Main Idea: The remedy to God’s judgment and the reception of God’s blessing is not holy obedience, for holiness is not created by our obedience. Blessing and Holiness only come by God’s Grace and Mercy.

The Date: December 18, 520 BC On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet (Haggai 2:10 ESV)

The Priests Were Responsible For The Law “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: (Haggai 2:11 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #1 ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.” (Haggai 2:12 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord; it is most holy. The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting. Whatever touches its flesh shall be holy, and when any of its blood is splashed on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was splashed in a holy place. (Leviticus 6:24-27 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #1 ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.” (Haggai 2:12 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #1 “Holiness is not a matter of what ministry we sit under, but what fruit does that ministry produce in our lives. We can sit under any evangelical ministry where God’s Word is preached and never be truly consecrated to God.” - Sinclair Ferguson

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #1 …having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Timothy 3:5 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #1  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #1 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:25-28 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #1 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #1 ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’” The priests answered and said, “No.” (Haggai 2:12 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #2 Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” (Haggai 2:13 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #2 None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a discharge may eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or a man who has had an emission of semen, and whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #2 unclean or a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be—the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water. When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because they are his food. (Leviticus 22: 4-7 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #2 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead. You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.” And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord said to Moses, so the people of Israel did. (Numbers 5:1-4 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #2 Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” (Haggai 2:13 ESV)

Two Case Studies From The Law Of Moses: #2 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7 ESV)

The Law Of God Condemned The People Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. (Haggai 2:14 ESV)

God’s Evidence For The People Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. (Haggai 2:15-16 ESV)

God’s Judgment On The People I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. (Haggai 2:17 ESV)

Holy People Are Honest About Self “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5 ESV)

Holy People Are Honest About Self Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24 ESV)

Holy People Are Honest About Self When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (Revelation 1:17a)

What Makes A Person Holy? Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.” (Haggai 2:18-19 ESV)

What Makes A Person Holy? God’s Mercy & Grace!

What Makes A Person Holy? God’s Mercy & Grace! For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19 ESV)

What Makes A Person Holy? God’s Mercy & Grace! For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)