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THE TASK AT HAND HAGGAI 1:1-15 Pastor Stephen Muncherian August 29, 2010 |
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This morning we’re going on with
our look at Stewardship. When we talk
about Stewardship generally we think about what? Money. And that we’re
going for this. Your
wallet. I pray that - especially after
last Sunday - that we’re seeing together that stewardship is a whole
lot more than money - 10% yadi - yadi - yada. Stewardship touches the core of who we are. It is so easy for us to get
locked up in a lifestyle where the focus of how we’re living our lives
- that focus is on us - not God. Which is
understandable. Isn’t it?
Look where we’re living - capitalist America.
How we’re judged or how we judge ourselves - all that is
way too often based on what we have. We’re
constantly being bombarded with the sales pitch that we need to buy
more - to spend more on ourselves - because we deserve it.
Way to many Christians have
bought into this self-serving version of Christianity.
The church in America has become self-focused - consumer
driven. What do I get when I choose to
show up? If my needs aren’t met I’ll show
up somewhere else. That kind of self-focus takes a
toll on our marriages and our relationships - dating - at work. What we expect from someone else.
The vast majority of what we’re bombarded with out there -
on video or music or in print - its all about lust and what you can do
for me - self. Relationships that work aren’t
self focused. Healthy community isn’t
about self. Marriage isn’t about self. Right? Marriage
is about sacrifice - service - giving up oneself for the other person. Not being a doormat. But,
a partnership of two individuals who are serving each other. With what’s out there how do we learn to do
that? Living our lives for ourselves -
obeying our selfish desires and not obeying God - that’s what God
labels as sin. Sin really is
self-destructive behavior. The kind of
self-focused - self-destructive - meet my needs or I’m out of here -
attitude that’s destroying the society we live in and is dragging us
down as well. Gnawing at our marriages and
families - our relationships - even our own feelings about ourselves. That’s why its so important that
we work at understanding what God says about stewardship.
Let’s be honest. We all
struggle with self and the effects of living for ourselves. There isn’t any one of us gets this - not to
the full extent of what stewardship is. God
is continually working on this with me. I’m
sharing this morning from weakness not strength. Stewardship is the complete 180º opposite of all that
selfishness. Stewardship forces -
disciplines us - to focus - not on ourselves - but on God.
Stewardship teaches us to live life where the only
explanation for how our lives are lived and sustained - whatever is
produced - experienced - enjoyed - whatever the reality of our lives -
stewardship brings us to the reality that the only explanation for all
that is God. When we come to understand
stewardship - when we come to live as stewards of what God entrusts us
with - stewardship brings us to the kind of life that we were created
by God to live. The only life where true
security and peace and the fulfillment that we crave - the only life
where all that is found. Life where we’re
trusting God for everything and God is glorified. Are
we together? We’re focusing on The Big Three
of Stewardship. Which are what? Time, Talent, and Treasure.
Those three - time - talent - treasure - cover the range
of what we need to be looking at when it comes to understanding
stewardship - how God can use stewardship to radically change our lives
for the better and to bring glory to Himself through us. Last Sunday we looked at the
stewardship of what? Time.
This morning we’re looking at our stewardship of talent -
the abilities and skills that God gives each of us.
Please turn with me to the book
of Haggai. If you need a Bible there’s one
under a chair ahead of you. We want to
encourage you to bring your own Bible on Sundays. But
if you need one there’s one there for you to use. And
if you don’t have a Bible of your own feel free to take that one home
with you. Coming to Haggai - Haggai is
three books from the end of the Old Testament. New
Testament and go back three. Haggai isn’t
that well known. Its one of those minor
prophet books that gets skipped over. But
this is a great little book that has a lot to say about how much we’re
really trusting God as we go through life. Let’s read verses 1 and 2 out
loud together: In the
second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month,
the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son
of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak,
the high priest saying, “Thus says
the Lord of hosts, ‘This people says, “the time has not come, even the
time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”’” We need to grab onto some
history here. What’s
going on with Haggai and God’s people In the beginning of the 6th
century BC - Nebuchadnezzar - remember him? Book
of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar had sacked the
smaller towns of Judah. Finally in 586 BC
Neb laid siege to Jerusalem - destroyed the city - burned the temple
that Solomon had built - left it a burned out shell of its former glory
- hauled God’s people off into exile - mostly to Babylon.
