Sunday Message: Consider Your Ways

Our text today is that Old Testament book of haggai and the

title of today's message is consider your ways.

And while you're searching for haggai, if you need any help,

it's the 37th book out of 39 in the Old Testament, you might

want to go to the last book, Malachi go back Zakaria and

then, hey guys, before Zachariah, but while you're

searching for it, just want to give a warning for all the

parents here today as you go home today, and your kids are

scrounging for the Loose Change in the ashtray and the car or

digging through the sofa for Loose Change is because their

Sunday school teacher told him to do so.

Okay, there's a next four weeks, they'll be a children's missions

offering and there's a display in the back.

The Thai flag is back there and the children are going to raise

money to buy a book called knowing the one true God.

We gave that book out for you a few months ago to reach

Buddhist, but there are 6,000 prisoners in 71 prisons in

Thailand that are doing Bible correspondence courses, through

an organization called The way of life and the Thailand women's

ministry. So, they would like that book in

tithe eight dollars a copy and they want to buy six thousand.

I'm to disciple these prisoners with.

So we're going to have our children raise as many much

money as they can. You know, if you don't have any

children and you want to drop your greenbacks or any Loose

Change, there's a five gallon bucket there and then there's a

newsletter from the Thailand's women's ministry that you can

find more information. How to give if you want haggai

Haggai 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1, I trust you found it there.

It's the and shortest book in the Old Testament, 38 verses

only two chapters but let's look at haggai.

Haggai 1:1

Chapter 1, verse 1 in the second year of Darius, the king in the

six month, on the first day of the month.

The word of the Lord came by the hand of haggai.

The Prophet to zerubbabel the son of shealtiel, governor of

Judah, Andrew Joshua, the son of josedech, the high priest, thus

says, the Lord of hosts, these people say, the time has not yet

come to rebuild the house of the Lord.

In the word of the Lord came by the hand of haggai.

The Prophet, is it time for you yourselves to dwell, in your

panel houses, while this house lies in Ruins.

Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts consider your

ways, you have sown much and harvested little you eat, but

never have enough. You drink, but never have your

fill you, clothe yourselves, but no one is warm and he, who earns

wages does. So, to put them in a bag with

holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts

consider your ways Go up to the hills and bring wood and build

the house that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be

glorified says the Lord you look for much and behold it came to

little and when you brought it home, I blew it away.

Why declares the Lord of hosts, because of my house that lies in

Ruins, while each of you busies himself, when in his own house,

therefore, the heavens above have withheld, the do and the

Earth has withheld, its produce, and I have called for a drought

on the land and on the hills on grain.

The new wine the oil and what the ground brings forth on man

and Beast and all their labors Vin's Rubble is son of chatel

Joshua. The son of josedech, the high

priest with all the remnant of people obeyed, the voice of the

Lord, their God and the words of haggai the Prophet as the Lord

their God and send him and the people.

Feared the Lord, then haggai the messenger of the Lord, spoke to

the people with the Lord's message.

I Am with You declares the Lord and the Lord stirred up, the

spirit of zerubbabel's. The son of chatel governor of

Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, son of josedech, the high

priest, and the spirit of all the, remnant of the people and

they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts.

Their God, on the 24th day of the month in the six month in

the second year of Darius. The king.

Let's pray, father. As we leave here today, may we

know more of you and we know mo what it is.

We are to do as we look in this wonderful book of haggai in

Jesus name. Amen.

Today is January 15th, 2023, and when the history books are

written, I don't know what significant thing will happen

today, but when you look through history, there are dates are

significant, aren't they? It was in 3000, BC.

That the building of the pyramid began, it was in 776 BC.

That the first Olympics were held, it was in 490 BC that the

Greeks, defeated the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.

It was in 323 that Alexander the Great died, 214, BC the Great

Wall of China was started in for ad.

Jesus Christ was born in 1492 Columbus discovered America,

1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed 1863

slavery was abolished 1969 The Man in the Moon and so on.

But what about 520 BC? It's really an insignificant

date in world history, but as far as the Bible is concerned,

it was Very important day because in August 29th.

Yes. We know the exact date 520 BC

the word of the Lord came to an insignificant Prophet named

haggai who told them to go to the remnant of people and tell

them, get busy rebuilding my house, no more excuses, no more

procrastination, no more laziness, no more, fluence for

your own house and forgetting about my house.

Stir the people up and rebuild the Temple haggai.

