Consider Your Ways Carefully
Pastor Tan Thai · Jan 15, 2023
This sermon based on the book of Haggai teaches believers two crucial lessons: priorities in life and the value of serving God. The prophet Haggai reminds the people to reconsider their priorities as they neglected rebuilding the temple to focus on personal and family life. Through the people's obedience to the call, the sermon demonstrates that God blesses those who place Him first.
The sermon presents the historical context of the book of Haggai, one of the last three prophets of the Old Testament. Prophet Haggai was used by God in 520 BC to call the people of Judah, who had returned from Babylonian exile, to resume the work of rebuilding the temple after 16 years of neglect. The people had abandoned their primary purpose of serving God to focus on their personal and family life. The historical background shows the destruction of the temple in 586 BC, 70 years of exile, and the permission from the Persian Empire in 538 BC to rebuild the temple.
The second section develops the first lesson about priorities in life. The people of Haggai's time said "The time has not come" to rebuild the house of the Lord, but they were actually focused on building their own houses. The sermon applies this principle to modern life, where believers face societal pressure regarding material wealth, financial success, and job demands. Jesus clearly taught in Matthew 6:33 that "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." The book of Haggai shows that when people neglect God, they labor much but reap little, eat but are not satisfied, and all their efforts seem futile.
The third section presents the second lesson about the value of service. Some elders wept when they saw the foundation of the rebuilt temple because it could not compare to the glory of Solomon's temple. Prophet Haggai encourages them to be courageous and act, for God is with them. The sermon emphasizes that we should not compare our service work with others, as this can lead to pride or inferiority. Instead, the true value of service lies in God's presence, not in material results or comparison with others. God promises that "the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former," reminding us that serving God has infinite value.