"WHEN GOD ISN'T FIRST"

>>>End of school/summer can be a time of rest/refreshment, but it can also be a time of renewal. However, summer can be a time of growing spiritually stagnant.

>>>Starting first summer series: “Haggai: Making God a Priority”

*This series is to cause reflection/action to move forward and to be a challenge to always keeping God first.

>>>Title is “When God Isn’t First”.

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>>>After 70 years of captivity the people of Judah were back in their land. They were starting to (literally) rebuild their lives.

*They were rebuilding their houses/land but were not rebuilding the temple.

*The temple of God signified God’s presence w/His people. It was burned down while they were in captivity, which showed the people would be in exile for a long time.

Haggai 1:1–4 In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, “This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.” ’ ” Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses while this house remains desolate?”

>>>During the reign of Darius in the “sixth month” (August), the LORD spoke through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel, the Gov of Judah, and Joshua the high priest-the leaders.

*“Haggai” means “festival”. He was probably an older man.

>>>(v.2-4) The LORD speaks through Haggai a “conversation” between Him and the people.

*The people: “It’s not time for the temple to be rebuilt.”

*LORD: “Is it time for you to be in paneled (“covered”) houses while Mine is still in ruins?”

*The people were rebuilding their homes/livelihood while God’s house still remain destroyed-not prioritizing God/putting Him first.

>>>The beginning of the book of Ezra shows the return of the exiles and their desire/effort to rebuild the temple (this will be same point as Haggai but different way to point).

>>>Residents in the land opposed the work and sent Artaxerxes a letter asking him to get them to stop. The king replied doing so.

Ezra 4:23–24 Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes’ decree was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their colleagues, they went in a hurry to Jerusalem to the Jews and stopped them by military force. Then work on the house of God in Jerusalem was discontinued, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

>>>The opposition got the people to stop the work! The temple remained in ruins for an additional 16 years...while the people rebuilt everything else.

*Different way, same point-the people allowed everything else to get in the way of God being in His proper place, even during King Darius where there was a perfect opportunity.

*The people were finally brought out of exile into freedom but let fear of opposition, personal desire, etc. get in the way of God/used their freedom for their own priorities.

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Haggai 1:5–11 Now then, the Lord of armies says this: “Consider your ways! You have sown much, only to harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but there is not enough for anyone to get warm; and the one who earns, earns wages to put into a money bag full of holes.” The Lord of armies says this: “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains, bring wood, and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be honored,” says the Lord. “You start an ambitious project, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the Lord of armies. “It is because of My house which remains desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on mankind, on cattle, and on all the products of the labor of your hands.”

>>>Twice in this passage the LORD tells the people to “consider their ways”-look at their life/what’s happening. He is telling them to take a hard look and reflect on what’s going on.

*(v.6) sowing seeds-no harvest/not enough food

*drink but not enough

*clothing-limited in amount/effect

*earn wages-losing money (barely making any/having barely enough to buy).

*(v.9) Ambition does not succeed/does not last

>>>(v.9-10) Why was all this happening? Because God’s temple was not built-God was not a priority/first.

*There was accomplishment (houses/farms) but not prosperity.

*There was effort but no blessing-no rain, having droughts, etc.

>>>(v.8) God told them to rebuild the temple so that He would be pleased and honored.

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Haggai 1:12–15 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, just as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the Lord. Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke by the commission of the Lord to the people, saying, “ ‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.” So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of armies, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king.

>>>(v.12, 14) The response of Zer/Joshua and remnant was obedience and reverence to the LORD. They began rebuilding the temple.

*The LORD “stirred up” the spirit of Zer/the people. “Stirred up” means “awaken”. The people had a new awakening in their lives and turned back to following the LORD.

>>>(v.13) The LORD sent another message to the people-“I am with you”. Their obedience/reverence to the LORD brought back His presence-temple wasn’t even rebuilt!

*Putting God first was not just a matter of outward action but of the inward spirit.

*The people had their lives back-houses, farms-but they did not have the presence of the LORD w/them. God wasn’t first.

*God responded to what was coming of their heart, not mere outward religious action.

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>>>How did you end the school year-passing grades? Many awards? How are you starting the summer-vacation? At home? Youth Group? Camp? In all of this, where does God fall?

>>>We make good grades, set life in order, spend time w/friends, go on vacations, and even come to YG/go to camp, but God’s house in our hearts is in ruins.

*Pursuing academic achievements-not reading Bible

*Spending time w/friends (pool, video games, hanging out)-not praying

*Working hard/having fun-not engaged in church

*There may be happiness, success, achievements, but there is not prosperity/blessing/presence.

>>>We can have a life set on material success, achieved goals, academics, sports, fun, good times w/friends, or we can have a life where we hear God saying “I am with you.”

>>>Consider your ways/look at life. What has got in the way of making/keeping God first? Where do you need to put God first in your life?

*Use this opportunity of summertime to put God back in His proper place in your life.

(>>>Take time to examine where God is not being first. Then right down a prayer/where you need to prioritize God on the poster.)