As we begin, let’s turn to the book of Haggai. It’s a little book in the back of the Old Testament—two chapters and thirty-eight verses long. So, if you have tabs, you’re in luck. You can find it.
Haggai—I think that’s how Kenny says it. Haggai 2:4:
“But now take courage, Zerubbabel,” declares the Lord,
“take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest,
and all you people of the land take courage,” declares the Lord, “and work;
for I am with you,” says the Lord of hosts.
Take courage and work, for I am with you.
Lord, we just look to You today. We commit our time to You and pray that we might receive something—some little encouragement—that we might be encouraged today. In Jesus’ name.
You know, over the years, in a lot of different ways and expressions, we have talked about our high calling as Christians. I think we have all come, in some manner, to realize that our calling goes beyond our initial salvation. Our calling is beyond just getting born again, and it goes beyond sort of an eternal life-insurance policy, where we are saved so that we can avoid hell and go to heaven.
The Lord did not go to the cross for only that. He went to the cross for much more. We are called to serve the Lord, to be an active part of fulfilling His eternal purpose. Actually, we just had a conference for a week in which we talked about the eternal purpose.
We are called to be the body of Christ, the house of God, the church of the living God, the bride of Christ, and the testimony of Jesus. It is a great high calling: to serve the Lord and His house.
As I think about that, it is something that really requires revelation. It requires vision. It requires seeing something in the Spirit beyond ourselves. So, we are required to have vision.
But we need to be careful when we talk about vision, because somehow vision can become something we hold onto as a mental understanding. It can become something that we hold up as a piece of artwork. Then that artwork becomes something to sit back and admire—almost dead.
If we can hold up vision as a piece of artwork, how easy it is to become art critics. It becomes very easy to sit back and be critical of that piece of art.
Now, the vision—the eternal purpose, the heavenly vision—is much more than something static. It is living. We have been born into the body of Christ, into the family of God. This thing is a living organism. It is something very much alive, something we have been born into as living stones toward the building up of His house, to be active parts of it.
We need vision, but that vision requires a living, breathing expression. The testimony of Jesus has hands and feet, fingers and toes, arms and legs. The vision is alive. It has purpose. It has a very practical outworking.
Somebody—I think Gail read today—a passage toward the end of the book of Acts. Paul was working his way back to Jerusalem, and he testified before King Agrippa:
“Consequently, King Agrippa, I have not been disobedient to the heavenly vision.”
The heavenly vision is not just something to hold up there. How can you be obedient to a thing? The heavenly vision is a person. It is Christ. It is not a piece of artwork.
This vision captured Paul, and it motivated and drove him all his days to be committed to serving the Lord in His house.
I wonder if it would not be good, just for a little bit, to look at what Paul saw—how he expressed this matter of being obedient to the heavenly vision in a couple of his epistles. The first one, perhaps, is Ephesians.
Often, I think we understand that Ephesians has been termed one of the highest books. It is a very high book, very visionary, concerning the Lord’s highest purpose. But that same book that demonstrates that high purpose also gives us a very practical outworking and expression of that purpose in us today.
Let’s read Ephesians 1:9-10:
“He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him,
with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times,
that is, the summing up of all things in Christ,
things in the heavens and things upon the earth.”
Quite a high calling, you know—this summing up of all things in Christ.
If we turn toward the end of the first chapter of Ephesians, let’s read from Ephesians 1:15 to the end, to get some idea of this high calling.
“For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,
do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And He put all things in subjection under His feet,
and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Here again, we see something of an almost unattainable height—something very high. But at the same time, there is something now, something today, in this eternal purpose that is not so far off.
This section ends by saying that He gave Christ as head over all things to the church. We are the church. He gave Him as head over all things to the church, and that is now. That is today. It is not far off in the future, merely a vision. Even in these first chapters that are so high, we see practical outworking beginning.
Paul so often begins with the principle and then moves to the practice. That is very often his way of doing things. Here he is in the principle, but we see that the principle is alive.
He says, “I have heard of the faith which exists among you.” Is that not an expression of Christ? Faith in God, faith in the Lord Jesus, exists among them. He starts us praying for one another in this passage. He also speaks of “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” That is now. His inheritance in the saints is now.
