Obey or Disobey

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Obey or Disobey?

• Haggai 21019

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Background

• Haggai the prophet is speaking to the small
  remnant which has returned from captivity in
  Babylon
• After 16 years they have renewed their efforts to
  rebuild the Temple
• This is message three about the four visions
  that Haggai had over four months

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Key Idea

• God reminds us that sin and disobedience have a
  pervasive, spreading impact on our lives, as
  well as on those around us

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Illustration from the Law

• The situations are in relation to the ceremonial
  restrictions God placed on Israel to emphasize
  separateness
• Situation One
• Holy meat
• What is holy meat?

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Leviticus 62529

• 25 Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'This
  is the law of the sin offering in the place
  where the burnt offering is slain the sin
  offering shall be slain before the Lord it is
  most holy
• 26 The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it.
  It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court
  of the tent of meeting

6
Leviticus 62529

• 27 Anyone who touches its flesh will become
  consecrated and when any of its blood splashes
  on a garment, in a holy place you shall wash
  what was splashed on
• 28 Also the earthenware vessel in which it was
  boiled shall be broken and if it was boiled in a
  bronze vessel, then it shall be scoured and
  rinsed in water
• 29 Every male among the priests may eat of it it
  is most holy

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Illustration from the Law

• Question
• If holy meat touching a garment makes it holy,
  then when the garment touches something, does it
  too become holy?
• Answer
• No

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Illustration from the Law

• Situation Two
• Touching a dead body created the most serious
  kind of ceremonial uncleanness that can be found
  in the Law of Moses

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Numbers 191113 and 22

• 11 The one who touches the corpse of any person
  shall be unclean for seven days
• 12 That one shall purify himself from uncleanness
  with the water on the third day and on the
  seventh day, and then he will be clean but if
  he does not purify himself on the third day and
  on the seventh day, he will not be clean

10
Numbers 191113 and 22

• 13 Anyone who touches a corpse, the body of a
  man who has died, and does not purify himself,
  defiles the tabernacle of the Lord and that
  person shall be cut off from Israel. Because the
  water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he
  shall be unclean his uncleanness is still on him
• 22 Furthermore, anything that the unclean person
  touches shall be unclean and the person who
  touches it shall be unclean until evening

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Illustration from the Law

• Question
• If a person touches a dead body and then touches
  something else, does the uncleanness spread?
• Answer
• Yes

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Application

• The pervasive effects of sin
• Holiness does not get transferred, but sin does
• Outward conformity to ritual does not set you
  apart to God
• God is not just unhappy with outward, empty
  ritual He is absolutely offended by it!

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Application

• The consequences of sin
• Look back and remember what dependence on empty,
  outward ritual cost you!
• Make sure that your inner life and outer life
  match up!

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Message of Hope

• Now look forward from when you turned to obey God
• God is saying, I will take care of you.
• No matter how far youve gone, you are never,
  ever beyond recovery!

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Questions

• Are you vainly hoping that outward ceremony will
  cover up issues of inward disobedience in your
  life?
• Is the Spirit of God convicting you of an issue
  in your life?
• So which is it? To obey or to disobey?