Now, we will read together in our Bibles a couple of sections.
First of all, from Ephesians chapter 2.
So in the New Testament, Ephesians chapter 2,
where we're going to hear of temple imagery being used in the New Testament.
And then we're going to turn to Haggai chapter 2 and read the first nine verses.
So here in Ephesians 2, let's hear God's word.
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called uncircumcised
by those who call themselves the circumcision, which is done in the body by human hands,
remember that at that time you were separate from Christ,
excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise,
without hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one,
and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations.
His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two,
thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross,
by which he put to death their hostility.
He came and preached peace to you who are far away and peace to those who are near.
For through him, we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,
but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household,
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
In a sense, what we have there is a recognition that in God's purpose,
the temple was always supposed to be a place of worship,
not just for the Jews, but ultimately for the nations of the world.
And while the physical temple failed to do that, Jesus does.
Now, Haggai chapter 2 in the Old Testament, towards the very end of the Old Testament,
and we are going to read verses 1 to 9.
In the second year of King Darius, on the 21st day of the seventh month,
the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai.
Speak to Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah,
to Joshua, son of Josedach, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people.
Ask them,
Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory?
How does it look to you now?
Does it not seem to you like nothing?
But now be strong, Zerubbabel, declares the Lord.
Be strong, Joshua, son of Josedach, the high priest.
Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord, and work.
For I am with you, declares the Lord Almighty.
This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt,
and my spirit remains among you.
Do not fear.
This is what the Lord Almighty says.
In a little while, I will once more shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come,
and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty.
The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty.
The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,
says the Lord Almighty.
And in this place, I will grant peace, declares the Lord Almighty.
This evening, we're thinking about the fact that in this prophecy,
God's discouraged, disheartened people are being reminded that the best is yet to come.
To help us to do that, we need to step back in time.
So I want to take you in your mind's eye to a building site in 520 BC.
Where is this building site?
It's in Jerusalem.
And what is it that's being built, or rather rebuilt?
It's the temple where God would be worshipped.
As we saw last week, that project had restarted in 536 BC.
The foundation had been laid, but then opposition came.
And so for 16 years, the building site has remained lifeless.
Nothing has been happening.
But now, the project has restarted again with full speed.
So we're on this building site, and we're seeing a temple be constructed.
But then, we also see some old men come by.
It appear at how things are developing.
And as they watch the building restoration take place,
we see them weeping as they watch.
Because they're old enough to remember, in childhood, the glory days of Solomon's temple.
And they weep.
And they say, it's not like it was in the old days.
They ask themselves and others the question,
where's the glory in this temple?
And they are discouraged.
And that mood of discouragement spreads around the building site.
And because the temple site is in the middle of the city,
the city is beginning to feel that wave of discouragement.
Enter Haggai.
He comes onto the building site.
Was he wearing his hard hat?
We don't know.
But we definitely do know that he brings with him the Lord's message.
And it's a message both of realism and hope.
Yes, this temple, in a sense, is not and will not be as glorious as Solomon's.
But future glory is coming.
The best is yet to come.
Now, as we come back to 2020, we live in that reality,
as we thought about from Zechariah's language of the day of small things,
where perhaps our circumstances and our church,
we don't feel very glorious.
We don't feel super significant.
But we also stand in 2020 knowing that that promise through Haggai has been fulfilled.
that the greater glory of the temple has come because Jesus has come.
And there's greater glory because now Jesus is constructing a living temple in the church,
in people like us who have faith in the Lord Jesus.
And we too have the promise that for the church today, the best is yet to come.
So we're going to think about that, the realism and the hope in Haggai chapter 2.
So first of all, looking back, looking back at former glory,
the first five verses is where we're going to be.
Now, notice again, we're told when Haggai speaks.
It's the second year of King Darius on the 21st day of the seventh month.
Now, I am going to presume that we are at best rusty on our Persian calendar dating system.
And we're also a bit hazy on how that would connect with a Jewish calendar.
Because that's my position, I imagine.
I'm not alone in that.
This specific date, so the experts tell me,
it comes during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
Okay, so that date is important because it tells us that in the middle of a festival.
What's the Feast of Tabernacles?
Well, this was something that they did every year.
Every year God said to them, live in tents for a week.
And it was to remind them of their time when they were in the wilderness
before reaching the promised land.
It was a time of anticipation, anticipating glory to come.
And it's interesting that even when they were in the promised land,
they still had to go into their tents, into their booths,
and anticipate there was greater glory still to come.
