Word of Salvation – Vol.34 No.23 – Jun 1989

 

God’s Church

Sermon by Rev. G. Kleinjan on Haggai 1

Scripture Readings: Ezra 3; Haggai 1

 

The prophecy of Haggai is a small book, tucked away at the end of the O.T.  Often these small prophesies are missed for the “more important” books of the N.T.  But the prophecy of Haggai is of great significance for us today.  It has a lot to say for the church, and so we must pay close attention to its teaching.

The main focus of Haggai is the temple – it was in ruins, and God wanted it rebuilt.  But in order for us to understand the prophecy, we must look at the background to it.

Haggai was a post-exilic prophet – he spoke God’s word to the exiles who had returned from Babylon.  The book of Ezra deals with events after the exile – that’s why we read portions from it.  The first return of the exiles was under Persian King Cyrus, in 538 B.C.; this is recorded in Ezra 1.  In 536 B.C. the temple foundations were relaid (Ezra 3).  But this rebuilding stopped soon after, due to the resistance of the hostile Samaritans.  Now the Samaritans were a group of people whom the Assyrians had imported to replace the Israelites in the North.  Ezra 4 records this resistance.

Then, in 520 B.C. rebuilding of the temple was restarted at the instigation of the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, recorded in Ezra 5.  This was 16 years after the Jews had originally started rebuilding.  So we can date our prophecy very accurately – 520 B.C.  Four years later, in 516, the temple was completed; this is recorded in Ezra 5.  Why did the temple need rebuilding?  Well, the first temple, the one that Solomon had built, was destroyed by the Babylonians when they captured Jerusalem and took away the Jews.  This new temple, then, was the second temple; it survived until the time of Herod, who did extensive renovations on it.  It was finally destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., never to be rebuilt again.  To this day, there is no temple in Jerusalem.

We now turn to the first prophecy recorded for us; this is the whole of chapter 1.  Notice that the prophecy came to Haggai directly from God – he was God’s spokesman.  And it came in the second year of Darius’ reign, on the first day of the sixth month.  This dates the prophecy exactly for us.

And the message was addressed to the leaders of the Jews, Zerubbabel and Joshua.  Zerubbabel, you may remember, was a descendant of King David; so he was a prince, and thus naturally a leader.  Joshua was the high priest.  In this connection, it is important to notice that the sacrificial system could continue, because the Jews had a high priest.  All the records were still intact, as a reading of Ezra 1 informs us.  This is important because only a son of Aaron could perform the rituals in the temple – without the priesthood, there were no sacrifices either.

Now notice what God says.  The people were not really interested in rebuilding the temple – the time has not come.  And obviously, the more they delayed, the less interested they would become.  In other words, the time would never come, if they kept that attitude up.

Moreover, as vs.4 says, the people were living in relative luxury, compared to what God had to live in.  The people had nice, panelled houses, whereas God’s house, the temple, was still in ruins.  How could the people be so negligent?  Haven’t they got their priorities right?  “Consider your ways!”, God says.  Who is more important, God or you?  Should you look out for your own interests and comforts first, or those of God?  Obviously, the people should have looked after God’s interests first.

In vss.6-11 God spells out the reasons why so many disasters had fallen on the Jews, this remnant.  A famine had destroyed the land simply because they had neglected to rebuild – God’s curse upon them.  If they would only obey and rebuild the temple; then God would surely bless them.  No, their attitude was all wrong.  They all ran to their own houses, and conveniently forgot about God.  And then they wondered why all these calamities came upon them!

Vss.12-15 record the response of the people.  They were cut to the heart by this message, and they obeyed the Lord.  He then promised to be with them in their work.  God strengthened them to do it.  This is then evidence of His grace; first He tells them to do their duty, then he gives them what they need to do their duty!  And so the whole remnant, i.e., all the returned exiles, began work again on the temple on the 24th day of the sixth month of that year, 23 days after Haggai’s message.

From our readings in Ezra we know that God’s word through Haggai (and Zechariah) was successful, because 4 years later, the temple was completed.  Ezra specifically says that the prophets were there, supporting the people.  More importantly, it says that God’s eye was upon them – He was with them, as He had promised.

Now what is the significance of all this?  Why did the temple have to be rebuilt?  Why was it important for the Jews then to obey God with respect to the temple?  We have already hinted at it.  The temple is the symbol of God’s presence.  Remember what God said when the tabernacle was built, in the desert?  He said that He would live (dwell) amongst his people in this tabernacle, this earthly tent.  That’s why it had to be so elaborate.  That’s why it was so holy.  God “lived” in the Holy of holies.  That’s why only the high priest, and then only once a year, could come into the very presence of God, only with blood.

And the same was true of the first temple, Solomon’s.  This was even more elaborate inside; it was coated with pure gold.  But the same sacrificial system was used.  And when the temple was completed and dedicated, God descended into it in a fiery cloud, so that no one, not even the priests, could enter the temple.  You see, God was physically present, so that the whole temple became holy.

The only way you could enter was through a high priest.  He was your go-between.  And because he too was a sinner, he had to purify himself, and he could only enter with the blood of a sacrifice to atone both for his sins and yours.

