LIVING UNDER GOD'S BLESSINGS

"On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, "If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?" ' " Then the priests answered and said, "No." And Haggai said, "If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?" So the priests answered and said, "It shall be unclean." Then Haggai answered and said, " 'So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,' says the LORD, 'and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean. ' And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the LORD -- 'since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty. 'I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,' says the LORD. 18 'Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid -- consider it: 'Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.' " Haggai 2;10-19 ESV

Last week I wrote that God wants to bless you life! Do you believe this? So far what we have seen in Haggai chapter 2 does not sound like it. So far God has told the people why they have not been blessed by Him. Now God continues to adress the reason they were not blessed in order to bring them to repentence and be ready for new and fresh blessings from Him.

A Reminder About the Past (verses 15-17)
Three times in the remaining verses God repeats the same phrase that He repeated three times in the first section (1:5, 7): “Consider” (2:15, 18). The NASV translates it “do consider” which is softens the force and makes it here a plea and encouragement instead of a rebuke like in chapter 1. It is literally, please: “set your heart,” or “fix your attention on this.” In other words, think about your life, the way it was, is, and can be. Haggai is saying, “Think back over the past years of drought and frustration and you will see that your problems began when you set aside the Lord’s house and put your houses first.” In other words, recall how miserable and frustrated you were in your disobedience in putting yourself first before you began to lay stone on stone in the temple.

They were going broke—economically and spiritually. Everything they touched became contaminated. Every time they made $100 half of it disappeared. They invested $1000 in a sure thing and within a week they had lost $600. It was the reverse Midas touch; everything they touched turned sour. Nothing worked right. They entire nation was in an economic decline—all because they had disobeyed God. Without God’s blessing, our work will always end in frustration. We go to our store of grain expecting to find 20 measures, but only 10 are there. We expect to draw 50 measures of wine, but only find 20 (2:16). We plant expecting a crop, but blasting wind, mildew, and hail decimate the yield (2:17). They had pushed God to the circumference and as a result, God has sent blight to their crops and mildew to their souls. Psalm 106:15 calls it God sending “leanness into their soul”.

What was the purpose of all the striking and blowing and blight and mildew and harvest and hail that God inflicted on his people? God himself gives the reason in Haggai 2:17, “yet you did not turn to me.” This striking, this chastisement, this curse, this punishment, was a redemptive chastisement. It was designed by God himself to correct his people and cause them to turn to him. That’s all God wanted all along. He wanted his people to turn to him with a whole heart and put him in the center of life. How long did God apply this redemptive chastisement before his people responded to it? Oh, about sixteen years! It took that long for God’s people to return to him. God’s discipline is not pleasant but it really is a blessing, as Hebrews 12:1-11 tells us, because it is a mark of His love toward us as His children.

What about you ? What is the return of how you are living your life today? Are you living or dying? Are you experiencing the fullness of God’s blessings or are you experiencing His cursings? Right now the word to you is what Haggai said 1:7, Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house” and in Haggai 2:4 Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,' says the LORD; 'and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,' says the LORD, 'and work; In Zechariah 1:1-3 we find the prophecy of Zechariah to the people in the eighth month: " This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Return to me," declares the Lord Almighty, "and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty.’" What was God’s promise? "Return to me and I will return to you." He was promising to bless his people--in other words, to repair, to mend, and to lift the curse--so that the hearts of His people would rejoice.

IV. A Challenge for the Present and a Promise for the Future- (verses 18-19)
After sixteen years of misery, the people responded to the ministry of Haggai and Zechariah. They went up to the mountain, brought down timber, cleared the ruin of all rubble, and set their hearts on rebuilding the temple. Just as many of you have responded to the word of God and are seeking first God’s Kingdom. Haggai gives a very bold challenge when he calls the people to consider again. Now this time they are to not look back, but “from this day onward”. They are to look at the present, how life has been for them (not before, but) “since the day” they returned to the Lord and began to build the temple and had put God first.

What was there when you put building your houses and lives first? Trouble, frustration, and disappointment? What is here now that you have surrendered and put God’s house and his work first? The curse has been lifted and the blessing of God is now upon you! Surrender is the means to enjoying fully the most beautiful thing in our lives-our joyous love relationship with God and all the blessings the flow out of that relationship: His eternal companionship: Intimacy, protection, provision, preservation, and powerful provision put in their hearts in order to give a desire and ability to do what He has commanded, companionship, satisfaction, sustaining grace, joy, life abundant, and contentment, in short, a life blessed by God!

This is God’s challenge to us all! Are you bold and courageous to accept it? Will you believe God no matter what you see that if you put Him first the blessings have come and are coming? The way you live your life today is preparing you for tomorrow. God wants to turn your life into His masterpiece of grace and blessings. What are you grooming yourself for-blessings or cursings? Your life will never change until you change the way you have been living. For the Jews 16 years of living for themselves had brought nothing but a life without God’s blessings. Are you living for yourself or for God?

God is saying: today are you going to put yourself first or Me? Are you willing to follow me on My terms and trust Me for the results even if at present you don’t see anything or are you going to do your thing your way? I want you to "Return to me," declares the Lord Almighty, "and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty.’ God says, “Do it now! Put me to the test. Then, like I challenged the Jews look back and ask yourself, 'Was I a God of My word or not?'” God is not afraid of that kind of test. Are you? He puts the challenge to us directly.

Listen to verse 19: "Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you." I have spoken, you are experiencing the blessing right now, now trust that my present blessing will be yours tomorrow! I will turn 16 years of chastening and cursings into abundant blessings! He was not speaking about blessing for one day only, but "from this day forward," meaning from the day of repentance, from the day of rebuilding, from December 18, 520 B.C. on.

Up until this point, every year they planted their seed around November, the time of the early rain, and hoped for a good harvest. But every year they experienced only frustration and disappointment as the crops failed to produce as they had hoped. Based on their experience of the past sixteen years, what should they expect? Frustration. But now the prophet was prophesying that in May and June of 519 B.C.--that is the time of the wheat harvest in Israel--they would reap plenty. God was telling his people, "You have already planted your seed, but this year will be different. The years of curse and frustration are over. I have lifted your curse and stopped frowning upon you. I have turned my face toward you in love and approval. You are my beloved remnant, my beloved children. Because you have obeyed me, I am pleased with you and will bless you, for I honor those who honor me. Your past will not determine your future. I will change the way your life has been and turn the barren fruitlessness into rich, prosperous, fruitful abundance!

God has spoken His promise of blessing; you have experienced His blessing, now today you can have the confident assurance as sure as God is God that he will bless your life! In the Spring, every day the people could look at their fields and see the plants growing. As they lived every day by faith, they could see things working according to God’s promise. And such plenty would continue in 518, in 517, in 516 and so on. Psalm 115:12-15, "The LORD has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the LORD, both small and great, May the LORD give you increase more and more, you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, Who made heaven and earth”

I said last week that each and every one of you is capable of being loved and blessed by God. Oh beloved, what a bright future you have! You will never be frustrated, disappointed, and miserable. I challenge you to mark this day and expect him to bless you. May you be blessed when you go out, blessed when you come in, and blessed in everything you touch. "From this day forward I will bless you." Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Numbers 6:24-27 The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them."

God's blessings to each and every one of you!
Pastor Bill