Finding Strength to Rebuild
Big Idea: It Is In God’s Presence Where Our Strength Is Made Whole.
Week 5 Main Scripture:
Haggai 2:1-5
Sermon Highlights
Where Do You Find the Strength to Move Ahead When You’re Faced with Obstacles?
Halfhearted Effort Will Not Produce Desired Results.
Our effort reflects our heart towards God. Our heart’s intentions are shown in our effort to honor and glorify God.
God isn’t impressed with our talent. He’s impressed with our hearts when we use our talents to give back to him as an act of love.
When Solomon built the first Temple in 1 Kings 9, he worked to create excellence that glorified God. He honored God by building the Temple before building the royal palace. In return, God consecrated the temple with his approval and filled it with his presence.
But in the book Haggai, God calls out the people of Israel for their halfhearted efforts that left the Temple unfinished. They chose to direct more of their effort toward building their own homes first. This displeased God.
How Do We Steward God’s Presence in Our Lives?
1 John 3:21-23
- Walk in confidence, not condemnation.
- Keep God’s commands and do what pleases him.
- Align your heart with God so it desires what he desires.
- Receive what you ask from him with an aligned heart.
- Believe in Jesus Christ and love one another as he commanded us.
When you live a life focused on yourself, you view everything and every person as something you can use for your desires. But you also carry your criticism about yourself – hyperaware of your faults, failures, and imperfections.
But, as you walk the path of Jesus and do the work that God has given you, putting God first enables you to see the needs of others and love them better. God will provide you with the blessings he desires for you as you seek to align your desires with his.
When keeping God’s commands seems impossible, remember that your moral perfection or behavioral change does not initiate a relationship with God. He chose to meet you in your sin and brokenness. Morality and behavioral change come as a result of your relationship with God, in which your belief in him aligns with how you live your life.
Stewardship of God’s presence means looking to God when you face obstacles and hardships. Instead of relying on yourself, will you look to see how God will demonstrate his power and glory, especially in the challenges?
How Are We Stewarding the House of God in Our Generation?
The faith we have today is a result of the faith of the generations before us. Likewise, how we steward the church in our generation will result in the faith of future generations.
- Serve in the church.
- Engage and connect with people in the church.
- Give to the church so it can be financially healthy.
- Grow in discipleship.
Discipleship Helps Us Grow.
Discipleship is not about learning more information about God. It’s about growing your relationship with God and helping others take their next steps toward him.
We often think of strength as making better things better. God shows us that strength takes weak things and makes them grow (2 Corinthians 12:9). We struggle to be strong when we think we are the source of our own strength. But it is God who makes us strong. We don’t grow by our own strength, and we don’t grow alone.
Are you choosing to be a person who reminds others, even in their most challenging moments, that God has a plan and a future for them?
Are you leading and being led?
Who is someone a few steps behind you in their walk with Christ that you can lead as they take their next steps forward? Who is someone a few steps ahead of you in their walk with Christ that can lead you forward?
The Hills and Valleys of Faith and Fear in Growth
God created us to grow in the image of Christ. Comfort can stall our growth. Loss often happens before growth, leading us to valleys of discomfort and fear. Fear increases our desire to grow and reminds us to trust in God. Faith empowers you to grow. The valleys get less deep over time as we grow in our skills of overcoming fear and doing hard things.
Looking to learn more about the book of Haggai? Go deeper here.
