Consider Your Ways to Experience the Presence of God – Life Is a Journey, part 43
Want to be closer to God? Be blessed? Be strong and courageous? Learn how to build and strengthen your spiritual heart, and be blessed in the process.
This message helps you identify what’s important so you can experience the glory and presence of God. The glory and presence of God is where the blessing of God flows. It is where spiritual, physical, emotional healing occurs.
Through this series, you’ll learn how to live well & enjoy God's promises. You are loved by God; He knows your name. He has a plan for your life. Get helpful advice, encouragement, and hope for a life well lived.
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Focus On What’s Important and You’ll Be Closer to God
Do you have spiritual courage?
Last week we learned from Haggai 1 that we should consider our ways, to reevaluate priorities and focus. In Haggai 2, the Lord was about to shake the heavens, the earth, and the nations. Haggai will tell the people of God, to be strong and to know that they are not alone, God is with them.
Haggai calls on those who might have seen or remember the glory of the former temple. Haggai is speaking of Solomon’s temple, which was once a glorious temple building until it was destroyed by the Babylonians some 70 years earlier. Now it lay in shambles.
The work of rebuilding the temple has stood incomplete for the last 16 years when the work had stopped due to opposition. Up to now, only the foundation had been rebuilt. Haggai is now asking the people, “How does it look to you now compared to the once-glorious temple that Solomon built?” Now the physical glory of the building and the presence of God looks nonexistent.
Haggai reminds Zerubbabel, Joshua and all the people of God living in the land that God is with them. Haggai is giving them a word of encouragement and hope for the future.
According to the timeline it has now been less than a month from when the people started rebuilding the temple. Haggai declares a word from the Lord once again to the people of God.
‘on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty”’ (Haggai 2:1-9, NIV).
The Lord is telling Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people of God: Be strong; work; have courage; fear not. They should get to work and rebuild the temple; to do what they know in their hearts needs to be done. It is a call to have spiritual courage, to remember and know that God had not forgotten his covenant with them.
The people returned to rebuilding the temple of God and were focused on the Lord. They focused on the job at hand, with the understanding that God was with them.
Six times in these verses Haggai refers to God as the Lord Almighty. In other translations you might read Lord of Hosts. I believe this was particularly important because:
It is the Lord Almighty who led the people out of bondage from Egypt.
It is the Lord Almighty who parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River.
It is the Lord Almighty who delivered his people and sent the plagues against Egypt.
It is the Lord Almighty who provided Manna and Quail in the desert.
It is the Lord Almighty who provided water from the rock, who caused the walls of Jericho to fall, who fought the battles and defeated the enemies of God in the promised land.
It is the Lord Almighty who was about to fulfill what he had promised Moses and the people of God back in Exodus 6 in establishing a covenant to give them the land of Canaan and that they would be his very own people.
It is the Lord Almighty who tells them that the glory of this present house will be greater than the former house and was looking beyond the physical temple to the spiritual.
Be strong! God is with you!
I do not believe the people could see how the temple they were rebuilding could ever pass the glory of the former temple. Solomon’s temple was magnificent in structure and covered with gold and silver. Now it is in shambles.
Solomon’s temple was beautiful and grand both inside and out. The glory of the Lord filled the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11). But now the glory of the Lord was nowhere to be seen. There was no longer a temple building. There was no visible presence of the glory of God.
The people recalled what was once a physical temple building, but I do not believe the Lord was speaking of the physical temple building that the people were rebuilding, but rather of a spiritual temple.
So what house is Haggai speaking about? I believe Haggai is referring to more than the building that the people were physically working on. This new temple will in no way be greater in glory that the first. Haggai is speaking of a spiritual temple (see John 1:14, John 2:19-22). The glory of God was yet to be seen in the risen Christ.
Remember, you are a temple of the Holy Spirit. It is the temple and the glory of Christ in you that Haggai was speaking of.
Jesus said he would send the Holy Spirit.