The word means Festival. So many commentators believe he

was born. During one of the three

festivals that the Jews celebrate, he was probably born

during the Babylonian captivity and we know that he returned

with his Rubble. Remember, there were three

deportations and there would be free returns to Jerusalem after

the 70 years of captivity and zerubbabel would lead the first

return and that's when haggai came with him.

So haggai Zechariah and Malachi the last three books, the Old

Testament, we call them the post-exilic prophets, they are

the prophets who prophesied after the remnant came back from

the 70 years of captivity to really understand those three

books. You need to read azra and

Nehemiah those five books kind of go together.

So hey guys, considered a prophecy book but Ezra would

give the history and haggai actually takes place between

Ezra chapter 4. And as our chapter, Five.

Ezra 4 · chapter mention

It's only 22 chapters 38 verses making it the second shortest

book in the Old Testament after Obadiah, it's quoted once in the

New Testament, in Hebrews 12 26, which Lance will be looking at

in a couple weeks and there are basically four messages from

God. And we're only look at the first

message a day in chapter one, and that's the message of rebuke

or what? I've entitled, it consider your

ways some commentators have called haggai, The Gospel of

work. Work the Evangelical do or

philosophy of action. So we read chapter 1 and we have

a simple outline in your bulletin.

If you can find you in your bulletin on the inside page

there we have the rebuke versus 12 for the reminder verses 5 to

11 and the response verses 12 to 15.

Let's look at the rebuke. First verses 1 to 4 and there

you have some sub points to setting the saying and the

selfishness. Let's look at the settings.

Verse 1, you notice right away. It says in the second year of

Darius, the king in the six month, on the first day of the

month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of a guy.

The prophet to zerubbabel the son of shealtiel, governor of

Judah and Joshua, son of josedech, the high priest, when

you look at a new book and I know we're only doing this for

one. Sunday is sometimes easy to do.

I like to do the who, what, when where, why High, especially in

the historical books and even though, hey guys, a prophecy

book, Ezra gives the history. Let's do the Who?

What when, where why hi? Who's the who?

Well, who is King Darius King, Darius is going to give a

decree. Okay jerubbaal and Joshua I

mentioned 5 times in 38 verses haggai is mentioned as the

prophet and then you have the remnant The Remnant that return

from Babylon and we'll talk a little bit more about them.

What's Happening Here? What we have a profit is going

to encourage the people, after the word of the Lord comes to

him, to speak to the people, The Remnant to resume the work of

rebuilding the temple that Simple, the win is very

important when well in 536 BC and you find this in Ezra

Ezra 1:1–4

chapter 1, verses 1 to 4. As a result of the Proclamation

from King, Cyrus the Persian king Israel was allowed to

return from Babylon to their Homeland, and zerubbabel would

lead that. Joshua, the high priest would

come, there would be three returns one under zerubbabel one

under Ezra, and one under Nehemiah.

But this first one which were talking about today, about

50,000 Jews would return in 536. They immediately began to

rebuild the Temple. You can read about that in Ezra

Ezra 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 and 4. They laid the foundation of the

temple and they started doing the morning and evening

sacrifices. But then those Samaritans would

come. And the Samaritan said we want

to help you rebuild the Temple and Joshua.

I'd say you have no part of rebuilding a temple with us.

We don't want anything to do with you those.

Samaritans would stir up trouble.

They would write a letter to then, Cyrus is now dead.

So the letter would go to the new king king artaxerxes in Ezra

Ezra 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4. And and King artaxerxes was make

a decreased, stop the work and so they would force the work to

stop. So for 16 years, from by 36,

2520, the work stopped. That's what's happening here.

That's the setting. So we're talking about 520 BC.

And you notice very, First in the second year of Darius, the

king of Judah, the king in the six-month first day, that is

August 29th, 520 BC. When you look at verse 15, it

says on the 24th day of the month in the six month, in the

second year of Darius. The king that is September 21st,

520 BC. And then in Chapter 2, there's

two more dates, October 19th and December 18th, 520 BC.

So we know that haggai prophesied for four months, only

four months, But the Bible is so Pacific, precise.

It gives you the exact dates. That's the win.

The, where is Jerusalem? Specifically the temple in our

text seven times? It says the house, the house of

the Lord, the Temple of the Lord.

Why is this book here? Well, God is telling the people

then, and I think he's telling us today that God's work.

Never stops. God's work.

Should never stop and gods workers.

Should never procrastinate, should never be lazy.

Should never fear. Position but obey the Lord and

finish the work that he's given us.

That's the setting. Let's look at verse 22 saying

and there's two points in verse 2.

We have the name and we have the actual excuse.

