2/11/07 - God's House Sunday - Haggai 2:6-9

GLORY WILL FILL THIS HOUSE
- Because of Christ
- For the sake of the world

Some of the old timers were not very happy. When the 2nd temple in Jerusalem was being constructed, there were still some men and women around who had seen the original temple decades before. The temple of Solomon. The temple whose entire interior was overlaid with gold. The temple whose ornate furnishings and intricate details were hand made by the best craftsmen and sculptors of the day. And so even though there were many Israelites who were overjoyed to see the 2nd temple being built, Scripture records for us that “many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid.” (Ezra 3:12) It was nowhere close in magnificence, it was nowhere close in grandeur, in was nowhere close in splendor. And so the old timers wept out loud because they knew the nation of Israel would never be what it once was.
This is the background to our sermon text for today: Haggai, chapter 2 verses 6-9. If you remember from the readings earlier in the service, Haggai, along with the prophet Zechariah, preached to the people during this time of the construction of the 2nd temple. The Lord knew there were some bitter feelings among the older generations that were filtering down to the younger ones. And so the Lord sent his faithful servant Haggai to speak these words to his people, “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.”
Comforting words for the people and interesting word also: “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” the Lord said. What did the Lord mean? “I own all the silver and gold already. I don’t need my house to be richly ornamented in those precious metals to make it great. So don’t compare this temple to Solomon’s temple. Don’t worry if this new temple isn’t as great and as glorious as you want it to be. Because the outside doesn’t matter. It’s what is on the inside that counts. In fact, the glory of this new temple will be greater than the glory of the old one.” These words must have shocked the Israelites. How was this pitiful little temple going to more glorious than Solomon’s temple - possibly the greatest temple ever built? Because this second temple would be filled with the Lord’s glory in a very special way when “the desired of all nations” came. The Desired of All Nations is none other than Christ. This new temple, although it was far less magnificent than the original, would see Christ himself come. It would experience Christ preaching in its pulpit. Its walls would hold the Lord God Almighty in human flesh. This temple would be filled with the glory of the Lord.
This temple, this temple is filled with the glory of the Lord. We don’t have Jesus physically here with us, but in this house we preach and teach, hear and read, learn and believe in the glory of the Lord each and every week. Every time his words are used in this building, the glory of the Lord is present - in a number of different ways.
For example: Lord willing, in less than three months I will baptize my son right here. And there we will be able to see the glory of the Lord working through the water and the Word in his heart. Making him a child of God. Producing faith that leads to salvation. A baptism is a momentous occasion! An event that is unparalleled in the display of God’s glory destroying man’s sinfulness!
Another example: Last week and next week, we will join together in fellowship with each other and with the Lord by eating his body and drinking his blood in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Through which we receive forgiveness of sins. Through which we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Through which the glory of the Lord is revealed. Look forward to the Lord’s Supper. Prepare yourself for the Lord’s Supper. Because this is where you, a sin-filled human being, approach the glory of God. And this is where God in all his glory, has mercy on you time and time again.
And if these two visible displays of the glory of the Lord weren’t enough, in every sermon, in every reading, in every hymn, in every psalm, in every prayer, in every service, in every Bible study, in every devotion - the glory of the Lord is revealed once again. The glory of his victory over Satan by his perfect life on this earth. The glory of his victory over our sins by his sacrifice on the cross. The glory of his victory over death by his resurrection from the tomb. The glory he now holds in heaven - a glory we will also enjoy very soon. That is the glory of the Lord that fills this temple. This is the glory of the Lord that fills this house. And we would do nothing in this building without Christ and his glory. We will do nothing in our new worship facility without Christ and his glory. It can be no other way.
