Haggai 2:1-9

Sermon Summary

In Haggai 2, God meets a discouraged people longing for the glories of the past and reorients their hope toward the future. This sermon explores how God moves His people from nostalgia to new hope and calls the Church to participate in the building of an even more glorious temple and kingdom than Solomon’s.

Reflection Questions

1. Where do you find yourself most tempted to compare the present with a “former glory”—in your faith, family, church, or culture?

2. Why do you think nostalgia can comfort us emotionally but still leave us spiritually stuck?

3. In Ezra 3 and Haggai 2, joy and grief exist side by side. Where do you see that “bright sadness” in your own life right now?

4. How does God’s reminder of the Sinai covenant (“I am with you”) reframe discouragement differently than quick optimism or denial?

5. What does it mean to believe that the glory is ahead of you, not behind you?

6. How does understanding the Church as God’s “more glorious temple” reshape the way you view ordinary obedience, evangelism, and mission?

Practices for the Week Ahead

Personal Practice

Take time this week to name:

-One area where you are grieving what once was.

-One place where God may be inviting you to trust His future instead of wishing for the past.

-Take both to the Lord in prayer.

Relational Practice

Have a conversation with someone this week, or make it a conversational exercise with your family, to draw out hope for the future: “Where do you see God at work right now, even if it’s small?” Train your attention toward hope, not by denying difficulty but by viewing your current circumstances in the light of God’s promised future.

Missional Practice

Pray intentionally for:

-Someone far from Christ in your life

-Missionaries who are on the field

-The nations that God is gathering into His people

Remember: participation in God’s future glory just looks like ordinary faithfulness in the present.