The Necessity of Vision

The 1st Step in Fulfilling God’s Vision is realizing we are not currently following His Agenda ()

Explanation: The Exiles had returned to the land of Israel from Babylon sometime around 538 B.C. King Cyrus had given the Jews permission to return and to rebuild the Temple (). Eighteen years had passed when Haggai the Prophet shows up with a Word from God. The Prophet was commissioned to tell the people they were being disobedient. God was the One who raised up Cyrus () and commissioned him to release the captives so the Temple and city would be rebuilt (). In failing to rebuild the Temple, the Jews were being disobedient to God.

Argument: The Jews had not been simply wallowing in the dirt for 18 years and doing nothing. They had been taking care of themselves and building their own nice paneled houses while they said it simply wasn’t time to work on God’s house. This is so much like us. We are so busy pursuing the American Dream, we don’t have time for God. We say, “we have to take care of business right now, we have to secure our future, and we need nice stuff. We will serve God once we have ourselves squared away.”

Illustrate: similar to a drunk or an addict who thinks he needs to clean himself up before he can even start thinking about dealing with God. We recognize that the addict is using backward thinking, but we somehow overlook that same line of thinking when it comes to us honoring God in the present.

Application: Stop making excuses. You are worrying about too many material things instead of focusing on the priority. We must stop the backward thinking and get on board with seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matt 6:33)

The 2nd Step in Fulfilling God’s Vision is hearing from God ()

Explanation: The Man of God declared the Word of God to the people. Haggai clearly presented the Word of God to the people and got their attention. They knew it was a word from God, and that it applied to their situation. If they had been feeling guilty about focusing on themselves instead of God, they were also pretending it wasn’t anything that serious. Maybe they thought is was just their own thoughts, and maybe they weren’t even correct thoughts. Once God spoke through the prophet the situation was out in the open, and pretending was no longer an option.

Argument: This Word from God was specific to the Jews concerning a specific issue: the rebuilding of the Temple. Therefore, this specific Word does not apply directly to us. The principle of hearing from God does apply to us. While there is no new direct revelation from God (The Canon is closed!) God still speaks to His children through His Word and His Holy Spirit.

Argument: This Word from God was specific to the Jews concerning a specific issue: the rebuilding of the Temple. Therefore, this specific Word does not apply directly to us. The principle of hearing from God does apply to us. While there is no new direct revelation from God (The Canon is closed!) God still speaks to His children through His Word and His Holy Spirit.

The important thing for us is to hear from God. The idea of a vision is not just to think up things to do for God and then try to accomplish them. That approach is doomed from bearing fruit that honors God, even though the actual goal may be physically accomplished (e.g., building a new worship center, increasing attendance by 20%, etc).

The 3rd Step in Fulfilling God’s Vision is to understand the consequences of continued disobedience ()

Explanation: The prophet clearly informs the people of God’s hand of judgment against them. They had been neglecting to honor God while they were focusing on themselves. They weren’t fooling God with their piety, and He had been disrupting their attempts to “get-ahead.” God tells the people that He was the One responsible for their continued misfortunes. He is telling them that no matter how hard they work and how much they scheme, He is going to make sure they will fail. And He tells them the reason why He is acting as an Adversary to them. He tells them the reason is their disobedience.

The Kicker is that these people already knew this. They had just experienced a 70 year captivity for disobedience so they knew God kept His promises of Cursing just like He kept His promises of Blessing. (). They knew this, but they were still being disobedient!

Illustrate: A child who knows the consequences, but still keeps violating the standard

Argument: Observing the current state of our Nation should serve as a vivid reminder of this principle. While America is not Israel, our nation did have a solid Judeo-Christian foundation. While all of the Founding Fathers were not Christian, they enacted laws that were rooted in a deep biblical understanding. The generations of the last 60 years have tried very hard to remove these Christian principles and have been successful. As a result, we as a nation are living with the consequences.

While it is easy to blame the godless heathen for their attacks, the Church is very much responsible for its part in this sad situation. Many of God’s people have been and continue to be complacent, and have failed to be the standard-bearers for God and His Kingdom. We have chosen comfort over the Cross, and we have settled into our “safe places.”

Application: We can make a difference in our part of this world. We don’t have to settle for “whatever” and hope we don’t get hurt in the process. We can take a stand for the things of God, and we can stop wasting our spiritual resources.

The 4th Step in Fulfilling God’s Vision is to Obey God ()

Explanation: Once the people heard from God and realized they had been living in disobedience, they began to walk in obedience. The leaders and all the remnant did what God had commanded. The text declares that the people came and worked on the house of the Lord of Hosts (v. 14)

Illustrate: The planning can be laid out, the equipping complete, and the provisions in place, but ultimately someone has to “pull the trigger” and make it happen

Argument: Obedience is the Key that unlocks the Blessings of God. God promised that He would make Abraham the father of many and give him the land. God initiated the whole thing, God planned the entire thing, and God superintended the process; all Abraham had to do was to obey. When Abraham left his home and walked in faith according to the Word of the Lord, God blessed him and his descendents.

The 5th Step in Fulfilling God’s Vision is to depend on God’s Empowerment for the work ()

Explanation: The leaders and the people remained dependent upon God through the process. This is a crucial point in the process. God was the One who gave the vision, God was the One who spoke to the people about it, and God was the One who enabled them to do the work. Notice what God tells them in v. 13; I am with you. Just knowing that God was with them was a tremendous help and blessing. And v. 14 states that God was the One who stirred up the spirits of the leaders and the people. His presence empowered them to do the work!

Illustrate: being given a job, but not knowing how to do it. You have been given the instructions, you have the tools, but you still aren’t able to do it.

Argument: When believers remain dependent upon God, He is present to empower them to accomplish the task. When it is His task, done His way, through His people walking in faith, He will provide. Our problem often arises when we start thinking we can do it on our own. We start doing things our way instead of His, and we end up out of step with Him.