#1

Hag. 1:1-11 TIME TO DO THE WORK OF THE LORD

Introduction:

            The rebuilding of the temple which began about 16 years earlier had stopped. God sent Haggai to challenge the people to get started again.

I. The reason why the work had stopped, V. 1

            A. Some contributing factors were:

                        1. The funds which Cyrus had supplied were used up.

                        2. The enemy was still around and was hard at work trying to interfere.

                        3. A new king was on the throne who might not be in favor toward the                  rebuilding of the temple, V. 1. (Cyrus had encouraged the rebuilding of                   the temple at Jerusalem, but they did not know how Darius felt about                 them rebuilding the temple which King Nebuchadnezzar had torn                          down.)            

            B. But the real reason was that the people of God had become too involved in                        getting luxuries for themselves.

                        1. They were not interested in building the Lord’s work. (They were                 willing to let the Lord’s house lie in ruin.)

                        2. They were interested in accumulating all the fineries they could                                         for themselves.

II. The excuse which the people used, V. 2

            A. They said, "It is not time to build the Lord’s house," V. 2.

            B. They evidently felt that if it were time, God would remove all the obstacles and             send a new supply of money and materials by the new king, Darius.

           

III. The challenge from the Lord to build, V. 3, 4, 8

            A. The Lord shot down their flimsy excuse, V. 4.

                        1. They had funds available if they would just use them,

                        2. Does it make sense to build houses of luxury for themselves and not                          build for the Lord?

            B. If they needed money for building the temple, let them give it.

            C. If they needed timber for the building of the temple, let them go after it, V. 8.

IV. A warning from God if they would not put God first, V. 5-6 & 9-11

            A. God had already begun to punish them for not building His house, V. 5-6 &                   9-11.

            B. This was just a sample of what would come if they continued to neglect God’s             work.

V. Lessons for us today

            A. If we heap ;luxuries upon ourselves to the neglect of God’s house and God’s                     work then we are as guilty as they were in Haggai’s day.

            B. As it is it is a challenge for us to see to it that our own church building is kept        in good repair and well supplied with teaching aids.

            C. It is an even greater challenge to help supply funds for land and buildings out                on the mission field.

            D. Yet there are needs other than land and buildings in the Lord’s work that we                   can help to provide. .

                        1. If our church is to grow and prosper it is necessary to make contacts                         with prospects.

                        2. It is necessary that our church be a friendly church. (Nobody wants to                   attend where they are not wanted.)

                        3. Feeding the people the word of God is essential for spiritual growth. :

                                    a. Buildings and programs may be important, but not as important                           as the preaching and teaching of God’s word. (Nothings can                              build spirituality like the word of God.)

                                    b. The preacher alone cannot do all of the teaching. (:Others must                                 help.)

                                    c. It is hard work and time consuming to be a good teacher.

            E. In most churches there are some who are not willing to help do the work, but         they do have excuses.

                        1. They will not work because they do not have the time. (But they had                    time for all manner of recreation.)

                        2. They will not give to support the work because they just cannot afford                 it. (But they can afford all manner of luxuries for themselves.)

                        3. Such people need to take notice of the warning that God gave to the                    Jewish people who would not help to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem.

            F. It took a lot of work to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem and it takes a lot of                         work to carry on the Lord’s cause in and through a New Testament church.

                        1. All can make contacts to prospects.

                        2. All can be friendly.

                        3, Not all can teach, but all can help the teachers who do teach.

                        4. All can help take the load off the teachers so that they can have time for                study and preparation.

                        5. All can pray for the pastor, deacons, teachers and other leaders.

                         

Conclusion:

            1. Let me appeal to every born-again Christian to be a member of a Scriptural                          New Testament church.

            2. Let me appeal to every church member to give of your money, your time and                      your work in the support of God’s work.

            3 Let me appeal to very unsaved person to turn to Jesus Christ and call upon Him,  trusting Him to save your soul.          .

            4. Then after you are saved, let me appeal to you to get to work for the Lord in a        good Biblically sound New Testament church.

            5. Haggai appealed to the Jews at Jerusalem at that time to dedicate themselves to      the task of rebuilding the temple at Jerusalem. The time for his appeal has                     come and gone. If some failed to heed that appeal it is now too late for them to          respond.

            6. It is now your time to hear and to heed the call to dedicate yourself to the work              of God.

 

 

#2

Hag. 1:12-15 A PEOPLE THE LORD COULD BE WITH

Introduction:

            God had sent Haggai with a message challenging the Jews who had returned from Babylon to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. The people immediately began to prepare to build. In this text the Lord promises "I am with you saith the Lord."

I. Why the Lord would be with them, V. 12

            A. The people obeyed the voice of the Lord, V. 12a.

                        1. This was a great compliment to them. (I had rather have this kind of                    compliment for myself and for the church that I pastor than any other.)

