On July 2, 1776 the Continental Congress voted to “dissolve the connection” with Great Britain. The text of the declaration became available two days later. Within a week Washington led his troops to a sight where they were able to hear the Declaration read aloud. He wrote of motivation to have his troops here the declaration:

“The general hopes of this important event will serve as a fresh incentive to every officer and soldier to act with fidelity and courage … knowing that now the peace and safety of his country depends (under God) solely on the success of our arms: And that he is now in the service of a state possessed of sufficient power to reward his merit, and advance him to the highest honors of a free country.”¹

What is interesting is that in so many ways things hadn’t changed. It’s not as if the colonies had suddenly won a decisive battle. In fact, the day the vote was made to “dissolve the connection” with Great Britain was the very day the British had landed on Staten Island. And only three days after Washington had gathered his troops to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence the British had sailed their ships through the harbor demonstrating their power of the inability of the Americans to do anything about it.

But, as Washington knew, in another sense something had dramatically changed. For though no battles were won on paper and no ships prevented from sailing simply by the reading of this document, his troops were encouraged, motivated, and reminded why they were fighting so that they might know that something bigger was going on with their labors than what might presently appear before them.

Haggai 2:1-9 serves much the same purpose as that formal reading of the Declaration of Independence before Washington’s troops. For though the people had responded to Haggai’s first message by repenting and beginning to work on the temple, they had quickly become discouraged. No doubt all of them had heard of the glory of the first temple built by Solomon. It was exquisite. Gold overlay parts of it; Solomon simply was not limited in resources for building it. Some of the older Israelites could even remember seeing it. And it didn’t take long before they began to realize that this temple was never going to be as glorious as the first. They simply didn’t have the resources to equal what had been in the first temple, even as God’s shekinah glory came to rest there. So they were depressed and discouraged in their labors.

That is why Haggai comes to deliver his second message, in the middle of October, 520 years before the coming of Christ, Haggai comes to encourage and motivate them people. And I think that even though these words were delivered over 2,500 years ago, we will find them quite applicable to us. For, no doubt many of us this morning know the experience of laboring in an attempt to please God and obey him and yet finding ourselves discouraged and depressed at the seeming fruitlessness and size of our labors. As someone who’s pastored here for nearly seven years, I can say this has definitely been descriptive of certain seasons in ministry. And though we might never think of turning to this text in such times, I think Haggai’s second sermon in this book is quite helpful for us. Therefore, I pray that as we look at this short sermon in the second shortest book in the Old Testament that we will find ourselves encouraged and motivated to press on in obeying the Lord.

Therefore, let us see what Haggai’s message is and apply it to ourselves this morning. First Haggai shows them that …

God’s people are not simply to ignore discouragement and depression (1-3)

Now, I don’t think this is a central point to the text. We will see those in a bit. But I do think this is a clear reality from our text. Christians are not simply supposed to ignore discouragement and depression, pretending as if it is simply not there. We read that Haggai comes to speak in verses 1-2 as these verses declare, “In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, ‘Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say …” But what follows is not Haggai coming up to them singing, “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.” He knows they’re not happy. He knows they’re discouraged and depressed. So, he confronts it head-on.

We read his words in verse 3: “Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?” He asks three questions. First, who is left among the people who saw the first temple? No doubt there were not many, for it had been over sixty years since the first temple had stood. But there were perhaps a few. Then, he asks them what they think of this one. How do they see it? What do they think when they look at it? But instead of allowing them to answer, possibly being tempted to cover up their discouragement and disappointment, Haggai answers for them, asking his third question, “Is it not as nothing in your eyes?”

He knew that’s what they thought. He knew they looked at this work and thought it was so small and depressing. He knew they were wrestling with why God had commanded them to be a part of a work that seemed so meaningless compared to the glorious works they had heard of in their past. He knew their hearts, for he was a messenger of God, and God knew their hearts.

