North Charlottesville church of Christ Podcast

Series: The Book of Haggai

Service: Sun AM

Type: Bible Class

Speaker: Martin Adams

Meeting Purpose

Introduce and study the first sermon in the book of Haggai

Key Takeaways

• Haggai delivered 4 sermons over 3 weeks to motivate the people to rebuild the temple

• The people had procrastinated for 14 years, prioritizing their own homes over God's temple

• Haggai's first sermon focused on arousing the people from indifference and materialism

• Within 3 weeks of Haggai's first sermon, work on rebuilding the temple commenced

Topics

Background and Context

• Haggai prophesied around 520 BC, 14 years after the foundation of the temple was laid

• About 50,000 Israelites had returned from exile to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple

• The people had built their own homes but neglected rebuilding God's temple for 14 years

• Haggai worked alongside Zechariah to motivate the people to complete the temple

Haggai's First Sermon (Haggai 1:1-15)

• Addressed to Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua first to gain leadership buy-in

• Key phrase repeated: "Consider your ways" - a call to reflect on their priorities

• Pointed out how their neglect of the temple led to lack of blessings in their lives

• Motivated the materialistic people by showing how obedience would lead to prosperity

• Result: Within 23 days, the leaders and people were stirred up to begin the work

Themes in Haggai's Message

• Procrastination and indifference toward God's work is unacceptable

• Prioritizing personal comfort over God's glory leads to lack of blessing

• Leaders must have vision and take action to accomplish God's work

• Obedience to God's commands precedes His presence and blessing

Next Steps

• Study Haggai's second sermon next week (Haggai 2:1-9)

• Reflect on areas of procrastination or misplaced priorities in our own spiritual lives

• Consider how to stir up enthusiasm for God's work in the church today