Haggai 2:1-9 and Ephesians 2:11-22

Now, we will read together in our Bibles a couple of sections.

First of all, from Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

So in the New Testament, Ephesians chapter 2,

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

where we're going to hear of temple imagery being used in the New Testament.

And then we're going to turn to Haggai chapter 2 and read the first nine verses.

Haggai 2 · chapter mention

So here in Ephesians 2, let's hear God's word.

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called uncircumcised

by those who call themselves the circumcision, which is done in the body by human hands,

remember that at that time you were separate from Christ,

excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise,

without hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one,

and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations.

His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two,

thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross,

by which he put to death their hostility.

He came and preached peace to you who are far away and peace to those who are near.

For through him, we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,

but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household,

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

In a sense, what we have there is a recognition that in God's purpose,

the temple was always supposed to be a place of worship,

not just for the Jews, but ultimately for the nations of the world.

And while the physical temple failed to do that, Jesus does.

Now, Haggai chapter 2 in the Old Testament, towards the very end of the Old Testament,

Haggai 2 · chapter mention

and we are going to read verses 1 to 9.

In the second year of King Darius, on the 21st day of the seventh month,

the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai.

Speak to Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah,

to Joshua, son of Josedach, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people.

Ask them,

Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory?

How does it look to you now?

Does it not seem to you like nothing?

But now be strong, Zerubbabel, declares the Lord.

Be strong, Joshua, son of Josedach, the high priest.

Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord, and work.

For I am with you, declares the Lord Almighty.

This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt,

and my spirit remains among you.

Do not fear.

This is what the Lord Almighty says.

In a little while, I will once more shake the heavens and the earth,

the sea and the dry land.

I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come,

and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty.

The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty.

The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,

says the Lord Almighty.

And in this place, I will grant peace, declares the Lord Almighty.

This evening, we're thinking about the fact that in this prophecy,

God's discouraged, disheartened people are being reminded that the best is yet to come.

To help us to do that, we need to step back in time.

So I want to take you in your mind's eye to a building site in 520 BC.

Where is this building site?

It's in Jerusalem.

And what is it that's being built, or rather rebuilt?

It's the temple where God would be worshipped.

As we saw last week, that project had restarted in 536 BC.

The foundation had been laid, but then opposition came.

And so for 16 years, the building site has remained lifeless.

Nothing has been happening.

But now, the project has restarted again with full speed.

So we're on this building site, and we're seeing a temple be constructed.

But then, we also see some old men come by.

It appear at how things are developing.

And as they watch the building restoration take place,

we see them weeping as they watch.

Because they're old enough to remember, in childhood, the glory days of Solomon's temple.

And they weep.

And they say, it's not like it was in the old days.

They ask themselves and others the question,

where's the glory in this temple?

And they are discouraged.

And that mood of discouragement spreads around the building site.

And because the temple site is in the middle of the city,

the city is beginning to feel that wave of discouragement.

Enter Haggai.

He comes onto the building site.

Was he wearing his hard hat?

We don't know.

But we definitely do know that he brings with him the Lord's message.

And it's a message both of realism and hope.

Yes, this temple, in a sense, is not and will not be as glorious as Solomon's.

But future glory is coming.

The best is yet to come.

Now, as we come back to 2020, we live in that reality,

as we thought about from Zechariah's language of the day of small things,

where perhaps our circumstances and our church,

we don't feel very glorious.

We don't feel super significant.

But we also stand in 2020 knowing that that promise through Haggai has been fulfilled.

that the greater glory of the temple has come because Jesus has come.

And there's greater glory because now Jesus is constructing a living temple in the church,

in people like us who have faith in the Lord Jesus.

And we too have the promise that for the church today, the best is yet to come.

So we're going to think about that, the realism and the hope in Haggai chapter 2.

Haggai 2 · chapter mention

So first of all, looking back, looking back at former glory,

the first five verses is where we're going to be.

Now, notice again, we're told when Haggai speaks.

It's the second year of King Darius on the 21st day of the seventh month.

Now, I am going to presume that we are at best rusty on our Persian calendar dating system.

And we're also a bit hazy on how that would connect with a Jewish calendar.

Because that's my position, I imagine.

I'm not alone in that.

This specific date, so the experts tell me,

it comes during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.

Okay, so that date is important because it tells us that in the middle of a festival.

What's the Feast of Tabernacles?

Well, this was something that they did every year.

Every year God said to them, live in tents for a week.

And it was to remind them of their time when they were in the wilderness

before reaching the promised land.

