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Not by Might, nor by Power

A stalled temple, a bag with holes, and the Lord’s promise to finish His work through His Spirit

  • 📖 Adult Sunday School
  • Week 50
  • 📅 Sunday, December 13, 2026
💡 The big idea

When we put the Lord and His house first, He blesses the rest of our lives and finishes His work in us, not by our might or power but by His Spirit, starting with small things.

I can consider my ways, put the Lord first in one concrete way this week, and trust Him with the small beginnings.

Study it yourself firstRead Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14)
Know the chapters

In 538 BC, King Cyrus of Persia let the Jews return from Babylon and rebuild the temple. That’s Ezra 1:1–3. In Ezra 3:10–13 they lay the foundation with shouting and weeping. The older people remembered Solomon’s temple. Then opposition came, and the work stopped. In Ezra 4:24 it stays stopped for more than fifteen years. In the second year of King Darius, probably 520 BC, the Lord raised up two prophets. Haggai and Zechariah got the work moving again. See Haggai 1:1 and Ezra 5:1–2. Within about four years the temple was finished and dedicated with joy, in Ezra 6:14–16. Herod enlarged it centuries later. It was the temple Jesus taught in.

Haggai’s message is short and direct. In Haggai 1:2–4 the people say it isn’t time to build the Lord’s house. Meanwhile they live in finished, paneled homes. Twice, in 1:5 and 7, the Lord says, “Consider your ways.” In 1:6 you plant a lot and harvest little. You eat and are still hungry. Your wages go into “a bag with holes.” In 1:12–14 the leaders and people listen. The Lord “stirred up” their spirits, and they go back to work. The older people weep that the new temple is nothing next to the old. In 2:3–4 the Lord answers, “be strong … and work: for I am with you.” He gave the early Saints a similar rebuke when they delayed the Kirtland Temple. That’s Doctrine and Covenants 95:3.

Zechariah adds encouragement and visions. The Lord tells Zerubbabel, the governor, how the temple will be finished. In Zechariah 4:6 it’s “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit.” In 4:10 He asks who would despise “the day of small things.” In chapter 3, the high priest Joshua’s filthy garments are swapped for clean ones. It’s a picture of what only the Savior can do. Zechariah also foresaw details of the Savior’s life. In 9:9 the King rides on a donkey, as Matthew 21:4–5 records. There are thirty pieces of silver in 11:12–13. The one who was pierced is in 12:10 and John 19:37. The wounds in His hands are in 13:6 and Doctrine and Covenants 45:51–52. In 14:20–21 the book ends with “HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD” even on horses’ bells and cooking pots. Those are the words we see on our temples.

Twenty-five minutes goes quickly. Adults have real, good things competing for their time. Work, children, aging parents, callings and health all pull. Haggai never tells people to stop farming or building homes. He tells them to put the Lord’s house first and see what happens to everything else. Keep the talk practical and free of guilt. Walk through Haggai 1 in three short stops and finish with Haggai 2:3–5. The Lord speaks in almost every verse, so you read. The prophecies of the Messiah are ready as a bonus step for Christmas.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Haggai 1 in three short stops: verses 2–6, 7–9 and 12–14. Then read Haggai 2:3–5. Open with the “time never seemed right” question. Ask one question after each stop. Study Zechariah 4:6 closely. Give the most time to Consider Your Ways. Close by inviting everyone to put the Lord first in one concrete way this week.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Haggai 1–2 out loud once. It’s short. Then read Zechariah 4:6–10. Mark Haggai 1:5–6, 2:4 and Zechariah 4:6.
  2. Consider your own ways honestly. Where have you told the Lord, “The time is not come”? If the room is quiet, you’ll go first.

Discussion tips

  • Quiet class? Priorities can feel like a guilt topic. Say early that nobody’s getting scolded. Wait a little longer than feels comfortable, then share your own honest answer first.
  • One question catches fire? Stay with it. A great discussion doesn’t cover every question. Let the rest go.
  • One voice filling every pause? Thank them warmly, then say, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance yet.”
  • Some people can’t go to the temple right now. It might be distance, health, cost, family or worthiness questions. Keep the focus on putting the Lord first wherever we are. “HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD” can be written in more places than temples.
  • Someone says, “I put the Lord first and my finances still fell apart”? Thank them. In 1:13 and 2:4, Haggai promises the Lord is with us. He doesn’t promise every bag gets patched right away. You can honor that and still testify.
  • Visitors or new members? Haggai and Zechariah are new to most people, so say so. Tap the references on the shared screen. Never ask anyone to read aloud without checking first.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Each “On the screen” line is what the class sees on a shared screen in Teach Mode in the Gospel Sparks app; on paper, read it aloud or write it on the board.

1. Hook

The Time Is Not Come

3 min

Opens with something every adult knows: good things we keep putting off until the time is right.

  1. SAY“Think of something good you’ve meant to do for years, but the time never seemed right. What is it?”
  2. Take three or four answers lightly, without comment. Share one of your own if needed.
  3. Read Haggai 1:2, “This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built.”
  4. SAY“For fifteen years, God’s people said that about His temple. Today let’s hear what the Lord said back.”

