Consider your ways

Sermon notes from Sunday 9 July 2017 

Haggai chapter 1

Haggai the prophet is someone who is very precise and direct with his words, he pulled no punches when he came to proclaim the word of God.  In verse 13 he was the messenger of God and he had a message from the Lord.  2 very distinct things.  You can have a messenger with no message.  We need to hear from God today.  Haggai`s words touched the heart of the matter.  He was speaking to God`s people about a programme that had been started and left undone.  They had run out of steam and momentum.  That is very easy for God`s people.  We can be involved in God`s work yet so discouraged and down.  It is good to know there is a word from the Lord.  Haggai was speaking to God`s people who had come out of captivity.  We need to get to the place where we are in the centre of God`s will and presence once more.  For 70 years they had been taken away captive in Babylon just as Jeremiah the prophet had said.  God moved and brought them back into the land.  Cyrus was now the king. The Babylonian king was gone just as predicted in Daniel chapter 5.  This was a new kingdom of the Medes and Persians.  God had promised them to be in captivity for 70 years and he was now going to fulfil that.  Cyrus made a proclamation, then put it in writing and sent it throughout all the kingdom.  In verse 3 we see that the people began again to go back to Jerusalem and build the house of God.  If you are doing God`s will you will find there are all sorts of problems that come from within and without.  Opposition will come.  The word from Haggai is `do not give up`.  Here were a people who came back to Jerusalem and began to seek the glory of God.  In Ezra chapter 4 we see opposition, the enemies were trying to get in.  Just like today we have false teachers and prophets trying to get in and destroy the work of the Lord.  In verse 3 you would think it would end there but in verse 4 this is the same people who offered to help to build the temple.  In chapter 5 verse 5 we see the work stops.  Verse 14 - 16 years whenever it has been standing half built.  In Haggai chapter 1 verses 1 and 2 read that the work has begun again. Haggai`s message is simple - keep at it, do not give up.  Notice a few things in chapter 1 of Haggai.  the message was consider your ways, stop for a moment or 2, consider your ways.

A mistimed project.  In verse 2 Haggai`s main theme was the building of the house of God.  God`s heart and purpose for the people of Israel was that they would come back to Jerusalem and build the house of God.  Once again the very will of God was being left undone.  This is a timely message for us today.  God can come to us and ask us "are we still out for the Lord since the first time we accepted Christ?"  There are things that were being left undone.  This is a timely message for us today.  God can come to us and ask us are we still out for the Lord since the first time we accepted Christ?  There are things stopped, things we are doing now never done years ago because love for me and my precious word.  Timing is a crucial factor.  People sitting in Jerusalem saying it is not time to build the house of God.  If the farmer does not act at the right time the harvest will be affected.  It is very precious.  Moses tried to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt 40 years before the proper time.  Moses knew he was going down to Egypt for a specific purpose.  That was his task.  He tried to do it in his own steam 40 years previously.  He had tried to lead them out and he failed miserably.  Time was so crucial, see the elders here with a bit of power behind him, supposed to be spiritual mind.  Year after year the plans for the house of God were brought before them.  The plans for the house of God were brought before them.  Someone would say we need to get this work done and then someone else would get up and say "it is not the right time, let`s pray about it and seek the Lord."  The end result was that the work of God was being neglected and stopped.  Many are like that with God`s salvation.  Many sit in the gospel meetings, hear the message of the Lord but then the devil deceives them, can put it in the heart that it is not the right time.  God will definitely let me know it.  God has died on the cross for you.  At this moment in time he offers you salvation, invites you to take him as Saviour.  The Bible says "now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of God`s salvation."  You cannot get saved without God.  He will stir you up but if he is stirring your heart about salvation you need to come today.  Paul before Felix telling him how he was saved and showing Felix of his great need of salvation, Felix said "I will listen to you again some day."  He hadn`t time for him, not time to listen to the great things of God.  People in Athens laughed at Paul.  Some said "we will hear you again."  Are you putting off God`s salvation simply because you will have another opportunity?

There was a misguided priority.  Verse 4 you are saying you haven`t time for God`s word yet God`s house stands unfinished.  "Is it time for you O ye to dwell in your ceiled houses?"  By mentioning ceiled houses he was referring to the extravagance the people were putting into their own houses.  Timber and wood was a precious commodity.  Stone was easy to get but timber was not.  God when he looked in could see his house half built.  He looked into the hearts and minds of people.  "we really know your work has to be done but we are not going to do it at the moment."  There was more effort in their own comfort, pleasures and priorities.  We read about David the king in 2 Samuel 11.  It was  the time of the year for the army to do battle, the armies went on with Joab as their commander but where was David?  "He tarried still at Jerusalem".  It is dangerous to tarry when we should be hurrying.  If God says we should go forth we should go forth.  Try not put our priorities before God`s priorities.  It is up to us to find out what they are.  David`s tarrying got him into trouble.  In the evening of the day he went out and saw Bathsheba.  His heart longed after her, he lusted after her.  He had to have her for himself.  We can see where his priorities got him.  Solomon his son on his bed one night heard God speak to him in the darkness.  He asked him what he wanted and it would be granted to him.  He asked not for victory over his enemies or great power, property or land. He told God "you set my father on the throne of Israel, now I am taking this seat and I only want wisdom to reign this people."  God gave him his prayer and wealth was added to his requests.  Then his priorities all changed which took him away from God.  A misguided priority.  Demas was a young man who preached with the apostle Paul.  We read later "Demas hath forsaken me having loved this present world."  He got the wrong priorities.  At one stage he wanted to preach God`s word but then he got his eyes on the world.  He saw the pleasures of the world.  He didn`t fall into the sins of the world but he fell into the trap of a luxurious life, a comfortabe life.  When he was preaching God`s word he was moving about and it was a hard life.  His eyes were lifted to those who had a more comfortable life and he wanted it.

A misunderstood principle - verse 6.  They had the name of God`s people, the God of Israel but one thing we do notice.  They seemed to prosper.  Doesn`t that speak of today`s generation?  What was happening here?  God`s work was being neglected.  "I called for a drought upon the land and upon the mountains and upon the crop and upon the new wine and upon the oil." verse 11  "Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it."  We can get the wrong priorities today even as a child of God and as a famly of God`s people.  It could happen in God`s work, in your life.  You can get the wrong priorities.  We could work for the wrong principles.  Proverbs 3 verse 9 "Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase."  If we put God first his blessings will be ours.  That means the firstfruits not the last dregs.  The firstfruits of my time from when I get up in the morning.  To put him first.  The firstfruits of my talent.  "In all thy ways acknowledge him."  Is he first today?

A majestic presence - verse 13 "it is thy presence that makes the feast."

A maintained practice - verse 14 the Lord stirred them up not the the preacher.  That is what we need.