Haggai 2:6-9 Shadow of the Promise

I guess you must be a nursery favorite,

Cherish. Maybe. That's perfect.

It's good to have that time. So we're going to be in Haggai chapter 2 verses 6 through 9 for today.

Haggai chapter 2 verses 6 through 9 for today. Let's go ahead and as you're making your way there,

I'm going to start us off with a prayer right now. Lord God, I do want to just lift up all the hardship that this community is facing right now,

Lord, in this time that death seems to be on everybody's mind, Lord. God, I pray that as we think about this death that's happened and the sadness that it brings with it,

Lord, that we would see just sin and we would focus upon your death upon the cross,

Lord. God, let us be quick to tell these people that are suffering about your gospel.

Let us not hesitate. Let us not be lax in this, Lord, but let us be prepared so that we can advance your kingdom,

Lord, so that people might know who you are, so that you might receive worship and glory and praise,

Lord. God, I do pray that as we read this text today that we would be encouraged in whatever hardship that we as individuals are suffering and going through, and Lord, that we would come to each other as a community, as a

Christian church, Lord, and we would lean on one another and we love one another, Lord. God, I just say these things in your name,

Jesus Christ, amen. Haggai chapter 2 verses 6 through 9.

Let us go ahead and read this text for us today. For thus says Yahweh of hosts, once more in a little while I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land, and I will shake all the nations and they will come with the desirable things of all the nations, and I will fill this house with glory, says

Yahweh of hosts, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares

Yahweh of hosts. The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says

Yahweh of hosts, and in this place I will give peace, declares Yahweh of hosts.

Let us go ahead and pray to Yahweh of hosts. Lord, I thank you for this text,

Lord. God, I pray that as we read and consider this text, Lord, that we'd focus more firmly upon you, that would encourage us, that it would revive our souls again today,

Lord. Yahweh of hosts, we know you hear these things, we know you feel all things, you know, we know that you're before all things and that you're after all things,

Lord. God, receive all the glory from this text today, and we say this in your name,

Jesus Christ, amen. So let's quickly remind ourselves of what is going on in this text, the context here, and then we're going to read verse five, and we're going to make mention of something that was very pivotal and important for us to remember from last week's message that's going to carry on through the rest of this text.

So verses one through nine is the second prophecy that Haggai is receiving for the people of Israel, for the remnant, for Zerubbabel and Joshua, the son of Jehozaddek and the son of Shattail.

Haggai being the prophet, he is giving this second prophecy to these people, these individuals, and it's because they have begun the work on the temple 20 years past when they should have begun this work, and what's before them right now is a challenge, a difficulty.

They might see the skeleton of the building in front of them, or they might just see the woodwork from cutting down the trees that need to be used to harvest to build this temple.

They are looking at what's before them, and they're seeing what seems to be a mountain of hard work, and they're being discouraged.

And so this whole text from verses one through nine, chapter two, verses one through nine, is for Haggai to encourage, well, from Yahweh of Hosts, God Himself, through Haggai the prophet, to encourage the people in what's going on.

We'll talk a little bit about that here in a moment. But last week, we talked about how chapter two, verse five, and we only went through one verse, and I think we could stay in that one verse for a couple more months if we wanted to, but this one verse, in verse five, is imperative for us as the

Christian church to understand and to see and to read. So let's read verse five here.

It says, Now, some of your translations, as we made mention of last week, it might say, as for the covenant that I made with you, or as for the promise that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt.

And what we did last week is we looked and we saw what the promise was in the Old Testament, and I hope that we can remember what the promise was, because we have explicit text in the

New Testament that tells us what the promise is. The Old Testament, we see in multitude of covenants and in different promises of God that there's this future seed that is going to come, that's going to bless all the nations, it's going to bring about a forgiveness of sin, and we're going to be made into a kingdom of priests.

In fact, let us go and read that text right now, Exodus 19, verses three through six.

