The Minor Prophets: The God of Our Salvation
Ryan Motta
Haggai
“I believe I am not mistaken in saying that Christianity is a demanding and serious religion. When it is delivered as easy and amusing, it is another kind of religion altogether.”
Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death
“If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy”
Corrie Ten Boom
“Failure is being successful at things that don’t matter.”
Rico Tice, Faithful Leaders
“When we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
1. The time to act is now (Verses 1:1-11)
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.”
John Piper
“Sometimes struggling is a nice word for postponed obedience.”
Elisabeth Elliot
2. Behold God’s glory and get to work (Verses 1:13-15; 2:1-9)
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:4-5 – 4
3. We will succeed because the Lord is with us (Verses 2:1-9; 20-23)
Discussion Questions
- Could the same “Bread and Circuses” analogy used to describe ancient Roman culture accurately describe modern culture today? How are you actively fighting the tendency to make life all about your comfort and entertainment?
- What is the difference between being distracted momentarily and living a distracted life?
- “Sometimes struggling is a nice word for postponed obedience.” – Elisabeth Elliot
Are you willing to “consider your ways” (v. 5 and 7) and discern if some of your struggles result from postponed obedience? - When the circumstances of life are difficult, it seems justified to center our attention on self. What “good things” are keeping you from the most important things?