Making a stand for the Lord

Date 12 10 01 Text Daniel 1 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

I want us to look this evening at the Book of Daniel and at the first chapter. The most famous incident in the whole book is Daniel in the lions’ den. It’s a story many of us know from when we were very young.

In the den, in the den, fears could not alarm him,

God had shut the lions’ mouths so they could not harm him.

That incident comes in Chapter 6. It occurs during the time of Darius the Mede when Daniel was an old man. That fact is sometimes forgotten. He didn’t gain the courage to make the stand he made overnight. No, it all started many years before when he was a teenager. The background is found in Daniel 1, a brief and straightforward chapter that sets the scene for the rest of the book. It is a wonderful chapter full of good things to say, especially to those who are young and new students in particular. It has lessons for all of us, however, things we all ought to know.

1. Learn something about the Providence of God

The book begins by explaining to us how Daniel and his three friends who also feature in the book came to be in the land of Babylon. There are three things to note:

1. Realise that all events are under God’s control

First, we have some historical detail. God had brought the Jews up out of Egypt where they’d been in slavery and settled them in the Land of Canaan. Following the reigns of David and Solomon there had been a split between the 10 northern tribes and Judah in the south. Eventually, for their sins, Israel was taken into captivity by Assyria in 722 BC, leaving only Judah. However, In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, the leader of the super power of the day Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia {Shinar} and put in the treasure-house of his god. The Jews had thought this could never happen. But it did. Not because things had spun out of God’s control but because the people had put their faith in the Temple instead of in God himself and so, after many warnings, he chastised them. It was he who brought this terrible judgement on them.

It is important to note that phrase in verse 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand. One of the lessons of the Book of Daniel is that everything that happens in this world happens because God decides. We often refer to it as his Providence. All things that happen, whether good or bad, happen by his holy will. Man is responsible for his actions but God is in control. This is a great comfort to the believer. We are not in the hands of men or in the grip of fate but in the hands of Almighty God. American theologian B B Warfield once used an illustration to bring it home. It is the story of a Dutch boy who was told repeatedly by his father not to go near the windmill because it was dangerous. One day he was near the windmill, nevertheless, and suddenly he felt himself being raised into the air and felt something battering him.  He thinks to himself ‘Oh no, I’m caught in the windmill’s arm. No hope for me.’ However, it turns out that it is not the windmill but his father who has caught hold of him and started to give him a smack for his disobedience. What a relief!

It is especially comforting to remember that in this present crisis. We often don’t know why things happen but we do know thatGod is in control.

2. Recognise that what happens in the cosmic realm often has repercussions for individuals.

From 605-582 BC in four phases Nebuchadnezzar completed his subjugation of Judah. Being a wise ruler he recognised that as his empire grew it would not be possible to keep all his new subjects under control by force alone. He needed to convert them to Babylonian ideas and ways of thinking so that they could play their part in future government. Nebuchadnezzar was especially eager to capture the minds of the young and gifted among those whom he had conquered. The poorer people could stay just where they were. We read in 3 how he ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, (Head of the civil service) to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility. This is how Daniel and his three friends ended up as exiles in Babylon therefore. They would only have been around 14 at the time but, young as they were, the developments in the macrocosm of near eastern politics was having a direct and radical bearing on their every day lives.

It is important to recognise this. I read an interesting article this week tracing some of the affects of this current crisis. For example we know that sales of gas masks are up but also CDs and possibly engagement rings. Sales of the Bible and the Koran are also up. This is one reason why when we pray we want to pray not only about the smaller things – healing from sickness, accommodation, jobs, success in exams, blessing on meetings, harmony in the fellowship, etc, but also about greater things such as the decisions of governments, nationwide revival and the worldwide spread of the gospel. National and international events inevitably affect the lives of individuals – government decisions about grants, etc, and developments in different academic disciplines affect individual students; or think of activities of terrorist groups and developments in weapons technology and the way they affect us.

3. We must recognise that God may well ordain that we spend part of our lives in scenes very different to those we know and love, especially if we have gifts.

Imagine these young boys. They were (4) young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand and qualified to serve in the king’s palace – Israel’s elite, the cream of that society, the nobility of their day. They had expected, perhaps, to live out their days as very privileged leaders in Israel with all the advantages of wealth and religion. But now they find themselves far from home in Babylon of all places! Homesickness, fear of the unknown, bewilderment at the sudden change – all these feelings must have come over them. Some of us can identify.

I certainly can – I honestly thought I would spend my days in Wales where I was born and grew up but I’ve been living in England for 20 years now, nearly half my life. Some of you have lived in London for a much shorter time. Don’t be surprised if, in God’s providence, you end up settling here. On the other hand, some of you were born and bred here. You know no different. Do not assume that you will spend the rest of your life here. The needs here are great but I would particularly urge on you the needs elsewhere. There are places crying out for the gospel. Who will go? Are we willing to leave behind us familiar places and familiar faces and learn a new language and new ways for the sake of the gospel? Parents – are we willing to let them go if that is God’s will?

2. Learn something about how to make a stand for the Lord in this world

1. The world wants you to conform, especially if you are young.

In verse 4b we are told that the reason why Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians {Chaldeans}. The king wanted to indoctrinate them in all the learning of his Empire. Up until that time the four had lived in Israel and spoken Hebrew. All that they wore or ate or said or thought was shaped by their Hebrew background. But now they were removed to a different place and had to learn a different language (Aramaic), wear different clothes and learn about different subjects. In some ways they were rather pampered – no squalid bedsits for them, no beans on toast and pot noodle! No (5) The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were not to worry about anything but their studies. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

In verse 6 we are told that Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These are good Hebrew names – two with an el (God) component and two with iah or Jah based on God’s own covenant name. God has judged, Yahweh has been gracious, Who is like God and Yahweh has helped. But they were not to be known by these names in Babylon. Rather (7) The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar (Keeper of the hidden treasures of Bel); to Hananiah, Shadrach (something about Marduk); to Mishael, Meshach (something about a mother goddess); and to Azariah, Abednego (Servant of Nebo). It is clear that the Babylonians were very eager to acculturise them in every way to the Babylonian culture. They had been deliberately chosen not only for their undoubtedly good qualities but also because they were young and impressionable. Nebuchadnezzar was desperate to form their minds to be sympathetic to Babylon and a great asset to her – which they were, although not in the way he had intended it.

No doubt the four friends were perfectly aware of what was happening to them. Yes, in some ways it was a wonderful opportunity, a marvellous chance. Yet, no doubt they knew they were on dangerous ground. The world is constantly trying to squeeze believers into its mould. It especially likes to work on the young as there is more hope there and if they are successful the results will last longer. It likes especially to take those who are bright and get them to conform to worldly ways of thinking. Now, Daniel and his friends did not take the view that going to college in Babylon was in itself evil. They were happy to learn the Aramaic language, its literature and its science for that matter – even where it ran counter to Scripture. They did not agree with all they were taught, of course, but they made use of the knowledge they gained nonetheless. If you study in a state school or university, you will inevitably find things taught that run counter to the Bible. The sin is not in finding out about these things but in believing them. Do realise what the world is aiming at. This is why some believers choose to begin with home education – a tough choice but eminently sensible.