Because why do we go there? Why do we read this Exodus 19, three through six? It's because the people are to be encouraged by what is to come.

The people are to be encouraged by the promise God has made, the one that is Yahweh of hosts, the faithful God has made this promise.

And so they're to be encouraged by that, they're to put their shoulders to the wheel and they're to work, they're to put their head down, they're to be,

I think you could say they're all to be a bunch of Chad Roonies and start working, right?

They're to do that, they're to get this temple work done because they're passed the due date, right?

They're passed when they should have done it. Exodus 19, verses three through six, says this,

Now Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him. So this is after they've been taken out of Egypt.

Now Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountains, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and to the sons of Israel, You yourselves have seen what

I did to the Egyptians, and how I lifted you up on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

So now then, if you will indeed listen to my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my treasured possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine.

And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel. Haggai chapter two makes reference of this specific promise, that God had raised up these

Egyptians in such a way that he was going to cut them down, release the captives, to magnify himself, and to say,

Look Israel, there is a day that you are going to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.

And not only a holy nation, but who is the possessor of this holy nation? God. It's God's kingdom that is being spoken of in there.

It's not just an earthly kingdom, it's not one that can be shaken, it is the everlasting kingdom of God that is being spoken of in that text.

And so for Haggai, here in chapter two, verses six through nine, and verse five specifically, which is going to anchor this message today, is that we need to understand that this is the promise that is being spoken of.

This is the promise that you will be a great kingdom one day. Now, why would it be important for Haggai, the prophet, why would it be important for him to speak this word of Yahweh, this word of the

Lord, to them saying, Remember the promise, remember this, think about the promise and go to work, think about that.

Well, have you ever been in the midst of a dark room? I did this yesterday.

So last night, I was trying to make sure this building was heated today. And as I was doing so I had all the lights off and I was walking around doing dumb things, filling the heaters, just making sure that things were working.

And I realized I was in a dark room and I knew the lights were over there. And I was like, I can't see anything.

This is it's pitch black, right? And instead of pulling out my phone and using it as a light to walk forward, I just tried to walk forward.

And I fell behind those chairs in the back of that wall. I hit it and fell forward. I'm not even kidding you.

It was bad. And I'm happy no one saw me. This was at nine, 10 o 'clock last night. And I shouldn't even be telling you that, right?

I fell and hit myself really hard and I got really mad at myself, right? Today, Chad and I were down in the dungeon, the basement, and I was showing him this thing of the heat.

And the reason that him and I didn't hit anything was because at the end of the hallway, we could see the light out there.

We saw the light and we knew how to continue on in the darkness. The way that I would have avoided that being in this dark room is if I had had a light in the back room on and I could have seen a little thing in front of me.

So what this is happening in the day of Israel is that they're in this darkness, they're in this day that is in a shadow of Christ, a shadow of Christ, a promise of what is to come.

And for them to continue on in this shadow phase is they've got to look for the promise. They've got to look ahead and see that light that's around the corner that's about to happen.

Now I want you to think about this for a moment. Why would that help them in this work? Why would it help them to know what is great is to come is going to be better than what they have right now.

This week, I was telling Marilyn yesterday at the funeral that I think her husband would have been really proud of me.

At work, I had really messed up a chainsaw pretty good. We were cutting through some roofing material and I was doing a horizontal cut to myself on the back side of a two by four and I couldn't see what was on the back side of it and there was a whole bunch of copper wiring that I ran the saw side by side on, not against it, but side by side on it and it wrapped the sprocket and it killed the saw immediately.

And so we were out of saw. We'd already done a whole bunch of saw work. We were done with it. So it was okay. It wasn't a big problem, but I take it home and I have to take apart this whole saw to fix it.

Right. And I'm not kidding you. I took it apart and I set it down and I just walked away from it. I was discouraged.

It was a mess. It had been running for hours. It was dirty. It was grimy. I knew the mountain of work for me that day was hours upon hours of cleaning the saw.

I was not excited for it. I walked away from it. Right. Well, I should have, I should have taken it to Andy is what she says.

