"Everybody Work" Sermon: Haggai 2:1-9

"Everybody Work"
[Haggai 2:1-9]
November 11, 2007 Second Reformed Church

Some forty years before the prophet Haggai preached, the prophet Jeremiah had witnessed the Babylonian army descend on Israel and capture and destroy Jerusalem and the temple of God. The people were carried off into captivity, and nothing but smoking ruins were left as far as the eye could see.

Jeremiah said, in part, "How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young, but the daughters of my people have become cruel, like ostriches in the wilderness. The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives it to them. Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace ash heaps. For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her. Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form was like sapphire. Now their face is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as wood. Happier were the victims of the sword, than the victims of hunger, who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field. The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they have become their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people. The Lord gave full vent to his hot anger, and he kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations" (Lamentations 4:1-11).

Forty years after this devastation, in about 538 B.C., King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon and sent Ezra and the first wave of exiles back to Israel -- to Jerusalem, and we read, "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 'Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel -- he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem'" (Ezra 1:1-4).

This morning's reading, from the prophecy of Haggai, takes place nineteen years after the people have returned to Israel. It is now the second year of the reign of Darius. And in the first chapter of Haggai, we're told that the people did return to the land and did begin to rebuild the temple, but then they got distracted and spent their time and abilities and resources building fine homes for themselves, establishing their crops and business and making a good life for themselves. And God became angry with Israel and told them that until they rebuilt the temple, until they set their eyes on God and His Work first, God would cause there to be a famine and no rain. God told them, "You've put your trust in your crops and your money -- in the things that sustain you -- and you have turned your back on the Me, the Sustainer, so I will take away your food and rain until you come to your senses and repent."

This morning's reading occurs one month into the famine. God sent Haggai, the prophet, to deliver a message to Israel, and Haggai gathered Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest, and all of the people who remained, and he asked them a question, "Do you remember how glorious Solomon's temple was? Do you remember what it looked like? Do you remember how awe-inspiring it was?" And there would have been some who were old enough to remember, but there also would have been those who had only heard the stories.

Second Reformed Church, do you remember when this sanctuary was full of people? Do you remember when the Sunday School classes were full? Do you remember a time when people came through the doors because they longed to hear the Word of God preached and taught? Some of you may.

Haggai told Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people: be strong, be courageous, be full of faith. Have faith in the Lord Who is with you and do His Work. God knew that Israel needed homes to live in and food to eat, but once God provided homes and food for them, they continued to work to better their lives financially and socially while they neglected the Work of the Lord -- they didn't have faith that if they followed after the Lord and concentrated on His Will that they would be provided for.

Understand, Haggai is not saying it is wrong to have a nice house and a good job and a good social life -- those things are fine. What he is saying is that since God has provided for our needs, we ought to faithfully be about the Work of the Lord. It is our duty as the people of God -- each one of us -- to help maintain the church building and the minister -- and that's not just with money -- that's also with time, with prayers, with taking part in worship and Bible study and whatever else we find to do.

Some of us can and should give more financially; some of us are giving sacrificially already. The Scripture tells us that we must give joyfully, cheerfully. God says we are to begin with an offering of ten percent of our gross income. We each ought to go before God in prayer and determine what we can honestly, joyfully, cheerfully give.

Do we pray for this church? For me? For each other? For Irvington? We should.

Do we gather to read and learn from God's Word? We should want to hear from God and know Him better. If you can't make it Sunday morning or Saturday afternoon, tell me when, and I will do everything I can to make sure we have a study then -- or a prayer meeting. The minister's call is to preach and teach -- let's gather together to know our God and follow after Him.

Israel was making excuses for not rebuilding and maintaining the temple and the Work of the Lord. Let us stop navel-gazing and listing what we don't have and instead spend our energy in faith, with courage, by the strength of God, doing all that He has called us to do.

In verse five, Haggai told Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people to be assured. Our pew Bible translates it, "according to the promises." The text literally says, "according to My Word, My Covenant." Moses records, "And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Exodus 20:1-2). It is by the Word that God has made an agreement, a covenant, a treaty with His people and promised that He and He Alone saves them from their slavery. So, Israel could take hold and rest on that assurance that no matter what happened to them, no matter what the future might bring, their salvation was secure because it was wholly the Work of God the Word.

