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Please turn in your Bibles to 
Haggai chapter 2. We have been studying the minor 
prophets in our evening worship. However, we're looking at Haggai. 
This morning, to finish up this exposition of this minor prophet, 
because it's so applicable to the Church today, I believe the 
central theme or the governing principle of the book itself 
is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Haggai ministered in a situation 
not unlike our own today, where people are more consumed with 
their comfort, with their feelings, with their desires and their 
needs being met than the glory of our triune God. So the prophet 
was dispatched to call the people to repentance and faith just 
by way of reminder or review. Remember that the prophet wrote 
in about 520 B.C. It was after the Babylonian captivity. The people of Judah had spent 
70 years in Babylon in exile, and after that time, because 
of a decree of Cyrus, they were free to return to their native 
land, to Judah. About 50,000 of the people made 
the 900-mile trek, went back to Judah, and initially, according 
to the Book of Ezra, they built an altar for worship. This was 
about 538 B.C. They built an altar for worship, 
then they laid the foundation for the temple. However, because 
of some opposition from within the land, They did not build 
the temple at that particular time. They basically put it on 
the back burner for a period of 16 years. And that brings 
us to 520, when the prophets Haggai and Zechariah were sent 
to call the people to repentance and to call them to build the 
house of the Lord. The prophet Malachi came about 
70 to 75 years later. So much of what we see here in 
Haggai, and the repentance that the people engaged in, we see 
when we get to the prophet Malachi, unfortunately it wasn't lasting, 
it wasn't permanent, it wasn't something that they had internalized. But more on that as we work our 
way through, specifically chapter 2, beginning in verse 10. On 
the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year 
of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 
Thus says the Lord of hosts. Now ask the priests concerning 
the law, saying, If one carries holy meat in the fold of his 
garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or 
oil, or any food, will it become holy? Then the priests answered 
and said, No. And Haggai said, if one who is 
unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it 
be unclean? So the priests answered and said, 
it shall be unclean. Then Haggai answered and said, 
so is this people, and so is this nation before me, says the 
Lord. And so is every work of their 
hands, and what they offer there is unclean. And now carefully 
consider from this day forward. from before stone was laid upon 
stone in the temple of the Lord. Since those days, when one came 
to a heap of twenty ephods, there were but ten. When one came to 
the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were 
but twenty. I struck you with blight and 
mildew and hail and all the labors of your hands, yet you did not 
turn to me, says the Lord. Consider now from this day forward, 
from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day 
that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid. Consider it. Is the seed still in the barn? 
As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive 
tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless 
you." And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth 
day of the month, saying, "'Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, 
saying, "'I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the 
throne of kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of 
the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots 
and those who ride in them. The horses and the riders shall 
come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. In that day, 
says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel my servant, 
the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and will make you like 
a signet ring, for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts. 
Amen. Our God and our Father, we come 
before You now and we pray for the ministry of Your Holy Spirit 
to be at work in each of our hearts. We thank You that our 
Lord Jesus Christ has not left us as orphans in this world, 
but He has given another helper, one just like Himself. And we 
know that He guides us, He directs us, He teaches us, and leads 
us into all truth, and that is our genuine desire. For we know 
that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, it is profitable 
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction 
in righteousness. And our desire as your people 
is to be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. And Father, 
for those who are not your people, we pray that the gospel of our 
Lord Jesus Christ would be set forth clearly, that sinners would 
look to Christ and be saved, that you would indeed receive 
all glory, praise, and honor through the salvation of your 
elect. We pray that wherever this gospel 
is preached today, you would call men and women, boys and 
girls, to yourself. And do forgive us now for all 
of our sins and wash us afresh in the blood of the Lamb. And 
we ask in Jesus' name, Amen. Well, as we have looked at this 
particular book thus far, we saw the command to build God's 
house in Chapter 1. The primary issue, the primary 
problem is identified there in chapter 1 verse 4. Haggai says, 
is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses 
and this temple to lie in ruins? You're back in your land, you've 
been freed from exile, you have the decree of a pagan king that 
you have freedom to be in your land and dwell there, and yet 
you live in continual neglect of the house of the Lord. The 
house of the Lord served as a fitting reminder that their hearts were 
not given to the Lord. The fact that that empty foundation 
lied there when they were enjoying their paneled houses was an indictment 
against them. They were completely opposite 
to King David. Back in David's day, he is dwelling 
in his house of Cedar, and it dawns on him, why am I dwelling 
in such a lavish palace? And the house of the Lord, and 
the Lord himself, resides in a tent. And David wanted to build 
a house for the Lord, but the prophet told him it was not to 
be because he was a man of war. He had blood on his hands and 
it would be in Solomon, the time of Solomon, when the temple would 
be built. Remember, that brings us to chapter 
2. In chapter 2, the prophet asks the people in verse 3, who 
is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? He's talking about Solomon's 
temple. Solomon was given that task, 
they built this beautiful structure, God approved of it, God's Shekinah 
glory came upon that place, and it was a very impressive symbol 
that God was with His people Israel. Well, of course, the 
Babylonians destroyed that. And so at the building of this 
second temple, they've got the foundation laid, but it's nowhere 
near as impressive as Solomon's temple. So the prophet comes 
and encourages them. He says, don't live in the past. 
