He Died to Make Men Holy

7-4-10
Ezra/Haggai
Lesson 3b
Haggai

"He Died to Make Men Holy"

Today's class met on July 4th, 2010 - some two hundred and thirty four years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence of this great nation. Freedom came to us all and continues to come at a cost. It has many times been said freedom never comes cheap. We, as Americans, can do and say the things we do because many others shed their blood on our behalf. Let's talk about another type of freedom - the freedom from eternal death because of our sins. That freedom was costly as well, but it would not and could not be paid by mortal men, but by the blood of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I sat in the pew of my home church, listening to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, that precious verse was sung: "He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free." Tears whelped up into my eyes as I truly reflected on the cost of freedom, both my national and my heavenly. Since Jesus has paid the cost of my freedom from the slavery of sin and death, I can truly live to make men free. I can lead them to the same Redeemer I encountered years ago - to the same Mount Calvary we must all go to if we are truly to be set free.

He died to make men holy - set apart. So too, in our lesson from Haggai, God speaks clearly to the people to consider their ways. He exhorted them to examine their lives and the focus there of, to become holy and clean before even one stone of the temple is put into place. Jesus died to make us HOLY not HAPPY! We must examine our own temples and do the work to restore the very dwelling place of our Lord. Yet, if we are to follow the instructions of Haggai, we should drop to our knees, confessing before our God any hurtful way in us. Don't even lift one stone of repair before we have set ourselves apart!

The word tabernacle means, to dwell. God wants to dwell with YOU! Yet, He is holy, and He desires for your heart to be holy as He is holy. Your body, His tabernacle, is His dwelling place, and if it needs some re-building, the writings of Ezra and Haggai are extremely beneficial to guide us toward that restoration. Here is a list of applications from the writing of Haggai which came in 520BC to a people who had STOPPED the repair of the temple for fourteen years. Have you stopped the work? Prayerfully read the list below and ask God to reveal to you any areas that need some repair.

Life Lessons from Haggai

1. When “droughts” come in my life – stop and remember two things:

a. God is sovereign over whatever the “drought” is and has you and the situation in His hands

b. Consider your ways = set your heart upon God’s Glory –Then confess it before Him

2. Am I a procrastinator? When God stirs the heart of His children, He is calling them to DO something. Like the story of Jonah, don’t make God ask you a second time to do the task

3. Am I a quitter when opposition comes? Do I use opposition as my excuse perhaps saying God has closed the door? [Opposition may mean that we doing something RIGHT... in God’s will]..

4. Am I too busy with my own personal life and all its comforts to respond to God’s stirring of my heart? The remnant of Israel was “paneling” their own houses while God’s house was desolate.

5. God is a “with us” God = Immanuel. Two times in Haggai He reminds them saying, “I am with you.” Remember when He stirred Moses to deliver His people, and Moses was more concerned about opposition, and what the people would say and who he was to respond to the task? How did God deal with Moses? He reminded Him that: 1.He was God and 2.That He would be with Him, and 3.To tell them that Yahweh had sent him, and 4.He would equip him to do the job. In other words, IT IS NOT ABOUT US!

6. God is sovereign, but we are responsible to do the work. God stirred them to not fear and to rise up and do the work. David had to go down to the river and gather the stones and had to sling one of them in the name of the Living God. God parts the sea, but we have to be willing to walk through it!

7. Beware of temple comparisons. Sometimes, we like to live in the “glory” days and never move forward. We need to know that God is going to do something new among us. We need to know and remember that the latter glory will be greater that the former.

8. Do not fear. Take courage or be strong and do the work.

9. Better days are ahead – there is always hope in Christ and the future. His Holy Spirit is within us! He is not only WITH us, but He is IN US! SO……restore and rebuild your temple!

10. Obedience brings blessing! From Genesis to Revelation, we see this over and over! To obey is better than sacrifice.

11. Hanging out with holy people will no more make me holy than being ill and hanging out with healthy people will make me well!

12. BUT – when the well hang out with the ill – they will become sick. Uncleanliness and sin spreads like leaven within the bread. Be set apart, holy unto the Lord. Live in the world, but not of the world.

13. God is a promise keeper. He kept His promises to Israel and will keep His promises to us as well. He promised that the Lamp of David would never go out. Zerubbabel was placed in the lineage of Jesus Christ; though he never sat on the throne as a king, he is in the lineage of a King – King Jesus!

14. God’s plans will NOT be thwarted. He is sovereign over kings and kingdoms – over peoples and nations – over life and death – over the rain and the drought...and finishes his building projects right on time (70 years from it’s destruction)

15. Remember that opposition can bring discouragement. Comparing “temples” also brings discouragement.

16. Why did God want them to rebuild the temple? Because He wants to “tabernacle or dwell” with us! From Genesis 3, the story is all about a holy God who calls to Himself an unholy people. He provided atonement with death and blood, and He provided our atonement with the death and blood of Christ. He wants to tabernacle with you! His Spirit dwells within your body, His temple, when you invite Him to reside there and become Lord of your life. Have you done this? Maybe He is stirring your heart to become His child and rebuild your temple for His occupation.

17. Finally, Haggai boils down to two exhortations:

a. Consider your ways (Re-set your priorities, passions)

b. Take courage and be strong ...in order to FINISH the WORK that GLORIFIES HIM!


Those who know their God will display strength and take action! Daniel 11:32b



In the Name of OUR SOVEREIGN AND GREAT GOD,