• Paul - our 'messenger' / apostle to us for today!
• But we can sure see a similar pattern here as we are now to 'fix up' the temple of God today - US!

• Haggai may have been an old man who had seen the first temple (Haggai 2:3).
• His book consists of four brief discourses, followed by a response of Zerubbabel and the people:
• 1:1–11
• 1:12–15
• 2:1–9
• 2:10–19
• 2:20–23

• Judah had been conquered, Jerusalem burned, the temple demolished, and the people carried away to Babylon (605–586 b.c., as told in II Kings 24–25).
• After 70 years’ captivity, about 50,000 Jews had returned to their own land, by edict of King Cyrus (538 b.c.),
• and had begun to rebuild the temple.
• But soon after they laid the foundation, the work was stopped by their enemy neighbors.
•  Nothing further was done for 15 years.

• In the meantime, a new king, Darius, had ascended the Persian throne.
• He was kindly disposed toward the Jews.
• And under the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah, work was resumed, and the temple was completed in four years (520–516  b.c. ).
• But Jerusalem was still a city without a wall: the wall of Jerusalem was not built until about 70 years later, under Nehemiah.

• It is about rebuilding the temple of God when the people don't want to do it!
• So, today, let's look at how this can be an actual 'pattern' that matches with Paul's pattern for us, as we are the temple of God today!
• Do we need to do some 'rebuilding?'
• DO WE NOT WANT TO YET?
• Do we realize yet that Jesus isn't some magical being that will 'fix' everything for us?
• You know, the One you want to mysteriously and miraculously keep us from any trouble by talking to us in our hearts and 'feelings' as we gather with anybody and everybody and worship a loving God, etc.
• We get our building done by following Paul as our wise masterbuilder!

• Note:
• Halley's Book says that the 'church' is the temple of God today.
• That is serious false-teaching and has filled all of modern Christianity.

• Note:
• Acts 17 - God is not in a temple today - He is in us!
• Old Testament Temple / Tabernacle, etc.
• God was WITH them...
• Today - Paul's Dispensation of Grace
• God is IN Us
• Romans 8:9-11 - But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
• I Corinthians 3:9 - For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
• II Corinthians 6:16 - And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
• Ephesians 2:21,22 - In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
• Ephesians 3:17 - That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
• After new heaven and a new earth
• God will be "with" them!
• Revelation 21:3 - And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
• Revelation 7:15: Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

• We have laid the correct foundation with Paul's gospel about the risen Christ!
• Now, we go to the wise master-builder to build on the foundation in our lives!
• I Corinthians 15:1-8
• I Corinthians 3:10-16

1: In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,

2.  Today, people say "Not Now!"

• 1:2: Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.
• We can learn 'for' us about the need to 'fix' God's temple - OURSELVES!
• BUT DO WE WANT TO NOW?
• See Pharaoh's example of "one more night with the frogs" -  Exodus 8:9,10 - And he said, To morrow.

• 1:3: Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,

• 1:4: Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
• See  I Timothy 3:4 - Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.
• Do we do our own selves - the flesh, instead of doing what we know would please God and build the proper building?

• 1:5-7: Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
• Ye have sown much, and bring in little;
• ye eat, but ye have not enough;
• ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink;
• ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and
• he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
• Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

• 1:8: Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
• Remember, it is His house now!
• I Corinthians 6:20 - For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.