Don't look back to the former glory. He says, don't even focus 
primarily about what's going on right here. Think about the 
future, the fact that God is going to shape the heavens and 
the earth, and He's going to do a wondrous thing for His glory 
and for the good of His people. And then that brings us, thirdly, 
to consider this exhortation in chapter 2, verses 10 to 23, 
to the people concerning the building of the house. And the 
first thing we want to look at is a promise concerning future 
blessing. That's in chapter 2, verses 10 
to 19, and then we'll look at the announcement regarding the 
coming king in chapter 2, verses 20 to 23. Now, there's the introduction. I want you to pay close attention, 
because as I said before, this prophet is specifically applicable 
to our generation. I suspect he's specifically applicable 
to all generations because of the prevalence of sin, but as 
we survey this book, we see a people not unlike ourselves. focused on themselves and God 
coming in as an afterthought. That's the whole thrust of the 
prophet and why he's calling them to act consistently with 
their place in God's covenant. Notice this promise concerning 
future blessing. He begins by asking a couple 
of questions in verses 10 to 13, theological questions. Questions 
concerning holiness, questions concerning defilement, questions 
that will become increasingly clearer as we move through this 
particular chapter. The first question, verse 11, 
Thus says the Lord of hosts, Now ask the priest concerning 
the law, saying, If one carries holy meat in the fold of his 
garment, and with the edge of it he touches the bread, or stew, 
or wine, or oil, or any food, will it become holy? First thing 
we ought to appreciate is this appeal to the law. When any question 
concerning doctrine or practice comes up, hopefully this is our 
response. What does the law say? What does 
God's Word say? What is God's mind on this particular 
subject? Now, we know that God is a glorious 
being who inhabits eternity. He has spoken in his word. He 
has given us 66 books. We need to avail ourselves of 
that. Laziness or carelessness or indifference is simply inexcusable 
with reference to the church today, to the law and to the 
testimony. If they do not speak consistent 
with this, There is no truth in that. It's what the prophet 
Isaiah said. We need to appreciate that. Thus 
says the Lord of Hosts, now ask the priests concerning the law, 
saying. And basically the question is, 
is holiness contagious? Is holiness contagious? If one 
carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and it bumps up 
against something else, does that holiness somehow transmit 
into that thing? What's the answer? No. Holiness 
is not contagious. Well, what about defilement? 
Is it contagious? Yes. That's what he says in verse 
13. Then the priest answered and 
said no to the first, and then Haggai said if one who is unclean 
because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean? So the priest answered and said 
it shall be unclean. This is a fact and a reality 
in our lives. Holiness is not transmitted by 
touch, defilement is. That's why James says that pure 
and undefiled religion on the side of God and the Father is 
this, to visit widows and orphans in their distress, and to keep 
oneself unspotted from this world. We in our arrogance, we in our 
pride, we in our wickedness think that our holiness, we can just 
go out and sort of touch things and be around things and just 
sanctify them. God says, no, that's not the 
case. Far more is the potential for you to go out and become 
unspotted in the world. You need to be careful. You need 
to be watchful. Well, what does this have to 
do with Haggai's situation? Notice the implication he draws 
in verse 14. Then Haggai answered and said, 
So is this people, and so is this nation before me, says the 
Lord. And so is every work of their 
hands, and what they offer there is unclean. The temple, the house 
of the Lord, was a spiritual contagion. The fact that it was 
not built, the fact that the foundation had laid dormant, 
the fact that they had given no concern, no attention, no 
desire to construct this temple was the thing that defiled them. So much so that when they went 
through ceremony, it didn't purify them. That's what he says. Notice 
verse 14. So is this people and so is this 
nation before me, says the Lord. And so is every work of their 
hands. Probably a reference to business, to agriculture, to 
what we do outside of the religious context. How does that affect 
them? Or what does he say? And then 
he goes on to say, and what they offer there is unclean. The defilement of the people 
of Israel affected them in their secular dealings and in their 
religious dealings, which just goes to show that our secular 
dealings really are religious in nature. Let me try to make 
this very clear. When they went out to grow food, 
they were not as successful as they could have been or should 
