Our church is an independent, non-denominational congregation focused on equipping believers to accomplish all God has for each individual. We emphasize growing to maturity through regular, relevant study of God’s Word, meaningful corporate worship, and fellowship. Del Rio Bible Church was established in 1997 by a … Read More »
Think About Your Life (Part 1)
Bible Text: Haggai 1:1-15 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: Haggai, Think About Your Life
1. The book of Haggai is written to Israelites who have returned to the land following the exile to Babylon. In a series of four messages from God they are confronted about their apathy and complacency toward the things of God seen in their neglecting to rebuild the Temple. They had begun enthusiastically 16 years before, but because of opposition, discouragement, and “growing indifference and lukewarmness to the things of God,” they stopped. Since the Temple was central to the spiritual life and worship of Israel to neglect the Temple was to say that worship and service are unimportant.
2. “For sixteen years the Jews ignored the unfinished Temple to pursue Personal prosperity.” (Daily Walk Bible)
3. God confronts them about their indifference to Him in the question of verse four: “Is it time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
4. “This sin is with us today, putting our desires ahead of the will of the Lord. How easy it is to make excuses for not doing God’s work! The weather is too bad…to attend church, but not too bad for a hunting trip or shopping spree. People will sit through a double-header baseball game and never complain, yet they start to fidget if a church service runs five minutes overtime.” (Wiersbe)
5. “The people were waiting for the right time, and saying that the right time was not yet come. The prophet revealed the falsity of the attitude by this question. They were not waiting for some special time, some [special inspiration], for the building of their own houses. Into that, they were putting physical energy. The …condition needed for the building of the House of God was that of minds determined to employ physical energy enough to do it. How persistent is this folly of waiting for [special inspiration] to do Divine work, when the one thing needed is immediate action. The truth was, and is, in all such cses, that action is the outcome of desire. To desire the House of Jehovah is to build it.” (G. Campbell Morgan)