It says in verse 2, thus says the Lord of hosts before we can

get to the saying or the excuse we need to look at who is saying

this. It says thus says the Lord of

hosts. Why is God called the Lord of

hosts 14 times. In 38 verses he is called the

Lord of hosts. It's used 284 times in the Old

Testament, quite often in the prophecy books.

It's a term in Hebrew for Jehovah Sabbath, and it

literally is translated the lord of the armies.

The name denotes is universal sovereignty.

Over every Army, both spiritual unearthly, the Lord of hosts is

king of heaven, and king of Earth.

Remember that beautiful verse in Psalm 24, 10, who is this king

of glory, the lord of hosts. He is the king of glory.

It's interesting. That God would denote himself in

that name, the Lord of hosts. He uses that name to address the

remnant of people. God had never said stop the

work, okay? But the People did because they

feared the Kings attic. They feared, the opposition you

notice in verse 12. The people are going to learn to

fear the lord and get busy and obey the Lord.

But it's interesting, I find that here the people feared man,

and they did not fear the lord, so God uses us name.

The Lord of hosts 93 years later.

The Third Return would come and a man called Nehemiah would

come. He knew all about fearing the

Lord Nehemiah. Has my favorite book in the Old

Testament and we see Nia by a Praying at least 13 times.

Why does he pray? Because opposition comes turn

with me back to the book of Nehemiah quickly.

And there's a, there's just, I just love the book of Nehemiah

because every time opposition comes, look at Nehemiah chapter

Nehemiah 4 · chapter mention

4, just like the people in our text today opposition would come

and 90-something years. Later, opposition would come, we

need a Wants to rebuild the walls.

There's always opposition whether it's rebuilding the

temple or rebuilding the walls, but in Nehemiah chapter 4 verse

Nehemiah 4:1

1. It says now, when sanballat

heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly

enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.

And he said, in the presence of his brothers and the army of

Samaria. What are these feeble Jews

doing? Will they restore it for

themselves? Will they sacrifice, will they

finish it in a day? Well, they revive the stones,

out of the Heap of rubbish and the burn ones at that and

Tobias, Oh, the ammonite was beside him and he said, yes,

what they are building. If a fox goes up in that wall,

he will break down the stone wall.

Notice what Nehemiah does verse 4 of chapter 4 hero, Our God for

we are despised turn back there, taunt on their own heads and

give them up to be plundered and land where they are captives.

Do not cover up their guilt and let not their sin.

Be blotted out from your site for the provoked, you to anger

in the presence of the building Nehemiah.

Prayed, and time, and time. Again of a chapter to take you

to chapter six, more opposition comes up and they tell Nehemiah

to stop working and I love Nehemiah 66.

It says in verse 3 Nehemiah, they tell Nehemiah, come meet

with us, we want to talk to you. They actually wanted to murder

Nehemiah and Nehemiah says, in chapter 6 verse 3, I am doing a

great work and I cannot come down.

I love that verse Nehemiah knew he was working for the Lord of

hosts Nehemiah knew there would be opposition.

Position. But he was not afraid, but the

people in our text in haggai here, they were afraid and they

stop the work. Let's look at the actual excuse

and that's found in the latter part of verse to be.

These people say, the time has not yet come to rebuild the

house of the Lord. The task of the rebuilding of

the temple was on hold for 16 years.

Notice how God calls the Jews. These people kind of sour

casterly, right? But remember, these people

They're the ones who left Babylon, okay, they're the

zealous ones, who returned to Jerusalem.

They're not like the people who stayed behind in their

comfortable house is in Babylon. Most of the Jews stayed behind

in Babylon because they had a good life there.

They had a, they were Protected Their remember, Jeremiah 29.

Jeremiah told him settle down. Build houses.

Have families obey, the government.

So, a lot of the people stay but these 50,000 return and one

Pastor said, these are The right people who had special Devotion

to the Lord and Zeal for his house, they left Babylon because

they had Zeal for God's house, they returned to the right place

Jerusalem and the comfortable life.

They left behind in Babylon and they started the right work in

rebuilding the temple. They were working for

righteousness. Ezra tells us that when they

arrived in Jerusalem, they took up an offering.

They started the sacrifices they wanted.

To serve God. But when the king gave the

decree to stop the work and and the opposition came they

stopped. So they stopped doing the right

work and they settled down for 16 years but after all they had

the right to build homes, didn't they?

For their families. They had to make a living

agriculturally so they had to plant crops they had to

establish schools and shops and start Commerce and trade which

are all valid Pursuits. But an August 29th, 520 BC, God

sent haggai to rebuke this Rama not and say no more excuses.

