Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 41:4 I said, “Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
Read the Entire Psalm
Pause for a moment and consider God’s grace. Does He have to forgive when we sin? When we sin we are in effect saying – “God I don’t want you. I know better than you. I will find good apart from you.” When we turn back, He does not turn His back on us. He is gracious. Praise Him for His grace.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Haggai 1 – The Message
Caught Up with Taking Care of Your Own Houses
1 On the first day of the sixth month of the second year in the reign of King Darius of Persia, God’s Message was delivered by the prophet Haggai to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak:
2 A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: “The people procrastinate. They say this isn’t the right time to rebuild my Temple, the Temple of God.”
3-4 Shortly after that, God said more and Haggai spoke it: “How is it that it’s the ‘right time’ for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God’s Temple, is in ruins?”
5-6 And then a little later, God-of-the-Angel-Armies spoke out again:
“Take a good, hard look at your life.
Think it over.
You have spent a lot of money,
but you haven’t much to show for it.
You keep filling your plates,
but you never get filled up.
You keep drinking and drinking and drinking,
but you’re always thirsty.
You put on layer after layer of clothes,
but you can’t get warm.
And the people who work for you,
what are they getting out of it?
Not much—
a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that’s what.”
7 That’s why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said:
“Take a good, hard look at your life.
Think it over.”
8-9 Then God said:
“Here’s what I want you to do:
Climb into the hills and cut some timber.
Bring it down and rebuild the Temple.
Do it just for me. Honor me.
You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves,
but nothing has come of it.
The little you have brought to my Temple
I’ve blown away—there was nothing to it.
9-11 “And why?” (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) “Because while you’ve run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins. That’s why. Because of your stinginess. And so I’ve given you a dry summer and a meager crop. I’ve matched your tight-fisted stinginess by decreeing a season of drought, drying up fields and hills, withering gardens and orchards, stunting vegetables and fruit. Nothing—not man or woman, not animal or crop—is going to thrive.”
12 Then the governor, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak, and all the people with them listened, really listened, to the voice of their God. When God sent the prophet Haggai to them, they paid attention to him. In listening to Haggai, they honored God.
13 Then Haggai, God’s messenger, preached God’s Message to the people: “I am with you!” God’s Word.
14-15 This is how God got Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the people moving—got them working on the Temple of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. This happened on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for the youth team in San Diego. Today is the fourth day of the sports camp the youth are hosting. Pray for relationships to grow and for opportunities to connect the people they have met with the members of Mission Trails Church in San Diego.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
The New Testament makes it clear that Jesus is the New and Better Temple:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
The Greek word translated “dwelt” is a powerful and creative word that is literally translated “tabernacled.” Jesus tabernacled among us. John wants us to see that Jesus is the New and Better Tabernacle.
In the following chapter, John records that, after Jesus cleansed the Temple, the Jews demanded a sign to prove Jesus’ authority. Jesus responded by saying, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19) The Jews were confused at Jesus’ response, but John tells us that Jesus was referring not to the Temple structure, but to His own body. Jesus is the New and Better Temple.
In his account of Jesus’ death and resurrection, Matthew records that, at the moment of Jesus’ death, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51). What’s the symbolism? God’s presence was prepared to move out of the Temple in Jerusalem to cover the face of whole earth.
This process was completed through Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. The mysterious and marvelous result of all of this is an extension of Christ, the New and Better Temple, on earth: the church.
Paul makes this abundantly clear in his letter to the Ephesians: “you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19-22).
Christ is the Heavenly Cornerstone of the church. The church is an earthly extension of the New and Better Temple. So much as it has union with Christ through the Gospel, the church has become the place of God’s special and unique presence on earth. The church is the place, God help us, where heaven meets earth. We are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Praise God.