1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:03,680 Please turn with me and your Bibles to the Book of Haggai, 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:08,360 the next Minor prophet, and our series this summer in the Minor 3 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:13,600 Prophets. You can find Hey Guy on page 791 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,880 in the Chair Bibles. This this little book only takes 5 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:21,800 up one page front and back of your Bible, so it can be hard to 6 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,440 find. It's the third to the last book 7 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:29,160 of the Old Testament, and you'll find it in between two Z books 8 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,600 between Zephaniah and Zechariah. Hey Guy, it's only two chapters 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,280 long. We'll be studying three of its 10 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:43,240 four prophecies, but for now we're going to read verses the 11 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:48,680 1st 8 verses of chapter 1 and hear the Lord's calling the Jews 12 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,280 who have returned to Jerusalem from exile to Persia. 13 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,040 He's calling them to rebuild the temple. 14 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:04,959 So I'll be together. I'll begin reading here from 15 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:09,520 Hagai chapter 1, starting in verse one in the second year of 16 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:11,640 Darius the king, in the sixth month. 17 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,080 On the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the 18 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,560 hand of Hagai the Prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Sheel 19 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:23,800 Teal, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak the 20 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:27,000 high priest. Thus says the Lord of Hosts. 21 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,960 These people say that the time has not yet come to rebuild the 22 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:34,160 House of the Lord. Then the Lord, where the Lord 23 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,120 came by the hand of Hagai the Prophet. 24 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,640 Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, 25 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:44,360 while this house lies in ruins? Now therefore thus, says the 26 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,680 Lord of Hosts, consider your ways. 27 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:49,320 You have sown much and harvested little. 28 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:51,000 You eat, but you never have enough. 29 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:53,200 You drink, but you never have your fill. 30 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:57,080 You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns 31 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:00,720 wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. 32 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,960 Thus, says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. 33 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,199 Go up to the hills and bring wood, and build the house, that 34 00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:14,000 I may take pleasure in it, and that I may be glorified, says 35 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:19,600 the Lord. Let's pray our God as we come to 36 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:23,520 this little book, we pray that by your Spirit You would stir us 37 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,560 up to the work that you have called us to do. 38 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:32,480 We thank You that you are with us, that we can be strong in 39 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:37,600 You. We ask Lord that you would shape 40 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,440 our hearts to worship You above all through Your word. 41 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:43,800 Now this we pray in Jesus name, Amen. 42 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:52,960 Learn to say no to the good in order to say yes to the best. 43 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:56,520 Maybe you've heard that that phrase before. 44 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,200 Learn to say no to the good to say yes to the best. 45 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:03,080 These these wise words come from John Maxwell. 46 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,680 He's a former pastor and and one of the most prolific authors on 47 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,160 the topic of leadership. The idea behind this quote is 48 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:14,520 that we all get caught up in doing so many good things that 49 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,600 we neglect to invest in what's most important, our most 50 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,520 important relationships, our most important callings, our 51 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,160 most important goals. And in the book of Hagai, the 52 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,720 Jewish people in Jerusalem were doing many good things, but 53 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:33,600 neglecting what was most important and the most important 54 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,280 thing for them is also the most important thing for us. 55 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,120 And what's that? It's the worship of God. 56 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:45,200 We exist to worship God. There is nothing more important 57 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:49,640 in our to our existence than to know God and to love Him and to 58 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,000 magnify Him with every ounce of our being. 59 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:57,560 Worship is far more than what we do here on this hour on Sundays. 60 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,680 It's an all-encompassing way of life. 61 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,920 And this corporate worship on Sunday is the crown jewel of all 62 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:09,840 of our worship. But we often say no to worship 63 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,640 because we've become distracted and overwhelmed, consumed, 64 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:17,120 busied by by just a million good things. 65 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,440 The Jewish people in Hey guys, they had a similar problem. 66 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:24,960 They weren't prioritizing the worship of God. 67 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:27,120 They were doing many good things. 68 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,800 They were reestablishing their lives in Jerusalem, building 69 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,000 houses and and trying to resurrect the lost culture of 70 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,040 Jerusalem. All good things on the surface, 71 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:43,080 but they were neglecting to rebuild the temple, the House of 72 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,960 the Lord, the place of worship that mediated the relationship 73 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:53,280 between them and their God. Because of this sinful neglect, 74 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:56,200 they continued to experience the covenant curses. 75 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:02,760 And so in 520 BC, God sent not one, but two prophets to wake up 76 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:07,240 the Jewish people to what was most important for them. 77 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:11,200 Those two prophets were Haggai and Zechariah. 