HAGGAI | THE FESTAL ONE

1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel; 2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. 3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. 4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, 5 And hired counsellers against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The enemies of God began to write to the Kings of Persia, first to Ahasuerus and then to Artaxerxes.

When Artaxerxes read the letters that had been written to him by the opponents of Israel, he sent out a decree that any building of the Temple was to be stopped.

Ezra 4:24 KJV 1900

24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

16 years after that decree, we find our way to the book of Haggai.

The 2 chapters of Haggai were written over a period of about 3 1/2 months

He delivered 4 messages to the children of Israel over that time period

One on the first day of the 6th month

One on the twentieth day of the 7th month

And two on the 24th day of the 9th month.

He and his contemporary Zechariah, preached messages to Israel.

Unlike most of the other minor prophets though, Haggai’s message was not a message of judgment.

His message was a challenge the people to finish the building of the temple.

The OT temple was a place where the people could encounter the presence of God.

It was a place where the sacrifices for sin would be made to ensure a right relationship between the people and the Lord.

It was more than just a structure!

It was the place where the people could glorify God!

But the temple was in ruin… so the people weren’t enjoying the presence of God.

And they had a number of excuses for why they weren’t building the temple

APPLICATION: Today, God dwells in a different kind of temple

1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV 1900

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV 1900

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

If you know Christ as your Savior, you have the Spirit of God dwelling in you!

You can never lose the Holy Spirit!

And He never leaves you!

Ephesians 1:12–14 KJV 1900

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Your salvation is sealed by that Holy Spirit, and your salvation is guaranteed until you reach your final destination in which it will then become glorification as you receive your new body in the presence of God!

No, you cannot lose the Holy Spirit, you are the temple of God!

But just like the Israelites in the days of Haggai, you can allow your temple to be in ruin.

We aren’t talking about our outward appearance today, through that is certainly important.

We should seek to take care of the body God has given us.

The sin of gluttony is one that usually gets ignored in our American churches, but it’s no less of a sin than any others!

But, before it get’s too uncomfortable, that isn’t what we are focusing on today.

No, it can be easy to fail in our upkeep of our temple with that relationship with the Lord.

It can be easy to have the presence of God dwelling within you, but not to dwell in His presence!

One of the saddest realities of these Israelites is they were living life without a relationship with God

They were living outside of His presence

And somewhere along the way it just became their way of life.

There are probably many here today who once were close to God.

Maybe you can think back to a time at a camp as a teenager

Maybe it was at a church when you first got saved

Maybe it was here at WBC!

But today, while you can say that you have the spirit dwelling in your life, you are not dwelling in His presence.

There is an emptiness where there was once a close relationship!

You’ve neglected His presence to the point that you don’t even hear His voice anymore.

We can see from the example of those in Haggai’s day, that there are a number of things that steal away from the relationship we ought to have with Christ in our lives.

My prayer this morning is we will learn from them, and purpose to rebuild that relationship with God in our lives!

V.1-2, THEY WERE BUSY WITH OTHER THINGS

Haggai 1:1–2 KJV 1900

1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.

EXPLANATION: The people had a familiar excuse to their lack of involvement in the work of God… They didn’t have time.

They were busy with other things that they needed to get done.

God calls them out on their busyness in Haggai 1:4

Haggai 1:4 KJV 1900

4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, And this house lie waste?

The people knew that the temple needed to be rebuilt, but they were busy working on their own houses.

They were improving their property.

They busy with THEIR lives!

v.4 uses a familiar word that we find used in another context in the NT… the word “dwell”

They were inhabiting their homes

It was a place that they weren’t just passing through, but they were spending time in.

They were living there.

We understand this word when we find it in 1 Peter 3:7

1 Peter 3:7 KJV 1900

7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

This may be a help to some marriages today.

Maybe you didn’t realize it but when you married your spouse you were committing to “dwell” with them.

It has the idea of remaining with them… spending time with them… getting to know them!

There may be periods of time in which you don’t spend a great deal of time together

But that shouldn’t be the norm!

You should be dwelling with one another.

That word is used in another place that I think will help us today:

Colossians 3:16 KJV 1900

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Did you know that God’s Word is to be dwelled upon.

Just like you are supposed to dwell with your spouse, we understand that takes time.

So to dwell in God’s Word is to spend time in it and meditate on it!

Psalm 1:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalm 119:97 KJV 1900

97 MEM. O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

APPLICATION: Now we understand that we should dwell with our spouse

It makes sense what that means to dwell with them.

But I wonder how many of us can truly say we are allowing the Word of God to dwell in our hearts?

Do you think about it during your day?

Do the messages on Sunday last longer in your mind than when you walk out the door 15 minutes after the service?

Is the Word of God dwelling in you and are you dwelling on the Word of God?