                        2. He had not spoken to them about salvation, but about service. (If He                     had spoken to them about salvation He would not have spoken about                 obedience, but about repentance and faith, Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Acts                          16:31; Luke 13:7..)

                        3. To willfully disobey the word of the Lord is rebellion.

                        4. To obey is a testimony of love and faith.

            B. The people obeyed the word of Haggai the prophet, V. 12b.

                        1. Haggai, the man, was no more important than any other man.

                        2. But as a messenger of God, the people could not refuse His word                       without also refusing God’s word.        

                        3. God blesses the people who follow the leader whom He as placed over                     them.

            C. The people feared the Lord, V. 12c.

                        1. This had to do with their whole attitude toward God.

                        2. It recognized His power, His holiness, His being worthy of the most                zealous service, worthy of the most ardent love, and worthy of the most                     sacrificial labor.

II. How the Lord would be with them, V. 13

            A. He would be with them to protect them. (From the enemy who sought to                         hinder them)

            B. He would be with them to provide for them.

                        1. He would continue to provide for their personal needs.

                        2. He would also provide for their building needs.

            C. He would bless their efforts to build. (The task they undertook was too big                         for them, but it was not too big for God.)

           

Conclusion:

            1. Always be obedient to the word of the Lord. Always listen, always believe and              always obey.

            2. Reverence the Lord. Take Him into your total life. Do more than live with                         Him on Sunday, Invite Him in every morning. Go to work with Him every                          day. Invite Him into your home every evening.         

            3. Build the Lord’s work. Help to build the church of your membership. Help to       build churches out on the mission field. Help to support His cause unto the                      uttermost part of the world.

 

 

#3

Hag. 2:1-9 ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE WORKERS OF THE LORD

Introduction:

            God had sent Haggai to the Jews who had returned from Babylonian captivity to challenge them to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. They had quickly responded to the challenge and had enthusiastically undertaken the gigantic task. They had just as quickly become discouraged and had virtually stopped their efforts to rebuild. Therefore, God sent Haggai back to them to seek to encourage them to get back to work.

I. Their discouragement, V. 1-3

            A. It was on the 20th day of the month that the word of the Lord came to                             Haggai instructing him to return to the workers and encourage them, V. 1.

                        1. This was just one month and 20 days after Haggai’s first visit to them. .                (Compare chapter 1:1 with chapter 2:1.)

                        2. So in less than 2 months they had become discouraged and progress                     was near a stand-still.          

            B. One reason they were discouraged was because they had just experienced a                   short harvest.

                        1. Because of the short harvest their food supply was limited.

                        2. Haggai had spoken to them on his first visit about this matter and had                      pointed out to them that it was their negligence in rebuilding the temple                  which had caused their short harvest. (This should have encouraged                          them to be even more diligent in their efforts to rebuild the temple and it               did for a short whelk, but not for long..).

                        3. Instead, when the time came for them to celebrate the Feast of The                      Tabernacles, which they did beginning on the 15th day of the 7th month                  (Lev. 23:34), their attention was again drawn to their short harvest and                          they became discouraged.

                        4. So what should have been an encouragement to them to build actually                          caused them to become discouraged and slow down.

            B. Another reason for their discouragement was that the older heads remembered     the glory of Solomon’s temple, which was far greater in splendor than the new      temple could possibly be, V. 2-3.

                        1. Solomon had a much greater supply of silver, gold, cedar and other                finery than they had available to them..

                        2. In comparison the new temple would seem to them as if it were                                     nothing.

                        3. It would seem to them that it was not worth the effort.

                        4. The work had already slowed tremendously and there was the danger                          that this new wave of discouragement could stop it altogether.

II. Words of encouragement from the Lord, V. 4-9

            A. The Lord called upon them to be strong, V. 4.

                        1. He called first upon the leadership to be strong, V. 4a.

                        2. He then called upon all of the people of Judah to be strong, V. 4b.

            B. The Lord called upon the people to work, V. 4b.

                        1. "Be strong ---- and work." (The two go together. Strength enables                       work and work produces strength.)

                        2. One cannot continue to be strong in the Lord without work.

            C. The Lord renewed His promise to be with them, V. 4c-5.

            D. If they wanted a temple which is as great in glory as Solomon’s temple they                      just needed to be patient; The Lord promised that the time would come when              a temple greater than Solomon’s would be built, V. 6-9.

                        1. In the future (the millennium) the greater glory will come.

                        2. If they think that it takes silver and gold to make the temple great, that                     will be provided in the future temple.

                                    a. The Lord owns all of the silver and all of the gold and He will                                 supply far more than they could ever imagine, V. 8.

