

God doesn’t want us to be weak or afraid.

He wants us to be people of faith and power through His Spirit.

*/If we serve the Lord He will be with us!/*

*2.

God’s Promise*

 

*Haggai 2:6-7:* /For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the *Desire of All Nations*, and *I will fill this temple with glory*, says the Lord of hosts./

The elders of Israel remembered how glorious Solomon’s temple was.

Yet if the people finished this second temple God would be glorified in it.

*Haggai 1:8 tells us this.*

Now God had a promise for Israel.

/He would fill this new house with glory./

*/How?/* /The Messiah would come to this temple and many would seek Him there./