As I read about the 2nd temple in Jerusalem being built, I think about getting our new worship facility up and running, and I have to admit: my motivation to get a new building isn’t always for the right reason. Is yours? I want you to be honest with yourself: why do you want a new church building? You’re just sick of this storefront and you want to get out of here as soon as possible. Or you like the idea of having something new of our own. Or maybe it’s a pride thing. You’re embarrassed to invite people here to church and so you can’t wait for that nice impressive church building to show your friends and family. I think sometimes it’s a pride thing for me in a different way. I’m the new kid on the block, so to speak. And as a pastor coming right out of the seminary it’s almost as if I think I have something to prove. And if our congregation would be able to move into a new church building then maybe I would prove to myself and to others that I can handle the parish ministry and I’m not a flop. Now, I don’t consciously think that way, but back in the caverns of my mind I think that false motivation is festering - among others. None of these reasons are proper reasons to want a new church building. They’re all selfish. And maybe you don’t want to go into a new building for different selfish reasons. If you have any selfish reasons, then they’re all sinful reasons. We must ask the Lord for forgiveness and thank the Lord that the reason we should want a new church building is the same reason those sins are forgiven.
The glory of the Lord. That’s why our sins are forgiven. Because the glory of the Lord means his forgiveness and love and patience and mercy. And that’s why we should want a new church building. 1) In order to spread this glory to the world and 2) in order to praise his glorious name with our best gifts. And so that’s why the time is now. Now is the time to move forward. Now is the time to build. Not so that we can feel good about ourselves in any way, but so that we can spread the Word of the Lord more efficiently and more effectively. We would like to start a preschool along with the new building. This will give us a chance to spread the Word to children who would otherwise never hear it. And, in turn, it would give us an opportunity to speak to their parents about the truth, hopefully taking them through a Bible Information Class, and, Lord willing, welcoming them into membership. We would have a large fellowship area, plenty of classrooms, a brand new sanctuary, and a view of the Cimarrons. These things in and of themselves do not spread the Word, but in reality, these things may attract and draw people who have been looking past us at the time being. These are not things we offer, but things we will take advantage of if the opportunity arises. All to spread the glory of the Lord and all for his glory.
This brings me to your bulletin cover for this morning. Is a quote from the Lord to us. A promise from the Lord to us. “From this day on I will bless you.” It’s not in any of our readings today and it wasn’t even in our sermon text. But it is from the book of Haggai. “From this day on I will bless you.” It’s something for us to remember because that’s true on any day, isn’t it? It’s true today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives. And so as we keep this passage in mind while we consider a new church building, don’t be afraid to give! From this day on he will bless you. We cannot become so attached to our time or our talents or our treasures that we are afraid to give. The Lord will give you more! He always does! In this life and especially in the life to come.
Allow me to read to you a passage from Malachi. Malachi is another book that talks about stewardship and it is one of my favorite stewardship passages. The Lord is urging us to give to him freely and thankfully and abundantly. “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (3:10) The Lord asks you to test him! Test his generosity! Do you honestly think that you could ever out give God? Do you seriously think that it is possible for you to give to the Lord so much that the Lord will leave you desolate and without hope? Try it. The Lord asks you to try it. Of course, he doesn’t tell you to be stupid. He doesn’t tell you to be careless and reckless with the blessings he has given you. But when it comes to giving to the Lord, don’t worry about how much you will have left. The Lord will provide. Just like he always has and just like he always will. Not that this is the motivation to give, but it is a comfort. Knowing that the Lord will always provide for his people, promising, “From this day on I will bless you.”
The year 520 BC must have been a very exciting time for the Israelite Christians. They were beginning to build the 2nd temple, a temple backed by the Lord, and a temple in which he promised to fill with his glory. The year 2007 AD is an exciting time for this group of Christians at Living Word. We are on the precipice of a new church building. On the brink of expanding our outreach efforts in a variety of new and effective ways. On the verge of spreading the gospel to more and more people - more than we ever have been able to do before. Will a new church building do that? No. Will the programs we are able to offer accomplish that task? No. But the Savior we share will. And so let us share this Savior as often as we can, as best we can, as soon as we can. Because we have an incredible offer for the world: the Lord’s pure, forgiving, majestic glory. The glory that fills this house. The glory that will fill the next. Together it’s time to share the Lord’s glory with as many people as possible.
Amen.

“May God be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” - 1 Peter 4:11