                                    b. Even in silver and gold it will far out-shine the glory of                              Solomon’s temple.

                        3. But the real glory of the future temple will not be the silver and gold                  nor other fineries, it will be the very presence of the Lord who will                         dwell in the temple, V. 7b.

            E. In the meanwhile, what they needed to do was to get busy and concentrate                         their efforts on finishing their assignment of building the temple which would              serve them and their children for many generations. .            

III. Lessons for us to learn

            A. Let us be careful not to get discouraged in the Lord’s work.

                        1. Discouragement is like a disease: It spreads, it hinders and it cripples.

                        2. "Let us not be weary in well doing," Gal. 6:9.

            B. Let us not be comparing our abilities to that of others.

                        1. There is always somebody else who could do better, but that does not               relieve us of our responsibility

                        2. Especially, let us not compare ourselves to someone like Solomon.

            C. Let us not compare the present with what used to be.

                        1. There was no way they could go back to the "good old days."

                        2. Let us forget the past and press forward to victory.

            D. Let us remember that the Lord will be with us and will help us. (He has                         promised.)

            E. Let us remember that the time for glory is not yet.

                        1. Now is the time for work, sweat and sacrifice.

                        2. The time for reward and glory is yet in the future.

                        3. But the difficulty of sweat, work and sacrifice is not to be compared to                the greatness of the rich rewards which the Lord will bestow for such                         meager sacrifices and labor, I Cor. 15:58.

Conclusion:

            1. Are you saved? If not, then repent of your sin and call upon the Lord for                 salvation. If you are saved then work for Him who has saved you.

            2. Have you been faithful to serve up to this point?.

            3. Are you discouraged?

            4. Are you willing to commit yourself in service to the Lord?

 

 

 

#4

Haggai 2:10-19 RENEWED BLESSINGS FROM GOD

Introduction:

                                               

            The Jews had returned to Jerusalem , rebuilt the brazen altar and resumed the sacrifices. God added His blessings. Then the people neglected to rebuild the house of God and God shut off His blessings. The people did not understand. They expected the blessings to continue because of the offerings which they were presenting to the Lord.

            Haggai preached to them, they repented and resumed their work on the temple. God sends a promise of blessings upon them.

I. An explanation of why the sacrifices alone were not enough to bring God’s

blessings, V. 10-14

            A. This message came just one month after the work had been resumed, V. 10.

                        1. The people had already become discouraged once and God had sent a                message of encouragement to them.

                        2. God did not want them to become discouraged again.

                        3. Yet they first needed to know that making sacrifices to God was not                       enough.

            B. The first lesson:

                        1. God sent the people to the priests with a question, V. 11-12.

                        2. In this He pointed out that the holy sacrifice does not bless the crops                and food supply. (They had thought that their food supply would be                        blessed and made abundant because of the holy offering which they                          were making, but God pointed out that holy offerings holy offerings                          would be made unholy and unclean by touching unholy things.                             Therefore, their holy offerings had been made unholy by their own                          sinful ways.)

            C. The second lesson:

                        1. God sent the people back to the priests with another question, V. 13.

                        2. In this ?God explained that their harvests had been unclean and                           unblessed because of the sins of the people, V. 14.

           

II. A promise of future blessings, V. 15-19

            A. The people had now repented of their sin and were. thus, clean. (They now                       qualified for the blessings of God.)

                        1. They had resumed their work in building the temple.

                        2. They were not just working, they were working with great zeal.

                        3. In just one month’s time they had completed the foundation and were                    almost ready to start laying stones for the walls.

            B. The Lord promised His blessings upon them from that very day, the day that                  they finished laying the foundation, V. 15.

            C. They would be able to look back and see as distinct difference in their lives                        from that very day.

                        1. Previously blessings had been withheld, V. 16-17.

                        2. From this day God would bless, V. 18-19.

III. Lessons from this passage

            A. Lessons concerning our nation:

                        1. Being called a Christian nation does not make the United States of                    America entitled to special blessings from God.

                        2. Having many churches in our land does not entitle us to God’s help and                  blessings. (Especially when so many churches are heretical in their                          doctrines and practices.)

            B. Lessons concerning our church:

                        1. Just because we have preaching services every Sunday does not entitle                us to the blessings of God.

                        2. We must be dedicated to the Lord, to His truths and to the work which                       He has assigned us to do.

            C. Lessons concerning each individual Christian

                        1. Just attending church, giving tithes and offerings, singing the hymns                          and participating in all of the activities of our church does not entitle                       one to the blessings of God, especially if his life is unclean spiritually              or morally.

                        2. One must be willing to surrender his will to God’s will and to amend                     his ways to God’s ways.

            D. Lessons concerning the unsaved:

                        1. Just Joining a church, getting baptized and attending church services               does not entitle one to go to heaven when he dies.

