Sermons

Scripture Reading (NIV):
Haggai 1: 5 - 15
5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. {Consider…: Heb. Set
your heart on your ways}
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are
not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth
wages to put it into a bag with holes. {with holes: Heb. pierced through}
7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. {Consider…: Heb. Set your heart on
your ways}
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it,
and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon
it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man
unto his own house. {blow…: or, blow it away}
10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and
upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and
upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
12 ¶ Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest,
with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of
Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the
LORD.
13 Then spake Haggai the LORD’S messenger in the LORD’S message unto the people,
saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah,
and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant
of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

Haggai 2: 1 - 9
1 ¶ In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the
LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, {by: Heb. by the hand of}
2 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,
3 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?
4 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:
5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit
remaineth among you: fear ye not.
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens,
and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this
house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts:
and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Matthew 21: 12 - 14
12 ¶ And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the
temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold
doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have
made it a den of thieves.
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

Message

Jesus is in the business of transformation. God is calling us to build the true temple of God,
which is a house of prayer for all nations.

Prayer is not one aspect of the church - Prayer is the purpose and function of the church.

God’s Temple is a place where people come from near and far to meet with God in and
through prayer.

In Acts they meet daily from house to house and in the temple for prayer, fellowship and
meals and God added to them daily. people getting saved. There is fellowship, prayer, meals
and God did the rest.

As I looked at these scriptures I saw 3 aspects of growth and transformation.

1.        Building
2.        Shaking/Cleansing
3.        Filling

Building Phase

Haggai was confronted with ruin, despair and tiredness - a visionless people who had lost
hope. All they could think about was the good old days of Solomon’s temple when everything
was great and everything seemed secure.

The building phase is hard because a hand full of people, already discouraged, face this
huge challenge.

History tells us that the Temple Haggai built was never as glorious as Solomon’s temple
(Gold = 1 metric ton, Silver = 3,4 metric tons, Bronze 2,4 metric tons)
But it was to this temple that Jesus came and taught and were the disciples came for prayer
and fellowship after Pentecost.

I believe Haggai saw further than the bricks and the mortar or gold and silver.

He saw:
Ÿ        Pentecost, the outpouring!
Ÿ        Peter and John healing the lame man at the temple gate!
Ÿ        miracles of transformed lives, healings and salvation!
Ÿ        Toronto and the 7 million visitors!
Ÿ        Mike Bickles’ church in Kansas city 24 hour prayer!
Ÿ        millions of missionaries giving themselves, no counting the cost but giving themselves
to death!
Ÿ        Heidi and Roland Baker planting 6000 churches in about 6 - 7 years in Mozambique
Ÿ        Church On The Way come alive after a period of testing and breaking!

How to build

You don't see things as they are you see things as you are.

We need to become a prophetic people who see beyond the stones, the rubble, true
imperfections of our situation or of each other, we need to see the Glory of God.

Haggai saw the Glory of the completed temple and he said to the people: “ Stop looking
backward, start looking upward! See the Glory, get the vision, the big picture! See yourself as
part of a major work of God to the nations.”

I believe God is looking for a remnant of believers - you can spot them! They are always
cheerful, always optimistic, always hopeful, they are the visionary people who inspire hope.

It is time for us to change our glasses and see God

1.        Become prophetic. Every Christian is a prophet and needs to develop the prophet
within.
2.        Become focused on Jesus and not on bricks and mortar. Any project is not about the
resources its about the Spirit and relationships.
3.        Build in prayer. Go into your prayer closet, close the door and pray to God.
4.        Refuse to criticize - I am not the only minister on the Bluff who gets criticized. If I have a
problem with a colleague I visit and talk. Criticism just increases the problem.

Shaking/Cleansing. The Aspect of Transformation

This has already begun in my personal life.
I have made a commitment to myself, to God and several people in this regard and given
them permission to speak into my life and I am sure you all are doing the same.

There is increased prayer and fasting in my life and seeking God.

Filling

When ever the Temple was built, after a long period of hard work, God came and filled it with
His Glory!

If you are faithful in taking small positive steps toward God, God will take huge steps towards
you.

Like Moses we will shine with His Glory.
Like the Temple, this temple will be a House of Prayer for the Nations.

People will come from near and far to seek God’s face and find Him here because the Glory
of God has and is filling this place now and again and again!

Church on the Way.

God is Calling us. Sermon - week 7

St. Georges Presbyterian Church Bluff, Durban, South Africa.