Sermon: Three Encouragements to Faithfulness
Introduction
Good morning, church. Do you ever find yourself reminiscing about the “good old days”? Perhaps you recall the song, Grandpa, Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days, with its nostalgic lines about lovers standing together, families praying, and daddies staying home. Maybe you think back to when Peeve Mart was open, and you remember all the things you bought there—or, like my father, wondered, “Where am I supposed to buy clothes now?” But memory can be tricky. We often romanticize the past, forgetting the times we couldn’t find what we needed or when sales didn’t live up to the flyer’s promise. We do this not just in everyday life but in the church too.
We might say, “Why don’t we have crusades anymore? What happened to the revival meetings? The days when churches were packed, when Billy Graham preached to stadiums of 100,000, and thousands came to Christ?” We lament the state of the church today, saying it’s in shambles compared to the glories of the past. But here’s the problem: we’re comparing the present to our rose-tinted memories, not to the Word of God. Instead of asking, “What has God commanded His church to do now, and are we doing it?” we measure ourselves against a glorified past.
This is exactly how the exiles in Haggai’s day felt. In Haggai 2, they returned from Babylon and saw the new temple being built. But instead of celebrating this act of obedience, they compared it to the grandeur of Solomon’s temple and wept. Today, I want to share three encouragements to faithfulness from Haggai 2, especially for us who may feel like exiles in a world less friendly to the Christian faith. God does not measure His church by the glories of the past but by its faithfulness to His Word today.
Point 1: God Delights in Obedience, No Matter How Big or Small
Haggai 2:1-3 says, “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?’”
After years in exile, some older saints remembered Solomon’s temple—its bronze pillars, the great bronze sea, the sacrifices of spotless animals. But they forgot the atrocities that took place there: the idolatry, the apostasy, the kings who raised idols in the temple courts (2 Chronicles, Jeremiah). They looked at the new temple, funded by the Persian treasury and built by a smaller workforce of about 40,000 exiles, and wept because it didn’t measure up. Ezra 3:12 notes, “Many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid.”
But God wasn’t asking them to rebuild Solomon’s temple. He was asking them to build a temple in faith. The young rejoiced at the foundation, praising God for bringing them back from Babylon. This was a marvelous sign of God’s grace! Does God share their grief that the temple was smaller? No. God remembered the idolatry that led to the destruction of the first temple. He sent Nebuchadnezzar to destroy it because it had become a “den of robbers” (Jeremiah 7:11), not a house of prayer.
God delights in obedience, not in grandeur. This new temple, though lacking gold or the Ark of the Covenant, pleased God because the people obeyed His command. They longed to worship Him, to celebrate Passover, to make His name great. Their hearts were focused on God, and that’s what mattered.
Consider Noah, who built an ark because God commanded it, saving his family through faith (Hebrews 11:7). Consider Rahab, who hung a scarlet cord out her window, trusting God’s promise to save her (Joshua 2). Whose faith was greater? It’s not about the size of the act but the response to God’s Word. If Rahab had built an ark, she’d have disobeyed. If Noah had hung a cord, he’d have failed. God doesn’t measure our faith by comparing it to someone else’s calling. If God calls you to missions, don’t stay home as a plumber. If He calls you to be a plumber, don’t force yourself into missions. Faith is responding to His command for you.
Application: Are you comparing your faith to what others have done or to what God has asked of you? Don’t measure your obedience against Billy Graham’s crusades or someone else’s great deeds. Ask, “Am I being faithful to what God has put in my path?” Even small acts of obedience please God.
Point 2: God Abides with His Faithful People
Haggai 2:4-5 says, “Yet 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. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.”
God’s presence is a great encouragement. He doesn’t dwell with the wicked or those who break His covenant—that’s why the first temple was destroyed. But here, God assures Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people: “I am with you.” His Spirit remains in their midst. This echoes Nehemiah 9:20, “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.” God’s Spirit guided and provided for His people, meeting both their spiritual and physical needs.
For New Testament believers, this is even more profound. The Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts by faith, sealing us for redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14). When we feel weak, when we battle sin or idols, God’s command to “be strong” is tailor-made for us. In Deuteronomy 31:16-17, God told Moses that Israel would turn to foreign gods after his death. Yet He told Joshua, “Be strong,” knowing the challenges ahead. God’s presence ensures our obedience and spurs us to faithfulness.
When the tabernacle was built, God’s Spirit empowered specific individuals to craft it (Exodus 31:1-6). Here, the Spirit dwells with all the people rebuilding the temple, ensuring their success. Jesus says in John 15:5, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” But with God’s abiding presence, we can accomplish what He commands.
Application: Do you trust God’s presence to sustain you? Even when you feel unworthy or battle sin, His Spirit is with you, guiding and strengthening you. Let this truth encourage you to press on in faithfulness.
Point 3: The Lord Will Make His Name Glorious
Haggai 2:7 says, “And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.”
This verse points to Jesus Christ, the true temple. In John 2:19, Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” referring to His body. Hebrews 12:26-28 clarifies, “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken… that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.”
God will shake the nations, judging those who oppose Him and revealing that He alone is God. What remains? His unshakable kingdom—those who trust in Christ. The “treasures of all nations” will come to Jesus, the new temple. In Ephesians 2, He unites Jew and Gentile, making peace through His blood. Revelation 21:22 says, “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” Jesus is the eternal temple where all will worship.
The exiles built a temple they knew wouldn’t last, but they trusted in the promise of a greater temple. We, as New Testament believers, have even clearer revelation through all 66 books of Scripture. We were once far off, like the nations, without hope (Ephesians 2:12-13). But through Christ, we’ve been brought near, with access to God’s grace by faith.
Application: Are you looking forward to heaven, where we’ll worship God without sin or distraction? Share this hope with others. Trust that God is using His church to draw all nations to Himself. Be faithful in evangelism, knowing He will make His name glorious.
Conclusion
Let’s apply this text:
- Stop Comparing: Don’t measure your faith against the past or others’ callings. Ask, “Am I obeying God’s Word for me today?” Recall the faith of those who started gospel-preaching churches, like the women who prayed for Valley Alliance in 1957. Seek what God has for you.
- Trust God for Evangelism: This text is missional. God will draw all nations to His Son. In our diverse town, trust Him to use your faithfulness to bring people to Christ.
- Look to Heaven: Long for the day when every barrier is removed, and we worship God fully. Share this hope with others, even children asking about heaven.
Let’s pray:
Our Lord, we confess we’re not always faithful. We get distracted, fearful, or discouraged. By Your Holy Spirit, fill us and guide us to obey Your Word. Keep us from comparison and spur us to faith. For those who don’t know Christ, open their eyes to the joy of being part of Your spiritual house. Prepare our hearts for communion today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.