https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Is-the-Seed-Still-in-the-Barn.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tText: Haggai 2:10-19<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. After the people returned from captivity, work began in rebuilding Israel.<\/p>\n
A. The people quickly laid the foundation of the temple, but the work stagnated.<\/p>\n B. The people were distracted with rebuilding their own homes and efforts to\nproduce a living.\n
C. Over time they became apathetic. For 16 years nothing happened. <\/p>\n
D. The prophet Haggai arose at this point to stir up the people <\/p>\n E. All their sacrifices can’t make something or someone holy. Holiness is not\ncommunicable.\n F. But their sins and uncleanness are communicable. They can cause the holy to\nbecome unholy.\n
G. Haggai 2:15-19<\/p>\n
H. “Is the seed still in the barn?”<\/p>\n 1. It is a rhetorical question. The answer at this point in the year when the\nquestion was asked is “no.” \n
a. It is mid-December. It is in the end of the planting season in Israel.<\/p>\n
b. The rainy season is about to begin.<\/p>\n 2. God has been punishing them with damaged harvests trying to get people\nto wake up and return. \n 3. They had ignored God’s message, but now, finally, they have returned to\nbuilding the temple.\n
4. Despite the past difficulties, they still committed their grain to the fields. <\/p>\n a. It is too soon to tell what the results will be. The rains haven’t\nstarted yet. The trees and vines are still dormant. \n
b. Yet there is a reason they put out their grain in advance.<\/p>\n
c. They had hopes of a good crop.<\/p>\n
5. God is saying they don’t have to guess. <\/p>\n
a. God is going to bless them because they have finally put Him first.<\/p>\n
b. Their sacrifices were going to make them holy<\/p>\n
c. Their obedience demonstrates that they are holy<\/p>\n
II. Seed is used frequently in the New Testament as a metaphor<\/p>\n
A. The incorruptible seed – I Peter 1:22-25<\/p>\n
1. Each of us were conceived of corruptible seed<\/p>\n
a. We were born into this world as mortal beings.<\/p>\n b. We grow, but all too soon we begin to decay, grow old, and then\none day die.\n
2. But Christians are born again of the water and Spirit – John 3:5<\/p>\n
a. Brought forth by the word of truth – James 1:18<\/p>\n b. An implanted word (image of seed) able to save our souls – James\n1:21\n c. That incorruptible seed, the word of God, can produce immortal\npeople – I Corinthians 15:42-54\n 3. For 2000 years the gospel has brought new life to sinful, dying people. It\nhasn’t change. It endures. But it changes people in whom it is planted.\n
B. Parables of Seed<\/p>\n 1. One seed produces different results. How? The results depend on the soil\nin which it is planted – Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23\n 2. The seed is good, but the enemy is also sowing tares in the same field –\nMatthew 13:24-30, 36-43\n 3. The seed looks insignificant and is easily overlooked, but it will germinate\nand grow into something marvelous – Matthew 13:31-32\n
4. But consider the question from Haggai. What if the seed is left in the barn?<\/p>\n
a. Can it produce?<\/p>\n
b. Would it help or hinder the work of Satan?<\/p>\n
c. Satan wants the seed to stay in the barn.<\/p>\n
C. That seed is Christ – Galatians 3:15-16<\/p>\n 1. God fulfilled his promise to Abraham, to bless the whole world through\nhis descendant.\n 2. The eternal one, Christ our Lord, produced a bumper crop. The Jews alone\nwere not saved, but salvation reached the Gentiles\n
a. All Christians are born again – Galatians 3:26-29<\/p>\n
b. We become Abraham’s seed<\/p>\n
3. The world of tares, the secular world, doesn’t want the seed sown.<\/p>\n a. If Christians exercise their faith, they want it out of sight where it\nwon’t cause offense\n b. That is why religious expressions are being battled. No prayers in\nschools. No indications of religious faith in the work place.\n
c. Keep it hidden in the churches and homes. Keep it in the barns.<\/p>\n
III. Are we keeping the seed in the barn?<\/p>\n
A. Has it taken root in your heart?<\/p>\n 1. When God asked through Haggai, “Is the seed still in the barn?” the\nanswer was “no.”\n
a. It had been invested in the soil of Judea.<\/p>\n b. God held its fate, and He promised a good return if they did as He\nasked.\n 2. Are we leaving the seed in the barn? Are we letting it take root in our own\nlives? – James 1:21-25\n
a. The seed has no effect if it is not used.<\/p>\n b. Look at your life. Do you see an overgrown weed patch? – I John\n3:6-10\n
c. Show evidence that God’s word is growing in you – I Peter 2:1-3<\/p>\n
B. Are you sowing it in other fields?<\/p>\n
1. The seed is sown when we share it with those around us – Galatians 6:7-10<\/p>\n 2. Seeds of kindness, seeds of joy, seed of doing good — these help our\nneighbors; but nothing compares to sowing seeds of the gospel in the\nhearts of our neighbors.\n
3. Do you recall the parable of the sower? <\/p>\n
a. The seed was richly scattered over a variety of soils.<\/p>\n
b. The sower wasn’t selective<\/p>\n c. Nor should we be selective. Spread the word. Let it fall where it\nmay.\n d. The sprouting depends on the people receiving the word, not the\nsower.\n 4. It can and will make an impact because God promised a bountiful harvest –\nRomans 1:16-17\n
