THE LORD WILL FILL HIS TEMPLE WITH GLORY
“THE LORD WILL FILL HIS TEMPLE WITH GLORY”
KENNY MARTIN – at LifeWay FMC in Indianapolis
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: HAGGAI 2:1-9
Pastor Kenny Martin is a candidate for bishop. Click here for his introductory video.
Pastor Kenny Martin is interviewed here.
THE COMING GLORY OF GOD’S HOUSE
2 1“IN THE SEVENTH MONTH, ON THE TWENTY-FIRST OF THE MONTH, THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME BY HAGGAI THE PROPHET, SAYING: 2“SPEAK NOW TO ZE-RUB-BA-BEL THE SON OF SHE-AL-TI-EL, GOVERNOR OF JUDAH, AND TO JOSHUA THE SON OF JE-HO-ZA-DEK, THE HIGH PRIEST, AND TO THE REMNANT OF THE PEOPLE, SAYING: 3‘WHO IS LEFT AMONG YOU WHO SAW THIS TEMPLE IN ITS FORMER GLORY? AND HOW DO YOU SEE IT NOW? IN COMPARISON WITH IT, IS THIS NOT IN YOUR EYES AS NOTHING? 4YET NOW BE STRONG, ZE-RUB-BA-BEL,’ SAYS THE LORD; ‘AND BE STRONG, JOSHUA, SON OF JE-HO-ZA-DEK, THE HIGH PRIEST; AND BE STRONG, ALL YOU PEOPLE OF THE LAND,’ SAYS THE LORD,’ AND WORK; FOR I AM WITH YOU,’ SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS. 5‘ACCORDING TO THE WORD THAT I COVENANTED WITH YOU WHE YOU CAME OUT OF EGYPT, SO MY SPIRIT REMAINS AMONG YOU; DO NOT FEAR!’ 6“FOR THUS SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS: ‘ONCE MORE (IT IS A LITTLE WHILE) I WILL SHAKE HEAVEN AND EARTH, THE SEA AND DRY LAND; 7AND I WILL SHAKE ALL NATIONS, AND THEY SHALL COME TO THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS, AND I WILL FILL THIS TEMPLE WITH GLORY,’ SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS. 8‘THE SILVER IS MINE, AND THE GOLD IS MINE,’ SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS. 9‘THE GLORY OF THIS LATTER TEMPLE SHALL BE GREATER THAN THE FORMER,’ SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS. ‘AND IN THIS PLACE I WILL GIVE PEACE,’ SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS.”
HAGGAI WAS A PROPHET TO THE JEWS WHO HAD RETURNED FROM EXILE IN BABYLON WITH THE CALL TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE, WHILE THE PEOPLE WERE SAYING, THE TIME HAS NOT COME FOR THE HOUSE OF THE LORD TO BE REBUILT.
PROPHETS ARE CALLED AS WATCHMEN ON THE WALL TO WARN GOD’S PEOPLE THAT THERE WILL BE JUDGMENT. THE BIBLE SAYS IN I PETER 4:17, “FOR THE TIME HAS COME FOR JUDGMENT TO BEGIN AT THE HOUSE OF GOD AND IT BEGINS WITH US, FIRST. WHAT WILL BE THE END OF THOSE WHO DO NOT OBEY THE GOSPEL OF GOD.”
SO, IN OUR TEXT TODAY IN HAGGAI, IT IS ALSO RELEVANT FOR US BECAUSE IT’S A CALL FOR REPENTANCE, FOR RESTORATION, AND RENEWAL FOR REVIVAL. AS THE PEOPLE OF GOD, WE MUST DISCERN THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES WE’RE IN. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A SHAKING THAT’S GOING ON AROUND THE WORLD. THE NEWS ISN’T GETTING ANY BETTER. WE ARE ON HIGH ALERT.
IN HAGGAI 2:7, THERE IS A MESSIANIC PROPHECY TO THE WORLD THAT AS THE WORLD WORSHIPS OTHER GODS AND SACRIFICE TO IDOLS, THAT THERE IS A SHAKING COMING TO THE NATIONS. IN MATTHEW 24:6-8, JESUS SAID, 6 “AND YOU WILL HEAR OF WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS. SEE THAT YOU ARE NOT TROUBLED; FOR ALL THESE THINGS MUST COME TO PASS, BUT THE END IS NOT YET. 7 FOR NATION WILL RISE AGAINST NATION, AND KINGDOM AGAINST KINGDOM. AND THERE WILL BE FAMINES, PESTILENCES, AND EARTHQUAKES IN VARIOUS PLACES. 8 ALL THESE ARE THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS.”
THERE ARE NATIONS TRYING TO PROVE THEY ARE THE GREATEST. YOU CAN SEE THIS ON THE NEWS STATIONS, FLEXING THEIR MUSCLES, SHOWING THEIR STRENGTH. WE NEED TO HEAR THE PROPHETIC VOICE THAT CHALLENGES THE CHURCH TO DECLARE, THIS IS WHAT THE LORD ALMIGHTY SAYS! WE’RE SO CONCERNED WITH STUFF THAT HAS NO ETERNAL VALUE.
