Christ-Centered Priorities: Building for the Glory of Jesus
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When God Awakens His People: Christ-Centered Priorities
Good morning, EBC family. My name is Andrew Davis from Wake Forest, NC. I’m thrilled to explore Haggai with you today:
Imagine a house is engulfed in flames, but instead of rushing to put out the fire, the firefighters polish the truck, adjust the hoses, and film TikTok dances. Meanwhile, the fire rages on, and the people inside are desperate for rescue. It’s absurd—they have the tools and purpose to save lives, but their priorities are completely out of order. They’ve clearly forgotten why they’re there.
Have you ever focused on the wrong thing while ignoring what truly matters?
Have you ever let distractions divert you from the mission God has given you?
That’s precisely the situation in Haggai’s time. After decades in exile, the people of Judah returned home, tasked with rebuilding the temple—the centerpiece of their worship and identity. Though they started strong, laying the foundation and celebrating God’s faithfulness, distractions and comfort overtook them. Eighteen years later, the temple still lay in ruins.
Haggai addresses a timeless issue: misplaced priorities. Prioritizing their own comfort and pursuits, they left God’s house in ruins, revealing a deeper problem of placing themselves at the center of their lives instead of God.
Thankfully God, in His mercy, didn’t leave them there. He sent his prophet Haggai to wake them up, calling them to reflect, repent, and rebuild God’s temple. But Haggai isn’t just about an ancient building project—it points us to something greater. Today, through the lens of Christ, we see that God calls His people to prioritize His kingdom, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the true temple and source of our satisfaction.
God desires us to embrace our purpose, to reorder our priorities in our distracted age, and to prioritize the King and His kingdom. Look with me at verse 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:
Haggai’s prophecy occurred at a unique time in history: “the second year of Darius, the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month.” In the prophecy, we read, “The word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet.” Haggai is presented as God’s messenger, entrusted with a direct revelation from the Lord. His title as prophet emphasizes that his words carry divine authority, not personal opinion.
So Haggai’s message is directed at a couple key figures:
Zerubbabel, a governor of Judah and a direct descendant of King David and ancestor of Jesus Christ, is a powerful symbol of political leadership among the returned exiles.
Joshua, as the high priest, cared for the people's spiritual heart—their worship and relationship with God.
Now, with the timing and leadership established, God’s message begins, and two key pillars of this text are shown, starting with a direct confrontation of a significant issue: The Priority Problem. Let’s look at verses 2–6.
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. (ESV)
Notice how God refers to them as “these people” instead of “my people.” It’s intentional. This matters because God’s choice of words reflects the spiritual distance created by their disobedience. It’s a reminder that when we neglect Him, we drift from the close relationship He desires with us as His people. Misplaced priorities don’t distance God from us, but they distance us from Him.
In verse 2-4, God’s people claim, “The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” Their excuse masked the deeper issue—placing their comfort and priorities above God’s work. But God challenges their misplaced priorities with a piercing question: “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” The reference to “paneled houses” highlights that they had poured time and resources into making their homes comfortable and even luxurious while neglecting God’s temple. In that culture, having paneled houses was a sign of wealth, making their selfishness and disregard for God’s dwelling place even more evident.
Jon Pedley was a self-made millionaire who lived in luxury in a 16th-century farmhouse. However, he admitted that his pursuit of wealth had always come before everything else, leaving a trail of sin in his life.
"I've lived an incredibly selfish existence," Pedley said. "I've been convicted of crime, slept rough, been an alcoholic, had affairs, and damaged people's lives including my own. I've always put the pursuit of money in front of everything else."
After a devastating car crash in 2002 left him in a coma for six weeks, Pedley soon encountered Jesus Christ, believed the Gospel, and recognized the emptiness of his priorities. He sold his $1.5 million farmhouse, businesses, and furniture to move to Uganda, where he started a charity for orphans and troubled youth.
Like the paneled houses in Haggai’s day, Pedley’s wealth had become a symbol of misplaced priorities, but Christ stirred his heart and reoriented his life to something far more significant.
'I've never been more sure about anything in my life,' Pedley said. Today, his LinkedIn bio lists his personal goals as changing lives (permanently) in Uganda and following Jesus a lot more closely!
Brothers and sisters, are you prioritizing your “paneled houses”—your personal comfort, wealth, career, or ambitions—over faithfulness to Christ and His mission?
*Pause*
You can respond by first asking God to reveal any misplaced priorities in your heart, confessing where you’ve put other things above Him, and considering your ways.
