Study Guide for - Obstacles: Priorities Summary of this week’s message: Obstacles. All of us go through various obstacles in life. Think back to some of your first ones: acne, bad grades, getting grounded, getting broken up with. As life progresses we experience many more. There are the common obstacle we experience in life and faith. Then, there are the specialized obstacles we go through. How do we come out on the other side of our obstacles better than when we went into them? How do we handle the various obstacles we go through? Is there a way to overcome obstacles? In this week’s message we introduced this series we are calling, “Obstacles.” Fortunate for us, there is a way to overcome them. In this week’s message, we hit on the Obstacles of Priorities.

Context of Haggai: The Jews finally get to return from Babylonian captivity in 538 B.C. Their city of Jerusalem lays in ruins, including the Temple of God. The Temple was where God promised to dwell among the nation of the Jews and be their God. Yet, it lied in ruins while the Jewish people began rebuilding their own homes and neglecting rebuilding the temple. This is why Haggai comes on the scene. The Jews were experiencing hardship and many “obstacles” and all of it was due to the fact that they were not rebuilding the Temple but neglecting it. God sent Haggai to encourage the nation to make the Temple restoration their #1 priority. God wanted to dwell among His people but their neglect of the Temple showed they had other priorities other than a relationship with God. Thankfully, God sent Haggai and the message was well received. We can learn from the many obstacles in Haggai that the Jewish people experienced.

SERMON STUDY & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (includes application points) Read Haggai 1: 1-4. Misplaced priorities. Here we see God speaking through Haggai and revealing exactly why things have not been as they had expected when they returned from exile in Babylon.

1. Looking at those verses, what were the Jew’s misplaced priorities? 2. Share with your group, family, friend, or your journal what your misplaced priorities are in life. 3. When it comes to your faith in Jesus, what things take priority over that relationship in your life? 4.What other areas do you know you have misplaced priorities? (job, marriage, etc.)

Read Haggai 1: 5-11. You will notice that 2 times in this section of our story God tells the Jews through Haggai to “give careful thought to your ways.” They were experiencing all of these issues that God lists and could not figure out why. Have you been there before? Now, not all issues are solved through obedience (meaning the application of the message is not “if you always obey your life will be easy and worry free”) but in this specific instance, all they had to do was rebuild the Temple. They knew that’s what they were supposed to do but they neglected it.

1. How have misplaced priorities made your life a lot harder? 2. What did it take for you to finally realize your priorities were out of order? How did you change? 3. Could it be possible that right now you are living with misplaced priorities that are affecting your

walk with God and others? What will you do about it?

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Read Haggai 1: 12-15. Here we see the Lord stir the spirit of the Jewish leader, Zerubbabel and also the nation. Once they were told, from Haggai, why God was withholding these things they got right to work. Not because they wanted an easier life but because God made known to them that He wanted to be their main priority and had missed living among His people. This struck the hearts of the Jews in Jerusalem and they got to work right away! Their priorities hurt God and they wanted to make Him the center of their lives once more. There wasn’t a committee to decide on their action steps; they knew exactly what the priority was = rebuilding the Temple so God’s presence could dwell among them. So, they got to work right away.

1. We obviously aren't’ commanded to rebuild a Temple. As followers of Jesus, what should be our “priorities?”

2. Where do our priorities for our faith come from? How do we know what they are? 3. What would be our action steps as Jesus followers from this message of the Obstacles of

Priorities? 4.What is God saying to you through His words? What will you do about it? When?

Monday - Friday Daily Reading Guide Monday Read Matthew 6. What major themes jump out to you? Write them down and ask what God is saying to you through His Word. What will you do about it, and when?

Tuesday Read Romans 12. What major themes jump out to you? Write them down and ask what God is saying to you through His Word. What will you do about it, and when?

Wednesday Read Luke 12. What major themes jump out to you? Write them down and ask what God is saying to you through His Word. What will you do about it, and when?

Thursday Read I Timothy. What major themes jump out to you? Write them down and ask what God is saying to you through His Word. What will you do about it, and when?

Friday Read Deuteronomy 6. What major themes jump out to you? Write them down and ask what God is saying to you through His Word. What will you do about it, and when?

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Life Group Serving Opportunities One of the greatest things about being in a Life Group are the ways you can serve. There are several local and global ministries that LCC partners with. Below are some that you and your Life Group can do something about right now!

Shalom Sponsor a Kid One of our partners in the community is Shalom House. They provide some great service to the people in our community who are in need. We are proud to support this organization. Recently Shalom director, Lisa Williams shared about a need they have for people to sponsor a child. There’s more details available if you will contact Lisa at lebanonshalomhousedirector@gmail.com

Local Families in need of perishable food items This is a brand new need we are partnering with Freedom Church here in town to help meet. Our life groups can choose to donate funds to go towards LCC and Freedom Church offering vouchers for locals to go to the IGA in town and purchase milk and eggs. These are things they don’t often have at food pantries and are in high need of. If your group would like to help meet this need, email philip@lebanonchristian.org

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