GETTING
PRIORITIES
STRAIGHT
His Life Ministries
January 2025 Sermon Series
Main Text
Haggai 1:5-7 NIV
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
Series Overview
Most people look forward to the New Year as a chance to start again.
If we can even imagine a fresh start, we will be more motivated and inspired to improve ourselves and our actions.
Having well-defined life goals and making a conscious effort to reach them are essential components of this.
Both are essential because we live in a world full of choices and possibilities, and it is easy to get sidetracked and lose sight of what is profoundly important.
Prioritization has always been a challenge for us.
Nothing matters more than talking about what we believe to be the most essential things, but if we aren't actually doing them, then they aren't.
There are many potential causes for us to realize that our priorities are off.
Since this is the case, we have decided to center our January 2025 series on Haggai 1:5-7 and call it GETTING
PRIORITIES STRAIGHT.
Haggai was a prophet to the Jewish people who had returned from their exile in Babylon.
The Persians had allowed them to return home to build a temple to the Lord. But some years later, largely because of local opposition, the Temple was still not built. The work had stalled, and the
people were instead tending to their concerns.
All the people care about are themselves. Worshipping God or His will is completely out of their minds. Their heartfelt desire to delay the Lord's mission and forge their own is sadly indicative of their character. After that, Haggai admonished the Judeans to put an end to their preoccupation
with material comforts and instead devote themselves to rebuilding the Temple as a place of holy worship.
The message conveyed in this book is still relevant today.
The author wrote it for those of us who
claim God must be first but act and show the contrary. Our goal should be to make decisions that bring glory and delight to God, just like theirs. We should check if our priorities are straight.
Every day, we must examine them; nonetheless, God must always take precedence.
WEEKLY TITLE | SYNOPSIS | EMPHASIS
JANUARY 05, 2025
Kick- Off | Birthday Sunday | New Year Special
CHECK OUT YOUR PRIORITIES
Verse: Haggai 1:2-7
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not
yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:
4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses,while this house remains a ruin?”
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your
ways.
6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them
in a purse with holes in it.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
Haggai directed the people to restart construction on the temple. This structure isn't important in and of itself; what it stands for is. It refers to the promises made by God to His people. It was the most crucial part of Judah's relationship with God. However, the unpleasant neighbors forced them to give up since they were impeding progress. To make matters worse, they stopped working on God's house and began building extravagant mansions for themselves. Their actions showed
that they prioritized their comfort over God. To let the temple fall into disrepair was to ignore God's worship, which showed misguided priorities. So, through Haggai, the prophet, God urged His people to think carefully and draw the correct conclusions regarding the relationship between what was happening to them (verse 6)
and their failure to re-establish the Lord's worship (verses 8-9). God did not condemn them for experiencing some measure of comfort. Instead, He rebuked them for their mistaken priorities.
Haggai's argument was straightforward and forthright, but he demanded something of the
people: they must show that God must come first.
We must consider our actions thoroughly, just like these people do.
This is a call to serious thinking, to consider our acts and the consequences. We must recognize that achieving the most important goals in life begins with realizing that we have misplaced our priorities and concentration.
Those who get their priorities straight are up and doing the right thing.
JANUARY 12, 2025
Week One | Communion Sunday
PRIORITIZE THE RIGHT FOCUS
Verse: Haggai 1:2-4
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not
yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:
4
“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses,while this house remains a ruin?”
God sent Haggai to remind God's people to put their knowledge and priorities in harmony. In his call to Judah, he urged them to put their comforts aside. It was more important to prioritize spiritual
service than just building comfortable houses for their families. During this period, people focused only on their homes and wealth, aiming for material success. They were unsatisfied with their life, their labor, and their material belongings because they had not put God first in their lives.
Faith and life teachings abound in this. Your relationship with God will take a back seat to your pursuit of material comfort and pleasure. When we confess to God as Lord, it changes the game
for even the most mundane choices we face. In this light, two theological principles stand out as useful tools for self-reflection and goal setting: no matter how great our achievements are, God should always be pleased with them and be glorified by them.
JANUARY 19, 2025
Week Two | Lifegroup and Divinity Sunday
PRIORITIZE THE RIGHT GOAL
Verse: Haggai 1: 5-8
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your
ways.
6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them
in a purse with holes in it.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.
The word of Haggai was the turning point in inspiring the people to pick up their tools and continue the job that they had recently started. God wanted the people to prioritize worshipping God and building the house. In addition, the people suffered in every aspect of their lives because they had
removed God from the center of their lives.
This is to remind us that everything that occurs in our hearts affects every aspect of our lives. Our focus influences each of our priorities. Your goal should be at the top of your list.
However, not only do we have the wrong priorities and focus, but our goals have also fallen short of what God genuinely wishes, and this is the case sometimes, if not most of the time.
For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that we understand that our preference for God and spiritual matters must be manifested in our behavior. We are to examine our actions and figure out whether the choices we are making are for the glory and delight of God, regardless of the goals that we have set for ourselves.
JANUARY 26, 2025
Week Three | Facility Sunday
PRIORITIZE THE RIGHT MOVE
Verse: Haggai 1:13-15
13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord.
14 So the Lordstirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the
spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God,
15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
Work is required to have the appropriate priorities. As a result, it was not sufficient for them to merely recall God or discuss their preference for Him. They had to fulfill the mission that God had given them to do.
The prophetic message that Haggai had spoken caused the people to fear the Lord, repent for their disobedience, and start rebuilding. As soon as the people decided to comply, God's message
shifted from one of rebuke to one of encouragement. The people obeyed God by turning their attention to him. God gave them assurance and inspired them to take action to construct the
temple.
There is a time to talk and a time to act, a time to think and a time to act. This is true in every aspect of personal life. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that the circumstances we are in will never be favorable to the priorities we have set for ourselves. One
must decide in order to make time for them. The issue is still there: following through on our priorities is still an act of faith, and we can trust that God will meet our needs.
Bibliography
Life Application Study Bible
NLT Study Bible
CSB Study Bible
NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible
NIV Cultural Background Study Bible
The Swindoll Study Bible
Wiersbe Study Bible
bible.org
lifeway.com
gospelcoalition.org
sermons.logos.com
cepreaching.org
Dr. Constable Study Bible
Getting Priorities Straight, His Life Ministries January 2025 series.