In verse 5, God calls His people to pause and reflect, saying, “Consider your ways.” More literally, it means, “Set your heart on your way of life.” This is an invitation to self-examination, challenging them to examine their priorities and the results of their choices. “Consider your ways.”
When was the last time you sat silently and took inventory of your spiritual health? When you were honest about your well-being? My friend Drew once told me, “You can never get more of God, but He can always get more of you.”
The Prodigal Son is a powerful example of someone who “considered his ways.” After squandering his inheritance on selfish living, he hit rock bottom in a pigsty and “came to his senses” (Luke 15:17). Reflecting on how far he had wandered, he confessed his sin, calling it what it was, and returned home to his father’s open arms. Like the Prodigal, “considering our ways” means honestly evaluating our hearts, agreeing with God about our sin, and turning to Him for forgiveness and restoration.
Just as the Prodigal Son paused to “consider his ways,” God called the people in Haggai’s time—and He calls you today—to do the same. He urges us to reflect on where our priorities have drifted, realign our hearts, and turn back to Jesus with renewed focus.
Brothers and sisters, the people of Haggai’s day prioritized their comfort over God’s work, neglecting His house. It’s easy to see their mistake, but are we so different? As the new year approaches, where have our own priorities overshadowed God’s? Maybe it’s time for a resolution that puts Jesus and His mission back at the center.
Consider this: Are there “paneled houses” in your life—areas where you’ve prioritized comfort over your relationship with Christ or His people?
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Consider your finances. Consider your close relationships. Consider your time.
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Consider your time: Are hours spent on entertainment, career, or social media crowding out prayer, Scripture, and relationships? How might God be calling you to reorder your priorities as the new year begins?
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This isn’t about guilt—it’s about grace. In Haggai’s time, God’s rebuke wasn’t just to call them out but to restore them.
However, in verse 6, God highlights the frustrating results of their Priority Problem. Despite their hard work for themselves, they saw little return: “You have sown much, and harvested little.” Their attempts to find satisfaction in food, drink, and clothing left them unfulfilled: “You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm.” Even their finances slipped through their fingers: “He who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” These struggles weren’t random—they were God’s discipline, revealing the foolishness of prioritizing self over His purposes.
Could it be, brothers and sisters, that some of the struggles or hardships you’re facing are God’s loving discipline, calling you to refocus your heart and renew your passion for our Savior?
Are there areas in your life where your efforts feel frustratingly unfruitful, nothing seems to work out, or your heart remains restless and dissatisfied?
Imagine a car stuck in deep mud, its wheels spinning but going nowhere. The harder you press the gas, the deeper it sinks. This is what life feels like when our priorities are out of alignment with God’s kingdom—exhausting effort with no real progress. God may be calling you to pause, reassess, and let Him guide you back onto solid ground.
Hebrews 12:6 reminds us, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” The frustration or emptiness you’re experiencing might not be random; it could be God trying to get your attention, urging you to pause and “consider your ways.”
So, think back to the people’s Priority Problem in Haggai’s day. Read verse 7 with me,
7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.
God begins by repeating the call to “Consider your ways.” When our Heavenly Father repeats something, we ought to pay attention! Read verses 8-9,
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.
God’s command here is calling for action, not excuses. His purpose is clear: to take pleasure in their obedience, be glorified through their devotion, and restore worship by putting Him back in His rightful place for their good and the world’s. So, God explains the failure of their efforts. They worked hard and expected much, but their returns were scarce. Even what they managed to gather, God “blew away.” Why? Because they were consumed with building and maintaining their own homes while neglecting God’s house.
But the busyness in Haggai 1:9 reveals a deep spiritual problem. While building luxury homes and working, their priorities were upside down. They neglected God’s house where His special presence would dwell, focusing on their desires over His purpose, leading to dissatisfaction and failure as they strayed from His will.
This busyness mirrors the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42. Martha, busy with work, became distracted and overwhelmed, even criticizing Mary for sitting at Jesus’ feet. But Jesus gently corrected Martha, saying Mary had chosen what truly mattered which was being in His presence.
In the American church, we often fall into the same trap. We fill our schedules with programs and even ministry work, but even good things can pull us away from Jesus if they take priority over obedience and intimacy with Him. Like the people in Haggai’s time and Martha, we focus on building our own “paneled houses”—careers, families, and goals—while neglecting God’s kingdom. Look at verses 10-11.
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.”
God clarifies that the hardships they’re experiencing—lack of rain, poor harvests, and economic struggles—are not coincidental. They are part of His discipline.
Brothers and sisters, are you catching the theme? The Lord refused to let His people find lasting joy in misplaced priorities. Instead, He was drawing them back to Himself—the only source of true satisfaction.
Could it be that Christ is working similarly in your life? Perhaps the job you thought would bring fulfillment now feels empty. Maybe the relationships you’ve been relying on leave a void they can’t fill. Or the financial stability you’ve worked so hard for seems to vanish as quickly as it comes. These struggles can be painful, but they’re also invitations—opportunities to turn back to the One who offers true peace, purpose, and heart-level satisfaction.
C.S. Lewis captures this truth by writing, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Though discipline may feel painful, it comes from a loving Heavenly Father working for our good and His glory. It’s His way of revealing our sin, refining us, drawing us closer to the grace of Jesus.
This brings us to a powerful truth: the ruined temple in Haggai’s day ultimately pointed to Jesus Christ Himself (John 2:19-21). Nearly 500 years after Haggai’s life, Jesus revealed that He was the fulfillment of the temple when He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” referring to His body as the true temple where God’s presence dwells. While the physical temple in Haggai’s time represented God’s presence among His people, Jesus is God’s presence in human form—the cornerstone of our faith and worship.
For Haggai’s generation, neglecting the temple foreshadowed the greater sin and tragedy of shunning Jesus Christ, God in the flesh (John 1:14). The temple wasn’t just a building; it was the place where God’s presence dwelled and where His people could come to meet with Him. It represented access to God. By neglecting the temple, the people were saying with their actions that they didn’t value that relationship—that they were content to live their lives without God at the center. Their sin wasn’t just laziness or distraction; it was a statement about what mattered most to them. When we put our plans, comforts, or desires above God, we’re making the same statement—that our relationship with Him isn’t worth our complete devotion. But if God is our Father, in His mercy, He doesn’t leave us in that state. He calls us back, not to rebuild a temple, but to realign our hearts with His Son, Jesus, so we can truly experience the joy of His presence.
Let this be our wake-up call: Jesus Christ can’t just be a part of our lives—He is the foundation, the centerpiece of our day-to-day actions, and the source of true satisfaction. To neglect Christ is to miss the blessings of His presence and peace, but to seek Him first is to find everything we truly need (Matthew 6:33).
As we step into 2025, what does the way you lived this past year say about your love for Jesus and His church? What about the lost?
*Pause*
The beauty of this passage is that God never leaves His people helpless or aimless. With the first key pillar revealed in the people’s Priority Problem, God reminds the returned exiles and us of A Powerful Promise, the second key pillar of His word. In His mercy, He assures us of His presence and awakens our hearts to action. As we’ll see in verses 12-15, when the people respond in obedience, God’s presence is the driving force that empowers them to realign their priorities and fulfill His purposes. Read verse 12 with me:
12 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.
These verses mark a turning point in Haggai. After Haggai preaches God’s rebuke in the earlier verses, the leaders and the remnant of the people respond with obedience and reverence.
In verse 12, Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant "obeyed the voice of the LORD their God" and heeded Haggai's prophetic words. The word "obey" here means "to hear with the intent to respond," showing a relational and responsive act rather than blind submission. True obedience flows from hearing and trusting God’s voice, not mere rule-following. This kind of obedience signifies a heart-level surrender that acknowledges God's authority.
God’s people also "feared the LORD.” Their fear of the Lord was awakened when they realized that the hardships they had been experiencing were not random troubles but the direct consequences of God's covenantal curses for their sinful disobedience, leading them to repent.
Imagine being back in your high school during a fire drill. The alarm blares unexpectedly, and everyone freezes momentarily, realizing this isn’t just background noise—it demands action. That alarm was designed to jolt you into awareness, to wake you up to the potential danger. You didn’t ignore it or casually go about your day; you immediately followed the drill, lining up, exiting the building, and listening to your teacher’s instructions.
Verse 12 is like that moment for God’s people. God’s message through Haggai was the alarm, and their fear of the Lord was the realization that they were in spiritual danger for ignoring His commands. Their obedience was the equivalent of responding to the drill—not just hearing it but actively doing what was necessary to address the problem and realign with God’s will.
