1/23/11 pm (Bible Bap/st Church, Port Orchard, WA) Dr.

Al Hughes

Considering Your Stewardship

Haggai 1:1-11
BACKGROUND: Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Jewish Temple and took the Jews
into capGvity. 70 years later, the Persian King Cyrus gave the Jews permission to
return to the Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. The temple was the focal point of
Jewish worship in Israel. It was there that Gods presence dwelt among His people.
1. Ezra records that 42,300 Jews made their way back to PalesGne to rebuild
Gods Temple. During a seven month period they had cleared the debris, laid
the foundaGon, and constructed the brazen altar of sacrice.
2. Suddenly, opposiGon arose and the construcGon was red-agged (Ezra
4:4-5). The opposiGon lead to the people becoming apatheGc and the work on
the temple remained unnished for 14 years. For 14 years the tumbleweeds
blew across that Temple foundaGon.
3. The Jews were busy building their own homes (v. 4). Ceiled houses beauG-
fully paneled; they were luxuriously built.
4. God raised up the prophet Haggai to rebuke the people to reorder their priori-
Ges and nish what they started 14 years earlier (text). In Ezra 6:14 we read:
And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesy-
ing of Haggai the prophet ...
See Haggais message to the people...
I.
The MISPLACED priorities (vs. 1-2).
Why werent the Jews faithful stewards? ProcrasGnaGon Its not the
right Gme. When is the right Gme??? God had already lead them there
for that purpose!
Two excuses why they thought it was not Gme to build the temple.
A. ILLOGICALHuman logic would say the walls should be rebuilt rst, not
the Temple.
1. Normally the wall would be built rst (for protecGon).
2. God wanted the Temple to be built rst then the wall. Gods ways
are higher than our ways. If the temple is not built rst, the wall is
irrelevant, because without a temple, there is nothing to protect.

The temple dealt with mans relaGonship with God. The wall dealt

with mans relaGonship with man.

The temple had to do with worship. The wall had to do with wel-
fare.
The temple had to do with spirituality. The wall had to do with
separaGon / standards.
APPLICATION. Most problems in the ChrisGan life come from mis-
placed prioriGes. Other things begin to take precedent over the work of
God. When people backslide, the temple goes rst.

B. INCONVENIENCE It was not a convenient Gme. It was harvest Gme (v.

6), and we need to make hay while the making is good.
The more Gme you put o doing what God has told you to do, the
harder it will be to do it. In SalvaGon In Stewardship In Service.
II.

The MISAPPROPRIATION of resources.

A. Haggai rebukes them for their ceiled houses and commands them to go
up and get wood for the temple (Hag. 1:4-8).
B. 16 years earlier money was provided for cedar to build the temple (Ezra
3:7). What happened to it? There should have been a stock-pile of cedar
available at the building site. Why does Haggai have to command them
to go up to the mountain and get wood? Wheres the wood?
C. Is it >me for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses and this house lie
waste? Consider your ways.
1. Cieled with what? Cieled = To overlay or cover the inner side of
the roof (see 1 Kings 6:15; 2 Chron. 3:5). Literally, they paneled the
ceilings of their houses with luxurious cedar paneling.
2. Jer. 22:13-15I think we have a preny good guess where the cedar
went! Taking Gods resources and misusing it for selsh intenGons
and to extend their own creature comforts.
God is not against you having a nice car, wearing nice clothes, or
living in a nice house. But have your prioriGes right. Give to God
rst, then build for yourselves with what is leo.

III.

The MEAGERNESS of financial prosperity (vs. 5-11).

Not able to produce enough income. They were not prospering like they

once were. Why? God was drying up their nancial resources.

Their values changed. When they rst arrived they had the right values
and worked hard on building the foundaGon of the Temple. But, they
gradually began to value their own things over the things of God.

God describes them as...

A. FAILURES Ye have sown much, and bring in liFle.
1. The harder you work, the least you have to show for it.
2. Working hard, but not have enough or able to get ahead.
3. Work a job, (maybe two jobs), but sGll have more bills than you do
money.
4. I cant explain it, but a person can live bener o of 90% when they
give God His Gthe, than trying to live o 100% and withhold Gods
Gthe.
When God gets His, and I get mine, everything turns out ne.
But when I get mine, and take Gods too, what will God do?
I think Hell collect, dont you?
B. FRUSTRATED ...ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are
not lled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm
1. You have everything, but sGll not saGsed When you live for self,
instead of invesGng in Gods work, you will never be saGsed
2. You buy one new toy, and soon the newness wears o and you need
another toy and another and it leads to a life of frustraGon.
3. SaGsfacGon comes by doing what is the right thing to do and invest-
ing in things that maner and have eternal values (Mt. 6:21).
C. FUTILITY ...he that earth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
1. You get your W-2 form and see you earned $40,000, and wonder,
Where did it all go? When dont gure God into your budget, in-
stead of telling your money where to go, youll end up wondering
where it went.
2. Money will never lead to saGsfacGon signicance or security
(Luke 12:15). Those things can only be found in maintaining proper
relaGonship with God and living of Him.

3. I can be broke but sGll be saGsed, because my saGsfacGon is in

knowing the Lord I am signicant in Him. And my security is in Him.
IV.

The MENDING of the problem.

A. CONSIDER YOUR WAYS (vs. 5, 7). Think about the reason you are having
these problems Poor stewardship (vs. 9-11).
Could you ever do bener by doing wrong?
Could you ever go wrong by Gthing? Could you ever lose by Gthing?
Will God be displeased by Gthing? Will God chasGse you for Gthing?
Could you ever go wrong when the Bible says, It is more blessed to
give than to receive.
Could you ever lose when the Bible says, Give and it shall be given
unto you
Could you ever lose when the Bible says, He which soweth sparingly
shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth boun>fully shall reap
also boun>fully.
Could you ever lose when the Bible says, Honour the Lord with thy
substance, and with the rst-fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy
barns be lled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new
wine
B. FIX YOUR WAYS (v. 8). Get back to doing what I brought you back into the
land to do. Dont pray about it. Dont delay any longer. Just get with it!

SUMMATION: Gods Promise (v. 13).

People say, Preacher, if I Gthe and give an oering, I dont know how Im going to
make it work. The good news is, you dont have to make it work. Thats Gods
department! Its Gods job to make it work when we obey and do what He says.
Consider your ways! Consider your priori8es. Consider your values. Consider your
stewardship.