If you would turn in your copy of the scriptures to the book of Haggai, it's near the very end of the Old Testament, and we're going to read the first 11 verses of this very little but important book. Haggai chapter 1, just the first 11 verses. In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai, the prophet, to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Thus says the Lord of hosts, these people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord. Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet. Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins? Verse five. Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. You have sown much and harvested little. You eat. but you never have enough. You drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways, Go up to the hills and bring wood, and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it, and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You have looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why, declares the Lord of hosts, because of my house that lies in ruins while each of you busies himself with his own house. Therefore, the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast and all their labors. Well, let's go to our God this evening, shall we? And Lord, we're glad to be here once again, meeting together as your church. We're glad that we have the Lord's Supper before us. And Lord, we delight in these things because these are the things that you have commanded for us to do. We pray, Spirit of God, that you would please come. We completely own before you our utter weakness and dependence upon you to profit spiritually from anything that we will do this evening. And so spirit of a God, please come and breathe upon us and bring your power, oh Lord. We pray these things in your name and we think of our friend Jean we pray that you'd strengthen her both in body and spirit this evening and Comfort her heart dear Lord with the the variety of the prosper of the gospel promises that you have before each one of us We pray this in Jesus name Amen Well, we've read this passage of scripture. I wanted to give credit, first of all, to Pastor Warren Peel, who's in Glasgow on that west coast of Ireland there, whose outline we'll be following this evening. And I want to bring before you, if I know how to do this right, which I probably don't, Just something of the outline, and I apologize for the graphic did not adequately print out for you. Is the screen, is that working? Oh, it is, good, good. And as you can see, the main theme of the Prophet Haggai, at least in this overview, this introduction that you'll have this evening, is setting first things first. will be the theme for this evening. The book of Haggai is the second shortest book of the Old Testament. It's obscure to many of us. Why spend several weeks on this little book? I remember going back to my early 20s when I first got out of college, and I was building houses at the time, framing houses. And I looked forward every afternoon driving home from that hot, sweaty job, listening to I think his name was J. Vernon McGee, who was a radio preacher who had done a verse-by-verse exposition through the book of Haggai, and I remember looking forward to that at the end of my sweaty workday. But why are we going to spend several Lord's Days on this book of Haggai? Admittedly, it's a neglected part of Scripture. But we need to call to mind 2 Timothy 3 verses 16 and 17, that all Scripture is breathed out by God. and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. And so we're not to overlook this little and yet very important book. As you know, it's among the minor prophets. That word minor comes from the Latin, which means smaller. It does not mean insignificant, however. It's not less important because these books are short. so here in God's Word it is packed with teaching and it's not to be neglected. Haggai himself is really an incredibly significant person. I doubt that he's made your top ten of your list of important figures in the Old Testament, and yet as a congregation We are eager to grow, aren't we, in our relationship with the Lord and growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. We long as a church to grow in numbers. Numbers being saved and added to the church. We want to build the church. We want to reach out to our community. And this book of Haggai is often preached during a building project, nonetheless. It sets out the kind of building, however, that is most important, which is the people of God. And so I want to give something of an overview of the chronology of the book of Haggai. I apologize again for the graphic. It did not come out poorly. But you can see we have a period of sieges that took place against Jerusalem by the Babylonians, which ultimately led to the captivity there in 586. and I'll give something of an overview here on your handout. We wanna consider Roman numeral one, the moment. the moment. In July of 586 BC, Jerusalem fell to King Nebuchadnezzar. The temple is destroyed, the people have been taken into exile, and God warned his people to repent of their sins through various prophets over a period of about 200 years. They're to turn from their idolatry, to stop sinning. that people were complacent in the relationship with God. They supposed that God would never destroy the temple. For example, we find in Jeremiah 7 verse 4, where Jeremiah says to the people, do not trust in these deceptive