For so many, your Christian life is built on spare time… and we wonder why our relationship with God is the way it is!

If you dwelled with your spouse like you dwell with God, what would your relationship look like?

The 21st century Christianity has doesn’t have time for God… but there is plenty of time for all other things in life.

You’ve fallen into the trap that Israel had fallen to, you just don’t have time for that right now.

Maybe someday, but not today!

If you want to rebuild that relationship with the Lord, you are going to have to choose to put some other things aside, and dwell with the Lord!

THEY WERE BUSY WITH OTHER THINGS

V.5-7, THOSE OTHER THINGS WERE EMPTY

Haggai 1:5–7 KJV 1900

5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; Ye eat, but ye have not enough; Ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; Ye clothe you, but there is none warm; And he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

EXPLANATION: God challenges them twice in 3 verses, “Consider your ways”

Not only were they busy with other things, at the expense of a relationship with God… God points out that those others things were leaving them empty!

All of their profiting in their own strength was leaving them empty and wanting.

Haggai 1:9–11 KJV 1900

9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; And when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, And ye run every man unto his own house. 10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, And the earth is stayed from her fruit. 11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, And upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, And upon that which the ground bringeth forth, And upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

Any success they could experience would be utter failure outside of God’s plan for them!

ILLUSTRATION: Peter experienced this for himself at the end of John’s Gospel.

Jesus had risen from the dead and was ready to get back to work with His disciples, but Peter was broken from all that had happened.

He was so broken that he determined to quit

The Christian life was hard and it would just be easier, he thought, to make money!

So he went back to where he knew he could succeed… to the thing that he had done before he met Christ.

John 21:3 KJV 1900

3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

But Peter found that doing things his way resulted in nothing but emptiness.

But what if Peter had caught some fish?

What if he had pulled a few into the net?

What if he had found some success?

He would have still discovered that any success outside of God’s plan is still nothing compared to what God can do.

You see, the story didn’t end with Peter’s empty net.

John 21:4–6 KJV 1900

4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

Peter rediscovered what had always been so clear, you can’t do anything that compares with the blessing of God on your life!

APPLICATION: The Israelites discovered, there was no real success outside of the plan of God for their life.

Matthew 6:33 KJV 1900

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Ephesians 3:20 KJV 1900

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

You might find some measure of success doing things your way and pursuing your wants and desires and your plans.

But nothing can compare to what God can do in your life when you rebuild that temple in your life.

When you desire that relationship with God above all else!

God isn’t in heaven waiting to through down a lightening bolt when you mess up!

He’s a loving Father Who wants to pour out a blessing when you live for Him and serve Him and rebuild that temple in your life!

But so many are missing out on the blessing of God because they want to do things their way!

If you will rebuild that relationship, you can discover the blessings of God are so much greater!

EXPLANATION: That is exactly what happened to Israel when they got back to doing what God wanted for them!

Haggai 1:12–14 KJV 1900

12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, 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 did fear before the Lord. 13 Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith 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 Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,

When the people got stirred for the Lord, the work of God got done in their life!

And the opportunity for a relationship with God was rebuilt as well!

CONCLUSION

EXPLANATION: In chapter 2 of Haggai, the final three messages are preached, and they primarily deal with the blessing of God that came when the people rebuilt the temple.

But I don’t want to miss one really cool part in the 2nd message as we wrap up today.

Haggai 2:1–9 KJV 1900

1 In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, 2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, 3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; And be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; And be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: For I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: 5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, So my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. 6 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, And I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: And I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: And in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.

What Haggai says here is so cool.

He asks, who remembers the first temple

Undoubtedly, many would be able to remember the glory of that first temple.

They would remember the glories of the gold that seemed to be everywhere you looked.

The magnificence of all the artifacts in the temple

The grandeur and magnitude

And as they looked at the temple they were rebuilding, it wasn’t to the same level it seemed.

In fact in v.3, it says that in their eyes it would seem like nothing in comparison.

What’s the point?

That’s when Haggai encourages them in v.4

But here is the best part, v.7

“The desire of all nations” is talking about the coming Savior!

He is saying, the last one may have been beautiful, and it was...

But you’re gonna get to see Christ in this one!

And v.9 says, that will be even better than it was before!

APPLICATION: Friend, are you too busy for Jesus this morning?

Are you too busy to allow him to be seen in your life?

If you are thinking, “Maybe someday”, you are missing out!

God wants you to rebuild your temple that has been left in disrepair.

He wants you to rebuild that relationship with Him

He wants you to experience His blessing upon your life

He wants to let Jesus show out of your life!

If you’ll allow him to, it will be greater than anything you’ve imagined before!

Haggai’s name… it means the Festal One

The feasts were days of enjoying the blessing of God and praising the name of God

And that is exactly what you will find when you rebuild your relationship with God!

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