Right. Should have taken it to a Chad -like figure like Andy and he would have gotten it done. Andy knows what he's doing when it comes to saws.

Right. If you don't know, Andy retired as a, as a, as a logger. So he has more saw experience than anybody in this room,

I would imagine. Now this saw though, what, what encouraged me through to finish cleaning this saw was that I, this is a new saw.

This is a brand spanking new top of the line saw. And, and I was thinking about how it was running the day before when

I had started it doing a daily rig check. And I realized, okay, I can make it run better. I can make it run, run even cleaner, smoother.

I can grease everything and it will be great. It's going to be great when I'm done with this. And so I started working on it and I found myself as I was getting closer and closer to the end,

I was getting more and more excited just to start this saw up. And so when it was all the way clean and it was running and I had,

I had, I had greased every part of it and I started it up. It sounded 10 times better than what it did earlier the other day.

And that's what encouraged me to clean this saw. Right. And we do this all the time with our work. When we have a hard project before us and we have to build something, we think about the end result that will bring about what we want, what we're desiring.

And so what we see here is that Haggai is saying to the people is look to the promise, look and remember this.

Remember what God has promised to our forefathers in the Egypt, in the desert, in this time, in this way.

Remember that God is not done with this promise. What is coming according to verse eight or according to verse nine, the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former.

So you have people in this day that remember what the last temple looked like. According to verses one through four, they remember what it looks like and they see what it is now and they're getting discouraged at what it looks like now.

And God is saying, no, you don't understand Israel. The next temple is going to be greater than the former.

You have a great end goal ahead of you. Get to work. Now, this is even more significant when we understand what's going on in this text.

What was that promise again into the people in Egypt? That you're going to be a kingdom, a nation of priests, a holy nation for God's own possession.

What is another promise in the Old Testament? That the seed will come, crush the head of the serpent. What is another promise?

That through the seed of Abraham, he is going to bring all the nations unto himself. That his seed is going to be as innumerable as the star.

Promise after promise after promise. And what is that speaking of every single time?

Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ.

And so this temple that's before them, don't be a physical temple.

It is a shadow. Now let's think about this analogy for another second. Imagine if you were at the end of a hallway and you saw a light that was shining on the opposite side and somebody was standing around the corner and you can see the shadow of them project out.

If it was a certain individual that is characteristic in certain ways, you could say, that looks like I know who that is.

I know whose shadow that is from around this corner. What happens if you follow that shadow around the corner?

And when I say follow, I mean you are on, your face is on the ground and you start at the head of that shadow and you go where?

Where does it take you to? It takes you to the feet. These shadows take you to the feet of Jesus Christ every single time.

Colossians chapter 1 verses 19 through 20, no Colossians chapter 2 verses 17.

It says that all these things were a shadow but the substance belongs to Christ. So we see that all these temples are pointing us to Jesus, even in this way.

But what we need to talk about now is there's some difficult and interesting language that takes place here in verses 6 through 9.

Verse 6 it says, thus says Yahweh of hosts, this is the term that Haggai has used several times that it has a title of significance to who

God is. I believe this is the sixth time it is used here in this whole book out of the 14 times it's going to be used and many times it says it here in this text in verses 6 or 9.

Thus says Yahweh of hosts, once more in a little while I'm going to shake the heavens and the earth and the sea also in the dry land.

That's a that's an interesting text. That is an interesting text. If I was to tell you that I got into a fight with somebody and we really locked horns, does that mean

I had horns on my head? Does that mean that we were head -butting each other? Does that mean that we were in a significant fight?

It means I was in a significant fight, right? What happens if I said I knocked his socks off?

What do you think? That his socks were laying on the ground or do you think I won the fight?

I won the fight, right? This language in here, there's a couple things that we need to take note of in this.

When it says that God is going to shake the heavens and the earth and the sea also in the dry land, we need to we need to be careful when we interpret any text, right?

