Ezra/Haggai
Lesson 3a
Haggai
It never ceases to amaze me how God will send me the same message over and over through different venues. Many times our lesson will correlate directly to my quiet time material, or a friend's comment, or our Pastor's message. For the past few weeks, our lessons in Ezra and Haggai have tied into Pastor Brook's summer series, "Not a Random Summer." He has implored us to make active choices that this summer will be a major deciding crossroad for the rest of our lives. He has urged us to stop procrastinating and do the things we never take the time to do like: watch a sunrise and a sunset, walk through the grass barefooted, go on a picnic, etc. Today's message, once again, coincided with our lesson from Haggai, a prophecy written around 520BC during the time of Ezra and Zerubbabel. Haggai wrote five messages over a brief four months of time. He strongly instructs and exhorts a stagnate people to:
1. Consider your ways (self examine your focus in life)
2. Take courage and be strong to do the work
3. Do not fear, for God is with you
The leaders and remnant of Israel had started out well - they returned to their demolished city and laid the foundation for the temple and celebrated with great joy. Then it happened, the "ites" and the naysayers showed up, leaving them discouraged. The word used here for discourage actually means "their arms fell limp." Of course, then after this opposition, they got distracted with the details of their everyday lives - busy-ness and the concerns of the world became their focus. Yet, according to Haggai one, they were toiling in vain for God was causing the fruit of their labors to literally blow away in the wind as He brought drought and withheld the rain. God was trying to get their attention. They were living in nice paneled houses while God's house lie in desolation. They had contracted a bad case of the Deadly D's - disappointed, then discouraged, then distracted, then disillusioned, then delayed, then disobedient, and then despaired, as life seemed to be like being on a treadmill, busy but going nowhere!
In today's sermon, our Pastor instructed and exhorted us as well. His title was "Realize The Necessary" by:
1. You need some necessary endings
2. You need some necessary beginnings
3. You need some necessary breakthroughs
Let's look at how these steps relate to Israel's dilemma and to ours as well.
1. Israel needed to STOP being disobedient and realize that God was judging them so to get their attention. They needed to STOP having their focus on their own lives. They needed to STOP being fearful of the enemies of the land. They needed some "endings" in the summer of 520BC. (Haggai's messages were actually written over a four month period ranging from August to December of 520BC)
2. Israel needed to take some actions. They needed to gather the wood for the temple. They needed to take courage and do the work, They needed to become clean and holy, set apart from their sin BEFORE they lifted even one stone in the construction of the temple. Because unholiness spreads like leaven, and God would not allow an unclean and unholy people to do His work. They had to have a new beginning in 520 BC in order to have a restored temple in 516BC. Is not that what I Pastor told us this morning? Don't just let the summer of 2010 be an ordinary summer - let it be so life changing that you look back and say, "In the summer of 2010, I _______________ and my life has never been the same." We are ALL the temples of God, both individually and corporately as the body of Christ. What do we need to Stop or Start in order to complete this project? I suggest we do the same things Haggai and our Pastor exhorted and instructed us to do.
3. Israel needed a Breakthrough - not a breakdown. They had to look beyond the failures of the past. They had to look past the monotony of lifting each stone and nailing each nail. If you do not breakthrough and keep your eyes focused on the ultimate goal of restoration - you will have a breakdown!!!
Now, we have just briefly touched on the messages of Haggai, and I hope to complete Lesson three next Sunday for those of you they plan to share your July 4th with us. Here are a few things to ponder this week as we continue to "NOT HAVE A RANDOM SUMMER."
Take some time this week and
1. "Consider your ways." Is there anything you need to STOP?
2. "Take courage, be strong and do the work" Is there anything you need to START?
3. "Do not fear, God is with you." Rely on these truths so that you can BREAKTHROUGH and not Breakdown!
Whatever it is that God is stirring you heart to do, I pray these truths, both exhortations and instructions, will be as fruitful to you as they were to Israel when Haggai penned them long ago. I close with the Pastor's key verse:
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." Jer. 8:20
In the Name of OUR SOVEREIGN AND GREAT GOD,
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