God Gets the Glory

A kindergarten teacher was observing her class while they were drawing.  As she walked around the room, she came to a girl who was working diligently.  She stopped and asked what the drawing was about.  The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.”  The teacher paused and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.” Without missing a beat, the girl replied, “They will when I’m done.”

Haggai had rallied the remnant to get back to work and rebuild the Temple.  Undoubtedly, this would be for their good, but ultimately it was for God’s glory, so that the watching world would know what God was like.  Our passage reminds us that it’s not about us.  Ultimately it’s about God and His glory.  Here’s the main point for today: God works His way and His will for His glory.

Let’s briefly recall the back-story of the Book of Haggai.  After returning from exile in Babylon, God’s people have been tasked with rebuilding God’s Temple.  They eagerly laid the foundation but because of opposition and their own selfish priorities, they stopped working for 16 years.  Haggai was called on the scene to mobilize the people to get back on the job.  After putting God back at the center of their lives, they went to work doing what they were called to do.  That’s how chapter one ends.

Last week in 2:1-5 we learned that we must put the past behind if we want to move forward.  That means both the good and the bad.  We must avoid comparing with the past, stop focusing on flaws, and overstating issues.  We’re called to be strong, to get back to work and to not fear.  And we can do that because God is with us, for us, and within us.  Let’s live in the “good now days” today, as God does a new thing in our midst.  We’re going to see in our passage that a focus on the future will help us deal with discouragement today.  God is not finished with us yet.  The best is yet to come because God’s glory days are yet future.

It’s easy to remember the past as better than it really was so that the present seems worse than it really is.  What we’re going to learn today is that the future is better than we can imagine…but only for those who have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Let’s read Haggai 2:6-9: “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 the desired of 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.”

Let’s make some observations about this passage.

• ·         It’s a bit difficult to understand
• ·         The focus is on the future
• ·         The word “glory” is used three times
• ·         God is referred to as the “Lord Almighty” five times

In order to help us understand and apply this section of Scripture, we’re going to jump into the New Testament on several occasions.  The best way to understand Scripture is by looking at what other Scripture has to say about the same topic.  After reading and meditating on this passage I wrote down three words that form a progression of thought.  Shaking leads to Salvation which results in Shalom.  Let’s use these as our outline.

1.  Shaking.  Notice verse 6: “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.’”  The word “shake” means to undulate, quake or uproar.  And notice that this will affect everything – heavens and earth; sea and dry land.

The phrase “In a little while” means that it won’t be long.  It might not be immediate but it is imminent, meaning it could happen at any time.  And “once more” takes us back to the time God shook everything up when He gave the 10 Commandments.  We see this in Exodus 19:18: “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently.” 

Commentators have various views on the timing of this.  Perhaps it referred to God moving Darius, a pagan king, to provide help and materials for the temple as seen in Ezra 6:6-15.  It could be referring to the judgment that took place on the Persians, and then the Greeks and then the Romans.  I actually think there were multiple fulfillments, with the ultimate one coming when Jesus returns to earth.  It’s at that time that the heavens and the earth are going to be shaken as never before.  This second shaking will be incredible.  Here are some verses that speak of this:

Joel 3:16: “The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble.”

Matthew 24:29-30: “Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’  At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.  They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.”

Revelation 16:18-21: “Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake.  No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake…Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.  From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men.  And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.”

I’ve been in one earthquake in my life…and it was a small one.  But boy did it shake me up.  I was studying Spanish at a McDonald’s in Mexico City.  I was scared.  I felt sick.  But that’s how I always felt studying Spanish.  But then all the tables looked like they were riding waves.  It’s hard to know what to do when the very ground you’re standing on is not stable.  Experts tell us that another earthquake is coming to California, they just don’t know when.  Haggai is also a seismologist in a way because he’s predicting one that’s coming that will wipe out everything that is not eternal.

Haggai 2:6 is the only verse in this book that is quoted in the New Testament.  Please turn to Hebrews 12:26-27 to find out how it’s used.  The writer is contrasting how the earth shook and Mount Sinai was shaken with the quake that’s coming for those who don’t have their lives built on the unshakeable foundation of the Savior: “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’   The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken - that is, created things - so that what cannot be shaken may remain.”   Clearly we see here a reference the Second Coming of Christ.

