Lord, we thank you for today. We thank you for the opportunity we have to study your word together again and look at this prophecy that you've given us in Haggai. We pray that as I'm sharing what I've been seeing in it this week, I pray that you would guard my words, that the things I say would be true and accurate and helpful for your people here today to understand your word better, understand more about who you are and what you're doing. We pray that you would prepare our hearts to receive the messages here, the applications here, and practice them in our lives. We pray that Christ be glorified by the things that are said here today. We pray all this in Jesus' name, amen. Sometimes, knowing the end makes all the difference. Once when I was in grad school, I enrolled in a class with, it was a small class, like a dozen graduate students, and it was a fun class. And on the first day of class, the teacher told us that we would all get an A in the class. He didn't want us to worry about our grade, he just wanted us to enjoy the learning. And it worked. We really enjoyed the class. We learned a lot. And knowing that end, how it was all going to turn out, made all the difference for us. And it's similar like that in Haggai. Today as we're looking at the prophecy that God gives through Haggai, He tells them how it's going to end up. How things are going to finish out. And that makes a difference for them. At times, the Lives of exiles are probably confusing, just like that class in grad school, but they don't have to worry about all the details in between, because in the end, they know how it's going to turn out, and God's going to be glorified as a result of the work that he's doing through them. As we're starting into Haggai, I want to go back and review where we've been so far. So, I remember we talked about Haggai as like this tool that God's given us. It's part of the Bible, it's there for a purpose, and we want to understand how does this tool, what's the role this tool plays in our lives, how does God use this tool to direct us. We said overall the theme in Haggai is about being the people of God. So as we're looking at Haggai and learning more about the things going on there, we're seeing what does it look like to be the people of God. And we said that the summary overall of Haggai, as we said previous weeks, is that God causes people to join in the great work that only He can accomplish. God causes people to join in the great work that only He can accomplish. Remember, we said Haggai is split up into four major sections of four prophecies. And chapter one is that first prophecy. We've covered that. Now we're in the second prophecy. We covered the first half of that or so last week. We're going to wrap up the second prophecy this week. So we said the first prophecy was about don't focus on the gifts, pursue God himself. And remember the people have been called to build that temple, rebuild the temple really, and so that God would be pleased and God would be glorified. And remember at the end of chapter one, the people had obeyed, they're starting to build, God stirred them up to be obeying what he had commanded, and things are going well. Then we, last week we started into the second prophecy, and that second prophecy of Haggai, we had seen that, They were, we saw they were to stick to the work that God had given them, because His plan was perfect. Stick to the work that God gives you, because His plan is perfect. And so, of that theme, mostly, last year was the sticking to the work that God had given me part of that. That they would be continuing on, even when it looked like it was insignificant, or even God is reminding them that His plan is perfect. Now, this week we'll be looking more at the second half of that theme, that God's plan is perfect. We'll see where is this all going, what is that end, and knowing the end of it. So, last week we had gotten three principles from that. We said that all God's people have a role in God's work. All God's people have a role in God's work. Remember, because he talked about not just the governor, Zerubbul, and not just the high priest, Joshua, but all the people he addresses. And we also saw that second principle. Sometimes serving God seems insignificant. Remember, as they were beginning to build a temple, they had looked at it, and the ones who remembered the temple that Solomon had built several years before remembered that this isn't quite as impressive as that one. So they seemed discouraged at times. We need to not be discouraged because sometimes serving God does seem insignificant. And then the third principle that we looked at last week was that God's people are strengthened by his favor. And remember, he's reminding them that he's with them. You know, be strong, keep going. And why is that? Because God is with them. His favor is with them. So God's favor strengthens his people. Now, today, we're going to jump in. I'll read all the prophecy again of chapter 2, verses 1 through 9 in Haggai. And if we're reading it, try to just imagine you're in their shoes. What would it sound like to be hearing these things if you were those people in the days of Haggai? So Haggai chapter 2, verses 1 through 9. On the 21st of the seventh 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 Jehoshadak, 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? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison? But now take courage, Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Take courage also, Joshua, son of Jehoshadak, 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 spear is abiding in your midst, do not fear. For thus says the Lord 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. I will shake all the nations, and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I shall give peace, declares the Lord of hosts. So we're going to continue with that same theme again today. Stick to the work God gives you, because His plan is perfect. And today we're going to look especially at verses 6 through 9 of this prophecy, that second half of it. And this part has some natural breaks that end with, says the Lord. So there's four sections, each one ends with, says the Lord or declares the Lord so I'm just gonna look at those as four sections by four principles that goes with those today and we're gonna see in this part some details about the completion of the work and it's gonna be glorious and we're gonna see talk about the resources for the work that God's resources are unlimited we're gonna see the significance of the work that although the people felt like it was a an inferior structure they were starting to build on, ultimately it's going to be a superior work that God's going to do, that he's using them to do. And then finally we'll see the purpose of the work, and God's going to bring his people peace in this place. So let's jump in. We'll start with verses 6 and 7, and the first principle we're going to see here is that God will bring the work to a glorious end. God will bring the work to a glorious end. This is verse 6 and 7, it says, For thus says the Lord 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. I will shake all the nations, and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. So in this prophecy, remember he had been talking about, you know, be strong, be encouraged, and work. Now he kind of turns the attention from the present situation looking forward. Where is this all going? Talking more about the end of the matter, and we see that right now the people, yeah, feel like it's insignificant, but he's saying, also right now he's saying, be strong, be encouraged. And now verse 60 says, in a little while. He's starting to look forward, looking towards something that will happen in the future. What's going to happen? What's the result going to be of all this work? And the first thing that's going to happen is shaking. And he has it in three parts there. We can see first, he shakes the heaven and the earth. That's kind of your first couplet. And then he shakes the sea and the dry land. That's your second set. And then your third set, Andy's going to shake all the nations. So that's kind of, those are each subsets of each other. So heaven and earth. And then within the earth, you have the sea and the dry land. And then within the sea and the dry land, on the dry land, you have the nations being shaken. So it's kind of a narrowing down. And we also kind of see that in the order of creation. God creates the heavens and the earth, and then he creates sea and dry land, and then on the land he creates people. So that's what's going to be shaking. And another detail we should see here is that he says it'll be once more. So in this prophecy, somehow, he's wanting us to look back at something that has happened as we look forward to something that will happen. He says it'll happen once more. So we might think, oh, what's that? significant shaking event that the people would remember that he's referring to. What is that he's referring to? I think a good clue to what he's referring to is if we back up to verse 5, we see in this same passage, he says, he just said in verse 5, as for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, my spirit is abiding in your midst. Do not fear. So I think he's referring back to when the covenant was made with them at Mount Sinai. Just as I read that for us this morning in Exodus 19, And remember when God came down to meet Moses on the mountain, and it says in Exodus 19 verses 17 through 19, And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire, and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder. So there has been a significant shaking event. The mountains shook violently when God met with them and established a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. I think that's what he's referring to here in Haggai chapter 2. Haggai has just been referring back to when that covenant was made with his people. God had used that as evidence to say, look, I'm with you. I'm here, and my favor is on you. And now God said in verse 6, I'm going to shake that heavens and the earth, again, in an even stronger way. And what the result of that is going to be, we see that also in verse 6. The result of that shaking will be that it says, they will come with the wealth of all nations. So, God's going to shake the heavens and the earth, and the wealth of nations will come. That phrase about they will come with the wealth of all nations is evidently kind of a difficult phrase to translate, depending on your translation. Some might, like the King James Version I think reads as, the desire of the nations will come. So if you read it that way, it looks like maybe a prophecy looking towards coming of Christ. But I think maybe a better way to translate that is how the ESV and the NESB translate it, which is more of the idea that what is desirable of the nations will be brought. That word, wealth or treasure, doesn't refer specifically to gold or silver, but it's more of a what is desirable. It's used when Jacob is going to cheat Esau out of the birthright, and it's said they brought the best clothes. That same word, that best, it's what is desirable. So, the wealth of all nations will be brought in. I think it's also a picture of harvesting the fruit from a tree. So, like, when I was a boy, we were