have been. This wasn't a problem of, we don't know how to plant 
seeds. This wasn't a problem of, we 
don't know how to check the seasons and work in accordance with rain 
and all that sort of thing. It was a problem of faith. You've got to enter into the 
world according to Haggai here. He sees that when you go out 
Monday to Saturday, and you work, and you do, and you move, and 
you live, and you have your being, if you are not doing it for the 
glory of God, if you are not doing it trusting in the Lord 
Jesus Christ, if you are not doing it as a God-fearing man 
or woman, there will be implications. When you come in on Sunday to 
offer up your sacrifices of praise, the Lord God may just not hear 
it. One man says, we do not know 
how they replied to this, specifically Haggai's message, that, so is 
this people, and so is this nation before me, says the Lord. So 
is every work of their hands, and what they offer there is 
unclaimed. The unbuilt temple was a source 
of spiritual contagion. The fact that they let it lie 
dormant affected them in their secular lives, affected them 
in their religious lives, affected everything that came. upon them. One man says, we do not know 
how they replied to this, or if they replied at all, but we 
can well imagine someone saying, hey, wait a minute. What do you 
mean by calling my daily work to file? I run a tidy farm. I plan my business, pay my bills. 
What has religion to do with that? Now, we can hear this kind 
of thing in the pagan, can't we? I submit we can hear this 
kind of thing in the Christian today. We have made this dichotomy 
in the very use of the words secular and religion. I don't 
want to add to that. I'm trying to show you that what 
we think is secular is actually religious. Whatever your hand 
finds to do, do it with your might. When you're out in the 
world, the Bible tells you as a bond servant, you are to work 
in such a way, not for eye service, but as unto the Lord. This man 
goes on to say, and we can hardly fail to hear someone say, but 
this can't be right. I bring sacrifices to the altar 
to deal with my defilement before God. How can the sacrifice God 
has commanded be a defiled thing, unacceptable to Him? He says, 
Haggai is challenging both the concept of a purely secular society 
and the notion that religious activity is self-validating. If people are not right with 
God, their society will be warped and ineffective, and their religion 
will reflect their character, not change it. The springs of 
life need to be clean if the outflow is to be clean. That's 
why when we get over to Romans 1, for instance, and we see that 
God gave them over to a reprobate mind. And Paul describes the 
lawlessness of men apart from the Christian gospel. He speaks 
of homosexuality. He says that even the women exchange 
the natural use for that which is unnatural. He speaks about 
murder. He speaks about all manner of 
lawlessness. We as Christians come and we 
say, wow, we've got to tell people to stop being homosexual. We've 
got to tell people to stop murdering. We've got to tell people to stop 
engaging in those things. And while I'm not against telling 
people to stop that, the primary emphasis of the passage is that 
they had first defected from God. In other words, the overarching 
sin in the book of Romans, or in Romans chapter 1, is that 
they did not honor God as God, nor were they thankful. And because 
of that, God gives them over. So the answer for our culture 
of sodomites, of murderers, of whatever thing you want to call 
them, or whatever particular expression of sin is out there, 
the answer is, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel. The gospel. Now, that's not to 
say we shouldn't be anti-this, anti-this, anti-that. But we 
should, as Christians and as a church, first promote the gospel 
of free and sovereign grace. So what Haggai is showing is 
that all of the world is connected. Defilement doesn't just affect 
you in your field, it affects you in the service of God. It 
not only affects you in the church, but it affects you in your field. It is a systemic issue. Now, 
let's go back to Haggai 2 and see the promise of blessing, 
verses 15 to 19. He calls them to consider their 
past. Verse 15. Consider, he says, from this 
day forward, from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple 
of the Lord, since those days when one came to a heap of twenty 
ephahs, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat 
to draw out fifty vats from the press, there were but twenty. 
I struck you with blight and mildew and hail and all the labors 
of your hands, yet you did not turn to me, says the Lord. Think 
about where you've come from. Think about your past. It's as 
if the prophet is saying, he's telling them from this day forward, 
you need to live this way. As a help to that, remember the 
rock from whence you've been hewn. You sinned and God judged 
you. You sinned and God sent Mildred. 
