Restored Priorities
The Book of Haggai: Renew The Vision • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsWorship of God requires us to honestly evaluate our hearts.
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Introduction
Introduction
For Centuries the Hebrew Prophets had been accusing Israel for breaking their covenant with God through Idolatry and Injustice.
they warned that God would send the great empire of Babylon to take out Jerusalem, take down the temple and hall off the people into exile.
This all happened in the year 587 B.C. 2 Kings 24-25
But that wasn't the end of the story...
The Prophets believed that there was still hope that God would one day bring back a transformed remnant of His People Israel to live in a New Jerusalem where God’s Presence would live in their midst.
Now when we turn to Haggai the year is 520 B.C. nearly 70 years after the Exile.
The Babylonian Empire has recently collapsed.
The World is now ruled by the Persians.
The Persians allowed the return of any Exiled Israelites who wanted to go back to Jerusalem which still laid in ruins.
Under the Leadership of an High Priest named Joshua and Zerubbabel an ere from the line of David and a group of Exiles, they all returned to rebuild the city and their lives .
So their hopes are high and the future seems bright…but it’s not!
At least from Haggai point of view.
1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
Haggai
And so Haggai tells the Leaders and the People “What Thus Saith The Lord”
The book consist of 4 sections that summarize Haggai’s message given to the people of Jerusalem over the course of 4 months...
The book consist of 4 sections that summarize Haggai’s message given to the people of Jerusalem over the course of 4 months...
Firstly, Haggai Tells Them About Their Misplaced Priorities...
Firstly, Haggai Tells Them About Their Misplaced Priorities...
He opens by Accusing the people of misplaced priorities.
Yes they have come back to Jerusalem but their spending all of their time and resources rebuilding their own fancy houses while the temple Vs. 2 still lay in ruins from its destruction 70 years ago.
4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses,
And this house lie waste?
4 “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?
Hagga
Haggai in essence asked “Are your own houses really more important to your allegiance to God?”
So Haggai asked Vs. 4 “Are your own houses really more important to your allegiance to God?”
Sometimes we believe we are doing what God wants, but it really couldn’t be further from the truth.
The temple was the heart of Israel’s worship, but following the Babylonian captivity, it had fallen in severe disrepair.
However, the Hebrew people treated it as if it were fine.
They had become oblivious to this truth because they were serving themselves.
Secondly, God Challenges Them to Consider Your Ways…Vs. 5
Secondly, God Challenges Them to Consider Your Ways…Vs. 5
Sometimes we are called to see that our choices are what keep us from receiving the full measure of our labor.
In this passage, God challenges their heart by calling them to compare the temple with their own homes (v. 9).
Perhaps we are being unreliable or maybe we just aren’t putting forth the effort.
It could be that we are outwardly doing all that is required, but inwardly cultivating the wrong heart attitude.
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little;
Ye eat, but ye have not enough;
Ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink;
Ye clothe you, but there is none warm;
And he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little;
And when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it.
Why? saith the Lord of hosts.
Because of mine house that is waste,
And ye run every man unto his own house.
Haggai 1:9
In this passage, God challenges their heart by calling them to compare the temple with their own homes.
In this passage, God challenges their heart by calling them to compare the temple with their own homes.
This neglect Haggai says is tantamount to the Covenant Rebellion of their Ancestors which is why...
The Land is still unproductive
Why they have been struct with famine and drought
Notice Haggai is quoting from a list of covenant curses from the book of
We labor but see no real fruit.
We invest our energies in all kinds of activities, thinking that all we really need is to try harder.
We work but nothing comes of it.
Worship can feel the same way.
We think we are doing all that we are supposed to, but it still feels flat and disconnected.
God tells the Hebrew people, “Your worship, like your fields, is full of activity but no fruit.
You are doing this for the wrong reasons.” Our priorities need to be aligned with God’s will if we are to truly worship God.
So Haggai’s challenging words are followed by a story of the people’s response “The People Set To Work.” We are told Zerubbabel, Joshua and the remnant of the people were provoked by Haggai message and were motivated.
Lastly, They Responded to the Word of God
Lastly, They Responded to the Word of God
They Listen to the Man of God
They Considered their ways.
They started rebuilding the Temple.
They started rebuilding the Temple.
Vs. 12 “Then” obeyed...
Vs. 13 After obedience comes the Promise of God’s Presence.
Vs. 14 God will stir up the spirit of the People
The proper response to God’s confrontation of our disobedient hearts is repentance.
It is only when repentance occurs that we can begin to do what God has called us to do.
To move forward in that relationship, we have to accept where we have failed it.
Even though we may have failed Him
We See Christ in the Book of Haggai as Christ our Restorer.
Restore - means to bring back to a previous state (reinstate)