Wednesday, 9th March 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-9 The Presence of God
V1-3 ‘In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying: Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying: Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?’ No matter who are, if we have the presence of God, we can do all things and we can make a difference. Time and failures might hold us back, the Israelites lost their passion to build the Temple of God after many years. Are we willing to believe that God is still with us? A lot of times we don’t see God, it’s because we have lost the heart and faith in Him. We will realise that when we decide to put our faith in Him again, He will surely reveal to us and help us to go through the darkness.
V4-5 ‘Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel, says the Lord; and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work; for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts. According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’ God kept on reminding His people to be strong. Why do we need to be strong? Because we do not see God’s presence in our darkness.
V6-9 ‘For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.’ God made a covenant with us, just as how He made a covenant with Moses, with Joshua, and with Solomon. Do we keep our end of the covenant, to keep His Commandments and to disciple the nation with the Word of God? What do we see in front of us? Failures? Shame? Hopelessness? Or can we see the glorious future God has promised us? In this time of darkness, we don’t see the path ahead, but if we are willing to follow God, to partnership with God, and to rely on Him, He will bless us.
Section Two V10-14 Examine Ourselves
God is talking to the people of Judah, those who have been living with the Samarians and forgot about the calling of God. If the High Priest cannot differentiate what are clean and what are unclean, then he cannot teach the people. We are the priests of the New Testament, are we teaching the Word to our children and to the people God gave to us? Do we bring the Truth into our families and our friends? Do not use God’s mercy and grace, or our own weaknesses as excises, in darkness, God still wants us to bring the Truth to people and to disciple the nations. Stop licking our own wounds but while God is healing us, at the same time teach others about God. We must live out the identity of the priest!
Section Three V15-19 Remember God’s Work
V15-17 ‘And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord—since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty. I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labours of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me, says the Lord.’ Do we still think we are ok by ourselves and using our own ways? Do we not see that by the works of our hands, God is showing us that we have led to the wrong path? Everything happens for a reason, and we must consider what has gone wrong. God is showing us the way and He is reminding us to turn back. But we must remember His Work and consider our ways.
God will surely be with us when we are willing to build the House of God. There are many challenges in front of us, there are many dark days, but we can still live in the presence of God and the blessings of God. The key is to rise and do the work.
Section Four V20-23 God Appoints
V20-22 ‘And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders shall come down,
Every one by the sword of his brother.’ This time, God is speaking directly to the leaders of Israelites, God will shake the Heaven and Earth, and bring justice to the people. He reassured His people not to be afraid, and today He is also talking to us.
V23 ‘In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.’ God wants to build up our church, He wants us to become leaders and to disciple the nation. He will make the way in front of every path we are too scared to go. So why should we be afraid? Be strong and courageous, learn in this dark time to walk with God.
哈该书 2 – 在黑暗的日子神与人的互动
2022年3月9日 星期三
潘锡安牧师
。在确诊人数居高不下，银行利息加增等动荡不安的环境，我们要如何面对？那4万2千3百60个被蒙召回耶路撒冷建圣殿的人本是怀着兴奋的心情，但因为撒马利亚人的阻挠，他们停工了15年。时间是很重要的，能让人遗忘、让我们对神的热心冷淡。我们是否像那些耶路撒冷的百姓一样，忘了要为神建殿，甚至只顾着自己家的事，再没有使命、热情，只为每天的柴米油盐酱醋茶生活。面对困难，我们放下了建殿的工，其实神并不需要这座地上的居所，但神让我们建殿，是因他愿意在这里与我们同在。
一、v.1-9 神同在
V1-2 神借着先知哈该跟领导42360人的领袖所罗巴伯和大祭司约书亚说话。大祭司本来可以跟神说话，但从这里可以看出，时间可以让人淡忘、挫败，大祭司也是人，若没有站在神的同在里，也与常人无异。我们每天来到晨祷中听到神对我们说话，领受神的灵粮，就好像那些听到神对他们说话的犹大百姓一样有神同在。唯有与神同在，我们才能在这个黑暗的时刻走下去。
V3 你们看到的是挫败、力不从心、没有神同在。这些人没有看过神的荣耀，所以没有渴慕的心。
V4 神鼓励犹大领袖和大祭司“当刚强”，也鼓励百姓“刚强做工”，因为神与他们同在。当初摩西死去后，约书亚接受要带领以色列人进入迦南地的大使命，神对他说过同样的话；大卫要为神建殿，但神让他的儿子所罗门做这件事，所罗门登基后尝试做很多事保护自己，神就用同样的话来鼓励他。如今，神第三次用这话鼓励这一群被掳后归回的百姓。
V5 “那时”指的是在旷野的时候，那时以色列中没有圣殿，只有人手所做的会幕，祭司要亲手去抬。在旷野的时候，神的帐幕在人间，白天有云柱，晚上有火柱，神与他的百姓同在。我们在有阻挡和困难、看不见指望的时候仍要刚强做工，因为神住在我们中间。
V6-8 在2020年神让我们教会领受“金银回归圣殿”的异象。神提醒那些归回耶路撒冷的百姓他们曾经立过的约，就像他对约书亚和所罗门所说的，让他们谨守这个约，不要偏离，并且教导后代遵守。我们会气馁，因为我们忘了与神立的约，单单靠自己。遇到困难的时候，一定要先寻求神，这也是为什么我们不管怎样都要排除万难来到晨祷，让神的话成为我们脚前的灯、路上的光。
V9 今天我们看到的是失败、一事无成、羞愧吗？神说“后来的荣耀必大过先前的荣耀”，神给我们做的事将来带下的荣耀一定大过以前的荣耀。在困难的时候我们还要出去传福音、门训万民，因为神要祝福我们。
二、v.10-14 要自省
V10-13 在神上次说完话两个月后，他又对神的仆人大祭司说话。
V14 这话指的是那些犹大百姓与撒马利亚人混在一起，忘了神的呼召和使命，拖延不动工。如果连大祭司自己都分不清圣洁和污秽，就不能教导这一群百姓。我们是新约的祭司，我们是否有教导神给我们的羊，是否将真理带进我们的家和所牧养的人，还是跟别人混在一起就好了？我们是否用神的怜悯或自己的软弱当作妥协的借口？在困难的时期，神依然要我们将真理带下，教导万民，而不是一直停留在包裹伤口的阶段 – 耶稣医治我们的伤口，但他也会借着机会教导百姓。我们要活出祭司的身份。
三、v.15-19 要追想
V16-17 人们劳碌做工，所得的却只有一点点，因为神以旱风、霉烂、冰雹攻击他们，可惜他们仍不归向神。我们是否能从神借着我们所做的工让我们知道自己走歪了？
V18-19 我们要思想，在来到教会前，我们的生命、家庭、光景如何？不要因为神祝福了我们就忘记神和他给我们的呼召，只顾着自己有天花板的房屋、儿女、工作。只要我们愿意为神建殿，神必与我们同在。在现今的大环境中，我们都面对疫情、经济、孩子的问题，不要安逸，以为自己可以靠着原本有的这一点点东西过活，若想经历祝福，就要起来动工。
四、v.20-23 神拣选
V20-22 神再次对百姓的领袖所罗巴伯说话。他鼓励所罗巴伯，让他不必害怕别人的拦阻。我们也不要怕眼前的困难。
V23 神拣选我们，让我们成为卫星网络教会，他要我们每个人都成为领袖，都可以成为小组长带领门徒。在所有我们觉得困难的事情上，神都可以为我们开路。我们是否还在只想着自己、只为自己的家谋福？神拣选我们，为我们预备，我们就当刚强壮胆，学习在黑暗的时刻如何与神同行。