And that's going to be significant for the message.
Now, everyone is gathered.
We see Zerubbabel's there, Judah's there, the remnant are there.
Leaders and people are together for this festival.
And what does Haggai do?
Haggai, in verse 3, says,
Now, parents, don't we teach our kids to do the exact opposite of this?
It's like, you don't say that kind of thing.
You don't point out the flaws in someone else.
You've got to keep quiet about that.
But here, Haggai deliberately draws attention to it.
Why?
You're thinking, if they're already feeling discouraged,
surely when Haggai comes, this is going to discourage them further.
But there's a point to what he's doing.
He's pointed to reality.
He's saying, this is a time of lesser glory for God's people.
If we just for a minute compare Haggai's day with the glory days of Solomon.
You know, that's often described as the golden age, the reigns of King David and King Solomon.
That was a time when they enjoyed freedom.
But now they're ruled by Persia.
And that was a time when their territory was large and they were at peace.
Now it's Jerusalem and a little bit around.
And they're controlled by outside influences.
Then they were regarded as great and glorious in that region.
They had established dominance over surrounding nations.
But now they are small and weak and fragile.
So this is a time of lesser glory.
And the temple that's being built is a reflection of that wider reality.
But here's the thing.
And here's where this isn't discouraging for the people.
Yes, their glory may have changed.
It may have diminished.
But God and his glory has not.
And God, we're told in verse 4, keeps his promises.
I am with you.
Verse 5.
This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt.
And my spirit remains among you.
So he keeps his promises.
He's given them his presence.
He is with them.
There is a reminder that the same Redeemer God who brought them out of Egypt
is the same God who is for them today.
And that's supposed to have an impact on how they feel and how they act on the building site.
So knowing this, the people of God are to, verse 4, be strong.
Three times.
Zerubbabel, be strong.
Joshua, be strong.
All you people of land.
Makes me think of Joshua.
I remember when Joshua takes over from Moses.
And it's his job to lead the people in conquest, into battle, to take possession of the promised land.
And God frequently says to Joshua, be strong and courageous.
And again, it's the same reason because God is with them.
And God is working out his purposes.
So they are to be strong.
And, verse 4, they are to work.
They are to keep on building this temple.
Because this temple represents God being with them.
It represents a place of worship.
So that they might worship God.
It is a place where sacrifices can be made so that forgiveness and reconciliation and restoration might happen.
It's a place where the glory of God might be known.
Where the reputation of God might spread through the nation and through the nations.
So they are to be strong.
And they are to work.
And, verse 5, they are not to fear.
Because they are to trust in the God who is with them.
So they're to look back.
They're looking back and seeing the former glory.
But they are to take heart.
To take heart because God remains with them.
As Zechariah chapter 4 says,
Isn't this something that we need to hear in our own setting today?
Probably everybody has a sense of,
when was the glory day of the church?
Some of us, if we like church history,
we might think back to the 16th century, to the Reformation.
Maybe, for older generations, we might think back to our childhood.
People might look and think,
well, the church before the wars,
that was the sort of golden age in present.
Maybe we just think,
life before COVID,
the church felt like a golden age.
Because at least we could be together.
Today,
I imagine for many of us,
we feel weak.
As Christians, we feel disconnected.
more isolated from our brothers and sisters.
The church seems small.
In our nation,
it doesn't have the position of influence
and respect that once it did.
Because God's name, God's word, God's glory,
God's gospel, the Lord Jesus,
don't have the same position
that they used to.
And we could be discouraged by that,
but God would have us take heart.
Because,
God is,
with his people.
Jesus promised,
I am with you always.
Jesus sent the Spirit,
so we wouldn't be alone,
so we wouldn't be like orphans.
God still keeps his promises.
God made a covenant promise,
God has made a covenant with the church,
in and through the body and blood
of the Lord Jesus,
given for us in sacrifice
to remove our sins,
to bring us to God.
And God will keep his promise
to be God for us.
Take heart,
because God will receive glory.
Take heart,
because God is building his kingdom.
He is establishing a living temple.
And as Jesus said,
not even the gates of hell,
not that the powers of the devil
are powerless to resist
that movement of God's grace.
So,
so this is a call to work
in our day of small things,
at the small things
that we are called to do.
We're called to serve faithfully,
to live for God
in our families,
to live as servants of God
in our workplaces,
whatever that looks like nowadays,
to serve faithfully in the church,
to come together where possible
as the church,
whether that's on Sundays
or whether it's to pray
or in community group,
to love and encourage
and build one another up
and bear one another's burdens,
to serve faithfully in worshipping
on Sundays and all through the week.