It was a time of anticipation, anticipating glory to come.

And it's interesting that even when they were in the promised land,

they still had to go into their tents, into their booths,

and anticipate there was greater glory still to come.

And that's going to be significant for the message.

Now, everyone is gathered.

We see Zerubbabel's there, Judah's there, the remnant are there.

Leaders and people are together for this festival.

And what does Haggai do?

Haggai, in verse 3, says,

Now, parents, don't we teach our kids to do the exact opposite of this?

It's like, you don't say that kind of thing.

You don't point out the flaws in someone else.

You've got to keep quiet about that.

But here, Haggai deliberately draws attention to it.

Why?

You're thinking, if they're already feeling discouraged,

surely when Haggai comes, this is going to discourage them further.

But there's a point to what he's doing.

He's pointed to reality.

He's saying, this is a time of lesser glory for God's people.

If we just for a minute compare Haggai's day with the glory days of Solomon.

You know, that's often described as the golden age, the reigns of King David and King Solomon.

That was a time when they enjoyed freedom.

But now they're ruled by Persia.

And that was a time when their territory was large and they were at peace.

Now it's Jerusalem and a little bit around.

And they're controlled by outside influences.

Then they were regarded as great and glorious in that region.

They had established dominance over surrounding nations.

But now they are small and weak and fragile.

So this is a time of lesser glory.

And the temple that's being built is a reflection of that wider reality.

But here's the thing.

And here's where this isn't discouraging for the people.

Yes, their glory may have changed.

It may have diminished.

But God and his glory has not.

And God, we're told in verse 4, keeps his promises.

I am with you.

Verse 5.

This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt.

And my spirit remains among you.

So he keeps his promises.

He's given them his presence.

He is with them.

There is a reminder that the same Redeemer God who brought them out of Egypt

is the same God who is for them today.

And that's supposed to have an impact on how they feel and how they act on the building site.

So knowing this, the people of God are to, verse 4, be strong.

Three times.

Zerubbabel, be strong.

Joshua, be strong.

All you people of land.

Makes me think of Joshua.

I remember when Joshua takes over from Moses.

And it's his job to lead the people in conquest, into battle, to take possession of the promised land.

And God frequently says to Joshua, be strong and courageous.

And again, it's the same reason because God is with them.

And God is working out his purposes.

So they are to be strong.

And, verse 4, they are to work.

They are to keep on building this temple.

Because this temple represents God being with them.

It represents a place of worship.

So that they might worship God.

It is a place where sacrifices can be made so that forgiveness and reconciliation and restoration might happen.

It's a place where the glory of God might be known.

Where the reputation of God might spread through the nation and through the nations.

So they are to be strong.

And they are to work.

And, verse 5, they are not to fear.

Because they are to trust in the God who is with them.

So they're to look back.

They're looking back and seeing the former glory.

But they are to take heart.

To take heart because God remains with them.

As Zechariah chapter 4 says,

Zechariah 4 · chapter mention

Isn't this something that we need to hear in our own setting today?

Probably everybody has a sense of,

when was the glory day of the church?

Some of us, if we like church history,

we might think back to the 16th century, to the Reformation.

Maybe, for older generations, we might think back to our childhood.

People might look and think,

well, the church before the wars,

that was the sort of golden age in present.

Maybe we just think,

life before COVID,

the church felt like a golden age.

Because at least we could be together.

Today,

I imagine for many of us,

we feel weak.

As Christians, we feel disconnected.

more isolated from our brothers and sisters.

The church seems small.

In our nation,

it doesn't have the position of influence

and respect that once it did.

Because God's name, God's word, God's glory,

God's gospel, the Lord Jesus,

don't have the same position

that they used to.

And we could be discouraged by that,

but God would have us take heart.

Because,

God is,

with his people.

Jesus promised,

I am with you always.

Jesus sent the Spirit,

so we wouldn't be alone,

so we wouldn't be like orphans.

God still keeps his promises.

God made a covenant promise,

God has made a covenant with the church,

in and through the body and blood

of the Lord Jesus,

given for us in sacrifice

to remove our sins,

to bring us to God.

And God will keep his promise

to be God for us.

Take heart,

because God will receive glory.

Take heart,

because God is building his kingdom.

He is establishing a living temple.

And as Jesus said,

not even the gates of hell,

not that the powers of the devil

are powerless to resist

that movement of God's grace.

So,

so this is a call to work

in our day of small things,

at the small things

that we are called to do.

