I don’t know that much about construction
-but I know there are codes - that oversee building construction
These codes are frequently - regularly complained about
“Ah, the code calls for all this extra . . .!”
If a construction worker is inclined to curse
-the codes are probably a frequent target
However, codes are in fact in place to protect us - I think
-I’ve been in some foreign countries & seen some big, new looking buildings
-all abandoned - I asked, “What happened with that nice looking build?”
“Built all wrong - they figured it wasn’t safe to be in
-so now it just sits there”
-or you have a lot of these cities that get an earthquake
-& everything just crumbles & millions of people die
-like with what happened in Haiti a few weeks ago
-so, for example, in countries where we’re careful & have codes
-there are certain things that must be done to reinforce the structure
-if it’s built in a place prone to earthquakes
-around here - there are certain building codes
-that have to do with the weight of snow on a roof
-I know those of you who do construction could elaborate much more
My point is, there are certain principles that need to be followed
-in order to build properly
-granted, building codes,
-probably sometimes, go way overboard, in my limited experience
-but nonetheless, they are in place to guide the building process
Now, we’ve been considering another building process here on Sunday a.m.
We’ve been prayerfully considering the building of our lives
This has been our theme, as we’ve been studying the book of Ezra
-which is about building - or, re-building the temple
-the temple & city of Jerusalem was leveled, so to speak by the Babylonians
-more than 50 years earlier
-now, under the Persian King, Cyrus,
-the Israelite people of God were directed to go back & rebuild
-this was God’s mission for them
-& we’ve been thinking - God has a mission for us
-& that’s to build our lives to be like Christ
-& to build the Church - which is the Body of Christ
-so, we’ve been making parallels between building the temple
-& building our lives
-as we’ve been reading Ezra
Now, due to distractions & mixed up priorities, & opposition
-the building was put on hold
-nothing was happening
-sure, it was hard to build - but God really intended for these people to build
-& it can get hard for us to build our lives - & hard to really build the church
-& quite often, probably more often than we’d like to admit
-we’re at a building standstill - where we’re just complacently
-ticking off the days of our lives - without much progress in growth
-well, the people in this day needed some fresh challenge & direction
-what they needed, was a fresh challenge from God’s Word
-& that’s what they got from the prophets Haggai & Zechariah
That’s what we need as well - God’s Word to speak to us
-if we’re not guiding our lives according to God’s Word
-it’s like we’re building without following the code
-& even more so as compared to building a building
-the building codes are far from perfect & always changing
-however, the Bible is perfect & never changing
-the Bible is the perfect code book - practical & accurate
The people building the temple were guided by God’s Word through prophets
-Haggai & Zechariah
-we’ve been looking at what Haggai wrote about his prophecies to the people
-in chapter 1, there was the shake up of the people
-because they were building their own homes, & not the home of God!
-they were putting themselves first & not God - it doesn’t work that way
-that taught us - to make sure we’re living & building for God
-as our #1 priority
-in chapter 2, they were asked to consider what they were building
-it was good - but not great
-the last temple was way better & the future temple & kingdom of God
-is going to be better yet
-that taught us - let’s keep our focus on heaven
-we want to really build for heaven - not this disappointing world
-now in conclusion of this book
-we have a message that Haggai spoke to the people
vv.10-14
On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Ask the priests what the law says: 12 If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?'"
The priests answered, "No."
13 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."
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.
So, what’s the point being made?
-let’s think in terms of godliness & holiness
Is godliness contagious? Or, is ungodliness contagious?
-in the O.T., God taught the people to consider certain things clean & un-clean
-or the words, “consecrated or un-consecrated” are used, as here
-this was all a part of an ongoing object lesson that parallels
-our godliness verses un-godliness
-they had rules about things that were “clean”
-if those things even touched something “unclean”
-it would make the clean become unclean
-kind of like if you got some clean clothes on - & you rub the length of your car
-which is likely to be very unclean right now
-your clothes which this moment are clean - have become very unclean
-however, these OT laws - were meant to portray spiritual & moral purity
So, the message that Haggai delivered - asked the question:
-let’s say, in your dress, you’re carrying a ceremonially clean piece of meat
-but now, not the meat, but the dress, touches up against some other food
Does that ceremonially clean meat make the other food clean also? NO!
-however, if something is unclean
-let’s say a person who has touched a dead body
-touches something that is clean - does it become unclean? YES!
-these were answers all consistent with laws & regulations God had established
-& communicated with these people
-these people had no problem understanding this
-the point is, un-holiness is much more likely to be contagious than holiness
Maybe you might think of it like an infection
-if someone with influenza comes into a room of people
-let’s up the ante & say - “Swine-flu”
-& that person comes into a room like this
-where the rest of us don’t have the virus
-& coughs & sneezes, & shakes people’s hands
-a lot of us, specially those of you who didn’t get your vaccination yet,
-a lot of you will get influenza
-however, if a bunch of people with influenza are in a room together
-& in walks someone who is virus free
-is there any chance of that one person making the sick people well? NO!