C. Are you ready to sow?<\/p>\n
1. It is unfortunate that some act ashamed of the gospel.<\/p>\n 2. We are timid with it. We aren’t prepared for the opportunities – I Peter\n3:15\n
3. Study so we need not be ashamed – II Timothy 2:15-16<\/p>\n
4. Give it the attention that it deserves – I Timothy 4:13<\/p>\n
D. Are you sowing the wrong seed?<\/p>\n
1. Has there been a change in your life? – Ephesians 4:17-24<\/p>\n 2. People think they become children of God, but they continue to plant seeds\nof destruction. How will the word of God ever take root? – Colossians 3:5-15\n 3. Imagine putting in a new lawn and sowing it with dandelions and\ncrabgrass.\n
a. Even a mixture of good and bad seed would be ridiculous.<\/p>\n b. So why do people approach Christianity part way? – Romans\n13:11-14\n
IV. If eternal life really matters to us, then why is the seed still in the barn?<\/p>\n
\n
\n
Based on a lesson by Jeff S. Smith.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Text: Haggai 2:10-19 I. After the people returned from captivity, work began in rebuilding Israel. A. The people quickly laid the foundation of the temple, but the work stagnated. B. The people were distracted with rebuilding their own homes and efforts to produce a living. C. Over time they became apathetic. For 16 years nothing happened. D. The prophet…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[511,451],"class_list":["post-62873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-apathy","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":63273,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/sowing-in-tears-reaping-in-joy\/","url_meta":{"origin":62873,"position":0},"title":"Sowing in Tears, Reaping in Joy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 126 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Psalm 126 is one of a series of psalms devoted to the return of the Israelites from captivity. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The sadness of the captivity made the joy of return to freedom so much greater. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is the end of this psalm which captures\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67961,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-red-heifer\/","url_meta":{"origin":62873,"position":1},"title":"The Red Heifer","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton The Muslims have occupied the place of the Jewish temple with the Dome of the Rock for centuries. There are Jews who want very badly to remove the Muslims and the Dome of the Rock so that the Jews can rebuild a temple in that place.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89401,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-does-your-garden-grow\/","url_meta":{"origin":62873,"position":2},"title":"How Does Your Garden Grow?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Joe Slater I presume you have your garden in by now. If you're like me, you're looking forward to harvesting those nutritious veggies! Somehow, the store-bought variety doesn't measure up. If you planted okra, what do you expect to harvest? It's a weird question, but you probably know already\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/garden-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52500,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-we-stay-with-this-congregation\/","url_meta":{"origin":62873,"position":3},"title":"Should we stay with this congregation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Having moved about, my wife and I have worshiped with many congregations that follow the New Testament pattern. Currently, we are visiting a congregation that has a part-time minister and one elder. How this came about is murky. As our options are very limited, we have visited for several\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62176,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-day-of-small-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":62873,"position":4},"title":"A Day of Small Things","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Haggai 2:1-9 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As Israel began to return from seventy years of captivity, there was great excitement \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Zerubbabel lead the first wave of less than 50,000 people back to Jerusalem. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There was a lot of work to do because Jerusalem was completely destroyed. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But worship\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89018,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/god-is-good-all-the-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":62873,"position":5},"title":"God Is Good All the Time","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores The things I see people complain about remind me that we live very pampered lives. A rude cashier, a wrong food order, no WiFi, etc., are all mere inconveniences and reminders of how good life usually is. And -shame on me- I've been guilty of it too.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62873\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}