Hag. 2:1-9: I Will Fill This House With Glory

Listen from the church in Normal. Watch this lesson on YouTube.

Introduction

1)     Recap: God’s people started building the temple 15 years ago and then stopped. Haggai comes along and tells them to get busy, and they listened.

2)     Hag. 2:3 – The people got busy, but their efforts were immediately discouraging.

3)     God’s response:

A)   Hag. 2:6-9 – I will shake the nations

B)    This lesson: “I will fill this house with glory…The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former”

1)     I’m tempted to think it has something to do with the obscene amounts of wealth that the Persians gave towards rebuilding the temple, but there’s more…

“I will fill this house with glory”

1)     This language should remind us of a couple of passages:

A)   Ex. 40:34-35 – God’s glory filled the tabernacle.

B)    1 Kgs. 8:10-11 – God’s glory filled Solomon’s temple.

C)    Ezek. 9-11 – God’s glory left the temple before the Babylonian destruction.

1)     9:3 – God stood up

2)     10:3-4 – God walked to the doorway

3)     10:18 – God left the house

4)     11:23 – God left the city

D)   Now, Haggai is rebuilding the new temple, and God says, “I will fill this house with glory” and we’re only thinking about one thing: When this house is done the presence of God is going to fill this house.

1)     The builders were discouraged because they couldn’t imagine that they could even come close to what Solomon built.

2)     v. 9 – “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former…”

3)     By the time this is all done, this new house is going to be even more awesome than what Solomon built.

E)    QUESTION: When did that happen?

1)     As far as I know, there is no Old Testament record of the presence of God filling in this house like in the Tabernacle or Solomon’s temple.

2)     It seems to me that if this ever happened, then we could probably expect it to be written down.

2)     Maybe this has something to do with Herod the Great’s renovations and expansions around 20 BC?

A)   Jn. 2:19-20

B)    Still, where is the presence of God coming and filling the temple, and how is this glory better than before?

3)     ANSWER: Jesus!

A)   Jesus is the glory of God who came to dwell among us (Jn. 1:14).

B)    There are several places in the New Testament where Jesus is described as going into the temple:

1)     He was presented there as a baby (Lk. 2:25-32)

2)     When he was 12 years old (Lk. 2:46-49)

3)     See Matt. 21:23 / Mk. 11:27 / Lk. 20:1; Jn. 7:14; 8:2; 10:22-23

4)     During his Triumphal Entry (Mk. 11:11)

5)     When he cleansed the temple (Jn. 2:13-17 / Matt. 21:12-17 / Mk. 11:15-19 / Lk. 19:45-48)

C)    Given what we know from the Scriptures, it makes the most sense to me that when God said he would fill this new house with glory, and that the glory of this house would be greater than Solomon’s temple, he was not saying that the cloud of his presence would fill the Most Holy Place, but that Jesus, who is the glory of God, would actually walk into the temple.

D)   POINT: The greatness and glory of the temple is not about its size or how much gold you can see. The greatness of the temple is that it’s the place where God is.

4)     This actually has something to do with you: YOU are God’s temple.

A)   1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16

B)    Acts 2:38

C)    The reason why this is important for this study is because YOU, as God’s temple, are not awesome because of how much gold you have, but because of how much Jesus is in you.

1)     The message of Haggai to the people to get busy building God’s house is a message to YOU.

2)     Crucifying your sinful desires so that it is not you who live but Christ who lives in you is what it looks like to build God’s house.

3)     You moms who are raising kids to faithful Christians: Those kids are bricks in God’s house.

4)     Getting coffee with someone who is discouraged and holding up their hands is you building God’s house.

5)     Inviting a visitor to lunch after church is you building God’s house.

2:9 – “And in this place I will give peace”

1)     The story of the Bible is the story of resting in the presence of God.

A)   Gen. 2:1-3

B)    2 Sam. 7:11 – God’s promise to David

C)    1 Kgs. 8:56

2)     Matt. 11:28-29 – Jesus’ great invitation

Conclusion: Are you discouraged in any aspect of your work for the Lord? God’s answers to discouragement:

1)     I will shake the heavens and the earth and the nations.

2)     I will fill this house with glory, and the latter glory will be greater than the former.

3)     I will give you rest for your souls.