05-29-11 AM - There is a way...

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Haggai 1:1-15;  Phil. 2:1-11
Prov. 14:11-12  The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
 Haggai 1:1-11  1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built.'"
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:
4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
 literally, “Set your heart” on your ways.  Ponder earnestly whether ye have gained by seeking self at the sacrifice of God.  They thought to escape poverty by not building, but keeping their money to themselves; God brought it on them for not building (Pr11:24 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. Mt 6:33). Instead of cheating God, they had been only cheating themselves.
6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the Lord.
9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.
                                                                                                        10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.
11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, (The body of Christ) the new wine, (The blood of Christ) the oil (The Holy Spirit) and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."
What did you hear in this passage?
1Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
Phil. 2:1-11                                                                                              1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
1. HE LET GO OF A PLACE OF HONOR (V.6)
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Is it self –promotion or Savior promotion?

2. HE MADE HIMSELF NOTHING(V.7)                                          
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Matthew 20:20-28   Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
21 "What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."
22 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.
25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

-The story of Abraham and Isaac

Would we be able to dash all our dreams against the heart of God with such abandon that we are willing to be nothing if He chooses that for us?
(Ken can we find a picture of Bamboo growing?)
Some times to go up we need to go down.                                   The Bamboo plant grows downward for seven year’s. And then it breaks through the soil and grows like crazy. Are you going through an under the soil time? Is God causing you to be nothing?

1 Peter 2:21                                                                                                              To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

3. HE PUT HIMSELF IN A LOWER POSITION (V.8)                 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

BECAUSE HE HAS ALWAYS LONGED TO HAVE A HOUSE IN THE HEART OF MAN.

Haggai 1:12-15 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai,( "Give careful thought to your ways. and build the house Vss. 5,7,8) because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.
13 Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: "I am with you," declares the Lord.
14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God,
15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.