There's Work To Do

November 13, 2024

Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, November 10, 2024.

Sermon text: Haggai 2:1-9


So even though we are not exiled Jews once under the rule of the Babylonians but now

under the rule of the Persians, this text is incredibly relatable and timely! When it comes to

your faith, do you sometimes know the right thing to do and fail to do it? Do you sometimes

start something like a Bible reading plan or study or prayer and not follow through with

it? Do you struggle with a sense of futility and sometimes default to looking out only for

your own interests? Do you know that nothing would be better for you than to reorder

your life and die to yourself and live for God, but still, you struggle with getting after it?

God's people have been given the green light to rebuild the temple, and 16 years have

passed! Our setting this morning is that they have started the process of rebuilding, finally!

But after only days they have slowed their working, coming nearly to a halt.


In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by

the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor

of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the

people, and say, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do

you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?


The Lord of hosts wants His people to deal with their baggage

1.) Deal with your baggage

Apparently, the reason they have lost their zeal so quickly is their memories of the good old

days. There were some Israelites who were now in their 70s who experienced the glory of

Solomon's temple in the flesh. The dimensions of what they were building were actually the

exact same, but the grandeur was not even close. Rudyard Kipling has a poem with a line

about building something back up that you've lost, with worn out tools. Climb into the

story. Imagine older men and women leading these younger generations. They are standing

on a slab with a lot of work to do. With withered and calloused hands and worn out tools

they begin to rebuild. And within moments their hearts become heavy because it just feels

so futile. How could it compare to their previous experience?

I think God is showing us the importance of dealing with our baggage and how to do it.


 Be honest about your thoughts (previous church, people you did life with, a place

you lived)

 Take your thoughts captive (the wrong thoughts can lead to disobedience)

 Reckon with reality (maybe you think now compared to then is “nothing”)


4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of

Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work,

for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with

you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.


2.) Be Strong and Fearless

Strength is needed because our burdens way us down. Weakness and loss of zeal can come

in many ways. The language "be strong" can also be translated as "take courage". So this

isn't just the physical strength to actually get something done, but also the mental fortitude

of a transformed mind.


Fearlessness is needed because fear never leads to productivity. It always leads to doubt

and paralysis and excuses. Fear allows hurdles and unknowns to crush your spirit.

So God calls His people to deal with their baggage, and then commands them to be strong

and fearless. Have you ever told someone, "Hey, don't be fearful... don't be anxious... don't

be depressed... don't be weak." For those in that headspace or that season of life, that can

feel like being told, "Hey, don't be tall... don't be bald..." When you are struggling it

doesn't feel like you are choosing to struggle. It feels like it is just the way you are. So God,

in His mercy, gives us some reasons to be strong and fearless...


 There is work to do

 I am working with you

 My Spirit remains in your midst


6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens

and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the

treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of

hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9 The latter glory

of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I

will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’ ” 

God encourages us to deal with our baggage, be strong and courageous because there is

work to do, and finally....


3.) Battle for an eternal perspective

The past is not meant to establish what you put your hand to now. The future does. The

unrest we feel now will be replaced with peace eternally. No matter how futile your faithful

actions seem, whether it is with your marriage, or your children, or your lack of those

things, or a small ministry, or whatever and wherever God is calling you to serve, it serves

a much bigger goal. And that goal is the glory of God. It is a battle because 2 Cor. 4 tells us

that the god of this world wants to blind the minds of unbelievers from seeing the glory of

God in the face of Christ. One way that the enemy does that is to weigh your spirit down...

to steal your joy... to cripple you with fear and zap your strength. In the enemy's mind it

goes like this, If I can keep them from serving in the Children's ministry... if I can isolate

them and make them feel like nobody else struggles with the things they struggle with... If I

can make them give way to the solicitations of the flesh and leave ministry... if I can divide

the leadership so that the church is torn apart.... maybe then that child will be blinded to

the glory of God... maybe that loner will be blinded to God's glory in community... maybe

that addict will be blinded to God's glory in accountability and community... maybe that

person who has experienced church hurt will be blinded to God's glory in church healing. I

call it a battle for an eternal perspective because it takes some grit, and it is a battle for

souls! Yours and others. As you deal with your baggage, strong and fearless, leaning into

the work that God is calling you to, your work will, gradually now, and in a significant

moment later, be met with a shaking. God shakes us now and nothing is left the way it was.

We are not our own. Our resources and talents and time now belong to Him! And that is

exactly what He will do on a much larger scale when Jesus comes back. He will shake the

heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land and the nations, drawing people to

Himself, a people for His own possession, laying hold of the silver, gold, and souls that are

rightfully His! So keep working! Indeed, the latter glory of this house shall be greater than

the former!


Discipleship Questions:

1.) What baggage are you carrying around that might be keeping you from leaning into what God is calling you to?

2.) Where in your life are you allowing fear to steal your zeal? Confess your fears and pray for one another.

3.) How does the reality of God’s presence working with you impact your view of the work? 

4.) If God’s eternal plans truly impacted your life, how would your life be different? What are some actions steps you can put in place today to lean into what God is calling you to? 

5.) What does an eternal perspective look like? How can you help your children pursue this?

Arm Yourselves

June 11, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

I Believe That We Will Win

June 3, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?

Who Can Be Against Us?

May 27, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
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