We're called to serve faithfully,

to live for God

in our families,

to live as servants of God

in our workplaces,

whatever that looks like nowadays,

to serve faithfully in the church,

to come together where possible

as the church,

whether that's on Sundays

or whether it's to pray

or in community group,

to love and encourage

and build one another up

and bear one another's burdens,

to serve faithfully in worshipping

on Sundays and all through the week.

And we do that,

not depending on our own strength,

but just as Haggai said,

depending on the God who is with us,

God's presence and God's power.

And as we do that,

remember what we read in Ephesians 2.

Jesus,

he is the true temple.

He is the cornerstone

that God has laid,

that precious cornerstone

on which the church is built.

The living temple is both built on Jesus,

on his words,

on his truth,

and built by Jesus

as he draws men and women

and boys and girls

to faith in himself.

And so we worship Jesus

because he is our Emmanuel.

He is God with us.

He is the one who,

in his body,

the new covenant

has been established

and he sends the Spirit.

So these words from the Lord

we see fulfilled

in the ministry of Jesus.

So yes,

the church today may not seem glorious,

but never forget,

Jesus,

our King,

is glorious,

always will be glorious

and he is pursuing his glory

in us,

through us,

in the world.

So keep building.

Keep building by sharing the gospel,

making much of Jesus,

using Advent,

for example.

whether it's those videos,

whether it's sharing devotional thoughts

or reflections,

whether it's just talking about

the reason for Christmas,

sharing the gospel both inside the church

because we never want to move away

from God and his grace.

We never want to take for granted

what Jesus has done for us

in his life, death and resurrection,

but also sharing the gospel

outside the walls of the church

or the community of God's people.

And we keep building also

in the sense that we want to support

both local and global mission.

One of the reasons that we,

during lockdown and ongoing restrictions,

have had missions speakers

come to us month after month

is so that we would be reminded

that we have work to do

in supporting global mission

for the glory of God.

So there is former glory

and there's reality

but also hope.

But then Haggai encourages

a looking forward

to see greater glory.

Now, in Morningside,

we have a sister church,

a church plant by the name

of Cornerstone.

And their building project

is nearly done.

And that's good news.

Last week,

I was watching their

promotional video.

And it was interesting

to see how they did it.

And in a sense,

there's a pattern

that we can probably detect

that we see in Haggai.

So one thing that the video did

was sort of go to the old schoolhouse

and say,

here was this iconic building

in its heyday,

at the heart of the community.

See, lots of old pictures

and you'd see there it is

as the school

and sort of heart of the community.

And then now,

in its present state,

you see it as a building site.

And I guess,

unless you know the plan

and you know the trajectory,

you might think,

yikes,

how can this be good?

How can anything good

come out of this

or rubble and ruin

and expose walls

and all those kind of things?

And in a sense,

the video goes on

to respond to that

because it keeps bringing us

back to artists' impressions

of the finished article.

So you're constantly

looking forward

with hope

for what it will become.

And we can pray

for Cornerstone

as they look to

share the gospel

with people

in the Morningside community,

but also as they look

to be a church planting

centre

where we can remember

them.

But let's go back

to Haggai

on his building site.

So he's looking back,

yeah,

it's not the same

glorious Solomon's temple,

but he's also looking forward.

He's saying,

there's something

so glorious coming

that it's going to make

Solomon's temple

look like a garden shed.

Now,

how is that?

Haggai's very careful

to say it's not going to be

because of your

architectural skill.

It's not going to be

the gold and silver

that you bring.

It's not because

of your hard work.

How is that?

It's because God

himself

will act

for his glory

to give

and to bring

glory.

Now,

one word

that helps us

to think about this

is the word shaking.

Verse 6,

this is what the Lord

Almighty says,

in a little while

I will once more

shake the heavens

and the earth

and the sea

and the dry land.

I will shake

all nations

and what's desirable

and nations will come

and I will fill

this house with glory.

Now,

the prophets

of the Old Testament,

many of them

spoke of the day

of the Lord.

a decisive day

in history

when God would

intervene

at the end

of the age

and that shaking

is Haggai's

way of talking

about the day

of the Lord

and what he

anticipates

as God gives

this message

is of the world

being turned

right side up

and that plays

itself out

because there is

this picture of

nations becoming

worshippers

and that is

seen in them

bringing their

wealth

to the temple

but crucial

to this shaking

for our purposes

is when God

said in verse 7

I will fill

this house

with glory.