Brothers and sisters, be reminded that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate alarm, warning us of the devastating consequences of sin & hell while simultaneously expressing God’s love and His desire to be with us. On the cross, Christ bore the full weight of the curses we deserved, proving the severity of your sin and the depth of God’s mercy. But Jesus’ resurrection from the dead assures us that God is not only calling us to repentance but empowering us to live in obedience through His Spirit.
Just look at verse 13, tied together with His people’s response. God comforts them through Haggai, saying, "I am with you."
“I am with you.” This simple declaration brings comfort and encouragement. God's presence is the foundation for their renewed efforts. Throughout holy Scripture, God makes this promise where His presence guarantees His people His guidance, provision, and protection.
Picture a soldier in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by chaos and unsure how to press forward. Then, their commanding officer stands beside them, placing a hand on their shoulder, saying, “I’m here—we’ll do this together.” The presence of their leader doesn’t remove the battle but gives them the courage to fight, knowing they are not alone.
The promise “I am with you” was essential for Haggai’s people because they faced immense challenges: opposition from surrounding nations, economic hardship, and the daunting reality of rebuilding the temple amidst their limited resources. God’s “I am with you” reminded them that His presence was their source of strength and success.
God’s “I am with you” is that same oath: no matter how overwhelming our sin, our shame, our guilt, our fear, or our anxiety may seem, Jesus’ presence gives us the power to live sacrificially for Him and the people in our lives. He makes us others-focused despite our sin and supplies the power we need to act this way. Just look at verse 14.
Notice here that God takes an active role by stirring the spirit of Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the people. This divine stirring is not mere emotional excitement but a profound spiritual awakening that motivates action. It shows that faithful obedience and service to God are empowered by His Spirit, not merely human effort. Brothers and sisters, God's involvement ensures that their work is sustained and effective, and this same kind of spiritual stirring can be seen throughout history.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit empowered fearful disciples into bold witnesses, leading thousands to faith.
In the Great Awakening, George Whitefield’s preaching stirred tens of thousands to repentance as God brought revival across the colonies.
Brothers and sisters, the same God who stirred the people in Haggai’s day and throughout history is still at work today. Raleigh, NC faces different challenges: spiritual apathy, the busyness of modern life, the distractions of our phone screens, and a materialistic culture. Yet God’s Spirit can stir us just as He did then, awakening us to His purposes for our lives and our city.
The stirring of the Spirit isn’t just a historical event—it’s an invitation for us today. So ask the ascended Lord Jesus to awaken your hearts, align you with His mission, and use you to make an eternal impact in Raleigh and beyond. When God awakens His people, amazing things happen—not because of our strength, but because His presence and power are with us.
The two pillars of this passage, the Priority Problem and the Powerful Promise, bring us to a note of action and timing. Look at the end of verse 14.
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.
And so, brothers and sisters, Haggai's message and the cross's message are one and the same: God is calling us to turn from our sinful ways, realign our hearts, and center our lives on Jesus. The people in Haggai’s time paid attention to the call, obeyed, and experienced the blessing of God's presence. How much more, then, should we respond to the One who gave everything for us—Jesus Christ, the greater temple, who was torn down and raised up from death so that we could be brought near to God?
This living Jesus extends His powerful “I am with you” to us today through the good news of His Kingdom. Like the people in Haggai’s day, we have all faced the priority problem—choosing our ways over God’s. Sin disconnects us from our Creator and leads to emptiness, no matter how hard we work to fill our lives. But Jesus came to address that problem. On the cross, He took the curse of our disobedience upon Himself and rose again to give us new life. The promise “I am with you” becomes eternal through Jesus’ sacrifice. When we repent and trust Jesus, we are forgiven, restored, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live as His sons and daughters for the world to see.
In Haggai’s time, the people responded with confidence and action: “They came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God.” That same call is for us. But in the new testament, we aren’t rebuilding a physical temple—we are the temple, the dwelling place of God’s Spirit. God calls us to build lives that glorify Him, to be a community that reflects His presence, and to work for His kingdom here in Raleigh, NC.
The question for us today is simple: will you respond to God’s call? Will you repent of misplaced priorities, trust in the promise of His presence, and step forward in faith to live as His people? Let’s ask for His Spirit to stir our hearts so we can say, as they did, “We came, and we worked for the Lord of hosts, our God.”
If you are God’s child today, go with this guarantee: Christ is risen, His Spirit is with you, and His presence will never leave you. So rise, rebuild, and live as a people who know that the cross has redeemed you and the Holy Spirit empowers you to engage your world for Christ..
Amen.