going to pick mulberries. You know, my brothers and I would go out, we'd get a tarp, we'd put it underneath a mulberry tree that had ripe fruit, and we'd send one of the brothers up in the tree, and he'd just shake as much as he could, and that would bring all the ripe fruit down. And so, it's kind of a similar picture here in Haggai, that when God is going to shake all the nations, and then the wealth is going to be brought in. It's like, what is desirable from that tree is harvested as we shake it. So I think that's the picture that he's given us here in this prophecy. The nation will be shaken and there will be a harvest of what is desirable. Now in conjunction with that shaking and with the bringing in of that wealth, God also says that he will fill this house with glory. That could mean kind of the glory that we associate with the wealth that's coming in. But I think also, in the context of them building a temple and it being filled with glory, that we might be thinking of the Shekinah glory, the presence of the Lord coming and filling the temple. We see that pattern with the tabernacle in the previous temple when they were built. In Exodus 40, verse 33 and 35, as they're finishing the tabernacle, It says, Moses erected a court all around the tabernacle and the altar and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus, Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. So the Lord had filled that tent with glory. We also see the same thing in 1 Kings 8, when Solomon finishes building the first temple, It says the priests bring the Ark into the Holy of Holies, and then God's glorious presence fills the temple. 1 Kings 8, verse 10. It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. So, again, we see the Lord's glory filled the temple in that case. So, following that theme, We also have another association there in the vision that Ezekiel has. This time, remember, Ezekiel has this vision during the time of exile. He's in Babylon. He sees this vision back into Jerusalem. And in Ezekiel 10-11, we read about the glory of the Lord departing from the temple and from Jerusalem. So there's this idea that the glory of the Lord is there in the temple or not in the temple in the case of Ezekiel. And then here we have in Haggai, Prophecy, the Ezra building temple, the Lord will fill this house with his glory. I think they'd be looking for that. And it's notable, probably a side note, but we don't ever see that noted when they finish this temple. When we read in Ezra, there's not a note that the glory of the Lord filled it, like it mentions real specifically in other places. They don't call out that he didn't fill it. When you read Ezra, you don't catch that, like, oh, something's missing. But if you go back and check, it's not there. know we'll think about maybe it looks so when Christ comes in the temple someday but we're not going there today so I think an illustration that they're going to start working on this temple and then God's eventually going to fill it with glory. It's kind of like if you were tasked to draw or make a picture of this beautiful scene and some nice shaded valley. There's a rippling brook and a cobble footpath that comes over a nice arch bridge to a little cozy cottage with some gardens. It'd be hard to sketch that out, at least for me, it'd be hard to sketch that out and really achieve what you were trying to present there and get the glory that that should have. But then God's saying he's going to step in and finish out their project, bring the glory they should have. Maybe like if Thomas Kinkade joins in, like, oh, let me paint that out for you, and now you've got it sketched in. You get the light just right, and the glowing windows, and the colors, and a lot more glory presented in that picture than if you just sketched out with a pencil. So again, God will bring the work to glorious end. That's our first principle. Now we're going to move to verse 8, and in verse 8 we're going to see that God's resources are unlimited. God's resources are unlimited. It says in verse 8, the silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. So this one's pretty straightforward to see. God owns all the silver, God owns all the gold. He controls who's put in charge of stewarding it, and where those resources go. Oh, we know this, but we often forget that, so it's a good reminder we have it here. Now, can you think of any time that God's resources were limited? I don't think so. Millions of hungry Israelites in the desert? Oh, not a problem. He gives them manna every day. Or a widow runs out of money? Not a problem. Their jars are filled with oil, and they have enough to pay off their debt. God's resources aren't limited. He doesn't have to run a fundraising campaign when He wants to start a project. The silver is His, and the gold is His. So, God's resources are unlimited. Now, if we go to verse 9, it says, what the principle we're going to see in verse 9 is that God's work increasingly displays His glory. God's work increasingly displays His glory. It says in verse 9, the first half of verse 9, the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. So remember, some people that were helping with the project in Haggai's day would remember the temple that Solomon had built. And they would say, that was a pretty good temple. And they look at the temple they're building now and say, oh, this is not so good. This is not as impressive. But God is saying, someday, when the work here is finished, this house will be more glorious than that former temple that Solomon built. So, right now, people are looking at the work and feel like this is something that's inferior, but God's saying