Giving God The First Place
FIRST PLACE
HAGGAI 1:2-12
For the better part of this year I’ve been concerned and I guess you could say burdened over the state of affairs here at our church. My concern are multi-faceted. I’ve been sharing with you in passing (MEETINGS) some of these issues, but I feel lead of the Lord to bear my soul. I do this because the Lord wants to do a greater work with us here at Mt. Carmel and there are a few areas we need to give special attention.
Today Mt. Carmel I let you in on the inner workings of your Pastor’s heart.
· I have a concern for our Building………..
· I have a concern for the Membership…….DISCIPLESHIP
How we treat one another…..
How we struggle to live……times are hard (Why?)…People are in distress
How we just disappear ….when trouble comes…people resist
building a solid spiritual foundation.
· I have a concern for the Mission……… Worship & Praise…of the Church
The Music of the Church…. The Musicians…the devotional period..
the Choir (inconsistency)
The Audio Ministry….. the Sound is important
I believe that the prophecy of Haggai will give us some insight into a major step we can take to clarify and possibly rectify these issues.
TELL THE STORY………….
Exposition
In order to understand clearly the meaning of these prophecies and promises in relation to the kingdom of God, we must look at the historical circumstances under which Haggai was called by God to labor as a prophet. Haggai was the first prophet who rose up after the exile in the midst of the congregation of Judah that had returned from Babylon, to proclaim to it the will and saving purposes of its God. Between him and Zephaniah there lay the seventy years’ exile, and the labors of the great prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
The Babylonian empire had fallen, Cyrus the founder of the Persian Empire, had given the Jews permission to return to their own land in the first year of his dominion, and had commanded that the temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem should be rebuilt.
The people ran into some difficulties. First, there was the magnitude of the work that lay before them. This was truly a formidable undertaking.
Secondly, they received resistance from the Samaritans (mixed allegiances).
Thus the zeal for building the house of God soon cooled down, that they gave it up altogether, and simply began to provide for their own necessities, and to establish themselves comfortably in the land of their fathers (Hag. 1:4).
WHY WAS THE TEMPLE IMPORTANT?
The covenant of grace, made by the God of heaven and earth with the nation of Israel which He had chosen for His own peculiar possession, required, as a visible pledge of the real fellowship into which Jehovah had entered with Israel, a place where this fellowship could be sustained. For this reason, directly after the conclusion of the covenant at Sinai, God commanded the tabernacle to be erected, for a sanctuary in which, as covenant God, He would dwell among His people in a visible symbol; and, as the sign of the fulfillment of this divine promise, at the dedication of the tabernacle, and also of the temple of Solomon which took its place, the glory of Jehovah in the form of a cloud filled the sanctuary that had been built for His name. Hence the continuance of the ancient covenant, or of the kingdom of God in Israel, was bound up with the temple.
I. THE RESTORATION OF THE PEOPLE…….FIRST FRUITS
1. "Put God first in your lives" (Hag. 1:1-4)
A. You and Christ
1. You must make sure—absolutely sure—that your belief in Christ is the right kind of belief.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).
"And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Hebrews 5:9).
"But without faith it is impossible to please him:for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).
You must have the right kind of faith—a true saving faith—in Christ. You are saved by believing in Jesus Christ. But what does believing mean? How can you know that your belief is the right kind of belief, a true saving faith?
The right kind of faith, saving faith, is not this:
· Saving faith is not head knowledge, not just a mental conviction and intellectual assent.
· Saving faith is not just believing the fact that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
· Saving faith is not just believing history, that Jesus Christ lived upon earth as the Savior just as George Washington lived upon earth as the President of the United States.
· Saving faith is not just believing the words and claims of Jesus Christ in the same way that a person would believe the words of Martin Luther King.
The right kind of faith, saving faith, is two things.
a) Saving faith is believing in Jesus Christ, who and what He is, that He is the Savior and Lord of life. You must believe in Jesus Christ with your heart, believe to such a degree that you give your whole life to Him. You must confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and turn your life over—completely and totally—to live for Him (Romans 10:9-10).
b) Saving faith is commitment—the commitment of your total being and life to Jesus Christ. It is the commitment of all you are and have to Christ. Saving faith gives everything to Christ; therefore, it involves all of your affairs. You trust Christ to take care of your past (sins), your present (welfare), and your future (destiny). You entrust your whole life, being, and possessions into Christ's hands. You lay yourself upon Jesus' keeping, confiding in Him about your daily necessities and acknowledging Him in all the ways of life. You follow Christ in every area and in every detail of life, seeking His instructions and leaving your welfare up to Him. Saving faith is commitment of your whole being, all you are and have to Christ.
