Building God's House #2: It's Time to Build, Haggai 1:1-15

Intro: There’s a prevalent quote, often attributed to C.S. Lewis, that I find to be pretty profound- “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different?” sit with that

Can you relate to that sentiment? Day after day, year after year, we sort of trudge along in life, doing the same ole, same ole, not really noticing that things have changed, or need to change, until one day, we just wake up & realize- wait a minute, everything is different!

It’s that spirit that I want us to carry into the sermon this morning. Too often we get so used to the way things are that we stop thinking about the way they ought to be. E.g., the recent flooring change, I’m so glad we did that. Until someone pointed it out to me, I didn’t realize how old, dingy, & decrepit it was. It was 50 years old after all, which isn’t old for a person, but it’s pretty old for vinyl tile flooring. We got all the good out of it that we could get. But it was time for a change.

That idea that it’s time for something to change is so prevalent in the text we’re going to read. Haggai 1:1–4, In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.” ’ ” 3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” PRAY

Here’s the background:Judah had been sentenced to a 70-year exile into Babylonian captivity. Because of their repeated disobedience to God, their failure to trust Him, turning to other gods, other nations, injustice, etc., God sent the Babylonians to Jerusalem to take the people, lay waste to the city, & God’s Temple was destroyed.

Babylon was overtaken by the Persians, & the Persian king Cyrus, stirred by God, decreed that the Jews could return home to Jerusalem. They began by reinstating their worship of God through sacrifices and offerings, then they started to rebuild the temple. The people got as far as laying the foundation when opposition arose & they quit building.

The temple laid in ruins at least 15 years since their return. That’s when God sent the prophets Haggai & Zechariah to them to get them back on track. In this 1st message of Haggai, he’s telling them- it’s time to build God’s House. It’s time to build because...

1. That’s what God SAYS, 1-4

In the time that the temple lay in ruins, a new king came to power after Cyrus, his name was Darius. Haggai dates this message to the 2nd year, 6th month, & 1st day of King Darius’ reign, when God sent Haggai to Zerubbabel the governor & Joshua the high priest. What is His message?

The Lord of Hosts-(Hosts refer to hosts of heaven= angels); i.e., God of angel armies;The LORD says these people say it’s not time to build the Lord’s house. That’s the same as saying- I don’t have time, i.e., I won’t make time. It’s been 15 years, so if it’s not time yet, when will it be time?

Vs. 4- they had time to build houses for themselves, they prioritized their own houses over the Lord’s House. Paneled houses- they had decorated with ornate paneling. The same word is used in 1 Kings 6:9about Solomon’s temple- So he built the temple and finished it, and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar. They had time to rebuild their houses and the means to deck it out with same opulent paneling that used to be in God’s house, but they left His house in ruins.

There is a word here for us- It’s not that we don’t have the time or the means to do what God has given us to do, it’s that we don’t have our priorities set right.

John Maxwell- “Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.”

This is a good place to remind you, when we talk about God’s house in this series, we’re talking about the individual believer who has God’s Spirit within & the collective gathering of those people- the Church.

How are you spending your time? How might you need to re-prioritize your time to work on your spiritual life and to build-up the church? It’s time to quit wasting time. It’s time for us to build because God says so.

It’s time to build because that’s why there is scarcity.

2. That’s why there is a SCARCITY, vss. 5-11

5Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 6“You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” 7Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.

9“You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. 10Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11 For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Notice first that vss. 5-7 are bracketed with this command to “consider your ways.”Consider= heart, conscience; that internal feature of people that is the center of our mind, will, emotions, and knowledge of right and wrong. Ways = conduct, course.

God is saying- think about what you are doing, i.e., what is happening, then He lists several things to get their attention:

· you sow a lot of seed, but you reap only a little harvest

· you eat, but never have enough

Enough= satiation/satisfaction; the feeling of contentment you have when you are full, they didn’t get to have that feeling.

· you drink but are not filled.

Filled w/ drink-to be drunk, inebriated; people often drink to self-medicate, to forget their sorrows; the land isn’t even producing enough wine for them to get drunk on

· you put on clothes, but it’s not enough to keep you warm

· you hire on to work, but you keep your wages in a bag with holes

Holes- to cut, pierce; Who cut a hole in the bottom of the bag? God did.

Later on, in vss. 9-11, God explains that they looked for much, but it came to little because He blew it away. Why? Because of His house that lay in ruins while everyone of them ran home to their fine paneled houses. That’s why there was no rain from heaven or fruit from the earth, because God called for a drought on the land, mountains, grain, new wine, oil, crops, livestock, and even their labors.

When we don’t do what God says we should do, He will go to great lengths to get our attention. For Israel, material abundance was a sign of God’s blessing. So, when they were disobedient, they lost out on material blessings. For the church, we have every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. So, when we’re not growing in the fruit of the Spirit, or are not gathering Gospel fruit, then we need to consider our ways, examine our hearts, because something is probably amiss.

Vss. 7-8, What God tells them to do is to get to work building His house. Go up to the mountains and get wood and build the temple for His pleasure and glory. Remember, when we talk about God’s House, we’re talking about individual believers and the collective church.

Philippians 2:12–13, … work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. God works His salvation in us, & we work it out in time.

Ephesians 3:20–21, Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

It’s time to build God’s House, personally and corporately, because the lack of building is why we have a scarcity of spiritual fruit. It’s why we’re not growing in the Lord, it’s what happens when we don’t grow in Christ. It’s time to build because there is a scarcity, & it’s what we’re sent to do.

3. That’s what we are SENT to do, vss. 12-15.

12Then 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 presence of the Lord.

13Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people, saying, “I am with you, says the Lord.” 14 So 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 sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.

Notice the sequence:

· Obedience to the voice of God & Reverence (fear) for the presence of God (12), led to the

· Presence of God with them (13) that stirred up the Business of God among them (14)

They came and worked on the house of the Lord, on the 24th day of the 6th month, in the 2nd year of King Darius. Remember, Haggai delivered this message in the 2nd year of Darius, on the 1st day of the 6th month. On Day 24 the people got back to work.

A lot can change in 24 days. When God is in it, & moving in people’s hearts, a lot can change in 24 days. Some of us have waited 24 weeks, 24 months, even 24 years, & we haven’t gotten down to God’s business yet. If not now, when? If not us, who?

Almost 50 years ago, God sent a small group of people to this lot, to this cotton field, to start a church in southwest Lubbock because God gave them the foresight and vision to put a church here before there were any people here. We were sent here before them, to be here for them. Our situation is similar to that of the people in our text. To build God’s House is what they were sent to do, & what we were sent to do.

We have the voice of God through the Word of God, we have the presence of God through the Spirit of God, and we have the work of God through the Son of God. Matthew 28:19–20, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Our purpose is to worship God, make disciples, and live on mission right here in LakeRidge and all-around Lubbock wherever you live.