You sinned and God cursed your crops. You sinned and God has 
confounded your way. The reality is they came up short 
in all that they were doing. Again, the prophet does something 
here that we just don't do today. Verse 17a. He highlights the 
fact that this was divine judgment. We look at a parcel of land and 
we say, wow, that's not as fruitful as it ought to be. Let's get 
some engineers in there and survey it. Let's get some water in there 
and fix it. I'm not saying we bypass the 
means to be sure. The primary element involved 
is God. We judge things based on gross 
national product. We judge things based on how 
many cars people have. We judge things based on how 
much vacation time someone enjoys. The Bible tells us we're to judge 
things based on how a man relates to God. He says this, too, in verse 17b. We need to take heed to this. 
Yet you did not turn to me, says the Lord." This illustrates two things. 
It illustrates, first of all, the wickedness of man. Oh, you 
Calvinists, all you ever talk about is how bad we are. Yeah, 
because all we ever try to do as human beings is convince ourselves 
how good we are. And until we realize how bad 
we are, we'll never see the need for Jesus. That's what he said. I didn't come to call the righteous, 
but sinners to repentance. Sin is a powerful thing. Can you imagine this? They planted, 
stuff didn't grow. They worshipped, God wasn't happy. So much so that Babylon was used 
by God to come in and to invade the covenant nation. So much 
so that in the siege of Jerusalem in 586, women were actually eating 
their babies. God prophesied it in Deuteronomy 
28, Jeremiah laments it in the book of Lamentations. And what does the Lord say? Yet 
you refuse to repent. Sin is powerful. In Revelation 
16, when the bold judgments of God are being poured out upon 
His enemies, in Revelation 16, verse 8, then the fourth angel 
poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to 
scorch men with fire, and men were scorched with great heat, 
and they blasphemed the name of God, who has power over these 
plagues, and they did not repent and give Him glory. In Revelation 
16 and verse 17. Revelation, I'm sorry, verse 
12. Then the sixth angel, actually 
verse 11. Yeah, verse 11. I can't read my writing. Verse 
11. They blaspheme the God of heaven 
because of their pains and their sores and did not repent of their 
deeds. And then again in verse 21, And 
great hail from heaven fell upon them, each hailstone about the 
weight of a talent, men blasphemed God because of the plague of 
the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great. So we learn 
from this declaration of Haggai and John in the book of Revelation, 
sin is a very powerful thing. But secondly, it is only the 
grace of God that brings repentance. Please don't miss that. Men do 
not have it in themselves to just repent. That's like telling 
the Ethiopian to change his skin color. That's like telling the 
leopard to change its spots. Go to the zoo sometime. I don't 
know if they have a leopard at the Greater Vancouver Zoo there. 
They might have some animal with a certain print. Go up to that 
leopard or that animal with that certain print and say, go ahead, 
change. I like lions and stripes much 
better. I want you to change. What's he going to do? Eat whatever 
meets in front of him and not pay unilateral attention to you. 
That's what the prophet Jeremiah says with reference to man. So 
are you who are accustomed to doing evil. See, when we preach 
the gospel, we are not preaching and appealing to men in their 
wisdom and in their ability. We are calling them, by the grace 
of God, to believe and repent. Sin is powerful. It takes sovereign 
grace. It takes divine initiative. It 
takes God Most High working in the heart. Repentance is of God. That's why the Confession says 
that it is a saving grace. So that's the long and the short. 
Oh, I'm sorry. He speaks of the past curse and 
then he promises future blessing. Verse 19, the language is a bit 
difficult to understand in terms of the seed being still in the 
barn and the reference to the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, 
but the last clause is very, very easy to understand. But 
from this day, I will bless you. What's the idea? Spiritual contagion. That unbuilt temple showed they 
did not care about God. From this day forward, however, 
when you care about God, when you seek God first and His kingdom 
and His righteousness, then all these other things are allowed 
to you. So, I'm sorry, Matthew 6.33 is about the best summary 
statement of Haggai, the prophet. And now let us move finally to 
an announcement regarding the coming king. Verses 20 to 23 
is actually a messianic promise. Zerubbabel was of the line of 
David. He was of the line of David. 