Here’s the application.  Don’t pin your hopes on the here and now because this is all going away.  Don’t lock into the past and don’t anchor everything to what you can see in the present because it’s all going to crumble and fall.  That means you should get ready today so that you’re part of God’s unshakeable kingdom.  Hebrews 12 ends with a clarion call for born again believers to be thankful and to worship God with all that we have “with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

It was exactly one year ago that my life was suddenly shaken.  After that huge blizzard (not the DQ kind), I was shoveling snow and had to lie down to catch my breath.  To make a long story short I went to the ER at St. James, spent the night in the hospital, and then after a stress test I couldn’t catch my breath, which caused me to be life-flighted by helicopter to St. Joes where I underwent a bunch of tests and was eventually discharged a day later.  I was not the only one shaken up as it no doubt scared my family.  But it was good for PBC because Pastor Andy preached and the offering that day was over $50,000!

I remember feeling very unsettled during that experience.  I couldn’t believe it was all happening because I thought I was in good shape.  Friends, if you don’t know Jesus Christ, there is a shaking coming unlike anything you have ever experienced before.  Whatever you’re going through right now, or have gone through in the past, it’s a message to repent and get right with God because God works His way and His will for His glory.

2.  Salvation.  Verses 7-9a has been interpreted in two different ways over the centuries.  Let’s read it and then we’ll walk through it: “I will shake all nations, and the desired of 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…”  This shaking will not only involve our whole planet but will also shake all the people on the planet.  Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Joel all utilized the imagery of the trembling of the nations as the inauguration of the coming of the Messiah, the promised one.  These cataclysmic convulsions will be worldwide.

Would you notice how definite all of this is?  God says, “I will shake...will come...will fill…will be greater…”  There’s no might or maybe about it.  This has a future element to it…We see something similar in 2 Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”

Here are the two ways this passage has been understood.

• ·         Jesus is the desired of nations.  For many centuries both Jewish and Christian commentators believed that this refers to Jesus Christ.  Charles Wesley, in his Christmas Carol, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” included this interpretation: “Come Desire of Nations, come; fix us in our humble home.”  Handel referenced this in The Messiah as well.
• ·         The wealth of the nations.  Along with verse 8, this may very well be a reference to nations bringing their gold and riches, much like the Egyptians did when they gave their wealth to the departing Israelites in Exodus 3:21-22.  The people in Haggai’s day were experiencing this because according to Ezra 6:8-10, the pagan king Darius issued a decree commanding that “The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury…whatever is needed…must be given them daily without fail…”

The people were unsettled and dissatisfied when they put themselves at the center, so too, if they focus only on the beauty of a building for God, they will miss out on the glory of God as displayed fully in Jesus Christ.  In other words, God wanted them to be unsettled and dissatisfied with the Temple so that they would long for something more…for a time that God “would rend the heavens” and come down.

I really like what C.S. Lewis once said, “If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

So, what does it mean in verse 9 when it says, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house”?  How could that be?  This temple was obviously not as ornate as Solomon’s.  There were a lot of things missing.  Haggai is pushing them forward in their thinking, out to the future.  Spurgeon said, “The second temple was never intended to be as magnificent as the first.”

Think back to last week where we learned that the older generation was weeping because this temple was nothing like Solomon’s.  But this is not God’s way of looking at it.  The temple might not be as great in gold but it would have greater glory.  God works His way and His will for His glory.

This temple, though smaller than Solomon’s, was later renovated by Herod and became beautiful once again.  The disciples remarked in Mark 13:1: “As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher!  What massive stones!  What magnificent buildings!’”

But what made it really beautiful was that it was filled with glory by the Lord Jesus.  When Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms, he used these words in Luke 2:32: “A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”  We know that Jesus went to the temple when he was twelve and was instructing the religious leaders.  He taught in the temple on several occasions during His ministry.  And he even cleared it out when He saw people using it improperly.

Whether you understand this as referring to the return of Jesus or to the desired of all nations coming to Him, the main point is that Jesus provides salvation.  If you have not settled your salvation, it’s time to do so right now.  It’s not about moralism…or church attendance…or trying to be good because you will never be good enough and you can’t perform enough.  God’s been shaking you up and now He wants to save you before the real shaking begins.

I was shaken before I was saved.  One of my friends drowned in front of me and a year later my girlfriend broke up with me.  These quakes shook me to my core.  But this shaking eventually led to my salvation.