that someday, when you see what God has built and finished, it will be something superior. So, we see a pattern here that God's work is increasingly displaying His glory. You know, think of the first tabernacle, that was glorious. And then we have the temple that Solomon built, that's even more glorious. And then, what the passage here is saying, that now there's something even more glorious than that that God is beginning to do, or continuing to do, that's continuing to show His glory. So again, God's work increasingly displays His glory. Now on the second half of verse 9, we have one more principle, and that's that God's work provides peace for His people. God's work provides peace for His people. It says in the end of verse 9, and in this place I will give peace declares the Lord of hosts. So here at the closing of prophecy, he tells the people what the result of the work is going to be. He says that God's glory is going to be revealed and God will give his people peace. Now, after years of being in exile, I'm sure that people were ready for peace. They were looking for that peace. And God says, someday in this place, I will give that peace. God calls people to a great work. It's a work that only He can accomplish. And as a result of this work, He's going to give His people peace. So again, our last principle is God's work provides peace for His people. So that's the passage, pretty straightforward. God will bring the work to a glorious end, God's resources are unlimited, God's work increasingly displays God's glory, and God's work provides peace for his people. So if we were living in Haggai's day, what would we expect? If we're hearing that prophecy, we would be thinking, OK, everybody's got a role to play in God's work. And it's not impressive right now, but take courage because God is with us. And God still considers that we're his covenant people, just like the covenant he made with us at Sinai. God's still faithful. And God says he's going to shake the earth again. And like Sinai, it'll be shaken, but it'll be stronger this time. and the best of nations is going to be brought in, and this is a place where God's worship will be filled with God's glory, and God's resources are not restrained, and the story's not over. Instead, the best is yet to come. One day, we'll have peace here at last. So, for Haggai, the people on Haggai's day, the second prophecy is really a hopeful one, and they're looking for it. I think that's the gist of the prophecy. But now, before we move into our second section, where we apply it to Christ, we have to get oriented to this passage. How do we use this passage? Instead of just skipping forward to our day, we have to figure out how does this apply through Christ to us today? And so how is this prophecy fulfilled in Christ? And I wrestled with this next part, because I knew where I wanted to get with it, but how to get there. And I think the best way we go is through Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews 12 actually quotes this passage. I think it's the only passage I can think of that quotes this specific part we're working in. So Hebrews chapter 12, and verse 26 through 29, They're gonna quote this passage from Haggai. It says, and his voice, that's God, and his voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised, saying, yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven. This expression, yet once more, denotes 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 receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, Let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service and reverence with awe, for our God is a consuming fire. So first he says that his voice shook the earth then, so that's God's voice. And God's voice shook the earth then, and refers to then, so in the context of then, Hebrews 12 is referring back to Exodus 19, which we read earlier today. This is when Moses and Israel received that covenant at Mount Sinai. And then he says, the author of Hebrews says that just like that, now God is making another promise to his people. At Sinai, God promised that he would be their God, they would be his people. Now here under the new covenant in Hebrews, God is again establishing a promise. He will say that he will be their God, we will be their people. He will be our God, we will be his people. And as this new covenant is anticipated through the prophets, then Hebrews pulls out this prophecy from Haggai. And he says, there's the promise of another shaking that's coming. Looking forward, something that even a believer in Hebrews day would be looking forward to that coming. It says, yet once more, I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven. The author of Hebrews is pulling that phrase forward from Haggai, and he's telling the believers how we should interpret that. Yet once more, there's a grand finale that's coming. He says, it denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as I've created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. So everything is going to be shook up, and only the unshakable things will remain. And here's where it's going. He says that, the author of Hebrews says, we'll receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken. So, in the New Covenant, we're brought into a kingdom which cannot be shaken. So, as time progresses, you know, there will be a lot of shaking, but the kingdom of God will never be shaken. The only thing that will endure on the final day of the Lord is that kingdom of God. So, the author of Hebrews is saying now, it's not so much about a temple, but about this kingdom of God that will not be shaken. And it's about the kingdom of Christ. And