Well, if you have your Bibles with you, if you would turn with me to the book of Haggai, we'll be reading from chapter two, as we start in on the second chapter to this very short book of the final chapter of this short book. Before we read from God's holy scripture, let us pray once more as we ask for his illumination in the text. Oh, Holy Spirit, I pray that you would be with us, that you would illumine this text to our hearts and our minds. May it be applied to us. May we not just read it and then forget it, but may we apply it to our lives. May we practice holiness as we look to Christ as the supreme example and as the sacrifice for our sins. It's in his name we pray these things. Amen. Would you rise as we read from this God's most holy word? This is the holy, infallible, inerrant, and inspired word of God written for you and for me today. Let us attend to its reading. In the seventh month, on the 21st day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai, the prophet. Speak now to Sarubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehoshadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, who is left amongst you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehoshadak, the high priest. Be strong, all ye people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts. According to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt, my spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the Lord of hosts, yet once more in a little while I will shake the heavens and the earth, and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place, I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts. Amen and amen. This is the word of our God. Let us, you may be seated. If you have had the pleasure of going overseas to Europe and seen some of those great buildings that they constructed during the Middle Ages, you will have known some of those masterpieces of architecture that they constructed during that time. You can see the castles and the great fortresses that they built upon the hills. But even those castles pale in comparison to what they would spend decades and even a hundred or more years constructing. And those are those great churches, those cathedrals, or what are called minsters in England, that when you enter into them, the silence is palpable. The ceilings rise. Light spills in, colored by the stained glass of the windows near the roof. And you feel oh so very small when you enter. Those of us who have maybe seen these or even seen pictures of these may come back to the United States and see our churches, many of which reflect the gray skyscrapers that we build that are filled with offices or reflect the stadiums that we create that have great stages and yet are built for what? For entertainment. And we might feel that something is lost in the architecture here compared to the architecture of our ancestors across the sea. And that feeling that we may have going into some of those church buildings and thinking back on those churches of old may be similar to that feeling that God's people were having in this chapter. They are constructing the temple yet again, are they not? And what does God say to them? He says, what is this temple compared to what you remember in many of the older men as we see in other chapters? were almost, they were tearing their robes to see that it paled in comparison to that masterpiece of architecture, that temple that Solomon had constructed. And yet, on this passage as Calvin is commentating, what does he say? He says that God was being merciful to them. in this smaller building, in a building with less glory than Solomon's temple from of old. And how can this be? How is God being merciful by giving them a temple that is less glorious, that is smaller? Well, in our passage this morning, we will see just how that is. As God, through his servant Haggai in verse three, first mentions that former temple, as he calls to mind the former temple in the minds of the older men who remember it. But then he takes their attention to what is more important, not just the building, but the presence of God himself. For that is what the purpose of the temple was, that God dwelt with his people, and we will see that in verses four and five. And then we will skip over a few verses as Pastor Joe will be taking us through verses six through eight next week, but we will go to verse nine as we see that God's presence here in the former temple and this temple were actually meant to point to something later, that God would indeed dwell with his people. as we look forward to that one who will crush the head of the serpent and will be indeed God with us. So as we delve into this passage, let us consider what the temple really reflects. Before we jump into verse three, though, perhaps we should look at how God viewed and God shows us temples in the Old Testament. In the modern era, we're not very used to temples. We don't see temples on every street corner, or we do not have a temple that we go to every year like the Jews did. And so we may not even think about this concept. And yet a temple was and always has been that place where God dwells with his people. That was the purpose. It was a place that they could go and they could see that God had condescended to man, that he was dwelling with his people. Many commentators look to Genesis, all the way back in the first chapter of Genesis, and see that the way in which God is creating the world, that he's actually creating it in such a way that it looks much like, or it sounds much like, he is constructing a temple for himself, that he might dwell with his people, that he might come to them and be with them. And so we see this even in the imagery of that garden paradise that Adam and Eve were in. They dwelt in and lived in. That Adam worked and kept. And that God dwelt with them there in the garden. For this was the purpose for which God created man, was it not? That he might have sweet communion with himself, with God. That he might glorify God. and find joy in his presence. And yet, man did not stay in that garden paradise, did he? Man, being set up as a priest, as one who was to be in that temple, as one who was to worship God in that temple, and to protect it, failed to protect it. He let the deceiver in. He let the deceiver deceive his wife and himself into sinning. And thus, what do we see? He is cast out of that garden of Eden, the place where God dwelt. And he was shut out by an angel and a flaming sword. Yet Adam and his descendants still knew well that they owed God all worship in Lot. We see throughout Genesis that it is not by temples as we think of them that Adam and his descendants begin to worship God. They do so by altars. They would construct with stones a place where they would what? They would kill an animal. and sacrifice to God. They knew even full well, Adam to Noah to Abraham knew that there was a death that was required. Indeed, God had given them an example at the very beginning as he killed an animal in order to cover up Adam and Eve's shameful nakedness. And so they knew that there would have to be a death. And yet there was more that God wanted to show them. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would continue to set up altars. that they would continue to sacrifice to the Lord at these altars. And if you look throughout the latter half of Genesis, as Abraham goes into the land, it is as though the land is filled with altars, in those places where God came to Abraham. For indeed, in this story, we see that it is not that man comes to God of his own power, but that God comes to man. And God is promising something. That this land would be where his people would dwell and that he would dwell with them. And yet something happens in between Genesis and Exodus, doesn't it? The people are not in the land in Exodus chapter one. They are in Egypt. and there they are enslaved. But God brings them out, and as he's bringing them out, he promises to bring them to that land that he had promised their forefathers. He promises to deliver them from slavery through the wilderness and into the land, flowing with milk and with honey. Yet the people continue to sin, to rebel against God's holy ways and His law. And Moses, interceding on behalf of the people, hears God tell him that He will be merciful, that He will bring them into the land. And what does Moses say? He is quite unimpressed with the land as such because he says, We shall not go unless you go with us. And why is this so important? Moses realized the goal was not the physical land. The goal was communion with God. And so God is merciful and Exodus closes with the glorious picture. of the tabernacle being built, that first temple, as it were, where God would dwell with his people. And as the tabernacle is finished, we read this, then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. God was dwelling with his people. And thus the book ends. Yet the tabernacle was a tent. It would move with the people as they moved throughout the wilderness. It would move with the people even as they dwelt in exile after having disobeyed God's command to go into the land. And so it had to be pitched and recreated as it were every time they set up camp. But when they finally got into the land, and after that time, the judges, after that time, when the kings began to be crowned, then the people began to wonder, should God dwell just in a tent while we begin to build our houses of stone? David wondered this, and he wanted to make a house for God. And God said, Not yet. You have seen too much war. It is in a time of peace that my house will be built. And so his son, Solomon, the wisest of the Old Testament kings, is given the task of building a great temple, that temple that the men of Haggai are remembering as they think back. Solomon built indeed a great temple of great splendor, such that even the Queen of Sheba from many miles away to the south came to see and to witness as she witnessed the reign of King Solomon. And yet, Solomon's reign did not end well. It started so very well as he asked for wisdom from the Lord when the Lord offered to give him a gift And because of that wisdom, because of him paying homage and worship to the Most Holy God, his reign was marked by an expansion of Israel, by great wealth coming in, by the nations even paying homage to Israel. But that did not last for very long. Solomon, in his sin, was married to myriad pagan wives. And this reflected what would happen as the people began to worship myriad pagan gods. And Solomon himself allowed demonic places of worship to be set up throughout the land. The kingdom was split. Both kingdoms eventually would be exiled And they, just like their ancestors, exiled into the desert, just like their ancestors, Adam and Eve, thrown out of the garden, so too were they thrust out of the land as God had promised that it would vomit them out because of their wicked idolatry. They were thrust away and were without a homeland. Yet God in His mercy brought them back. God took them just as He had taken them out of Egypt, so He then takes them out of Babylon and brings them back to the land. And this is where we come to our text. In Haggai, as we see the Temple Mount laying bare and God in the first chapter saying, it is not good that this Temple Mount should lay bare while you begin to build your own houses of stone and great pillars. And so they heed the word of God and they begin to rebuild the temple. But then what do we read in verse three? God says, by the hand of Haggai, who is left amongst you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it as nothing before your eyes? This reflects exactly what we read in Ezra and Nehemiah as they rebuilt Jerusalem, as they rebuilt the temple and the old men who had seen Solomon's splendorous temple rent their garments and cried aloud for it did not compare to Solomon's great masterpiece of architecture. It was as though they were looking upon a shack and comparing it to a great minster, a great abbey that we would think of in our modern context. Their temptation would be to think that as they were building this temple, as they were pushing toward a goal and rebuilding God's house on the Temple Mount. That their goal was somehow to get back to the early days of Solomon's reign. To get back to that great temple that he had constructed. And so they were seemingly failing in that goal. It was as nothing before their eyes in comparison. The temple was supposed to show God's dwelling with his people, the God of creation, the incomprehensible, almighty, immortal one who is holy, holy, holy, with glory immeasurable. Yet they did not see glory in this new temple. And so they were sad. But