THAT’S WHAT HAGGAI CHAPTER 1 IS SAYING. “CONSIDER YOUR WAYS! YOU HAVE SOWN MUCH, AND BRING IN LITTLE; YOU EAT, BUT DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH; YOU DRINK, BUT YOU ARE NOT FILLED WITH DRINK; YOU CLOTHE YOURSELVES, BUT NO ONE IS WARM; AND HE WHO EARNS WAGES, EARNS WAGES TO PUT INTO A BAG WITH HOLES.”
I HAVE HOLES IN MY POCKET, BUT I GOT GOOD NEWS TODAY! FOR THE LORD HAS SENT ME TO LIFEWAY FREE METHODIST CHURCH. GOD HAS GIVEN YOU THIS LAND TO ENCOURAGE YOU SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT “I AM, THE CHRIST” IS WITH YOU! GOD IS WITH YOU IN THIS ASSIGNMENT.
HE THAT HAS AN EAR TO HEAR LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING TO THE CHURCH. FOCUS ON BUILDING GOD’S HOUSE, GOD’S TEMPLE.
CAN I GO DEEPER?
I CHRONICLES 22:15-19: 15 MOREOVER THERE ARE WORKMEN WITH YOU IN ABUNDANCE: WOODSMEN AND STONECUTTERS, AND ALL TYPES OF SKILLFUL MEN FOR EVERY KIND OF WORK. 16 OF GOLD AND SILVER AND BRONZE AND IRON THERE IS NO LIMIT. ARISE AND BEGIN WORKING, AND THE LORD BE WITH YOU.” 17 DAVID ALSO COMMANDED ALL THE LEADERS OF ISRAEL TO HELP SOLOMON HIS SON, SAYING, 18 “IS NOT THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH YOU? AND HAS HE NOT GIVEN YOU REST ON EVERY SIDE? FOR HE HAS GIVEN THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND INTO MY HAND, AND THE LAND IS SUBDUED BEFORE THE LORD AND BEFORE HIS PEOPLE. PEOPLE. 19 NOW SET YOUR HEART AND YOUR SOUL TO SEEK THE LORD YOUR GOD. THEREFORE ARISE AND BUILD THE SANCTUARY OF THE LORD GOD, TO BRING THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD AND THE HOLY ARTICLES OF GOD INTO THE HOUSE THAT IS TO BE BUILT FOR THE NAME OF THE LORD.”
- PREPARE WITH ABUNDANCE – VERSES 1-5
- PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION – VERSES 6-16
- ARISE AND BEGIN WORKING – VERSES 17-19
- I CHRONICLES 28:9-10 – 9 “AS FOR YOU, MY SON SOLOMON, KNOW THE GOD OF YOUR FATHER, AND SERVE HIM WITH A LOYAL HEART AND WITH A WILLING MIND; FOR THE LORD SEARCHES ALL HEARTS AND UNDERSTANDS ALL THE INTENT OF THE THOUGHTS. IF YOU SEEK HIM, HE WILL BE FOUND BY YOU; BUT IF YOU FORSAKE HIM, HE WILL CAST YOU OFF FOREVER. 10 CONSIDER NOW, FOR THE LORD HAS CHOSEN YOU TO BUILD A HOUSE FOR THE SANCTUARY; BE STRONG, AND DO IT.”
- PREPARE TO BUILD YOUR TEMPLE – I CORINTHIANS 3:16-17 – 16 “DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD AND THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLS IN YOU? 17 IF ANYONE DEFILES THE TEMPLE OF GOD, GOD WILL DESTROY HIM. FOR THE TEMPLE OF GOD IS HOLY, WHICH TEMPLE YOU ARE.”
I CORINTHIANS 6:19-20 – 19 “OR DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS IN YOU, WHOM YOU HAVE FROM GOD,AND YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN?20FORYOU WERE BOUGHT AT A PRICE; THEREFORE, GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY AND IN YOUR SPIRIT, WHICH ARE GOD’S.”
CLOSING: – PREPARE TO BUILD THIS TEMPLE, TO BUILD THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, HIS SANCTUARY!
IT IS MY PRAYER TODAY THAT GOD WOULD SO FILL US WITH HIS PRESENCE, FILL US WITH HIS LOVE. AND THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD THAT IS AT REST IN YOU WOULD SHAKE YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE HUNGRY TO BE FILLED WITH THE GLORY OF GOD.
AND THE LORD WILL FILL HIS TEMPLE WITH GLORY! NOT JUST INSIDE THIS BRICK AND MORTAR OF A CHURCH BUILDING, BUT IN THIS VESSEL, THIS JAR OF CLAY!
AND THE BIBLE SAYS (II CORINTHIANS 4:7), “BUT WE HAVE THIS TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS, THAT THE EXCELLENCY OF THE POWER MAY BE OF GOD AND NOT OF US.”
Click HERE to see the video of this sermon.