Amen to that. We need to be careful with it. And how do we interpret text? We do this by a principle called harmoneutics.

We all have harmoneutics. It's the way in the way that we go about interpreting the

Bible, interpreting anything we read, really. And one of the principle harmoneutics that I apply that I would encourage you to apply are two things.

One is that you should always see Christ in the text. You should always go about looking for Jesus Christ in the text.

And why do I say that? Because Jesus says so. John chapter five, he says, all these scriptures teach of me.

So because Jesus Christ says that I read this text and I say, how does this teach me about Jesus? Because he says it does.

Number two, the New Testament, the progressive revelation, the new sheds light on the old.

Okay. If I think that the Old Testament says something, but the New Testament says otherwise, which one is correct?

The New Testament is correct every single time. So did you know that Haggai chapter two, verse six is actually quoted for us in the

New Testament and tells us what that meaning of this text is? And because it tells us of how this text is, is how we need to read this text.

And it, it, it drastically heightens what this meaning of Haggai chapter two, verse six through nine means.

I'm We might read this text several times a day, to be honest with you. Haggai chapter 12, verse 25 through 29.

Haggai chapter 12, verses 25 through 29. Remember if the New Testament says what it means, what does it mean?

Whatever the New Testament says it is. Doesn't matter what you think your opinion of the text is.

If the New Testament dictates the way that we read the old, that's how we must read it.

Haggai or Hebrews chapter 12, verse 25 through 29. See to it that you do not refuse him who is speaking.

For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven.

What is that verse speaking of? Speaking about the warning judgments to the nation of Egypt when

Israel was released from them from captivity. Why do we say that? Because verse 26 says, and yet his voice shook the earth then.

When is that then? Exodus 19, where that promise was spoken about.

Exodus 19, I believe it's verse 18. It says that Yahweh shook the whole mountain that Moses was standing on.

It says, and his voice shook the earth then prior, but now he has promised.

That word promise again is used here for us. He has now promised saying, yet once more

I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. That is a direct quotation from the

Greek Septuagint of the book of Haggai chapter 2, verse 6. Yet once more

I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven. Now this expression, yet once more indicates the removing of those things which can be shaken as of created things.

So that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving or we have received a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reference and awe.

Brothers and sisters, which kingdom has, how many kingdoms can you think of off the top of your head that has been generated from man's thought, from his conquering of land, and him establishing it from where?

Earth. What kingdom is the one that is unshakable? The one that God has created from heaven.

It is an unshakable kingdom. So when we read here in Haggai chapter 2, verse 6 through 9, and in verse 6 it says that Yahweh is going to shake the heavens and the earth.

What is it speaking of? It's speaking of created kingdoms that cannot last. Ones that will rise and fall because we have inherited a kingdom that is unshakable.

Because Christ, the heavenly one, is our king. Now it says, and I will shake the nations.

What is the purpose here in verse 7 of Haggai chapter 2? What is the purpose of shaking these nations?

What is the purpose of shaking heaven, earth, sea, and dry land? What is the purpose of this that is being spoken of here in Haggai chapter 2?

I will shake all the nations and they will come, or they will come with the desirable things of all the nations.

Now why is it that we can say that this absolutely is applied in Hebrews chapter 12?

Because Hebrews chapter 12 applies it in such a way, first of all, and second of all, did the second temple, and I ask you this quite literally, the second temple that the people's hands were working on, the ones that were mingled with man, that they built this structure up, and that's where the presence of God dwelt 2 ,500 years ago, did that temple ever have an earthquake that brought about nations to bring gold silver to it?

No, it did not. No, it did not. So that's not the meaning of this text.

It did not have that. That never took place. Let us keep on reading this and you'll understand the significance of this in here in just a moment.

Why is the heavens and earth shaken? So that nations will come and desirable things of all the nations, and what is the result of the shaking of the nations and bringing nations to this temple, this house of Yahweh?