And we do that,
not depending on our own strength,
but just as Haggai said,
depending on the God who is with us,
God's presence and God's power.
And as we do that,
remember what we read in Ephesians 2.
Jesus,
he is the true temple.
He is the cornerstone
that God has laid,
that precious cornerstone
on which the church is built.
The living temple is both built on Jesus,
on his words,
on his truth,
and built by Jesus
as he draws men and women
and boys and girls
to faith in himself.
And so we worship Jesus
because he is our Emmanuel.
He is God with us.
He is the one who,
in his body,
the new covenant
has been established
and he sends the Spirit.
So these words from the Lord
we see fulfilled
in the ministry of Jesus.
So yes,
the church today may not seem glorious,
but never forget,
Jesus,
our King,
is glorious,
always will be glorious
and he is pursuing his glory
in us,
through us,
in the world.
So keep building.
Keep building by sharing the gospel,
making much of Jesus,
using Advent,
for example.
whether it's those videos,
whether it's sharing devotional thoughts
or reflections,
whether it's just talking about
the reason for Christmas,
sharing the gospel both inside the church
because we never want to move away
from God and his grace.
We never want to take for granted
what Jesus has done for us
in his life, death and resurrection,
but also sharing the gospel
outside the walls of the church
or the community of God's people.
And we keep building also
in the sense that we want to support
both local and global mission.
One of the reasons that we,
during lockdown and ongoing restrictions,
have had missions speakers
come to us month after month
is so that we would be reminded
that we have work to do
in supporting global mission
for the glory of God.
So there is former glory
and there's reality
but also hope.
But then Haggai encourages
a looking forward
to see greater glory.
Now, in Morningside,
we have a sister church,
a church plant by the name
of Cornerstone.
And their building project
is nearly done.
And that's good news.
Last week,
I was watching their
promotional video.
And it was interesting
to see how they did it.
And in a sense,
there's a pattern
that we can probably detect
that we see in Haggai.
So one thing that the video did
was sort of go to the old schoolhouse
and say,
here was this iconic building
in its heyday,
at the heart of the community.
See, lots of old pictures
and you'd see there it is
as the school
and sort of heart of the community.
And then now,
in its present state,
you see it as a building site.
And I guess,
unless you know the plan
and you know the trajectory,
you might think,
yikes,
how can this be good?
How can anything good
come out of this
or rubble and ruin
and expose walls
and all those kind of things?
And in a sense,
the video goes on
to respond to that
because it keeps bringing us
back to artists' impressions
of the finished article.
So you're constantly
looking forward
with hope
for what it will become.
And we can pray
for Cornerstone
as they look to
share the gospel
with people
in the Morningside community,
but also as they look
to be a church planting
centre
where we can remember
them.
But let's go back
to Haggai
on his building site.
So he's looking back,
yeah,
it's not the same
glorious Solomon's temple,
but he's also looking forward.
He's saying,
there's something
so glorious coming
that it's going to make
Solomon's temple
look like a garden shed.
Now,
how is that?
Haggai's very careful
to say it's not going to be
because of your
architectural skill.
It's not going to be
the gold and silver
that you bring.
It's not because
of your hard work.
How is that?
It's because God
himself
will act
for his glory
to give
and to bring
glory.
Now,
one word
that helps us
to think about this
is the word shaking.
Verse 6,
this is what the Lord
Almighty says,
in a little while
I will once more
shake the heavens
and the earth
and the sea
and the dry land.
I will shake
all nations
and what's desirable
and nations will come
and I will fill
this house with glory.
Now,
the prophets
of the Old Testament,
many of them
spoke of the day
of the Lord.
a decisive day
in history
when God would
intervene
at the end
of the age
and that shaking
is Haggai's
way of talking
about the day
of the Lord
and what he
anticipates
as God gives
this message
is of the world
being turned
right side up
and that plays
itself out
because there is
this picture of
nations becoming
worshippers
and that is
seen in them
bringing their
wealth
to the temple
but crucial
to this shaking
for our purposes
is when God
said in verse 7
I will fill
this house
with glory.