You must make sure that what you profess is true. You must make sure—absolutely sure—that your belief in Christ is the right kind of belief, that you have a true saving faith. Your life and service will come up short—very short—if you do not know Christ yourself, know Him personally and intimately.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [food, clothing, shelter] shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33, nkjv). Haggai's congregation had never heard that great promise, but the principle behind Christ's words was written into their Law. "Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine" (Prov. 3:9-10, nkjv;
It's obvious that the nation had its priorities confused, but are God's people today any different from those ancient Jews?
We can't expand our budgets for new ministries, missions to our community and the world because the money isn't there, and yet many church members don't believe Matthew 6:33 and put God first in their giving. Measured by Third World standards, we are living in luxury, yet our giving is low and our debts are high because our wealth is being used for things that really don't matter.
When we put God first and give Him what's rightfully His, we open the door to spiritual enrichment and the kind of stewardship that honors the Lord. A century after Haggai ministered, the Prophet Malachi accused the people of robbing God of tithes and offerings and thereby robbing themselves of blessing (Mal. 3:7-12); and his words need to be heeded today.
**** All (Really) Are "Tithers"
A pastor asked another pastor, "How many church members have you?" "I have 1900 members," was the reply. "How many of them are tithers?" he further asked. "All of them are tithers!" said the pastor. "How did you get them all to sign pledge cards, agreeing to pay the Lord's tithe?" the first minister inquired.
"I didn't," was the prompt reply. "Only 347 signed the tither's pledge, and they have faithfully kept their pledge. The other members are tithers, too, for God has many ways of collecting the tithe—through adversity, sickness, unemployment. They pay the tithe all right, but not to God!"
II.THE RESTORATION OF THE PLACE…… THE MATERIAL
2. "Honor God's name" (Hag. 1:7-8)
When the Babylonian army set fire to the temple, this destroyed the great timbers that helped to hold the massive stonework together. The stones were still usable, but the interior woodwork had been demolished and burned and had to be replaced.
According to Ezra 3:7, the Jews purchased wood from Tyre and Sidon, just as Solomon had done when he built the original temple (1 Kings 5:6-12).
Now Haggai commanded the men to go into the forests on the mountains and cut down timber to be used for repairing and rebuilding the temple. What happened to that original supply of wood? Did the people use it for themselves? Did some clever entrepreneur profit by selling wood that had been bought with the king's grant? We don't know, but we wonder where the people got the wood for their paneled houses when no wood was available for God's house.
During nearly thirty seven years of ministry, I've noted that some professed Christians buy the best for themselves and give to the Lord whatever is left over. Worn-out furniture is given to the church and worn-out clothing is sent to the missionaries and given to the poor.
Like the priests in Malachi's day, we bring to the Lord gifts we'd be embarrassed to give to our family and friends (Mal. 1:6-8). But when we do this, we commit two sins: (1) we displease the Lord, and (2) we disgrace His name. The Lord told the people through Haggai, "Build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored" (Hag. 1:7). God delights in the obedient service of His people, and His name is glorified when we sacrifice for Him and serve Him.
"Hallowed be Thy name" is the first petition in the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:9), but it's often the last thing we think about as we seek to serve God. Jesus said, "I do always those things that please Him [the Father]" (John 8:29), and that's a good example for us to follow. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
It certainly didn't please God or honor His name when the people neglected God's house and built elaborate houses for themselves. We know that God doesn't live in temples made by hands (Acts 7:48-50), and that our church buildings are not His holy habitation, but the way we care for these buildings reflects our spiritual priorities and our love for Him. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan said it best in a sermon he preached on Haggai 1:4 many years ago:
Whereas the house of God today is no longer material but spiritual, the material is still a very real symbol of the spiritual.
When the Church of God in any place in any locality is careless about the material place of assembly, the place of its worship and its work, it is a sign and evidence that its life is at low ebb.
CONCLUSION:
The day came when the Temple of God was a marvel to behold! The Disciples were awestruck by its splendor. Jesus said the day would come when not a stone would be left standing. But he said to those who had their priorities wrong…..Destroy this Body and I’ll raise it in three days.
He died and rose again to build a new kind of temple.
He rose to use a new kind of building material……..living stones
He lives to give……….
God Made The Sun
God made the sun—it gives.
God made the moon—it gives.
God made the stars—they give.
God made the air—it gives.
God made the clouds—they give.
God made the earth—it gives.
God made the sea—it gives.
God made the trees—they give.
God made the flowers—they give.
God made the birds—they give.
God made the beasts—they give.
God made the plants—they give.
God made man—he ...
—Selected
Sunday, November 25, 2007