78 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:14,280 These prophets started prophesying in the same year, 79 00:05:14,280 --> 00:05:18,160 just two months apart. Next week we'll consider the 80 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:22,560 much larger book of Zechariah, but know that both Haggai and 81 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:27,480 Zechariah, they share the same post exilic context starting in 82 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:32,320 520 BC. So as we start to work through 83 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:37,000 the book of Haggai, we'll first look at what's going on before 84 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,720 and during the time of Haggai. Then we'll consider his message. 85 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,640 Then one with a few ways that hey guys message applies to us 86 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,600 today. So let's start by considering 87 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:53,320 Hey guy, the man prophet Haggai is named in verse one, but we we 88 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:55,560 don't know his family line or really much about him. 89 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:58,440 He's also mentioned in the book of Ezra. 90 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,880 The book of Ezra was written during the same time period as 91 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:06,800 Haggai, and it says in Ezra chapter 6, it says this. 92 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:12,200 The elders of the Jews built and prospered through the 93 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,760 prophesying of Haggai, the prophet and Zechariah. 94 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:20,920 So that's great. Many prophets faced hard hearts 95 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,840 and rejection, but Haggai's message was well received. 96 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,800 So that was great. So that that's just a little bit 97 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,200 of what we know about Haggai the prophet. 98 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:36,120 Now before we get more into the context and message of Haggai, 99 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:40,040 it's going to be helpful to understand the back story of the 100 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,200 temple. There's three kinds of temples 101 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:49,320 we need to know about the the temple like Garden of Eden, the 102 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:53,960 Tabernacle of the wilderness, and then the breathtaking Temple 103 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,200 of Solomon. So first the the temple like 104 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,440 Garden of Eden. The the story of the temple, it 105 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:04,560 really begins in Genesis 1. God created a people for 106 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,240 himself, Adam and Eve, and he established a relationship with 107 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:11,800 them as their God. And because they were sinless, 108 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:16,120 they enjoyed an unmediated relationship with God, who 109 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,320 walked freely in their presence in the garden. 110 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:24,160 God called Adam to work and to keep the garden, to work it and 111 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:27,640 keep it to Hebrew words that were also paired together to 112 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:31,680 describe the duties of the priests in the Book of Numbers. 113 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,400 So. So Adam was an archetype priest 114 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:40,360 and the garden was in a sense a temple, his place of worship and 115 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:42,200 and fellowship with the presence of God. 116 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,760 Adam failed in this role though, when he and Eve ate the 117 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,760 forbidden fruit. And since sinful people can't 118 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:55,760 dwell with God's holy presence, Adam and Eve were banished from 119 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:59,960 the Garden of Eden. But despite the sin of his 120 00:07:59,960 --> 00:08:03,040 people, God still desired to have His Spirit dwell amongst 121 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,760 his people. And so after God saved his 122 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:09,240 people out of slavery from Egypt, he established his 123 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:14,000 covenant with them at Mount Sinai with Moses on this 124 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,880 covenant with and in this covenant with Moses, God 125 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,480 commanded for a Tabernacle to be built for him. 126 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,880 This this mobile tent for sacrificing and purification and 127 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,080 and community communicating with God. 128 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:31,240 God's glorious presence would dwell in in the holy of holies 129 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:33,640 over the ark of the covenant in this tent. 130 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:38,520 And God established the sacrificial system with 131 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:43,440 purification laws so that the sinful, unclean people could be 132 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:46,680 made clean and dwell in the midst of a holy God. 133 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:50,280 And then Leviticus and Deuteronomy. 134 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:54,160 God promised blessings for obedience and curses for 135 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:59,200 disobedience. God's glorious presence dwelt in 136 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,400 in the Tabernacle for hundreds of years until King Solomon 137 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:07,520 built the first Temple in Jerusalem, where the the Temple 138 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:11,880 of Mount in Israel is today. This temple was exquisite. 139 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,400 The gold, the silver, the bronze, the cedar. 140 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:21,800 It was a sight to behold, but sadly after throughout the the 141 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,680 400 years that it was in use, it was it was often neglected and 142 00:09:25,680 --> 00:09:29,800 it was even misused at times. Idols from other nations were 143 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,000 brought into Solomon's Temple and worshipped in it. 144 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:39,720 And so in 586 BC, when Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to 145 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:44,880 Jerusalem and overthrew it, he destroyed Solomon's Temple and 146 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,360 took all the precious instruments of worship. 147 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:52,400 He took them all to, to Babylon. He also exiled the Jews to 148 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,840 Babylon. And so the people of God left 149 00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:00,280 the promised land in shambles to go to a foreign nation where 150 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:04,200 they would have to follow and worship God without a temple for 151 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:07,240 70 years. So you can read about some of 152 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:10,680 that in in the book of Daniel. So that's kind of the that's, 153 00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:12,960 that's the brief back story of the temple. 154 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:18,160 So now we come to the time of Haggai and Zechariah in 19 years 155 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:24,720 prior to Haggai's prophecy in in 539 BC, the Persian king Cyrus 156 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:29,800 the Great, he overtook Babylon. And then the following year 157 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:33,840 after that, he issued A decree permitting Jews to begin 158 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:37,080 returning to Jerusalem, and he commanded them to rebuild their 159 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,560 temple. It was amazing, it was a 160 00:10:39,560 --> 00:10:43,800 miracle, it was an act of God. And so we read about this in the 161 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,640 book of Ezra, and the Jews did just that. 162 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:51,160 They started to rebuild the temple, but then they stopped. 