Seeing…Yet Believing

Haggai 2:1-91
In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying: 2Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say, 3Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? 4Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the LORD; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD; work, for I am with you, says the LORD of hosts, 5according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear. 6For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; 7and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts. 8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. 9The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts.

---------------------------
Faith without sight is hard enough, isn’t it? Faith contrary to sight just seems too much to ask. And yet that’s what God is calling His people to in this passage! And this seems to be a norm in relationship with God. More often than not, God calls His people – people whom He has made His own, and with whom He has a long-standing and intimate relationship -- to this kind of faith. “I’ll give you a son and make you the father of a great nation,” God tells the 90 year-old Abraham, whose wife Sarah was well-beyond child-bearing years. “I’ll give you and your descendants this land that you’re lying on,” He tells Jacob, while he’s on the run with no roof over his head, let alone any land to his name. “You will bear a Son, who will be the Son of the Most High and of His Kingdom there shall be no end,” an Angel of the Lord tells Mary, a simple Jewish virgin, who was not of the royal household. “This is the man I’ve chosen to be a witness to the Gentiles,” He tells Ananias about Saul, who, Ananias knew, was a murderous persecutor of the church.

Have you heard a word like that from the Lord? Have you had that experience with the Lord? Where He calls you to a faith that is contrary to sight? Where He asks you to believe what makes no earthly sense, and is contrary to all clear evidence? Where He calls you to trust Him implicitly and completely – and, even, irrationally? To be able to live such a faith, one must know God intimately. And this takes time – time in which a deep relationship has been built up, where the character and power of God has become evident, and personally experienced, where the voice of God is recognized and gladly received. It cannot happen overnight.

In our reading for today, through the Prophet Haggai, God says to His people, “Remember the glory of this Temple in former days? How does it look like to you now? Like nothing?”

“Yes Lord. That’s what we see with our eyes.”

“Yet, now take courage,” says the Lord.

The Lord does not refute the evidence. He says, “Yet now, take courage.” In other words, “I know how it looks to you and you’re not blind or seeing things. Yet now, take courage. Because you know me. And I am with you. ” Now, when it looks “as nothing” in the Lord’s own words. Now is when He wants His people to take courage…and trust Him. He doesn’t want them to wait for when things look a little better to them. “Now” when, in their sight, it looks like nothing. “Now” when they remember correctly its former glory and could be devastated by the contrast of the current situation. “Now” when it makes no earthly sense to take courage, God says to them, “Yet, now take courage.”

How could they do this? Why would they do this? It depends on their relationship with God. They wouldn’t do it – wouldn’t be able to or want to rise to that faith – if they didn’t know God intimately, if they hadn’t learned from years of intimate relationship about God’s love and faithfulness; if they didn’t have in their heart and mind a treasure-chest of memory and experience in which they had tasted and seen that the Lord is good, even when it all looks bad.

Now, God is counting on them to remember this. Even as He knows they remember the temple’s former glory, He’s counting on them to remember His faithfulness over the years. He brought them out of slavery in Egypt. He took them to the Promised Land (eventually!). He brought them out of Babylonian captivity. They were the children of Abraham. This land had been given to them, children of Israel (Jacob). They had a long, and intimate history with their Lord. And, even though it had been tempestuous, because of their own disobedience, they had come to a place where they were confident of His faithfulness, having known it for themselves. So, when God asks if they remember the former glory of the temple, He’s counting on them to remember His history with them. When he asks if they remember the former glory of the temple, He’s counting on them to remember that He was there with Solomon and the people, when the first temple was built.

When He says, “Yet, now, take courage,” He’s speaking to a people who know Him. And He’s counting on the fact that they will remember who He is, how He loves, and what He can do. All of this comes out of a relationship that is deep and long-lasting. This faith cannot come out of people who do not know God intimately over a long period of time. You cannot trust someone you don’t know; certainly not at this level of implicit trust. God alludes to the length of this relationship: “work, for I am with you,” says the LORD of hosts, “according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt.”

This is why they can “yet, take courage” now, when things look so bad: for the Lord is with them. “Work, for I am with you.” He says. And, again, just to affirm His presence and allay their fears, “My spirit abides among you; do not fear.”

The presence of the Lord changes their perspective of the situation, and calls forth faith that spits in the face of the evidence. They remember His past faithfulness. They know Him. And so God can call forth their faith.