So we thank the Lord that this is a high calling and that we are recipients of such.
Look at Ephesians 2:4-7:
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Great high calling. But God. Those words are one of my favorite passages in the whole Bible: but God. Because He is rich in mercy, He has arrested us. He has stopped us in our tracks and called us unto Himself, to a high calling, so that the surpassing riches of His grace might be known in eternity.
Then, how does Paul end this chapter? Ephesians 2:19-22:
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone,
in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
That thing which is in the heavenlies, in eternity, is finding expression today—in the church, in us. It is His mind that we might have expression today. It is very practical. It is not something far off.
Then in Ephesians 3:8-12, Paul says:
“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;
so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church
to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.”
There is a nowness, a todayness, to this expression of the eternal purpose. It is to be made known now through the church.
I just wonder whether the way this is made known through the church is the fact that the church exists. The fact that in this day, in this time, in this world, there is a church of Christ—the body of Christ—that is under His headship and owns Him as head over all things to the church.
I think it registers in heaven. I think it registers with unseen rulers in the unseen realm. It does not say whether they are good or bad. Even the angels are being taught by the body of Christ existing on earth today—by its functioning under the headship of Christ, by every joint supplying, and by the fullness of Him being manifested through a corporate man.
Is it any wonder, if that is such a high purpose, that there has been so much contesting over it through the ages? John was on Patmos because of the testimony of Jesus. Is it any wonder that there is conflict over the assembly coming together and meeting in the simplicity and purity of Christ?
There is a high calling with a practical outworking.
The first three chapters of Ephesians are kind of the high part. Then we move into the second part—Ephesians 4 through the first part of chapter 6—which talks about walking. Finally, we talk about standing.
Brother Nee, in a little book called Sit, Walk, Stand, divided Ephesians this way: seated with Christ in the first three chapters, walking in the middle chapters, and then standing in Ephesians 6:10 and onward. Jerry has been ministering about standing: having done all, to stand.
So we see that from the high calling we move straight into walking—the practice, the principle—and then we finish with standing.
We could go on quite a bit in Ephesians 4 and 5, but just to show a principle, let’s look at the first six verses of Ephesians 4:
“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love,
being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
The practical thing here is this verse in the middle: “Be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” If we are to preserve something, that has to be something we have. What do we have? We have a unity in the Spirit.
We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We have a spiritual heritage. All of us do. We are all born-again believers—redeemed sinners, saved by grace, saved by the Lord. So we are one. We are one family.
We have the same spiritual DNA, if that is not too casual a comment. But we are one family. In an earthly family, we are often very committed to one another. We have trouble, you know; we have arguments. But it is very unusual to give up on family members. There is something there that goes beyond.
As born-again Christians, we are also in a family. The closer we get to one another, often we come up with conflicts. But we are not to let those conflicts divide and separate us. As we heard earlier, we are to be built into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Our spiritual heritage has been purchased at great price. If we divide and separate from one another, I feel like we are demeaning the price that has been paid. But we are to show forbearance to one another in love.
I think of an example from years ago. I do not know if there are any old-timers here. Years ago, there was a New Wine magazine published by Don Basham, Bob Mumford, and Derek Prince out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, back in the seventies. The Lord was moving then—not that He is not moving today—but there was a move of the Spirit back then.
Mumford used this expression. He said, think of the revealed truth of God as a spectrum from A to Z. I always thought of it as a series of children’s blocks with little letters on them.
Let’s say Kenny is sitting over here saying, “Man, look at A.” He has really gotten excited over A. And Herb is over there looking at J, and he is really excited about J. “Kenny, you’ve got to do K. This is where it is.” “Oh, Herb, it’s A. It’s A.”
Then somebody says, “X. I really think you guys are wrong. It is really X. What the Lord is doing today is X.” But you know what He is doing today? A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z—and beyond. Way beyond.
We need to be careful that we do not get at each other because the Lord has shown us different things. That is the richness in the body of Christ. Thank the Lord, that is the richness.
If we all saw the same things the same way, you know what we would be? A cult. Wrong, Jack said. If we saw the same things the same way, there would be no balance in the body of Christ. There would be nothing.