His father was Shealtiel, 1 Chronicles 3, and his grandfather was Jehoiachin, 
so he was from the Davidic line. Remember the promise made to 
David in 2 Samuel 7, that from his seed one would come who would 
sit upon his throne and who would reign forever and ever and ever. Zerubbabel was, admittedly, not 
that well known. However, Matthew chapter 1, in 
tracing the genealogy of our Lord Jesus, highlights Zerubbabel's 
role in that particular line. Matthew chapter 1, verse 13, 
Zerubbabel begot Abiah, Abiah begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot 
Azor, Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Akim, and Akim begot Eliah. Eliab begot Eleazar, Eleazar 
begot Methan, and Methan begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Joseph, 
the husband of Mary, who was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So while Zerubbabel was an earthly 
governor over a small population of people, he was in the line 
of a greater one. It would be from his wine, it 
would be from his seed, it would be ultimately from his loins 
that the Lord Jesus Christ would come on the scene. And that's 
what he's speaking to in verses 21 to 23. He speaks of the restoration 
of the Davidic wine. This would be very important 
in this context as well. As I mentioned, 50,000 came out 
of the Babylonian captivity. That's not a lot of people. Considering 
that coming out of the exodus of Egypt, there were 600,000 
men, not counting the women and the children. 50,000 in a lot of ways was just small 
peanuts. Remember the fact of the temple, 
too. This isn't like Solomon's. This isn't the glorious time 
that we're used to here. We've got a much smaller place 
in this second temple. You see, God, through the prophet, 
is saying greater things are coming. Greater and more glorious 
things are in the future. Wondrous things. You see, we 
are given promises. We are given encouragement. We 
are given hope. We are called to look forward 
so that we will have the strength to live in the present. Look 
back on the past. See what God has done. Reflect 
on what God is going to do in terms of building His kingdom, 
in terms of blessing His people and bringing glory to His name. 
That should fortify you in the present. We so often live right 
here, right now, neglecting the cross and neglecting the crown. We live right here, right now, 
as if we are not even attached to the promises of God. We live 
as practical atheists. Haggai is saying, don't do that. From Zerubbabel one will come. He speaks of the restoration 
of David. Verse 21. Speak to Zerubbabel, 
governor of Judah. Verse 23. In that day, says the 
Lord of hosts, I will take you. Zerubbabel, my servant, the son 
of Shealtiel, says the Lord. Again, that's language fitting 
in the time for the one who is coming, even Messiah Christ. There would be judgment on the 
opposition of God's people. Verse 22a, I will overthrow the 
throne of kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of 
the Gentile kingdoms. Very end of verse 22, the horses 
and the riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his 
brother. He speaks here of the deliverance of God's people. 
Yes, they'd experienced that somewhat in the Babylonian, or 
the spring from the Babylonian exile and captivity, but there's 
a greater hope coming. There's a greater time coming, 
and it would originate in Bethlehem, Ephrathah. That one whom Micah 
pointed to. That one whom the entirety of 
the Old Testament pointed to. This is Haggai, again, preaching 
Jesus Christ, and greater and more glorious things to come 
in the future for God's people. So you see, based on that, given 
those promises, given those encouragements, the people are to take up their 
trowels, they're to take up their hammers, under, as we read and 
reflect in Ezra and Nehemiah, they take up swords to defend 
themselves and guard against the opposition, but they're to 
build, they're to labor, they're to work. Remember back in Haggai 
chapter 2, he says you are to believe certain things, you're 
to believe that God is present, you're to believe in his covenant 
promises, you're to believe in his Holy Spirit. Believing those 
things, you're to work, you're to labor, you're to engage, you're 
to do for the glory of God. That's Haggai's message. Seek 
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then these 
other things will be added to you. Our greater-than-Haggai 
was speaking in the context there of material blessings. Remember 
Matthew 6? This is what Jesus is talking 
about. Look at the birds. They don't 
toil. They don't labor. Look at the lilies. They don't 
toil. They don't labor. They don't 
spin. They're not at looms. They don't have sewing machines. 
They don't have sergers. But what does he say? God told 
them that they are more gloriously arrayed than Solomon in all of 
his glory. What's the take-home message 
for the disciples? You too! Seek first God's kingdom 
and His righteousness, and then these things will be added to 
you. That's the thrust of Haggai's message, centering on the concept 
of the temple to be sure that that temple was simply the indicator 
of their place with God, their relation to God. The house was 
the outward form of the real presence of the Lord among His 
people. To refuse to build the house 
was at best saying that it did not matter whether the Lord was 
present or not. Haggai and Jesus are telling 
us, here in Chilliwack, in the 21st century, the very same message. God better come first in your life. There are three lessons that 
I want to draw out of this book as a whole. First, the worldview 
of the prophets. We hear a lot about worldview. 
What's a worldview? It's a way of viewing the world. dazzling scholarship this morning. 