In 536 BC - 50 years later after
Neb got through sacking the place - Cyrus - the Persian Emperor - who
had conquered Babylon - so now Cyrus is in charge of all these exiled
Jews - Cyrus issued a decree that allowed the Jews to go back to
Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. We’re
together? Ezra - who lived at the same
time as Haggai - Ezra - in Ezra chapter 1 - Ezra recorded that decree -
Cyrus’ decree - allowing the Jews to return home. Listen
to the words of this pagan king. As you’re
listening listen for who gets the credit for why Cyrus is doing this. Thus says
Cyrus king of Persia, “The Lord, the God of heaven - hear that?
The Lord the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms
of earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem,
which is in Judah. Whoever there is among
you of all His people, - the Jews - may his God
be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem
which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. Every survivor, at whatever place he may live,
let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods
and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God - the Temple - which is in
Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:2-4) Who gets the credit? God. God stirs up the heart of this
pagan king - Cyrus - who issues this decree - which was in itself a
fulfillment of prophecy - God earlier telling His people through
Jeremiah - as God’s people were being hauled off into exile - God told
His people through Jeremiah that 70 years would go by and then God
would bring them back to the Promised Land - which - through Cyrus - 70
years later was exactly what’s going on here. God
uses this pagan king - to make this incredible declaration that’s full
of reverence of God - calling on God’s people to give everything
they’ve got - to go and restore God’s temple in Jerusalem. This is totally a God thing. A huge moment in the history of God’s people. And God’s people responded.
We know that at this huge God moment in history most of
God’s people chose to stay in Babylon. In 70 years of exile they’d set
up businesses - bought houses - gotten pretty comfortable - living the
vida loca - the good life by the banks of the Euphrates - partay. Only about 40,000 went back.
Out of 24 priestly orders only 4 went back.
Only a handful of Levites and temple servants went back -
which would have made it really hard to run the temple when it was
restored. Pretty self-defeating. What’s the point of restoring the temple if
you don’t have enough priests to run the place? Point being - the response of
God’s people to this incredible movement of God was pretty pathetic -
if not fatalistic. It was self-focused. We like the good life we’ve achieved for
ourselves. Zerubbabel - mentioned here in
verse 1 - Zerubbabel would have been the civic leader - Joshua would
have been the religious leader of that first group that went back. Under their leadership a die hard group of
Jews came back to Jerusalem and starting work on the burned out shell
of God’s temple. All of which takes place
about 536 BC. What date?
536 BC. That’s the background
leading up to verse 1. Verse 1 - the second year of
Darius the king - Darius being the king who after a lot of political
wrangling over the Persian throne - Darius becomes king - the first day
of the 6th month of the second year of Darius’ reign we know from
historical records outside of the Bible - that that date is August 29,
520 BC - 2,530 years ago - today. Is that
cool or what? That date was 16 years after
the group under Zerubbabel and Joshua had returned to start work in the
temple. Hold onto that - 16 years go by
and God says to His people in verse 2 - what?: “You all say
that the time has not come for the temple to be rebuilt.”
Sound
strange? In fulfillment of God’s
prophetic word - God moves Cyrus - king of the known earth - to make
this incredible decree - giving God’s people absolute freedom to return
from exile and to rebuild the temple - puts at their disposal all the
resources necessary to get the job done - all that God would be
glorified - that the awesomeness of God would be declared through the
work of God’s people. 16 years go by and
the people are still in “stall mode.” “Its not
time yet.” What are they waiting for? Let’s go on to verse 3. Let’s read this together:
Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet,
saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses
while this house lies desolate?” Reading through Ezra’s record of
what was going on - probably - when God’s people first got back to
Jerusalem - there was probably some initial excitement about rebuilding. “This is so
cool to be back in Jerusalem. Let’s go
build the temple.” But as the cost in materials
went higher - as the resources dwindled - as the opposition from the
people around them grew stronger. As the
reality of the task began to weigh them down. Economically
- politically - spiritually - as things started to get more difficult -
that initial excitement started to wane. Think about what distracts us
from focusing on what we need to focus on? Ever seen someone doing this? Or
this? We’ll all done this.