So the difference

between Solomon's

temple and Haggai's

temple

wasn't the

size of the building,

they were actually

pretty similar

archaeologists tell us

and it wasn't

so much the fact

that Solomon's

temple had

loaded gold

and silver

and Haggai's

didn't have so much

the difference

is that when

Solomon dedicated

his temple

the glory cloud

came down

God's glory

filled the temple

so the priest

had to get out

because God

was so glorious

and he was present

in his temple

now that hadn't

happened in Haggai's

day

but

but then

Haggai

brings us

wonderful news

from God

in verse 9

the glory of this

present house

will be greater

than the glory

of the former house

and in this place

I will grant peace

now how can that be

and we need to

recognise

this didn't happen

in Zerubbabel's day

and it didn't happen

in the rest of the

Old Testament era

we need to wait

for

fulfilment

to the coming

of Jesus

that promise

of greater glory

is fulfilled

in Jesus

again John 1

the word became

flesh and dwelt

among us

and we have seen

what

we have seen

his glory

the glory

of the one and only

so here's this

wonderful reality

Jesus the eternal

son of God

the full

radiance of God's

glory

comes to the earth

and Jesus

is the Lord

who then

in his

lifetime

comes to his

temple

and actually

one of the things

that we see

in the gospels

and we see

in his ministry

is Jesus

is making clear

that he takes

over from the

temple

if you want

to enjoy

the presence

of God

don't go to

the temple

come to me

if you want

to worship

it's not in

the temple

you worship

in spirit and

truth and you

worship through

Jesus

if you're

looking for

a sacrifice

that reconciles

you to God

and brings you

forgiveness

don't go to

the temple

with an animal

come to Jesus

and his death

on the cross

Jesus

takes over

from the temple

and Jesus

has more glory

than Solomon's

temple

and then we

think about

Matthew

and the way

Matthew's gospel

talks about

the death

of Jesus

and significantly

he uses the

language of shaking

Matthew 27

51

you can look

it up

at the death

of Jesus

two things

happened

the curtain

of the temple

was torn

in two

and the earth

shook

and the rocks

split

the curtain

of the temple

was interesting

because

one of the reasons

Jesus judges

the temple

and the leaders

over the temple

is because

God's house

was meant to be

a house

for all nations

but

it had become

restricted

and closed

just to

the Jewish

people

and so the

temple

curtain

torn

in two

was saying

access to

God

is now

open

and it's

open to

anyone

who will

believe

in the

Lord Jesus

so this

shaking

back to

this shaking

concept

this shaking

began

what Haggai

was looking

forward to

it began

when Jesus

died

his redeeming

work

is a

shaking

it's God

intervening

in a decisive

way

now the way

is open

to God

now Jesus

the true

temple

makes it

possible

for people

from all

nations

to come

to him

and that

shaking

that began

at the cross

will continue

until the

return

of Jesus

and when

Jesus

returns

this promise

will be truly

fulfilled

when Haggai

says

the glory

of this

present

house

will be

greater

than the

glory

of the

former

house

when Jesus

returns

his

unimaginable

glory

will be

revealed

and all

the people

of God

will get

to enjoy

his glory

and to

see

his glory

and to

live

in

the new

heaven

and the

new

earth

where we

can enjoy

his glory

forever

enjoy his

presence

forever

verse 9

we will

enjoy

unbroken

peace

forever

true

well

being

to go

back to

verse 7

this shaking

it brings

in

worshippers

from

the

nations

Jesus

receives

glory

as the

true

temple

but also

as he

builds

this

living

temple

to use

Ephesians 2

languages

he builds

the church

Ephesians 2

Jesus

in his

body

on the

cross

he makes

peace

peace

between

us

and

God

and

makes

peace

between

different

nations

so that

we can

be all

one

in

Christ

Jesus

he

builds

us

into

a

holy

temple

in

the

Lord

where

does

God

dwell

now

Ephesians 2

says

God

dwells

in

his

people

in

his

church

and so

together

we're

enjoying

greater

glory

we enjoy

the presence

of God

with us

and we

look ahead

to more

still to

come

so Haggai

does this

wonderful thing

in this

beautiful

building site

sermon

he takes

them from

small things

to eternal

glory

he says

yes your

temple is

less glorious

but your

God is not

he says

look forward

because future

glory is

coming

Jesus

God's true

temple is

coming

we know

how that

glory is

seen

and one

day

Jesus

will

rule

over the

new

heaven

and the

new

earth

this

whole

new

cosmos

will

be

his

temple

where

our

king

dwells

and we

will be

with him

so today

in our

small things

we are called

to work

and we are

called to

worship

and we're

called to

wait

with expectation

knowing that

for us truly

the best

is also

yet to come

solution

once

to

let's

pack

to

mercy

can

see

out

next

time