Brethren, what is a worldview? A way of viewing the world. How 
are Christians supposed to view the world? They're to take their 
Bibles and to look through them as a lens. This is what Asaph 
did. Asaph is very candid. Asaph is 
very honest. Asaph is very clear. He starts 
Psalm 73 by saying, God is good to Israel. And then he goes on 
to say, but as for me, my foot nearly slipped. You know, when 
I saw the wicked and they prosper, I saw the wicked who had no panties, 
I saw the wicked who had all the good things that this world 
has to offer, and then I saw the righteous struggling. I saw 
the righteous just kind of eking out their existence, the righteous 
having difficulties and problems in their lives. Esau says, I 
scratched my head, and it really caused me great turmoil until 
I went into the sanctuary of the Lord. What's he saying? I thought like a heathen. And 
then I took the lens of Holy Scripture and I interpreted things 
properly. Actually, he says, I thought like a beast. And then 
I took the lens of Holy Scripture and I began to interpret things 
properly. Is that what Haggai is telling us? You come in from 
your work and you should have yielded a lot more than what 
you actually did. Or your money is so worthless, 
it's like it's just falling through holes in your pockets. And you're 
agonizing, and you're bemoaning, and you're reading books on economics, 
and you're reading books on better agrarian practices. You're crying 
out to the Lord. What is Haggai saying? He's saying, 
seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all 
these other things of the Odyssey. Now again, brethren, you know 
me enough, but I feel I have to qualify. I'm all about taking 
the Bible, searching, learning economics, learning humanitarianism, 
all that sort of thing. The primary aspect of our passage, 
though, is that God is in control. God is sovereign. Mottyer says 
this, to the unaided human mind, the situation demanded procedural 
reform. speaking to this issue, where 
they kept coming up short. That's what he says in chapter 
2, verse 16. Since those days, when one came 
to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten. When one came to 
the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were 
but twenty. They kept coming up short. It wasn't as if they 
had nothing. It was that they kept coming 
up short. They would scratch their heads. They would think. They'd plan. 
They'd plot. They'd talk to their wives. Men would talk to other 
businessmen. They'd say, what's happening 
here? How can we just keep coming up short? What's going on? Meyer says to the unaided human 
mind the situation demanded procedural reform. We're good at that. Let's 
fix the procedure. Let's fix the structure. Let's 
fix the system. Let's throw more money at it. 
Sounds like our federal government. He says the gross national product 
was insufficient and even what was produced did not seem to 
go as far as the producer envisioned. He says, then as now, these are 
problems for the farmer, the economist, and the business owner. It's a haggard, the problem, 
spiritual. This is the point. This is the 
issue. The missing factor was not efficiency 
and know-how, but the blessing of God. I think about this with 
reference to church life, too. So many churches today, small 
and struggling, they say, let's just throw this at it. Let's 
just do this. Let's just do that. Let's seek God. Let's preach 
the truth. Let's determine with Paul to 
know nothing, save Christ, crucify. Procedure, structure, system, 
fixing. We can't do anything if the Spirit 
of God is not with us. He says, by now we know how to 
interpret references to the building of the temple. It is the divinely 
required precondition of the indwelling of God among His people. 
Listen, he says, the unbuilt house speaks of the unwanted 
resident. That's the issue. That's why 
temple is central in Haggai's prophecy. It's not because they 
needed a building, it's not because preachers today ought to preach 
to you, cough up money, because we need a big house, we need 
a big temple, we need a big building, because that's how God is glorified. 
No, the unbuilt house testified concerning the unwanted residence. When we are sitting in our homes 
full of cedar, when we are neglecting the kingdom of Jesus Christ, 
the prophet Haggai comes and says, you need to repent. You need to forsake your sin, 
you need to quit playing games, and you need to get about the 
things of God. Do you really seek first the 
kingdom of God and His righteousness? Do you really value supremely 
and prize mostly Jesus Christ? Or is your comfort, your experience, 
your feeling, your happiness more important than that? That's 
the message of the Prophet. He says, this is explained in 
2.17, where failure in crops and failure in devotion belong 
together. The heart of their problem was 
that they acted as life could be run without reference to God, 
and as if grace would be theirs even though they neglected the 
means of grace. That's why, brethren, I am convinced 
that Haggai is very applicable to our generation. Maybe a little 
different. Crop failure may not be our primary 
thing, but there are a lot of things that we fall short in 
with reference to devotion to God. Now, please, so you understand, 
we are not saved by our devotion to God. We are saved by grace alone, 
through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. I just read something 
this past week. He made the statement that there 
is nothing more important than our fulfilling the covenant for 
our final salvation. That's wrong. Last Sunday night, 
when we considered Colossians 2, 11 and 12, we dealt a little 
bit with covenant theology as it pertains to circumcision and 
baptism. We mentioned the various covenants 
that God has made. Do you know who the covenant 
head of the New Covenant is? It's Jesus. He fulfills the conditions, 
He fulfills the obligations, He fulfills everything from A 
to Z. We do not contribute to that. 