2. Nevertheless we must make a firm stand for the Lord in the pagan world.

The focus of this passage, however, is on the stand that Daniel and his friends took at this time. They drew a line in the sand and said ‘No further’ and having made that decision they stuck with it. Note several things:

• Choose your ground carefully. Verse 8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine. The problem was not wine as such or the fact that they could not be sure the food was kosher. It is much more likely that these young Israelites were painfully aware that in that pagan city every piece of meat they saw, especially what was on the king’s table, would have first been offered to an idol. They knew that the very reason the Israelites had been thrown out of the Promised Land was their inveterate idolatry. How could they then, there as exiles in a strange land, have anything to do with idols? As with all Jews from this time they were completely done with idolatry. It would never have the place in Israel’s life that for so long it had held. Idolatry was over and they wanted nothing to do with it. Learning a foreign tongue including the names of countless idols; learning about beliefs that ran counter to Scripture; even being beckoned by names of false gods – all this they let pass. But eating food offered to idols. On that point they took their stand. We all have to choose where we will make our stand. I would suggest that you do not do it by saying ‘I will never read a book or listen to a piece of music by anyone who is not a Christian’ or ‘I will never let anyone swear in my presence’ or ‘I will never ever let alcohol pass my lips’. Rather we need to see where the real issues are today and make our stand. ‘Where are they?’ you say. Well, I don’t think there are any simple answers. But a stand has to be made. Christians who belong to denominations have to say ‘If they do this or that I will resign – eg approve of women preachers or accept homosexuality’. You can’t just keep shifting your ground. Christian students must settle in their minds what they are willing to do or not to do before the time comes. It is the same in all our lives. Are you willing to work on a Sunday? If so when and why? What are you going to do about invitations to pubs or parties, the office raffle, blue jokes, etc. There was a woman in my home church, a commercial artist, who lost any number of commissions because she refused to portray nudity. Would you do the same? If not why not?
• Be firm but courteous. Notice too how Daniel went about this. It says and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself in this way. There was no confrontationalism. Daniel and his friends didn’t say ‘There’s now way we will eat that stuff anymore’ or ‘If we have to eat any more we’ll down pens.’ No he simply asked the man in charge to give them permission not to eat this defiling food any more. ‘A little politeness never hurt anyone’ is the saying and we ought to remember it. I think sometimes we get a little nervous and uptight about things and say things that are not helpful. Instead of just saying ‘My child won’t be able to come to the party next Sunday’ we are tempted to add something may be like ‘You shouldn’t be having it then anyway’. I remember hearing the story of the great John Elias crossing on the ferry from Bangor to Anglesey. Although others realised who was on board, the ferryman did not and he cursed and swore profusely. Some were surprised that Elias said nothing to him. However, when they reached the other side Elias did speak quietly to him about it and, so it was said, he was never heard to swear again. Tact and courtesy are so important we need to practice them, especially when we take a stand on something. They may hate us for our stand but let it be for that not because we are obnoxious people.
• Expect opposition. 9, 10 Now God had caused the official to show favour and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men of your age? The king would then have my head because of you. The official was understandably cautious. He had already taken a shine to Daniel. God had made sympathetic to Daniel – no doubt that was because of the way Daniel conducted himself. Nevertheless he was not about to put himself at risk by agreeing to Daniel’s request. As courteous as we are there will often be opposition when we decide to take a stand. Pressure will be brought to bear on us to toe the world’s line. We watched recently Chariots of Fire the film about Eric Lidell and his remarkable Olympic win in Paris in the 1920s. Originally he had been due to compete in the 100 metres but pulled out when he found the heats were in a Sunday. There is a scene in the film where the Prince of Wales himself tries to persuade him to run. Whether it happened quite like that I don’t know – but that was the sort of pressure he was under. Yet he made his stand and God blessed him.
• Be reasonable and tactful. At this point Daniel does not blow his top or issue ultimata, etc. Rather he is reasonable and tactful. He understands the position that Ashpenaz is in and so he says (11-14) to the guard whom the chief official (Ashpenaz) had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, Please test your servants for 10 days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see. Verse 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for 10 days. What could be fairer than that? Surely no harm could be done on either side. There would be some who would have said that Daniel was a great compromiser for making such a suggestion but surely not. By his reasoned and tactful approach he won his point even when it looked almost lost.
• Be self-denying. Of course, living on a strictly vegetarian diet involved, no doubt, some self-denial on the friends part but it was small price to pay for such an important principle. We also must be willing to practice self-denial.

3. Be assured that the Lord will honour those who honour him

In verse 15 we read At the end of the 10 days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. Of course, knowing what we do know, it is no surprise that the friends looked more healthy than their fellow students but at that time it was not such a foregone conclusion. The point is, however, that we can be sure that just as God honoured those who honoured him all those years ago so he will honour those who honour him today. Again, it may be fictitious but in the Chariots of fire film just before Liddell runs in the 400 metres an American gives him a piece of paper with that text on it – Those who honour me, I will honour 1 Samuel 2:30. Perhaps Daniel knew it and thought about it too. God is no man’s debtor and if we make a stand for him we can be sure that he will bless us.

3. Learn the principle that we must first be faithful in a little if we are ever to be faithful in much

1. All wisdom is God given

In at least three places in this chapter God’s controlling of all events is underlined – verses 2 and 9 and then in 17 we have To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. How did they get through their courses? And how did they do so well? Simple it was God’s work. He gave them this knowledge. We may not believe it but in all knowledge, from arithmetic to zoology, from architecture to Zulu, if we are going to get anywhere in any subject we have to receive it from God. He is the one who gives us our native talents and he is the one who enables to use those gifts in a way that enables us to learn. Without his help, we can do nothing. Interestingly there is the additional note that Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. This anticipates what we find in the rest of the book. Daniel’s clearly spiritual gifts were also very much God’s gifts. The point though is that all of these gifts come from the Lord.

2. At times, even the ungodly cannot help but recognise the wisdom of the faithful

And so after three years they had to sit their finals. As used to be the case at one time (and still is sometimes) their exam was viva voce 18-20 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. They were not just honours graduates, not just magna cum laude as the Americans say, not just top of the class, but streets ahead of the others. Why? All because of the goodness of God. Without that early stand who knows what might have happened to these four. Even Nebuchadnezzar could see that they were amazing students.

3. Early success can mean lasting future influence

The chapter ends with the note that Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus. After Nebuchadnezzar came a series of some four kings and then Cyrus who came to power in 538. Thus during the period 605-538, a period of over 60 years, Daniel was there in Babylon maintaining a faithful witness. He is the one constant. Probably none of that would have been possible had he stumbled at the first fence. How important that we begin well and go on well to God’s glo

Consider how contagious sin can be and look to God for blessing

Date 15 10 19 Text Haggai 2:10-23 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We have been looking at the little Book of Haggai on Wednesday nights. We have noted that it describes events that took place over a very short period, a matter of a few months in the second year of King Darius - from the first day of the sixth month to the 21st day of the ninth month.

We know this because Haggai dates each of his four prophecies.

The first prophecy is given on the first day of the sixth month. Some 23 days later the people begin to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God.

The second prophecy comes On the twenty-first day of the seventh month. This is the prophecy we looked at last week.

There are two more after this, both come on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month and we want to look at them this evening.

In the very first prophecy Haggai is urging the people to get to work on building the Temple in Jerusalem which has been long neglected. By the end of the first chapter they have begun the work. In the second chapter he is seeking to encourage them to go on working. He does this by encouraging them to see what lies ahead.

In 2:1-9 he urges beleivers, despite outward appearances, to be strong, work hard and not to fear, for God is with them. Further, there is the encouragement to go on because of the coming last days. when God will be active, when his glory will increase and he will grant peace.

So the context here is that Haggai has given the people a glorious vision of the future. But given that it is in the future what about now, when things are not so obviously encouraging?

We can divide the final verses of the book (verses 10-23) into three sections.

1. A warning against the contagious nature of sin

We read in 2:10 that On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, once again in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: There are three parts to this word - the first two parts by way of illustration and then the third part by way of application. So

1. Illustration 1

Verses 11, 12 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Ask the priests what the law says: If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?'" The priests answered, "No."

So a question is put to the priests. They were the experts in Temple ritual and part of their work was to instruct the people in matters of the law. Here the scene is imagined of a person who has been involved in sacrifice at the Temple coming away from the Temple and carrying consecrated meat in the fold of their garment - no pockets in those days, you carried things in folds. This would happen when, say, a person went to make a peace or fellowship offering. A certain portion of the sacrifice would be theirs to take home and eat. Now what if that fold of their garment touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does the bread or stew or wine, olive oil or other food become consecrated? Well, no. Ritual purity or cleanness is not transferrable like that.

Yes, there are some cases where it can happen. In Exodus 29:37 Moses is told, when setting up the Temple or Tabernacle For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy. The same goes for the basin and its stand. This is unusual, however, and normally ritual cleanness does not transfer like that.

It's like dirt. If you have a little bit of dirt at the bottom of a glass jug, you can pour clean water into it to the very top and it still won't become clean water.

So, as a general rule, ritual purity is not transferable. It is not contagious.

2. Illustration 2

Haggai then comes to the corollary to that in verses 13 and 14

Then Haggai said, "If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?" "Yes," the priests replied, "it becomes defiled."

As for ritual uncleanness or impurity that works the opposite way. Say a person had touched a dead body. Under Old Testament law that made them ritually unclean. More than that, if they then touched someone or something else then the person or thing touched would become unclean too.

Again think of dirt. Think of a white wall or a white shirt. If someone with dirty hands touches it, it will become dirty. Or to go back to the jug of clean water, just a bit of dirt will make it murky. Clean hands won't make a dirty wall or dirty shirt clean but dirty hands will make a clean shirt or a clean wall dirty.

So, as a general rule, ritual purity is not transferable. It is not contagious.

Ritual impurity, on the other hand, is transferable. It is contagious.

3. Application

Verse 14 Then Haggai said, So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,' declares the LORD. 'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.

Just as ritual purity is not transferable, not contagious and ritual impurity is transferable, it is contagious so the sin of this people and this nation in God's sight - what they do and even whatever they offer ... is defiled. It is defiled because their sins are seeping into everything. This is the nature of sin. It is contagious. It is easily passed on. Yes, there is a limited sense in which holiness can be contagious, it is true, it can be caught but not like sin can be. When we sin we must realise that and remember how easily it is passed on.

When a person has a highly contagious disease then great efforts are made to keep it from being passed on. Sometimes a well person is placed in quarantine to prevent contagion. Think of the way they isolate people sick with ebola, say.

Now sin is infectious or contagious, we ought to remember. When we say that we mean that it is likely to spread or influence others, often in a rapid manner. The people had begun to build the Temple, which was good but it was not going to mean some automatic sort of blessing. Same for us - simply being a Christian, praying, coming to church does not mean automatic blessing. Our sins are much more likely to spread. We are all more likely to lead people astray than to do them good, if we do not take care. A sobering thought.

2. More promises of present blessing

This is not all that Haggai has to say in this prophecy. From verse 15 he is more positive. In verses 15-17 he says to the people "'Now give careful thought to this from this day on - consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,' declares the LORD.

Up until this point everything has been going wrong. What he says here is similar to what we have in Chapter 1:6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. Also there (1:7) is the same phrase as we find here in verse 15 - This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways."

So once again we say we must give careful thought to our ways. Think of how when we sin it so often leads to trouble for us - not uniformly, it is true, but again and again we see that same pattern.

All that was about to change for the Jews. Why? Because they had given up their rebellion and begun again to serve the Lord by starting again to build the Temple. That is why he says (18, 19) 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. "'From this day on I will bless you.'"

He is urging them to look out for the blessings that will surely come, now they have committed themselves to the work of the Lord. They can date it from this very day. At this point there was no seed left, it had all been sown and the vines, fig trees, pomegranates and olive trees were yet to produce their fruit. But they had no reason to be anxious. All would be well.

Now again in applying this we must be careful. Under the old covenant things were more this worldly. There are definite promises of earthly blessing for obedience and earthly troubles for disobedience. It is very clear in Deuteronomy 28. If you obey (3ff)

You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock - the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you .....

If you disobey (verses 16ff)

You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish, etc, etc, etc.

The new covenant is much more spiritual in its arrangements and so we cannot always be sure that obedience will bring the same material rewards. (Even in the Old Testament that was true to some extent, hence the Book of Job).

Here is a great promise of present blessing, however, if we are obedient. Do what is pleasing to God. You will not regret it.

3. More promises of future blessing

In the final verses of the book we read that The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month:

This time the message is (21, 22) "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother."

We have had something like that already back in verses 6,7a 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,

The promise there is quite a general one. God is going to do something. He is going to act. Often the coming of God is described as him shaking things up. Here is the promise of the whole world being shaken up.

In 2:21, 22 there is more. God says he will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. Like Sodom and Gomorrh the nations will be overturned, like the Canananites they will shattered, like the Egyptians God will overthrow their chariots and their drivers. The nations will fall, each by the sword of his brother as in the confusion God brought in the time of the Judges and later.

That is exactly what has happened with the coming of Christ. At this time the Persians were in power but soon aftr this it would be the Greeks beginning with Alexander the Great's amazing transformation of things. The Romans would come next and then the Messiah would come and everything would change.

The more explicit reference to Messiah is found in verse 23 "'On that day,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares the LORD Almighty."

This takes us back in part to Jeremiah 22 and the prophecy there against the wicked King Jehoiachin. There we read

You who live in 'Lebanon,' who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labour! "As surely as I live," declares the LORD, "even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear - Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians. I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die.

God, as it were, pulled off the signet ring - the sign of his authority and ownership - in the case of Jehoiachin but now in the case of Zerubbabel he puts him on.

What is the message? Not that Darius the Persian King is to be overthrown but that there is a coming Messiah, a chosen one who God calls my servant who will be owned by God and have his authority and be effective.

This is Psalm 2. God will rebuke the nations in his anger and terrif(y) them in his wrath, saying, "I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain."

What a glorious future Haggai pictures for the returned exiles. We do not see all of what he spoke of but the main part is already done and there is reason to rejoice. God has put on his signet ring Christ and he has begun to act.

The very last phrase in the book is the LORD Almighty. Haggai uses it every two or three verses, fourteen times all told. Never forget the LORD Almighty. With him all will be well.

Be strong believer and keep on working

Date 09 10 19 Text Haggai 2:1-9 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church
We are looking at the prophecy of Haggai. It is a very short book and the events it describes took place over a very short period, a matter of a few months - from the first day of the sixth month to the 21st day 
of the ninth month.
We know this because Haggai dates each of his four prophecies.

The book begins In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai.

At the end of Chapter 1 we read that 23 days later the people came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

Chapter 2 begins On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: So on the 21st day of the next month another prophecy comes. This is the prophecy we want to look at tonight. There are two more after this, both come on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month.

In the first prophecy Haggai is urging the people to get to work on building the Temple in Jerusalem which has been long neglcted. By the end of the first chapter they have begun the work. In the second chapter he is seeking to encourage them to go on working. He does this by encouraging them to see what lies ahead.

When a man preaches those are the two basic things he is trying to do. He is trying to get people started on the Lord's work. He is preaching to see the unconverted converted and the backslider restored.

But then he is also trying to encourage those who are doing the work to go on with it. He speaks to the discouraged, especially, but to everyone who is actually trying to do the work.

Different sermons will have different emphases, of course, due to various circumstances. Tonight my emphasis is on the latter - becasue it is a Wednesday night and this is what the passage in front of us deals with. I want to encourage you to go on doing the work of the Lord.

There are two main lines of argument here in Haggai 2:1-9

1. Believer, despite outward appearances be strong, work hard, fear not, for God is with you

So the chapter begins On the twenty-first 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 Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people.

The prophecy would have been given around this time of the year when the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot was being celebrated and so large crowds were in Jerusalem and there was a good sense of unity and religious fervour.

What he is told to do is to ask them a series of questions - 3 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?

Very few but perhaps some would have memories of the previous Temple, Solomon's Temple. They all knew what a glorious temple it was but now they were building a necessarily less grand temple. Solomon had been a great emperor himself but now they were under Cyrus the Persian king. The beginnings were far from auspicious.

He then exhorts them to be strong and to do the work adding the promise of God's presence. We can say four things here then.

1. Do not let outward circumstances loom too large in your thinking

Today we may feel that we are living in inauspicious times. These are not days of revival for us, not days when the work of God seems to be going forward on every front. It is easy to be discouraged when things are like that. We must not be. Rather

2. Be strong and do the work

4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. 'Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, 'and work.

It is common for God to urge his servants to be strong. Think of Joshua or Solomon. We have to stand firm. We have to seek strength from God. It is no good running away.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Titus 2:1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Remember Paul's words in Ephesians 6:10ff

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, etc.

Solomon had been told to Be strong and courageous, and do the work and now the people are being told the same thing. We too must be strong and do the work that needs to be done.

Having found the strength we need from God we need to do the work.

3. Remember that God is with you as you work

There is a great promise at the end of verse 4 For I am with you, declares the LORD Almighty. This repeats what is said in Chapter 1 (verse 13) and reminds us again of the importance of the withness of God. Verse 5 expands on this This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. In the wilderness, the tabernacle had been established in the midst of the people, as promised in Egypt. Now this was the time to build the second temple and again the promise of God's presence by his Spirit is there. Now, with the coming of Christ (Emmanuel) the promise is of the indwelling of the Spirit. How thankful we should be for such a privilege.

In Zechariah 4:6 God says

4. Do not fear

The last thing here is God's exhortation Do not fear. Over and over again the Bible tells us not to be afraid. We are all prone to it. The moment we take our eyes off God we grow afraid. It is like Peter walking on the water. Looking at Jesus all is fine but the moment he looks down, he is sunk.

2. Go on, believer, for God is active, his glory is growing and he grants peace in these last days

In verses 6-9 there is more. In order to help the people not to be discouraged God speaks to them about the future. He talks about a great shaking that is going to come on the world and how the Temple they are building is going to be filled with glory. He goes as far as to say that The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house. When we think how magnificent the Temple of Solomon must have been in comparison with this second temple, this is quite a statement. Thankfully, we live the other side of the great things Haggai is talking about and so it is much clearer what he is saying, although some of it is still a little difficult to follow. There are probably four main promises here that have been partly fulfilled by today.

1. God has shaken all the nations

6, 7a "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,

The promise is quite a general one. God is going to do something. He is going to act. Often the coming of God is described as him shaking things up. Here is the promise of the whole world being shaken up.

That is exactly what has happened with the coming of Christ. At this time the Persians were in power but soon after this it would be the Greeks beginning with Alexander the Great's amazing transformation of things. The Romans would come next and then the Messiah would come and everything would change.

2. He has laid claim on what is rightfully his - all things

It goes on and what is desired by all nations will come, not the desire of all nations as in the KJV but 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 silver and gold is his and everything else and he has begun to bring everything back to himself. Frst this second tmple was transformed so that it looked wonderful. But that is nothing cmpared with what happened after it was destroyed. Then the gospel began to go out to all peoples and all sorts of people were converted and changed. From all the nations they are still coming and putting their faith in Jesus Christ.

3. Greater glory than ever has come

It goes on The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. Yes, the second temple didn't seem a patch on the first but it is to this second temple (or one very much like it) that Jesus comes and with him greater and greater glory - glory that goes on beyond the destruction of that Temple in 70 AD.

4. Peace is now here

'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty." With the Lord Jesus Christ comes peace. Already by faith in Christ we have peace with God bt that peace is extending further and further and deeper and deepr in the lives of more and more.

Keep these things in mind - God's power, his gathering of the nations, his ever increasing glory, the peace he alone can give.

Luke is careful to describe to us how when Jesus was but eight days old he was taken to the Temple. He describes him being there again when he was 12 and at other times. The Lord has appeared in his Temple and so glory has come, glory that leads to peace for all who trust in him. Such truths should make us strong and diligent to work.

Give thought to your ways and begin to serve the Lord

Date 02 10 19 Text Haggai 1:5-11 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

The week before we began to look at the Book of Haggai. You may remember that I began with the story of Henry VIII and his disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleeves. Ever the romantic, before they had ever met Henry had decided to surprise Anne by disguising himself and meeting her en route to London. According to tradition, the would-be bride was supposed to see through the disguise, fall in love at first sight and swoon into her beloved’s arms. Unfortunately, Anne knew nothing of this and didn't recognise Henry and was shocked and scared at a stranger trying to embrace her. This seems to be the source of Henry's great disappointment in her rather than that she was ugly.

I mentioned my disappointment as a young boy when a fellow pupil said he was bringing a magic set into school. Until then I had not realised that a conjuring set does not enable you to do real magic.

I gave these examples of disappointments as it is one of the themes of Haggai. The book is from the time when the people have returned from exile and are back in the Promised Land but it is not easy and there are many disappointments. These disappointments lead to discouragement and then to apathy, something we can all too often experience too today.

Last week we just looked at the first four verses of the book. We said three things from those verses.

It is God's Word from an ancient time and to an ancient people and yet one that still speaks today if we are willing to hear the message.

Secondly, we considered the sorts of excuses we sometimes use to neglect serving the Lord

Thirdly, the argument as to why such sentiments hold no water - our problem is not really lack of time or other resources. We have Christ our Priest King at our head and if we would simply follow him, all would be well.

I want next to look at verses 5-11 of the opening chapter. Here we have a series of three exhortations concerning serving the Lord and the failure to do this that has marked out the people since they returned to the Promised Land. The background here is that the exile to Babylon took place in 586 BC but in 538 BC the Persian King Cyrus issued his decree that people could return to the Promised Land to rebuild the Temple. Some 50,000 came back, a relatively small number, and when they came to Jerusalem it was in ruins. Not only that but there were economic problems and a lot of opposition. Only two years after returning, work stopped on the Temple and from 536-520 nothing was done. It was at this time that Haggai began to prophesy.

His exhortations are designed to get them back to working on the Temple. These exhortations need to be read carefully as their context is, of course, an Old Testament one. There are warnings in Deuteronomy and elsewhere that if the people fail to keep the covenant then they will know very tangible punishments - famine, drought, economic hardship, etc. Now we are not under the old covenant any more and so that simple tie up between wordly prosperity and serving the Lord is not there in the same way, despite what some claim. Further, Haggai wants them to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. That is not our task today. Nevertheless, there is a new covenant and today in Christ we are to form the Temple of God for his praise and so we can make some broad applications and here we will seek to do so. Three things then

1. Give careful thought to your ways in light of the difficulties you may be facing

1. Make sure you give thought to your ways

The section begins Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways. This is the first thing then. We all need to give careful thought to our ways.

This is something Scripture is often calling us to. So for exampe in the New Testament we read

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?

Galatians 6:4, 5 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.

It was when the Prodigal Son came to his senses that he began to consider his situaion and start moving in the right direction.

It is too easy to just sail on regardless. We dare not do that. We need to stop and think.

A very old Puritan Henry Smith once wrote

Holy men have kept the sessions at home, and made their hearts the foreman of the jury, and examined themselves as we examine others. The fear of the Lord stood at the door of their souls, to examine every thought before it went in, and at the door of their lips, to examine every word before it went out, whereby they escaped a thousand sins which we commit, as though we had no other work.

Let's learn from them.

Another Puritan, Thomas Watson wrote

Make up your spiritual accounts daily; see how matters stand between God and your souls (Psalm 77:6). Often reckonings keep God and conscience friends. Do with your hearts as you do with your watches, wind them up every morning by prayer, and at night examine whether your hearts have gone true all that day, whether the wheels of your affections have moved swiftly toward heaven.

2. Are things proving difficult?

In particular, think of where the sticking points are in your life. Here Haggai focuses on five areas where things have been going wrong. These are in verse 6

You have planted much, but harvested little. There have been poor harvests even tthough there has been plenty of planting.

You eat, but never have enough. When they have eaten, they have not had enough to eat.

You drink, but never have your fill. The same with drink, where they have not had enough to drink.

You put on clothes, but are not warm. When they put on clothes, the clothes did not warm them up.

You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. This is a very vivid way of describing inflation.

The language used is very vivid even though it cannot be tied down to specifics in every case. We are talking about poor harvests, famine, drought, nakedness and monetary inflation. These were the troubles the returnees had been suffering. When such things and things like them happen to us, it ought to set us thinking.

Why am I planting but not reaping? Why am I eating but not full? Why am I drinkng but still thirsty? Why am I putting on clothes but not getting warm? Why am I earning money but I can't afford anything?

2. Give careful thought to your ways and begin to serve the Lord for his praise and honour

1. Make sure you give thought to your ways

In verse 7 the statement is made again This is what the LORD Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways. Is there a connection between the way things keep going wrong and the fact that you are not really getting on with the work of the Lord? In those days, it was the failure to build the Temple that stood out and the way God was stirring them up by sending poor harvests, a lack of food and water, coldness and inflation.

In July 1723 Jonathan Edwards made this resolution

Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination.

Are we failing to serve the Lord as we ought to today and is he sending trouble on us in order to wake us up to our need?

2. Get on with the work of serving the Lord

So what should we do? It is very simple really. Verse 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house .... In other words, waste no more time but get up and get going on the work of the Lord now. It is hard work as is implied here but it is work that we must do if we belong to the Lord.

3. Do it in order to give pleasure to the Lord and to honour him

The reason to do this is not in hopes of improving our standard of living. That would be a rather selfish way of approaching things. Rather, it ought to be done so that I may take pleasure in it and be honoured, says the LORD. To act in that way would give pleasure to the Lord. It would be to the honour of his name. That is why it ought to be done.

Let's look at our lives then and consider and let's begin to do the work of the Lord with a fresh enthusaism and commitment. How this would please the Lord. How greatly this would be to his honour and praise.

3. Your disappointments all stem from your failure to serve the Lord and an obsession with your own comfort

Finally, we say

1. Think what has been happening to you

Verse 9 sums up their experience so far, since returning to the Promised Land. You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away.

When they came back they were full of expectations. It was so exciting. But it had all come to nothing. It is like someone who has been looking forward to a new school or to going to university, say, and they have talked about nothing but for a long time. However, when the reality hits, then it does not seem quite so exciting. Or think of a new song coming out by your favourite band or a church where a new minister has arrived. So quickly excitement can turn to disappointment. Think of Henry and Anne of Cleeves again.

Or think of a great effort to gather leaves all into one place, all in one barn. But then comes a great gust of wind and they are all gone. They are scattered everywhere.

2. See why this is the case

It is important, as we have said, to consider. Why? declares the LORD Almighty. Why is everything going wrong? And the answer is given. It is to do with the failure to build the Temple. Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. As has been intimated before, while God's House remains unbuilt and a ruin they have been busy with their own projects - building their own houses and making sure all is well with them. This is the root of why things are not going well.

Verses 10, 11 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labour of your hands. There is a little bit of word play here - God's house remains a ruin (chareb) and so God has called for a drought (choereb). It is something like

... my house, which remains destroyed, ... I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains ...

The drought and famine that has scarred the land, the economic troubles that have come can be traced back to this.

It is a little like what Paul says to the Corinthians in the New Testament (in 1 Corinthians 11:28-31) concerning the Lord's Supper Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. We do not have the discernment of an apostle but if we knew ourselves better then we could see how our lack of good order at the communion table and other sins that mar our worship and service were working against us to our shame. Such a realisation ought to make us repent and turn to the Lord with a fresh and revived enthusiasm for the things of God.

Wake up to your situation then and start doing the Lord's work today. Do not hold back.

A call to build God's House regardless of excuses

Date 25 09 19 Text Haggai 1:1-4 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

In 1 Corinthians 10:6,11 referring to things that happened in Old Testament times Paul says

Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

and

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.

In the previous chapter (in 9:10) he says of the Law of Moses Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? and in Romans 15:4 he says that

... everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

We must always remember that

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

That includes the little book of Haggai that we find towards the end of the Old Testament and that is among the last books written before the close of the canon.

Have you ever been disappointed? Do you know the story of Henry VIII and his disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleeves? Ever the romantic, Henry decided to surprise Anne by disguising himself and meeting her en route to London. According tradition, the would-be bride was supposed to see through the disguise, fall in love at first sight and swoon into her beloved’s arms. Unfortunately, Anne knew nothing of this and didn't recognise Henry and was shocked and scared at a stranger trying to embrace her. This seems to be the source of Henry's great disappointment in her rather than that she was ugly.

I remember when I was very young and a boy said he was bringing a magic set to school. I had not realised that a conjuring set does not enable you to do real magic.

Now I'm talking about disappointments because that is one of the themes of Haggai. The book is from the time when the people have returned from exile and are back in the Promised Land but it is not easy and there are many disappointments. These disappointments lead to discouragement and then to apathy, something we can all too often experience too today.

This evening we will just look at the first four verses of the book found in Chapter 1:1-4. I think we can say three things from these verses.

1. Hear an ancient word from an ancient prophet to an ancient people that still speaks today

If we begin with verse 1, I want you to notice first what Haggai has to say and what it is

1. It is God's Word

... the word of the LORD came ... he says. This is not the word of a man. This is God's Word. Haggai is the shortest Old Testament book but one and yet again and again we have phrases like these

This is what the LORD Almighty says: ... Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: ... This is what the LORD Almighty says: ... says the LORD. ... declares the LORD Almighty. ... Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. ....

This is the word of the LORD, be in no doubt about that.

2. It is from an ancient time

Haggai begins by saying that it was In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, that the Word of the LORD first came to him. He names a foreign king first not a Jewish leader for this is how it was with the Jews at this time.

It was a new day in a new month - time for a new beginning.

The book contains five messages, all given over a period of less than six months in the same year - the second of Cyrus's successor Darius, ie 520 BC.

The background here is that the exile to Babylon took place in 586 BC but in 538 BC the Prian King Cyrus issued his decree that people could return to the Promised Land to build the Temple. Some 50,000 came back, a relatively small number, and when they came to Jerusalem it was in ruins. Not only that but there were economic problems and a lot of opposition. Only two years after returning work stopped on the Temple and from 536-520 nothing was done. It was at this time that Haggai began to prophesy.

So these words were spoken a long time ago but as we have suggested they still speak to us today.

3. It came through an ancient prophet

through the prophet Haggai We don't know anything much really about Haggai except that he was a prophet who prophesied for four months around the same time as Zechariah following the end of the exile to Babylon. We guess he was an old man at the time.

4. It came to an ancient people

One of the peculiarities of Haggai is that although it is clearly aimed at all the people it is addressed to the leaders to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest:. Sometimes it is not until the leaders are convinced about something that anything gets done. Zerubbabel (his name probably means born in Babylon) was the governor and Joshua the priest. Christ who was also called Joshua is both king and priest (and prophet) but these are ancient times and things were different.

So here is an ancient word from an ancient prophet to an ancient people but one that still speaks today if we are willing to hear the message. Let's listen well.

2. Consider the sorts of excuses we sometimes use to neglect serving the Lord

First Haggai gives an example of a common attitude that was found in Jerusalem at this time. In verse 2 he says This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD's house.'"

I remind you that for 16 years nothing had been done on the Temple. And yet when anyone tried to get things started again, what happened? People would say The time has not yet come. This is not the time to do something.

Now, the people of Haggai's day are hardly unusual in taking this approach. It is a common enough one. You speak to unbelievers sometimes about coming to church and hearing the gospel - but it is not the time they say. Or you speak to people who say they've been converted about baptism or about serving the Lord in some way and again they feel it is not the time. Againa dn again things are put off, often important things, because people do not believe the time is right.

It can often be a very genuine feeling but again and again it proves to be simply an excuse borne of fear or laziness and selfishness. Procrastination is a genuine problem for some - putting off to later date what ought to be started today. Have you ever heard this poem?

I spent a fortune

On a trampoline,

A stationary bike

And a rowing machine,

Complete with gadgets

To read my pulse,

And gadgets to prove

My progress results,

And others to show

The miles I've charted;

But they left off the gadget

To get me started!

So often we are like that even when it comes to living the Christian life. Whatever excuses we have we ought not to put off doing God's will.

So here's a question. Are you a procrastinator? Is your tendency to put things off not because it is wise to do so but because you simply want to put things off? You need to change.

3. Hear the argument as to why such sentiments hold no water

Haggai drives his message home in verse 3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"

Now he speaks directly to the people. Although there seemed to be no time to build the Lord's house yet the people seemed to be finding time for their own houses. They were building these up very nicely.

We are often caught out when questions like this are raised. So for example the question is asked as to how much time we spend praying or reading the Bible and often we have to confess that it is very little. But then we look a little closer at our lives and we see how much time is going on TV watching or computer gaming or other things an we see that in fact we have plenty of time available, we are simply not giving enough time to things like prayer adn the Word.

Something similar would apply when it comes to our giving or to the amount of time we actually spend thinking about the world to come rather than this present one.

Let's put it in the form of a question then - How much time and energy and money do you devote to things that are ultimately only to do with this world and how much with regard to those things which have more to do with the world to come?

This is a good question and should shape the way we approach our lives.

Our problem is not really lack of time or other resources. We have Christ our Priest King at our head and if we would simply follow him, all would be well.

Our rejoicing, God's rejoicing anf the reasons for it

Date 11 02 23 Text Zephaniah 3:14-20 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

As you're aware, we've been looking at this little book of Zephaniah for the last few weeks and this week we come to the very final section, the closing verses of Chapter 3, verses 14-20. Like so much in the Old Testament prophets, Zephaniah is full of words of judgment, judgment on the nations and on God's people. For example, in this book we read statements such as these found in Chapter 1

"I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. "I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea - and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble." ... Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near … The great day of the LORD is near - near and coming quickly. The cry on the day of the LORD is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry. That day will be a day of wrath – a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness - a day of trumpet and battle cry …. "I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, … Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath." In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth.

As we come towards the end of the book, however, there are words of encouragement and the book ends on a very positive and encouraging note indeed. This begins in 3:9-13, which we looked at last week. Yes, there is a day coming when God will stand up to testify. He will assemble the nations … gather the kingdoms and ... pour out his wrath on them - all his fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of his jealous anger but also in the last days God promises that he will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshippers, God says my scattered people, will bring me offerings. Further, on that day, God's people will not be put to shame for all the wrongs they have done to him, because God will remove from them their arrogant boasters. Never again will they be haughty on God's holy hill. But God says I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid. So, despite everything, despite the fact that a day of wrath is coming, there are days of blessing ahead for God's people and the nations will also worship the true God and know his blessing. These are things that we have begun to see with the coming of Jesus Christ and that continue to unfold in our day.

In the closing verses of the book there is rejoicing at this prospect and a number of promises of blessing. We begin with a call to God's people to rejoice and sing because of salvation. Then come words that speak of God himself rejoicing and singing over his people. Verse 17 is at the centre of this final section - The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Then in the final two verses comes a sevenfold description of the wonderful things that God is going to do for his people in the future. So three main things tonight

1. Hear this call to rejoice and be glad for forgiveness, victory, fellowship and freedom

1. Hear this call to sing, shout, be glad and wholeheartedly rejoice

First there is this call to Daughter Zion, Daughter Jerusalem, Israel to the people of God then, to sing and to shout aloud, to Be glad and rejoice with all your heart! Above all else Christianity is a joyful religion, a singing religion. Joy should mark us as individuals and when we come together, the note of joy ought to be sounded loud and clear. It is one of the reasons we sing – to joyfully praise God. It is one of the reasons, I would suggest, fasting has a limited place in Christianity. Do not forget that our Saviour was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard and that his first miracle was at a wedding where he turned water into wine.

Joy is both a part of the fruit of the Spirit – only the Spirit can give you real joy – and something that we are commanded to do (Rejoice in the Lord!).

Jonathan Edwards says that “God created man for nothing else but happiness. He created him only that He might communicate happiness to him.” The trouble is that we look for it in all the wrong places. “The happiness of the creature” Edwards also says “consists in rejoicing in God, by which also God is magnified and exalted.” Jerry Bridges reminds us too that “True joy comes only from God and He shares this joy with those who walk in fellowship with Him.”

John MacArthur helpfully says

The more you know God, the better you know him, the more confident you become, the more secure your joy is…Joy is related to your knowledge of God: little knowledge, little joy; much knowledge, much joy. The more you know of God’s glorious truth, of God’s great covenants and promises, of God’s plans, of God’s faithfulness, of God’s power, the more joy you experience in life…Our joy is connected to the goodness of the Lord. And the more you understand his grace and mercy and goodness, the more stable your joy becomes, no matter what circumstances may come.

2. Hear these reasons for such rejoicing – forgiveness, victory, fellowship and freedom

Verse 15 is in the past tense but is again, no doubt, one of these prophetic past tenses. It will certainly happen. The verse speaks of four coming blessings. It says The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. Here are four intertwined reasons for God's people to rejoice, then.

• God has forgiven us. As it is here, he has taken away your punishment. Part of being a believer is knowing that God will not punish you as you deserve but forgives in Christ Jesus.
• God has given us victory over our enemies. In times past, Israel fought Moab and the Philistines. Our chief enemies are the world, the flesh and the devil The promise here is that God will turn back the enemy. They cannot survive in the face of Christ and all he has done by means of his life and death and intercession.
• Then there is the simple but profound promise The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you. The with-ness of God – there is nothing to compare with it. And I will be with you always, to the very end of the age. Nothing can compare with that. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit!
• Finally, we rejoice because we no longer have any need to fear harm. We are safe in Christ. Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God and so all will be well. What reasons we have to rejoice!

So I say to you rejoice and be glad, shout and sing. We have every reason to do so if we are believers – we have been forgiven, our enemies cannot win, God is with us and he has saved us so that we no longer need to fear anyone or anything.

Do you know the name Billy Bray? Billy Bray was a Cornish miner who was converted in 1823 at the age of 29. This happened when he reminded God you have said, “they that ask shall receive, they that seek shall find, and to them that knock the door shall be opened, and I have faith to believe it.” “In an instant”, he wrote, “the Lord made me so happy that I cannot express what I felt. I shouted for joy. I praised God with my whole heart for what he had done for a poor sinner like me, for I could say, the Lord has pardoned all my sins.” He had lived a life of drunkenness and debauchery before his salvation but he became such an outgoing witness and testimony for God that he became known as “God’s glad man.”

One time he was digging potatoes from his garden and felt the devil oppressing him. He was an eccentric and it seemed to him that the devil said, “Billy Bray, God doesn’t love you. If he did, he wouldn’t give you such puny potatoes and so few.”

But Billy Bray didn’t listen to the devil’s temptation, he talked back to him. He said, “I served you long and true, Devil, and no better servant could a master ever have than I was to you. But when I served you, you didn’t give me any potatoes. When I served you, you didn’t give me anything good for my efforts.”

Billy Bray reminded himself that the burden he had serving Christ was lighter than the one he had had serving the devil. The yoke that he wore in partnership with and submission to Jesus was easier than the yoke he wore as one of the devil’s disciples.

He once said, “I would rather be in Hell with Jesus than in Heaven without Jesus. For Hell with Jesus would seem just like Heaven to me and Heaven without Jesus would seem just like Hell to me.”

2. Know God will rejoice over his people as anxiety and alarm, loneliness and loss recede

As we have noted verse 17 stands at the heart of this passage. There God is referred to as the Mighty Warrior who saves. This phrase is also used for God back in Chapter 1:14 The cry on the day of the LORD is bitter; the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry. The original mighty warrior in the Bible is Nimrod and the name is used also for Jephthah and Gideon, and in David's time for two leaders of the Thirty mighty men. Both Jeremiah and Zephaniah use it to refer to God. Jeremiah says (20:11) But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. The idea is also in Isaiah 59:17 where it says that God put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

More importantly, in verse 17, we read these words about God - He will take great delight in his people ... in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. So we say

1. Know that God delights, rejoices and sings over his people

In John 15:11 Jesus says to his disciples I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. That he wishes the joy of the disciples to be complete is no surprise but notice that Jesus also wants to have joy in them. That is also one of his concerns. Here, in verse 17, it clearly says that God will take great delight in his people and that in his love he will no longer rebuke them, but will rejoice over them with singing. So it is not only that we rejoice in this New Testament era but God himself also. This is a great mystery in some ways when we consider the impassibility of God, the fact that he is without passions and yet here we see him enjoying great delight and rejoicing with singing. Of course, the point is to contrast God's attitude with his previous one where he rebuked his people and was angry with them. Nevertheless, here is an amazing thought – God rejoicing. We see it in Jesus, as noted. There is also that remarkable verse, Luke 10:21, where we read that At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

Also, in Hebrews 12:2 we learn that it was For the joy set before him that Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God and in more than one place we read of God's joy over sinners repenting. These verses flesh out what is here.

2. Know why God sings over his people – they are free of anxiety, alarm, loneliness and loss

Verses 16-18 point to some of the reasons that God rejoices over his people. It is all to do with what he has done for them and the blessing they know because he has done these things. In verse 16 Zephaniah foresees how On that day they will say to Jerusalem, to God's people,"Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. Don't be afraid or dismayed then. Why? (17) The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. God's people will no longer be alone or lost but God will draw near to them and he will save them from all that stands against them. This is why God will take great delight in his people and in his love … no longer rebuke them, but will rejoice over them with singing. At that time (18) God will remove ... all who mourn over the loss of their appointed festivals, those for whom it was a burden and reproach to be in exile, away from the temple. It is in delivering his people from fear and dismay then that God delights and rejoices. He loves to come near and save his people. How it pleases him to work in salvation like that.

John Piper has written

Can you imagine what it would be like if you could hear God singing? Remember that it was merely a spoken word that brought the universe into existence. What would happen if God lifted up his voice and not only spoke but sang! Perhaps a new heaven and a new earth would be created. … When God spoke at the beginning, the heavens and the earth were created; perhaps at the end, the new heavens and the new earth will be created when God exults over his people with loud singing. When I think of the voice of God singing, I hear the booming of Niagara Falls mingled with the trickle of a mossy mountain stream. I hear the blast of Mt. St. Helens mingled with a kitten's purr. I hear the power of an East Coast hurricane and the barely audible puff of a night snow in the woods. And I hear the unimaginable roar of the sun 865,000 miles thick, 1,300,000 times bigger than the earth, and nothing but fire, 1,000,000 degrees centigrade, on the cooler surface of the corona. But I hear this unimaginable roar mingled with the tender, warm crackling of the living room logs on a cozy winter's night. And when I hear this singing I stand dumbfounded, staggered, speechless that he is singing over me. He is rejoicing over my good with all his heart and with all his soul.

Perhaps we don't think enough of it – God's delight in saving sinners. We ought to think of it more. It would transform our approach to so many things.

3. Praise God for revenge, rescue, redemption, resurrection, regathering, return, restoration

The final two verses (19, 20) both begin At that time That is the prophetic future, the last days when Messiah would come, the days in which it is now our privilege to be living in. In the two verses are a series of promises for that time. Appropriately there are seven promises, although there is some repetition perhaps.

So here are seven things we can expect God to do in this New Testament era.

1. Revenge

I will deal with all who oppressed you. Personal vengeance is not to be pursued but when God, who says It is mine to avenge brings about vengeance then it is right that we should be glad and praise God. Make no mistake he will have vengeance on our enemies. Praise him it is so.

2. Rescue

I will rescue the lame. This is a picture. God's people got themselves into a place where they were lame, as it were, unable to move. But then God took hold of them and rescued them. He is a God who rescues the lame. As Charles Wesley once put it – leap ye lame for joy! Praise God for rescue.

3. Redemption

I will gather the exiles. Yes, Israel was going to be sent into exile but that exile was going to come to an end. God was going to redeem his people out f exile in Babylon. That is what he does - he gathers the exiles safely in.

4. Resurrection

At the end of verse 19 God promises I will give them praise and honour in every land where they have suffered shame. Their shame will be turned to honour. It would be like a resurrection. Tehy would be raised up and honoured again.

5. Regathering

Verse 20 begins At that time I will gather you. God was going to gather his scattered people again and bring them back to the Promised Land where they were going to begin again and where Messiah would be born.

6. Return

Verse 20 goes on at that time I will bring you home. That is a great way of describing salvation – coming home. Perhaps it was in part meditating on this phrase that led Jesus to formulate the parable of the Lost son who went to the far country but eventually came home to his father. It is the story of Israel but it is the story too, in Charles Wesley's words, of

Weary souls, that wander wide from the central point of bliss,

And who he calls on to

Turn to Jesus crucified (and) Fly to those dear wounds of His:

Sink into the purple flood; (he says) Rise into the life of God.

He goes on

Find in Christ the way of peace, Peace unspeakable, unknown;

By His pain He gives you ease, Life by His expiring groan:

Rise, exalted by His fall; Find in Christ your all in all.

7. Restoration

The final words of the book are a promise. I will give you honour and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes, says the LORD. After seventy years of exile God's people were restored to the Promised Land, the land where Messiah would be born. Once again the people of God were honoured and praised. This was especially so with the coming of Christ. We all now it was in Israel he was born and died and rose. All honour then to that land and to the Jews but also to God's people whatever their background because we are those whose fortunes are restored in Christ.

The coming judgement and the prior conversion of many

Date 04 02 23 Text Zephaniah 3:1-13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

I want us to begin this evening to look at Zephaniah 3. So far we have looked at the first two chapters and so far judgment has very much been the theme.

First, we thought about the universal judgment that is going to come on this earth and then about the judgment of Judah, which anticipates it. Then we considered the fact that this judgment, the Day of the LORD, is near. It won't be long before God will punish the powerful and the idolatrous and the complacent and they will lose everything. A day of wrath, anguish, ruin, gloom and war is fast approaching. We need to be ready.

Then last week we looked at Chapter 2 and we considered the importance of being humble and obedient and humbly seeking God and his righteousness, as we prepare for God's judgment. We then considered the words of judgment pronounced on the proud nations to the west, east, south and north of Israel and the promise of a great reversal and of the restoration of God's people.

In Chapter 3 judgment is once again a main theme – judgment on the nations and on God's people. However, there is also, most interestingly, a wonderful promise that before God judges the nations he will convert them and save them and a remnant among the Jews too.

So we will go as far as verse 13 tonight and say three main things from those verses, 1-13.

1. Consider how deserved is God's judgment on his people and run from all such sins

In the first eight verses the theme is still very much that of judgment. In verses 1-5, it is made clear why God's people deserve judgment. We do well to consider what is said here and ask ourselves if we are guilty of any of the sins that are highlighted.

1. Consider the sins that characterised God's professed people and turn from them

1 Oppression, rebellion and defilement

The chapter begins Woe to the city of oppressors. Jerusalem was supposed to be the city of peace but it was full at this time of people who oppressed others. They crushed them, they took advantage of them. London today is full of the same sort of thing. It should not be. Jerusalem was also rebellious. There were many rebels there, people who threw off the shackles. This is the opposite problem to oppression, again common in London, where, far from being oppressed, many people reject any kind of authority. and defiled! The people were unclean, polluted, not just ceremonially but morally. They were soiled and sullied, impure, dirty. Again, a common state of affairs in our day. We must run from all such sins

2 Disobedience

Verse 2 begins She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. There was an unwillingness to do right as it is laid down in God's law and an unwillingness to change in order to do good. We see this everywhere today. “Why should I change?” they say and press on in their disobedience. They will not accept God's word.

3 Lack of faith

And this is the worst of it 2b She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God. For all the religion there was in Jerusalem, there was no trust in the LORD, in the true God, no drawing near to him. They would turn anywhere else rather than turn to the Lord. By nature, we all turn from God, we run from him. Now that is how it was in Jerusalem – anything to avoid drawing near to Almighty God.

Spurgeon illustrated faith well when he said in a sermon

Your condition is like that of a child in a burning house, who, having escaped to the edge of the window, hung on by the windowsill. The flames were pouring out of the window underneath, and the poor lad would soon be burned, or falling would be dashed to pieces. He therefore held on with the clutch of death. He did not dare to relax his grasp until a strong man stood underneath, and said, “Boy! Drop! Drop! I’ll catch you.” Now, it was no saving faith for the boy to believe that the man was strong - that was a good help toward faith - but he might have known that and yet have perished. It was faith when the boy let go and dropped down into his big friend’s arms.

There are you, sinner, clinging to your sins or to your good works. The Saviour cries, “Drop! Drop into my arms!” It is not doing, it is leaving off doing. It is not working, it is trusting in that work which Jesus has already done. Trust! That is the word—simple, solid, hearty, earnest trust. Trust and it will not take an hour to save you, the moment you trust you are saved.

So what about us? Are we oppressors, rebellious, impure, disobedient, lacking in faith? Where is the spirit of service to others, submission to God and obedience to him, the spirit of purity and faith? Without these, surely we deserve God's judgment.

2. Note the sins of the rulers, prophets and priests and turn from them

In verses 3 and 4 Zephaniah turns his attention to the leaders of society. He begins with the court, the king and his courtiers. He also speaks of the prophets and the priests of his day. What he has to say about them is not good. Those who should have been taking the lead in obedience and faith were in fact doing the very opposite.

3 Her officials within her are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. They were using their authority to abuse others. They threw their weight about and were driven by greed. We see it in our own day – not only in the state but in families and in churches too. It is often those with power who are in the wrong. It ought not to be the case.

Then in verse 4 he says Her prophets are unprincipled; they are treacherous people. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law. It was the calling of the prophets to speak up when the court was corrupt and point out its failings but the prophets (apart from Zephaniah) were unprincipled and treacherous and did nothing to speak up against the corruption that was all around. As for the priests in the temple, they served only to profane the sanctuary and far from teaching and upholding God's law, they did the very opposite.

And so today, we see not only wickedness in high places but a failure to speak out against it and those who should be upholding truth and purity doing nothing to protect it.

3. Consider the righteousness of God and how it contrasts with the failure of his people

In verse 5 we are reminded that nevertheless The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. That is not where the problem lies. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet and this is where the problem lies the unrighteous know no shame. They should be ashamed of their corrupt and sinful ways but they are not. They fail to blush.

How ashamed we should be of our sins. We must turn from them.

2. Hear this call to wait patiently for God's judgment on the nations

As we have seen before, God's judgment begins with his own people but will extend to all the earth. And so we say

1. Expect God to judge the nations

6 “I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty.” The past tense is used – perhaps because attention is being drawn to what God has done to various nations in the past but I think it is more likely that this is what is called the prophetic past tense – future judgment is so certain that it is spoken of in terms of already having happened. Note those d words again – destroyed, demolished, deserted - I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty. Be in no doubt this destruction is coming. How devastating it will be for all who do not repent.

2. Do not suppose that the professed people of God will escape God's judgment

It is tempting to comfort oneself by saying that judgment will fall only on unbelievers. But if we are tempted to think like that we need to recall that there will be judgment on God's people, also. Look at verse 7 Of Jerusalem I thought, 'Surely you will fear me and accept correction!' Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. Surely knowing God's attitude to the nations his own people would automatically fear God and be corrected. But no, not so. Yet there is no escape for anyone simply because they say they belong to God's people. There has to be a reality to that profession. Where is the fear of God? Where is the willingness to be corrected? Where is a forsaking of corruption? Without these judgment is bound to come and to find its mark.

3. Wait for the LORD and the day when he will judge the whole world

Verse 8 then is a call for patience. “Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. Sometimes we are tempted to wonder if the judgment will ever come. Be in no doubt, it will. God says plainly I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and what will he do when they are gathered? And to pour out my wrath on them - all my fierce anger. Yes, be in no doubt, at times God has dealt with the nations most powerfully and a day is coming when indeed The whole world will be consumed by the fire of God's jealous anger. As 2 Peter 3:10 has it But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

One writer speaks of waiting like this. He says

It isn’t easy to wait. It demands persistence when common sense says “give up.” It says “believe” when there is no present evidence to back it up. Faith is forged in delay. Character is forged in delay. The forge is the gap between the promise and the fulfilment. As gold is purified and shaped in the white-hot heat of a forge, so we and our faith are purified and shaped in waiting.

3. Realise that before the great judgment God will convert the nations and the Jews

Finally, in verses 9-13 there is a tremendous word of hope regarding the nations and the Jews. Not all of them, it is true, but many indeed. Two things

1. Realise that before that time God will cause many Gentiles to call on his name and serve him

9, 10 Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshippers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. It is put in Old Testament terms but the promise is that God will purify the lips of Gentiles and cause them to call on the name of the LORD and to serve God shoulder to shoulder with his people. They will become his worshippers and bring him offerings, these scattered people beyond Cush and wherever.

We have begun to see that with waves of Christians in the Middle East, in Europe and in Africa and now in China. People are calling on the LORD's name in their own tongue. They are worshipping God in place after place. Pray that there will be more and more who do that.

2. Realise that God's people will be humbled and revived

Now in the midst of reaching out to Gentiles, it is important that we do not forget the Jews. In a similar way, when we reach out to unbelievers, we must remember those who are growing up with these things too. 11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, God says because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. In many cases God will remove the proud from his people, the unbelieving. Let's expect that. Further,

12, 13 But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD. There will be a humble and meer remnant who believe. What will they be like? The very opposite of the unbelieving and disobedient spoken of before. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. Further They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid. This is the laying down in green pastures and being led beside quiet waters spoken of in Psalm 23. It is possible because God's people have a shepherd, Jesus Christ. He cares for them and because of him, they need never fear.