Grace for the Unclean

April 8, 2018 Speaker: Matt Maka Series: The Minor Prophets

Topic: The Gospel Scripture: Haggai 2:10–23

Summary

Haggai confronts the people of Israel in their self-righteousness to show them that, while they cannot make themselves clean through their obedience, God can make them clean through the gift of his grace.

Review & Application

Here are some thoughts about how to review and apply today’s study from Haggai 2:10-23.

Read: Start by reading Haggai 2, Zechariah 4:6-7, Matthew 1:12, Luke 3:27
Pray: Ask the Spirit to fill you so will Know Him, Love Him and Live for Jesus.

Review

  1. What issue was God addressing with His people by having them ask the priests the two quiz questions in 2:11-13?
  2. What circumstances hadn’t changed for God’s people since before they started rebuilding the temple (2:15-19)?
  3. What was God trying to show His people by not changing those circumstances?
  4. What is the big twist in this 3rd sermon of Haggai in 2:19?
  5. Notice how God is on the move in verses 20-23 (“I”, “declares the LORD”).
  6. What does it mean that God will make Zerubbabel like a "signet ring"?

Apply

  1. God showed us through Haggai’s first 3 messages that we can have 3 different heart attitudes: Lazy, Discouraged, Self-Righteous. Which of these 3 do you most often struggle with?
  2. Under what circumstances are you tempted to think God owes you some sort of blessing?
  3. Do you really believe that any and all of the blessings in your life are because of grace?
  4. What would your life look like if God treated you according to your works instead of by grace?
  5. What would it look like for you to savor, treasure and rejoice in the grace of Jesus this week?

“If God‘s blessings were dependent on our performance, they would be meager indeed. Even our best works are shot through with sin - with varying degrees of impure motives and lots of imperfect performance. We are always, to some degree, looking out for ourselves, guarding are flanks, protecting our egos. It is because we do not realize the utter depravity of the principle of sin that remains in us and stains everything we do, that we entertain any notion of earning God’s blessing through our obedience. And it is because we do not full grasp the fact that Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins that we despair of God’s blessing when we have failed to live up to even our own desires to live a life that is pleasing to God.”

- Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace, pp. 18

More in The Minor Prophets

March 25, 2018

Overcoming Discouragement in the Mission

March 18, 2018

Consider Your Ways

March 4, 2018

Living by Faith When God's Ways Don't Make Sense