July 20, 2003   “Building the House of the Lord”   Haggai 1

By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church

  Largest, Highest Buildings

George and William Cecil owns the world’s largest private house in Asheville, North Carolina. It has 250 rooms and is worth $55 million. It was built in the late 19th century.

The Sears Tower in Chicago is the world’s tallest inhabited building, rising 110 stories to 1,454 feet. It has a TV antenna above, which makes the entire building 1,800 feet.

The Barrington Space Needle in Barrington, Illinois, however, has the most stories of 120, rising to 1,610 feet. New York’s World Trade Center has earned the distinction of being the world’s largest office building. It has a total of 4,370,000 square feet of rental space in each of its twin towers. One tower is 1,350 feet high.[1]

  

 Church Buildings and Usages

Churches in the United States have about $80 billion invested in real estate, mostly in church and Sunday school buildings. This represents about 80% of total resources of religious bodies in this country.

It has been estimated that America’s nearly 400,000 churches show a facility utilization rate of only 1%. This means the average church makes full use of its property and equipment about one hour for every 168 hours in the week. No architectural structure is used so sparingly in the world. [2]

  

Scripture Text:  Hagg 1:1  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: 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, `The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.'" 3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" 5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 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." 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 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." 12 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. 13 Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LO RD. 14 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, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.

 

 

A. To Build or not to Build. 

Verse 2:  Has the time come for the house of the Lord to be built?

Why?  Why not?  When is it time? 

 

B.  Is There More To Build?

Verse 5 and 7:  Give careful thought to your ways! 

Has the house of the Lord been built?  What about the spiritual house of the Lord?  What about our house of the Lord?  Are there:  Doors that open up to allow the outsiders to come in and worshippers to go to serve.  Windows to allow the others to see and to allow the light to shine out in the darkness.  A roof and walls to keep out the elements of life that will harm the people.  Seats where people of all kinds are welcome to come in and join in the worship.  Drinking fountains that give the water that quenches the thirsty souls.   Hands that help others to find their way.  Speakers that make the word of the Lord heard by all that have ears to hear.  Songs and music that leads all to glorify and honor the Lord. 

 

C.     Yes, Then Consider How Important It is to Build His House.  God wants us to do His work.  If we will do his work then he will do ours.  The people weren’t blessed when they didn’t build.  But, when they started to build the house of the Lord, then he was with them.  Mat. 6:33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. 

 

D.     Give Careful Thought to Our Ways.  What are we doing to build the house of the Lord?  What could we be doing that God is calling us to do?  What do you need to do?

 

E.        The People Began to Build and Obey the Lord.  The people listened to the message and they feared the Lord and began to build and work as the Lord had instructed.  Have we listened?  Have we feared the Lord?  Have we obeyed? 

 

F.      The Lord Stirred them up.  Let the Lord stir us up

Have you made your commitment to God?  Have you made your committment to His church and to His work?  The church is his body and this is his work.  Will you build his church? 

 

Chased Out Of Churches

The first Sunday schools were chased out of churches. The Boston Park Street Church recorded in 1817: “A number of Park St. Church members met in the vestry to discuss forming Sunday school. Dr. Griffin, pastor, was present. Objections: (1) It might be a desecration of the Sabbath. (2) Children ought to be instructed by their parents at home (3) Professing Christians ought to be at home engaging in reading, meditation, and prayer at home, instead of going abroad to teach children of other families on the Sabbath. But the church finally did start a Sunday School.[3]

 


[1]Tan, P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : [A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers]. Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979.

[2]Tan, P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : [A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers]. Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979.

[3]Tan, P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : [A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers]. Garland TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979.