Don't Miss Out

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Don't Miss Out</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="21"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id402.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting Unstuck"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"Don't Miss Out," Haggai 1:1-11</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, August 10, 2003am</B></div> <bR> <div>      The record for the shortest major league baseball career probably belongs to a member of the old Brooklyn Dodgers, a pitcher named Harry Hartman. He was a gifted young ballplayer whose day of glory arrived in 1918 when he was called up from the minors to pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This was the moment he'd dreamed about, the beginning of a great career, but his dreams began to fade when his first pitch was hit for a single. The next batter tripled. Rattled, he walked the next hitter. The next batter tripled. Rattled, he walked the next batter on four straight pitches, and when he did throw a strike to the next hitter, it went for another base-on-balls. At that point, Hartman had had enough. He headed for the showers, dressed, and walked out of the stadium to a naval recruiting office, where he enlisted. The next day, he was in a military uniform, never to be heard from in professional baseball again. (Gary Inrig, <I>A Call to Excellence</I>).</div> <div>      We have all started things we didn't finish. We have made decisions in which we did not follow through. We have made New Year's Resolutions, we have had good intentions of getting the right things done; but we have ended up with broken resolutions, unfinished projects. We quit in the middle. Examples: Weight loss or exercise program, school, career, a relationship, a plan for personal growth; maybe it was a decision to serve God, to deal with an evil habit or develop a good habit, to give your life for the cause of Jesus Christ, to give generously.</div> <div>       God wants action, not merely intention, not complacency. Why does voiding complacency matter? </div> <bR> <div> <B>I. God's projects sometimes get stalled - by people (</B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Hag+1:1-4" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Haggai 1:1-4</B></U></A><B>; </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Ezra+4:24-5:1" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Ezra 4:24, 5:1</B></U></A><B>). </B></div> <div>      Haggai's first message was given on August 29, 520BC. (The total time of the book is less than four months; his last message was December 18, 520BC.) Background: Solomon's Temple (the first temple) was destroyed in 586BC, along with Jerusalem, by the Babylonians. When the people were allowed to return (beginning in 538BC), they rebuilt the altar for worship and began building the Temple, first laying the foundation (see <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Ezra+3:10-11" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Ezra 3:10-11</U></A>; by 536BC). </div> <div>      The condition of the Temple project was unfinished; it was an empty foundation, with nothing built on it, serving no purpose. The project was stalled for 16 years, like an half-finished project on Trading Spaces. They walked by it everyday, and it became normal. It became "the way things are around here," no longer noticed as a problem. They were busy building their luxurious homes and lives. Can you think of some unfinished God-projects in your life?</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. The Temple project was stalled for two reasons.</B></div> <div> A. <I>Opposition</I> (<A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Ezra+4" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Ezra 4</U></A> - the enemies of Israel; they eventually lied to the king about them, saying that Israel was pursuing independence). Ezra 4:24 says "the work came to a standstill."</div> <div>      Opposition may come from people who criticize you or manipulate circumstances against you; or it may be your own criticism of others ("that's not the way <I>I</I> would do it"); it may be a lack of money or resources; there may be more inviting (but wrong options); or unbelief that God's way is best; or an unwillingness to sacrifice and pay the price.</div> <div> B. Opposition from outside led to <I>complacency</I> on the inside - they eventually got in their own way and didn't care anymore.</div> <div>      Be careful after great victories. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Ezra+3" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Ezra 3</U></A> tells about the great celebration following the completion of the foundation. Then opposition came and "the work came to a standstill" (Ezra 4:24). Don't celebrate your progress for too long. Watch out for the opposition and complacency.</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. The ultimate "project" was and is the worship and obedience of God (</B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Haggai+1:7-8" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Haggai 1:7-8</B></U></A><B>). </B></div> <div>       The Temple was required to fully live in obedience to God under the Law of Moses, and it reflected the glory of God (in that culture, the nation's temples were a reflection of their gods). It was not just about a building (it is never just about a building). The stakes were much higher. Their full and complete worship of God was at stake. Their loyalty to God was at stake. But they put their needs and desires first, ahead of the worship of God. God's challenge to them was to put aside their own projects and take care of his Temple project, so that he may be honored. </div> <div>       God is building his church, and he is building his people. Don't quit on him, don't get complacent, don't give up on the work he is doing in you and through you. He wants you to be a fully-formed worshiper of his, completely obedient to his direction and will.</div> <div>      Philippians 1:6 says, "[we are] confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." He loves you too much to want to leave you the way you are. He loves this church too much to say, "you're as good as you're ever going to get."</div> <bR> <div> <B>IV. You will disrupt the blessing and joy and satisfaction God wants to pour into your life (</B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Hag+1:5-11" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Haggai 1:5-6, 9-11</B></U></A><B>). </B></div> <div>      Ignoring his work, his projects, his agenda leads to his thwarting our plans and our satisfaction. We want God to be for us, not against us (<A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Rom+8:31" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Rom 8:31</U></A>). But if God is "against" you, what does it matter who is for you? If he is blowing away your plans and productivity, what can you do? He wants you to put him first, and as a result he will allow you to experience the life you long for. But when you put yourself before God, he disrupts the enjoyment that you are looking for.</div> <div>       Some years ago a group of educators decided to remove the chain-link fence from around their school's playground. They believed the fence promoted feelings of confinement and restraint. But then a curious thing happened. They noticed that as soon as the fence was removed, the children huddled in the center of the playground to play. Unknown to the "experts," the children had actually gained a sense of security from the presence of the fence. When God lays out his plan for us, it is the best thing to do, the best place to be. It is the place of safety and security, of satisfaction, and of significance. It is the place of true freedom and joy.</div> <bR> <div>      Put God first, and through him you can experience the best that life on earth and the life to come have to offer.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2003, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>