001 Haggai | Now Is the Time
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Why preach an introductory sermon?
Why preach an introductory sermon?
First... it follows the pattern we teach for personal Bible study.
First... it follows the pattern we teach for personal Bible study.
1. Observation - What do I see? What does it say?
1. Observation - What do I see? What does it say?
We are looking for stated facts.
“You can see a lot just by looking.” - Yogi Berra
Who is the author? Who is the author writing to?
What is the authors purpose for writing?
What is the main idea?
What are key word, or thoughts?
When is the author writing?
All this helps us understand the context.
2. Interpretation - What does the passage mean?
2. Interpretation - What does the passage mean?
What do we NEVER ask?
We want to know what the author meant.
Interpretation involves bridging the gaps to understand what the author meant.
Language - Greek and Hebrew.
History and culture.
The literary gap - understanding their way of speaking and writing.
3. Application - what am I going to do about what it says and means?
3. Application - what am I going to do about what it says and means?
Do we have a clear plan?
Are we willing to do what it takes to follow through?
Here is a perfect illustration...
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
3. Application - what am I going to do about what it says and means?
3. Application - what am I going to do about what it says and means?
Second… by modeling the pattern, it equips you to be better students of God’s Word and thus better disciple-makers.
Second… by modeling the pattern, it equips you to be better students of God’s Word and thus better disciple-makers.
It is how I study, but if I don’t show you, you won’t know.
Pastor Mike did this to walk through a difficult passage.
He showed us how we major on the minor things. Paul states the main point of the passage right away.
1. The history behind the book.
1. The history behind the book.
(1) A. Haggai was written 18 years after the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity.
(1) A. Haggai was written 18 years after the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity.
4 And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”
5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem.
6 And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered.
The Jews had been in Babylonian captivity for around 70 years.
Around 538 BC Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.
(1) A. Haggai was written 18 years after the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity.
(1) A. Haggai was written 18 years after the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity.
(1). B. After their return to rebuild the Temple, they quit because of opposition.
(1). B. After their return to rebuild the Temple, they quit because of opposition.
1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel,
2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build
5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
The enemies of Judah first tried to infiltrate and destroy from within.
When that didn’t worked they tried to scare them.
23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease.
24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
The message of Haggai was to motivate the people back to obedience.
(1). B. After their return to rebuild the Temple, they quit because of opposition.
(1). B. After their return to rebuild the Temple, they quit because of opposition.
2. Getting to know the author.
2. Getting to know the author.
(2) A. Though written in third person, Haggai is the author.
(2) A. Though written in third person, Haggai is the author.
(2) B. There is no background given about Haggai.
(2) B. There is no background given about Haggai.
Each mention of the prophet simply mentions his name.
Nothing is known of his genealogy.
(2) C. From Haggai’s message we know he was in Jerusalem during its days of glory.
(2) C. From Haggai’s message we know he was in Jerusalem during its days of glory.
3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?
Haggai is asking the people who has seen the temple in Jerusalem.
This seems to be a question of experience.
He has seen it!
(2) C. From Haggai’s message we know he was in Jerusalem during its days of glory.
(2) C. From Haggai’s message we know he was in Jerusalem during its days of glory.
(2) D. It is believed that Haggai was probably in in his 70’s.
(2) D. It is believed that Haggai was probably in in his 70’s.
Haggai is an older man with a passionate desire to see God’s people restored.
3. An overview of the book of Haggai.
3. An overview of the book of Haggai.
(3) A. The book of Haggai categorized as a Minor Prophet.
(3) A. The book of Haggai categorized as a Minor Prophet.
There are two categories of prophetic books in the Old Testament.
Major and Minor Prophets.
Major Prophets are longer books.
Minor Prophets are shorter books.
Haggai is different than other prophetic books because Haggai does not announce coming doom or punishment for lack of obedience.
He rather calls out that the frustrations they are currently facing are a result of their disobedience.
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.
(3) A. The book of Haggai categorized as a Minor Prophet.
(3) A. The book of Haggai categorized as a Minor Prophet.
(3) B. The Jews had forgotten their God and were focused on their own lives.
(3) B. The Jews had forgotten their God and were focused on their own lives.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
It is easy for us to follow this example and forget God.
(3) B. The Jews had forgotten their God and were focused on their own lives.
(3) B. The Jews had forgotten their God and were focused on their own lives.
(3) C. Haggai would not leave them alone, but continued to encourage them as they rebuild the temple.
(3) C. Haggai would not leave them alone, but continued to encourage them as they rebuild the temple.
We are told to do the same thing in Hebrews.
Don’t leave our brothers and sisters alone.
We are to keep encouraging them.
(3) D. Haggai is a series of four sermons preached by the prophet.
(3) D. Haggai is a series of four sermons preached by the prophet.
These sermons were preached during a 15 week period.
Unlike other prophets, Haggai gives specific dates.
Through historical study we can pinpoint when the book was written.
Check out the is chart...
Let’s think about the privileged time we live in.
“The Word of the Lord” came to Haggai between late August and mid December of 520 BC.
Today we have the Word of the Lord with us all the time.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
(3) D. Haggai is a series of four sermons preached by the prophet.
(3) D. Haggai is a series of four sermons preached by the prophet.
4. The importance of studying Haggai.
4. The importance of studying Haggai.
(4) A. The people listened and obeyed the Word of God.
(4) A. The people listened and obeyed the Word of God.
The Bible is full of examples.
Good examples and bad examples.
Haggai starts as a bad example and turns to a good example.
(4) B. We need to be reminded not to forget God and to listen to and obey His Word.
(4) B. We need to be reminded not to forget God and to listen to and obey His Word.
We need to make sure we are being doers of the Word.
That we are doing more than paying lip service to God.
They went to Jerusalem with the right heart.
They were doing the right things but, over time, they God became less and less a part of their lives.
We are told about a church with somewhat a similar story.
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Paul talks about what they walked away from.
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
(4) B. We need to be reminded not to forget God and to listen to and obey His Word.
(4) B. We need to be reminded not to forget God and to listen to and obey His Word.