Sermon Tone Analysis

Title:        Following God Takes Courage.

Text:        Haggai 2:1-9.

CIT: People are encouraged to follow the Lord courageously.

\\ Theme:            Follow the Lord courageously.

Purpose:  Revival~/Recommitment~/Courage.

Introduction

 

        The devil, according to legend, once advertised some of his tools for sale at public auction.

When the prospective buyers showed up, there was one oddly-shaped tool which was labeled “Not for sale.”

Asked to explain why this was, the devil answered, “I can spare my other tools, but I cannot spare this one.

It is the most useful tool that I have.

It is called “Discouragement,” and with it I can work my way into hearts otherwise inaccessible.

When I get this tool into a person’s heart, the way is open to plant anything there I may desire.”

Haggai’s second message to the remnant of Israel was all about “Discouragement.”

Almost a month has past since the construction on God’s House had began.

It was the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

A great crowd had come to town and the item which drew all their  attention was the rebuilding of God’s House.

People flocked to look at the progress.

Faced with the relative absence of progress, human nature reared its ugly head.

Look what they are doing here!

This will be a half-baked building compared with the old temple that Solomon built!

And perhaps there were a few octogenarians present, people who had actually been familiar with the original temple before its destruction.

Wistful recollections of the splendour of the past produced frustration and discouragement.

There’s always a great danger in looking back.

That’s why Paul said, /“Forgetting those things which lie behind, I press on toward the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14)./

God attempts to bring them out of their discouragement by pointing out three things.

I.  The Present Reality (Haggai 2:1-3).

/In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month (October 17, 520 B.C.), the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying:  “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying:  ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory?

And how do you see it now?

In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?/

We don’t know how much work had been done in a month, but evidently it was just enough to give the people an idea of what the new temple would belike.

The timber frame looked inferior to the dressed stone of Solomon’s Temple that had been destroyed.

Solomon had a vast amount of gold and silver from David’s treasury, fine stone, marble, and other valuable material for its construction.

It took almost two hundred thousand workman approximately seven years to build it.

Perched high upon Mount Moriah, it was impressive.

In contrast, the remnant number around fifty thousand and they had very limited resources.

They had worked for a month.

No wonder there were many who were discouraged and wanted to quit.

The same situation is revisited many times and many places today.

When I was a boy, I remember some of the adults talking about the good old days.

Can I tell you the truth, I don’t remember any good old days when I was a boy — those days when I was growing up were hard.

I remember the first little church I served in Missouri.

It was a little white building.

I wasn’t there but for seven months because I was still in the Army and I was transferred.

During that time we had a revival and God blessed.

Many people were saved.

A few weeks later, some of us sat and we were talking about what a wonderful meeting it had been.

There was one old man there.

He said, “You’ve had some good meetings, young man, but I remember….”

When someone starts that, you are headed for the downhill run.

He told us, “When I was a young man, we really had revival meetings!”

As he told us about the meetings, ours seemed pretty small and insignificant.

I learned later that he  exaggerated a little.

What he said was  discouraging.

And in Haggai’s day the folk, who had been so enthusiastic, became discouraged.

How is God going to meet this situation?

Well, I’ll tell you how we would do it today.

We would appoint a committee to see what could be done.

Amen!

I am a committee person.

I want to get as many people involved it the process as possible.

But the committee must seek God leadership and go to work.

As someone has said, most committees are a group of people who individually can do nothing and who together  decide that nothing can be done.

Having been a pastor for many years, I am confident that we would use the committee approach to handle this problem.

But that is not the way God solved it.

He faced the problem squarely and came up with a very simple solution.

We will see it a little later.

Next see:

 

II.

The Past Reviewed (Haggai 2:4-5).

/Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts.

‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’/

I want you to notice that God was not critical of the building.

In fact, He was pleased with what they had accomplished.

Can I say to you that the enemy, Satan, always attempts to minimize any genuine work for God.

 

        /“Be Strong!”/

That was God’s answer.

Three times Haggai says /“Be strong.”/

If God has given you a task that is overwhelming, He says, /“Be Strong!”/

/ /

/        /This is Nominating Committee time in our church.

It is the time when you hear “I can’t do that!”

You hear them say, “I couldn’t do as good a job as so and so did”  Can I say that God is saying to you /“Be Strong!”/

He says something else, /“For I am with you.”/

They could accomplish the task because God was with them.

That is the secret,/ “God was with them.”

/ Yes, the job was to great for them, but not for God.

Any job, any ministry, you do for God is to great for you.

You can’t do it on your own and if you could it wouldn’t please God.

You see, we are sinners and anything we do is as /“filthy rags”/ to Him.

But don’t get discouraged.

Don’t quit!  /“Be Strong, for He is with you.” /

 

        And, just in case they didn’t believe Him, God gave them a promise from the past: /“‘for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts.

‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’”/

God had covenanted with Israel and His covenant will not be broken.

He also promised the Holy Spirit.

What more could you ask?  Trust Him.

You and I live in a big, bad world today.

What is our encouragement?

God’s work in many places is small and doesn’t seem to amount to very much.

What is the solution?

Well, here is God’s answer to us: /“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might”/.