True Contentment

Main point:

Contentment in life comes from simple acceptance of the LORD's plan and provision for your life.

Scripture Passage:

Haggai 1:1-2:23

Sermon Outline:

I. "Busy-ness" is not godliness (Haggai 1:1-2:23).

II. Godliness depends on God, not on me (1:12-15).

III. Godliness brings genuine contentment.

I. "Busy-ness" is not godliness (Haggai 1:1-2:23).

How many things can you think of that you could be doing this Sunday morning rather than be here in church? You could: mow the lawn; work in the yard; go on a picnic or to the lake; sleep in; shop till you drop; conduct business affairs. There is certainly no lack of activities that could take you far away from church and interfere with your worship of God. In the book of Haggai, God deals with His people when they had wandered away from Him to pursue the pleasures of life on their own.

A. The people of Jerusalem sacrifice the Temple for worldly pursuits (1:1-4)

In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.'" Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" (Hag. 1:1-4, NIV)

I have a "honey-do" list at home. It contains all the things my wife encourages me to get done in the house and in the yard. You know, "Honey, do this..." and "Honey, do that..." It is easy to get caught up in the wave of home improvement. Come with me to Home Depot one Saturday morning and I'll show you what I'm talking about. Our culture exhorts us to work so that we can buy more, "Bigger is better!" Many of us spend enormous amounts of time trying to improve our physical and material circumstances. This is how the people of Jerusalem were living: they were at Home Depot! They were trying to acquire wealth, pursue pleasures, and "keep up with the Jones!" while putting God on the back burner.

God has a question for them: "Can you justify living it up while the Temple is torn down? Will you live the life I've given you without spending time with Me? Will you sacrifice your spiritual life to improve your very temporary physical life?"

B. God points out the futility of living life without His blessing (1:5-11).

Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it...Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored...You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?...Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands" (Hag. 1:5-11, NIV).

I remember a friend of mine in high school who worked every hour he could so he could buy a car. The wondrous day finally arrived and he bought a shiny black "Smokey and the Bandit" Trans Am. What an awesome car it was! Yet, he then spent all his time working to keep it shiny and in good repair. I hardly ever got to spend any time with him. One of the few times I did, in the early evening after the dew had fallen, I made the mistake of writing in the dew on top of his car. The poor guy ranted and raved as though I had thrown a brick through the windshield. After that, we weren't friends anymore. The car was more important than me.

The people of Jerusalem were working hard on many things but leaving out the most important thing: God. Their priorities were on their desires, their pleasures, and their endeavors. They had high expectations of life. They wanted the best things in life. How about you -- a new car, a better job so you will have more money to spend, a house in the "rich" neighborhood, a political office, a picture on the society page, or perhaps that fourth tennis racket that is sure to make you a winner on the court? Life consisted in the abundance and quality of their possessions.

Did they succeed? No. The people of Jerusalem labored in vain to build fine homes and high standing in life. In spite of all their hustle and bustle, they only inherited the wind. God said He blew away whatever they brought home. Their fields were not fertile. The grape vines did not produce. The rain did not fall. The labor of their hands brought nothing of substance. They had a small return for a tremendous investment of their time.

Why did they pursue material things with such zeal? God says they had food, drink, clothes, jobs, and a home. But none of what they had was ever enough. They wanted more. They had a lust for things that could not be quenched. All the while, God's Temple sat in ruins. In fact, the King of Persia had permitted the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem specifically to rebuild the Temple. He even paid for the effort. After sixteen years, the people just could not find the time or the money to rebuild it. These were God's chosen people yet their "busy-ness" interfered with their godliness. No, their "busy-ness" had replaced their godliness.

II. Godliness depends on God, not on me (1:12-15).

What does it take to be "godly"? The people were pursuing their own pleasures instead of pursuing God. The people were putting their own desires first rather than putting God first. They had reached a point where God got their attention and shared a piece of His mind with them. When we read God's word today, this is how God often gets our attention. Are you listening?

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God...(Hag. 1:12-15, NIV)

A. God's people repent and obey after hearing God's word (1:12).

The people heard God speak to the very core of their being. His word was directed at their priorities, their plans, and their pursuits. The futility they were experiencing in life was a direct result of leaving God out. The question for you and me today is the same: Who sits in the Captain's chair of your life? Is it truly God or truly you? The people of Jerusalem were honest with themselves. They gave "careful thought" (Hag. 1:5, NIV) to their ways. They repented of putting themselves first and put God first. They repented of never having enough but accepted the provisions God would make in their life. They quit honoring themselves and "feared the LORD" (Hag. 1:12, NIV).

The people realized how far short of God's glory they had strayed. Their repentance was recognized by God and He assured them of His acceptance by saying, "I am with you (Hag. 1:13, NIV). While we might judge someone like this, "Oh, sure! NOW you repent after I said something about it...", God looks at the heart of an individual and judges attitude, motive, and desire. With this insight, He accepted the people's act of repentance and faith -- they feared the Lord, showing Him reverence and honor.

