Reordering
Priorities
Book of Haggai
Last week we saw
that the 70- year prophesy of Jeremiah had been true and many of
those of Israel in captivity were released by King Cyrus to return
home and to rebuild the Temple.
It got off to a
great start, but it soon ran out of steam and came to a complete stop
as these people began to think of themselves instead of the House of
God.
So God sent the
Prophet Haggai with a new message.
This is a great
lesson for the Church today.
Sometimes God may
seem to silent and it seems prayers go unanswered and we wonder what
has happened.
We must understand
that 100% of the time it will be because we have moved away from God.
Why does it seem God
is silent in America today?
God has been asked
to leave!
Many of the Church
have rejected the truth of God and allowed the world to dictate what
God means when they cannot know the truth!
Many have rejected
the Word of God and listen to false science!
Many have forced God
to take a back seat to our own personal pursuits!
Many have allowed
the government to influence the Church
Many have just
worshiped self and left off to worship God!
So what was the
message of Haggai?
*****Hag 1:1 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,
Hag 1:2 Thus
speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not
come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built.
According to modern
calendars the first message of Haggai came August the 29th of 520 BC.
The first message
was aimed at Zerubbabel who was the governor assigned by King Cyrus
to be in charge of Judah and the construction of the Temple.
Zerubbabel was a
descendant of the royal line of King David. In the Book of Ezra he is
sometimes called by Sheshbazzar which was his Persian name.
In Haggai we will
see Zerubbabel called the "Signet" which means a seal or a
signet, which means he had absolute authority in Judah but still a
puppet of Persia.
To be honest it is
our duty to serve the Lord, just as it was these people of Judah on
this day.
These who had return
from captivity had decided it was not time to finish the work on the
Temple, but it was time for them to do as they pleased.
They had allowed
their neighbors to dictate their behavior!
Ezr 4:23 Now when
the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and
Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to
Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.
Ezr 4:24 Then
ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it
ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Shimshai was a
trouble maker and these Jews did not question his authority but just
went to their homes and left off the building of the Temple.
What does God say?
Pro 29:25 The fear
of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD
shall be safe.
Pro 29:26 Many seek
the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD.
Pro 29:27 An unjust
man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way
is abomination to the wicked.
So God sent His Word
by Haggai.
*****Hag 1:3 Then
came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Hag 1:4 Is it time
for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie
waste?
God's people had
forgotten that they were God's people.
They were not to
fear those around them. God had said they would go home after 70
years in captivity and God did not say this just so they would be
ruled by Samaria or foolish men harassing God's people.
One thing we must
understand is God will not do things that we can do ourselves.
God helps us with
things that we cannot do ourselves!!!
God simply said, if
it is not time to complete the work on the temple, then was it time
to dwell in their ceiled, houses, houses secure from the elements.
These people were
celebrating in their homes while the House of God still lay in ruins
just partially rebuilt.
Nothing looks worse
than a building that began as a great plan but now lay in ruins
because it could not be completed.
If things were as
bad as these people made it out to be then how could they sit in
their homes in safety with no worries?
If we think back to
the time of King David, these people were nothing like David at all.
2Sa 7:1 And it came
to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him
rest round about from all his enemies;
2Sa 7:2 That the
king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of
cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
The thoughts of
David were why the first Temple was built and these people who had
been released from bondage by King Cyrus who had bragged on the God
of creation were not as obligated to serve the Lord as they should
have been.
The Lord has reached
down and pulled His people out of the miry clay of sin, surely, we
have a duty to commit to the work of the Lord.
Today we are the
Temple of God and when we are first saved, we are babes in Christ,
surely, we feel the duty to grow in Christ.
We should not need
anyone to urge us to get closer to God but thank God for our Pastor
who continues to teach us the truth.
What does the Bible
teach us to do?
2Ti_2:15 Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We must build onto
our Temple at all times.
It was not time for
these Jews of Judah to be sitting around doing nothing when the
Temple of God needed so much work to be done.
It is not time for
us to stop building onto out temple, which we are.
1Co_6:19 What? know
ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
We have a duty to be
busy working on our own Temple at all times!
The first message of
God through Haggai was directly at Zerubbabel and Joshua the High
Priest.
We must remember
when Haggai spoke, he was saying what God told Him to say and to whom
God told him to say it to.
Neither of these men
could deny that the prophecies of Jeremiah and of Isaiah had been
true just as the words of Haggai would be true and not just true but
be the truth.
*****Hag 1:5 Now
therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
This something we
all should do every day.
These people were
guilty of selfishness and covetousness.
What does prophecy
do?
We could say that
prophecy is God communication to the Church.
We know that God was
speaking to these Jews, but we also know that God has the same
message for the Church today and these words of the Old Testament has
lessons that we are to learn.
2Ti 3:16 All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
We need to take a
close look into our mirror every day to see if we are who we say we
are.
These Jews were
neglecting the only thing that could save them when times did get
hard!
God did not expect
these people to live in tents while the construction of the Temple
was going on but God did expect them to finish what they had started.
