Easter Sunday

Join us Easter Sunday, 9am or 10:50am at the Rockford and Ensley campus. Or the Northview campus has one service at 9am.
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Consider

Consider

 

Haggai 1:3-5

ICE BREAKER

God calls to His people through the prophet Haggai and tells them, “Consider your ways”. 

Think of someone who is planning to jump off a 20 cliff with the goal of jumping into a tree below to break his fall. Then picture a friend saying to him: “Did you consider what would happen if you miss the tree?” If you don’t consider all the options you land into the hospital or worse. 

When have you made a decision or pursued a path in life that you now reflect back on and realize that you did not consider your choice carefully? What consequences did you face? Share your story with the group. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Next step: Are you avoiding something God wants you to do? If your answer is yes, share this with the group. Ask them to process this with you in the weeks to come. Let them know how they can best come alongside you in this battle to trust God (Group leaders: consider making a note in the next few small group meetings to come back to what each person has shared. Seek the Lord together in this journey.). 
  2. At times we avoid something God wants us to do because we are not surrendered to the Lord. At times we do not come to God, rather, we look at our circumstances–we look at the resistance. We are afraid, or we are discouraged by the circumstances. This is what happened to Israel. They halted building the temple for 15 years because they saw the winds of resistance. They got comfortable pursuing life while not honoring the Lord. 

    They were building their own homes(Haggai 1:4). It is not that God wants a fancy house. What God cares about is their hearts. He knows that they are looking out for themselves first. They did not trust God to take care of them. So, God comes through the prophet Haggai to share two life altering truths: 1. He is with us, and, 2. He is the LORD of Hosts(the book of Haggai declares this phrase 14 times to emphasize His power to His people).With these truths in mind, reflect on this question: If you were to trust God completely right now what would it free you from.   Or, what would it free you to release to God(think pressure, worry, fear, anxiety, control)?

  3. Where in your life do you most need to rest in the Lords’ promise that He is with you? What do you think it is that keeps you from resting(fear, eyes on your circumstance, past events in your story etc)? Who or what seems bigger than God at times? 

NOTES AND QUOTES

Zerubabble had people push back on God’s directive to build the temple. The building process was interrupted for 15 years. It is at this time that God sends Haggai with a message to His people to “come back”. 

Part of their coming back is to build the temple. 

It almost feels like a dare: It is like God is saying, “Put Me to the test. I dare you.”. 

Haggai 1:2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” 

Haggai 1:4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?”

How often is this us? We know God wants us to do this but we don’t think it is the right time. Think about an important talk you need to have with your spouse or your child. You know it will be a hard talk. In our fear or anxiousness we justify waiting a while. 

Think of hiking in the woods and getting lost. You put a ton of effort into finding your way back only to discover that again and again and again you are going in circles. This is what it is like when we avoid what the Lord wants for us.

Haggai 1:9 “You looked for much and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? Declares the LORD of host. Because of My house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.”

God does this because He is kind and loving. He invites our trust.

The people repented and obeyed the voice of the Lord.

Note: the circumstance did not change. The opposition did not lessen. The sole change was that the people feared the LORD. 

The name of God “Lord of Hosts” or Lord of Armies is used 14 times. By doing this He is reminding them who has the power and who is in control. 

Haggai 1:13: “I am with you, declares the LORD.”  I am with you. What a gift! As you step into these challenges I will be with you. I will no longer be against you. 

God is alluding to the future temple of Jesus. Jesus, God Himself is with us. When Jesus came nations were shaken. When Jesus died there was a literal earthquake.

We need this reminder: in a little while I will shake the heavens and the earth.

The Lord of hosts is never held back. He is on the move. The kingdom is coming. Things do not seem as they are.

He says, “ Fear not.”.

When you tried to care for yourself how did it go? When you let go and trusted me how did it go?

Matt 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The context of this passage is worry and pressure. 

Contrast this with nature. Nature is not stressed out. The birds sing. They have no control over providing food for themselves yet they sing. Nature has a certain peace within it. 

What about us? What gets in the way of trusting God deeply? Picture a large bowl with many ball bearings in it. The ball bearings symbolize the burdens and cares of our lives. We try to pick up all the ball bearings in our hand: projects at home or mortgage payments…concerns about a job, a longing for a promotion or maybe a lost job, maybe it is school exams or struggles in your marriage. Maybe you are asking, “Will I get married?”. The list is endless; we can’t hold on to all the details in our lives. 

God says seek Me first.  God is like a magnet. We grab hold of Him and he is the magnet that pulls the details of our lives together.

You can trust me…if you hold on to Me, I will add “the rest” to you.

Examples: Is God asking you to spend time in the Word and you are avoiding this due to busyness. God says to trust Him. Or, perhaps the issue is sharing your faith. God says trust me…I will be with you.

Perhaps it is a relationship with hurt and pain and you want to avoid taking a step toward reconciliation. God is asking you to seek Him first. He assures you He will be with you.