And so before we go on further in this text to see what message he brought to them, let’s prepare ourselves to receive it by first being real about our own discouragement, depression, and disappointment. Be real about your disappointment that your labors unto the Lord seem small and insignificant. Be honest about the fact that you get discouraged that no one is applauding your labors, and God himself seems not to be richly blessing you, when what you really want to do is simply please him. Be open about the fact that you feel as if God has put you in a place of contempt because it feels like you’re working to serve him and seeing nothing come of it. We can be real about our discouragement, depression, and disappointment before God, for he already knows it. You cannot hide it from him. Haggai’s first work was to draw to the surface the reality of their feelings, their discouragement, disappointment, and depression. The Christian life is not one in which we ignore such struggles, with our job being to pretend as if those things simply do not exist in the life of one who truly knows God.

And yet Haggai didn’t address these things so that they could all fret together and sit in the disappointment. He brings it up because he wants to address it. He wants to equip them to overcome it so that they might press on in joyful obedience before God. And the same is true of us this morning. Yes, admit your discouragement before the Lord today. You can’t hide it from him. But do not allow yourself to stay there. Rather, hear Haggai’s message, for it is one meant to encourage us and drive us to press on in joyful obedience before God.

Haggai shows he does not want them to remain in such paralyzing discouragement, for his tells them in verse 4, “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work …” They must press on. But he gives them two reasons why they should press on in joyful obedience. The first is this:

God is with them in their labors, because of his covenant (4-5)

Haggai tells them to be strong and work “for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not” (4-5).

God had made a covenant with them when they came out of Egypt that he would be their God. In the New Covenant, God has covenanted with all who are in Christ that they are his people and that he is and will be our God. God was with them, and God is with us. And right now in your labors, God is with you in them. He Spirit is with you and in you.

One thing that’s depressing about laboring is to do it alone. You feel like you’re laboring in an area that no one recognizes, no one applauds, and no one values. And one way you prove to yourself that no one values your work is because no one joins you in it. I remember feeling this way early on in serving here at Cornerstone. I had a number of peers and believers who had shaped my life who would say, “Man, Lee, you’re doing a great work.” But it seemed that none of them wanted to join me. And I remember consciously thinking to myself, if these people whom I respect do not see my labors as worthwhile enough to join me in them, then my work must not be a valuable labor. And I do not think I’m the only person who has thought that way. We all are tempted to value our labors based on who is willing to join us in them. When fifty people all are doing the very thing you’re doing, it’s easier to see your work as valuable than if you are the only one doing it. That’s one reason why being a part of a community of believers is so helpful because you get to be around other people committed to many of the same things you’re committed to as well.

However, I know that at times there’s no one you see laboring alongside of you or in the same way, and you wonder if your work is valuable. You’re just trying to please the Lord and obey him, but it is hard and no one around you seems to be laboring in the work you’re doing. In those times we can remember that there is one who is with us. There is one who says, “You’re work is so valuable I will join you in it and equip you to do it.” The Lord is with us.

It does not matter if no one else joins you, for God is with you in your labor, and that should show you how valuable it is. Maybe you’re single, for example, and you really are laboring to use your singleness to serve the Lord wholeheartedly without complaining about the difficulty of it when you desire to be married. And you feel like you’re the only one and that it really isn’t worth it, that it really isn’t a valuable work, for no one else seems to be striving for it. Well, realize that God commands it and he is with you. Whatever your labor to obey Christ, however difficult and lonely it may be and however insignificant you feel it is, remember that God values your obedience, and he is with you in it, equipping you to do it.

The second word of encouragement Haggai gives them is that …

God is doing much more through them than they could see with their eyes (6-9)

Haggai had asked them what they saw. And he said himself what they honestly saw before them and how it affected them. But then he had news for them. Though they saw something that might as well have been nothing, God was going to do something great. He was going to do something much more glorious than their eyes were telling them at the present time. Haggai says in verses 6-9, “For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.”

