Sermon Tone Analysis

*Haggai 4**.*

Rhoda takes Hannah and a few of the neighbourhood children to a kids’ club on Thursday evenings.

At the end of the year they had a barbeque around the place of one of the people who take it – and I was dragged along.

There we were in a situation with a group of fellow Christians, but who we didn’t know.

Rhoda is a lot better than me at the social interaction thing – while I fooled around with the kids she did the small talk thing.

The conversation went something like this: “Hi!

I am ….” “Hi, I am Rhoda.”

“You are Hannah’s mum, right?”

So far, so good.

Then it goes something like this: “And where do you fellowship?”

Here it comes …. , next question and how many do you get along?”

Ever encountered that?

The measure of a fellowship is how many people you have coming along.

And here we are at little Tedder ave!

Here are these fellowships with hundreds or thousands in the congregation!

It’s all a bit discouraging.

We labour away and what results do we see?

Are we getting anywhere?

Here I have been preaching for 15 years – what is the response?

What has been accomplished?

Wouldn’t you like to see the place packed with people?

Don’t you long to see people getting saved?

Do you recall times when it was different?

We used to help at Christian camps or holiday programs every summer holidays.

Kids would flock in and it wasn’t unusual to end the camp with every kid saved.

Our lounge was full of kids every Wednesday afternoon for a Good News club – dozens came to the LORD.

The Sunday School was packed with kids from the neighbourhood.

I remember back at the Elim church such wonderful times of fellowship in prayer – we would pray away in tongues for an hour and then God would speak – it was wonderful, exciting, we were hearing from God.

What came though in the prayer meeting was exactly what message was in the meeting.

Thrilling stuff!

Miracles taking place, lives being transformed.

You can look back at the glory times and then look at the present – and well, you can get discouraged.

That is pretty much the situation in Haggai’s day.

*[P]* יְהוָה had told them to build the temple, and they obeyed.

They wanted to be doing God’s will – as do we.

But then they looked at their efforts.

The temple that had been destroyed had been glorious building – built by Solomon in the golden age of Israel.

He had abundant wealth and he lavished it upon יְהוָה’s house.

But they had returned from exile to a decimated land.

They had to struggle to get their own places established.

They were not a powerful trading nation.

They did not have the wealth of Solomon.

What they did just couldn’t compare, they were, well, ….. discouraged.

But יְהוָה had a message for them.

This is the third message that He spoke to them through Haggai.

Those that had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon had neglected the building of the temple and were busy pursuing their own material goals – so the first message was a message of rebuke *[P]* – telling them to stop living for themselves but build His temple.

The people heeded that message – they heard, feared, revered and obeyed; and, in response, יְהוָה gave a message of commendation *[P]*.

Now this is the third message to them – they had been at work just under a month (26 days; cf.

Hag 1:15) when יְהוָה spoke to them again, through the prophet Haggai, to encourage them in the work.

When they were going their own way much discouragement came from יְהוָה, now they were doing His will He encouraged them – Haggai gave assurance of the Divine presence and success of the venture.

They were discouraged but יְהוָה had a cheering message of ENCOURAGEMENT *[P]*.

They had been on the job about a month.

They were getting on with building the temple but they weren’t very pleased with how it was turning out.

Let us read: [*Haggai 2:1-9* /On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of יְהוָה 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?

Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?

‘But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares יְהוָה, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares יְהוָה, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares יְהוָה of armies.

‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!’ “For thus says יְהוָה of armies, ‘Once more in a little while*, I am going* to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.

‘*I will* shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and *I will* fill this house with glory,’ says יְהוָה of armies.

‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares יְהוָה of armies.

‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says יְהוָה of armies, ‘and in this place *I will *give peace,’ declares יְהוָה of armies.”/]

יְהוָה gave Haggai orders to deliver His message – He commanded him to speak.

This is how it is with a prophet – he doesn’t speak of his own initiative – he is a servant who speaks when he is told to and speaks the words that he is given to say.

You notice that the message was specifically for those who responded to יְהוָה’s previous message (cf.

1:12, 14) – the remnant.

יְהוָה told Haggai to speak, He told him who to speak to, and now He tells him what to speak – it is all יְהוָה.

The essential quality of the prophet is that he doesn’t get in the way, adulterate the message, so that the pure words of יְהוָה are transmitted and unaltered.

*[P]* *(Hag 2:3)* – Some of the returned exiles remembered the temple before it was destroyed by the Babylonians, they would be pretty old now; the captivity was for 70 years.

The first temple was built by Solomon at a time when the kingdom was united and extremely wealthy.

David, his predecessor, had also amassed material for the temple.

It was lavish, it was glorious!

But the returned exiles, who were not even an independent kingdom, did not have the resources to build such an edifice.

Recalling how it used to be must have made their efforts seem futile – they could not rebuild it how it was.

What they were making was nothing in comparison.

It is easy to be discouraged in our work for the LORD.

We hear of revivals, recall days when many got saved and were "on fire" for the LORD – it can make it seem as if what we are doing now is nothing, is futile, we cannot make it like it was before.

This discouragement is what causes the work to stop (cf.

Hag ch.1).

One of the biggest hindrances to the work of the LORD is discouragement.

The LORD encourages us in our task (Hag 2:4-9) – He encourages by speaking sending His word.

And what was His message?

(Hag 2:4): “*/Take courage/*” *[P]* – He says it not once, but three times – take courage – יְהוָה’s message is to be courageous (חַזַק), be strong,  be firm, hold fast, harden, prevail, be steadfast.

Don’t let yourself become discouraged, give way, give up – stand fast in your determination to complete the task that יְהוָה has given you to do.

Three times יְהוָה Himself declares "BE STRONG!" (cf.

Josh 1:6-9) Be strong and *work* – *do*.

It is the weak who cease working, who give into discouragement (cf.

Matt 25:14-30).

Don’t stop working for יְהוָה.

Be encouraged! *[P]* Don’t be discouraged but take courage.

– don’t give up in the work – it may seem like nothing but יְהוָה will make it GLORIOUS!

– more glorious than what it was formerly!

(cf.

*Zechariah 4:10* /“For who has despised the day of small things?

But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—these are the eyes of יְהוָה which range to and fro throughout the earth.”/;

*1 Corinthians 15:58* /Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord./

*Galatians 6:9** */Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary/.

*Hebrews 10:35-39* /Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.

but My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.