Time to Build

[!NOTE] Primary Scripture Reading: Haggai 1:2-9

I. Historical Background

A. Destruction of the temple

B. In the year 586 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched into the city of Jerusalem, took most of its citizens captive and destroyed the wall protecting the city and the temple of God. In the first year of his reign, Cyrus, king of Persia, commanded the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, Ezra 1:1-4

C. Return to the land to build the temple

D. Zerubbabel led 42,360 Jews back to Jerusalem with money and supplies to rebuild the temple, the articles from the house of the Lord taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and animals for sacrifice. Two years and two months after their return to the land, the Jews began to rebuild the temple.

E. Opposition to the temple rebuild

F. At first, the people of the land who worshipped God in unauthorized ways, asked to help in building the temple.

G. The Jews of the return did not recognize these people as belonging to God and refused their request for help. Ezra 4:4-5 – The people of the land then tried to discourage the people of Judah and hired counselors to frustrate their plans. They wrote to the Persian kings making accusations against the Jews. King Artaxerxes commanded the Jews to cease building the city and the temple and their enemies came armed to stop them. Work on the temple ceased.

H. Completion of the work on the temple

I. Though the opposition was strong, God wanted the people to continue building the temple. However, the Jews made many excuses as to why they could not continue the work; excuses that were unacceptable to God.

J. God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to the Jews to urge them to complete the temple and, at their rebuke, the people began to build.

K. This time they overcame the obstacles by appealing to Darius, the new king of Persia, telling him that Cyrus commanded the building of the temple. Darius found the decree of Cyrus and, since the Persian kings could not change their commands, ordered the temple construction to resume and commanded the people of the land, Judah’s enemies, to provide any materials that they needed. Thus, the temple was completed and worship to God resumed.

L. This evening, I want us to consider the exhortation of Haggai and draw some parallels to our situation.

II. Haggai’s rebuke

A. (If you are unfamiliar with Haggai, and are using one of the pew Bibles, the book of Haggai begins on page 816)

B. The time is right to work

C. The people of Judah said, “The time has not come to rebuild,” 1:2

D. Certainly, one of their considerations was the opposition from the people of the land.

E. By waiting and doing nothing the Jews would not persuade the people of the land to leave them alone. Israel needed to trust God, as she had done when she was faithful, so that no enemy could succeed against them. Deuteronomy 28:7 – promise of God’s protection They could have remembered times when they, as a people, overcame enemies much larger and more powerful than they were.

F. If a person does not want to do something, they can find things to occupy their time so that the undesired task does not enter their schedule.

G. People make every diligence to schedule special events, like sporting events, and make provision so they can go. People do not approach going to the dentist with the same fervor.

H. Haggai told them to consider their ways.

I. It was time to build the temple. However, the people were more concerned with their own houses.

J. God’s house should not be neglected while His people live in luxury

K. Haggai told the people to consider their ways; consider what they had done, or not done, and why.

L. Haggai condemned the people for building beautiful houses for themselves while the temple lay in ruin.

M. They found time to build their own houses. They built paneled houses—a sign of luxury. Haggai rebuked them because they found the time and resources to build their own houses, but would not spend time on the Lord’s house.

N. Many commentators suggest that the fine materials may have come from the supplies for the temple.

O. One could image a person reasoning, “Since it is not going to be used for the temple, there is no sense in letting it go to waste.” Money that could have been used for the temple construction was spent developing luxurious houses.

P. God denied the people many blessings because they were more concerned about themselves than the work of God, 1:6, 9.

Q. It seems a similar thing took place when Israel conquered the land under Joshua.

R. Judges 6:2: “And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.” Soon after, their arose a generation that did not know God. Could it be that they were more concerned about building up their wealth instead of teaching their children and serving God properly?

S. Rebuilding the temple will please God

T. Finally, Haggai urged them to rebuild the temple because that is what God desired, 1:8. God would be pleased with the temple for it is a place dedicated to worship.

U. By rebuilding the temple, the people would glorify God.

V. It would be a sign that God had not forgotten His people. The daily sacrifices, songs of praise, and other parts of worship would resume, giving God the glory that is due Him.

W. Ashamed of their disobedience, the Jews rose up and finished the temple.

III. Our temple

A. God called the church a spiritual temple.

B. Ephesians 2:19-221 Corinthians 3:16-17

C. We build on that foundation

D. 1 Corinthians 3:9-11

E. We build a spiritual temple by strengthening one another and bringing the lost to Christ.

F. This is not the role of the preacher or elders alone, everyone must put their shoulder to the task from the youngest Christian to the oldest. Like Israel of old, we are commanded to build, 2 Timothy 2:1-2.

IV. Have we neglected the temple?

A. It is time to build

B. Some may be thinking, “It is not time to build.” Some do not act because they think, perhaps unconsciously, that it is not a good time to build.

