Weekly Sermon
This sermon is a companion to four previous sermons: Consider Your Priorities - Haggai 1:5
Consider the Lord's Pleasure - Haggai 1:8
Consider Our Lord's Purpose - Haggai 2:10-19
Consider Our Lord's Promise - Haggai 2:18-23
Haggai 2:1-5 reads, “In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”
The Book of Haggai is an Old Testament book of only two chapters. Five times in those two chapters, our Lord instructed His people of that time to consider (in 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18). They were to consider their self-centered priorities and to reestablish their priority on the things of the Lord. They were to consider the Lord’s pleasure and to return unto the way of the Lord’s pleasure upon them. They were to consider the Lord’s purpose in chastening and to receive it with meekness unto fruitfulness for the Lord. Finally, they were to consider the Lord’s promise and to set the faith and focus of their hearts upon the Lord.
In particular, the Lord promised that if they would reestablish their priority on His work, and would return unto the way of His pleasure, and would receive with meekness the purpose of His chastening, then He would be with them in the fellowship of His presence and would pour out upon them the enabling of His Spirit. In fact, these very two promises are given in Haggai 2:4-5 – “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.” In like manner, in the New Testament the Lord our God has also promised the fellowship of His presence and the enabling of His Spirit unto us who are His people today.
Yet these promises were not and are not to be an end in themselves. Rather, these promises were then to move and motivate God’s people unto the work of the Lord for that time; and these promises are now to move and motivate God’s people unto the work of the Lord for this time. Yea, in Haggai 2:4-5, on the grounds of our Lord’s promise to be with them in fellowship and to place His Spirit upon them for enabling, He gave a three-fold instruction unto His people. Brethren, through these three things we are to be claiming our Lord’s presence.
This sermon is a companion to four previous sermons: Consider Your Priorities - Haggai 1:5
Consider the Lord's Pleasure - Haggai 1:8
Consider Our Lord's Purpose - Haggai 2:10-19
Consider Our Lord's Promise - Haggai 2:18-23
Haggai 2:1-5 reads, “In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”
The Book of Haggai is an Old Testament book of only two chapters. Five times in those two chapters, our Lord instructed His people of that time to consider (in 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18). They were to consider their self-centered priorities and to reestablish their priority on the things of the Lord. They were to consider the Lord’s pleasure and to return unto the way of the Lord’s pleasure upon them. They were to consider the Lord’s purpose in chastening and to receive it with meekness unto fruitfulness for the Lord. Finally, they were to consider the Lord’s promise and to set the faith and focus of their hearts upon the Lord.
In particular, the Lord promised that if they would reestablish their priority on His work, and would return unto the way of His pleasure, and would receive with meekness the purpose of His chastening, then He would be with them in the fellowship of His presence and would pour out upon them the enabling of His Spirit. In fact, these very two promises are given in Haggai 2:4-5 – “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.” In like manner, in the New Testament the Lord our God has also promised the fellowship of His presence and the enabling of His Spirit unto us who are His people today.
Yet these promises were not and are not to be an end in themselves. Rather, these promises were then to move and motivate God’s people unto the work of the Lord for that time; and these promises are now to move and motivate God’s people unto the work of the Lord for this time. Yea, in Haggai 2:4-5, on the grounds of our Lord’s promise to be with them in fellowship and to place His Spirit upon them for enabling, He gave a three-fold instruction unto His people. Brethren, through these three things we are to be claiming our Lord’s presence.