Haggai 1: 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord. 13 Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. 14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, 15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
I love to try different kinds of peanut butter. I bought some natural and didn’t realize what that stuff was on the top. I poured it out and that jar was set up like concrete. Then I read the label to mix well before using. That’s what is wrong today. There is complacency in the house of God. People have lost the joy of their salvation. There is just a ritual and routine to what they do as they wait for someone to stir them up.
Remember the days when people shouted, cried and or laughed because of their joy. We all do. Those “good old days” were just as bad as the times are now. There is pressure to be complacent, indifferent, and irregular in attendance. Many seem to put their spiritual gearshift in neutral as they come through the door. They come to see what they can hear. We come to feed, to fill up on our spiritual diet. There is every reason to be stirred in our spirit through the Word and the singing. We can blame the times and the wickedness going on. It’s in every community. Years ago people realized what they needed to do.
In Revelation Jesus said one church was lukewarm. One was Satan’s seat. One had lost its first love. They were told to repent. We need a stirring of the Spirit in our soul. The people of Israel here in Haggai were given consent to go home from their long years of captivity. God moved on the evil kings to let them go. Now we’re just too tired. We can’t shout. We can’t be excited. We don’t need perfect health and circumstances to praise the Lord. Don’t sit on the sidelines and watch others, waiting for them to do it. We all can participate. You’ll not please God trying to ride the coattails of someone else’s blessings. We need to pray the Lord will help our indifference; lack of enthusiasm, burden and vision; and our spiritual laziness.
We’re saved to serve and obey. God has expectations for our conduct and character. We can be a blessing to others, but they cannot tie themselves to them. Everyone has to stand on their own two feet. Others can’t think for you and you can’t live through them. There is no room for bystanders and spectators. We were only fed by someone else when we were a child. We should now be grown up enough spiritually that we know we can’t expect to live off someone else’s blessings. Why can’t you rejoice too? The blessings of God are not just for one or two. They’re for all. Say amen. Shout and rejoice in the Lord. The preacher’s job is to help win the lost, as it is everyone’s, but then he is to help train the congregation to be able to live a Christian life on their own two feet, not dependent on what someone else does. God wants us to grow. There are people who’ve been saved 50 years still on the bottle. They cause all sorts of trouble. We’re all children of God but just like our children did, we are to grow up. The purpose of Christians is to win others to the Lord. We all need to grow up and seek the Lord. Forget habits and routines. Stop blaming others for our own spiritual failures. We have an entitled generation who won’t work for what they have. We see an older generation of Christians who knew how it is done. We need to learn from them. There was reliance and faith in God. These days people get mad at the least little thing or just don’t come at all. If you’re the only one happy to be here, it’s still all right to let it be known. Rejoice!
We’re all going to give account of how we did here where God placed us. If we need to swallow pride, do it. If we need to admit sin, do it. Confess faults of not praying or studying? Do it. We shouldn’t be too proud to admit our sin. That’s what the altar is for. Get stirred up. Get mixed up. If you get paint and don’t stir it up well before you use it, you’ll have a mess. It must be mixed well to be used. How idle are you? Open the lid of your spiritual paint can. Let God stir you so you’ll enjoy being a Christian again. He can use you. You’ll have the victory again.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 