What is the purpose of it? I will fill my house with glory. It's to magnify who

God is, is the reason for this. It is to fill God's house with glorious things. It's to make

Him look better and more magnificent because He is deserving of what? All glory and praise.

So the result of the shaking is glory. The purpose is to bring about nations, and the shaking is speaking of, according to Hebrews chapter 12, of created things, kingdoms.

Verse 8 says, the silver is mine, the gold is mine, declares Yahweh of hosts. Now, absolutely, when we read this text, it is true that all creation is

God's. He is the owner of these things. He is lord of these things. He is king of these things. He is supreme and preeminence of these things.

He owns all things. There is not a thing that you think of that God does not own. God owns it all.

But what is this speaking of? Silver is mine, gold is mine. Why is it that God says here to the prophet

Haggai to tell the people of Israel, the remnant, Zerubbabel, Joshua, that He is going to make this latter house better than the former, and that this house is going to be filled with glory after He shakes the nations, and that by doing so, it's going to bring about silver and gold.

Verse 9, the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says

Yahweh of hosts. And in this place, I will give peace, declares

Yahweh of hosts. Now, the next question I have to ask, did any physical temple in Israel, in Jerusalem, over 2 ,000 years ago, whether it be the first temple or the second temple, and this text is talking about building the second temple, did the second temple ever bring about peace?

This is an interesting question, is it not? What is peace? Maybe that's a good place to start.

What is peace? Peace is not just tranquility. It's not just inner harmony like this world would want to sell to you.

Peace, according to the New Testament, is that the wrath of God abides upon us. Peace is what

Christ did for us on the cross. Peace is paying the penalty of our sin.

That is what peace is, is that we can stand before a holy, just God that should annihilate us, but since His Son paid the price 2 ,000 years ago, we can stand before Him justified, holy, and blameless, not because of anything that you and I have done, but because solely what

Christ has done. That is peace. Now, why do I say that that is peace? Why do

I say that that's peace? Colossians chapter 1, and you can turn here if you'd like, or you don't have to, we'll just be here shortly.

Colossians chapter 1, Colossians chapter 1, we will read verse 17 through 20.

Excuse me, no, we'll read verse, oh sorry, I was in the wrong text here. Colossians chapter 1, verse 19 through 21.

For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross, through Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

And although you were formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds, but now He reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death in order that to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.

Brothers and sisters, did any physical work of any person's hand in the last thousands of years ever bring about any peace other than Jesus Christ?

Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 4, it says that when the

Old Testament priests offered animals, that none of them ever took away sins.

What brings about peace? The blood of the perfect Lamb, Jesus Christ.

So when we go back to Haggai chapter 2, and we see in here again, let's read verse 9, the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says

Yahweh of hosts. And in this place, I will give peace, declares Yahweh of hosts. What temple is being spoken of in here?

John chapter 1, verse 14. Verse 1, to begin with, it says, in the beginning was the

Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In verse 14, it says that the

Word became flesh and tabernacled amongst you, dwelt amongst you.

Tabernacle is an expression of the Old Testament temple. Now, what does Jesus say in John chapter,

I believe it's John chapter 4, no, John chapter 2, excuse me, John chapter 2, verse 19.

He says to the Jews, Jesus, destroy this house, and I'll raise it again on the third day.

Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again on the third day. What is Jesus speaking of? The perfect temple.

Hebrews chapter 2, we've read this several times, and we've loved it here in the Bible study in Hebrews.

What is the main word that is used over and over and over again in the book of Hebrews? Better. Hebrews chapter 3, excuse me,

Hebrews chapter 3, verses 1 through 6, I believe it is, and we'll just make a rough quotation of It says that Moses was a builder of his house, but Christ is the builder of the better house, sanctuary,

God's temple. Jesus is the builder of the new, heavenly, better temple.

So how is this in Haggai chapter 2, verse 9, how is the glory of the latter going to be better than the former?

It's because the shadow never was the substance. The shadow brought you to where?

To the feet of the substance. The shadow was a shadow of peace.