The people were saying with this, excuse that, when a more

convenient time comes, we'll rebuild the Temple when things

get better politically will rebuild the Temple.

When things get better, economically will rebuild the

Temple. When there's peace and

protection from our enemies. And then we'll rebuild the

Temple. Just an excuse.

Let's move on from the saying to the selfishness in verses 3 and

4. God is going to speak for a

second time. And he's going to ask a question

in verse 4. The word of the Lord came by the

hand of haggai, the Prophet, is it time for you yourselves to

dwell in panel houses. While this house my house lies

in Rune, God is going to accuse the remnant of having plenty of

time for themselves while pleading for lack of time.

For God, God accuses the remnant of having plenty of money to

spend on their own Comforts and Pleasures while claiming not to

have enough money to do God's work.

These people have a roof over their heads, while God Temple

doesn't have a roof over it. Instead of putting God first,

The Remnant put their affluence first.

And the Bible says that when you put anything before God first

that's idolatry. S res, 37 tells us that when

they returned, they took up an offering and they raise money

and they had this sidonians bring.

Sidonians were famous for for Timber and lumber they would

bring cedar trees and they brought Cedar and lumber from

Lebanon to build the work. One has to wonder that maybe

they took some of that nice Lumber and used it on their own

houses. What do we learn from this first

point here? Aren't we?

Also like the remnant we are believers or Not lit,

unbelievers, unbelievers, don't come to church, we come to

church. We're not like to see any

Christians who only come on Christmas and Easter.

We're not like those Facebook Christians who post cute little

poems, but really hardly ever come to church.

We come we worship. We have a Zeal to sing to serve

the Lord, or at least, maybe we did, maybe time has passed since

when she first became a Christian and you've lost.

Someone has deal, maybe you settle down, maybe you've gotten

busy with things of the world and let the things of God slide.

You know, we too can make excuses, can't wait.

Yes, I'm a witness but it's not a good time to share Jesus

Christ right now. Yes, I know I should tie but I

have bills mortgages and expenses.

Yes, I know, I should serve, but I really don't want to stay for

two Services. The word of the Lord by haggai

comes to such people is that you?

God still says, what is the condition of my work in your

home? Your church, your neighborhood.

God still says Are you doing to fulfill the purpose for which

you've been set forth, apart by Jesus?

God was excusing. The remnant of having plenty of

time for themselves while pleading for a lack of time for

God, God's work should never be procrastinated.

God is going to do what he wants when he wants how he wants

whenever he wants when he wants. So from the rebuke, let's move

to point number 2, the reminder verses 5 to 11.

And first off, we have the consideration it says in verse

5. Now, therefore sus says, the

Lord of hosts consider your ways, that's the title of

today's message. And then you go to verse 7.

He says thus says the Lord consider your ways in Chapter 2,

it says consider three more times 05 times.

He tells these people consider he's telling them think

carefully about what you're doing.

Look at your life, look at the consequences of your actions.

Okay? And what's transpired in your

lives after neglecting God's work for 16 years, God's going

to specifically mention five things, he says sewing eating,

drinking clothing and earning money.

And with each one of those things, God gives an answer that

you did not receive what you expected when you sewed, when

you ate, when you drank, when you put on clothes when you're

in. In fact, you got virtually

nothing out of those five things.

God is telling the people of Israel.

Hear the remnant reappraise your situation.

Take a close look at how things are reconsider your behavior.

It's kind of like us today. We have that saying today, the

hurry or I go the behind your I get, right?

It's a picture of Our Generation cars.

Houses gadgets vacations. And the end result is, many

Christians are never satisfied. What is the cause of it?

There was a very famous Pastor Doctor.

George Truitt. He was the pastor of the First

Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and I think he was also the

leader of the Southern Baptist convention for a while and he

had a big church in Dallas and he had a lot of Rich.

Oilman, that would come to his church.

So one day an oil, a wealthy oilman invited Pastor, true it

to his house and after dinner, the man took Pastor to it to the

roof of his house and he indicated the huge oil fields in

his backyard and he said dr. True it.

That's all mine. I came to this country, 25.

Five years ago, penniless and now I own everything as far as

you can see in that direction then he turned the pasture to

another Direction and he showed him, the fields of wheat and

grain and said, it's all mine. I own everything as far as you

can see in that direction, then he turned to the East and

pointed to her judge heard hudes of cattle and said, it's all

mine everything as far as you can see.

In that direction is mine one final time.

He turned toward the west and pointing to a great.

In forest and said it's all mine. 25 years ago, I was

penniless, but I worked hard and saved.