                        2. One must repent of his sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to                         be saved, Acts 20:21.

Conclusion:

            1. I do not promise that if you repent and follow the Lord’s will that you will be                 rich and live a trouble free life.

            2. I do assure you that if you will trust the Lord and be saved and surrender your  will to the Lord’s will that from this day forward you will be able to tell the                difference. You will have the help and blessings of God upon you.

            3. There are unsaved people who need to turn to the Lord today and surrender                  their lives to Him today. Will you turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to       save your soul today?

            4. There are saved people who once were active in the work of God who need to  turn back to Him today. If you are one of those people, will you turn to the                      Lord today and surrender your life to Him?

                       

#5

Haggai 2:20-23 REASSURANCE CONCERNING THE DISTANT FUTURE

Introduction:

            In verses 10-19 God had spoken to reassure Judah concerning the near future. The harvest would be plentiful. Now He speaks the second time to assure them about the distant future, V. 20.

I. The message, V. 21-23

            A. God will arise and shake the heavens, V. 21.

                        1. Consider this in the sense of shaking the sun, the moon and the stars.

                                    a. The son will become as black as sackcloth and the moon will                              become as red as blood, Rev. 6:12.

                                    b. One-third part of the sun will not shine, Rev. 8:12.

                                    c. The sun will scorch and burn men, Rev. 16:8.

                                    d. Stars will fall like figs shaken by wind, Rev. 6:13.

                                    e. Wormwood will pollute one-third of the water supply,

                                     Rev. 8:10.

                        2. Consider this in the sense of shaking the atmosphere around the earth.

                                    a. There will be hail mingled with fire, Rev. 8:7.

                                    b. There will be huge stone or hailstones to rain down upon the                                earth, Rev. 16:21.

            B. God will also shake the earth, Rev. 11:13; 16:18-19.

            C.. God will bring down the Gentile powers, V. 22.

                        1. The word, "heathen" in Scripture means "Gentiles."

                        2. God will overturn all Gentile governments.

                        3. The implication is that Israel will rule the world.

                        4. This will be brought about partially by war between the Gentiles,

                         Rev. 6:4.

                        5. It will be consummated by the Lord Himself, 19:15.

            D. God will make Zerubbabel to be as a signet, V. 23.

                        1. The time element spoken of here is when the Gentiles have been put                     down.

                        2. A signet is the official seal of the King, and hence, the government.

                        3. Zerubbabel will not personally rule, but would be made a signet in the               sense that his descendant will rule.

                                    a. Both Matthew and Luke include Zerubbabel in the family tree                               of Jesus, Matt. 1:12-13; Luke 3:27.

                                    b. This is similar to the promise that David’s throne would be                            established, II Sam. 7:16.(David, himself, would not rule from                    his throne forever, but when his throne will be restored one of                                 his descendants will sit upon it.)

           

II. What this message would mean to Zerubbabel and Judah,

            A. This message would reassure Jerubbabel and Judah that Judah would                               preserved. (Nations and races would rise and fall, but Judah would                                    be preserved.)

            B. It would reassure Jerubbabel and Judah that Judah would some day be                           delivered from Gentile dominion.

            C. It would reassure Jerubbabel and all Judah that some day the promised                                   Messiah, the Christ, would come to earth.

            D. It would strengthen their faith in God.

            E. It would inspire them to have a greater love for God. .

            F. It would challenge them to renew their efforts to rebuild the temple and, thus,    restore the worship of God at the temple.

            G. It would cause them to anxiously anticipate better times ahead when Israel                         would be free from Gentile rule.                                    

III. What it means to us all

            A. It means that all wicked powers will be put down and the righteous Son of                     God will rule over all the world.

            B. It means that every Jew and Gentile who will repent of his sin and trust in                          the Christ will have a better future.

            C. It means that the most important question in all the world involves your                  relationship with Jesus Christ.

                        1. Without Christ as your Savior your future is in the Lake of Fire and                  Brimstone.

                        2. With Christ as your Savior then the glories of the millennium and the                    glories of heaven are your future. .

            D. It means that every lost sinner should repent of his sin and call upon Jesus to                cleanse him from sin and save his soul.

            E. It means that every saved sinner should dedicate himself to faithful service to                   God.

Conclusion:

            1. Do you realize that you are a sinner and do not deserve to go to heaven?

            2. Are you aware that God loves you even though you are a sinner and wants to                  spare you from the everlasting torments of hell?

            3. Are you aware that in order for you to be spared from everlasting torments you      must repent of your sin and seek God’s forgiveness?

            4. Are you aware that the only way you can be forgiven of your sin is by trusting        the Lord Jesus Christ to save your soul? Acts 16:31; Rom. 10::13.