C. Community setbacks

D. There are so many denominations preaching false things and confusing people, so it is not a good time to persuade others. If we preach the true unadulterated gospel, many in the community, especially the religious community, will think us strange or narrow. When has this not been the case? The world of the first century church was filled with hostile Jewish opposition, sensuous idolatrous practices, and apathy. There will never be an ideal time, but any time is good enough.

E. Building constraints

F. When we met on Charlie-Shirley Road, many cited the tight building capacity and limited parking as reasons why we didn’t grow. Now we cannot say that the building is too small or the parking lot is too full.

G. Preparation

H. “It is not time for we do not know what to do or what to say.” We have had lessons on how to teach others using Bible chains—notes linking verses together on every major subject one would face. We have had lessons and classes on evangelism explaining what to do. We have had first principle lessons and classes on salvation so we could know how to explain the first principles—first principles that we obeyed and so should be able to teach others. I fear that if we tell the Lord, “It is not time to build,” He will answer, “Consider your ways.”

I. We must not neglect God’s house while we live in luxury

J. Like Israel of old, we can “return every man to his own house” and neglect the work of the Lord while devoting ourselves to personal luxuries.

K. Are we investing financially in the work of the Lord?

L. Some churches post a budget and the members give up to that number.

M. Since we are not commanded to tithe, and the church does not bill its members, we must prayerfully consider our contribution to the work.

N. The church here often provides one-time financial support to men traveling to difficult places to preach the gospel. We have been able to provide financial help to brethren in need. There is much we could do, more preachers we could support, if we give as we should.

O. Individual work

P. Could we not give to needy preachers individually? Could we not help brethren who are financially struggling? I know many of you are doing these things privately and commend you for it; others need to consider this important avenue of service.

Q. Do we give our time to the Lord?

R. We all work hard, either in our homes, in careers, raising kids, and other worthwhile activities. If the temple is built of Christians, it follows that if we want to build up the temple of the Lord, we must build up people. The work of the Lord requires willing laborers in the classrooms, contacting lost souls in the community, and edifying weak or fainthearted brethren.

S. We need to motivate ourselves to work diligently in ways that we can.

T. We ought to be driven to serve, without being driven like cattle. We should participate in opportunities to work, sacrificing our comfort willingly for the necessary labor.

U. Those of us who are parents of older children should not excuse ourselves from the work, but bring them along to participate.

V. The best way to help them learn service is to see it. Adsf We must overcome the fear of embarrassment, the fear of failure, and self-doubt to get involved in the work of the Lord. Regarding our use of time, do we fill it with luxury, that is, self-serving interests, while the church of the Lord lies in ruins due to our neglect?

W. Building God’s house will please and glorify Him

X. By actively participating in and building up the local work we not only enrich our lives but glorify God in the process.

Y. The church exists to glorify God Ephesians 3:20-212 Corinthians 8:23

Z. How does the church at Northwood glorify God?

A. According to Webster, glorify means “to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration” We honor God when we worship together and praise His name. We honor God when we live holy lives that cause non-Christians to glorify God for the change that He has wrought in our lives. We honor God when we put His kingdom, the church, at the center of our lives.

B. Glorifying God must be at the center of our lives.

C. We desire to worship so we can glorify God together. We desire to teach others so they can glorify God with us. We want to grow so that we can glorify God on a deeper level as the years pass.

D. We want to work in the kingdom so we can glorify God.

E. Do not say it is a work for others; it is your work, Christian. Do not refer to the church as they but rather us .

F. Do not glorify yourself by withholding your money, time, and talents from the Lord’s work, give glory to God by sacrificing all of these things for Him.

G. When the first Old Testament temple was built, people brought gold, silver, and precious materials from their homes and even took the jewelry off the body to build a beautiful temple for God.2 Corinthians 8:1-7 – Gave of themselves for God’s service.

V. Let us build

A. We need everyone to participate

B. Young and old can find work that will glorify God.

C. College students

D. College students sometimes you see yourselves as “partial members,” of the local work yet, while here, this is your local work—there is no partial membership, we are all fully members of Christ. When you hear announcements for some work of the church, the announcement is made to you as well. High School students who are Christians often have the time and even their own transportation that would allow them to participate in the work even if their parents do not do so.

E. Much to do

F. “There is much to do, there is work on every hand… ‘What wilt Thou o’ Master, here am I send me’.”

G. We will have a Vacation Bible School this summer in an effort to edify our own children and share the good news of Jesus with young people in the community

H. We need teachers We need people to invite others to participate We need people to attend and support the VBS.

I. We will have a meeting with Gary Kerr, April 11-14

J. We need to pray for the success of the meeting We need people to invite their family, friends, and neighbors. We visited some neighborhoods before the last meeting and distributed meeting advertisements—we should do this again, and you should participate.

K. I would like to do a personalized mailing to our friends and neighbors.

L. This has been the most successful means of inviting others in terms of the number of people who have attended in response to the invitation. The letter is non-confrontational and simply invites them to the meeting and tells them what to expect. Sadly, before the last meeting, seven families submitted names for the meeting—we have 56 families listed in our directory. This meeting I would like to have so many names that I must ask some of you who have Microsoft Excel to type in the names so we can get the mailing out in time.