in this sadness, in this despair, God has to remind them that the goal was not merely the temple in itself. The goal was not merely this edifice that they were to construct. That was an image of something greater, that there was a more ultimate goal in mind. And so God reminds this to them in verses 4 and 5 as he emphasizes what man was made for, to commune with God, to be in the presence of God. In verses 4 and 5 we read, Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehoshadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts. According to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt, my spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. The goal becomes clear in this passage. God will still dwell with his people. He has brought them out of Babylon just as he brought them out of Egypt in the temple. It signifies the greater reality that God has chosen to condescend to his people, to be present with his people, to dwell with his people. just as the animal sacrifices of old signified something greater, that perfect death and sacrifice that was to come. The image of the temple does indeed matter, and God did make this clear in the great detail that he gave to Moses, for the tabernacle, the detail we read of in 1 Kings about the construction of that temple. But so often then can we look at all of those details of an image and that we fail to realize the thing imaged, the thing pictured, that it was indeed something greater to look forward to. And God reminds them. He says, fear not. My spirit remains in your midst. They would know well, and we know well as we read throughout the scriptures, that God does not need a temple to be with his people. God is God. He can dwell wheresoever he likes. Indeed, he actually is everywhere present. There is not a place where God is not, for there is not a thing that can contain him. Acts 7, 48 through 50 reads this. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, heaven is my throne, the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things? Again, calling us back to the fact that as God makes creation, that God can use this as his temple, that God himself cannot be contained by anything. What makes us think that this temple, the first or the second, could contain him now? Solomon himself knew this as he was even constructing his grand and glorious temple. For what did he cry out as he was dedicating that temple? He said, but will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain thee. How much less this house that I have built. So what is the point of building a house then? The everywhere present God cannot be contained by anything that we, mortal creatures, can construct. Isaiah knew this well as he, in his dream, saw the temple, but what does he see? He sees the most holy God and the glory of God overflowing from that temple. The temple cannot contain the glory of God. And the angels, as they surround his throne, shield their very eyes from the brilliance of the immensity of that light that comes from the throne of God. God is infinite. And if God is infinite, he is infinite in all respects. In his glory, his power, his goodness, and his presence in both time and space, the temple shall never contain him then in any respect. And yet, it is there to draw the people's eyes upward, to give them a picture that is just that, a picture, but then their eyes are cast upon God, who he is, what he does for them, so that they might realize that the ultimate goal is not the temple, It's not the picture that it is communion with the holy and living God. And so the temple as we see it here may not be as beautiful as the first, but the self-same God whom they worshiped is with them. They may have a small temple, but they are still the people of an infinite God. And so we start to see what Calvin was getting at, that this mercy of a smaller temple, as it were, was a mercy so that their eyes do not stay transfixed on the ground, but that it is lifted up. They do not fall in love with the image at expense of the thing that is being imaged. They do not fall in love with the symbol at expense of the holy God symbolized. And this brings us to our last point as we see that not only does this temple draw their eyes upward as they consider God in the way that he manifested himself then as he dwelt with them, but that it also points them, what? Forward. Forward in time to a time that would come centuries later. And that is what verse nine draws our attention to. Verse nine says, the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place, I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts. As we consider what is being spoken of here, it bears or it bears for us to give attention to what an image does. We know this well in a world of modern technology where we can take a photograph with the phones that we have in our pockets. If you have ever been to the mountains, you know that the great landscape out before you is a breathtaking. If you've been to the Rockies in California or in Colorado as you look out on the different mountains dotting the landscape that are miles, even hundreds of miles away as you stand on the precipice and you feel the cold air filling your lungs and the smells of the pines below you. It is a breathtaking view. But if you were to take your phone and you were to take a picture of that and come back to Texas and to show your friends and family this picture, would it be as though they are there? They might see that flat picture of the landscape that you yourself experienced while you were there, but we know well that it is, it pales in comparison to being there itself. It does not even compare to being there itself. Something is lost. An image is always, there's something there that is missing compared to the thing that the photograph takes. In the same way, and it seems almost silly to say it in this way, but we see how foolish it would be to desire the picture and not the thing pictured. If a husband were to take a picture of his wife, and yes, maybe while she's gone, he has that to remember her by, but if she were there and he would say, no, I'd rather cling to this photograph instead of spending time with you, he would call that man a madman. That is not what the image is for. The thing is here. And so too, Do we see what the temple is for? It pointed the people forward. The tabernacle