What is the point of all this?  Why did they have to rebuild the temple?  Well, without it, how would their sins be forgiven?  Without it, how could God be with them?  They had a priesthood, but where and how could the high priest approach God?  And where had God designated His place among the people?  As the psalmist says, God is in his holy temple.  That’s where he is.  And that is where He must be approached.  Without it, then, He could not be approached.  Without it, He could not live with his people.  And as a result, the people would not experience His blessings.  His presence would be withdrawn from them.  And what is the result of that?  Isn’t the exile a stark reminder to the people of what it means to be without God?  Banishment, God’s curse!  And this is what the exiles were experiencing again – God’s curse, in the form of famine.  No wonder they had to get their act together!  No wonder they had to rebuild the temple!

What is the significance of this for us?  Why is it important for us today to know that the Jews had to rebuild the temple?  Surely the temple is not that important!  Well, it is.  What did these sacrifices point to but to the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus Christ?  The temple was God’s picture book for the O.T. believers; all the sacrifices point to the atonement that Christ made on our behalf.  He is our great High priest; He is the only Mediator between God and man.

But the temple itself also signified something.  In the O.T., it symbolized God’s presence among His people – God lived in his temple among the Israelites.  What does it then symbolize?  What was God intending to teach his people of old by this picture?  Well, a temple is a sanctuary, a holy place.  It is where God lives.  Where does He live today?  Certainly He lives in heaven, a perfect place for him to live.  But the N.T. is clear that He now lives by His Spirit in our hearts.  Listen to Paul in 1Cor.  6:19 – we are to flee immorality because we are a temple of the Holy Spirit.  God now lives in us, so we ought to be holy, a fitting place for Him to live; that is Paul’s argument.

Congregation, we are the temple; the temple signified the people of God in this N.T.  era.  Hear what Paul has to say in Eph.2:19-22 – the church, that is you and I, is built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Christ the corner stone.  The church is the holy temple, being built together for a fitting dwelling place for God by the Spirit.  Peter says much the same in his first letter, chap.2:4-8 w we are all living stones in this spiritual temple; we are all priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices that are pleasing to God.

Do you get the picture?  It was important for the Jews then to rebuild the temple because this was part of God’s plan for our salvation.  God’s covenantal promises in a sense relied on the temple being rebuilt.  It was through this building that he would teach His people that he is always with them.  The temple is the focus of the covenant.  In the O.T., it symbolized God’s presence among His people.  In the N.T., the symbol became a reality – God was present among His people by dwelling in His people.  God’s covenant, you see, is basically this: “I will be a God to you and you are to be My people.”  And he is a God to us by living amongst us.  This He began in the O.T. by use of a building, the temple.  This He fulfilled literally in Christ, who is Immanuel, “God with us.”  This He does now in the N.T.  by living right within us with His Holy Spirit.

We have learned a lot so far.  But it would be of no use if we left the text at that.

If the text teaches one thing, it teaches us this: it is of primary importance to build God’s church.  We today are commanded to build the temple, His church.  We are God’s people, the true Israel; I need not go into great lengths to prove that.  We are also God’s temple, His church.  We are therefore commanded to build this church.  Haggai is speaking to us when he says that we, God’s people, must rebuild the temple.  And if we must build the temple, that is just saying that we must build the church.  Why must we build the church?  Didn’t Christ say that He builds His church?

Oh yes; but He uses us to build His church.  Why build the church?

1.  Well, in the very first place, God commands it.  We may not be slack about it, as were the Jews.

Now it doesn’t mean that we have to build a building, as the Jews did.  Now the church is not a building; it is God’s people.  But we must be diligent in our task, because God commands it.  And isn’t this reason enough?  If we truly love God, we also will obey Him.  We will not run quickly to our houses and do our own thing, as did the Jews.  We have a duty to perform, let us get to it.  Let us do our task.

Church-building is not an option.  It is an option to have a church building.  We all recognize that church is not wood and stone, as in O.T. days, but people.  We don’t really need a church building.  But just what does it mean to build the church?  How do we build the church, if it does not mean bringing in builders, bricklayers, and plumbers?

2.  This brings us to our second point – we must build the church because we are to extend God’s Kingdom.

God commands us to build the church, which just means that we are to extend His Kingdom, His rule and build the church.  When we pray that God’s kingdom come, then we are praying that his Lordship be extended over all creation.  And how does God do that?  Well, He uses His church; His people are commanded to extend His kingdom.

We, the church, are the citizens of that kingdom, and so we must extend it, bringing the whole world under God’s rule.  Now of course we cannot do this in our own strength – again, God supplies us with the strength to do so by His Spirit, as He did back then with the Jews.  God gives us a duty, but then also gives us the strength to perform our duty.

So, how do we build the church?  Well, we extend God’s Kingdom.  And what does this mean to you?  That in your every-day work, you manifest to the world whose kingdom you belong to.  As a businessman, you do not rob your workers.  You are in business in order to extend God’s Kingdom with the money you earn.  As a worker for a boss it means that you do not rob your boss, either by taking objects or wasting his time.  It means keeping your language clean on the work-site.  It means standing up for truth at university, when Christianity or its principles are attacked.  It means telling your fellow-worker off when he or she takes God’s name in vain.  It means doing house-hold chores faithfully, without complaint.  In short, to extend God’s Kingdom just means to be obedient to all of God’s commandments, so that the world can see that we are different, and take note.  This is how we build God’s church.  This is how we are a light to the world.  This is how we evangelize.