And today, I own everything as far as you can see in this

direction that direction that direction.

In that direction, the rich wealthy Oil Man, paused for a

minute. He was expecting some praise

from Pastor true it but to his astonishment Pastor true, it

lovingly put his hand on the rich, oilman shoulder and

pointed upward and said my friend.

How much do you own in that land?

The man dropped his head and Shane and said, I never thought

of that. Let's move from the

consideration to the command verse 8.

God just says go up to the hills and bring wood and build the

house. God says, two things here.

Get the job done and the goal is to glorify God get the job done.

Just go. Okay?

Forget the opposition. I'll take care of that.

I'm the Lord of hosts. I'm the god of the armies of

Heaven. I can handle any opposition.

Opposition is always bound to come when we do God's work

wherever we go and we see it in Ezra it did.

Come God says no excuses. Get the job done.

What you started. 16 years ago I never told you to stop working.

God says stop procrastinating. Stop rationalizing.

Stop the excuses. And start realizing the right

priority and start resuming. The work says the Lord of hosts

get the job done. Done.

The goal is to glorify God and I think this is the key part of

our message today. It says there in the latter part

of verse 8, be mrs. Words that you ought to

underline in your Bible that I may take pleasure in it and that

I may be glorified, says the Lord, the rebuilding of the

temple would give glory to God. So, the people would obey his

commands. That's where the word of God

would be taught by the Levites in the priest.

That's where they would worship. That would declare, That to the

world that God was worthy of a dwelling place where he could be

worship the rebuilding of the temple.

Would refocus the attention of the Jews, on the worship of God

and not their own interests. Worship of God, always comes

before the work. A man.

God would make his presence there in the holy of holies in

the temple. What does it mean to glorify

God? The Westminster Shorter

Catechism says, what is the chief end of man?

Man's Chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever,

the New Testament. First Corinthians 10:31 says, so

1 Corinthians 10:31

whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for

the glory of God, Charles Spurgeon said, listen carefully

you will never glory in God. Till first of all, God has

killed your glorying in yourself.

I'm going to say that. Again, because it hit me like a

ton of bricks you will never glory in God.

Till first of all, God has killed all your glorying in

yourself. So what do we learn from this

point here? Well, remember narcissist

narcissist. He was that mythological

character, who fell in love with his own reflection.

So today we have that word narcissist and we live in the

most narcissistic Society in the history of mankind are Shin is

becoming increasingly infatuated with its own image.

Self-improvement self-satisfaction

self-gratification are the primary concerns in our narrow

world. I must be fulfilled is the world

today. That's why we have so many

abortions. That's why we have so many

divorces. It's all about me.

But a god-centered Christian is to be absolutely opposite of a

narcissistic. A god-centered Christian is

consider about who he is and what he says, rather than his

own interests. But commitment to the material,

rather than spiritual is always, a phenomenal hindrance to the

fear of the Lord in our Tech's. The remnants responsibility was

to rebuild God's house in our context today, it's just set,

our spiritual matters first, and to get on with serving God, with

the best of our abilities. God takes pleasure when the body

of Christ functions and serves We've Just Begun 2023 and we

don't need to waste Another day, another week, another month in

especially a year no more excuses.

John says God says, get the job done.

And the question is, are you glorifying God?

When a lady goes in the nursery and holds a baby?

So a mom could actually attend church, there glorifying, God,

when there's somebody out there in the 50 degree weather

protecting the cars and protecting the children in

security, that's glorifying. God Usher's.

And greeters who helped out a glorifying god.

Helpers who helped are glorifying, God Sunday school

teachers, who spend 23 hours preparing their lesson.

So that the children can hide God's word in their heart.

They are glorifying God. So you have to ask the question

what can I do to glorify? God is God, taking pleasure

verse 8, in what I do am I glorifying God and all that I

can do from the command to the clarification clarification in

verses 9 to 11 God is going to tell them why.

They didn't receive what they expected.

So he's going to give the expectation.

And then the reality, the expectation of these people was

abundance, wasn't it? Now, it's an Agriculture and

agricultural economy, right? So if you have lots of harvest,

you're going to get lots of money.

You're going to sell your going to have trade, your have

security, you're gonna have a blessed future, you're going to

Prosperity or not power. So the people here who waited 16

years, while they built their panel houses, and forgot about

the work of the Lord, They remind you of the rich fool in

Luke 12, you remember, look, Luke 12.

I think we turn to this Parable probably once a month here at

Christ Community Church, but Luke 12, if you want to turn

there with me, Luke 12. The only place in the Bible

Lance's said, where God calls somebody a fool?