That message of assurance should sound very familiar to us, because it is the same message we have in Jesus, the Word of God. It is the message that we heard in I Peter. It is the message that we are hearing in our Saturday afternoon studies. Even if you are the person who suffers more than anyone else ever does on the face of the planet, if you have received salvation in Jesus Alone, you are assured of salvation, so that whatever you face here and now, no matter how painful it might be, you can face it with joy, knowing that what is coming, in Jesus, is so much greater.

Jesus and the assurance of His Promises and His Salvation are sure, because He bears all the weight for bringing them to pass. So, we can be assured in Him and not be worried about what is happening around us. Is the globe warming? My salvation in Jesus is sure. Will the terrorists come? My salvation in Jesus is sure. Are there corrupt politicians? My salvation in Jesus is sure. Are there gangs and drug dealers in Irvington? My salvation in Jesus is sure. Is there poverty and false religion in Irvington? My salvation in Jesus is sure. The point is not that we should ignore the problems and threats around us, but recognize that Jesus is going to keep His Promises.

Haggai also told Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people that God the Holy Spirit was with them, so they should not fear. There were still robbers in the land. There were still enemies around. There were squabbles among the Israelites. But God told them to do the work He had set before them -- to be His people in the world, and not to fear.

Now, God certainly doesn't mean that we should go about obliviously. God is not telling us to remove the alarm system from the church and leave the doors unlocked. No, we ought to take precautions, to know the dangers and avoid them. But we are not to become so terrified that we do not do the work God has given us. The other day, I arrived to find a gentleman smoking a crack pipe on our stairs. I approached him cautiously, but I did approach, because I needed to get in the building. I did not see him, and then and there resign from the ministry

Haggai told them: Be strong. Be courageous. Have faith. Be assured. Do not fear. In verse four -- in the Name of the Lord God -- the Father. In verse five, in the Name of the Word, Who is the Son, Jesus Christ. And in the Name of the Holy Spirit.

And still there are some who ask why? How?

And Haggai told them in verses six through nine:

The Lord will shake the Creation. We are not called to restore the Creation, we are called to be faithful stewards of all that God has given us. And truth be told, none of us have. Let us this Stewardship Sunday go home and pray and seek God’s Wisdom and leading in how each of us can be the faithful steward we are called to be.

The Lord will fill His House with splendor. If the work seems too much for us to accomplish on our own, you're right. We are called to be faithful stewards, but the Lord our God will finally and fully fill His House with His Splendor.

Israel did rebuild the temple, and after three months, God ended the famine and brought the rain again. But the temple was only about half the size of Solomon's. It was nowhere near as impressive or as ornate. The fulness of this prophecy did not come to pass among them -- and this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled. The author of Hebrews wrote, "See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of things that are shaken -- that is, things that have been made -- in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:26-29). This prophecy, brothers and sisters, will be fulfilled when Jesus returns.

And -- the silver and the gold are the Lord's. Money is necessary, but money does not guarantee that all will be well. God knows our needs and God will provide for all of our needs. Remember, "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). Remember these words of Jesus: "'And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: "The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you in prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death'" (Revelation 2:8-11).

Let us pray that Second Reformed be the like church of Smyrna: let us be good stewards, putting our faith in the Lord, Our Strength and Our Courage. Let us find our assurance in the Work and the Promises of Jesus: He will do it. And let us not fear what man and devil can do, but work -- let everybody work -- in the joy and to the glory of our God Who calls us.

Our pew Bible has verse nine say that the Lord will give "prosperity." The word there is "shalom" -- "peace." This then is the promise: "The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord."

Do you believe the Lord? Then let us work hard to be faithful stewards, in joy and to the glory of our Only Savior.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, from the first day humans walked on the earth, you called us to be faithful stewards of all of the Creation and to walk in the ways You have prepared for us. Cause us to know You more fully, that we might be courageous, strong, full of faith, assured in Your Work and Promises, and without fear. Cause us to live from this day forward and until Your return in true faith. For it is in Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.