012 What If It Was Never About What We Thought It Was About? (part 1)
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20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month,
21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,
22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother.
23 On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”
Let’s jump back a few verses so we don’t miss something important.
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet,
11 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law:
Notice the date: 24th day of the ninth month in the second year of Darius.
Same day. Second message.
First message was to the priests. (Joshua was the High Priest)
The second message was to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah.
It is always important to know who the audience is.
Who was a book written to or a message given to.
All the others were given to both Joshua and Zerubbabel.
He was appointed by the Babylonians to oversee the return to Jerusalem and the reconstruction of the temple.
He was the governor of Judah.
We have looked at the prophecies in the shaken nations… now lets learn something else...
1. God is sovereign.
1. God is sovereign.
There is absolutely nothing in the entire universe that happens outside of God’s control.
Do you believe that?
I’m not asking: do you believe the concept, but do you actually believe that absolutely nothing in the entire universe happens outside of God’s control?
Our theology determines our practice.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
He is creator - everything is His.
He is controller of His creation.
Creation exists FOR Christ!
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
1. God is sovereign.
1. God is sovereign.
Job teaches us that even Satan can’t work outside of God’s permission.
Nothing enters our lives unless God allows it or decrees it.
The sovereignty of God means that we, His creation, need to submit to the will of the creator.
The sovereignty of God means that we, His creation, need to submit to the will of the creator.
The sovereignty of God gives us, His creation, comfort.
The sovereignty of God gives us, His creation, comfort.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Let’s see how we see God’s sovereignty in this passage.
(1) A. God is sovereign over nature.
(1) A. God is sovereign over nature.
21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,
This shaking is violent and powerful.
It is a political shaking.
A violent political shaking.
However… let’s look at the idea of shaking heaven and earth.
It will help us understand the political shaking.
15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
(1) A. God is sovereign over nature.
(1) A. God is sovereign over nature.
He created and controls the seasons (Gen 1)
He causes the sun to rise and set (Ps 104)
He causes the wind to blow
He sustains the earth (He holds it together)
He sends and withholds rain.
He caused the sun to stand still.
God has every right and ability to shake the heavens and earth.
He is the creator and as creator He has every right to shake the nations violently.
He has every right to do whatever He wants with His creation.
John Cross in “The Stranger”:
Says in our industrialized society we have lost understanding of the creator-owner concept.
Walking through a village in Papua New Guinea.
He asked who owned this and that.
Then asked if he could break it.
Then asked if the owner could break it.
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother.
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
Lets take a minute to wrap our minds around this!
God is telling Zerubbabel that his reality would not always be the reality.
God was going to overthrow kingdoms and destroy their strength.
Let’s look at the sovereignty of God over kings and nations...
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
His throne is fixed in heaven. It is permanent.
God’s kingdom rules over everything.
His dominion is not changing.
The reach of His rule is not growing or shrinking.
God’s kingdom does not change because of...
a revolution.
the vote of the people
or the death of a monarch.
His throne is fixed for eternity.
This is my homeland!
24 The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,
25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.”
26 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.
27 For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
“As I have planned, so shall it be.”
No one can change God’s plan.
Nothing can interfere with His purpose.
That the Israelites were in the position they were was all part of God’s plan.
In His time He would change it.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
(1) B. God is sovereign over nations.
We can easily read this story and see an evil King making his own evil decisions.
We forget he was working God’s purpose and plan!
What do we learn from this?
No matter what is happening in the world we don’t need to worry about it.
God says: I will shake the nations.
It doesn’t matter who is in political power.
It doesn’t matter how you think they got there.
It doesn’t matter what world leader is causing unrest.
None of it happens outside of God’s control!
We may not understand what He is doing, but He is doing something.
2. God is the redeemer.
2. God is the redeemer.
23 On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”
2. God is the redeemer.
2. God is the redeemer.
There are two phrases we are going to look at.
We will look at them out seemingly of order.
This entire verse goes together and you will understand better next week.
today we will focus on the idea of being chosen.
(2) A. Our own choices do not impact God’s redemption.
(2) A. Our own choices do not impact God’s redemption.
There is more to this story that we will look at later, but God says He CHOSE Zerubbabel.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
(2) A. Our own choices do not impact God’s redemption.
(2) A. Our own choices do not impact God’s redemption.
Two questions for you...
first question: When did the choosing take place?
Before the foundation of the world.
Before our existence.
Before out sin.
Before our mess.
God knew all about us and chose us anyway!
One: we have NOTHING to worry about HE made us worthy by HIS blood.
One: we have NOTHING to worry about HE made us worthy by HIS blood.
We don’t need to wonder if we are worthy.
We don’t need to relive all our choices and let the past convince us that we are unworthy.
We don’t need to let other people who knew us before our redemption tell us we are not worthy.
We live in the truth of Scripture!
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Two: we have NO EXCUSES not to live out the mission He gave us because HE MADE US WORTHY to do it AND gave us everything we need to do it! (Even though we were a mess when He redeemed us.)
Two: we have NO EXCUSES not to live out the mission He gave us because HE MADE US WORTHY to do it AND gave us everything we need to do it! (Even though we were a mess when He redeemed us.)
Zerubbabel had plenty of excuses to choose from.
His problems were beyond his own choices.
His problems started with his grandfather.
Imagine inheriting this curse in your family.
We did inherit our curse.
It started with Adam and was passed down from generation to generation.
Second question: What does He do with those He chooses?
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
(2) A. Our own choices do not impact God’s redemption.
(2) A. Our own choices do not impact God’s redemption.
We were chosen to be Holy and blameless in love!
Our choices do not impact our redemption!
Don’t forget the way the book of Haggai started.
He the leader of a group of people that had forgotten the mission God have them.
Each one of them were making a choice to put their own homes and lives before God’s mission.
Zerubbabel had failed God by not obeying.
Zerubbabel had failed God’s people by not leading them in obedience.
Zerubbabel’s choices had no impact on his redemption.
12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, 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 feared the Lord.
13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord’s message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.”
(2) A. Our own choices do not impact God’s redemption.
(2) A. Our own choices do not impact God’s redemption.
Now God says: I have chosen you.