Sermon Notes for 1/5/2014 2014 Covenant Message (Haggai 1:7,8)
You are God's House
"Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. (Haggai 1:7,8)
a) Satisfying the master of the house (I Corinthians 3:16)
Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? (I Corinthians 3:16)
b) Connected together to build a strong structure (Ephesians 2:21,22)
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21,22)
c) Satisfying those who are invited to the house (John 2:19-22)
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:19-22)
Summary
God's desire for us is to be closely connected to him. Just as buildings need periodic maintenance work, so does the body of Christ, the church. The covenant at Your Church is a promise we make to God, committing to ongoing maintenance work throughout the year. People work hard to maintain buildings and other physical structures, but what we need to pay closer attention to is the maintenance of our souls. We want to avoid the mistakes the Israelites made by focusing on building impressive structures or following narrow interpretations of the law, and consequently, growing apart from God.
For Discussion
1) What does God want for your life this year?
2) In your life, what does it mean to avoid building a temple?
You are God's House
"Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. (Haggai 1:7,8)
a) Satisfying the master of the house (I Corinthians 3:16)
Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? (I Corinthians 3:16)
b) Connected together to build a strong structure (Ephesians 2:21,22)
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21,22)
c) Satisfying those who are invited to the house (John 2:19-22)
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:19-22)
Summary
God's desire for us is to be closely connected to him. Just as buildings need periodic maintenance work, so does the body of Christ, the church. The covenant at Your Church is a promise we make to God, committing to ongoing maintenance work throughout the year. People work hard to maintain buildings and other physical structures, but what we need to pay closer attention to is the maintenance of our souls. We want to avoid the mistakes the Israelites made by focusing on building impressive structures or following narrow interpretations of the law, and consequently, growing apart from God.
For Discussion
1) What does God want for your life this year?
2) In your life, what does it mean to avoid building a temple?