The whole Bible – OT & NT – tells one story: it's the account of God's past, present and future actions in this world.
And yet, because the OT is largely a book of promises, and the NT largely a book of fulfilments, they do feel very different.
So in the OT, the people of God are led to the Promised Land of Canaan.
In the NT we learn that the true PL is heaven.
In the OT there are priests and animal sacrifices.
In the NT these are fulfilled & replaced by Jesus' sacrifice of himself on the cross.
In the OT God's glory dwells among his people in the temple building.
In the NT, God lives in his people by his Holy Spirit – we are the temple of God.
So when we read the OT, we must always remember to read it with this big picture in mind.
We can never simply read something in the OT and apply it directly to ourselves – we must always work out how it's fulfilled by Jesus in the NT first, and only then apply it to life today.
But now we're going back into those OT days.
Back to 29 August 520BC – because v1 tells us that it was on this day that God spoke through Haggai to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah and to Joshua the HP.
Now at this time, Israel should have been a really positive place. For the last 19 years, they've been rebuilding their homes in their capital city, Jerusalem.
Rebuilding because 66 years previously, Jerusalem had been destroyed and the people deported to Babylon. But then, 19 years ago, Persia defeated Babylon, and allowed the Israelites to return home.
And so as the people are focused on their own houses, God speaks to their political & spiritual leaders. And in v2, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says; 'These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.''
Today, when a new town is planned, it's rare that the planners give any thought at all to including a church building.
But in Jerusalem the Lord's house – the temple – was absolutely central to the very existence of the city.
And yet, 19 years after they'd returned home, the temple was nothing more than an abandoned building site.
Yes, some years ago, they'd made a start rebuilding the temple. But they never got past the foundations – there was some opposition from non-Jews, so they gave up – and ever since then, they've put all their time, money & energy into home improvement & DIY.
Meanwhile, back at the temple site, the only thing that stands above ground is the big old fund-raising thermometer – and through the peeling paint, you can see that the red line never really got going at all.
So, in v4, God speaks to all the people, 'Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house – this house of God, the temple – remains a ruin?'
You see the people are back and forth to B&Q, loading up their trolleys with drills, rawlplugs, screws & cedar panels.
And whenever someone suggests that they start work on the temple, one by one they make their excuses:
'Sorry, I can't get involved now – I've got to finish decorating the lounge – I just don't have time. Once this is done, I should have more time.'
'Sorry. It's impossible now – it's 19 years since we built the house & we really needed a new kitchen & conservatory. I can't give any more money right now. When we've finished things should be better.'
But actually it's worse than that, as God himself tells them from v5: READ vv5-6
Everything the people try to do seems to come to nothing.
So, you might think, it's not surprising that they don't want to start on a massively expensive building project – the time is not right. Things have got to get better before they start giving to the temple building fund.
Yes, they all agree, rebuilding the temple is important. Yes, they all agree, it's their responsibility.
But not me, and not now, they all say.
And the people have a point – it was inconvenient, they were in difficult economic times.
So in vv7-11, God says, 'Give careful thought to your ways' – think very carefully about what's happening to you & what you're doing about it.
The people look at their circumstances and say, 'Look, I've got so much on and times are hard. I can't commit to this temple project right now.'
But God sees things rather differently: vv7-10.
So the people say, 'When my life's sorted out, then I'll commit to the temple project.'
But God says, 'The reason your life's in a mess is because you spend all your energy on yourselves. Commit to the temple project first and then your life will get sorted out.'
You see, the fundamental attitude of the people is upside down – it's self first, God second.
And that's the essence of sin.
As long as they struggle to provide for themselves first and God second, God will frustrate life. Everything will continue to be a struggle. Nothing will satisfy.
Now, let's pause a moment, and think about how this applies to us.
First, what's the NT equivalent of the temple?
In 1 Cor 3 – our first reading – Paul rebukes the self-centred Corinthians, 'Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple, and that God's Spirit lives in you? ...God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.'
So there's no stone temple today.
In the OT, God dwelt among his people in the temple. Today, he dwells in his people by his Holy Spirit.
Each and every person who has put their faith in Jesus has been filled with the Holy Spirit and is therefore the temple of God.
And all of us together are the temple of God – the church is now the temple of God – (not the church building, of course, but the people – you & me).
Second, what's the NT equivalent of God's diagnosis of the problem – that they're building their own houses rather than God's house, and that's why life's so empty?
Well, turn to Matthew 6 verses 24:
Jesus says,
No-one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.Do you see the link?
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Both the people God spoke to through Haggai, and the people he spoke to through Jesus were breaking their backs working, working, working to provide for themselves, and hoping that one day, their work would be done so they could have something left over to give to God.
But that day would never come. God himself would make sure of that.
The reason life never satisfied, the reason there was never enough was that God was second. Self was first.
We can't show our devotion to God by building a stone temple. We don't put God first by building cathedrals or church buildings.
But we do need to show that God is our first-love by giving ourselves, our money, our time our energy to building his church – which is his temple today.
And we do this by devoting our whole selves to evangelism and church growth both here and abroad.
Jesus is honoured and glorified when more and more people come to faith in him and are inhabited by the HS.
But just as the OT temple cost money, time & energy to build, so today, church growth is costly in exactly the same way.
When the people heard God's word through Haggai, all the faithful people – the remnant, v12 – obeyed the voice of God because they feared the LORD.
And Haggai gave this message from the LORD to the people, 'I am with you', declares the LORD. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel & of Joshua. They came & began work on the house of the LORD Almighty.
At the end of Matthew's gospel, Jesus says to the disciples and to us, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'
We have the promise of Jesus that he will be with us as we make evangelism and church growth the great priority in our lives.
Will you join with me in praying that the Spirit will indeed stir us up so that we put the kingdom of God first in our lives?
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