Blessings for a Defiled People

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Prayer Meeting - 7:30pm Wed

Friday 7pm - Online

Sunday Morning 11am & 6pm

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Main Prayer

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Reading

Haggai 2:10–19 ESV

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’ ” The priests answered and said, “No.” Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”

Sermon

Haggai 2:10 ESV

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet,

First Prached on: 29th August, 520BC

Build work started: 21st Sept, 520BC

Be Strong and Work: 17th October, 520BC

Be strong and courageous (Joshua)

Now: 18th December, 520 BC

The Lord’s Assessment of the People

Haggai 2:11–13 ESV

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’ ” The priests answered and said, “No.” Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.”

Holy means “to be set apart”

Sometimes described as “unique” as meaning “distinctively different”

although correct in modern spoken english (since 1900), the acedemic/original meaning of “one of a kind” is incomplete

holiness is the seperation of his people from the world (seperation) and in special relationship with God (relationship)

extrinsically (e.g., in the sense that people or objects may be consecrated for a sacred purpose)

Purity (ESV) means “seperation and devotion”

identity and convenant

Piety (NKJV) means “taking person responsbility for one’s inherent duty to a holy God” and relates to an “active commitment and relational posture”

Pious (NKJV) [ESV uses devout] describes someone being “devoted to God”

however today this carries a negtaive connotation, assoiating it with hypocisy, superficial or sanctimonious

Haggai turns to the Priests decisions about Purity and Defilement

Can what is holy make what is unclean, when it touches, holy? NO

Can what is unlean make what is holy when it touches, unclean? YES

The people were assuming that their work on the temple made them holy.

Question to be Raised: How can an impure people engage in a holy task?

Will not their contagious condition of impurity render impure everything with which they come in contact?

Haggai 2:14 ESV

Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.

Until the issue of their spiritual condition was resolved

no amount of religious activity they performed would be acceptable to the Lord

Haggai lays before them the need for repentence

repentence is required to enjoy the blessing and acceptance from God - for which they hoped

The Necessity of Obedience

Evidence of the Lord’s Discipline

Haggai 2:15–17 ESV

Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord.

Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare?

Economic consequence was a 50% reduction

I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord.

Amos had been a time of plenty - but they reject God and lived their own lives Haggai was a time of difficulty and crop failure - but they failed to turn to God and put him first

They had failed to turn to the Lord in response to his loving but relentless discipline of them

Again this is a worship problem

Haggai 2:18–19 ESV

Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”

Is the seed yet in the barn?

Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing

But from this day on I will bless you

Summary

Although disobedience to the Lord produces spiritual defilement, blessing attends those who repent and obey the Lord

Only when the people had properly addressed their spiritual condition would the Lord again extend his blessings of prosperity

Set apart and consecrated through New Birth

1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

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Doxology