Getting To What You Really Want (Haggai 1:3-15)

Sermon: Getting To What You Really Want (Which Is Hopefully What God Wants For You)

Scripture: Haggai 1:3-15

Date: January 13, 2019

 

Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?"  Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!  You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes."  Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!  Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified," says the Lord.  "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little and when you brought it home, I blew it away.  Why?" says the Lord of hosts.  "Because of My house that is in ruins, while everyone of you runs to his own house.  Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.  For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands."  Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, 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 feared the presence of the Lord.  Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying, "I am with you, says the Lord."  So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.  (Haggai 1:3-15)

 

What do we really want and how do we get there?

They got used to life without a Temple.  Let's not get used to life far from God.

Let's talk about getting what we really want - and, hopefully, that is what God wants.

1. Clarity
   • What is one thing that you want above everything else?
   • "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?"  Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!  You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes."  (Haggai 1:4-6)
   • Is this what you really want?
   • It's so easy to not only get distracted but to live distracted.
   • What helped you get closer to God the most last year?
   • What hindered you the most from getting close to God last year?
   • What are you most glad you did?
   • What do you wish you had done?
   • What one thing do you most regret about last year and what will you do about it this year?
   • Was there a book or a Bible verse that was especially meaningful?
   • What service did you do for the Lord that was especially meaningful?
   • What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
   • What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
   • In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
   • Let's try to get past what we think we want and what makes us happy right now to what we want deep down - not only now, but for the rest of our lives, remembering we will live forever.
   • I have a hunch that what many of you really want is:
     • to see your family members and friends get saved
     • to see your family members and friends really love Jesus
     • to see your family members and friends walk closely with Jesus
     • to see God use you to touch someone else's life
     • to see God use Hopewell to make real difference in the world
2. Commence
   • Shortly after that, God said more and Haggai spoke it: "How is it that it's the 'right time' for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God's Temple, is in ruins?"  (Haggai 1:3-4, The Message)
   • I will change that one day....  One day often means never.
   • Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, 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 feared the presence of the Lord.  Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying, "I am with you, says the Lord."  So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.  (Haggai 1:12-14)
   • Is what you are doing not getting you to where you want to be?  What is one practice you can start this week that will help you start moving toward what God wants and hopefully what you really want?
   • "No one can tell you how much time you've got for what matters.  Only you can tell how much time you'll make for what matters."  -Ann Voskamp
3. Change
   • Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying, "I am with you, says the Lord."  (Haggai 1:13)
   • Here are a few changes for you to consider:
     1. Have intention about this day.
     2. Review your day.
     3. Say "I won't," not "I can't."