ftvüxw jü à Çzá THE MINOR PROPHETS RELEVANT TRUTH

Transcription

1 ftvüxw jü à Çzá THE MINOR PROPHETS RELEVANT TRUTH 1

2 August 7, 2016 HAGGAI Putting God First! I. What is a prophet? II. What is prophecy? III. Setting for Haggai's prophecies. a. Group of exiles released to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. March of 538 BC. (Ezra 1:1-8) b. Altar built and daily sacrifices restored. Priorities were right. Fall of 537 BC. (Ezra 1:1-8) c. Foundation of temple laid. God was still the first priority. The people rejoiced when God was first priority. Spring of 536 BC. (Ezra 3:8-11) d. After resistance was met and a letter was sent to King Artaxerxes, Artaxerxes ordered the work on the temple to cease. 530 BC. (Ezra 3:8-11) IV. Haggai' prophecies a. Haggai 1:

3 b. Haggai 1:12-15 c. Haggai 2:1-9 d. Haggai 2:6-9 e. Haggai 2:10-19 f. Haggai 2:20-23 V. What we can learn from Haggai: a. Put God first. b. Obey God over man (Artaxerxes in this case). c. Be courageous when obeying the Lord requires it. d. Trust God's promises. e. God enables us to overcome great odds. f. God is in the business of restoration. g. God is eager to reward us when we put Him first. The words of the prophets are every bit as pertinent today as the day they were written. 59

4 PRAYER JOURNAL FOR THE WEEK 60

5 Monday 8/8 - (Read Ezra 1:1-8) Seventy years before Cyrus' decree, God brought the people of Judah and specifically Jerusalem into exile to Babylon. The temple was utterly destroyed, all of the articles of silver and gold were carried off to Babylon, the protective wall around the city was left in ruins, and much of the city was burned to the ground. What trial(s) has God required you to go through? What was your mindset as you went through it? How well did you do in trusting God to get you through it? God provided for His people in Babylon, even in captivity. How did God help you to get you through your trial(s)? What scripture verses gave you strength to get through it? Were there any words from the prophets that were particularly helpful? Tuesday 8/9 (Read Ezra 1:1-8) God raised up Cyrus in order to return some exiles to Jerusalem and to bring about the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem. How did God bring your trial to an end? What has God done in your life to bring restoration? What non-believers or strangers did God use to help you? What believers did God use to help you? 61

6 Wednesday 8/10 - (Read Ezra 3:8-11) What large endeavor have you ever undertaken in the name of the Lord? Whom did God use to help you? Were there any other people involved to help with the endeavor? Were there any people that you drew inspiration from, either living or dead? Were there any scripture verses that you found helpful? Were there any verses specifically from the prophets? Thursday 8/11 (Read Ezra 4:1-6 and Artaxerxes' response to the letter in Ezra 4:21-24) What opposition have you faced while serving the Lord? Did that opposition cause you any fear? If so, how did you respond? Were there any people who helped you overcome your fear? Was there any scripture that gave you the courage to overcome your fear? Were there specifically any verses from the prophets? 62

7 Friday 8/12 - (Read Haggai 1:1-11) If you read words like, "Thus says the Lord of hosts" or "Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet," do your ears perk up? How eager are you to hear that word of the Lord through Haggai or any of the other prophets? Are "paneled" houses in and of themselves wrong? Does God need a house to live in? Why was the rebuilding of the temple important to God? What example(s) can you give of a time when your priorities were mixed up? Have you ever been convicted through verses in the Bible of wrong priorities? Were there any verses from the prophets that convicted you? If not, do you believe there are any such verses in the books of the prophets? Saturday 8/13 (Read Haggai 1:12-2:9, 2:20-23) How did God's words change when the people heeded the words of Haggai, God's prophet? God repeats several statements several times in the short book of Haggai, namely, "Give careful thoughts to your ways" when He was rebuking them, and "Be strong," and "I am with you" when the people heeded God's words through the prophet, Haggai. Do you take God's word all the more seriously when you hear the emphasis of repetition? Why do you think God emphasizes certain things in this way? Haggai's two primary messages were put God first and be encouraged, for God is with you during challenging times. Before taking a closer look at Ezra and Haggai, did you feel there was much in those books that you could apply to your own life? How about now? 63