Sermon Tone Analysis

The Command to Rebuild the Temple

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: 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.

7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.

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.

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.”

The People Obey the LORD

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.

Consider Your Ways

Consider Your Ways

Consider Your Ways

Introduction

Build The House

Consider Your Ways

Build The House

Consider Your Ways

I’d like to take a moment to welcome everyone here this morning.

Some may be new to church, some may be wondering about God and Christianity, and some may have lost faith or experienced pain due to people in the church.

I’m glad that each of you are here, and I want you to know that you are safe and loved.

I will also warn you that I will not be able to answer all of your questions, meet all of your needs, or heal all of your wounds.

But don’t give up hope, Jesus Christ can do more than we ask or think, and I pray that he makes himself known to you this morning.

We’re going to be looking at a portion of writing from the Old Testament.

The Bible is the most important book for Christians, and in it we believe are the very words of God spoken to his people across all time.

The Bible is divided into two parts: the first part is called the Old Testament and the second part is called the New Testament.

So we’re going to be going to the first part together.

And it’s actually quite bigger than the second part.

There are lots of stories and poetry and the detailed history of an entire nation.

Please don’t check out because I said “history.”

I want you all to be captivated by this book, because it has something to say to each of us.

Overview

Just over 15 years have passed since the Jews returned to their homeland from decades of exile in Babylon.

In 538 BC, King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree allowing them to go home and rebuild the destroyed temple of God in Jerusalem.

Upon their arrival they were able to quickly lay the foundation, but it was not long before they began to face fierce opposition to their project from others dwelling in the same land.

Eventually, construction came to a halt, and a foundation of national apathy began to solidify.

The Jews decided to shift their focus to their own lives and general well-being.

Times got harder.