So the difference
between Solomon's
temple and Haggai's
temple
wasn't the
size of the building,
they were actually
pretty similar
archaeologists tell us
and it wasn't
so much the fact
that Solomon's
temple had
loaded gold
and silver
and Haggai's
didn't have so much
the difference
is that when
Solomon dedicated
his temple
the glory cloud
came down
God's glory
filled the temple
so the priest
had to get out
because God
was so glorious
and he was present
in his temple
now that hadn't
happened in Haggai's
day
but
but then
Haggai
brings us
wonderful news
from God
in verse 9
the glory of this
present house
will be greater
than the glory
of the former house
and in this place
I will grant peace
now how can that be
and we need to
recognise
this didn't happen
in Zerubbabel's day
and it didn't happen
in the rest of the
Old Testament era
we need to wait
for
fulfilment
to the coming
of Jesus
that promise
of greater glory
is fulfilled
in Jesus
again John 1
the word became
flesh and dwelt
among us
and we have seen
what
we have seen
his glory
the glory
of the one and only
so here's this
wonderful reality
Jesus the eternal
son of God
the full
radiance of God's
glory
comes to the earth
and Jesus
is the Lord
who then
in his
lifetime
comes to his
temple
and actually
one of the things
that we see
in the gospels
and we see
in his ministry
is Jesus
is making clear
that he takes
over from the
temple
if you want
to enjoy
the presence
of God
don't go to
the temple
come to me
if you want
to worship
it's not in
the temple
you worship
in spirit and
truth and you
worship through
Jesus
if you're
looking for
a sacrifice
that reconciles
you to God
and brings you
forgiveness
don't go to
the temple
with an animal
come to Jesus
and his death
on the cross
Jesus
takes over
from the temple
and Jesus
has more glory
than Solomon's
temple
and then we
think about
Matthew
and the way
Matthew's gospel
talks about
the death
of Jesus
and significantly
he uses the
language of shaking
Matthew 27
51
you can look
it up
at the death
of Jesus
two things
happened
the curtain
of the temple
was torn
in two
and the earth
shook
and the rocks
split
the curtain
of the temple
was interesting
because
one of the reasons
Jesus judges
the temple
and the leaders
over the temple
is because
God's house
was meant to be
a house
for all nations
but
it had become
restricted
and closed
just to
the Jewish
people
and so the
temple
curtain
torn
in two
was saying
access to
God
is now
open
and it's
open to
anyone
who will
believe
in the
Lord Jesus
so this
shaking
back to
this shaking
concept
this shaking
began
what Haggai
was looking
forward to
it began
when Jesus
died
his redeeming
work
is a
shaking
it's God
intervening
in a decisive
way
now the way
is open
to God
now Jesus
the true
temple
makes it
possible
for people
from all
nations
to come
to him
and that
shaking
that began
at the cross
will continue
until the
return
of Jesus
and when
Jesus
returns
this promise
will be truly
fulfilled
when Haggai
says
the glory
of this
present
house
will be
greater
than the
glory
of the
former
house
when Jesus
returns
his
unimaginable
glory
will be
revealed
and all
the people
of God
will get
to enjoy
his glory
and to
see
his glory
and to
live
in
the new
heaven
and the
new
earth
where we
can enjoy
his glory
forever
enjoy his
presence
forever
verse 9
we will
enjoy
unbroken
peace
forever
true
well
being
to go
back to
verse 7
this shaking
it brings
in
worshippers
from
the
nations
Jesus
receives
glory
as the
true
temple
but also
as he
builds
this
living
temple
to use
Ephesians 2
languages
he builds
the church
Ephesians 2
Jesus
in his
body
on the
cross
he makes
peace
between
us
and
God
and
makes
peace
between
different
nations
so that
we can
be all
one
in
Christ
Jesus
he
builds
us
into
a
holy
temple
in
the
Lord
where
does
God
dwell
now
Ephesians 2
says
God
dwells
in
his
people
in
his
church
and so
together
we're
enjoying
greater
glory
we enjoy
the presence
of God
with us
and we
look ahead
to more
still to
come
so Haggai
does this
wonderful thing
in this
beautiful
building site
sermon
he takes
them from
small things
to eternal
glory
he says
yes your
temple is
less glorious
but your
God is not
he says
look forward
because future
glory is
coming
Jesus
God's true
temple is
coming
we know
how that
glory is
seen
and one
day
Jesus
will
rule
over the
new
heaven
and the
new
earth
this
whole
new
cosmos
will
be
his
temple
where
our
king
dwells
and we
will be
with him
so today
in our
small things
we are called
to work
and we are
called to
worship
and we're
called to
wait
with expectation
knowing that
for us truly
the best
is also
yet to come
solution
once
to
let's
pack
to
mercy
can
see
out
next
time