M. Evangelism and edification meeting

N. Every Sunday evening, a group of families whose last name begins in a certain range to discuss who we should check on and who needs encouragement. We have discussed canceling this meeting because of a lack of interest except among a certain few. Even if you get the list and leave, you will have an edification “things to do” list for what to do during the week. There are other evangelistic efforts we could make if we knew we would have good participation.

O. Teaching program

P. Always need teachers Wouldn’t it be great if when the quarter rolled around, Neil would have to turn away people because he had too many teachers? We could have another adult class, either for the ladies or a third subject to study if we had enough teachers.

Q. We will have a teacher training day, like a seminar, in late April or early May to teach us how to teach or add to what we know.

R. We decided to have this in the last teacher’s meeting. If you are not teaching because you lack the experience or feel like you need to know more, will you make sure that you attend?

S. Participation in our classes

T. Do you complete your lesson so that you can intelligently discuss the subject; or, do you get your class book from the pew (or back seat of the car) where you deposited it after the last class as you go into class? When asked, college classes and adult classes say that they prefer discussion, but when you ask a question and only hear the crickets chirping either no one really wants to discuss the subject or no one has prepared their lesson so they can discuss the subject. We get the kind of class that we prepare for and that we make through our participation, or lack of, in the class.

U. Men’s monthly prayer meeting

V. The reason is that it is just for the men is that when together, we can sometimes be more open emotionally and are less self-conscious than when women are present. This has been such an encouraging time and such an important work. All men are invited—young Christians, college students, single men, family men and their sons—yet we have but a handful present. We will meet again on the fourth Sunday, March 28 th; put it on your calendar and plan to attend.

W. Sunday Night College Class

X. The Sunday night college class attendance starts strong but tapers off through the year. Certainly, some have project meetings, papers due, and tests; all students have that. Is it not worth a little time on Sunday to spend some extra time with fellow college students, getting to know some who are not so familiar to you a little better.

Y. Bidgood Hall Class

Z. The class at Bidgood Hall also starts with a bang but ends with a whimper. It is a great opportunity to invite fellow classmates who may be uncomfortable coming to a church building as they are seeking to know more about God. Are you inviting fellow students to come? Are you making plans to attend yourself?

A. Unfortunately, every class is not something great

B. As a preacher and a teacher, I wish that every time I entered the pulpit or stood before a class, I could hit one out of the park. The fact is that sometimes I hit well and sometimes I strike out. But, of course, any Bible class should not be about the teacher but about the fact that the Bible is being taught. In the past three semesters, I have had at least one class when no one attended—not one person; and that is discouraging. Recently we had a class in which it appeared that a person who is not a member here was going to be the only one in attendance. Again, we say we want discussion classes but, in order to have that, we must discuss and have people there who can discuss the topic.

C. Including new members

D. We have new college students and new families that sometimes exist on the periphery of the group that has attended here for years and it takes a while before they feel they are part of the church. We may not think to invite them over for meals, invite them to eat with us and some of the other members after worship services, etc. We need to be aware of the need of our brethren to belong and to feel part of the family from their earliest time with us.

E. What else could we do?

F. We could do many other things to grow individually and increase the borders of the kingdom in this place.

G. I hope to start a children’s memory work time about 30 minutes before the evening services.

H. I talked with Brother Bob Waldron about his work in this area. Even if my kids are the only ones who come, I would do it; but so many children need to build stronger foundations. We could have short periods of classes during the week (once a month; once a week for six weeks, ect.), either here or in members homes, on raising godly families, teaching others, studying Calvinism, premillennialism, the prophets, the death of Jesus—anything if the desire was present and people wished to attend.

I. We are doing many things right

J. Do not get the wrong impression, we are doing many things right.

K. This is a congregation at peace and love abounds among us. Over the past few years, I have seen some leave their comfort zone and participate in aspects of service that would have terrified them, or at least made them very uncomfortable, in the past. Our junior high and high school students have shown the same enthusiasm for their Sunday night class recently as they did the first time that we met. To my knowledge, there has not been a family that when, due to medical or other emergencies, did not have willing babysitters and food provided in abundance. In the past couple of years, not one visitor has complained that we are an unfriendly group—that we did not welcome them. Instead, I have heard many commendations for the fine brethren here. I do not see this church as stagnant waters that must be stirred but of a powerfully flowing river that needs some minor course corrections. I hate to focus on some negative things but sometimes we must see our challenges so that, in overcoming them, we become stronger.

VI. Conclusion: This is a difficult lesson to preach for not only must I speak about unpleasant things, I must also face my own shortcomings, work that I have neglected or performed inadequately. Yet, in examining our weaknesses, we can build strengths. There are many things that we are doing right, some who are very active in the Lord’s work, but we all can do much better. Do not say, “It is not time,” or, “I have to build up my house first,” but glorify the Lord by building up His temple.