163 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:54,160 Why did that happen? Why'd they stop? 164 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,040 Well, there's other people who lived in Jerusalem who weren't 165 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:00,960 Jews. They were, had been sent there 166 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:05,160 by the Assyrians and they, they, they, they, they wanted to help 167 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:07,200 rebuild the temple. And they, they asked the Jews if 168 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:09,240 they could help. But the Jews turned them down, 169 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,800 knowing that they should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers 170 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:18,720 in the building of God's temple. This, this kind of ticked them 171 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:21,160 off, ticked off these foreign transplants. 172 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:23,880 And so they caused problems and they made the Jews afraid to 173 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:29,200 continue rebuilding the temple. And then a new Persian king 174 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:33,080 named Arctic Xerxes came into power and they influenced him to 175 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,120 send a letter to the Jews to stop rebuilding the temple. 176 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:41,520 So that work on the House of Lords stopped for many years. 177 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,640 All right, so that brings us all up now to 520 BC. 178 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,880 Here, the book of of Haggai. And we see from verse one of 179 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:56,720 Haggai that Darius became king. Darius, he was in his second 180 00:11:56,720 --> 00:12:02,080 year as king of Persia. Persia had power over, you know, 181 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:06,080 vast amount of land and and, and so the land of Judah was just a 182 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,760 small portion of it. And so because Darius was king, 183 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:12,440 that means that the Jews couldn't have a king of their 184 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,160 own. Instead they had a governor. 185 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:18,920 That governor's name was Zerubbabel, the son of Sheel 186 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:23,200 Teal and Zerubbabel. He was the grandson of King 187 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,520 Jehoiachin. So he was, he was of the kingly 188 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:32,560 line of David, but here he was in Jerusalem with with no throne 189 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:38,560 and limited power. The book of Hagai was written to 190 00:12:38,560 --> 00:12:42,880 Zerubbabel the governor, and also to Joshua the high priest. 191 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:47,680 And then also it speaks of being written to all the remnant of 192 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,800 the people. All right, so that's a brief 193 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:55,760 context of hey guy, let's let's not take a look at his message. 194 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:59,720 As I mentioned, there are 4 prophecies in this little book 195 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,840 and they're all dated very specifically because we have 196 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,120 these dates and because of other archaeological discoveries that 197 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,720 mentioned King Darius. We know down to the very day 198 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,280 when each of these prophecies were made. 199 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,160 It's pretty cool. They occur between August 29th 200 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:24,040 and December 18th of 520 BC. Another thing we see in this 201 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:28,440 little book is that the name the Lord of Hosts is the preferred 202 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:30,520 title for God. In this book. 203 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:36,960 It occurs 14 times in 38 verses. To just hear it again and again. 204 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:41,240 So but, but why? Why that specific title? 205 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:43,480 Why is that specifically used here? 206 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,360 Well, I'm not, I'm not 100% sure, but here's my guess. 207 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:53,480 Maybe it's used that to remind the Jews that that although they 208 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:59,400 have no military to protect them, they have the Lord of 209 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:02,120 hosts on their side, the Lord of armies. 210 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:07,800 He is the God who commands a vast army of of heavenly angels 211 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:12,400 and in his hand are all the armies of the earth. 212 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:19,280 They Israel, Judah, this army list people, they are safe and 213 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:23,160 secure if they're in a right relationship with him, no matter 214 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:28,840 what army comes against them. Now let's take a look at the 215 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,480 first prophecy, a call to resume building the temple. 216 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:36,800 This prophecy took place on August 29th of 520. 217 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,640 Read along with me verses 2, verses 2 through 11. 218 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,240 Thus says the Lord of hosts. These people say, the time has 219 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:49,840 not yet come to rebuild the House of the Lord, and the word 220 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,000 of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet. 221 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,400 Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your panelled 222 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,200 houses, while this house lies in ruins? 223 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:02,120 Now therefore thus, says the Lord of Hosts, Consider your 224 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:04,680 ways. You have so much and harvested 225 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:06,360 little. You eat, but you never have 226 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:08,120 enough. You drink, but you never have 227 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:10,480 your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no 228 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:14,760 one is warm, and he who earns wages does so to put them into a 229 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:18,280 bag with holes. Thus, says the Lord of Hosts, 230 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,480 consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring 231 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:25,320 wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that 232 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:27,400 I may be glorified, says the Lord. 233 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:31,600 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little, and when you 234 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:36,360 brought it home I blew it away. Why, declares the Lord of hosts, 235 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,960 because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies 236 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,520 himself with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you 237 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,640 have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 238 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:52,360 I have called for a drought on the land, in the hills, on the 239 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:56,680 grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on 240 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:59,680 man and beast, and on all their laborers. 