God goes on to say that “in a little while” He will do things that only He can; He will do things that only He has the power to do. These people know what that looks like. They’ve heard the stories of redemption all their lives, and they’ve even experienced it themselves. They’ve heard of the parting of the Red Sea and manna in the desert. They know how they survived in Babylonian captivity, and how they were set free. They remember their history with this Lord, whom they have come to trust because He has proved Himself trustworthy over and over again. This is about Him and what He can do. They work, not trusting their own meager abilities, but trusting Him.

And this is the Lord’s astounding, reality-defying promise to His people: “the latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity.” Now, when their temple looks to them like “nothing,” God tells them that the latter splendor will be greater than the former! Now -- when their natural instinct probably tends towards grief and hopelessness, as they remember what was, and see things as they are – “now” is when God gives them a glorious vision, one dramatically different from what they see. They can only believe because it’s God’s word. They can only trust His word because they know, from years of relationship, that He is faithful.

This is the faith that God calls us to. And it comes from knowing Him intimately. It is beyond rational, common sense. It often has little to do with what we see, and everything to do with knowing God. Knowing God gives these people a different perspective on what they see. God knows it. God encourages it. And God calls them to live it.

The people were obedient and began rebuilding the temple. Eventually, it was finished and even enlarged. And then, it was destroyed again, this time by the Romans. But, not before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom there is more glory and splendor than any man-made construction could ever hold. There was no need for the building after He came. In Him the fullness of God is pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:19)! The temple – any place of worship, however glorious -- pales in comparison to Jesus Christ, whose glory, splendour and majesty is beyond anything, or anyone, that came before or after.

God is true to His word.

God calls us to intimate relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. It is a life of faith and it endures, when we respond to Him. God calls us to this life, where we live seeing Him: seeing Him at work, redeeming, restoring, reconciling and rebuilding in the ruins all around us.

God is with us. At Christmas, especially, we celebrate that amazing truth. And because of it, we can “take courage,” obediently trusting the One who has loved us so much that He gave His life so we might live.

Do you see how things are? Yet, believe, for the Lord Himself is with us. Hallelujah!

Something about Jesus

Philippians 3: 7-14

7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
----------------------

Paul is telling the Philippians that he has suffered the loss of all things, and regards them as “rubbish” – the Greek word is stronger and stinks – in order that he may “gain Christ.” He says that he regards “everything” as loss because of the “surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Wow.

In case you didn’t know, Paul didn’t write these words in the comfort of his home, or in the throes of a successful evangelical meeting. No. Paul wrote them in prison. He was captive there because of this very Christ whom He clearly adores. There is not a modicum of bitterness in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Quite the contrary! Again and again, he writes about rejoicing – in the Lord. And in prison, having “suffered the loss of all things,’ in these seven verses before us, Paul makes it quite clear that he believes it’s all worth it.

To gain Christ.

To know Christ.

To be found in Christ.

Have you ever felt this way about Jesus? This is clearly so different from being a regular, even active, church member. This is clearly so different from being generous in one’s offertory, in saying one’s prayers regularly, in reading one’s Bible diligently.

Paul is talking about the “surpassing value of knowing Christ” as Lord. I’ve heard it said that the word “know” is the most intimate word in the Bible. Adam “knew” Eve (King James Bible), after all, and give birth to Cain!

Here, Paul is talking about a relationship with Jesus. A relationship so deep and enduring, it’s worth everything to him. He wouldn’t be talking this way – when he’s in prison for Jesus’ sake – if he just knew about Jesus, even really, really well. This is not an intellectual knowledge, knowledge acquired from books – not even from the Scriptures. No. This is Paul’s life experience -- his life-changing experience. He’s talking about a life-enhancing relationship with Jesus Christ, and it is one in which Jesus is Lord. Note that Paul calls Jesus “my Lord.” This is personal for Paul. Jesus is not just the Lord -- which He is -- but He’s Paul’s Lord. And something about knowing Jesus like that, says Paul, is of “surpassing value.”
Nothing else compares, he says. In fact, everything else is just plain rubbish!

To gain Christ is Paul’s objective. Christ Himself. Not facts about Christ, or even blessings from Christ. But Jesus Christ the person, the Lord Himself. And having gained Him, nothing else matters to Paul. He has suffered the loss of all things for Jesus’ sake! Did you hear that? The loss of all things! He’s not just talking about a day of fasting, or about giving up chocolates over Lent.