Right? Notice
the speedometer? These guys are going 65. “But officer
I wasn’t actually driving while I was texting.” This guy
should have no problem keeping focused on driving.
Distractions. Getting focused
on the wrong stuff. “Paneled” - verse 4 - paneled
has the idea of wood paneling on the walls inside the house - in a
culture of homes build out of rocks that would have been a pretty sweet
upgrade. Paneling also has to do with
roofing - well constructed roofs on their houses - another upgrade. These are nice houses. In contrast is the word
“desolate” in Hebrew has the idea of “ruined” - an archeologists
playground. God’s people are working at
upgrading their standard of living while 16 years later God’s temple is
still a roofless burnt out shell. God’s
people are whining about how hard it is do what God sent them to do. It isn’t the right time. When
the situation is right we’ll get to it. But
they never do. Amazingly they have all the
skills and resources - the talents and abilities - to do what they want
to do. But they’re coming up short when it
comes to God. Why? Their
focus is on who? Self - not God. God’s people are distracted. They started building their homes instead of
God’s house. They started focusing on
their own stuff and comfort and what came to matter most to them - not
God and what God had for them to do. What
God arranged to send them back to Jerusalem to do.
Which is what? Build the
temple. Looking around us - politically
- economically - even spiritually - based on our self-comfort focused
assessment of our lives - with all the things that require our effort -
our commitment. With all the options and
opportunities that we involve ourselves with - sports - recreation -
work - and so on - even church - is it ever the right time to do what
God calls us to do? Sacrificially? Where what we do is all about God - not us? And just
like God’s people back then - there will always be opposition against
us - the struggle will always be too great - the funds in the bank
account too meager - the outlook is grim - other matters that require
our attention. There will always be
distractions - what too easily focuses our effort on us - and not God. Hear this: It
doesn’t take much for us to go into “stall mode” and to get comfortable
with how we’re living our lives rather than giving our lives to what
God has called us to do. And that - by the way - that is
the definition of the stewardship of talent: Giving our lives to what God has called us to do. Let’s
say that together: “Giving our
lives to what God has called us to do.” How easy it is for us to get
distracted from that. Verse 5. Let’s
go on reading together: Now
therefore - because
you guys have gotten way off track - focusing on yourselves - Now
therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways! Verse 1 to 11 are God’s Response To His People. Let’s
say that together: “God’s
response to His people.” God responding to His
self-focused people. “Consider
your ways” is a
Hebrew idiom - a Hebrew saying. The kind
of stuff that excites Hebrew scholars even without a double shot. The phrase in Hebrew literally says, “Put your
heart on your road.” Anyone remember what the Hebrew
word for heart is? “Heart” in Hebrew is
the word “lebab.” Isn’t that great? Say that with me: “lebab.” Heart meaning the core of who we are - what
moves us deep within. To put our heart on our road is
- from the core of who we are - thinking about what we really value in
life - as we’re going down the road of life to think seriously about
the direction of our lives. Where are we
at? Where are we going in life? Verse 6 is God’s evaluation. God responding to His people - evaluating
their lives - to get them thinking seriously about where their
self-focused lives are taking them. Read verse 6 with me: “You have
sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be
satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put
on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages
to put into a purse with holes.” First evaluation:
You have sown much, but harvest little
Harsh
reality in an agrarian society. Especially
if you’re not harvesting enough to seed the next years crop. You’re living on the bare minimum. Just getting by. Not
getting ahead. Second evaluation:
you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied - you’re eating - but your
hungry. Its not enough. Third: you drink,
but there is not enough to become drunk You got wine.
But its watered down. You’re
stretching it because it isn’t enough. Fourth: you put on
clothing, but no one is warm enough Your clothing doesn’t keep
out the dampness of winter - the chill. Fifth: and he who
earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.” Holes
in the pockets that money slips through. Whatever
you’re earning your spending. You’re
living hand to mouth. Income is barely
meeting expenses. The point of God’s evaluation is
that while God’s people have focused on themselves as they’re working
hard at what they want for themselves - tons of effort poured into
what’s important to them - they’re coming up empty.