We do not abjuve that. Christ secures our redemption. 
I'm addressing us as those who, by God's grace, have closed with 
Christ, have believed on Him, and whose lives ought to reflect 
that. For you see, God didn't suspend 
his mind in the way that he deals. It wasn't as if in Haggai's day 
they could seek first their own comfort, their own happiness, 
their own joy, to the neglect of God, but somehow in the New 
Covenant, we all get to be like this. The governing principle, secondly, 
of this book is seek God first. the temple functioned as a means 
to turn the people's orientation toward God. The gospel, or a 
fresh appreciation of and emphasis upon the gospel, is needed today 
for the very same reason. Be knowledgeable, be meditative, 
be contemplative of the gospel. Just thinking this morning, in 
our Sunday school, in the time of study, in the morning service. 
Memorize, or in the morning session before. Memorize Hymn 403. I mean, memorize your Bible, 
be sure. But a good declaration on this 
whole idea of how I'm in the covenant of grace is summarized 
in 403. The hot lady was a better theologian than what many are 
today. Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul. 
By grace and faith of Jesus. Now, there are just some things 
that I want to address that I think do affect us, if not us here 
specifically, us generically in North America. I think even 
as gospel-confessing Christians, even as those who do believe, 
I believe with Calvin, every one of us, even from his mother's 
womb, is a master craftsman of idols. How did John end his first 
epistle? He said, little children, keep 
yourselves from idols. How did he write that to Christians? 
because of our tendencies. Calvin said, man's mind is like 
a store of idolatry and superstition, so much so that if a man believes 
his own mind, it is certain that he will forsake God and forge 
some idol in his own brain. There is some stuff going on 
in the church today that ought to concern us. There are some 
things that betray this seeking God first and His kingdom principle. And I'm not even talking about 
where you spend your money and your time. I think ultimately 
where you spend your money and your time reflects the genuine 
desire of your heart. But I'm speaking of some tendencies 
that have crept in. that have taught or suggested 
that your felt needs are more important than what God says. What is that, but to seek first 
your kingdom and your righteousness, and then God? You know, when 
I was typing this out, I had, your felt needs are not as important 
as is God's glory. Then I thought about it. Your 
felt needs are not important. with God's defined needs for 
you. See, we all think we need this 
or that or whatever. That's what happened in Paul's 
admonition to Timothy. The time will come when they 
will not endure sound doctrine. So what's the response, Paul? 
Reach the words of them. God knows better what they need 
than they do. Meet their desire to have their itchy ears scratched 
or tickled. You meet that desire with an 
exposition of the truth. Are your felt needs an idol? 
Are your felt needs more important than God? A second thing. Sometimes we are told that our 
joy and our happiness in the glory of God is most important. Our joy and our happiness in 
the glory of God is nothing compared to the glory of God. You get that? You understand 
that? It's like prayer. Have you ever 
thought about prayer? Has anybody ever asked you, how 
was your prayer time this morning? You say, oh, it was really good. 
Or, oh, it wasn't that good. By what are you measuring that? 
By how you feel. Now, I'm not suggesting we should 
be dead cold fish in our prayers. I'm suggesting we pray. Because 
what happens is, we get this idea that if I don't get the 
feeling, then I'm not going to pray. God commands us to pray. What are we seeking first? God's 
glory? God's worship? God's honor? Or our healing in 
prayer? You say, I'm not even sure I'm 
guilty of this. I think we are. I think we are. How about worship? Today, worship is often measured 
by feeling. Again, I'm not suggesting you 
should come in here and devoid of feeling, as some robot, go 
through the motions, not give your mind, not give your heart, 
not give any energy, not give any attention. That's not what 
I'm saying. But I am suggesting that the mark of biblical worship 
isn't necessarily how good you feel when you leave. That is 
to seek first our feelings and our desires before God and His 
righteousness. Or take another, what I believe 
is an abuse today, and I believe paralyzes the people who've got 
evangelism and missions. You mean that you knocked on 
300 doors in Chilliwack and you saw not one person come to Jesus 
Christ? That's shameful. That's not what Paul says. You know what Paul says? Paul says 
God is glorified in the declaration of his truth. So we're Calvinists. We actually believe the results 
lie with God. Our job is to proclaim Jesus 
Christ and crucify. God's job is to save, to bless, 
or to damn. You can see that for yourself 
in 2 Corinthians chapter 2. I know sometimes this is a difficult 
one for people to fathom. They look at evangelism, they 
look at missions, and they say, well, not one soul has been saved 
in a whole year. Obviously, it's a failure. Boy, 
we would really be doing damage to the whole theology of missions 
if we engaged in that logic. Cary would have been crazy. Peyton, 
I don't know what was going on with him. I mean, as he's running 
through the bush with cannibals chasing after him, I doubt he 
was thinking, I wonder what 21st century missiologists would say 
of my ideas here. 2 Corinthians 2 verse 14, Now 
thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and 
through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are 
being saved, and among those who are perishing. To the one 
we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the 
aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these 
things? For we are not, as so many, peddling 
the Word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of from God, we speak 
in the sight of God in Christ. You see that, verses 14 and 15, 
for we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are 
being saved and among those who are perishing. See, we get it 
messed up if we're just results-oriented. We're not shooters in the old 
west putting arches on our belt every time we've done someone 
down. We ought to be faithful. It's just amusing this morning 
again. There's been a lot of things happening in the realm 
of theology and doctrine and men trying to articulate truth 
and men departing from truth. And it just causes me to weep. 
