Audio Worship, 9/22/2024, "The Lord's Work" Haggai 2.1-9

Princeton Presbyterian Church (EPC) Sermon # 1655

September 22, 2024

Haggai 2.1-9             Click here for audio worship.

Dr. Ed Pettus

(This is an extended outline, not a verbatim transcript.)

 

“The Lord’s Work”

 

1In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2“Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, 5according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. 6For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”

 

 

  • Be Strong

 

A common theme among the minor prophets (and other prophets) is the proclamation of indictments against Israel and Judah for their idolatry and injustices over the generations. The brokenness of sin revealed itself time and time again in the history of God’s people. A central story for Israel is the exile of 587 BC when Babylon would drive God’s people into exile and destroy the temple in Jerusalem, all because of Israel’s punishment for sin. Yet, even when all seemed lost and the people were driven from their homes and land, the prophets still spoke of hope.

Haggai prophesied about 70 years after the exile. Babylon had collapsed, Persia was the next great empire and Persia allowed the exiles to return to Jerusalem. God's people began to rebuild their homes but did nothing to restore the temple of God. Haggai points out the neglect of the people who are more obsessed with their homes than with rebuilding the temple. He points out to the people the importance of the temple in the future kingdom of God. In this passage for today, we will consider the command for the people to get to work on the temple for the sake of God’s glory. Haggai declares a simple command, "Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts..."

 

In this command to get to work on the temple is the encouragement to be strong. Three entities are addressed: the governor, the high priest, and the remnant of the people. All three told to be strong. Be strong to what end? Verse 4b – to work, for God is with them. Work, because God made a covenant with them. Work, because the Spirit of God remains in their midst. Work, and fear not.

God will shake creation itself...He will shake the nations...so that all the treasures of the nations shall fill God’s house, filled with the glory of the Lord...silver, gold, all God’s own. This is why they need to get to work on the temple. In the end, when all is said and done, there will be peace. Peace in this place.

Be strong, says the Lord. How many times have we been told to be strong in any given situation? It may have been a time when there was a crisis in the family and someone says, “you need to be strong”. Being strong is difficult, especially in troubling times. We are not even sure what that means sometimes. It at least means to be with one another. We are able to be with one another because God is with us. We have strength in His presence and only because of His presence. So we are strong in relying upon God. We can be strong by trusting God. We are strengthened in the power of God’s might, not our own.

Paul speaks of strength in spiritual warfare but I think it is no different in any situation that requires strength. So Paul tells us in Ephesians 6.10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” He then proceeds to teach us about the armor of God. Take up the armor of God. The elements of that armor are the things that give us strength whether we are fighting against principalities and powers, or against a time of family crisis when we need strength. What are those attributes of strength? Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, Spirit and Word (Ephesians 6.14-18).

When God calls on the people in Haggai to be strong, these are the things that give strength. Standing in the truth of God, the Word of God, the righteousness of God, the peace and faith of God. God in turn strengthens us in all things.

 

 

  • The Covenant God

 

I mentioned a moment ago that God has a covenant with Israel and this is another reason for them to work. It is an important reference to God’s covenant in verse 5, “...according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.” God is a covenant maker. He made covenants throughout Scripture like the one with Abraham and with all who believe. In the New Testament we have a new covenant! In all the covenants God promises certain things and requires of us certain things, after all, that’s how covenants work. It is an agreement between two parties. And yet, some covenants are conditional while others are unconditional.

An unconditional covenant is one where God tells us how it is going to be, plain and simple. The covenant with Abraham is such a covenant. “I will be your God and you will be my people.” We have no choice in the matter, unconditional covenant. In the covenant with Abraham, God says, “Go, I will make of you a great nation. Abraham has no condition to meet, for God will do it! Genesis 12.1-3, Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The conditional covenant is an “if/then” covenant. If you follow me and do not follow after other gods, I will bless you in the land you are to possess. Deuteronomy 11.13-17, “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. 15And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full. 16Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; 17then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.

 

In Haggai that covenant reminder was a reminder of God’s presence and that God’s people had no need to fear. God is sovereign and present with His people, with us. As we look to the New Testament we have a new covenant in Jesus. Luke 22.18-20, For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

The new covenant in Jesus is salvation and forgiveness and grace and love, all elements of all the covenants with God, but one final covenant fulfilled in Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection.

 

 

  • The Creator God

 

Another aspect of the work the people are to do is in the fact that God is the Creator of all.

6For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts.

When the temple is filled, it will be filled with all that belongs to God. It will display even greater glory than the temple that was destroyed in the exile.

Flash ahead to the New Testament and the glory of God in Jesus. John 2.18-22, So the Jews said to [Jesus], “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

God has shown His glory in the temple of Christ’s body. This temple is greater than all the temples built by God’s people. This is God’s glory in His only begotten Son, greater than the former temples, greater than all the gold and silver.

 

 

  • The Lord’s Work

 

Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, Haggai 2.4 Work!

 

We have work to do. Imagine the people in Haggai’s day realizing this command and saying, “we have work to do.” The work was to rebuild Jerusalem, but most important to rebuild the temple of God. God would replenish the glory of His temple and bring peace within the walls of Jerusalem. This is the Lord’s work but it was also a work given to His people. God works and we work. And God has given us work to do as well. Our work is given all through Scripture, but let’s just take a few commands from the New Testament. The Great Commission gives us the work of making disciples (Matthew 28.19-20). We are to work at keeping commandment (John 15.10). We have been given a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5.18).

God is with us to do this work. He gives us strength, peace, glory, and the ability to fear not. The world is seeking in every way to lure us away from the truth of God’s Word and faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. The world is seeking to prevent us from doing the Lord’s work.

God works through our obedience and faithfulness to Him. God works through our humility and offering of self to be a living sacrifice. God works through our work as we look to the kingdom of God and the future restoration of all things.

At the end of our reading from Haggai, we see that God gives peace. When the work is being done and when it is finally done, there is peace. Jesus is our peace. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace...17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near (Ephesians 2.13-14, 17).

We have work to do knowing that God is also at work in us and in the world. “Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts.” The Covenant God is with us. In that presence we can be strong. In His strength we can do the work to which He has called us. The Creator God will reveal His glory. That was the promise to Israel in Haggai and that is the promise in Jesus Christ. Haggai might have said to those who would listen, “Let’s get to work.” And the Lord may be calling all of us to the same task, “Let’s get to work for the glory of God.” Amen.