INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
HAGGAI - CHAPTER 1
"There is an aptness in us to misinterpret providential discouragements in our duty, as if they amounted to a discharge from our duty, when they are only intended for the trial & exercise of our courage & faith." "They neglected the building of God's house, & put that off, that they might have time & money for their secular affairs." "Meat for the belly is meat that perishes, &, if we labour for that only, we are in danger of losing our labour; but we are sure our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord if we labour for the meat which endures to eternal life." "Those that lay up their treasure on earth put it into a bag with holes; they lose it as they go along, & those that come after them pick it up. But, if we lay up our treasure in heaven, we provide for ourselves bags that wax not old, Luke 12:33." "Those are very much strangers to their own interest who prefer the conveniences & ornaments of the temporal life before the absolute necessities of the spiritual life, who are full of care to enrich their own houses, while God's temple in their hearts lies waste, & nothing is done for it or in it." "Our considering our ways must issue in the amending of whatever we find amiss in them." "It ought to be the top of our ambition to be accepted of the Lord, II Corinthians 5:9." "It is worth while to bestow all possible care, & pains, & cost, upon that by which God may be glorified." "A holy fear of God will have a great influence upon our obedience to him. Serve the Lord with fear; if we fear him not, we shall not serve him." "When God has work to do, he will either find or make men fit to do it, & stir them up to it." "Those that have lost time have need to redeem time; & the longer we have loitered in that which is good the more haste we should make when we are convinced of our folly." "Those that work for God have God with them; &, if he be for us, who can be against us? If he be with us, what difficulty can stand before us?" CHAPTER 2 "Those that are hearty in the service of God shall receive fresh encouragements from him to proceed in it, as their case call for them. Set the wheels a going, & God will oil them." "The presence of God with us, as the Lord of hosts, is enough to silence all our fears & to help us over all the discouragements we may meet with in the way of our duty." "We have reason to be encouraged as long as we have the Spirit of God remaining among us to work upon us, for so long we have God with us to work for us." "The shaking of the nations is often in order to the settling of the church & the establishing of the things that cannot be shaken." "If we have silver & gold, we must serve & honour God with them, for they are all his own, we have but the use of them." "...where Christ is, behold a greater than Solomon is there, so the heart in which he dwells, & makes a living temple, behold it is more glorious than Solomon's temple, & will be so to eternity." "If God be with us, peace is with us." "There are many ways of vice, but only one of virtue" "Let not men think that living among good people will recommend them to God if they are not good themselves, but let them fear that touching the unclean thing will defile them, & therefore let them keep at a distance from it." "If their hearts be right with God, & their eye single in his service, they shall have the benefit of their devotion." "In the stores & treasures of the new covenant we need not fear being disappointed when we come by faith to draw from them." "While we take no care of God's interest, we cannot expect he should take care of ours." "...if the earth be shaken, it is to shake the wicked out of it" "Our Lord Jesus is the signet on God's right hand, for all power is given to him & derived from him. By him the great charter of the gospel is signed & ratified, & it is in him that all the promises of God are yea & amen." ZECHARIAH - CHAPTER 1 "...Zechariah's ministry. Before he came to visions & revelations, & delivered his prophetic discourses, he preached that which was plain & practical; for it is best to begin with that. Before he published the promises of mercy, he published calls to repentance" "The judgments of God, which those that went before us were under, should be taken as warnings to us not to tread in their steps, & calls to repentance, that we may cut off the entail of the curse & get it turned into a blessing." "The consideration of God's almighty power & sovereign dominion should both engage & encourage sinners to repent & turn to him. It is very desirable to have the Lord of hosts our friend & very dreadful to have him our enemy." "Be persuaded to leave your sins; resolve to have no more to do with them. A speedy reformation is the only way to prevent an approaching ruin: Turn you now from sin to God without delay." "The unbelief of man cannot make the threatenings of God's word of no effect, but, sooner or later, they will take place, if the prescribed course be not taken to prevent the execution of them." "The King of the church has angels at command, not only to do him honour, but to minister for the good of those that are his." "Jesus Christ is ready to instruct those that are humbly desirous to be taught the things of God." "It is sad to think what a deep sleep the world is cast into, what a spirit of slumber has seized the generality of mankind, that are under God's wrath & Satan's power, & yet secure & unconcerned!" "Men's good words will not feed the body (James 2:16), but God's good words will feed the faith, for saying & doing with him are not 2 things, though they are with us." "It is good news indeed to any place to hear that God will build his house in it." "It is the comfort & triumph of the church that when the enemy shall come in like a flood, with mighty force & fury, then the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." "God calls those to serve the interests of his church whom he either finds, or makes fit for it." "Which way soever the church is threatened with mischief, & opposition given to its interests, God can find out ways & means to check the force, to restrain the wrath, & make it turn to his praise." "When God has work to do he will raise up some to do it & others to defend it & protect those that are employed in the doing of it." CHAPTER 2 "The comfortable sights which by faith we have had of God's goodness made to pass before us should engage us to lift up our eyes again, & to search further into the discoveries made to us of the divine grace; for there is still more to be seen." "The increase of the numbers of a people is a great blessing, is a fruit of God's blessing on them & an earnest of further blessings." "God will not only make a wall of fire about her, but he will himself be such a wall; for our God is a consuming fire to his & his church's enemies." "Those that have God for their God have him for their glory; those that have him in the midst of them have glory in the midst of them." "And those persons & places that have God to be the glory in the midst of them have him for a wall of fire round about them" "The promises & privileges with which God's people are blessed should engage us, whatever it cost us, to join ourselves to them & cast in our lot among them." "...the gospel-church. Christ will reckon with all that are enemies to it, & sooner or later will make them his footstool. Psalms 110:1; Revelation 3:9. What he will do for his church shall be an evident proof of God's tender care of it & affection to it: He that touches you touches the apple of his eye." "Those that have recovered their purity, & integrity, & spiritual liberty, though they have not recovered their outward prosperity, have reason to sing & rejoice, to give glory to God & take comfort to themselves." "God will own those for his people who with purpose of heart join themselves to him" "Those to whom God comes have reason to rejoice, for he will be to them their chief joy." "Be silent, O all flesh! before the Lord - before Christ & his grace (let not flesh object against the methods he takes) - before God & his providence; the enemies of the church shall be silenced; all iniquity shall stop her mouth." "Leave it to God to take his own way, & neither prescribe to him what he should do nor quarrel with him whatever he does. Be still, & know that he is God. Stand still, & see his salvation" "Silently acquiesce in his holy will, & patiently wait the issue, as those who assured that when God is raised up out of his holy habitation he will not retreat, nor sit down again, till he has accomplished his whole work." Matthew Henry's Commentary: Isaiah to Malachi, Mac Donald, pgs. 1388 - 1412.
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AuthorCross Preaching Pentecostal Pastor. Husband to Tonia, Father to 3 beautiful girls, Monica, Zoe & Briana, & Grandfather to Wesley & Elliott Archives
September 2023
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