It reminds me of the people here at the remnant.

In Luke chapter 12 verse 13. Someone in the crowd said to

Luke 12:13

Jesus teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with

me but Jesus said to him man who made me a judge or arbitrator.

Over you, then Jesus said to them, take care and be on your

guard against all covetousness for one's life.

Does not consist in his abundance of possessions and he

told them a parable saying the land of a rich man produced

plentiful and he thought to himself, what can, what shall I

do? I have nowhere to store my crops

and he said I will do this. I will tear down my Barns and

build larger ones and there I will store all my grain and my

goods and I will say to my soul soul you have Ample Goods laid

up for many years. Relax, eat drink, be merry, but

God said to him fool this night, your soul is required of you and

the things you have prepared. Those whose will he be?

So, is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not

rich toward God. If you notice there, six times,

the rich fool says, aye, aye. Aye, aye!

There's no thought of God. There's no thought of giving to

the poor. There's no thought of The God

Who allowed him to be rich and why he's rich.

When we procrastinate, when we get lazy and serving tithing,

get our priorities off God, it's always on I and God says to the

rich fool. You're a fool in a guy.

He tells the people consider your ways.

The people when they harvested, when they planted, they were

expecting a lot. What was the reality verses 9 to

11? I love what God says here.

I blew it away. God, speaking, the heavens above

you have withheld, the do the Earth has withheld, its produce

I called for a drought on the grain, the wine and the oil.

You see exactly what God did hear.

God call for a natural disaster. God.

Punish the remnant of people because they had neglected

rebuilding his house, he calls for a natural disaster.

He makes the the drought come to discipline, his very own

children of Israel. Now, if God is going to

discipline the children of Israel with a natural disaster,

how much more will he discipline us when he needed?

We just In three weeks a month ago, in Hebrews chapter 12,

Hebrews 12:4–11

Verses 4 to 11 on Lance priest, three messages on discipline.

Okay. So I don't need to talk a lot

about this. Those were very convicting

messages, but if you neglect, God and nothing else you do is

ultimately going to prosper. It's that simple.

God sent an emptiness into their hearts, so that the people might

awake from their spiritual idolatry and turn back to him.

We often give the example of lat Remember lot lot looked towards

Sodom got lot lean towards Sodom got learned about Sodom.

Then he went and lived in Sodom. Then you actually let it Sodom

and he ended up losing everything right.

Psalms 106 15 says God gave them what they asked for, but sent a

wasting disease among them and Pastor.

Lance has said, multiple times. You've been here a long time,

you heard Lance State as many times.

Careful what you ask for because God may just give it to you and

he might send a wasting disease in you.

It's the beginning of a new year.

It's going to be a tough year, right?

It's going to be a tough year with inflation.

It's going to be a tough year with things going on in our

country, are your priorities, right?

God says, consider your ways. Proverbs 3 verse 9 and 10, says,

Proverbs 3:9

honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of your

produce, then your barns will be filled with plenty and your Vats

will be bursting with why. Wine from the reminder.

Let's go to the third point, the response in verses 12 to 15.

In verse 12 we have two words, obedience and reverence, okay,

we mentioned before that most of the prophets preached the word

of God, they didn't have any success right but haggai

Zechariah and Malachi are post-exilic prophets and they

had success. They had success perhaps because

the people had learned about the destruction.

The 70 years in Babylon. So they ended up when they had,

they got rebuked. They learned.

There were no more excuses. They learn that they need to get

busy with the word of God. It says that in verse 12, they

obeyed the voice of the Lord, their God.

And then it says the people feared the Lord, you know, for

haggai there was success and the lead it says the leaders obeyed

and when the leaders obeyed The Remnant obeyed and why did they

obey? Because they had reverence And

reverence is a spiritual prerequisite for spiritual

blessing. They had a new reverence for

God, you know, it's really impossible to fear God properly

without obeying him. Okay, if you fear God, obedience

or, reverence are inseparable. If you have a reverence for God,

it affects your tithing. It affects your serving.

It affects your study of the word of God.

It affects your sharing of the Gospel obedience, and reverence

is what we see here. Let's move from the response.

To the reassurance. And here you have two words

protection and provision and gods going to God's reply.

To the people is very simple for words.

I Am with You opposition would come.

I wish we had time to turn to Ezra but in Ezra chapter 5, just

Ezra 5 · chapter mention

like Ezra three. When they 16 years before when

they started to rebuild the Temple opposition came in Ezra

Ezra 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5 Captain, I the governor came and If elbow zany

and Associates came, they said who gave you this decree to

rebuild the house? What are the names of the men?

