SPIRITUAL DROUGHT

 

TEXT: HAGGAI 1

 

THESIS:           UNLESS WE PUT THE LORD FIRST IN OUR LIVES WE WILL

                              EXPERIENCE A SPIRITUAL DROUGHT.

 

 

I.    SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN CHRIST

 

A. As Christians, we know of the manifold blessings we have in Christ Jesus, our Lord, because of the great love and grace which our heavenly Father has bestowed upon us.

 

1.We could study the topic of the blessings we have in the Lord by being one of God's children and never exhaust the subject.                             

a. For instance, fellowship together, worship together, working together, peace, joy, hope, are just several that come to mind.

 

            2.However, there is one particular passage that stands out in the             New Testament which enumerates many of those blessings in Christ              that we hold closest and most      dear.  Eph. 1:3-7 READ for the                  Scripture reading.

 

                  a.    ADOPTION Gal. 3:26-4:7

                  b.    ACCEPTANCE

                  c.    REDEMPTION

                  d.    FORGIVENESS

                  e.    THE MYSTERY REVEALED

                  f.    INHERITANCE

                  g.    THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

      B. Could we ever lose these blessings that we have in Christ?

           

            1. Of course we could.  The Bible tells us in several places in the           New Testament that we can fall from grace.

 

                  a. 2 Pet. 2:20-22 For if, after they have escaped the                         pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and                 Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them

                  and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the                       beginning.  For it would have been better for them not to have                known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn                 from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has                         happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns               to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her                      wallowing in the mire."

 

                  b. Gal. 5:4.

                  c. Heb. 6:4-6

 

2. But some have already lost these blessings without even realizing it.

 

a. They have not gone out an blatantly committed what we would consider to    be a heinous or egregious sin.

 

b. Rather, they have deceived themselves into thinking they are in fellowship  with God and receiving these blessings when in fact they are not.

 

 

II. A LESSON FROM HAGGAI.

 

A. Last week during worship services, as I sat listening to the scripture reading I had read by Bro. Fredrickson before the sermon, I heard something that really came home to me and I would imagine to many others who are living the Christian life.  It had to do with the drought caused by disobedience.

 

            1. Tell the background.

 

                  a. The return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity.

                  b. They rebuilt their own houses.

                  c. But they did not rebuild the temple.

d. The Lord caused a physical drought to come upon the land because of their disobedience.

 

      B. How were they disobedient?

 

            1. They put the Lord second to their own desires.

 

            2. They came first, not God.

 

      C. Repentance brought blessings back to the Israelites.

 

            1. Later they repented and the Lord returned the blessings to them.

 

 

III.  SPIRITUAL DROUGHT.

 

A. Some in the Kingdom today are deceiving themselves into thinking they have the spiritual blessings mentioned earlier.  They think they have...

 

            1.    a. ADOPTION

                  b. ACCEPTANCE

                  c. REDEMPTION

                  d. FORGIVENESS

                  e. THE MYSTERY REVEALED

                  f. INHERITANCE

                  g. THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

            2. The truth is they have none of these blessing in Christ.  Why?

 

a. The Lord does not come first. They deceive themselves into thinking He is, but He is not. They may rationalize in their minds why they are not living the way God would have them to with excuses and reasons.  But He still is not number one.

                  How do we know this?  Because whatever keeps them from putting

the Lord first never goes away.  It is always one thing or another, one excuse after another, one reason or another, why they are not and have not been doing the things they know the Lord wants them to do.

 

            3. God knows the truth and others do too.

 

                  a.    The Lord is not first in their lives, nor their hearts.

      C.    The RESULTS OF SUCH A LIFE?

1. The person goes along thinking that he or she has the blessing sin Christ.

 

            2. But they don't.

a. They hope they have been adopted by God.  But they doubt.  Why? Because they know in their heart that He is not first.

                 

b. They want to feel accepted by God.  But they know they are not. Why? Because they know in their heart that He is not first.

 

c.    They talk the good talk about redemption and salvation.  But deep down they know that they have sold out to Satan and Sin again. Why?  Because they know in their heart that He is not first.

 

d. They pray for forgiveness of sins, but really don't have the peace of mind  within that comes from forgiveness? Why?  Because they know in their heart that He is not first.

                 

e. They pretend that they have a love for the truth, but in reality the word of God has lost its power.  It has become dry and boring.  Why?  Because they know in their heart that He is not first.

 

f. They hope and dream of what heaven will be like, the ultimate in their inheritance. But heaven seems like a fairy-tale place, somewhere far, far away that they most likely will never see.  Why?  Because they know in their heart that He is not first.

 

g. The promise of their assurance in heaven being sealed by the Holy Spirit of God seems but a broken promise, a seal that has been compromised.  Not by God but by them.  Why?   Because they know in their heart that He is not first.

 

 

D. You see, what once was a fertile heart that put God and His will first has become nothing but a hard heart.  Hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  What once was a soft heart has been hardened by the SPIRITUAL DROUGHT IN THEIR LIVES brought about by them not putting the Lord first.  Just like in Haggai's time.

 

 

IV. THE REMEDY FOR SPIRITUAL DROUGHT

 

A.    This lesson is now getting close to home for some here today.  This may well be one of those lessons that many will come to me later and say, "You were speaking right to me." 

                 

1.    No, I am not speaking directly to you today.  The Lord is.

 

2. If anything has touched your heart today, it is the word of God, and the truth contained in its message.

           

B. So how does a person like this - a person who is experiencing spiritual drought turn their situation around?

 

            1. The answer - by turning around.  By repenting.

 

2. The people in Haggai's day did it.  They put the Lord first and He blessed them once again for them doing His will.

 

3. The same can happen to anyone today who will repent and do God's will.

 

                  a. No repentance - no fruit?  Drought.

 

b. Putting God first in your life again is the fruit of repentance.

 

                  c. With repentance comes fruit.

     

 

CONCLUSION:

 

1. Are you in the middle of a drought?

 

a. Why not come out of it today and get back to living for the Lord, doing His will. Repent.  Ask God to forgive you, and let the spiritual blessing flow again in you life.

 

 

2.    Come to the Lord today for the first time and let God bless you with all the spiritual blessings     He has to give freely.  He will if you will surrender to Him.

 

      a. Give POS

 

 

3.    Extend the invitation