241 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,440 This first prophecy is a wake up call to the Jews that their 242 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:09,280 priorities are out of whack and they're still experiencing 243 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:13,520 covenant curses because of it. Twice in this message, the Lord 244 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,120 calls His people to consider their ways. 245 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:20,240 They're to stop, and they're to question what they've been doing 246 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:25,640 and how they've been living. The philosopher Socrates, who 247 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:29,760 would be born 50 years after this prophecy, he famously said 248 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,360 the unexamined life is not worth living. 249 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:36,200 The unexamined life is not worth living. 250 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:40,480 It's foolish to go about life thinking and not thinking about 251 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:43,760 what you're doing or or, or or why you're doing it and just 252 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:47,120 never reflecting on your life and never repenting from sin. 253 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:51,920 And here God tells the Jews to stop and think about what 254 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,440 they're doing. Examine their lives. 255 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,200 Notice how they've gotten off course. 256 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:02,320 The end goal of God bringing the the Jews back to Jerusalem 257 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:06,040 wasn't just merely for them to live there, it was for them to 258 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:10,319 worship God there. And so they needed to get their 259 00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:12,440 priorities straight and rebuild the temple. 260 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,599 Verse 4 says that the Jews had made themselves paneled houses 261 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:23,280 and well, we're not really, we're not exactly sure what that 262 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:25,480 means. It does mean that the people 263 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:29,120 prioritized their own houses over the House of the Lord. 264 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:35,760 Now, it was good for the Jews to restore their houses and build 265 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:40,760 new ones, but this good thing became the most important thing 266 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:46,040 then then worshipping God. And when a good thing becomes 267 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,000 the most important thing, it becomes a bad thing. 268 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:53,280 It becomes an idol. And I think we're often blind to 269 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:56,720 this as Christians. We figure if something isn't 270 00:17:56,720 --> 00:18:00,360 inherently evil, then then hey, it's, it's, it's good or find it 271 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:05,120 to do that or to or to have it. We often don't think through if 272 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,720 if a good thing is going to take up way too much priority in our 273 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:13,040 lives and and and suffocate out the worship of God. 274 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,680 Have other priorities become more important to you than to 275 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:21,680 worship the Lord? To worship the Lord on on the 276 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:26,040 Lord's Day? Is it sports or hobbies or, you 277 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:28,880 know, staying up way too late on on with Saturday night 278 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:31,240 activities that just make you too tired for Sunday? 279 00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:37,160 Now, many of you have jobs that require Sunday shifts like in 280 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:41,480 the hospital system, and those are important jobs of mercy for 281 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:44,440 our neighbors. But maybe you've been picking up 282 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,000 shifts on Sundays that you don't really need to. 283 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,400 Now, there's certainly challenges to getting to worship 284 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:53,720 when you have little children or if you're sick. 285 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:56,080 And there's certainly, certainly grace for those seasons. 286 00:18:56,280 --> 00:19:00,480 But no matter what season we're in, God wants us to make worship 287 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:04,920 our highest priority. Jesus says on the Sermon on the 288 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,280 Mount. But seek first the Kingdom of 289 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:11,640 God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added 290 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,000 to you. We aren't to be anxious about 291 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:19,120 our lives and getting crazy busy in all sorts of other stuff. 292 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,760 God wants us to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. 293 00:19:26,360 --> 00:19:29,520 God not only commands the Jews to rebuild the temple, He also 294 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:33,160 wants them to connect the dots between the drought of that 295 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:36,440 their land was in and the spiritual drought of their 296 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,400 worship. Verse 6 says that they had sown 297 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:42,880 much but harvested little. They didn't have enough to eat 298 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,320 or drink, and they lived like they had holes in their money 299 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:48,640 bags. This language is reminiscence of 300 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:52,640 the language in Deuteronomy 28 of the covenant curses for 301 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,200 disobedience. So, but you know, remember the 302 00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:00,880 Jews are are under the old covenant, the Mosaic covenant. 303 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:03,160 They're not under the new covenant here. 304 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:07,720 And so they, they're so there were these covenant curses for 305 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,600 not maintaining a right relationship with God just 306 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:13,200 because they were back in the land. 307 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:15,760 They couldn't assume that everything was good with their 308 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:19,800 relationship with God. Now they needed to rebuild the 309 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:23,120 temple and restore the worship of God as their highest 310 00:20:23,120 --> 00:20:26,920 priority. Now, if you if you don't 311 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:29,440 understand the old covenant here, you could cook up the 312 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:32,240 prosperity gospel really quick. All right. 313 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:37,880 God is not a vending machine. His blessings are not a 314 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,760 mechanical transaction where we give him good works and worship 315 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:44,960 and then he spits back to us material blessings. 316 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:50,280 Even for Israel, the the the the covenant blessings and curses 317 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:54,400 were were not a mechanical, predictable exchange. 