Many people tend to think of evangelism only as going door-knocking or preaching on the street corners of Auckland.  What a narrow view.  Such a view makes us all feel inadequate, and so we tend to leave it to the experts, those with the talents to do these things.  But, evangelism is not an option.  Nor is it achieved only by these means.  Evangelism is not just telling others of the hope that is within us, but more importantly, obeying the commandments, being the light that we are supposed to be.  It is through this that God is glorified, and people come to inquire.  Evangelism is not an option, but a duty.  However, our life-styles are the best witness to the Gospel.  Let us never forget this, because the beady eyes of the wicked are upon us.  Let us be good examples, so that the enemy may be silenced.

Building the church is not all external, i.e., bringing in unbelievers and extending God’s Kingdom to all of life’s areas.  We must also build the church internally.  Here, within the church itself, we must extend God’s Kingdom.  We must teach the church, for example, just how to extend the kingdom.  We must all admonish one another, confront one another.  All too often, the people in the church are busy tearing one another down instead of building one another up.  This is wrong!  God’s church is not built like that, nor is His Kingdom extended that way.  Let us beware of the damage we do to God’s Kingdom when we engage in these sinful practices.

Rather, we are to exhort and build one another up in the faith.  That’s why we have things like Bible study, catechism, elders’ visits, and worship services.  We are here together just in order to build one another up.  It is so easy to forget this.  It is so easy to fly off to the comforts of our own homes after the service, and not offer hospitality to the stranger who just walked in.  It is so easy to spend money on ourselves rather than on the church.  Again, I do not mean a church building.

How do we build each other up then?  Sacrifice – that’s the only way.  And sacrifices must come out of your time and money, because as you all know, it hurts the most in our pockets.  We give of our time and money to the church.  As you all know, the church always needs money.  And the giving of money is one of the greatest ways to build the church!  The ministry of the word via the tape library can be extended, and other mission ventures supported.

And we can give of our time too, by taking an interest in others, and helping them in their Christian lives.  These, you see, are the sacrifices acceptable to God, and they are well-pleasing.  Talk about practicality!  We have no excuse any more – we all should know just how to build up God’s church, thereby extending His kingdom.

3.  In the third place, we must build God’s church because his glory depends on it.

This is what it says in vs.8 – temple building glorifies God.  Now this ties in with what we have said earlier.  We build up the church when we obey God.  And when we obey God, this also brings him honour and glory.  Now if you glorify someone, you praise and honour him.  You heap praise upon him for something that he has done, either for you or for someone else.  The same applies when we glorify God.  We heap praise upon him for all that He has done for us.  And just to show that we mean what we say, we humbly submit to Him; worship Him, and obey all His commandments.

And when we obey Him, we bring Him the glory that is due to Him.  It is when we are doing our duty in and out of the church that others glorify, praise God.  Others see our good works, and glorify our Father.  Why?  Because they realize that it is not by your power or strength that you could do good things.  They realize that you are who you are because of what God has done for you, and that all good stems from Him.

Building the church glorifies God.  Have you glorified God because of what someone in the church has done?  Does your heart leap within you when you see the practical love of God’s people?  Have you experienced the intense desire to praise God because of what some person has done for God’s people in the church?  This ought to be a common experience in the church.  We ought to be seeing people everywhere glorifying God.  People in Jesus’ day did.  Everywhere, people were praising God because of the wonderful works of Jesus.

And are you causing others in the church to glorify God?  No, we don’t do good in order to be praised; but when we do good, others will praise God for it.  This is why we are in existence – solely to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  Is this your reason for existence?

4.  Finally, we are to build the church because God is with us.

This is what God promises us in vs.13.  There is no reason for slackness, because of the promise.  There is no reason for pessimism either.  All too often there is a defeatist attitude among Christians.  “The world belongs to the Devil” sort of an attitude.  And so the only way to cope is to flee the world, and leave it to its just destruction.

This attitude has been with the church for a long time.  In early times, people lived in caves.  Some lived on long poles, and many lived in smelly old monasteries.  What was the effect of all this?  Defeat, uselessness, stagnation.  In fact, they could not really escape the world.  Many people flocked to see the “saint” on the pole, and many flocked to seek the counsel of these “religious” hermits.

If the apostles had had this attitude, we would not be sitting here today.  Paul would not have gone into the world to conquer it for Christ, but he would have lain in bed.  No, congregation, God has promised to be with us.  We have a task to do, and so let us get to it.  If it were up to us alone to build God’s church, then yes, let us all stay in bed, because we can never accomplish anything.  But praise be to God, for He has promised to be with us, even to the end of the ages.

There is no room for pessimism, but only for the highest of optimism.  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Nothing and no one.

So let us get to it.  Let us build the church, confident that God will complete the good work that he has begun in us.

AMEN