we see that Christ's kingdom of day is the church. So considering those points of the passage, now we'll look at how should we look at Haggai's prophecy in light of Christ and Christ's kingdom. God is gonna bring his work to a glorious end, and we see that God's work increasingly displays his glory, and so our first consideration of Christ there is God's glory is displayed today in the church. God's glory is displayed today in the church. So we can see an example of that in Ephesians chapter three, where Paul says, In chapter 3 verse 8 and 10, 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. for the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places." He talks about the manifold wisdom of God. God's glory will be displayed, His wisdom will be demonstrated for everyone to see. There's another reference to that in Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5, 25 and 27, again speaking about the glory of the Church, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her. So he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. So here Christ is sanctifying the church and presents her to himself in all her glory. So again, you see there's a glory displayed there. So, that's our first principle, our first consideration of Christ. God's glory is displayed today in the church. Now, in Haggai we also saw that God's resources are unlimited, and we can consider that Christ supplied what was needed to accomplish God's work. Christ supplied what was needed to accomplish God's work. So remember in Haggai, the silver belonged to God, the gold belongs to God, he could afford to rebuild the temple. But Christ came, he didn't come to build a temple. Christ told Peter in Matthew 16 verse 18, I'll build my church. And it's not about physical building, they don't need physical materials. There's no amount of silver or gold that could bring one sinner into God's kingdom. The sacrificial system that God had given the Israelites in the Old Testament is all along pointing to what their one need is, the need that the guilty party, which broke God's law, needed to die. In order to bring a sinner into God's kingdom, there would be a very high cost, and Christ supplied what was needed to accomplish God's work. He gave himself to die in the place of guilty sinners. In John 3, 16, it says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God didn't come and buy it with silver and gold. God gave us only son to accomplish that work of redemption. We can all see in 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 21 says He, that's God, Him, Jesus, who knew no sin, to be a sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Christ was sinless, Christ was innocent, but He took our guilt and our punishment so that we would be covered by His righteousness. So you see, Christ supplied what was needed to accomplish God's work. Now back in Haggai, we also saw that God's work provides peace for His people. And consider Christ is the one who brought peace to God's people. Christ brought peace to God's people. Christ brought both peace with God and also peace with our fellow believers. We can hear about that peace with God in Romans chapter 5. Chapter 5 verse 1 of Romans says, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, through faith, Jesus has allowed our sins to be forgiven. We're no longer enemies of God, instead we have peace with God. Now, Jesus also brought us peace with our fellow believers. Right into the church in Ephesus, which would be a mix of Jews and Gentiles, which might not get along historically, Paul writes in Ephesians 2, verse 13 and 16, But now in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off, have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by abolishing in his flesh the enmity, which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in himself he might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace. and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity." So in Christ we now have peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We're one in Christ. And if our brother or sister is accepted by Christ, then we can also accept this brother or sister that Christ has reconciled. So that's that point. Christ brought peace to God's people. Now we want to consider applications of this passage and how it affects our lives. For our first one, it's that if God's glory is displayed today in the church, and we know that God will bring his work to a glorious end, an application is that, first is that we should rejoice in the work that God is doing in the church. We should rejoice in the work that God is doing in the church. Paul is confident about the work that God is doing in the church in Philippi when he writes in Philippians chapter 1 verse 6, For I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is working in his church and it will not fail, but it will continue to mature until the day of Christ returns. 