318 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:59,360 God was patient with his people for literally hundreds of years 319 00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:03,200 while they were wicked, without bringing his curses on them, and 320 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:04,640 while continuing to bless their land. 321 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:10,040 And in the same way, when Israel lived rightly before him, all of 322 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:11,880 their problems didn't just go away. 323 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:17,080 There are still many challenges. The New covenant doesn't work 324 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:20,600 like the old, as as Christians in the new covenant, we we 325 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:25,520 should expect, we should expect to live like heirs, not like 326 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:28,560 kings and Queens. So what do I mean by that? 327 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:34,080 An heir is a child who will one day receive the wealth of his or 328 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:36,440 her family, but but they haven't received it yet. 329 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,560 He or she might be quite poor until the day they receive their 330 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:43,720 inheritance. So it is with the Christian life 331 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,160 in Christ. We are blessed with every 332 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:51,280 spiritual blessing in Christ, and that's Ephesians 1. 333 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:55,160 And we are, we are heirs of the new heavens and new earth. 334 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,680 But as we live on this earth, we face sufferings and trials. 335 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,760 Our obedience does not earn us material blessings 336 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:08,320 automatically. Rather, Jesus wants us to to 337 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:11,080 focus on storing up our treasures in heaven. 338 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:17,480 So live like an heir and don't expect your best life now. 339 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:25,280 So how did the Jews respond to hey guys, first message here. 340 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,160 Let's look now at verses 12 through 15. 341 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,800 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shaltile, and Joshua the son of 342 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:36,960 Jehovah, Zadak the high priest, with all the remnant of the 343 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:41,680 people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of 344 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:45,400 Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the 345 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,800 people feared the Lord. Then Haggai the messenger of the 346 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,840 Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message. 347 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:54,880 I am with you, declares the Lord. 348 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:58,640 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of 349 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:01,800 Sheel Till, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son 350 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:05,120 of Jehozadak the high priest, and the spirit of all the 351 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:08,960 remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the 352 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,600 House of the Lord their God, the Lord of hosts, their God, on the 353 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:16,320 24th day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year 354 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:21,600 of Darius the king. This is a wonderful model for 355 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:26,960 how God's Word should impact us. The people heard God's word, and 356 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:31,000 together they obeyed. They properly feared the Lord 357 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:34,960 knowing that that he had the power over nations to exile 358 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,880 them. They knew that full well and he 359 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,000 had the power of the land to bring drought upon them for 360 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,800 discipline. And verses 13 and 14, we see how 361 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,600 they had we see how they had the the strength to to obey. 362 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:53,440 In verse 13, the Lord comforts his people saying, I am with 363 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:56,160 you. Even though they didn't have a 364 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:01,080 temple, God was still with them. Even though they had sinned, God 365 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:04,280 was still with them. God still loved them, and they 366 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:08,920 were still His chosen people. The people repented and obeyed 367 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:16,040 because God was with them. In verse 14, it says that the 368 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:20,720 Lord stirred up the spirits of Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the 369 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,880 remnant of the people so that they obediently began working on 370 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:32,720 the temple. When God gives us commands, he 371 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,800 doesn't just passively wait for people to obey. 372 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:41,000 He gives commands, and then he gives the will and the strength 373 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:46,720 to obey those commands. As Agustin once said, give what 374 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:49,280 you command, O Lord, and then command what you will. 375 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:55,440 Give what you command, O God. God commanded the temple to 376 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:57,760 rebuild, and then he gave what He commanded. 377 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:01,720 He gave them His presence, and He stirred up their hearts to 378 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:04,600 obey. He gave them willing spirits. 379 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,280 So may we hear God's commands with that same hope. 380 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:14,840 May we not see God's commands as burdensome, but may we, by God's 381 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:20,160 Spirit, hope in the strength from God to obey His commands 382 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:24,360 willingly and eagerly. May the Lord stir up our spirits 383 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:29,880 to do His will and to make His worship our greatest joy and our 384 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:36,200 greatest priority. So that's the first prophecy. 385 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:41,840 Let's move on now to the second present strength and future 386 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:46,280 glory. This prophecy takes place about 387 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,080 a month and a half later, on October 17th. 388 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:54,200 Look with me at chapter 2, verses one through 9, in the 389 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:56,560 seventh month. On the 21st day of the month, 390 00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:59,520 the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet. 391 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,680 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shell Teal, governor of 392 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,840 Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehovah, Dak the high priest, 393 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:08,480 and to all the remnant of the people. 