-likewise, someone who is ruled & contaminated by sin
-is more likely to contaminate others around him/her
-then is someone who is holy,
-likely to make holy those contaminated with sin
Now, this can go both ways
-the people around God’s people can easily infect God’s people
-with their sinful ways
-but, God’s people, when they are not following God well
-can be a bad influence on the world around them
-people outside of the family of God are not expected to live for God
-no-one expects them to have their lives changed by God
-whereas, people who belong to God - should be showing their lives
-as changed - by God
-when we’re not living the changed lives,
-this is a bad reflection on faith & what it means to follow God
It seemed there were problems - maybe going both ways for these people
-they were influenced by the non-believing world
-& even the believers were a bad influence, themselves,
-on the non-believing world
-thus the prophet brought conviction:
v.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.
When we live in sin - or ungodliness - when we live un-holy lives
-it terribly interferes with any building progress
-sin, breaks all the spiritual building codes!
-& our building is unfit to be finished
-this has a lot to do with why these people weren’t building for such a long time
-the temple building was at a standstill
-& this is certainly true in our lives - if we’re going to be successful in building
-we will need to be devoted to the Lord’s work in our lives
-to purify us & make us holy
e.g. as many of you know - we have formed this Strategic Planning Team
-some are beginning to call it the Spiritual Building Team for our church
-& one of the first things we’ve done
-is form a list of 10 spiritual disciples or attitudes
-a list of godly virtues & activities that must be present among us
-if we’re to be successful in building God’s church
-& so, we’re going to use this as a spiritual thermometer
-from time to time, to remind ourselves of where we need to be
Sin, breaks all the spiritual building codes!
-& our building is unfit to be finished
-however, God is gracious - as we say,
-God blesses us way more than we deserve
-we really don’t deserve God’s blessings at all - but He blesses us anyway
Look at what else God had to say through the prophet:
vv.15-19
"'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. 16 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. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the Lord. 18'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: 19 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.'"
Thinking back, things were hard going - bad conditions
-God was trying to use hard times to get His people to come back to Him
-He allowed hard times, to get their attention
-remember, Jerusalem was destroyed in the first place because of their sin
-because of their spiritual wandering away from God
-God was giving them this new beginning - another chance
-by having them come back to Jerusalem to build the temple
-& be a nation again
-you’d think they’d be really eager & sincere to serve God this time around
-but, apparently, they hadn’t learned the lesson
-they once again drifted from God & made other things in this world
-their priority for living
-& God had to make things hard for them once again to get their attention
Looking back, things were hard going
-because God had held back His blessings
-did they deserve God’s blessings? NO
-do they deserve them now? NO
-but, God was going to now, once again, bless these people
-the people were beginning to get the idea & were becoming more devoted
-but, it sounds like they had a long way to go
-despite the people’s shortcomings - God was going to come through
-with blessings & even prosperity - the temple was going to be built
And God was going to select out the leader - Zerubbabel,
-for special blessings & honor
vv.20-23
The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. 22 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.
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."
A time would come where God would mightily take charge
-some of that applied to these people
-but like for so many of these prophecies in that day
-there was a longer term meaning & fulfillment - to come
-in particular - aiming to what’s called, “The Day of the Lord”
-what we’ve called the Tribulation
-where God will progressively take direct control of this world
-God will take charge!
-the Tribulation is a seven year transition time leading to the coming of Jesus
-Jesus - the King of Kings, will return & take His throne
-He will take charge
-& God will directly reign over this world
You know, this world is a mess
-countries go to war
-people don’t get along
-economies crash - people are impoverished & many homeless
-we’re polluting & destroying the environment
-countries are going into major debt
Who has the answers?
-we should try our best to do what we can
-but the only way & time this world will really operate properly,
-is when the Lord Jesus Christ is in control as leader & King
-as mentioned, - many of these prophecies had dual meaning & applications
-Zerubbabel would be used by God at that time
-but more - he was of the heritage of the true King of Kings - Jesus
-that’s like a promise that God would some day take over
-& do everything just right
Matthew 1:12-16
After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, . . .
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Zerubbabel was to be like a “signet ring of God."
-which means, he was the administrator of God’s rule
-the king would stamp things with his signet ring
-it means, something had the king’s approval
-well, when Jesus comes to reign - it will be God that’s in charge & ruling
-things will be just they way they should be
-& you’ll certainly want to be on God’s side - a citizen in God’s kingdom
-not in any other kingdom
God is gracious!
He helps us build, when we don’t deserve it
He blesses us when we don’t deserve it
He makes us prosper when we don’t deserve it
And, He’s coming to set things right in this mixed up world!
Don’t you want to be partnering with God?!
Don’t you want God to be building your life?!
-or, building together with God - as He builds your life?
Of course, we need to build according to codes
-& God has & will give us direction for our lives
-primarily in His Word to us - the Bible - here you have the codes
-& it has to do with holiness - godliness
Let’s let the Lord build our lives into what He wants us to be
-& we’ll be blessed for it
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