Haggai 2
October 25, 2010
4 Comments
Bible Passage: Haggai 2
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“I am with you,” says the Lord (Haggai 1:13)
Were You there when the earth quaked and the water flooded and our people and possessions were lost?
Were You there when worships were banned and we had to congregate underground?
Were You there when civil wars threatened our lives and we had to literally run to keep them?
Were You there when persecutions came from without and within?
Were You there when brethren rose up against brethren, and church divided?
Were You there?
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And You asked me……
“Were you there when they crucified Me?”
“Were you there when they nailed Me to the tree?”
“Were you there when they laid Me in the tomb?”
(Hymn 350)
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And then I understood
that You died on the cross for us.
You willingly took up the bitter cup.
This church was purchased with Your own blood (Acts 20:28).
How could You not care?
How could You not be there?
Although at times it may seem as though its former glory is gone and what’s left is nothing (Haggai 2:3),
Your words will stand forever.
“The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former. And in this place I will give peace.”
And this is our hope.
To each of us You also gave specific instructions:
“Yet now be strong…and work; for I am with you.” (Haggai 2:4)
You said: Do not fear! The Holy Spirit is in the Church, and what I will shall come to pass (Haggai 2:5).
We need only “be strong…. and work.”
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You went on to demand two more things from us.
Be Holy, for I am Holy. (1 Peter 1:15)
You desire a holy Church, without blemish. That would be a glorious Church. And today, we are able to be sanctified and cleansed with the washing of water by Your Holy Word (Ephesians 5:26-27).
It was not by touching the holy meat (Haggai 2:12) that one becomes holy, but today, the grace of sanctification by Your Word is given us when we meditate upon your Word and put them into practice.
You want us to also remember that sins contaminate even the holiest vessel (Haggai 2:13).
When one touches a dead body, one becomes unclean. And so is the work of our hands, and what we offer when we do not cleanse ourselves and repent of our sins.
You made it clear. You will not accept defiled offerings and sacrifices.
Therefore, we may be doing a lot, but if we have not cleansed ourselves first, all that we do will still be unacceptable before You.
To obey is better than sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22)
Your discipline was for restoration – a call for us to return back to You (Haggai 2:15-17).
And only a Father would discipline His own Son (Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:7).
You called me Your own and You will never withhold good things from those who seek after You (Matthew 7:11).
The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. (Psalm 34:10)
And the day that we turned towards you shall be the day that blessings are poured down from You.
Even before the temple was rebuilt (Haggai 2:18).
Even before the work is completed today…
As long as we obey and make this first step to turn our lives back to you today, blessings will follow right after.
So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave a blessing behind Him-
A grain offering and a drink offering
For the LORD your God? (Joel 2:13-14)
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Therefore…
I know today that You are with me.
And I know that You will soon come again.
And so I will be holy.
And so I will obey.
I will be strong… and work.
I can’t wait to behold Your glory.
And to have peace.
“that You died on the cross for us.
You willingly took up the bitter cup.
This church was purchased with Your own blood
How could You not care?
How could You not be there?”
thanks for this. I am greatly encouraged now to face the trial I am in. God bless us
‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’
I first heard and read of this verse back in the late 70s (shows you how old I am) during the Short Term Theolo. And indeed, the words served as a strong call for service to God and a determination to allow the glory of God fill our church.
But as years passed, and the very things that the book of Haggai warned about got in the way of life, it does seem that we are still struggling to not commit the same mistakes as the people of Judah then.
Treasureinearthernvessel gives us good reminders about the need to be holy and obedient in our life of faith. This message of the Lord, through Haggai, to Zerubbabel still rings true for us today. I am a bit partial to this character Zerubbabel because for some reason, during my theolo days, there were some of my peers who called me Zerubbabel (don’t ask me why ’cause they say you just look like a Zerubbabel… whatever that meant).
Last week I managed to attend some sessions of the Worker’s Seminar conducted by Pr Chang Superhero [超雄] (: and heard his sermon on Saturday morning. And besides the points that Treasureinearthernvessel raised, there are a few more that came strongly to mind as I read the words of Haggai on restoring the house of the Lord to its intended glory….
a) Dedication to Work for God
One of the things the preacher said that stuck in my mind was something that he heard and was stucked in his mind for a long time too
“In whatever area of service we have decided for God, we should dedicate at least 10 years to preparing ourselves for it.”