394 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:13,240 And say, who is left among you who saw this house in its former 395 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:15,520 glory? How do you see it now? 396 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:18,920 Is it not as nothing in your eyes yet? 397 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:21,560 Now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. 398 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:26,080 Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak the high priest, be 399 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:28,000 strong. All you people of the land, 400 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:32,560 declares the Lord work. For I am with you, declares the 401 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,480 Lord of Hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you 402 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:39,640 when you came out of Egypt. My spirit remains in your midst. 403 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:43,480 Fear not for thus says the Lord of Hosts. 404 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:49,720 Yet once more, in a little while I will shake the heavens and the 405 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:54,200 earth and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all 406 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,800 nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, 407 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:02,520 and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of Hosts. 408 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,440 The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of 409 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,080 Hosts. The latter glory of this house 410 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:13,280 shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of Hosts. 411 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,400 And in this day and in this place I will give peace, 412 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:25,640 declares the Lord of Hosts. As the Jewish remnant gathered 413 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:30,320 to hear God's second word from Haggai, it seemed that they're 414 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:33,920 gathered together at the construction site of the temple. 415 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:39,440 There were there were four more years left to of building the 416 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:44,280 temple and it would eventually be finished and dedicated in 516 417 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:49,200 BC, 70 years after Solomon's temple had been destroyed. 418 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:53,520 But at this point there was a long way to go to finishing the 419 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:57,240 temple and it was clear from the get go that it wasn't going to 420 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:00,120 be as grand as the previous temple. 421 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:05,440 In verse 3, Haggai speaks to a few of the aged elders who had 422 00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:09,720 seen Solomon's temple when they were children, and he points out 423 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:13,840 to them what they probably were all thinking, that this temple, 424 00:28:14,360 --> 00:28:16,920 there's really nothing in comparison to Solomon's. 425 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:23,040 But in verses 4 through 9, the Lord is going to surprise them 426 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:27,480 with a bright future. Just as he told Joshua before 427 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:31,760 going into the promised land, He commands them all to be strong. 428 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:35,480 He reassures them once again that he is with them. 429 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:38,760 They are to work because he is with them. 430 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:43,680 They're not to be afraid because His Spirit remains in their 431 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:46,760 midst. Even though this temple wouldn't 432 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:51,400 have all the gold and all the glamour, the people would have 433 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:53,800 God's Spirit in their midst, and that's all that mattered. 434 00:28:56,320 --> 00:29:04,040 Worship isn't about. Sometimes God brings us back to 435 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:08,560 the heart of worship, and He. Sometimes God simplifies our 436 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:12,520 worship from all the glitz and all the glamour that it used to 437 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:16,480 be. Worship isn't. 438 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,040 It's not about having the the best worship band, the largest 439 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:24,760 choir, the biggest attendance, the most historic building, the 440 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:27,800 the most epic stained glass, the largest. 441 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:30,800 You just stop it. Or even really, you know, the 442 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:33,880 largest pipe organ or really having the most reformed dish 443 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:38,480 liturgy. There are a million ways to 444 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:41,560 distract our worship from focusing on God. 445 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:46,040 And sometimes God simplifies our worship so that we remember what 446 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:51,800 it's really all about. It's about seeing the glory of 447 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:57,600 God in the face of Jesus Christ. That's what it's all about. 448 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:01,120 There's a lot of other distractions, but at the end of 449 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,240 the day, that's what it's all about. 450 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:11,920 And sometimes God simplifies our worship so that we stop hoping 451 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:16,280 in our present worship and we start looking forward to our 452 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:19,600 future worship. And that's what the Lord does in 453 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:22,200 the in the next verses. Here in verses 6 through 9, He 454 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:24,720 tells them about the future glory that's coming. 455 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:29,160 In verse 6, the Lord says something shocking. 456 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,720 In a little while, He plans to shake everything up. 457 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:36,760 He will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry 458 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,040 land. The Lord of hosts will shake all 459 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:42,080 the nations, and nothing will be the same after that. 460 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,800 God will shake all things, and all nations will come to His 461 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:48,520 temple and bring their treasures to it. 462 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:52,320 All the silver and all the gold that was stripped away from the 463 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:58,760 temple belongs to the Lord. God promises to fill His house 464 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:04,600 with His glory, and then in verse 9, the Lord promises 465 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:06,440 something almost too amazing to believe. 466 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:11,120 The glory of the latter temple will be greater than the former 467 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:15,080 temple. How could the smaller temple 468 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:19,400 have more glory? The answer would be in the 469 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:23,160 coming of Jesus Christ 500 years later. 