God’s message for them is that he was going to do much more than they could imagine based on what they right now could see. He was going to move heaven and earth and move the nations so that they brought their treasures to this temple. And the latter glory of the temple would be even greater than the glory of the former temple. And, finally, he would give this temple peace.

What a message for a discouraged people? That would be like God saying to you, “Think of the most glorious work you can imagine that any of my people have done throughout history. Now, I am going to do something more glorious than that through your labors.” God was going to do something more glorious than the very thing that was causing them discouragement because they didn’t think they could achieve anything as glorious.

But how? How would God do this? After all, did this temple ever become more glorious than the first in its features? It’s doubtful, for even after Herod remodeled the temple, it lacked the Ark of the Covenant and other features of the first temple. So, if it was not obviously more glorious in appearance and possessions, then why did God say it would have greater glory.

I believe it’s because though God’s shekinah glory came to rest in the first temple and the ark of the covenant, which represented God’s very presence dwelt there, there was a man who entered this second temple whose presence alone made it more glorious – Jesus of Nazareth. For though there was no ark in the second temple, the one who is himself God, God the Son, and who is the exact radiance of the Father came and stood there. The one who is the true Temple of God, the true presence of God, came to this second temple. And indeed, even as Haggai said the nations would bring their treasures to the temple and Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 60:5-6 that the glory of Israel would be such that the nations would bring their wealth to them and would bring gold and frankincense, it is no mistake when that baby was born in Bethlehem that the magi brought to him gold and frankincense, for he was truly God with man (even as the temple was meant to be), and he was truly the glory of Israel. And it is through him that God will bless all the nations.

And yet his coming to earth is not the end of the story. For after he died, was buried, and was raised from the dead, he ascended to reign at the right hand of God. And one day he is coming back, and when he comes the earth itself will be made new, even as Hebrews 12:26-27 declares, “He has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken – that is, things that have been made – in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.” And the treasures of this world that God desires to remain of all the nations will be brought into the new earth (Rev. 21:24-26). And on that day there will be no temple, for its temple will be the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (Rev. 21:22), and we will reign with our King forever.

That is what God is going to do through the one who came and stood in that second temple. But the Israelites could not have seen all that? But they were to walk in obedience faith and trust that God was doing more through their labors than they could see with their own eyes, more than they could imagine.

And the same is true of our labor as well. We are simply called to obey God, trusting that he will do through our labors what is pleasing to him, and we can know it will always be more than we see with our eyes and more than we can comprehend in this life. Therefore, know this morning that God is with you in your labor and that he will do more through your labor than your eyes currently see.

Therefore, let us respond to this word by pressing on in joyful obedience before the Lord, trusting in his word. Let us examine our lives to make sure we are laboring for the building up of his kingdom, obeying him, and investing in his church. For he has said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [i.e. your day-to-day needs] will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). So, ask yourself this morning if in your home you are loving your wife or respecting and submitting to your husbands. To the unmarried, are you wholeheartedly devoting yourself to the Lord in your singleness? To parents, are you raising your children to respect others, driving out godliness, and teaching them to obey the Lord?

In your workplace, are you laboring diligently as unto the Lord? Are you submitting to your employer, without complaining, except where he would command you to sin? And with this community, are you investing your time, prayer, and resources to ensure that others needs are being met, that they are being comforted in their hurts, that you are aware of their burdens and joys?

In all these things it can grow discouraging, as life is demanding and it appears little fruit is coming from your attempted obedience to God. But remember God’s commands, and remember that God is with you and that he will do more through your obedience to him than you will see with your own eyes. May we therefore demonstrate once more our response of faith to his Word as we proclaim the death of his Son as our hope for righteousness in coming to the table. Amen.

¹David McCullough, 1776 (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005), 137.

ENCOURAGEMENT TO BUILD AND THE GLORY TO COME

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