Everything they did
since returning to their homeland would determine how God would react
to them!
Lev 26:2 Ye shall
keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
Lev 26:3 If ye walk
in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
Lev 26:4 Then I
will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her
increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Lev 26:5 And your
threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach
unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and
dwell in your land safely.
God had not changed,
and He never will!
*****Hag 1:6 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.
Even though they
were now free, this was no way to live. Never enough food and not
enough clothes to stay warm.
To live in sin soon
becomes a life of misery!
When we get our
priorities out of order things just do not go well for us!
It is a fact that
when we forget where our blessings come from, we will not get
blessings that we could have had!
By not having a
place of worship these people were robbing God.
They were robbing
God of His worship.
They were robbing
God of His truth.
They were robbing
God of His tithes.
Mal_3:8 Will a man
rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings.
Gathering to worship
the Lord is much, much more than these things.
We lose
opportunities to learn the Scriptures.
We lose
opportunities to carry our burdens to the Lord.
We lose
opportunities to fellowship with each other and pray with one another
and for one another.
We lose
opportunities to fellowship with the Lord.
Remember the power
of the Church lies in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit abides in
each of us.
These Jews were more
interested in gaining riches for themselves, but those riches were as
if they had their money in a bag and that bag had a hole in it those
riches were being lost.
Job 20:28 The
increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in
the day of his wrath.
Job 20:29 This is
the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto
him by God
Though drugs have
become more popular, still the over powering enemy of the working
class is alcoholic beverages.
Pro 23:21 For the
drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall
clothe a man with rags.
Pro 23:29 Who hath
woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who
hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30 They that
tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Pro 23:31 Look not
thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the
cup, when it moveth itself aright.
Pro 23:32 At the
last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Pro 23:33 Thine
eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse
things.
Pro 23:34 Yea, thou
shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that
lieth upon the top of a mast.
Pro 23:35 They have
stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me,
and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
No matter who we are
we need to consider the things we do and how those things affect our
lives.
*****Hag 1:7 Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
These Jews had
received the command of God to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the
Temple. They had started off with the right attitude but now it had
been 16 years since they had last worked on the Temple.
The materials were
on the job site!
They knew the will
of God!
They were lacking in
commitment!
We must understand
to receive the blessings of God we must be a blessing to God!
God really only ask
us to do one thing and that is to obey Him!
If God has saved us
it is our duty to be obedient to Him!
Psa 119:59 I
thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
Psa 119:60 I made
haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
Before we can ever
be glorified, we must glorify the Lord in what we have now, and it is
not to hard nor is it asking too much of us!
*****Hag 1:8 Go up
to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take
pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
We must understand
that what pleases God is when we are at work to grow His Kingdom and
also to work and support our families. These are not two separate
things these are one thing that we do for the glory of God!
We cannot do this
thing if we are not obedient to God.
The Jews were free
and living in hardship simply because they left off to do what the
Lord God had asked them to do.
It was the Temple
that would hold this people together for several centuries to come.
God loves to see His
people busy.
We know that the
Lord never changes so it is obvious when the house of God lies in
waste as many do today then God will not be very pleased.
It does not matter
so much what the world is doing as it matters what the people of God
are doing!
Remember Haggai is
addressing these things to Zerubbabel the Governor and Joshua the
High Priest.
If the government
and the Church did not solve this issue, then their freedom did not
mean anything.
In America today the
government, through taxpayers, does nothing but feed those who are
too lazy to work while the Church sits on its hands and does nothing
to curb sin not only in our nation but even allow it inside the
church.
Muslims are elected
in to the government along with every liberal minded kook that comes
out of the closet.
Freedom just does
not mean anything in America today.
The people who truly
need help are the same ones who do not get the help they need.
The Church needs to
get back to the business of being obedient to what "Thus Sayeth
the Lord" and work for the glory of God and many of the problems
we face as a nation would go away.
The hills around
Jerusalem had not been touched in 70 years much of the material that
was needed was already on the Temple Mount it was time to get busy
about the work of the Lord!
We must get our
priorities in order!
Tit 3:8 This is a
faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly,
that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain
good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
When these people
had left captivity, they had expected everything to be so wonderful.
They needed to be awakened to the fact they lived in a cruel and evil
world just as we do today and we need the Lords help in everything we
do but if we refuse to glorify God in the things we do, that help
will never come when we need it.
*****Hag 1:9 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.
Hag 1:10 Therefore
the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from
her fruit.
When we forget that
the Lord is in control of our environment and everything else and
start placing the blame on things such as global warming, or any
other dreamed up thing we are on our way to more misery.
All the things that
assured a good life was lacking because these people had neglected
the God who had caused them to be set free.
When we allow the
house of God to lie in waste, we can be sure our own homes will go to
waste.
When we expect too
much from others and do not give back to our God in our time and our
tithes our nation will lie in waste.
We are foolish to
ask why our government is like it is, when we reject the God who
places the right people in the right positions.