On the screen: ⏳ What good thing have you meant to do for years, but the time never seemed right?

2. Story

Haggai in Four Short Stops

9 min

Walks through Haggai 1 and into chapter 2 a few verses at a time, from excuse to rebuke to action to encouragement, with one question at each stop.

  1. SAY“Haggai is two short chapters. We’ll walk through them in four short readings. Listen for what the Lord asks, and what He promises.”
  2. Show one scene at a time. Give the one-line setup, then read the passage yourself. The Lord speaks in almost every verse.
  3. After each reading, ask the scene’s question and take two or three answers. Keep each stop about two minutes.
  4. After the last reading, let the quiet sit for a few seconds.

On the screen: 🏛️ Haggai: a stalled temple, a bag with holes, and “I am with you” · Four short readings: 1:2–6 · 1:7–9 · 1:12–14 · 2:3–5

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: The shared screen (TV or device) with Teach Mode open

  1. SAY“We’ll walk through Haggai in four short readings. Listen for what the Lord asks, and what He promises.”
  2. Read 1:2–6, 1:7–9, 1:12–14 and 2:3–5 yourself. Give each setup in your own words first.
  3. After each reading, ask the scene’s question aloud and take two or three answers. Keep each stop about two minutes.
3. Scripture

By My Spirit

4 min

Studies Zechariah 4:6 and 4:10 so class members see that the Lord finishes what He starts, including in them.

  1. SAY“Zerubbabel had no army, little money and a discouraged people. Here is what the Lord promised him.”
  2. Read Zechariah 4:6.
  3. Ask, “What might ‘by my spirit’ have meant for Zerubbabel?” Follow-up: “What does it mean for something the Lord has asked of you?”
  4. Read Zechariah 4:9–10. Ask, “Why do you think the Lord warns us not to despise ‘the day of small things’?”
  5. Take two or three answers to each question. Let a pause sit before you move on.

On the screen: 🕊️ Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. · Zechariah 4:6, 10 · Who hath despised the day of small things?

4. Talk it over

Consider Your Ways

6 min

Helps adults look honestly and without guilt at what they put first, and at what happens when the Lord comes first.

  1. SAY“The Lord said it twice: ‘Consider your ways.’ Let’s do that together, honestly and without guilt.”
  2. Pick two or three questions. Ask one, wait, then ask its follow-up before you move on.
  3. After the “not yet” question, share President Uchtdorf’s words from “From general conference” below. If the room is quiet, answer first yourself.
💬 Ask the class
  • In Haggai 1, verse 2, the people said, “The time is not come.” What “not yet” reasons do we give the Lord today? Follow-up: Which of those are real limits, and which are really about priorities?
  • Haggai never tells them to stop farming or building homes. What does putting the Lord first look like in a full, good life? Follow-up: What has helped you do it in a busy season?
  • When have you seen the “holes” close after you put the Lord first? Maybe not in money, but in peace, time or relationships. Follow-up: How did you recognize it was His doing?
  • The oldest builders wept that the new temple was “as nothing.” That’s chapter 2, verse 3. When has comparing your efforts discouraged you? Maybe with someone else’s, or with your own past. Follow-up: What helped you keep working?
  • What is one thing the Lord might be asking you to build, or rebuild, right now? Follow-up: What would a small first step look like this week?

On the screen: 🏠 “Consider your ways.” What are we building first? · Haggai 1:2–9; 2:3–4

5. Testimony

I Am with You

3 min

Ends with testimony of the Savior, who finishes His work in us, and one concrete invitation.

  1. SAY“The Lord told a discouraged people, ‘be strong … and work: for I am with you.’”
  2. SAY“Would one or two of you share a time He finished something you couldn’t?”
  3. Bear a short testimony. Jesus Christ is with us in our small beginnings. His Spirit finishes what He starts.
  4. Invite: “This week, consider your ways. Then put the Lord first in one concrete way. Maybe a temple visit, a scripture habit, or a calling you’ve delayed.”

On the screen: 🤝 Be strong … and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts. · Haggai 2:4 · This week: put the Lord first in one concrete way.

6. Talk it over

Behold, Thy King Cometh

5 minBONUS

A Christmas-season look at how clearly Zechariah foresaw the Savior.

  1. SAY“Zechariah saw the Savior clearly, five hundred years early.”
  2. Read Zechariah 9:9, then Matthew 21:4–5.
  3. Mention a few more. There’s the thirty pieces of silver in 11:12–13 and the one who was pierced in 12:10. His wounds are in 13:6 and Doctrine and Covenants 45:51–52.
  4. Ask one or two questions with follow-ups, then close on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • Zechariah describes the King as “lowly, and riding upon an ass.” Why do you think the Savior came so quietly? Follow-up: Where do you most often find Him quietly today?
  • Zechariah 13, verse 6 speaks of wounds received “in the house of my friends.” The Savior will still carry those wounds. What does that tell you about His love? Follow-up: How does it change the way you come to Him?
  • Which of Zechariah’s prophecies of Christ strengthens your testimony most this Christmas season? Follow-up: Who could you share it with?

