06.03.2012 Haggai, p.3, - Hearing from God Today

Next week there will be two people (at least) baptized. Let me know if you would like to be baptized.
Next Saturday will be the yard sale. The Thursday night Men’s group will be digging post holes at 7:00 here at the church. It will be a great time!
Eric and I are closing off Haggai - the young adult group has been studying this –
Eric: Let’s review Haggai – it is a short book – only two chapters. It is one of the Minor Prophets – not because it is lesser, like the Minor Leagues.
It speaks to the Israelites and to us today.
The Israelites have come out of exile and they have built an altar but not a temple – a house for the Lord.
Haggai 1 – Why do you tend to your own houses but neglect the house of the Lord. The reason God is nitpicking, He had promised that His glory would be made known through the temple.
As I was praying through this section – I was reminded of Jim and JoAnn – I call them uncle and aunt – and we always meet with them when we are in California. They always – Rachel and I always know that they will share with us their ‘stuff’ – we are used to it – they say, we want to be transparent with you- things God is teaching us and we are learning from one another.
The Israelites had some STUFF
Haggai 2:12 – if you touch something unclean, it becomes unclean. If something is consecrated, and touches one of those things, it does NOT consecrate it.
What Jim and JoAnn tell us is usually pretty intense – not trivial things – and they refer back to their childhoods – they are in their 60s I think, I’ve never asked
MM: After 50, it’s all the same
Eric: The STUFF that they go through is often linked to their childhood. The Israelites are bringing some stuff to the table and haven’t built the temple – what is affecting them now?
One way we can describe STUFF is sin – we are all broken. One term I like to use to supplement this – Soul Sickness. We have a sickness in us – and you can see it in verses 12-14 – sin is contagious and it affects/infects other things.
God reminds them that they are broken, bringing their soul sickness. When God says this to the people – You can be holy and consecrated – but that doesn’t mean that if you touch someone, that person will become consecrated as well.
We all have soul sickness – but what does it look like to redeem that? This first sermon doesn’t end until the 3rd one! I’ll leave you with a bit of a cliffhanger.
What things do we bring to the table when we struggle with soul sickness – and how does that affect what we build?
Mike Marette: Connecting in with that – brokenness and the reality we will see with this –Cindy and Eric and I got together – and each culture has its own brokenness. As Americans, there is an American brokenness that is hard to see – just like there is an Asian brokenness, and an African brokenness – and the tendency is to not see your own brokenness.
One way to recognize brokenness is to look at what you boast in – that reveals where your brokenness lies – it always lies there. Paul says we should boast in Christ and Him crucified.
Israel comes in with this brokenness –
Haggai 2:15 'But now, do consider from this day onward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the Lord,
The people had made a commitment to start the work – God is saying look back before you started:
16 from that time [when] one came to a [grain] heap of twenty [measures,] there would be only ten; and [when] one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there would be [only] twenty. 17 'I smote you [and] every work of your hands with blasting wind, mildew, and hail; yet you [did] not [come back] to Me,' declares the Lord. 18 'Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth [month]; from the day when the temple of the Lord was founded, consider: 19 'Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree, it has not borne [fruit.] Yet from this day on I will bless [you.]' "
Because you weren’t following me, everything was falling apart – and yet you didn’t return to Me…
Now you’ve returned – and let’s look at the results. Even though things were difficult – the only thing that brought them back was when God spoke to them through the prophetic word. It is no different in our lives – things don’t change on our own efforts, they only change when we hear God speak. He must initiate the change in our lives.
The question becomes – how does God speak today? God is speaking today. God spoke to Haggai – basically – go tell the people this! If people hear voices today – people are likely to be committed.
John Ortberg – we must be open to the possibility that God wants to speak directly to us.
First – God speaks to us through The Bible. His word.
When we read the bible – when we hear someone preaching the Bible – when we are in small groups and someone shares a bible verse – or when we sing a song that has the Bible in it – we are opening the opportunity for God to speak to us. The question becomes – to what extent are you giving the opportunity to read/hear God’s word?
Some call it prompting of the spirit… at times we get the sense that God is wanting us to do something – an inner peace and assurance – the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts – it is being open and alert to God speaking to us – This is the way walk in it! These impressions/promptings will never go against God’s word – if it does – it is not a prompting from God.
God will speak through struggles – God was trying to get them to do some things and they weren’t paying attention.
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our lives, and shouts at us in our pain. We need to ask if God is shouting at us – really trying to communicate to us.
God speaks to our conscience as a result of sin.
God speaks through circumstances. Oftentimes He tells us to enter into difficult circumstances. That is where I want you – that is where I am – He was IN the fire with the Hebrew children – he was IN the lion’s den with Daniel. Sometimes He invites us in with Him.
18 'Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth [month]; from the day when the temple of the Lord was founded, consider: 19 'Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree, it has not borne [fruit.] Yet from this day on I will bless [you.]' "
We will have a point of blessing – moments in time when we return to the Lord and His blessing begins from that moment on.
Caution – be careful to not think of a point of blessing as a point of prosperity and wealth, because it is rarely that. Be careful to not think of the point of blessing as recognition and success – because it is rarely that. It is where we connect with God; That relationship is going to blossom.
It is a point where we will hear God’s voice more clearly and to engage in His life more fully.
Eric: Moving to verses 22-23 – we have this soul sickness – but I think this last portion of Haggai says – I have a promise, something I want to give, something I want to share with you.
As Pastor Mike had shared – there is this overarching sense that God continues to come to the people – “I will do these things” – But I think God is saying that there is some generational and things passed down in your soul sickness that you need to recognize. And as we do, God says He will provide these things – He will overthrow thrones and tear down powers. It is interesting to know that God says this to Zerubabbel – and he ends up in the genealogy of Christ. God says – I will continue this promise – and it is cool that the future temple of Jesus comes through these people. You are a broken people – you are not perfect – but I will use you.
The signet ring was either worn as a necklace or a ring – but it had a seal – and it gave the person the authority of the one on the seal. For God to say, I will make you my signet ring – it is a vote of confidence – but recognize that you have this soul sickness that needs to be redeemed and that redemption comes through Jesus – it is interesting that God says to Zerubabbel – It will be through you – because it is through his future offspring – Jesus. God has chosen us – He gives us a vote of confidence – you will rebuild the place – you will BE the place where I will dwell. You have not built this temple for me to dwell in – but you are My people – and I am your God.
MM: I’d like to close here – with an application – what is our temple? How do we apply this today? I have two things that are foundational – The Great Commandment – To love the Lord your God with your heart, soul, mind and strength. Our first call is to grow in our love for Him and our relationship with Him. God may have some specific tasks for you – but before anything else – we are called to develop this love relationship with Him – and ask – How is that going?
We are reading Good and Beautiful God – That is what we are called to – to grow in love with our Good and beautiful God – and the second thing is to love others as your self. We see the Good Samaritan – we are to love the enemy – the marginalized, the one that makes us uncomfortable.
The Great Commission – Go and make disciples, baptizing, teaching –
Disciple – Bible language – Mentoring/Training/Coaching – it is a whole life experience – Firs t- have you ever been disciple? Someone mentor you? And have you ever done that with someone else.
On your way out – if you would like to – there are two questions – on the sign up sheet –
Would you like to be discipled?
Would you like to disciple someone else?
We’ll try to arrange that.
Lord, thank You – for this nation of people who turned to you and did an incredible work for You. A people who had gone their own way – there was a point of blessing – and from that point – you blessed their work.