The shadow was the shadow of the reality. The shadow was the shadow of the true sacrifice, the true priest, the better temple.

It brought you to the very foot of Jesus Christ. If you were to go outside right now and you were to see the sun shining upon this church and you see it overcasting a shadow on the lawn out here, you follow that shadow and it brings you to the actual substance of the church, brings you to the building.

These temples were that shadow to bring you to Christ. Now why, why, how does this work?

How, how were the people then therefore saved? They were saved by having faith into what was to come in the promise of the seed, the

Messiah, Jesus the Christ that was coming. That's how they were saved.

So when we see this, so let's, let's now look at this. What, what is all that's been talked about in here?

We have a promise that's been made in verse 5 that's referencing Exodus 19.

We have a shaking of heavens and earth. The New Testament tells us what that means. The shaking of the heavens and the earth is to bring about an unshakable kingdom, an unshakable kingdom.

What's the promise in verse 5? It's that there's going to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation unto God for his own possession, his own ownership.

What else takes place in this kingdom, in this promise? Nations will be shook.

Desirable things of the nations will come to them. There will be silver and gold, and this house will be far, far better than the former, and there's going to be peace in this house.

There is too many New Testament and Old Testament references that we can read right now.

I want to just take you through a couple. So we've read our Hebrews chapter 12 verse 25 through 29 with God's shaking.

Why is it to be shaken? There's several New Testament texts that talk about how God's church is building is what's consistent of both

Jew and Gentile. That's all peoples, all nations, all nations.

What's Paul's command to go on to the nations? Romans 1, it says there's no distinction between Jew or Gentile, no distinction between Jew or Greek.

The gospel is the same gospel unto all. It's the power of unto salvation. It's no different unto the

Jew, and it's no different unto the Greek. It's the same gospel message that is saved year after year, and I'm talking about even before the cross.

The gospel is the only means of salvation. This promise in their day is the substance that we have today.

So we see that all nations have come to this. What about silver and gold? Pastor, we're not silver and gold.

What are you talking about in there? Let's turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse Corinthians chapter 3.

This text in here is talking specifically about building a building, building a house.

1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 4 through 17.

This is a healthy text that we could spend many, many months in. What is that?

God's sanctuary, the temple, God's building. Immediately, my mind takes me to Matthew chapter 7, that Jesus says to build upon him the rock.

All other build upon sand and they fall. Let's keep on reading in here.

Now, if anyone builds on a foundation with what? With gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and straw, each man's work will become evident for the day will indicate it because it will be revealed with fire and fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.

And if each and if any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved.

Yet as to fire, do you not know you are a sanctuary of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you?

If any man destroys the sanctuary of God, God will destroy him for the sanctuary of God is holy.

And that is what you are. The latter glory of this house will be better than the former.

Did you not just hear this text, church?

You are the sanctuary, a dwelling place of the

Holy Spirit. We build with what? Silver and gold, wood, hay, and straw.

This text here in Corinthians is a letter sent to a Jewish church?

No, a Gentile nation, a Gentile church, a church, a sanctuary that is consistent of all the nations.

When you look at Haggai chapter two, what is another thing that it says? The latter will be better than the former.

We obviously know that Jesus Christ is the better as the whole book of Hebrews has taught us. It'll bring about peace.

We just read from Colossians 1 .20 that through the blood of Jesus Christ, we receive peace.

How then does this glorify God? This is a great one for us to consider throughout the rest of our day.

John chapter 12, verse 27 through 28, when Christ is speaking about his own crucifixion, he says to the

Father, Father glorify. Let me turn to it so I don't misquote it here.

Speaking about his own crucifixion, he says here in verse

John chapter 12, verse 27 through 28, now my soul has been come dismayed and what shall

I say? Father, save me from this hour. Before this purpose, I came to this hour.

Father, glorify your name. This is in the very week that Christ would die.

