SERIES: The Economy of God: A Study in the Book of Haggai
TEXT: Haggai 1:12-15
MESSAGE: “The Lord Stirred Up”

What is spiritual renewal?

“Throughout the Old Testament, the people of God continually fall into periods of spiritual stagnation and then cultural accommodation to the idol worship and practices of surrounding pagan societies. Then there is a turning to God, the raising up of new leaders, and a “covenant renewal”—a restoration of spiritual vision and vitality.” — Timothy Keller

“This is the effect that hearing God’s Word should always have on us. As we listen carefully to the Scriptures and consider our ways, we will always find areas of our lives that are not in line with God’s perfect standard…we are all guilty of building our own houses with great passion, while neglecting God’s house.” — Iain Duguid

“The frustration caused by the economic difficulties of the day no doubt played a preparatory role in the responsiveness of the people…Frequently, it is in the midst of exceptional human difficulty that God’s word finds its greatest success.” — Richard Taylor and Ray Clendenen

TEXT: Haggai 1:12-15

“The fundamental problem up to now had not been disbelief in God, nor had it been idolatry; rather, God, who ought to have been at the centre, had been pushed to the margins. What happens now is a transformation of both the leaders and the people, which changes the situation profoundly. The difference is that the word of God had broken through the complacency, stirred and challenged hearts, and the Spirit of God was powerfully at work.” — Robert Fyall

Q: What did Spiritual renewal look like in Haggai’s day? We see three signs of renewal: (1. An Awareness of God 2. A Message from God 3. An Obedience to God)

1. An Awareness of God (v. 12)

“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 Lord.”

“…this raises the question, ‘Why is the church so full of people who do not seem to have a life bowed down in obedience before God?” Might it be possible that this is true because so many who call themselves believers in Christ rarely, if ever, come into the presence of God to be confronted with the reality of how great our God is? I fear so.” — Stephen Rummage

“When this happens, ‘sleepy’ or stagnant Christians wake up.’ That is, there is a new and deeper conviction of sin and repentance—not just for major ‘behavioral sins’ but for attitudes of the heart. They experience a far more powerful assurance of the nearness and love of God, with the end result that Christians become both humbler and bolder at the same time. The more deeply one feels his or her debt of sin, the more intensely he or she feels the wonder of the payment on their behalf. Nominal Christians, or Christians in name only, begin to realize they don’t actually have a living relationship with Christ by grace, and they get converted. When this begins to happen, it electrifies people. Long-time members are getting up and talking about being converted or speaking of Christ in radiant terms or expressing repentance in new ways. The early stages of renewal shake up other nominals and “sleepers” into renewal. Corporately, there is a sense of more passion and freedom and the presence of God in the worship services.” — Timothy Keller (Spiritual Awakening)

“They were behaving as though Yahweh were not in reality their God. But in v. 12 we find affirmation of their obedience to the Lord’s voice as mediated through Haggai’s prophetic ministry. Now at long last they had begun to display the obedience that befitted their identity as a people of God, and with that obedience came renewed confidence that Yahweh was in fact ‘their God.’” — Richard Taylor and Ray Clendenen

2. A Message from God (v. 13)

“Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord’s message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.”

“While the messenger is not God Himself, the messenger represents God; he speaks for God…In fact, the word messenger is translated across Scripture in other contexts as “angel,” “envoy,” or “ambassador.” It conveys the idea that the messengers have no inherent authority or truth in and of themselves, but they are to be listened to and honored because they carry the weight of the One who sent them.” — Stephen Rummage

“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.” — 1 Peter 4:11a

3. An Obedience to God (v. 14-15)

“And 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, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.”

“Godly sorrow over our sin is good and right, but it is never an end in itself; it is always supposed to issue in an appropriate response of renewed obedience. The people’s response was immediate…yet at the same time it is worth noting that the people’s response was not something they worked up in themselves: it was the working out of something God was doing in them by His Spirit. Whenever we obey the Lord, even for a moment, it is because God has given us the desire and the strength to do so.” — Iain Duguid

TAKEAWAYS: What questions can we ask regarding spiritual renewal in our lives? Let’s consider three…

• How aware are you of God in your daily decisions?

• When was the last time God’s Word convicted you?

• Is there anything that God is specifically calling you to obey Him in?

How do we see the LORD stirring our hearts today?

“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” — John 2:13-17

“Building God’s house is ultimately a task that will be accomplished not by our zeal but by Christ’s. It was relatively straightforward for him to come in judgment against his rebellious people and make a whip to drive the sinners out of God’s house. It would be a far more painful task for Jesus to come as the Savior and make sinners fit to live in God’s house forever. Doing that would require God the Father to turn the whip on his own Son, so that he could take on himself the punishment that our sins deserved…Our lack of zeal for God’s house was paid for on the cross. This gospel message of our sins paid for by Jesus Christ and his righteousness imputed to us as if it were our own is the foundation on which God builds His church.”  — Iain Duguid