470 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:26,080 Into this temple would come the glory of God in the person of 471 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:30,680 Jesus Christ. John 114 says, And the word 472 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:34,680 became flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen his glory, 473 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:39,360 glory as of as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace 474 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:43,240 and truth. The Word for dwelt in John 114 475 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:46,080 is actually the word for Tabernacle, Jesus. 476 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:48,960 The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. 477 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:53,160 He would be the greater temple that all other temples were just 478 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:57,560 mere shadows of. Jesus explicitly calls Himself 479 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:01,520 the temple in John chapter 2, and in John four he taught the 480 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:04,520 Samaritan woman that at the well, that worship wouldn't be 481 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:07,880 about location anymore, it would be all about worshipping the 482 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:12,120 Father in spirit and in truth. Jesus was about to shake 483 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:15,600 everything up. Jesus became the place of 484 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:19,520 worship for all nations, not just the Jews. 485 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:24,680 And he, he isn't just our He isn't just our final temple. 486 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:28,000 He is also our sinless High priest who lives forever. 487 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:32,160 He's our spotless sacrificial lamb who by one offering on the 488 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,600 cross was able to perfect for all time all of God's people. 489 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:40,840 The old sacrificial system was fading away and the glory of the 490 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:43,000 New Covenant in Jesus Christ was coming. 491 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:47,960 And people from all nations would see that glory, the glory 492 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:51,080 of Jesus Christ. And to him they would bring 493 00:32:51,080 --> 00:32:56,000 their treasures and their worship for the Jews and 494 00:32:56,000 --> 00:33:00,840 Haggai's day, even though they, even though what they saw was 495 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:05,640 small and humble, what they heard with their ears and what 496 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:10,840 they believed in in their hearts was a far greater glory than the 497 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:18,960 glory of Solomon's temple. We're not going to, we're going 498 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:22,560 to skip over the third prophecy in verses 10 through 19, but let 499 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:26,320 me just briefly summarize it in In this third prophecy, the Lord 500 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:31,840 declares A gracious shift for the Jews from curse to blessing. 501 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,520 These last two prophecies, actually, they occur on the same 502 00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:38,680 day, December 18th, but they're just addressed to different 503 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:40,920 people. Now the third prophecy is 504 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:44,520 addressed to the priests, and he asked them a question about that 505 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:48,080 that has to do with the Torah, the law, and what what it says 506 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:49,840 about cleanliness and uncleanliness. 507 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:54,080 He then says that the Jews are unclean and as a result, they're 508 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:55,680 experiencing the covenant curses. 509 00:33:56,480 --> 00:33:58,200 But then at the very end he says this. 510 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:03,120 But from this day on, I will bless you. 511 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:07,360 I will bless you. So a shift was happening, a 512 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:09,960 shift in the relationship between God and his people. 513 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:14,320 A shift in worship was happening in their hearts even before the 514 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:18,280 temple was was built. And so because they were living 515 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,840 in a right relationship with him, they would expect covenant 516 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:25,239 blessings, the covenant blessings of Deuteronomy 28 517 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:30,400 instead of the curses. That's the third prophecy. 518 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:33,600 The the last prophecy takes place on the same day as the 519 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:37,639 third. This one is addressed just as a 520 00:34:37,639 --> 00:34:40,920 rubble the governor and the rightful heir to the throne of 521 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:44,040 David. So look with me at chapter 2, 522 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:49,120 verses 20 through 23. The word of the Lord came a 523 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:52,639 second time to Haggai on the 24th day of the month. 524 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:57,600 Speak to his rubble, governor of Judah, saying, I'm about to 525 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:01,520 shake the heavens and the earth and overthrow the throne of 526 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:03,760 kingdoms. I'm about to destroy the 527 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:06,720 strength of the kingdoms of the nations and overthrow the 528 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:10,200 Chariots and the riders and the horses, and the riders shall go 529 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:14,040 down everyone by the sword of his brother on that day, 530 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:17,400 declares the Lord of Hosts. I will take you, O Zerubbabel, 531 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:20,640 my servant, the son of Sheel Teal, declares the Lord. 532 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:26,200 And make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares 533 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:31,640 the Lord of Hosts. The prophecy of A of Haggai ends 534 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:34,720 on a high note. The Lord once again prophesied 535 00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:37,600 that he is going to shake the heavens and the earth, and this 536 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:41,640 time he mentions overthrowing the throne of kingdoms and 537 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:43,760 destroying the kingdoms of the nations. 538 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:49,520 And verse 23 the Lord uses the phrase on that day. 539 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:53,120 It's a phrase that Hagai only uses once, but it's a phrase 540 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:57,400 used very often throughout prophetic literature to describe 541 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:01,720 the final day of the Lord. So it seems that that this is a 542 00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:05,440 prophecy of God shaking the kingdoms of the world on the day 543 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:10,160 when Christ returns. Another reason why I think this 544 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,400 is because of the Lord's prophecy to Zerubbabel. 545 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:17,160 In verse 23, it says that on that day when he shakes up the 546 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:21,760 nation's, he will take his chosen servant Zerubbabel and 547 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:25,760 make him like a signet ring, like a signery. 548 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:29,240 Now what does that mean? The signal ring was a was a 549 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:33,720 royal ring worn by a king that had a seal for giving his 550 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:36,960 approval, his authority, his authoritative approval. 