words. This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. Many thought sacrifices were all that mattered. not changing their ways. And so Babylon sacked Jerusalem and razed the city. They carried off vessels to Babylon and displaced the population to Babylon as well. God showed much grace, however, while the people were in exile. in Ezekiel 37, you'll recall with me, the Valley of the Dry Bones. All life, all hope seemed to be utterly gone. And yet the resurrection of God's people was imminent. that same chapter 37 verse 12, There if I prophesy, say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. I will bring you into the land of Israel. And so this is what God was going to do for his people. I will bring you back to the land. Jeremiah prophesied that they would return after an exile that's lasting 70 years. Nations and kings would do God's bidding as we consider Psalm 135. For I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods, whatever the Lord pleases he does in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all deeps. And so God sent King Nebuchadnezzar and then another king to restore his people to their land. Isaiah prophesied in chapter 45, beginning at verse one. Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors and set exiles free, not for price or reward, says the Lord of hosts. And so God named this king 200 years beforehand. Babylon fell in 539 BC when Persian King Cyrus seized power. He issued a decree to return and to rebuild the temple as God said, 200 years beforehand. And you can read about that in Ezra chapters one and two. And yet it was a very disappointing number that returned to Jerusalem. Most of the Jews decided to remain in Babylon. Well, why would they do that? Well, it's very understandable in one sense. Consider that 70 years for you and me would be a lifetime, wouldn't it? Many of the exiles had never seen Jerusalem. They wouldn't remember Jerusalem at all. They were born in exile. And yet God, through Jeremiah, had encouraged them to seek the peace of the city where God had caused them to dwell. Most did not want to go back to Jerusalem. But a smaller number did return, as Isaiah had prophesied. Well, what kind of situation confronted them upon their return? The people returned with high hopes and yet unrealistic expectations. They were expecting a quick victory. They thought perhaps of the words of Isaiah chapter 35, the first 10 verses there. I'll pull out verse 6. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. This passage refers to the complete transformation of the world. Verse one. The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad. The desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus. Verse 10, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing. Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. This is happening now, they thought. This is going to be the golden age of the Messiah. This is going to be our experience as we come back into the land that God had promised. And yet the reality was very, very different upon returning home. The lower class of the people that remained in the land had really taken over their land. And all kinds of legal wrangling had taken place in order for those exiles returning to get their property back, their land and their farms or an estate of terrible disrepair. Most seriously of all, when they begun to rebuild the temple, which lay in ruins, they were opposed by their neighboring peoples, the Samaritans. Cyrus was killed in battle about this time. And his successor, Cambyses, also called Ahasuerus, was pushed to stop the temple work. And so here we are. The conflicts arose so much that they stopped the rebuilding work that was there. Now, as James Montgomery Boyce has remarked, these were the right people. They were in the right land, living there. And they were doing God's work for the right reasons. And yet they began to direct their energy into rebuilding their own homes and farms, not the temple. It seemed to make the most sense to them at the time. But the result was that the rebuilding of the temple had ceased for a period of 16 years. And yet this was the reason that they had originally returned into the land. They cleared the temple court of rubble and replaced the altar and thus making it possible for the daily sacrifices to begin again. And this is at the point at which we join the story here in the book of Haggai. The year is now 520 BC. The Jews are gathering at the temple for the monthly festival of the new moon. So with that, we'll go ahead and disconnect here from our which I'm gonna call it. Did you do that for me? Thank you. Make my life easier. And so here we are at this monthly festival of the new moon. Suddenly a man stands up, a preacher, and he begins to proclaim God's word in a loud voice. Who is this man? So we've considered the moment. Roman numeral two, we'll move on to the man. Very little is known about Haggai. In Hebrew, his name means my festival. He was probably born in Babylon in exile. His name suggests that his parents were believers. Perhaps he was born at what would have been a feast day back in Jerusalem. And so his parents commemorated the feast in the only way that they could, by giving Haggai his name. my festival. He returned to Jerusalem in 539 under Cyrus's edict. And why so much emphasis on his title, his role as prophet? He is the first prophet that spoke God's word since the people came back into the land. Recall with me that Ezekiel had prophesied in Babylon. Daniel also was there