So we need to embrace one another and be thankful. What letter were you on, Herb? J? Thank the Lord He has shown Herb J. Thank You, Lord. Kenny sees C and A. We need to maintain the unity of the Spirit.
And you know what it says as we go on? It says in Ephesians 4:13, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith.” We are going to be there, you know.
I think Steve and I have shared over the years about differences in interpretation regarding the second coming. Heaven forbid we divide over that, because one day we are going to know who was right. Aren’t we? Hallelujah.
I am glad somebody has enough time and interest to look into those things. But what we know is that the Lord is coming. He is coming soon. Oh boy, there must not be a difference over that.
All right, let’s turn back to Romans just a little bit. Paul carries out the same pattern in Romans. He goes through the first chapters of that book and lays out spiritual principles—a great exposition of the gospel, how we are justified, sanctified, and glorified. It is one of the greatest books. They are all great books, aren’t they?
But what does he do as he transitions from principle to practice? Romans 12:1:
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Therefore, because of all that has gone before, what are we to do? Wait to go to heaven? Thank You, Lord, I am going to heaven. No.
We are to give our lives—our redeemed lives, not our flesh—back to the Lord, to serve Him and to serve His people. Our salvation was never intended for us to hold to ourselves. It was for us to give up and pour out in the house of God among His people.
There are numerous things in this little passage that Paul wrote. As he urges us to present our bodies, look at Romans 12:4-6:
“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.”
He has given each one of us a function, a place—a place to operate and a place to plug in in the house of God.
It does not say, “If you have something, think about bringing it.” It says, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly.” We have been called unto this purpose. It is beyond just a heavenly vision. There is a practical outworking in which each one of us has been called to have a part.
Romans 12:9-21 gives us a number of examples. We can read these things and say, “That’s it—we can do X, Y, Z.” But I think if we do that, we get a little messed up. I think these verses are given to illustrate a principle. If I can summarize it, I would say that principle is selfless love.
Let’s read through some of the things we are called to manifest as members of the body of Christ, according to the grace God has given us:
“Let love be without hypocrisy.
Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;
give preference to one another in honor;
not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”
Diligence is pretty important. I never thought diligence was something the grace of God gave us, but great diligence is required. If we are not diligent, we are not faithful.
We are called to be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, and devoted to prayer. When we manifest those things among the brothers and sisters, that is a great encouragement.
We are in a hopeless world, in a hopeless situation, and we are called to rejoice in hope among the brothers and sisters. We are called to persevere in tribulation, contribute to the needs of the saints, and practice hospitality.
Spiritual gifts include the capacity to give—to contribute to the needs of the saints financially and otherwise.
The heavenly vision has arms and legs, hands and feet, fingers and toes—whatever else you have got, we have got it. The testimony we have been called out to is supposed to be manifested and seen in the heavenlies.
Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians. We got a late start, but I am not going to speak too long. We have Papa John’s Pizza, so we are going to be okay.
First Corinthians 12, in my New American Standard Bible, is titled “The Use of Spiritual Gifts.” Often we see this as something about the charismatic gifts—things that are more charismatic—and the chapter begins and ends with things that may be more charismatic.
But if we look at Paul’s argument here, beginning around 1 Corinthians 12:14, we see the substance of his argument:
“For the body is not one member, but many.
If the foot says, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
And if the ear says, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?
If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.”
If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” is it any less a part of the body? If we do not take our function and say we are not a part of the body, what happens?
What happens if your eye is not working? It is really terrible. Forgive me if someone has a serious eye problem, but if you ever cut your eye and have to walk around with it, it is terrible. In the same way, the body does not function if we are not all functioning according to the grace given to each one.
I have always thought I was one of the more unseemly parts, you know—not one with a great big function. One of the things I get called to do in the body of Christ is talk to people about cars.
That does not seem very spiritual. Of course, I like cars, so that is part of it. But I spend quite a bit of time on the phone with the saints talking about looking at cars and how to buy cars.
I actually had a couple of calls last week. You know what? Almost always, nobody does what I tell them. Or they say, “Well, I hear you, but I really want to buy that car.” I say, “Okay, buy the car.”
But if I stopped helping people with cars—because I am a car guy—if I stopped functioning, something would happen. Something would happen.