551 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:42,240 And so here God is declaring that on that day of shaking he 552 00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:46,480 will, would, would, he will make Zerubbabel like his kingly seal. 553 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:51,520 This I believe is a prophecy of Jesus Christ second coming, when 554 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:56,160 he will reign as God's forever king as the book of Daniel 555 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:59,280 prophesied. A Kingdom is coming that will 556 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:03,080 destroy all other kingdoms, and that Kingdom is the Kingdom of 557 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:08,560 heaven. But why does God say Zerubbabel 558 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:13,480 will be that signet ring? Zerubbabel was of the kingly 559 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:17,720 line of David and so he is the ancestor of Jesus Christ. 560 00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:23,400 We see Zerubbabel's name in in Jesus genealogies in the Gospels 561 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:28,440 of Matthew and Luke. Zerubbabel is representative of 562 00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:32,440 the restoration of the Davidic throne because from him would 563 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:36,960 come the forever King. And so the book of Haggai ends 564 00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:40,760 on a high note, prophesying the end of all kingdoms in the 565 00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:45,720 beginning of the new Kingdom of heaven ruled by Zerubbabel, by 566 00:37:45,720 --> 00:37:51,760 Zerubbabel's son Jesus Christ. Jesus is the glory of God, He is 567 00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:55,280 the forever temple, and he is the everlasting king. 568 00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:01,880 That's the message of Haggai. So how are we to live in light 569 00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:05,960 of this little book? I always love it when New 570 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:09,840 Testament authors interpret and apply the Old Testament for us. 571 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:12,640 It makes makes a pastor's job very easy. 572 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:16,800 Well, the author of Hebrews does does just that in Hebrews 573 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:20,080 chapter 12. In that chapter he calls Haggai 574 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:26,440 chapter 2 about God promising to shake the earth and the heavens. 575 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:30,480 Then he says in this in verses 28 and 29. 576 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:36,280 Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a Kingdom that 577 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:41,200 cannot be shaken, and let us offer to God acceptable worship 578 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:47,880 with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. 579 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:54,120 The author of Hebrews wants us to apply Hagai in a few ways. 580 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:56,080 First, we're we're to be grateful. 581 00:38:56,840 --> 00:38:59,600 We're to thank God that he's given us a Kingdom that cannot 582 00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:01,800 be shaken. Although the kingdoms of this 583 00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:06,760 world seem strong and secure, like Russia and China, in our 584 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:11,360 own country, although they may seem immovable, there are no 585 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:15,800 match for the power of God. When Jesus returns, all the 586 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:20,400 kingdoms will be shaken, and the only Kingdom to remain unshaken 587 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:24,920 is the Kingdom of heaven. We have received this Kingdom 588 00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:28,280 now in part, and one day it will come in its fullness of Christ's 589 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:32,920 return, and it will be the only Kingdom left standing. 590 00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:38,040 The Kingdom of Heaven is the only secure Kingdom. 591 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:43,720 I love how CS Lewis in his book the Great Divorce depicts heaven 592 00:39:43,720 --> 00:39:48,000 as a place incredibly real and solid. 593 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:53,600 The grass is as hard as diamonds to these these these ghosts that 594 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:58,680 are visiting it. It's you know, and and and the 595 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:02,840 water is like stone. The Kingdom of Heaven is 596 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:04,800 incredibly. Solid. 597 00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:08,520 It's unshakable and it's more real and lasting than anything 598 00:40:08,520 --> 00:40:12,200 imaginable. And so let us be grateful that 599 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:17,040 God has given us this Kingdom and he's given it to us already. 600 00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:22,320 We are as secure as its citizens, even even even though 601 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:24,120 we live in a foreign land, right land right now. 602 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:30,040 The author of Hebrews also calls us to OfferUp to God acceptable 603 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:33,160 worship. We do this by worshipping with 604 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:37,680 reverence and awe. We aren't to worship God on our 605 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:41,880 own terms and and we aren't we aren't to worship a God made in 606 00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:46,720 our own image. Our God is a consuming fire. 607 00:40:48,240 --> 00:40:52,440 He's the same God that appeared to Israel on on Mount Sinai and 608 00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:54,680 shook that mountain before the people. 609 00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:59,200 He's the same God whose glory consumed Aaron's sons Nate, AB 610 00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:07,120 and Abihu when they offered a disobedient worship when His 611 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:09,560 glory appeared at the consecration of the Tabernacle. 612 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:15,360 Our God is love, and our God is a consuming fire. 613 00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:19,240 Let's worship Him with reverence and awe. 614 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:25,400 And finally, let's prioritize our worship of Him above 615 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,360 everything else. Make the needed changes in your 616 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:32,200 life, the needed changes in your family's schedule to make 617 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:36,200 worship number one. Everything else is temporary, 618 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:42,000 shakeable and breakable, but worshipping and enjoying God is 619 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:46,240 something we will do forever. Let's pray. 620 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:52,200 Heavenly Father, we thank you that you have given us a Kingdom 621 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:56,320 that cannot be shaken, a Kingdom with a king who will live 622 00:41:56,320 --> 00:42:02,360 forever, our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray that you would stir 623 00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:07,640 up our hearts, that we would work for your glory, that we 624 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:11,280 would worship you with willing and joyful hearts. 625 00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:14,640 Lord, I pray that you would work in our hearts, that we might 626 00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:19,880 prioritize your worship above all as we pray in the name of 627 00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:21,440 Jesus our King, Amen.