"CONSIDER YOUR WAYS"

Haggai 1:1-11 (5, 7)

  1. Intro.
    1. this is God’s plea to His people for their life of neglect
    2. we all have a tendency to be slack in our duty toward God
    3. let us hear this message to Israel as if it were spoken to us
  2. consider your ways in relation to God’s cause
    1. the people said it was not time to build God’s house - 2
      1. many find it easy to postpone the things that they should be doing for God
        1. to make a full surrender or even full time service
        2. to tithe & to give offerings
      2. the time to help in God’s work is an ever present opportunity
    2. they dwelt in their ceiled houses, while God’s house laid waste - 4
      1. they were content that their own personal interest were satisfied, while God’s house was in ruin
      2. they were satisfied with material things, while God’s work suffered for lack of faith & personal effort
      3. God was being good to them & they showed little gratitude
      4. they put self first
  3. consider your ways in view of the results of your labor
    1. "ye have sown much, and bring in little" - 6 (this has a spiritual application)
      1. God was not blessing them
      2. what do we possess that is of any eternal value?
      3. what eternal value do the things of this world have?
      4. if our labor has no eternal value, we would do well to consider our ways
    2. "ye eat, but ye have not enough" - 6
      1. this is the spiritual condition of many: never satisfied
      2. many have a good appetite for the things of the world, but are never satisfied
      3. only the true "Bread of Life" can satisfy our hungry soul
    3. "ye clothe you, but there is none warm" - 6
      1. what they labored for did not bring them happiness
      2. all that effort, and it was wasted on worthless things
      3. for most this knowledge comes to late
    4. "he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes" - 6
      1. here we learn of the inability to retain possession of anything
      2. the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away
      3. if we do not use our resources for God, then they are of little value to us (stewardship)
  4. consider your ways in view of the work to be done - 8
    1. the work: "build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified"
      1. the house was the temple in Jerusalem
      2. the church of Christ is a spiritual house
      3. both the temple & the church are for God’s pleasure and glorification
      4. our work is to build this house, so that Christ will have pleasure and be glorified - I Peter 2:5
    2. the materials: "go up to the mountain, and bring wood"
      1. the temple could not be built with noble thoughts or eloquent speakers, it needed timber
      2. the spiritual house is built with living stones - I Peter 2:5
      3. it took labor and sacrifice to bring the timber out of the mountains
      4. it will take labor and sacrifice to build God’s spiritual house- I Peter 2:5
  5. conclusion
    1. what are you doing for the cause of Christ C. do you hear God’s command to build
    2. do your labors have any spiritual benefit D. will you make the needed sacrifice