3 John also models that rejoicing in the work that God's doing. In 3 John, he's writing to a fellow believer, and he's rejoicing in what God's doing in his life. He says in 3 John, verses 3 and 4, For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. As God's carrying out His work in the church, we can expect to be hearing about believers locally and believers abroad that are flourishing and maturing and growing in Christ, and we can rejoice. That's an occasion to rejoice in what God is doing, the work that God is accomplishing. And also in Haggai, we see that, remember, they're anticipating the wealth of nations will be brought in. We see that, I think, finite fulfillment in Lord bringing in believers from around the world into his kingdom. In Revelation, it foresees that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will be gathered to worship the Lamb. In Revelation chapter 5, second half of 9 and verse 10, it says, worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom of priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. It says that every nation will contribute to God's kingdom, not just with gold and silver, but with the men and women who are brought in as citizens of God's kingdom. So again, that first application, we should rejoice in the work that God is doing in the church. Now in Haggai, we also see that God's resources are not limited. We see that Christ has opened that way for us to be reconciled with God. So for our second application, I want to see that we find everything we need in Christ. We find everything we need in Christ. The Lord can supply our material needs. We see in Matthew 17, that's the story of Peter and Jesus and the Tax collectors are telling, or maybe this is a temple, anyway, they're telling Peter, you guys need to pay your taxes. And Jesus tells Peter, go to the sea, run a line, and you catch that first fish, they'll have a coin in there, you can use that to pay your taxes. And the Lord has creative ways of providing for our needs in that case. The Lord still has the resources to meet our material needs. In Haggai, remember that silver and the gold belongs to God. We can see even kind of the even farther side of that as we look at New Jerusalem. Even the streets are made of gold. God doesn't lack any, doesn't lack any resources. Not just our physical needs, we see the Lord can also supply for our emotional needs. In 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 3 and 5, it says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. who comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. So whatever sufferings we might encounter in life, we will find everything we need in Christ. Most importantly, we see that Christ supplies our every spiritual need. It says in Ephesians 1, verse 3, believers are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. In Philippians 4, Paul is confident and writes, And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Not just some of your needs, and not just most of your needs, not just all your needs most of the time. He says, My God will supply all your needs. How will we do that? We'll do it according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. How much is that? It's overflowing, it's abundant. There's a lot of glory in Christ Jesus. God doesn't lack any resources to supply what is needed. So, will we have needs in life? Yes. But we can take Him to the Lord. It's an opportunity for God to display His glory as He provides for our needs. And God's resources are not limited. We will find everything we need in Christ. Now Haggai, our last application, remember we see that God's Word provides peace for His people. And specifically, we see that God offers peace to God's people, so our application is going to be embrace the peace that Christ offers. Embrace the peace that Christ offers. In the world, the world is generally not a peaceful place now with the effects of sin. We can see Romans 8, it reminds us that creation is groaning under the curse of sin. There's going to be a lot of turmoil in the world and that only continues to increase as time progresses. If you don't feel that turmoil, just turn on the news and watch a little bit, you'll see a lot of turmoil out there. But the good thing is that Christ offers a peace that has overcome the world. At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke to his disciples about the struggles that he was facing. He says in John 16, verse 33, These things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. In the world the followers of Christ are going to face tribulation, but in Christ we can know peace. we know that Christ has overcome the world. And another reference to peace can be found in Philippians chapter four, verse, end of verse five through seven. It says, the Lord is near, be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Paul reminds the believers in Philippi that it can be pretty easy to slip into being anxious about things, but he says, don't be anxious about it, but pray about it. Bring your requests, express your thankfulness to God, and his peace will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We're not slaves to the turmoil and the tensions the world faces. Christ has brought us peace. So if you're here today and you realize that you've not repented of your sin, If you do not call to God for forgiveness and trust in Christ's finished work, then it's an invitation for you that you should embrace the peace that God has offered you. Christ is the only place where we can experience true peace. Haggai tells us that God's gonna shake the heavens and the earth, and like Mount Sinai, that was dreadful, the day God shakes heaven and earth will also be dreadful. But Hebrews 12.27, Hebrews 12.27 knows that there's a time coming when everything will be shaken, and only the kingdom of God will endure. Why don't we repent and pursue Christ, turn to Him? He can offer true peace. You will find everything you need in Him. In conclusion today, We've seen the end of the second prophecy of Haggai. Now we've seen the work of their call to perform is not meaningless. God has a perfect plan with what he's doing. And today we see especially God's glory is displayed in the church that God continues to provide for every need of his people. Though the world is going to be shaken in Christ, God has given his people peace. We know the end. That makes all the difference. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for today. We thank you for this prophecy from Haggai and the things we learned here. We thank you that we know how things will turn out in the end, that you're going to be victorious over sin and the curse of death and will be glorious. We thank you that you've given us peace even now to know those things and we trust you in those things. We pray that you would keep these things in our minds as we're going through this next week that we would be just drawing close to you and rejoicing the ways that we see working in our lives and the lives of those around us. We pray all this in Jesus' name, amen. Okay, take discussion, other things that add to that. Yeah. You're expecting a hard question, right? Go for it. I don't have one. Part of the theme of today's message had to do with the peace of God, the peace of Christ. So that got me to thinking, and this is just a thought for everybody. If we can't get along slash forgive with another believer, could this mean one may not be a believer? That we might not be a believer? Or that they might not be? One. Oh, one of them might not be a believer? One of the party. I mean, that's man's logic, I guess you could say. But it seems reasonable that if there's no reconciliation, if there's no peace, if there's no coming back together, then wouldn't that beg the question, one of those parties I suppose both, you could say. I guess it could be both. I'm not sure I have a good answer to that one. It's just a consideration. OK. It's just something to consideration. And then on another thought that I had as you were teaching is the fact that we, in the vernacular of the Christian culture and Christian language, Scripture clearly talks about the Antichrist in several places. But I thought, you know, since there's an Antichrist, does it seem reasonable that we should also be aware of an Antichurch? Many churches, particularly in our society as we see, as long as we live, we kind of see churches moving away from Scripture, moving away from mission, I just kind of coined that word, anti-church. Obviously it's not something you want to walk into another church and scream at them. So real quick on both of those points, Gary, your point on Is it a cause for concern about salvation if there's not reconciliation between the professing believers? I would say Christ said, you cannot love me and hate your brethren. So it's a great place for us to look at our own hearts if we are in a position where we can't be reconciled with somebody. And really, in a reverent fear, ask the question, are we in a place where We're unwilling to obey Christ's plan for us. And in the best way that we are able to, you know, whatever the given situation. But I do think there's some validity to that. At least being cognizant of that so that we don't end up in a situation where we say, Lord, Lord, and He says, pardon me, I never knew you, right? Because He said that. Obviously, right? That's the Book of Jude, right? I long to write to you about our common salvation, but instead I'm writing to you about those that have crept in among us, right? With this sort of defeat. So, absolutely, and that's in large part, I think, a call to unity in the Church, right? Because on both the reconciliation piece and in the And any time we bring up that word unity as we're talking about Wednesday night We mustn't forget the other two, the purity and the verity, because somebody made the illustration of a three-legged school that doesn't sit with only two legs. I think that along that line, being at peace with someone, if you're doing your best to get along with someone, even if it's not a believer, we still should be striving for peace with them. It says in Romans 12, if possible, so much as it lies in you, be at peace with all men. So there'd always be that, there'd always be seeking peace, even if it wasn't, even if you didn't like that person as a believer, you would, just another verse on that subject. Yeah? Well, to that same subject, just because a couple of believers can't reconcile with each other, I wouldn't move real quick to calling this out for salvation. We all understand that one of the greatest troubling walks for me is the Christian life itself. And it's real easy to be too proud to admit wrongdoing and to admit culpability. and if Gary and I had something to sing us, it'd be pretty easy, and for us, you know, because we're a few kids, and because we're men, pride is a big stumbling block, a big humbling yourself to admit guilt, admit wrongdoing. That's human nature. Yeah, I guess you could say one or more of them might not be believers, but that's, you know, after a lot of believing. Yeah, just could not bury the hatchet because of profit. Yeah, and I wasn't pointing that out. I was pointing to someone else's, someone else. I was making that statement as reflecting upon ourselves. If I'm in a disagreement with someone else, I don't want to be self-deceived, because it's real easy to be self-deceived. And so consequently, I have to reflect on that when I'm in a disagreement with a believer. Am I doing everything that God wants me to do and Christ to reconcile with that person? Or is my pride keeping me from that? which, yeah, that, yeah. So if you're in a disagreement with a believer, the solution is the gospel. If you're in a disagreement with a non-believer, the solution is the gospel. If you're in a disagreement with anything, the solution is the gospel, whether it's to share it or to apply it, to live it. Christ is the peace. More focused on the sin than saving your own life. Be consistent with that. That's your main focus. The other will work itself out.