did this. Solomon's temple did this. Even the small temple that they are constructing here in Haggai would do this. But all of these things passed away. The tabernacle no longer exists. Solomon's temple no longer exists. This small temple no longer exists. It was replaced by Herod's failed attempt to make a masterwork that rose to the station of Solomon's temple. But even that temple no longer exists. It burned in the flames as Rome took over that province of Judea. And Judea lost all of her autonomy as any kind of nation. and she was never to be a landed nation again. So if all of these things point forward, what were they pointing forward to? Well, that brings us to the Gospels. And I particularly think and want to reflect on today, the Gospel of John. John 2 says, starting in verse 17, His disciples remembered what it was written, zeal for your house will consume me. So the Jews said to him, what sign do you show us for doing these things? They're referring to his cleansing of the temple. Jesus answered them, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again. The Jews then said, it has taken 46 years to build this temple, and will you raise it up again in three days? But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. in those last days of Herod's temple. For indeed, it would only be a few decades later that it would be destroyed. The thing that the temple was supposed to image was standing before the people of God. Christ was there. Christ, who is called in the Hebrew Immanuel, given that title, that means what? That God is with us. That God dwells with us. The temple was supposed to make us look and say, God needs to dwell with us because we are separated from him by our sin. And yet we were made to commune with God. And here is God himself standing on the steps of that temple and saying what that signifies, I am. Many of the Jews missed this. They had fallen in love with the photograph, and yet the thing that had been captured by a picture was standing right there. They had fallen in love with the ceremonies. They had fallen in love with the temple. Many plotted to kill him after he spoke in such a way, after or against the temple. And this is the mysterious and yet the glorious picture that we get as we read the Gospels and we read about our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ. That he himself, that his body, as it said in John, is the temple. And that while it would be destroyed, while he would be killed on that hill so many years ago, it would be raised up again. that Christ was resurrected, that what the people had been looking forward to for so long had come to pass. All the way back as Abraham goes from place to place throughout the promised land and is reminded every time he constructs an altar that death is required, there is that death, that sacrifice. And it was a once for all sacrifice. No longer would altars need to be set up. No longer would people need to go to that temple to make sacrifice. For it was done. It was finished. And yet there is another mystery as well. The New Testament calls Christ the temple, but it also says what? In 2 Corinthians, when Paul is writing, he says in chapter six, verse 16, for we are the temple of the living God. As God said, I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they my people. seems quite mysterious. How is it that we can be called a temple? How is it that the church can be called a temple filled with sinners like you and I? Well, this mystery is at least maybe light is shed on it a bit more, though it still is very mysterious as we consider that Christ is married to his church. Genesis says, for this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his bride, that they might become one flesh. They might become one body. And Paul says, this is a mystery, I tell you, and it is a mystery that Christ is married to his church. That we are the body of Christ. And so Paul then calls us a temple. And Christ, as he is united to us, as his spirit dwells within us, that we can then be called a temple. A temple where God was to dwell with his people. But we do not go to the Temple Mount anymore. If you go to the Temple Mount today, it still lies bare. There is no temple there. And yet, where is the temple? as we consider how God dwells with his people, his spirit dwells within us even now. And what a comforting and glorious truth that is, that as we, whatever station of life we may be in, whatever turmoils and tempests we may be going through in our lives, that God is still there with us. He has not abandoned nor forsaken us. For if you are in Christ, the spirit of Christ is in you. And so Christ being the head, we are all one body. And we are like many stones being stacked upon Christ, that great cornerstone. as the temple is being built, not only throughout the whole world, but throughout all of history. So what can we take away from this? As we consider that temple, as we consider whatever it is that we are going through now, let us remember that we are God's temple now. As we look to Christ, himself, the head, our husband, our Lord, our Savior, our King, who laid his life down for us. And though we may not be able to understand it, let us be ever grateful as we consider that we are united to him, that he was pleased to dwell with us, even us sinners. that holy, that righteous God. For indeed, when we think of the temple, we think of the angels singing what? Holy, holy, holy. For no other words shall suffice, and yet God has said, I have called you out to be holy, and I am pleased to dwell with you. because of the work of my son and what he did on the cross all those years ago. So let us pray to our thrice holy God. Lord, we cannot compare. We cannot comprehend your glory, who you are. You are holy. And we are mortal. We are sinners. But you are pleased to dwell with us. For when you look upon us, though we be sinful, you see the righteousness of your son. So Lord, for that, let us be grateful. Let us never forget this. That as we strive, as we go through many trials in this life, as we continue on this journey that you have set us on. I pray that we would find comfort in knowing that we are called sons, that we are adopted, and that you love us as Christ is united to us. And it's in his name we pray these things in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.