It’s interesting that the Apostle Peter quotes from Joel 2:30 when he explains how his listeners can be saved.  He first makes reference to worldwide cataclysmic events in Acts 2:20: “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”  And then he brings it home by giving a challenge and an invitation in verse 21: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”   Jesus said it like this in John 11:40: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

Shaking leads to salvation which results in shalom.

3.  Shalom.  Check out the last part of verse 9: “‘…And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”  While God is referring to the temple here or maybe even to Jerusalem, the ultimate peace comes only from being in a relationship with Jesus Christ.  The Hebrew word is “shalom,” which refers to a sense of wholeness, well-being and abundance.  Hebrew words go beyond just the spoken meaning; they convey intent and emotion.

This is the blessing bestowed by Aaron in Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you;  the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” 

According to Strong’s Concordance Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony and the absence of agitation or discord.  In Modern Hebrew the obviously related word Shelem means to pay for, and Shulam means to be fully paid.  We can have shalom because peace has been fully paid for by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross!

Peace comes only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  The Bible says that we were formerly enemies of the Almighty and Jesus came to make peace.  In his first coming, Jesus preached peace to both Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:17).  We can be at peace with God, we can have internal peace, and we can be at peace with others.  But the lasting peace we all long for won’t come until Jesus returns.

I am speaking to some very discouraged and disappointed people who wonder why God has allowed certain things to happen.  Perhaps you’ve been through a series of events that have shaken you deeply.  Whatever you do, don’t turn away from God.  Allow the shaking to lead you to salvation so that you can have shalom.  Your disappointment may be God’s appointment to bring you to the cross for forgiveness and salvation.

God works His way and His will for His glory.

As we prepare for communion today, I want to share seven Scripture passages.  My goal is that you will see the Savior as you’ve never seen Him before.

• ·         Jesus is more important than the temple.  Matthew 12:6: “I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.”
• ·         Jesus is the true temple according to John 2:19: “Destroy this temple and I will raise it in three days!”  They thought he was crazy because the present temple had taken 46 years to build but Jesus was referring to his death and resurrection three days later.
• ·         After the disciples were boasting about how beautiful the temple was, Jesus put it all in perspective.  Mark 13:2: “‘Do you see all these great buildings?’ replied Jesus. ‘Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’”  This happened is A.D. 70.
• ·         The systems of sacrifice and ritual at a temple were wiped out because now we come to God through Jesus!  Hebrews 10:14: “Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
• ·         In the new heavens and earth, there will be no temple, “for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22).
• ·         The church, meaning God’s people, is now God’s temple.  1 Corinthians 3:16: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”
• ·         Individual Christians are also the home of the Holy Spirit according to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and we must live worthy of Him: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.”

The second temple was wiped out and never rebuilt.  But God is building another temple, with living stones – that’s made up of born again believers – and He is working to make us glorious. Revelation 21:3-4: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

We established last week that the setting for Haggai’s sermon took place on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  Let me draw a picture of what happened when Jesus attended this very same celebration some five hundreds later about six months before He was crucified.  This feast had past, present and future elements to it.

• ·         They looked back to the time they lived in tents, remembering their deliverance from Egypt.
• ·         They celebrated the present harvest.
• ·         And they looked ahead to the coming of the Messiah, their Savior.

On every day of the feast, the priest would travel with others to the Pool of Siloam and fill a golden pitcher with water.  He would then come back and pour it on the altar.  There would be three trumpet blasts, and the people would sing Psalms 113-118 shouting out, “Give thanks to the Lord.”  But things changed on the last day.  The priests would walk around the altar seven times to remember what happened at Jericho and there would be no water in the pitcher to help the people remember the disobedient generation who died in the wilderness.  Everyone would stand in silence.

Check what happened next in John 7:37-38.  On the most crowded day of the most popular feast, we read that Jesus showed up: “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’”  It was remarkable that he stood, because only representatives of the king would do that.   And He shouted into the silence, telling people that they would only find their satisfaction in Him.

But, people were divided in their response, just like they are today.

1. Some see Jesus as special but leave it at that.  John 7:40: “On hearing his words, some of the people said, ‘Surely this man is the Prophet.’”
2. Some see Jesus as the Savior.  John 7:41: “Others said, ‘He is the Christ.’”
3. Others are skeptical. “‘How can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?’  Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.  Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.”

What group are you in?  What picture of God are you drawing?

Download the MP3