You have to think of this as a practical expression today. Do not be too high-minded. Do not put it up there and say, “Ah, it’s not perfect. I don’t like it. Terrible.” No, it is a practical expression that is good for today.
If we remember the body of Christ, what have we said? By grace, God has gifted us with a function in the body of Christ.
Are you a member of the body of Christ? Are you functioning? What has God given you to do? Have you been tripped up somewhere?
Over the last year, this verse in Galatians has really helped me. Galatians 5:7 says:
“You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?”
You were running a race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? The truth is that the body of Christ has a practical expression today. God wants it. He wants a bride to prepare for Him to come back for.
Have we been tripped up? I can only ask each one of us. The reason I can really identify with this is because, believe it or not, I used to run track all through high school and college.
One of the terrible lessons you learn in track is that people cut in on you. Sometimes they do it knowingly, and sometimes they do not.
I remember running in the Chicago suburbs on indoor tracks that were like twelve laps to the mile. Talk about cutting in and bumping. Very early on, I was running a race, and a guy got on my outside and started elbowing me. Then he came around, finally got ahead of me, cut in, and I broke stride.
It is terrible when you break stride. You put all your energy into it. You have spent almost all your energy getting that far in the race. You have got nothing left, and this turkey cuts in on you. You stumble, and then you have no energy to go. But not only do you have to keep going; you have to get going again because you have slowed down. You have broken stride.
There was another time when we were at the Hinsdale relays. We had the mile relay, and there was this big exchange out there. It was just bedlam—an old cinder track. The man organizing the runners got us all mixed up about who was first and second.
I was lined up waiting for the exchange, people were reaching over like this, and some turkey ran right into me and knocked me down. Cinders everywhere.
I had a choice at that time. Not that I am special or have this down, so please—but I could have quit. I could have said, “That’s not fair. He cut in on me. Call the race back. Throw all these other guys out. I win.”
It does not happen that way. I got up and ran the race, and I think we got a ribbon or something that day. I do not know.
What is the question? Has someone cut in on you? Who has been cut in on? I am sure it is justifiable for dropping out of the race, but you know what happens if you drop out of the race? You drop out of the race. You are not in the race anymore.
Get up. Dust the cinders off. Get in the race.
I am going on too much, but my high-school football coach had a saying. We had a whirlpool, and everybody loved the whirlpool. “I ruined my knee. I ruined my ankle. I have got to get in the whirlpool. I can’t go to practice today, Coach. I’m hurt.”
He put a big sign over that whirlpool: “You can’t make the club in the tub.”
Do you get it, Joe? You cannot make the club in the tub. I am sorry you are hurt. I am sorry you are down and out. But you know what? We have a game to play. We are going to go on and play the game.
Brothers and sisters, there is no glory in the tub. Do not give up. Do not throw in the towel. God has placed us in the body just as He desired, as Paul says. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly.
Let’s look at Haggai. Finally got back to Haggai. Is the pizza here yet? Does anybody know?
I wanted to go get pizza last night, but we thought we would go to Famous Dave’s and have dinner with Jessica. That was better.
Who can find Haggai? I put a little sticker in my book so I can find Haggai. I have got it. I can see it. You never find it in these skinny Bibles. Want a sticker, Herb? Here, you can have my sticker. Put that on Haggai.
This little book is what we often call a minor prophet. If you think of minor prophets, you might think, “Well, I will look at that when I get around to it. That is minor. A little old guy in the back there.” But I think this minor prophet might have a major bit of encouragement for this little group of believers.
This book, from what I understand, is addressed to a small remnant that returned after seventy years in Babylonian captivity. This was not just a bunch of clowns. These were people who were serious about serving the Lord, about giving up the comfortable and going out into a really desolate place to rebuild the temple.
We know that this remnant had returned and built the foundation of the temple. But after they built the foundation, they stopped. By the time this book was written, we understand that fifteen or sixteen years had passed. The foundation was in the ground, and they quit.
They quit because they were being ridiculed and attacked by the neighbors around them. So they said, “I can’t handle it. I’m not going to get out there anymore and have these turkeys making fun of me.” They abandoned their work.