B. God brings revival after their obedient response to His word (1:13-15).

So, why can't I be godly when I want to be godly?

The people of Jerusalem were stirred up by God. They experienced genuine revival. They had a zeal like never before. They were empowered to rebuild the Temple and they got to work on it right away. They became godly when they were stirred up by God? No, they became godly when they realized their disobedience, repented, and turned to God. Then they experienced revival.

The great evangelist Charles Finney put it this way, "Revival is simply a new beginning of obedience to God." Turning to God and away from your selfish pursuits is the first step to revival.

God wants to bring revival to His people. Many people pray hard for the revival of this nation (and rightly so). Yet, how many people who pray for revival have actually been revived themselves? That is, how many people who desire revival have themselves recognized their own disobedience to God? Revival is a response to a repentance and trust in the LORD. God will bring revival when we start putting Him first.

III. Godliness brings genuine contentment.

What is the result of godly living? The people obeyed the command of God and worked to rebuild the Temple. It meant sacrifice of their worldly pleasures. Only one month later the people were disillusioned with the new temple project -- it lacked the material glory of the temple built in Solomon's day.

Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, 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?' (Hag. 2:2-3, NIV)

Did God fail to provide for them the things they needed? No, but they had to learn to be content with what God provided them. In fact, the remaining passages deal with four specific assurances God has to help them through life. These four assurances are applicable to each believer today: the presence of God, the peace of God, the provision of God, and the promise of God.

A. Contentment in the presence of God (2:1-5).

'But 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, '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.' (Hag. 2:4-5, NIV)

The presence of God brings strength to the believer today. "I am with you" says Almighty God. There is no need to be afraid of people, times, or circumstances of life when God is with us. God, Immanuel, is truly with us. This is the promise in Jesus' last words to us just prior to His ascension into heaven: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Mat. 28:20, NIV). Believers today have the Holy Spirit of God as a permanent possession (John 14:16). In fact, Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us that we are "sealed" or permanently joined to the Holy Spirit after having believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. So we find contentment in the presence of God who gives us strength.

B. Contentment in the peace of God (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." (Hag. 2:6-9, NIV)

Peace at any cost seems to be the goal in the Middle East today. Israel believes today promises made by peoples with a history of deceit and treachery toward them. In the current peace initiatives, Israel is giving up it land for nothing more substantial than a promise of peace. In this passage, God promises to bring a true and lasting peace in the very place they were working -- the Temple in Jerusalem. One day, the Lord Jesus Christ will return and occupy the Temple as ruler of this world for one thousand years of unprecedented peace.

Believers today are assured of peace with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Our present life is one of inner peace in a turbulent world. Our future life is one of complete peace when God eliminates the problem of sin in the world completely. Through God's peace, we can enjoy a worry-free lifestyle. We find contentment in the peace of God that eliminates the need to worry about the past, the present, or the future.

C. Contentment in the provision of God (2:10-19).

'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. From this day on I will bless you.' (Hag. 2:18-19, NIV)

God's hand is heavy on disobedient believers as revealed in Haggai. Yet, He says that from this day on He will bless them. When the remnant turned back to Him, God began to bless them. We may not see the blessings of God in our life the minute we turn to Him but we can be assured that He is at work to bless us. Believers need to know this so that we will not lose heart but persevere in the good works God has called us to complete. Things may look bleak today -- sin has terrible consequences in life -- but things will change. So, walk confidently in the provision of God. He is good for you and to you! Find contentment in the provision God has for you. As Spurgeon noted, "God is too kind to be cruel and too wise to make a mistake."

D. Contentment in the promises of God (2:20-23).

The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. "'On that day,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares the LORD Almighty." (Hag. 2:20-23, NIV)

There was a movie I saw with a basic good guy/bad guy plot. In the end, the bad guy won -- he got away with his evil deed and lived to enjoy the spoils of his wickedness. I found that movie very unsatisfying. After all, the guy in the white suit ain't supposed to die! The same is true of life. We all want to see the "bad guy" get caught and punished. We all want to see the underdog, the good guy, win in the end. The people of Israel faced this same frustration -- all they saw was one wicked kingdom rise up after another. A pagan country still controlled Jerusalem. Why does God permit this oppression?

God is certainly aware and involved in the rise and fall of kingdoms. And He certainly takes every wicked deed into account for "...each of us will give an account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12, NIV). In this passage, God promises to snuff out the wicked rulers and establish His kingdom in Israel. Covered by the blood of Christ for our sins, believers can await that day with confident expectation of God's reward. Those who have trusted in Christ look forward in hope to the day when evil will be dealt with once and for all. It was not to the wicked that God said through Haggai, "I have chosen you..." (Hag. 2:23, NIV). God said this to help His people. God says to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ today, "I have chosen you" (Eph. 1:4, NIV paraphrased).

The ultimate contentment is found in this promise of God. The most amazing promise is that before the creation was even started, He chose you in Christ for every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3). Seek a godly walk through life. Learn to be content in whatever circumstance you face through the presence, peace, provision, and promise of God.