What about the promise? Well, we read last week and we won't read it again today, but Galatians chapter 3, verse 16 through 19, it teaches us that the seed is

Christ. What about the cutting of this promise, the cutting of this covenant that's spoken of here in Haggai chapter 2?

Well, we saw that again. Hebrews chapter 8, Christ is the better mediator of a better covenant.

Well, then how do we reconcile this with the promise that Israel was told in Exodus 19,

I will make you a kingdom, priests of God, a holy nation. I want to read from Revelation chapter 1,

Revelation chapter 1, verses 4 through 6. John, to the seven churches in Asia, this is a gentile area, to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace from the one who is and the one who was and the one who is to come.

And from the seven spirits who are before his throne, I want you to pause right here and make mention the one who is and the one who was and the one who is to come is

God himself. And that title is given to Jesus Christ all throughout this book. It's speaking of Jesus.

Who do we receive peace? From Jesus and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth to him who loves us and has released us from our sins by his blood.

How do you receive peace? Having faith in Jesus Christ because he releases us from our sins by his blood.

Verse 6, and he has made us to be a kingdom, priests to his

God and father. To him be the glory and the might forever and ever.

Amen. Brothers and sisters, when you read the book of Haggai, I hope you see the gospel in every single sentence, in every single word.

I hope you see Jesus Christ in every single period that you have here. Jesus the

Christ was coming for these people. They had faith in it. Then what what what was the result of them having faith in this?

It was for them to continue to build this shadow. Remember the promise,

Israel. Remember the promise, faithful remnant, go to work, build the temple, because the latter glory of this house will be far better than the before the former.

I want to read verse nine again for us. The latter glory of this house will be better, will be greater than the former, says

Yahweh of hosts. And in this place, I will give peace, declares Yahweh of hosts.

Like I said, there is many, many texts that we could read in correlation with these principles here that are talked about.

This is speaking about Jesus Christ and having faith in him. I'll finish maybe just by reading just one more text here.

I apologize, there's too many. Like I said, I'm too excited not to read this text. Ephesians chapter two, we'll just read, let's just read 11 to 22 right now, speaking about God's building,

God's temple, His holy sanctuary. Therefore remember that formerly you, the

Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcised by the so -called circumcision which is performed in the flesh by human hands, remember that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise.

And having no hope and without God in the world, but now in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

That is peace, brothers and sisters. For he himself is our peace, amen, who made both groups one and broke down the dividing wall of partition by abolishing in his flesh the enmity of the law of commandments contained in ordinances so that in himself he might create the two into one new man making peace and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having in himself put to death the enmity.

And he came and preached good news, the gospel of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

And through him we both have our access in one spirit to the

Father, fellow, or so then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household.

Having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building being joined together is growing into a holy sanctuary in the

Lord, holy temple, holy building in the

Lord in whom you are being built together into a dwelling place in the spirit.

Brothers and sisters, when we see in here God shaking, God bringing all the nations,

God bringing about silver and gold, God bringing a better temple,

God bringing peace, and God glorifying himself, you better think the cross itself.

It's Jesus that has done this. The latter glory of the sanctuary will be better than its former.

Brothers and sisters, let us pray, let us worship the God who has made the latter of this glory better than the former.

Let us pray. Oh Yahweh of hosts, Lord, Father of all souls and all of creation,

Lord, I thank you for this text here in Haggai chapter two, and I thank you for the clarity that it is that points us to Jesus the

Christ. Lord, I pray that as we go through darkness and hardship, Lord, that we would see these shadows and it would lead us to the feet of the hill of Calvary, Lord, that we would see our sin being paid for there completely and fully on our behalf.

Jesus the Christ suffering in our place and that we would turn and repent and believe in that, Lord, and that by doing this we would have peace and that,

Lord, when we would look to our brothers and sisters who are at the same feet being justified by the same

God, man, that we would recognize each other as members of your kingdom, God the

King. And Lord God, we say these things and we praise you today,

Lord, as being the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Lord, and we say this in the name that is above all other names,