Er… when I heard this, I was like… in all of my services to God, I have never ever spent that long in preparing for it. How can?
But that is just what the devil would like us to think isn’ it? When we think about needing to discpline ourselves and exercise self control and godliness, we tend to either avoid it, or approach it with little enthusaism, or just give it a perfunctory try.
Sometimes in reading the Bible, we do not get a grasp of the amount of time that has passed in certain things happening. Like Solomon took 7 years to build the first temple. Like Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness preparing for his 40 years of leading the people of Israel. Like Paul spending 3 years at Ephesus building up the church there….
Church work needs time and dedication. Don’t always expect instant results. What God wants is dedication… and our time. He will lead and guide.
b) Appropriate Care and Concern
Pr Superhero also mentioned that when he is sent to a certain place to pastor, he will make it a point to visit the Deacons and Elders. Some asked him why should he visit the ‘strong’? Shouldn’t he spend time in visiting the weaker members?
His reply was that even the ‘strong’ have needs and issues that require care and concern.
Zerubbabel was one such leader. After leading the people back to Jerusalem in glorious anticipation, the work had shuddered to a halt. The people were no longer motivated. And Zerubbabel was at a loss and maybe felt that he was not up to the work.
But the words of Haggai from God must have been extremely comforting. And encouraging. And it was exactly what was needed. Look at what God said…
‘In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the LORD, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:23)
Wow! What a promise and what a privilege!
We too have been chosen by God to be His royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people.
We need encouragement to stay on course for His work. We need to be encouragers too.
Just a side note:
(not a bribe but an encouragement!)
I was looking at the Genealogy of Jesus poster (beside the lift on the 2nd floor) and I noticed one thing…. Zerrubabel’s name was there! And not only there…. it was also very special! Check it out and share your observations here. I will give you chocs from Swiss
But the appropriate care and concern was part of what was necessary to get the work of God done. And this should also include the ministers and preachers. And the so called ‘stronger’ ones in church. Don’t neglect them in your prayers and a simple sms, phone call or chat will do. It is not as complicated as you imagine it to be.
c) What Do We Want To Be Know For?
Whenever we talk about Zerubbabel, we know him as the rebuilder of the Holy Temple. When we talk about Paul, he is known as he Apostle to the Gentiles. I could go on but you get the drift.
Pr Superhero spoke about the church at Antioch on Sat morn and this was a church known for its evangelism work.
When you think about our church, what are we known for?
When you think of yourself, what are you known for?
This is a very good question for us to think about today.
This question is not meant to stir up our pride or sense of achievement. But rather it is to allow us to reflect on what do we want to be good at and how and what are we doing to be able to do this.
It is a chance of us to see if our goals and objectives in life have anything to do with the glory of the latter days of the church.
Maybe now I know why they called me Zerubbabel… it’s because I babbel on and on and on…. (:
May God continue to use us and we allow ourselves to be used by God.
Haha, after your last remark i think I will call u Zerubbabel from now on. Now it sounds really fitting
“I am with you, says the LORD.” (Haggai 1:13)
“So is this place, and so is this nation before Me…” (Haggai 2:14)
God declares that He is with us!
Recently life has been a bit more stressful and Eph 4:6 gives me much comforts.
Eph 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all and in you all.
(一神，就是众人之父，超乎众人之上，贯乎众人之中，也住在众人之内)
The one true God and Father of all, regardless of whether we acknowledge Him, is presiding over the church. The church is His house. He is watching over us.
God is amidst the congregation bec TJC is His church. God is among His children and with His children.
Have we counted our blessing that we have the blessing of fully comprehend the last part of Eph 4:6?
“And in this place, I will give peace.” (Haggai 2:9)
“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John14:18)
Lord Jesus died, was buried and resurrected.
Lord Jesus is God above all of us.
He has come as He promised. He is amidst us.
He is the Holy Spirit in us.
Coming to church is comforting. Bec Father is at home.