“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1).

     I would imagine, when some professing Christians (let alone unsaved people) hear preachers preach about listening to rock or country music as sin, they must think we are narrow minded fruitcakes. When we give the Biblical definitions of modesty, they must think us carryovers from the Victorian Age. When we preach that social drinking, dancing and going to movies are sin, they must think of us as some kind of radical fanatics. Yet even these practices divide between the holy and the unholy. Haggai 2:12-13 shows the extreme degree to which God takes holiness. If we are to be holy, we must view holiness from God’s perspective, not man’s.

     For many people, all these “No-No” things are viewed as the imposition of archaic rules to take the joy out of their lives. Satan has succeeded in taking their focus from the blessings of God for those living in holiness, and in putting that focus on the restrictions of God that keep us out of sin and living in holiness. When we focus on the restrictions, we become bitter towards God and begin to resent His demands on our life. The reality is that God wants us to live in holiness so that He might bless us and use us for spiritual accomplishments in this life beyond our every expectation or imagination.

“10 In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, 11 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, 12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. 13 Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. 14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. 15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD: 16 Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. 17 I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD. 18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid, consider it. 19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you” (Haggai 2:10-19).

     The reality is that God is holy. Because God is holy, He cannot use a person who lives in sin to any degree. Although preachers seldom communicate this very well, their concern is that Christians live in holiness so that God can use their lives to His glory. In preparing ourselves to be used of God, sanctity must be the central priority of our lives.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (I Peter 3:15).

     So often we read this verse of Scripture and think that knowing Scripture is what God means when He tells us to “be ready.” Read the verse again. What is the precluding statement that qualifies the believer to always be ready to be a witness for Christ. It says “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” Doing what God says, not knowing it, is what makes us “ready.” Without sanctity, you will never be ready no matter if you have the whole Bible memorized chapter and verse. Being ready means being right (say that with me: Being ready means being right). Let me ask you, can you be right if you allow any sin any place in your life?

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).

     The word “regard” (Hebrew, ra'ah, pronounced raw-aw') means to give any place to sin, to the degree we ought not to even consider it. We cannot even think about sin, let alone do it, if we want to be used of God or be blessed by Him. Scripture is redundant with this truth.

“For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him” (Job 27:8-9)?

“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight” (Proverbs 15:8).

“The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29).

“Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth” (John 9:31).

     Why is living in holiness so important?

     God has taught me, by my own miserable failures, that service without sanctity is an operation in futility. Unless God is with us, blessing our efforts and spiritually empowering our lives, even the hardest of our work and the noblest cause will fail to achieve its goal.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

     The formula for the blessing of God upon sanctified service is repeated over and over throughout the O.T. That formula is summed up in Romans 12:1-2. These verses summarize the practical necessities for the service gifts of Romans 12:3-8 before those service gifts can be blessed of God.

“1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

     The word “prove” in Romans 12:2 is from the Greek word dokimazo (dok-im-ad'-zo), which means to test something to prove it genuine after careful examination. The three conditions of Romans 12:1 and 2 are necessary before God will prove to us that what we do and how we do it are His will. Nothing done out of the will of God or contrary to these three criteria can be blessed of God. Without God’s blessing, nothing will be produced from our efforts regardless of how hard we work. That is also exactly what Haggai 2:15-16 says as well.

The three conditions of service in sanctity of Romans 12:1-2.

1. We must yield ourselves to God to be used of Him.

     However, before we can be used, our lives must be separated from any practice which God condemns (“thou shalt not”) and consecrated to do whatever God commands (thou shalt). This is what God means by presenting our bodies “holy” and “acceptable.”

2. We must not allow the influences of this world (sociological or peer pressure) to mold us in any way, shape our thinking or influence our practices.

     This is expressed by the words, “be not conformed to this world.” “Conformed” is from the Greek word suschematizo (soos-khay-mat-id'-zo), which means not to conform one’s mind and character to any pattern of life other than God’s. Paul expressed this another way in Colossians 2:6-8.

“6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:6-8).

3. The third condition for God’s acceptance and blessing on our service is that we must work with Him at changing the way we think and see things in this world.

     This is expressed by the words “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Paul expressed this again in II Corinthians 10:5.

“4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (II Corinthians 10:4-6).

     In 536 B.C., a Gentile king named Cyrus decreed that a remnant of Israel could return to Jerusalem to rebuild their Temple. Ezra 2:64 tells us 49,997 dedicated, cream of the crop Jews returned from Babylon to begin rebuilding the Temple of God. By the second month of 535 B.C. (Ezra 3:10) the foundation of the Temple was complete. The work was progressing well in spiritual unity. The people were consecrated to the work and doing it, serving the Lord in sanctity. Than it happen. Satan introduced the contaminating spirit of defilement. The work stopped.

“1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; 2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. 3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. 4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, 5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia” (Ezra 4:1-5).

     For the next fourteen years the work of God stopped while the people of God pursued their own careers and built their own houses and land. They lost their vision of the purpose for their return to Israel. How did this happen? An unholy alliance defiled their sanctity. The loss of sanctity before God meant the loss of spiritual empowerment. The loss of spiritual empowerment meant the loss of desire for the work God sent them to do.

     Our ministry (soul winning and discipleship of people) is our living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). To think that sacrifice can be offered with unclean hands is foolishness (Haggai 2:12-13). In the book of Haggai those fourteen years have passed. Haggai and Zechariah are called of God to exhort the people back to the work of building the Temple.

     However, before the work could resume and be blessed of God, change in thinking and practice was required (“turning,” Haggai 2:17). The people of God needed to be brought to the conviction of their uncleanness which existed because of their past affiliations and the contamination of their lives due to the incorporation of lifestyle practices offensive to God. They needed to be brought to the place of recognition of sin, repentance, confession and cleansing (four decisions).

     (Haggai 2:17) God had brought tremendous chastisement upon these people to turn their hearts to holiness. The work was a secondary priority. Holiness was the first.

     We often mistake doing spiritual work as spirituality. For many years, I dedicated myself to doing the work of ministry while being complacent and unbroken about the lack of holiness in my life. What God wants is dedication in holiness to Him, not dedication to the work. God wants dedication of our bodies and lives in holiness to Him so that He can do the work of the ministry through us.

     (Haggai 2:19) “From this day,” the day when people return to service in sanctity; from that day “will I bless you” (restore and revive you).

1. God wants more than just getting to the work.
2. God wants a return to the work based upon the understanding that we serve Him.
3. Our service must be permeated with personal holiness before God can bless it.