Haggai 2:1-9 "A Lesson on Patience: 'Start small; finish great'"

1. Intro: If it takes 2 minutes, don't call it "instant" noodles!

Life today is more stressful. Things are done a lot faster. For example, if a friend in the same country replied to your letter in 2 weeks, it was considered fast. If someone living overseas replied within a month, it was considered fast. Nowadays, if a friend does not reply to an MSN message within 5 minutes if his status was online, we take it to be rude!

However, instead of have more time on our hands, it seems we have now more things to do during the day.

'Quicker and faster' has become a virtue. Quick is good.

However, this has caused us to lose the virtue of patience. We've also lost the idea of Christian discipline. Daily prayer, bible reading, meeting other Christians in church regularly at first may not seem very enjoyable. So being the fast food generation, if we can't "have it now", we quickly turn to other things for enjoyment instead.

This is what we will see in the book of Haggai as well.

2. The Context: the Recommencement of the Rebuilding of God's House
Recap: It is around the year 520BC that Haggai hears the word of God (Hag 1:1). The Israelites had been removed from the Promised Land because they had disobeyed God and worshipped idols. They were exiled to Babylon for 70 years. They could finally return because the Persians allowed them to. However, they were still under the Persian King. The only leader figure they had was governor Zerubabbel.

When they returned to the Promised Land, they were all enthusiastic and were keen to build the temple, God's house. However, in their first attempt to build the temple they got discouraged and they stopped at the foundation. They gave priority to their houses. But as we saw last week in chapter 1, the people were rebuked for doing so and the reconstruction of the temple was recommenced.

3. The Message:
A month had gone by since then (Hag 1:1, 2:1).

a) Don't compare (2:3-4a)
Although this is not the main message of the chapter, one of the lessons they were to learn was not to compare based on appearances. They were making comparisons between the previous temple that was built by King Solomon with the current temple. It was dangerous! It would only lead to discouragement and disappointment, as we read in Ezra 3:10-13. They would easily drop the task once discouraged.

This is a lesson we must learn to practise as well. We like to make immediate comparisons and value people based on looks, or their profession and abilities. However, if we think we are better, we are actually being proud. If we think others are better, it is actually self-loathing.  We sometimes think we are lousy because our exam grades aren't good. But we must remember our identity as Christians is not based on a mark or on our proficiency in a task. Are we less valued by God if we don't do well in our exams? Do we look better in God's sight if we are a company CEO? No! It is true that people in the world may view us with awe and respect if we have a string of degrees after our name, but to God, all our achievements and statuses in the world count for nothing.

Can we think ourselves better than others if we think ourselves as Christian? No. We have no achievement of our own to boast in. We were saved when we were dead in our trespasses.

The only thing we should identify ourselves by is Jesus. The only thing we should boast in is the cross of Christ.

But God understood how the Israelites felt (Hag 2:3). In fact, God knows us better than our families, friends and even ourselves do.

b) I am with you - so work! (2:4b-5)
God tells them to be strong, and work! (Hag 2:4). The reason why they could be strong, why they could continue to work, was because YAHWEH, the LORD is with them. He is the LORD of Hosts, the God of many armies (Hag 2:4). In what way is He with them?

He is with them in the same way He was with the Israelites as He rescued them out of Egypt. They were to 'fear not' (Hag 2:5). A lot of us neither fight or fly away from a threat; we are just incapacitated. The Israelites were in danger of doing the same as well, halting the construction of the temple when they were fearful of people who would persecute them for rebuilding the temple.

c) Be patient; trust me (2:6-9)
5 times in 4 verses, God reminds Zerubabbel and the others who is saying these things - He is the One who made everything. He is going to the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. He is going to shake it all up (Hag 2:6).

There have been some recent shakes in the world. In December 2005 there was a tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake which killed over 230,000 people in 14 countries. Sichuan province in China and Christchurch of New Zealand was recently hit by an earthquake as well. Not just that, the world was not too long ago hit by the GFC - the Global Financial Crises. Within a year, Iceland, voted by the United Nations as the best place on earth to live in, was hit by bankruptcy, with Icelanders being unable to draw cash out of the ATMs because the banks were frozen.

But these things are nothing compared to what God will do.

He will fill His house with glory. All the world will be shaken, so that all the world's riches and power will return to God where they belong. He will give the place peace (Hag 2:7).

To the Israelites, peace was only possible if all the countries around them were conquered (Hag 2:21).

But they were to be patient and trust God. The temple may seem insignificant, and the enemies around them many. But wne day, Zerubabbel would be restored to kingship again (Hag 2:23).

4. The Fulfilment: The Lord is Patient
This passage is quoted in the New Testament in Hebrews 12:25-29.

The author of Hebrews takes this verse and encourages his readers to be patient, just like the people in Haggai were to be patient. Even if there was persecution, they were to keep working!

Now is not yet the time of glory. But God is waiting, because he is patient toward men, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 2:8-13)

It is not yet that day.

5. The Lesson: Start small; finish great!
So what should we do now?

We need to live lives of holiness. We need to reach the lost with the gospel, because there will be no more opportunities after that day of shaking.

This means doing the small things, the unimpressive things like bible reading and praying, the things we don't want to do. But seeking first the Kingdom of God is not about immediate results.

He will fill his house again. But will we wait? Will we work?