LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2023
HAGGAI 2 VERSES 10 – 19
We have been looking over
these past few weeks to a series of messages from God to the children of
Israel. Sadly there were more words of
rebuke than encouragement. These words
were words of chastisement because of their disobedience to God. God was not a hard taskmaster who took advantage
of liberties. God had set them free from
captivity in Babylon and brought them back to their own land. Their first task was to build the temple of
God. However, some things had to be
addressed by God. Sin was affecting their
work and witness for God. He wanted them
to do more for him then they would be blessed in abundance. There were things in their lives that were
not pleasing to God. If he was going to
use and bless them it was important they heard God’s word and obeyed it. The clean and unclean aspects were important
in the Levitical laws. God used this to
illustrate their condition before him.
First we see the presenting
– verses 12 and 13 “If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with
his skirt to touch bread or pottage or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be
holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of
these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be
unclean.” At first glance where do you
try and understand these things? The
Lord was practical in presenting his message to the people. This was a common known thing among the Israelites. They were steeped in Levitical law. They could not make excuses. They saw the Lord’s message as it was. The second question focuses on touching a
dead body or open wound – if someone did this they would be unclean. A person would be separated from the rest of
the people. When separated there were certain
rituals to be observed for such people to be reunited with the people. Then the defilement would be put away and
dealt with before returning to the people.
Those rituals would involve both to restore fellowship. God was asking the people through Haggai 2 simple
questions. They would have known the Levitical
law for the benefit of those standing around.
They needed to learn an important truth.
When someone presented an animal on the altar for sacrifice for uncleanness
the meat was declared holy. It became
the Lord’s possession. It belonged to him. It was under the Lord’s ownership. From then on it should be used by the priest
and his family. They were instructed to
eat the portion offered. They had to be
careful how it was eaten, when it was eaten and where it was eaten. In the first question they were asked – if a
piece of consecrated touches a body does it make it unclean? You cannot pass on holiness. Even though the garment is holy and meat is
sanctified it cannot be imported through the garment to a person. It is impossible. A bible commentator has said “clean does not
make dirty clean.” A healthy person
cannot pass on their health to a sick person.
In the second question – if someone touches a dead body and becomes
unclean could they make another unclean by their touch – yes. Defilement can be passed on from one to
another but holiness cannot. The same
bible commentator said “dirty does not make clean dirty.” We can pass on infections and diseases but we
cannot pass on the cure. You can give
many your sickness but you cannot give any your holiness or health. This is what the Lord was driving home. They could not communicate any holiness
through the temple. They could pollute
it by their sin. That is what he was
saying. There was a problem with the
people working in the temple, doing the Lord’s work but they were not doing it
with a pure heart, devoted to him. “So
is this people and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord and so is every
work of their hands and that which they offer there is unclean.” (verse
14) The work of their hands and offerings
were unclean in the sight of the holy God.
On one hand they were making progress but on the other there were
hindrances to the work. Have we grasped
this principle today? It is not what we
are doing for the Lord, it is whether we are clean and pure to do it. Sin prevents the work of God. It also robs us of any blessing. God wants to impart to us – we cannot afford
to sere the Lord with unclean hands and impure hearts. He will withhold the blessing from us if we
are not doing what he expects of us. William
McDonald the bible commentator said “Work and worship do not sanctify sin. Sin contaminates work and worship.”
Secondly, the pondering
– verses 15 and 16 “And now I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from
before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord. Since those days were, when one came to an
heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for
to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.” We have to bear in mind that Haggai was
addressing a great company of people who were for a long time in a rebellious
position against God’s commandments.
Haggai compared them to the stones of the temple – hard, awkward to work
with. During those years they experienced
the discipline of the Lord. They were
not keeping the terms and conditions of the covenant that God had given to Solomon
when he first built the temple.
Therefore God couldn’t bless them but rather chastise them. How did he do it? When the grain was standing in the field God
smote it with hail and mildew so that there was not much left when brought it
in. God was at the back of their minds,
not the front of their lives. He warned
that this would happen. It wasn’t that
they did not know the Lord. Deuteronomy
28 verse 22 “The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption and with a fever, and
with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning and with the sword, and with
blasting and with mildew and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.” What was God’s purpose in doing this? It was to get them back on track, back to
serving him wholeheartedly. In the long
term it was for their benefit. He needed
something to stop them in their tracks and ponder where they were going. Things that come into our lives may seem
destructive in their appearance but quite often they are for our benefit. God has something more for us. The unexpected is to bring us to our senses,
to get us back on track. It is never the
Lord’s intention for us to wander carelessly in a direction. That is not in his will. He does not want us to wander but to stay
close to him. This calls for sensitivity. When the testing times come we have to come
before the Lord and search our hearts.
The trials of faith are not something we should find strange, they are
expected. That is what Peter said in his
first letter, chapter 4 verse 12 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto
you.” What should our response be to the
trials sent on us? A time to consider
and ponder our ways. Is that what this
people did? “yet ye turned not to me.”
(verse 17) The Lord used famine and barrenness
to correct and bring the children of Israel back into line. They went to receive 20 measures but only 10
were actually available. It happened
during times of storage. Something wasn’t
right. They took 50 vessels to the
winepress expecting to receive an abundance but they only received 20. The failure of disobedience was not on their
conscience. The Lord didn’t want them to
forget. He wanted them to be at the
forefront of their memory. A reminder of
how they treated God’s house and work.
To remember how God dealt with them in tender mercy. To learn a lesson, not to trifle with the
things of God. The people failed the
Lord by slothfulness to his work but it was not the final straw. God could have come in wrath and wiped them
off the face of the earth. God in mercy
gave them a future, to enable them to learn from their failings. Peter was in the same position. He could look back in dismay but also look
forward in determination. You might be
in the same position today. Maybe there
is some area in your past when you failed the lord. It is not the final straw. We can look forward like Peter with
determination.
Finally, the persevering
– verses 18 and 19 “Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and
twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s
temple was laid, consider it. Is the
seed yet in the barn? Yea, as yet the vine and the fig tree and the pomegranate,
and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.” The Lord was calling them to give careful consideration
to the time when the foundations of the temple were laid. The Lord’s temple was at the centre of this
controversy. Haggai called on them to
repent with the assurance of blessing to follow. 2 Chronicles 7 verse 14 “If my people which
are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and
turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive
their sin and will heal their land.” It
could have been dreadfully different. If
they had rebuilt the temple when they returned from Babylon blessing would have
followed. God’s heart was grieved
because of the peoples sinfulness. They
heard that as a result their work had become defiled. God asked “is the seed yet in the barn?” and
they answered “no”. Their barns were
lying empty. By this stage, late
December the men had ploughed their fields to sow their crop. The principle of putting God first would see
everything else being added unto them.
If they put God’s interests before theirs he would take care of the
rest. God would bless them if they
recognised him above everything else. It
reminds us of the Saviour’s words in Matthew 6 verse 33 “Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto
you.” May that be our longing – to put
God first in every area of our lives.
Have we been doing that? Does God
have first place in our hearts and lives today?
Each time we make a decision, no matter what it is, do we hold God’s
best interests at heart or do we just carry on with our lives and never bring
God in? Do we just bring him in when it
suits us? When we put God first he will
take care of everything else. May we not
put the things first but may we put the Lord first, the one who adds everything
unto us. Because of the people’s sins
God called the people to look back and look within. When they did so they saw God’s glory and holiness
more vividly. The Lord calls each of us
to look back and look within. When we
think of the presenting he calls us to listen.
When we think of the ponder he calls us to consider and when we think of
the persevering he calls on all of us to defend him, to put the Lord first in
every area of our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment