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.