When God does place
someone in position who has faith in God, and we do not do everything
we can to help them we are just digging a hole so deep that we will
never come out of it.
When we look for
much and it comes to little, we can only blame ourselves.
When we bring that
little home and even it blows away, we can only blame ourselves.
When we neglect God
and the House of God, we cannot expect to receive the blessings of
God!
Isa 17:10 Because
thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been
mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant
pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:
Isa 17:11 In the
day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou
make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day
of grief and of desperate sorrow.
Why is America
suffering? It has nothing to do with global warming silly people, it
because the Lord thy God has control of the heavens and the earth.
You see God proves
by facts that it is He that sits on the throne and He will deny these
things sometimes, and in some places to show us we are not being
obedient to His Words. The only ones who know His words are those who
call themselves Christian.
God can blow away
wages just as well as He can blow away our necessities!
When we are
suffering and do not know why.
Sometimes we just
need to sit down and meditate to see why we are suffering so much in
this world!
The biggest reason
we suffer so much is because we have not obeyed the Word of God!
God does not play
favorites, He has the same love for each of us and the same
discipline for disobedience.
As Haggai confronts
Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest, we can see that God was laying
the blame on the government and the Church.
They had not led the
people in the right direction, and it was the people who suffered the
most while these two and many others lived in their fine homes and
lavish lifestyle.
These things never
change, God will hold every government accountable for the suffering
of the people and the Church for allowing the government to go
without Church leadership.
Eph_6:13 Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
When we get our
priorities out of wack, there is only one place to go and that is to
the Lord God Jehovah.
We know Him as Jesus
Christ!
During this time
when the rebuilding of the Temple had stopped for 16 years or more
God had to do some things for this people to take notice.
*****Hag 1:11 And I
called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon
the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that
which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and
upon all the labour of the hands.
God sees the labor
of our hands and if our hands are not Holy hands then the things, we
do with those hands will not be Holy either.
There is no way the
work that comes by our hands will prosper without using them part of
the time for the Lord and being committed to Him 100% of the time.
If the labor on the
Temple had not ceased God would never have brought a drought upon
this people. It is just that simple!
A great lesson for
the Church is as long as the House of God lies in waste, God will not
bless the labor of hands in America.
Gen 31:42 Except
the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had
been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen
mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee
yesternight.
The Lord will only
bless the work of our hands when our priorities are right!
When our own
interest comes before the work of God, God will see, and God will not
allow those interest to be fruitful.
What has God warned
the Church?
1Pe_4:17 For the
time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it
first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
gospel of God?
The Church needs to
wake up to these warnings and get her priorities right.
When we do not heed
the warnings of God, we are placing ourselves and our families in
jeopardy!
What many see as
climate change may be just God telling us we need to get back to the
truth of God!
Or could it be close
to the time when the Antichrist will stick his evil head into the
world.
2Th_2:3 Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there
come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son
of perdition;
There is already the
spirit of the Anti-Christ in our world.
1Jn_4:3 And every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have
heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
These that had
returned to Judah with a priority to build the Temple were facing an
economic catastrophe and it was of their own doing!
The question we
should ask is when will we learn from our mistakes?
These Jew quickly
understood.
*****Hag 1:12 Then
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, 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 did fear before the LORD.
We must understand
that the Word of God in the mouth of God's servants will have no
effect until God's "authority" is realized and
"acknowledged"!
We must look at the
message of the Lord and see that God does not ever change!
God loves His people
God teaches us these things so we can remove all doubt of His
sovereignty not just over the people but also all of nature!
1) God will act to
protect the integrity of His Holy Name:
Mal 1:6 A son
honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a
father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear?
saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name.
And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
2) God will act to
correct His people of their sinful ways:
Deu 11:10 For the
land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of
Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and
wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
Deu 11:11 But the
land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys,
and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
Deu 11:12 A land
which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are
always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of
the year.
Deu 11:13 And it
shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my
commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God,
and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deu 11:14 That I
will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain
and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy
wine, and thine oil.
Deu 11:15 And I
will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat
and be full.
3) God is the God of
second chance:
Php 1:6 Being
confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in
you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
The truth is God
will discipline, God will correct, and God will train the ones He
loves, and He shows us how He does things in the Word of God.
We are to learn from
the mistakes made by these God's chosen people and through this day,
Israel remains the apple of God's eye!
The Church is still
God's redeemed and the Bride of Christ!
We must understand
that God dealt with nations during this era but today God deals with
individuals.
When our priorities
are not right, then we can expect the same or very similar things
from our Creator the true Ruler of all we see and all we cannot see!
Pro 3:11 My son,
despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his
correction:
Pro 3:12 For whom
the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he
delighteth.
Pro 3:13 Happy is
the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Pro 3:14 For the
merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the
gain thereof than fine gold.
We can expect our
Father in Heaven to do whatever it takes to keep us as His children,
who He loves us more than we can understand!
When the Lord speaks
to us by the Holy Spirit, it is in our best interest to listen to
what He says and be obedient to what He teaches us!
Amen
Let's Pray!