On the screen: 👑 “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee … lowly, and riding upon an ass.” · Zechariah 9:9; 13:6

Read it together

Rebuilding the House

Haggai 1:2–6; Haggai 1:7–9; Haggai 1:12–14; Haggai 2:3–5 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🏚️ Paneled houses and a bare foundation

    In Haggai 1, verse 1, the temple foundation has sat bare for more than fifteen years. The Lord speaks through Haggai to the governor and the high priest. Now read verses 2 to 6. Notice the contrast. Their own houses are finished, “and this house lie waste.”

    💬 Ask: They weren’t lazy. They were busy. Why could they finish their own houses, but not the Lord’s? Follow-up: Where do we see the same pattern?

  2. 🪞 “Consider your ways”

    Now verses 7 to 9. The Lord repeats Himself: “Consider your ways.” Then He names the hole in the bag: “ye run every man unto his own house.”

    💬 Ask: What would it look like to consider your ways honestly, without drowning in guilt? Follow-up: What has helped you do it?

  3. 🔨 The Lord stirred up their spirits

    In verses 10 and 11, the Lord adds that even the drought was a call to wake up. Now read verses 12 to 14. Notice the order. They obeyed. He said, “I am with you.” And He “stirred up the spirit” of them all. About three weeks later, in verse 15, they were building.

    💬 Ask: When has the Lord stirred up your spirit after you took a first step? Follow-up: What did that feel like?

  4. 😢 “Is it not … as nothing?”

    In chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, about a month has passed. The oldest builders remember Solomon’s temple, and this one looks small. Now read verses 3 to 5. The Lord doesn’t argue with their disappointment. He says “be strong” three times. Then He adds, “and work: for I am with you.”

    💬 Ask: When have your efforts felt small next to what came before? Follow-up: What does “be strong … and work: for I am with you” say to you?

Key verse

Zechariah 4:6 ↗
“This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
In plain words: The Lord’s work, including His work in us, isn’t finished by our strength or resources. It is finished by His Spirit.

More verses

Haggai 1:5–6 ↗
“Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”
In plain words: Take an honest look at your life. When the Lord isn’t first, effort drains away like money in a bag with holes.
Haggai 2:4 ↗
“Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts”
In plain words: When our efforts look small, the Lord says: be strong, keep working, I am with you.
Zechariah 4:10 ↗
“For who hath despised the day of small things?”
In plain words: Don’t look down on small beginnings. The Lord builds great things from them.
Zechariah 14:20 ↗
“In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.”
In plain words: One day even the most ordinary things, horses’ bells and cooking pots, will be holy to the Lord. He wants to make everyday life sacred.

From general conference

“Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules.”

— President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Of Things That Matter Most,” October 2010

Share in Consider Your Ways, after the class talks about the “not yet” reasons we give the Lord.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • The Spirit of God Hymns, no. 2

    Sung at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836. A strong opening hymn for a lesson about building the Lord’s house “by my spirit.” Find it ↗

  • Joy to the World Hymns, no. 201

    A Christmas hymn that welcomes the King, fitting Zechariah’s “Behold, thy King cometh.” Find it ↗

This week’s invitation

Consider Your Ways

This week, take ten quiet minutes to consider your ways. Look at your calendar and bank statement and ask where the Lord comes first. Then put Him first in one concrete way. Try a temple visit, a scripture habit, a delayed calling or visit, or morning prayer before anything else.

Take it home

In Sunday School we read Haggai and Zechariah. The Jews had stopped rebuilding the temple. In Haggai 1:5 the Lord said, “Consider your ways.” Effort without Him is like wages in “a bag with holes.” Then in Zechariah 4:6 He promised the work would be finished “by my spirit.” At home, ask everyone what small thing your family could put first this week.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🧥 Clean Garments · 4 min

  1. Read Zechariah 3:1–5. Satan accuses Joshua the high priest. The Lord replaces his filthy garments with clean ones.
  2. Point out verse 2. The Lord calls Joshua “a brand plucked out of the fire.”
  3. Ask, “Sometimes others accuse us, or our own hearts do. What does this vision teach about how the Savior responds?”

🍞 Did Ye Fast unto Me? · 4 min

  1. Read Zechariah 7:5–6. The Lord asks whether their fasts were really for Him.
  2. Read Zechariah 7:9–10 for what He asks instead. True judgment, mercy and compassion. Care for the widow, the fatherless, the stranger and the poor.
  3. Ask, “How can we make our fast Sundays more about the Lord and the people around us?”

↩️ Turn unto Me · 3 min

  1. Read Zechariah 1:3, “Turn ye unto me … and I will turn unto you.”
  2. Compare Malachi 3:7 and James 4:8.
  3. Ask, “In these verses, which comes first, our turning or His?” Follow-up: “Why does that order matter?”

🔔 Holiness on the Horses’ Bells · 4 min

  1. Read Zechariah 14:20–21. HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD is on our temples. Here it’s on a horse’s bell and a cooking pot.
  2. Ask, “What are the horses’ bells and cooking pots of your week? Think of the ordinary tools you use every day.”
  3. Ask, “What changes when we treat a commute, a kitchen or a spreadsheet as holy to the Lord?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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