Nothing satisfies. God’s
people are coming up feeling more frustrated - more depressed - more
behind. Alabama: “I’m in a
hurry to get things done. Oh I rush and
rush until life’s no fun. All I really
gotta do is live and die. But I’m in a
hurry and I don’t know why.” (1) Ever feel like that? Its like being in line of slow moving cars and
all we want to do is get ahead - get passed this bottleneck that’s
slowing down our lives - to get to the front of the line and cruise
they way we want. The head of the line
some Eskimo with a dog sled up in the arctic - and we’re working hard
trying pass him. Gotta get there. Even if we pass him what’s the point? Think about where your life is
at - where its going. When we focus on
what satisfies us - when we’re working for ourselves and not God -
focused on self - how satisfying is that? Is
that the direction you want to keep living? Read with me at verse 7: Thus says
the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways! Go
up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be
pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. God’s response?
Here’s the other option. Get
back on track. Work for Me.
“Get wood and start paneling My house.”
Put our
efforts into what pleases God - what glorifies God. Let’s read
verse 9: “You look
for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I
blow it away. Why?” declares the Lord of
hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs
to his own house.” Imagine some poor Hebrew farmer
coming home with the harvest - a whole seasons worth of hard sweat and
labor. All the grain has been separated
from the chaff. Its all there ready to be
put in the barn. Then this amazingly
powerful wind comes and in an instant just blows it all away. The farmer asks, “God why? How could you let this happen?”
Answer: “Can you
hear Me now? My house is a ruin while
you’re working at expanding yours. You’re
blowing it. Pun intended.” Let me read verses 10 and 11 for
you. Just listen to God’s bottom line of
His response. “Therefore - because you’re working for
yourself rather than working for Me - because of the emptiness of what
you’re pouring yourself into - because of
you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce. We’re asking God why God does such things - and the
answer is as plain as the nose on our faces. - I - God - called for a
drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine,
on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all
the labor of your hands.” Its because of us - our
distracted priorities - that God does these things.
Because of what we’re working so hard to achieve - that
God has called for all this to happen. Its
harsh. But what God has done is aimed at
breaking through to our hearts and getting our attention. Bottom
line of God’s response to His people: Consider
what you’re pouring your life into. Pouring
our lives into what we value for ourselves will never achieve anything
of lasting value. It only produces more
emptiness. But pouring ourselves into what
God gives us to do - serving God - pleasing God - glorifying God -
produces what really is worth producing - what gives value and purpose
and meaning to our lives. Verses 12 to 15 focus on The Response Of God’s People To God. Let’s
say that together: “The
response of God’s people to God.” Look at
verse 12. Follow along as I read: Verse 12: Then
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the
high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of
the Lord their God -
who’s voice? The Lord their God’s - and the
words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him - who sent Haggai?
The Lord their God - And the
people showed reverence for the Lord - who? The
Lord - Then Haggai,
the messenger of the Lord, spoke by the commission of the Lord to the
people saying, “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.” - Who declared it?
The Lord - So the Lord
stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of
Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest,
and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and
worked on the house of the Lord of hosts - who’s house - the Lord’s house
- their God on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in
the second year of Darius the king. Two responses of God’s people to
God. First: They
obeyed.
Let’s say that together: “They
obeyed.” “The Lord
their God” is a
phrase that contains two names for God: “Lord”
- “Yahweh” - “God” - “Elohim.” We’ll come
to Yahweh in a bit. But first think with
me about Elohim. Elohim is the name given to the
sovereign God of creation. The God who
speaks all things into existence by the power of His word.
