“December 5–11. Haggai; Zechariah 1–3; 7–14: ‘Holiness unto the Lord,’” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: Old Testament 2022 (2021)
“December 5–11. Haggai; Zechariah 1–3; 7–14,” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: 2022
Laie Hawaii Temple
December 5–11
Haggai; Zechariah 1–3; 7–14
“Holiness unto the Lord”
As you study Haggai and Zechariah, ponder how you can help class members find meaning in these prophecies.
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
Class members could share verses from Haggai and Zechariah that they pondered or discussed with others this week and discuss how these verses helped them draw closer to the Lord.
Teach the Doctrine
“Consider your ways.”
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The counsel in Haggai 1 can help class members think about their priorities. You could invite them to read Haggai 1:1–7 and identify how the people in Jerusalem were failing to prioritize what the Lord wanted them to do. What are some things the Lord has asked us to make high priorities in our lives? What can distract us from focusing on Heavenly Father and the Savior and Their priorities? Perhaps class members could share experiences that have helped them “consider [their] ways” and their priorities.
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To help class members think about how they can focus more completely on the Lord’s priorities, you could ask them to review Haggai 2:1–9. What counsel did the Lord give that can help us do His work? Class members could share how they are able to put the Lord’s priorities first in their lives as they deal with their many other important responsibilities. What does Haggai 2:1–9 teach about how the Lord blesses us when we put Him first in our lives? (see also “Additional Resources”). Give class members time to write down what they feel inspired to do because of this discussion.
The Lord can make us holy.
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To begin a discussion about holiness, you could read together Zechariah 14:20–21. Class members could share what the phrase “Holiness unto the Lord” means to them. What influence might it have on people if they saw the phrase “Holiness unto the Lord” inscribed on everyday objects? How does this phrase affect us when we see it on temples today? Class members could then read Zechariah 1:1–6; 3:1–7; 7:8–10; 8:16–17 and discuss what they learn about what it means to be holy. Why is our personal holiness important to the Lord? How does He help us become holy?
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Class members could review Zechariah 2:10–11; 8:1–8; 14:9–11, 20–21 and share their impressions about what it would be like to live with the Savior in a state of holiness. How does the Lord prepare us to live in the conditions Zechariah described? How can we access His power to help us become more holy?
“Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass” (Zechariah 9:9). Triumphal Entry, by Harry Anderson
Zechariah 9:9–11; 11:12–13; 12:10; 13:6–7
Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah.
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To help class members see connections between Zechariah’s words and the Savior’s life, as the people in Jesus’s time did, you might divide the class into two groups. Give class members in the first group one of these passages: Zechariah 9:9–11; 11:12–13; 12:10; 13:6–7. Give class members in the other group one of these passages: Matthew 21:1–11; 26:14–16; 26:31; John 19:37. Each class member could try to find someone from the other group who has a scripture passage that matches theirs. What do we learn about the Savior from these verses?
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To help class members ponder Zechariah 9:9–11, you might show a picture of the Savior’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Or show the video “The Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Class members could discuss what it might have felt like to be among the people welcoming Jesus into the city. How do we welcome Him into our lives, our homes, and our communities?
Additional Resources
“Consider your ways.”
After quoting Haggai 1:4–7, Elder Terence M. Vinson taught:
“We can feel enduring joy when our Savior and His gospel become the framework around which we build our lives. However, it’s so easy for that framework to become, instead, the things of the world, where the gospel sits as an optional extra or as simply attending church for two hours on Sundays. When this is the case, it is tantamount to putting our wages into ‘a bag with holes.’
“Haggai is telling us to be committed. …
“There is no treasure, nor any hobby, nor any status, nor any social media, nor any video games, nor any sport, nor any association with a celebrity, nor anything on earth that is more precious than eternal life. So the Lord’s counsel to every person is ‘consider your ways’” (“True Disciples of the Savior,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 9, 11).
Improving Our Teaching
Listen. Listening is an act of love. One way to listen effectively is to look at the person who is speaking. This allows you to notice any nonverbal communication. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 34.)