You know what's getting to be the most difficult thing today? 
It's just weeping. Do you have a mind to pray for 
me at all during the week? Pray that I would be faithful. That's my desire. That's what 
Paul said. Moreover, it is required of students 
that they be found faithful. That they always go to the law. 
They always go to the testimony. They always go to the gospel. 
They don't add to it. They don't take from it. They 
put it out there, caring for the sheep, desirous to see them 
fed, desirous to see them wet, desirous to see them happy in 
their Savior. Thankfully, not everybody here 
is reading all the controversy that's going on in the Reformed 
world. Read your Bibles. Read the proven 
masters of the faith. Make much of Christ. Take much 
of justification by faith. I actually think we're heading 
to, we're in need of, another referential. There are many departures, brethren, 
from the old paths. I mentioned last Sunday night, 
go to the old perspective on Paul. It's far more excellent 
than what is called today the new perspective on Paul. Go to the scriptures. Know the Bible. Know the truth. Our confession is a proven guide 
as well on these doctrines, on these areas of justification, 
of sanctification. Because if you think clearly 
on these things, you can come before the Lord and seek Him 
first. And realize that you're not the 
measure of all things. Realize that you're not the primary 
goal of all things. We need to be reminded of this, 
for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom 
be glory forever. He is not the measure of all 
things, God is. Jesus Christ is. Haggai teaches 
us this principle. Haggai shows us this truth. Haggai 
calls us to examine ourselves, to look at our priorities. What 
do I seek in worship? Am I seeking to worship God and 
glorify and praise and honor him? This isn't some behind-the-scenes 
backdoor entrance in to tell you you need to be content here 
with boring worship. That's not my goal. That's not 
my point. If you can't worship God here in clear conscience, 
find a church that you can do so. It is, however, a call for 
each and every one of us to examine ourselves in these areas. Eh? 
Am I seeking God first? What about business? You're not a business owner, 
you're a worker. You seeking God first? It's the thrust of 
Ephesians 6. That's what Paul says, work as 
unto the Lord. You know, in your workplace, work. And do so through the glory of 
God. Be on time. Work hard. Don't be a thief like 
so many are today. People actually boast today about, 
oh yeah, I work 8 hours, I get paid 8 hours and I do 4 hours 
of work. Let that not be named among you 
as Christians. And finally, we need to be always 
pointed back to Jesus. Haggai was preaching Jesus in 
his day. It is the entirety of God's work 
that always calls us back to the Lord Jesus Christ. And you 
know that believing the gospel, trusting in Christ alone for 
salvation, is the best remedy to fight against idolatry. staying close to Christ, looking 
always to the cross, being mindful of what he did on your behalf, 
being mindful of the freeness and the mercy and the gracious 
character of his salvation is the best antidote, the best remedy 
to promote God-centeredness in each and every one of our lives. 
And if you have not believed the gospel, believe You don't 
have to walk forward, you don't have to sign a card, you don't 
have to raise your hand. You've got to believe what the Bible 
says concerning Jesus. You've got to believe Christ 
alone saves sinners. You're a sinner. God is poor. But throwing yourself under the 
mercy of God in Christ is salvation. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your Holy Word, and I pray you would take from 
this message things and apply them to our hearts, God. We just 
pray that you would help us not to be idolaters, help us not 
to be those who live in neglect of the glory of God. Help us 
not to value our comfort, or our happiness, or our joy, or 
our possessions, or our businesses, or our prosperity, even good 
things, God. Help us not to value these things 
more. We value God most high. and help us to live in light 
of our crucified and our risen Lord, help us to think often 
concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is in His name 
that we pray. Amen.