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the believers and they spoke in other tongues (see Acts 2:2-4, Acts 1:8). Scripture tells us that we are God’s temple.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
We are to show the glory of God to those around us.
The people of God were told to be strong, be confident and work. This was to be a word of encouragement to the people of God. Just as God had promised their forefathers, God tells the people that he would fulfill his covenant in them.
Haggai told the people of God, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house” (Haggai 2:9).
The temple that Solomon built was adorned with silver and gold, but the house that Haggai is speaking of is not made with human hands. The glory will be even greater, says the Lord Almighty, than Solomon’s temple. It is not silver or gold that look glorious. It is the presence and glory of Christ in you. Haggai is speaking of the glory of God, as in the presence of Christ the Lord.
The true glory of the previous temple was not in the gold or silver. It was God’s presence that came down from heaven and rested in the Holy of Holies.
Let me repeat what Haggai told the people of God, we need to consider our ways.
Are you focused on what is truly important?
Are you working on building and strengthening your spiritual heart? The Lord has given each of us gifting and talents to be used for his glory. We are to use our gifts for the glory of God. However, it is not what we do that shows the glory of God, rather it is God in us.
The remaining verses of Haggai 2 touch on our position in life and other things that do nothing to make us holy or set apart for God. However, what we allow in our hearts and lives can defile us.
“‘If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’”
The priests answered, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?” “Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.” (Haggai 2:12-13).
Friends, attending church does nothing to make a person holy. Having a bible or giving tithe will not save a person or make a person righteous. But being involved in ungodly affairs will cause a person to sin.
Haggai then gives us a warning:
“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple’” (Haggai 2:15).
In other words, give careful thought to your life before you knew Christ as Lord and savior. Before knowing Jesus as Lord and savior you were spiritually lost and barren. Yet from this day forward, the Lord says I will bless you. From the day the presence of Christ is in your heart, the day the Holy Spirit is resident in you, you were set apart unto God. Your life is not the same. You were bought with a price.
Let’s review 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 again:
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
How do you honor God?
You serve God by using the gifts and talents that he has given you. You obey his commands and focus on growing in Christ and in spiritual knowledge and understanding. You love and serve the body of Christ, and believers everywhere. Jesus tells us that we will find rest when we walk with him and learn from him (see Matthew 11:29-30).
Let me just say that if you are yoked together with Christ, you will find it easy to serve others.
You will have a peace in what you are doing.
You will be blessed and find rest for your soul.
You will display the glory of God in your life.
People will see Christ in you, the hope of glory.
God will use you to reach the lost.
Let me ask this question: Have you considered your ways?
Have you considered your focus & what’s important?
What is your focus?
It is not the work of your hands that is important.
It’s not the former glory that is important. It is not something you built that is important.
It’s not the past that is important.
What is important is the presence, power, and glory of God in your life. It is the presence and glory of God in your worship, in this place, in your life.
The glory and presence of God is where the blessing of God flows. It is where spiritual, physical, emotional healing occurs. It is where bondages are broken.
All the world offers cannot compare to the glory and greatness of God Almighty. The former things of life will appear strangely dim and are worthless in light of the glory and grace of God Almighty.
As you love and honor the Lord with all your heart, you proclaim and show the glory of God to all the world.
How To Get More of Jesus in Your Life and Be Blessed
Remember, it is not the past that is important. What is important is now, the future, the presence of Christ in you, in this church, in the body of believers of Christ, and believers all around the world.
The latter glory of this house, this body, will be greater than the former.
I want more of Jesus in my life. What about you? Do not focus on the past. Focus on Christ, the hope of glory. Focus on growing in the Lord. Focus on seeking his presence. Remember, God says you are chosen and he will never leave you.
If you want more of God; if you want to be blessed of God and bless others, then:
Stand up and look to the future.
Focus on God and the hope of glory.
Run away from ungodly things.
Use your gifts for the glory of God.
Be strong, be confident, fear not, and work; God is with you.
Show the glory of God to those around you.
Suggested Praise and Worship
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