in Babylon. But there had not been a prophet since that time. The people had been back now for nearly 20 years, and apparently Haggai doesn't want to distract us from his message, so no biographical information is given. What he does emphasize, however, is his role as a prophet of the Lord. His name is mentioned 11 times in the Old Testament. Seven of those times, his name is linked to the title of prophet. And so you get the sense that whatever you think of Haggai, you want to think prophet, prophet of the Lord. It is as if that's what he's saying, someone who brings the word of the Lord to God's people. And so Haggai uses what is referred to often is called a messenger formula throughout the book. You might want to jot that down, you'll see it often. The word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai or declares the Lord or says the Lord. Those are messenger formulas and there are 29 of them in this brief book of only 38 verses. And so he begins his sermons this way. His hearers, he ends them with the same formula and sprinkles that same phrase in throughout. He surely wants his hearers to understand that God is speaking to you through me. And so when we read this prophet's words, we are reading the words of the living God. Now, why would this man so emphasize his role, that his hearers would understand this emphasis? Well, realize that Haggai, as I said, is the first prophet that spoke in this significant time. in the nation's history as they returned from exile. And so in Babylon, Ezekiel was there, Daniel was there, but there hasn't been any fresh revelation since the people has returned. For nearly 20 years, there has been a stony silence from heaven. And now God is once again speaking to his people and he wants them to sit up and listen. Haggai has a very forceful style using imperatives in his preaching. He says, give careful thought, consider your ways, work, build. Be strong. He won't let his hearers miss that God is speaking to them. And he's saying and he's speaking in a very forthright and uncompromising manner. Since God's word is living and active, we must also sit up and listen as we consider this book. God is speaking to us as well, though it's been some 2,500 years. later. His hearers not only listened to God, but they also immediately put it in to practice. They obeyed God wholeheartedly. It transformed the people from being carelessly lazy to being energetically active in obeying the Lord. And we want to make it our prayer this evening that our response would be equal to Haggai's original hearers, particularly as we come to the Lord's table this evening. And so what is the message that Haggai is so intent on his hearers to receive? So we've considered the moment, we've considered the man, let's now consider the message. And it's really summed up in verse eight, isn't it? Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house. Build the house, that I may take pleasure in it, that I may be glorified, says the Lord. And so you can sum up Haggai's message of the whole book in those three words. Build the house. The house is the temple of God. Now recall with me that it was begun, but it remained unfinished. For 16 years, the people have slowly, almost imperceptibly, and quite unintentionally, slipped into apostasy. And recall that these are the keen ones. Remember, these are the ones that left the comfort and prosperity of life in Babylon. These are the ones who heeded the promises and came back to Jerusalem. They heeded the call of God and had high hopes for the blessing of God to come to them in a restored land of promise. They had a very good beginning, and yet they got distracted. And so Haggai doesn't list a catalog of gross sins that you might find in the book of Isaiah or Hosea or in the book of Jeremiah. These Jews were respectable. They were moral and law-abiding people. And yet the problem is that they had gotten used to their situation. They are no longer bothered by the fact that the temple there is lying in ruins. They can walk past the temple precincts without so much as a pang of guilt. It doesn't occur to them that there's anything really wrong at this point. Their consciences have become seared with regard to the situation. Resignation had suffocated their faith. And so Haggai is sent by God to prick their consciences and to stir the people into action. And so why is this so important to build the temple again? Well, if you remember the circumstances in which the first temple is built, It was almost by way of concession by God. It was something that God permitted rather than actually commanded. And so why would that be important, so important now as the people had returned into the land? Why not just leave it as it is? Well, it's important for at least three reasons which we'll consider. First, the temple was a symbol of at least three things. First, it was a symbol of God's presence with his people. It was a symbol of his presence with his people. I read from 1 Kings 9 verse 3. And the Lord said to him, speaking to Solomon, I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. And so the temple was a symbol of God's presence. And so by leaving the temple unbuilt, it was as if the people were saying, well, we don't really care whether the Lord is with us or not. It doesn't really matter. Is it such a big deal whether this symbol of God's presence is with us or not? so the attitude toward the building showed something of the attitude of their hearts toward God. It was carelessness toward God. It was a gauge by which their love for God could be measured. It was a symbol of God's presence. Secondly, Not only a symbol of God's presence, it was a symbol of God's honor. A symbol of God's honor. God had chosen Zion as his resting place. I read from Psalm 132, a song of ascents. Remember, O Lord, in David's favor all the hardships that he endured. How he swore to the Lord and vowed to the mighty one of Jacob. I will not enter my house or get into my bed. I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the mighty one of Jacob. Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah. We found it in the fields of Jair. Let us go to his dwelling place. Let us worship at his footstool. Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. And so all the nations knew this choice. So God's honor among the nations was bound up in the state of the temple. And so as long as the temple lay in ruins, unbuilt, His honor would be diminished among the nations. Certainly not the least it would have been back in Babylon, where Cyrus had given them equipment. He gave them letters to obtain materials. He had given them a great sum of money and returned the vessels of the temple service. And he sent them on their way with his edict. And I read from 2 Chronicles 36 beginning at verse 22. Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, the king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing. Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he's charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up. And so the people returned to Jerusalem. And now, as I said, 20 years have gone, and they haven't rebuilt the temple. And so if no one else, in no one else's eyes, it would be a dishonoring thing to God in the king's eyes. And so it was a symbol of God's presence, of God's honor. But thirdly, it was also a symbol of God's purpose, God's purpose for the future. Rebuilding the temple was a key condition for the coming of Messiah. Pastor Mitch had read from Malachi chapter 3. These words, behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. And the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. We'll see this theme picked up again in Haggai chapter two. By leaving the temple unbuilt, it was as if to say, we're really not bothered whether the Messiah comes back or not. We can take or leave the Messiah's coming. And so as long as the temple lies unrestored, God says through Haggai, his blessing is withheld. You heard it as I read through chapter one. So as long as that temple lies unrestored, God says through Haggai, his blessing is withheld. So build the house. This is God's message to his people. And so what is the meaning of Haggai's message for us today? We've looked at the moment, we've considered the messenger, we've also considered the message itself, and now let's consider the meaning. As we go to the Lord's table this evening, what are we to think about all this that God has recorded and is speaking to us and the prophet Haggai? If the great concern of God's house being built, how do we put that into practice today? Should we pack up and move off to Jerusalem and attempt to rebuild a temple where the dome of the rock now stands, that Muslim edifice? Well, that would be a very challenging project indeed, wouldn't it? Should we attempt an expansion on our own current property? Or should we begin looking around Chester County to find another property to build an even greater edifice to the need of the Lord our God? Well, Remember that between the prophet Haggai and us is the New Testament, isn't it? And so that gives us a much fuller understanding of what the temple is. The New Testament explains that we're to understand what the church is today. And that is the new temple. The church is the new temple. You and I are living stones which make up the temple today. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. If you would turn with me to Ephesians chapter two, excuse me. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone upon whom we are all built and fit together. From Ephesians chapter two, beginning at verse 19. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Verse 20, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Also in 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 2, beginning at verse 4, where Peter writes, as you come to him, A living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious. You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone, chosen and precious. And whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. And so the honor is for you who believe. But for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to. Verse 9. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. And so Haggai's message to us is the same as it was to those Jews in 520 BC. Build the house. It's just that the house that we now have in view is the church of Jesus Christ. And so how do you, how do I, how do we build the church? Well first, it means that we build each other up in faith and in knowledge and in love. We are the temple of God. Building the house means that we do all that we can to build one another up. In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul directs us, therefore encourage one another and build one another up just as you're doing. And so as we devote ourselves to the Apostles teaching and to the fellowship of God's Church, by speaking kindly and encouragingly and faithfully to one another, as Pastor Mitch had mentioned from James this morning, this is how we build each other up. by rebuking one another, challenging one another, picking one another up when we see sins in each other's lives, by confessing our sins to one another when we see sins. as we build each other up, as we reflect upon the Jews who left off building the temple for decades. Could it possibly be that we've neglected our duties that I've only touched upon here? And yet Haggai shows that it's never too late to build the house. Don't put it off any longer, he says. Start building. Perhaps some of us have become lax in building the church. Perhaps you've gotten distracted. It's hard at times, isn't it? And you are tempted to get discouraged. Things have made it difficult for you, and so you've put your energies into other things, perhaps building your own houses. Stop that and build the church. Build the house. Don't put it off any longer. But it also means that to build up your little ones as well, and our youth, both at home and here at church. And this speaks to parents first, but also to our Sunday school teachers, to those that are involved in the outreaches of the church, particularly with the youth retreat coming up in two weeks. Build the house, God says. Pour your efforts into teaching and to evangelizing your children and our young people. Pray for them daily. Toil and labor to convey God's truth to them simply and yet faithfully. And so we need to build the church also by giving and by our prayers. There is a lot of building that lies under the surface, doesn't it? And prayer is like that. Giving is like that. It's not showy, and yet it is vital. And the outreach that we've had across the world, supporting our brothers here and abroad, cannot be sustained without giving. And we have really no right to expect God's blessing upon that giving without prayer, isn't it? That we need to follow our giving by our prayers. And so how are you doing these hidden areas of building? but we also build the church as we reach out into our community. We're striving to find ways to be more effective in doing this as a church, but we also need to make the best of every opportunity that we have as individual believers to witness with gracious words that are seasoned with salt to those whom God has placed near to us. And so in all of these things, we all have a role to play from the youngest to the oldest of us. Every Christian is a stone in this spiritual temple. Stones are all shapes and sizes. Some are in more strategic places in the building. Some are more prominent, but every single stone in the temple is indispensable. Some of those stones are hidden from view. but apparently very important and perhaps bearing much of the weight. They are the most valuable of all the stones in the church. And so building is hard work, as some of you know quite well. I had mentioned that I was younger. I was building framing houses. And each day, I came home exhausted. And I'd wake up the next day still aching and sore from the previous day's work. It was hard. It was sweaty work. And in many ways the building of the church is like that as well. But this is the work that God through Haggai is calling us to do. We are to build the house. And so as we look at this little book we're going to learn how we go about doing this work. We're to look at this little book. We're going to learn about the priorities, what those priorities should be, our goals, our motivation, our comfort, and our strength. And we're going to learn how to cope with obstacles that we encounter as well. So as Haggai's first hearers were gathered among the ruins, as they were gathered among the ruins of the temple, so we are here meeting as living stones in God's church. We're here gathering around the Lord's table this evening, which is really one of the anti-types of that event which occasioned Haggai coming onto the scene. of that festal new moon Sabbath, that special sacrifice that was observed monthly. And yet, unlike the context of those ancient saints, recall our Lord's response to that Samaritan woman by the well, when she remarked in John four that our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. And Jesus said to her, woman, Believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship for what you do not know. We worship what we know, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. And so here we are gathered, as Peter calls us. You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And so let us resolve this evening that as we partake of the elements that we're growing, they're going to be like Haggai's original hearers there. We're going to hear the word gladly and obey it wholeheartedly. Brothers and sisters, we must build the house together. Amen. Well, let's go to our God in prayer, shall we? Our Lord, we're We're challenged by Haggai's words to those gathering in 520 BC. We're also challenged here is while Lord we're in many ways so deeply grateful for how you have blessed us as a church over the decades and you're at the work is still before us. We are still to continue to build the church. The Lord Jesus has yet to return. And so we are to continue with a confidence that Jesus will build his church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Lord, be our confidence as we step into this new year, as we prep for the youth retreat, that we would remember this command that we are to build the house. To the end, Jesus Christ, that you would get glory and honor. And we pray these things in His name.