But they did not go back to Babylon. What did they do? They went back to their houses, to their daily activities. They went back to the comfort zone. They found a place where they could just go on and be comfortable—no more conflict, no more problems.
Here I am—I love it. I love to do that. I would love to go out to my workshop: me and the wood, me and the saws.
Let’s read Haggai 1:2-4:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”’”
Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?”
“Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?”
I think we are like this. The Old Testament is a type, and we are living in more of the spiritual reality. I think we are all the same. We have that temptation to avoid conflict, avoid confrontation, and go back to our houses.
What happens when we go back to our houses? Things are probably okay in our houses. It is not like they are a big mess. But read what happens to us when we go back to our houses. Haggai 1:6:
“You have sown much, but harvest little;
you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied;
you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk;
you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough;
and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”
God has called us to a high calling. We can ignore it. We can go back to our houses—big houses, small houses, good houses—but there is no satisfaction. There is no satisfaction in it. It is empty.
God forbid that we spend our days doing emptiness. I do not have any problem with going out and doing a little woodworking. Robert Chapman used to save his Saturdays and turn wood in his little house in England.
But are we spending our days in our houses to avoid conflict, to separate ourselves, and to be comfortable? Ultimately, it is going to be empty. We are going to have put our things into purses with holes in them.
So what is the Lord’s answer to this people? Haggai 1:7-8:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Consider your ways!
Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple,
that I may be pleased with it and be glorified.’”
Bring your wood. Bring your material to the house so we can build it. God has given grace to each one of us so that we might contribute what we have to the building work.
If one member suffers, we all suffer. If we are out of joint, the whole thing is out of joint. So let’s return. Let’s consider our ways.
I do not think those folks were only discouraged by the difficulty of the task. I think they were also discouraged because what they were building did not compare to the former temple.
Haggai 2:3 says:
“Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory?
And how do you see it now?
Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?”
Does it seem like nothing in comparison? It is not too good. In the physical sense, this temple really was not as marvelous. It was not as great.
But the Lord was after something more than a physical building. In Haggai 2:4-5, He says:
“But now take courage, Zerubbabel,” declares the Lord,
“take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest,
and all you people of the land take courage,” declares the Lord, “and work;
for I am with you,” declares the Lord of hosts.
“As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt,
My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!”
Then in Haggai 2:7:
“I will fill this house with glory,” says the Lord of hosts.
And in Haggai 2:9:
“The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,” says the Lord of hosts.
He is looking for a house with foundations. Abraham went out looking for that city whose architect and builder is God—that spiritual house.
This is prophetic. This is a prophetic word: the latter glory will be greater than the former glory. The Lord is returning for a bride without spot or wrinkle, and we are called to be an active part of that.
When we think about what is going on, all I can say is, do not despise the day of small things. Do not be discouraged. He is doing a great work. Cooperate with Him and hold fast to the Head.
Maybe I can summarize a little bit. We have seen that vision is a very important thing for God’s people. Without vision, the people perish. But vision is not something to hold. It is not something we can take and stick in a box and say, “I have vision. I am right.”
No, vision is a living thing. It is a fragile thing. If it is not always fresh, it is going to turn dead. It is going to be like yesterday’s manna.
Vision is not a concept to be admired. Our vision of Christ, His church, His bride, and His house is a living thing, and it is active. This eternal purpose is a living thing, with Him as Head. It is not a teaching but a reality.
We have been born again as living stones to be part of the body of Christ, to be part of that eternal purpose. That eternal purpose is today. We have each been given a special place in that house.
By God’s grace, we are called to present ourselves as living sacrifices, to become building material in His house.
Do not be discouraged. God is with us, as it says there in Haggai, and He will fill His house. The latter glory will be great.
Let’s pray.
Lord, we thank You that You have called us. You have redeemed us. Lord, we are so thankful. We are thankful, too, that we have not been called to hold onto something of our own, but that we have been called to serve You in Your house.
We would present ourselves afresh this morning as a living sacrifice. Lord, forgive us where we have gone back, where we have built our wainscoted houses—whatever that means.
Lord, we pray that we might come to that place where we put You first, and where serving You and Your house becomes that first thing. May there be a glorious expression of the body of Christ. We pray in Jesus’ name.