He speaks and it is. The God
who created Adam and Eve. Who - before
creation was creation - knew each one of us - the days of our lives. Who before creation was creation purposed to
give us our abilities and skills - even the very purpose for our lives. Elohim is the God who gives to
His people all that they need to serve Him - enables and empowers them
to service. Who speaks to His people and
calls them back to pour their lives out into the purposes for which He
has created them. To steward their lives
according to what God has called them to do. Verse 14 says that on the
twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius -
which is barely three weeks after Haggai first hits them with God’s
word - God’s people - civic leadership - spiritual leadership -
everyone - big shots and little shots - double shots - they all come
and work on the temple. Why it took them three weeks we
don’t know. Probably it took that long to
inventory their supplies - to assess and assign jobs - to dust off the
plans. Basically to get organized. 3 weeks is a whole lot shorter than 16 years. Yes? Point was that they obeyed. They did a 180° turn of direction - without
hanging on to bits and pieces of what they’d been working at. “Well maybe
God wouldn’t mind if I gave Him 80% of my life. I’m
still waxing the chariot on Tuesday even if it does conflict with Torah
study.” They gave themselves totally to
serving God - Elohim - with their lives - all that He had given them -
according to His purposes. Second response - verse 12 - They
showed reverence. Let’s try that together, “They showed
reverence.” Reverence is honor - respect -
worship - coming from the heart. The Hebrew name for Lord is
Yahweh. They obeyed Yahweh Elohim - the
Lord their God. But they had reverence for
Yahweh - emphasis Yahweh. Do you see the
difference there? That difference is
significant. Yahweh is used to describe the
God who has always existed and will always exist. The
eternal God. It was the name of God that
was so holy that God’s people never wrote it down in case someone would
read it and speak it. The name Yahweh also speaks of
intimacy - relationship. The always
existing - eternal - God who has chosen His people - who chooses to
reveal Himself to His people - who cares in a very special way for His
covenant people - who redeems His people - out of their sins. The name Yahweh - brings to mind the awesome
self-existent God - who has chosen to enter into an ongoing love
relationship with His people.
Notice verse 13.
When God’s people obey God and show Him reverence the Lord
- Yahwerh - declares, “I’m with
you.” “With” means together with them - location - Yahweh right
there with His people. And “with” means
possession - to protect and provide for. These
are Yahwehs’s people that He’s with. That’s
a tight intimate relationship. Are you seeing what we’re being
shown here? Stay with me.
God’s people - when we - from the heart - pour out our
lives into what God gives us to do - regardless of what the opposition
- the obstacles - or other opportunities - regardless of the
distractions - when we will use the abilities and skills that God has
given to us - trusting God by pouring out our lives into what God has
for us to do - God is pleased - God is glorified - and we experience
life lived tight - intimately - with the living God.
Life the way we crave life to be lived. Two take home questions. Homework for this week. Question
#1: Who are you serving with all that you
are? Anyone remember who Angela
Montez is? Watch this and think about who
you’re serving with your life.
During those 40 minutes when
Angela and Gregory were together - the store which is normally very
busy - had no customers and no phone calls. They
had uninterrupted time to pray together. To
talk about life and God. One of the things
Angela said as she was being interviewed was that she felt that the “Lord sent
both of us together.” That’s a huge God moment. “Vocation” comes from a Latin
verb that means “to call.” Each of us has
a vocation given to us by God. We’re
called to be His people - to obey Him - to reverence Him - to glorify
Him - to serve Him with our lives - stewardship. As
a follower of Jesus - our vocation is to testify of Jesus and life with
Him. To pour ourselves - all that we are -
into our vocation. The great commission - “Go into the
world…” (Matthew 28:16-20) -Jesus isn’t
talking to professional disciples. You may
be a student - or a teacher - or a wife - a mother - a husband - a
father - a sibling - a whatever. All that
is where we live out our vocation. We may
change jobs - switch schools - move away from home - our situation may
change but our vocation never does. In the God given opportunities
of your life - with the abilities and skills God has given you -
24/7/365 - who are you serving? Take
Home Question #2: What distracts you from
serving God with all that you are? Vocation is not vacation. Sometimes its hard. We
may have a gun to our heads. Sometimes it
may feel that way. Sometimes we may be
tempted serve ourselves - to get into “stall mode.”
All of us yield to distractions. If
you can’t think of one, ask God. He’ll
show you. Then - choose to do the 180° turn - to obedience - reverence
for God - serving God with all that you are. _____________________ 1) Alabama “I’m in
hurry” (and I don’t know why) - American Pride
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. |