Obedience: the Best Way

Renewing Our Spiritual Heritage

Obedience: The Best Way

Haggai 1:12-15

Theme: God shows us Godly response to His Word

Introduction: The study of Haggai takes us back into the middle of the rebuilding of the temple. We learned last week the rebuilding project had stopped after the altar was built according to the book of Ezra. These verses are still part of the first message which would be right at September 21, 520 BC.

God sometimes shocks us into obedience. The exiles seemed to be getting along well but they were neglecting their call by God to rebuild the temple. Sometimes the world can convince us that we can get along without God. Haggai came to stir them up to finish what God wanted them to accomplish. He sought to challenged them to overcome their complacency. They did not want to be told that God’s blessing had been withdrawn from them. Life was hard enough without being reminded of rebuilding the house of the Lord.

They were to examine their conditions and their spiritual relationship with God. When the prophet came, the message touched their heart and God’s Spirit was at work in them.

Please notice the ways they responded.

I. They heard the message

A. The leaders heard

1. The leaders heard what Haggai said.

2. They did not ignore or seek to stop the message he preached.

3. There was a day in our country when our political leaders would hear what the Bible says and men would preach the Bible.

4. These leaders recognized here it was the Word of God.

5. A leader says: “this is the way and leads way.”

“. . . had there been no leaders, no one of the common people would have pointed out the way to the rest. We know what usually happens when a word is addressed indiscriminately to all people: they wait for one another.” (unknown)

B. The exiles listened

1. The people looked to the leaders and they followed what the prophet was preaching.

2. The response was very rapid.

3. They did not wait until a better day, what better day than now?

4. The prophet through God’s power saw the people listen to the message. Rarely has there been such a listening group to preach to.

II. They surrendered to the message

A. Conviction of the Holy Spirit

1. The Holy spirit brought great conviction to the hearers.

2. It was God that works in a man’s heart to stir up our spirit.

3. A Godly church will be a place where the Holy Spirit works in the heart of man by conviction.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” (John 16:7–11)

4. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts and Jesus reminds us it is the Holy Spirit which draws men

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44)

5. The church should be a place where man is convicted of his sin. We pray for the Holy Spirit to convict us, to rebuke us of our sinfulness.

6. I long for the Holy Spirit’s convicting power in our services.

B. Respect for the message

1. They recognized this conviction was the presence of God Himself working among the people.

2. “I am with you” is the guarantee of God’s presence and His work in them.

3. They knew the prophet’s message was from God and He was right.

4. The respect is seen by the fact they surrendered to the message itself-they obeyed what Haggai was preaching.

III. They acted upon the message

A. They feared God v. 12

1. Proverbs tells us the “fear of the Lord is wisdom.”

2. A healthy fear towards God means to honor and respect Him.

3. One evidence that we are living in the last times II Tim. 3:1-5-lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

4. Their hearts were stirred and they acted upon the call.

B. They repented v.14

1. The call to repentance was given and they responded just as Zechariah’s message

“Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, And I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 1:3)

2. The idea of turning means to turn 180 degrees, to turn around.

3. The remnant today are those who have repented of their sins, trusted Christ, and are actively seeking to obey God’s Word.

4. Unfortunately many have been lulled to sleep and allow the thinking and the desires of the world to dominate their lives.

5. The repentant are those who want to maintain purity of truth in their churches—it is horrible that churches have become woke in their culture but even worse is the members of those churches have become tolerant of it.

6. The call to spiritual renewal is to repent of complacency and desire to place God’s Word at the center of their thoughts and actions.

Conclusion: Obedience is the best way to show that you believe. Obedience is always right. When God speaks His Word, there’s only one acceptable response, and that’s obedience. We don’t weight the options, we don’t examine the alternatives, and we don’t negotiate the terms. We simply do what God tell us to do and leave the rest to Him.

“Faith is not believing in spite of evidence; it’s obeying in spite of the consequence.” (British preacher Geoffrey Studdert-Kennedy)