Consider

Consider

 “Consider”- the Prophet Haggai

“Consider your ways, repent, and build His house.” 

Big idea, How God has called his people to restore His house, the temple, and what can we learn to restore our church

  • Context
    • The letter sent to the new king
    • Stop building God’s house, the temple, for about 10 yrs. 

Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Ezra 5:1

#1. Consider your ways. 1-11

  • Read Haggai 1:1-2,       
    • When God says “you say” soul squirm, “uh oh”
  • vs. 3-4  The question? 
    • When you put it that way.
  • vs. 5-6, Consider your ways
    • Divine fruitlessness, did you notice? 
    • This happens to churches and church life. 
  • vs. 7-8, Consider your ways, repent, and build His house
    •  This is what you need to do
  • vs. 9, The why; You have lost your purpose, and my house lies in ruin while you build your own. 
  • vs. 10-11Therefore, I caused a divine fruitlessness. 

Consider your ways, application

  • Sin is soo easy to miss. This is why we need the word of God in our lives. 
  • What is their sin? 
    • They made their homes a priority over God’s
    • They lost their purpose
    • Too busy to notice. 
  • Consider your ways
    • What in your life is taking priority over God? 
    • Can you prioritize things in your life to build the church? 
    • Our church needs money, volunteers, leadership, 
    • If our main purpose in life is to restore the church, what would need to change about your life to make this happen? 
  • May the word of the Lord through the prophet Haggai convict our hearts.   May we Consider your ways, repent, and build His house

Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Psalm 139:23–24

#2. Repent-   (define as a worship issue)

  • Vs. 12, they hear the word and change their ways… This is called repentance… 
  • Vs. 13- and where there is repentance, there is presence. 
  • vs. 14-15, organized, mobilized and 23 days later they are building the house. 
    • As a pastor, this would be great. 
    • Maybe 20% of you support the rest of the church. We are all called to give joyfully, regularly, and sacrificially. 
    • You hear that, and within 23 days the budget is turned around.
    • Why is this a pipe dream or saved only for revival? When did we stop considering our ways, repenting, and building the church? 
  • May the word of the Lord through the prophet Haggai convict our hearts.   May we Consider your ways, repent, and build His house

Less than a month later, encouragement to continue living within the fruit of repentance comes as they 

#3. BUILD HIS HOUSE 

Haggai 2:3-4  Be strong and work—> BUILD HIS HOUSE! 

  • The threat of opposition isn’t gone, It’s not like the letter telling them to stop has changed.  The Persian rule, the Samaritans, the current temple vs. the old temple, 
  • fear, discouragement, and frustration were still a factor. Be strong! 

Read Vs. 4b-5

  • The tripartite promise. I will be your God, You will be my people, and I will make my dwelling among you. 

Conclusion 

  • vs. 13-14, Jesus has made our hands clean, we repent! 
  • vs. 15, CONSIDER THIS DAY 
  • Vs. 18-19, But from this day on, I will bless you. Who wants to be blessed? On Nov. 18th, 2018 we can note a difference in fruitfulness

Consider your ways, repent, and build His house.

APPLICATION

What’s our purpose?

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Matthew 16:15–16

GOSPEL to all

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:17–18

  • if we are a Christian and hold to the confession that Jesus is the Christ, then we join in to build the church. If God is for us, who can be against us? 

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19–22

  • Identity

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, Ephesians 4:11–12

  • Actions / gifts    ALL TO BUILD the CHURCH

Consider your ways, repent, and build His house.

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