Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 10, Number 30, DeMotte, Jasper County, 13 June 1940 — IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL SUNDAy CHOOL Lesson [ARTICLE]

IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL SUNDA y CHOOL Lesson

By HAROLD L. LUNDQUIST. D. D.

D««n of The Moody Btblo Institute of Chicago. (Ralaascd by Waatarn Newspaper Union.)

Lesson for June 16 Lesson subjects and Scripture text* selected and copyrighted by International Council of Religious Education; used by permission. HAGGAI URGES THE BUILDING OF GOD’S HOUSE 4- • —- ' LESSON TEXT—Haggai 1:2-l2. GOLDEN TEXT—And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some Is. —Hebrews 10:24. 25. Religious work—or, more correctly stated, Christian work— is a difficult and discouraging task, except for the grace and blessing of God. Not only does the Christian worker have to struggle against that archenemy of God and of the souls of men, Satan himself, but he must overcome the deadly indifference and carelessness of men both outside and inside the Church. Then, as if that were not enough, he finds another enemy, the discouragement of his own heart. Haggai ministered to the Jews who had returned from captivity and who had begun to rebuild the temple. Opposition had developed before they had made more than a beginning, and they at once gave up and turned their interest to their own affairs and the building of their own homes. God was displeased by this sinfulness on their part, and brought judgment upon them through a prolonged drouth. Haggai was called to awaken their conscience and to encourage them to action. I. Consider Your Ways (w. 2-6. MD. It was not necessary for the prophet to work up any eloquent plea to stir the conscience of the people. He had only to point' to their own ways. They were thus faced with three reproving facts. 1. Indifference (v. 2). They were negligent and indifferent, saying the time had not come to build. The same kind of folk today are very sure that the congregation simply cannot afford to keep up preaching services, or heat and light the for Sunday School. 2. Selfishness (v. 4). They built for themselves ceiled houses and lived in luxury, while God’s house lay waste. One is reminded of our own communities, which have money for every conceivable comfort and convenience, but only a few niggardly pennies for God’s work. 3. Loss (vv. 6, 9-11). Being stingy toward God is a losing business. He has only to withhold His blessing and we will find ourselves destitute. That is true in the physical realm and is even more true in the spiritual life. Withholding from God will always result in loss (see Prov. 11:24). 11. “Build the House’* (v. 8). God’s work is constructive. He may have to destroy and tear down, but He only takes away the old and undesirable that the new and worthy may be built. Three words stand out here. 1. “Go.” The Lord wants His people to get into action. Haggai was interested in getting things going. Let us follow his example. 2. ‘‘Bring.” We are not to come to the Lord’s service empty handed. Only as He blesses do we have anything to bring, but often we fail to bring even that which He has supplied. 3. “Build.” God’s work is committed to us. We are to be His builders. 111. “The People Obeyed” (v. 12). “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (I Sam. 15:22). God is looking for obedient people, and is ready to bless and use them. The response to Haggai's message came from 1. The Governor. One wonders what progress America would make back to God if its rulers were to lead us in obedience to His commands and in seeking His face in repentance and prayer. Thank God for every truly spiritually minded national leader, and pray that others may yield themselves to the control of the Lord. Then came 2. The High Priest. All too often religious leaders have actually hindered the work of God—and what a hindrance they can be! We read that in Haggan’s time the. high priest .obeyed. Christian leaders, are we too going before our people in unquestioning obedience to God? If not, why should we not begin now? With such leadership, we are not surprised to hear that 3. The People Also Obeyed and Feared God. Many capable Christian workers believe that the youth of America of our day, far from being worse than their fathers, are actually seeking for real spiritual leadership.