And they took their names and they wrote another letter to

now. King Darius King, Cyrus is dead

King, artaxerxes dead and out Darius the great as the king and

they write a letter and they expect the same response.

King Darius is going to come back and say stop the work.

Doesn't happen. King Darius writes and says

leave the work. Of the Lord alone, let them

rebuild. And even he says so much in Ezra

Ezra 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5. You know, it's really

interesting that in Ezra one, God used the heart of a pagan

King Cyrus to rebuild the Temple of Israel.

Then in Ezra 6, God uses King Darius to give the decree to

rebuild the Temple. But in Ezra for King artaxerxes

says, stop the work. And I make it the point.

That if those people when opposition, Jean King, if they

had held a prayer meeting like Nehemiah.

If they had cried out to God, the army of the Lord of host

would have helped them. Proverbs 20:1.

Proverbs 20:1

One says, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of

the Lord. He turns it.

Wherever you will, he turned it for King, Cyrus, he turned it

for King. Darius, God did not for King

artaxerxes because I think the people were lazy procrastinating

and were only thinking about themselves.

Matthew 28:20 says, I am with you always to the End of the

Matthew 28:20

Age. God said, The people I am with

you and he says that today and when God protects us, God

provides in Ezra 6, Darius wrote back and he said, said the cost

of this house to rebuilt is to be paid by these men in full

from the Royal Revenue. Give them Bulls Ram sheep,

sweet, salt, wine oil, whatever they need.

Give them Daria says, so the opposition thought that they

would get the work stopped. Instead they actually had to

help support the rebuilding of the temple.

God is always going to provide for his work, isn't he?

So from the from the reassurance will finish with the resolve in

verses, 14 and 15. We have the stirring and we have

this starting three times. In verse 14, it says the spirit.

Now this is not the holy spirit. This is the spirit of zerubbabel

the. Holy Spirit, may have stirred up

the heart of zerubbabel, the spirit of Joshua and the spirit

of the remnant three times. They heard the word of the Lord,

and their hearts were stirred. They feared the Lord and they

obey them and they began the work of Lord and it's and then

so after they were stirred, they started.

So look at verse 15. Verse 15 of haggai.

Haggai 1 · chapter mention

Chapter 1 says on the 24th day of the month in the sixth month

in the second year of Darius. The king.

So from haggai, chapter 1 verse 12, haggai chapter 1, verse 15,

Haggai 1:12 Haggai 1:15

23 days, 23 days, they started working.

Now, why do they take 23 days? Well, they probably had to plan,

they had to organize, they had to get work teams together.

They had to get supplies, they probably had to hire experts and

get the wood and the iron the gold and silver.

They had to arrange protection. Probably so dates are very

important for us and let me so 23 days.

They were stirred up, they started the work history tells

us. It took about four years to

complete the temple and that Temple would go.

We continue all the way to King Herod, in the time of Jesus.

They would continue to work on it.

Until the Roman Empire destroyed in ad 70, but dates are

important in verse 1. Verse 15 is today.

The date, you would consider your ways, get your priorities

right with God. It's never too late to start

obeying God. So I just want to close an

application real quickly, three things.

Number one, God's work never stops.

Okay, God never told the remnant to stop working, they feared the

Samaritans more than they fear, God.

God gave a command for us to go in the world and preach the

gospel. And when you go to Acts chapter

Acts 1 · chapter mention

1 he says that that you'll be my Witnesses in Jerusalem Judea and

Samaria. Nazir.

But you know those disciples like the remnant here who kind

of got lazy for 16 years and lost their focus for seven to

eight years. The disciples just stayed in

Jerusalem. After all the church was

exploding, right? 3000 5000, but the disciples

didn't leave Jerusalem. So what did God do?

Come to Acts chapter 8 and acts 8:1 says what a great

Acts 8 · chapter mention Acts 8:1

persecution broke out in Jerusalem and people were forced

out of Jerusalem, all of them, except the disciples.

And what do they do when they're forced out?

They went about preaching the gospel.

So, they went to the Samaritans, they went to the Ethiopian

eunuch. They went to the Roman Centurion

in chapter 9, and then in Chapter 13, they finally went to

the ends of the world. Okay.

So they were they Maybe they were little bit lazy.

God's work, never stops and if we stop it, God's going to start

it up. He took a in our text today.