Do you love Jesus Christ like that?

Do you know what it is to love like that?

If Paul’s story is anything to go by, apparently, it will cost you. Even everything. On top of that, you could end up in prison, a helpless captive. But, here’s the amazing thing that is so obvious in Paul’s writings: He doesn’t care what happens to him. Knowing Jesus Christ is of such surpassing value to Paul.

Do you know Jesus Christ like that?

Paul seems to be saying to us, “You know that person you know and love more than any other? Well, knowing Jesus surpasses even that.”

There has got to be something about Jesus Christ that can make a man who was once a persecutor of the church write this way in prison! There has got to be something about Jesus Christ that makes a young woman named Agnes give up everything to dedicate her entire life to helping the poor, dying and destitute in His name, even when she felt anguish and darkness in her life for years. Mother Teresa (born Agnes), we now know, felt distant from this Jesus for years. Yet, having known Him and known His love, all the distance and anguish couldn’t change the surpassing value of knowing Him and, therefore, living for Him.

There has got to be something about Jesus that elicits this kind of devotion!

Paul doesn’t just want to be blessed by Christ. Paul doesn’t just want to celebrate Christmas. Paul doesn’t just want to attend Sunday school regularly. He says he wants “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death.”

He wants to share his sufferings by becoming like him in his death! Do you and I want to know Christ like that? This is how Paul loved Christ! And he seems to understand that to know the power of Christ’s resurrection, he had to share in Christ’s sufferings even unto death. I suppose it does make sense that one cannot know the power of resurrection without knowing the despair of death.

There has got to be something about Jesus Christ that would create in anyone the desire to be His disciple. Jesus makes it very clear that that means self-denial and carrying a cross. We wouldn’t do that for just anyone. In fact, we wouldn’t do that if we didn’t love Him. Madly.

Why would we love Jesus like that? Only because He first loves us like that. Enough to die for us. And come after us while we are still sinners.

Has Paul initiated this love? No. He’s doing all this, he says, because “Christ Jesus has made me His own.”

Here’s the truth: Jesus Christ is the initiator in this relationship. As He is in any relationship. He calls us – each one of us – by name, to know Him like that, where knowing Him is of “surpassing value” and everything else is “rubbish.”

Can you imagine loving someone so greatly that nothing else seems to matter? It is a love that is beyond the confines of reason or sense or distance or circumstances. Paul knew Jesus Christ like this. And in knowing Him like that, Paul thought Jesus was worth the loss of everything that had once mattered to him.

How different this is from a passing interest in the Lord Jesus Christ! How different this is from fitting Jesus into our daily lives, and congratulating ourselves when we make a little extra time on Sunday and a mid-week Bible study.

There has got to be something about Jesus Christ that He would make a man like Paul His own. Paul used to be Saul, a murderous persecutor of the church, remember? Jesus came after him!

And changed his life.

There is something about Jesus Christ that He wants to make sinners His very own. And give us new lives. He comes after us because He loves us. It doesn’t matter who we are, or what our story is. Jesus loves us. He makes us His own -- if we let Him. And then, He gives us new life.

That’s why I believe that Paul is on to something here. I believe knowing Jesus Christ is “of surpassing value.” I believe that He is worth giving up all things for His sake. I also believe – hallelujah! -- “Christ Jesus has made me His own.”

Do you believe that about yourself? It’s true. He comes to us, each one of us individually, and says, “I love you so much I died for you. You will find no greater love than mine for you.” It’s the kind of love, when known, that elicits devoted response, and radically changes lives. As it did for Paul.

Have you ever felt love like that?

Paul clearly couldn’t help himself. What he is expressing here is not a carefully thought out love. It is complete and utter abandonment in response to first love – Jesus’ love for him.

And so Jesus Christ is his Lord. And Paul gives up “all things” for his Lord.

Have you ever given up something for Jesus? As you think about that, think about this: Jesus Christ gave Himself up for you. Gave up His glory. Gave up His life. For you. And for me. And for Paul.

There has got to be something about Jesus! And if you haven’t felt it yet, well, come to Him. Find out for yourself. He knows your story, just like He knew Paul’s. And, He’s already chosen you, just like He chose Paul. It's up to you to respond.

And once you know Jesus, I mean, really know Him, you’ll know His love and…

...You won’t be able to hold back.