He took a natural disaster, God caused a natural disaster to

drought and in Acts chapter 8, he caused a loud, the

Acts 8 · chapter mention

persecution to happen. So his word would continue to

spread today, Presidents Governor's kings, make laws,

they make mandates, they passed agrees to try to stop the work

of God and the worship of God, we just had a had a, you know, I

won't get off this subject on covid but that's a reminder that

all around the world governments will pass laws the Hindus, the

Buddhists the Muslims pass laws that you cannot convert to

Christianity, but that will not stop the work of God.

People all over the world. In China churches are being

bulldoze. Pastors are being arrested being

put in persecution, some are being killed but these are men

like Moses parents. It says in Hebrews 11 23, they

were Afraid of the Kings attic. And that's what we have to be.

Remember God will to work never stops.

And number two, Gods workers are to never stop.

You can retire from the Southern California Edison Company.

You can retire from the Bonitas Unified School District.

You can retire from the LA Sheriff's Department, but you

can't retire from Ministry and serving the god you can take a

vacation. You could take a sabbatical.

I'm not saying you can't take a time of rest.

You know I remember an elder one night.

Got a phone call Sun Saturday night from what?

Was in the Sunday School leader of our church saying, I need a

substitute teacher tomorrow at 84, he went and taught and

substituted in Sunday school. I just recently, Lawrence whites

are driving to Tuesday night prayer.

Meeting at age, 94 to pray for Christ Community Church.

Bob Dyson's, you're taking the ushering, all the way to his old

age, they gave glory to God all the way to the end.

And so should we tell that great day when Jesus Christ returns?

No excuses. No prostitute for Nation.

No laziness God says, get my work done, so God's work, never

stops. God, workers never stopped.

And number three, we have to ask the question, am I robbing the

Lord, you know, I spent many years in management and business

and often I was also in charge of the phone banks at 8:00 the

phones open up. And literally, when the lights

go on, you can have three, four, five hundred phone calls at 8

a.m., and you've always got those employees that punch in

and slowly walk over to their deaths.

Scanned range their desk and get their coffee.

And then, we didn't have cell phones, but now, I guess they

text and stuff. And, of course, the boss would

have to yell out, get on the phones because, you know, we had

a goal. The phone calls had be answered

in four minutes now, it's like half an hour I think, but, but

you have to yell at people to get on the phones.

Those people, those employees would never steal merchandise

from the store, but they would steal time.

They would take five minutes extra at lunch five minutes of

break. They would put The least amount

of work in eight hours. They possibly could they would

steal time. But for Christians you have to

ask the question. Am I robbing the Lord?

Are you not willing to read your Bible and spend a few minutes

studying God's word in the morning?

Are you not willing to spend a few minutes of prayer each

morning? Are you not willing to give an

extra hour and a half to serve him on Sunday?

Are you not willing to come on Wednesday night and grow in

knowledge of the word of God? Are you not willing to give him

the first fruits of your paycheck?

You know, I Say this and I've shared this before. 30 years

ago, I was sitting in a pew at a previous Church.

My parents were in Ethiopia's missionaries at all.

I was content was was just to go to church.

I had a very good job in management, a new pastor,

arrived at that church and I'll never forget when he asked the

question, what are you doing for the Lord?

And he used the word of God to take me over the head with a

hammer and there was the one verse I'll share with you that

I'll never forget. Pastor Lance used Jeremiah 8

Jeremiah 8:7

verse 7, which says even the stork in heaven knows her times.

And the turtledove, the swallow and the crane, keep the time of

their coming. That verse says, there are four

birds that know when to go south wind to go north, where to go,

why the birds know what to do, but Jeremy 70s with the words.

But my people do not know the rules.

The Lord or better translation. Do not know the requirements

that verse Hit me hard. And I had to consider my ways.

Will you consider your ways? God spoke through the prophet

haggai and said, consider your ways.

And he still says to us today, consider your ways.

The remnant learn to fear the lord and obey his word God's

word came to that Remnant and August 29th 520 BC and it still

comes today, January 15 2023. Today could be one of the most

important dates in your life. If you will consider ways.

Let's pray Father in heaven. We leave here today, knowing

more of you. Just ask that, you would have

each person search their hearts that each person would consider

their ways that the spirit of the Lord would speak to them and

ask them and that they would realize that your work doesn't

stop. That God's workers should.

Never stop till they great day. He calls him home and asked him.

Am I robbing the Lord? Is there something I can do?

More to glorify God? Is there something that you

would take pleasure in me? You serving you here at Christ

Community Church, tithing more, its hype Christ, Community

Church Father. May we leave here today,

searching our hearts and considering our ways in Jesus

name. Amen.