week of 1/15

Unit 17  Session 3

A TEMPLE RESTORED

EZRA 2-6

God moves His people to obey Him so that He might be glorified.

The exiles in Babylon were graciously granted permission to return home to Judah with the express purpose of rebuilding the temple of the Lord. Immediately, they set out to lay the foundation, which resulted in cries of joy from the young but tears from the old. But then outside opposition to this work set in with physical and political threats. The result was a delay in the construction and a loss of motivation in the people. They would need a prophetic word and the Lord's intervention to help them complete the house of God.

Points to consider:

✞   The people obey because of divine encouragement.

     * Why is it easy to get distracted from the Lord's work?

     * Why is it important to listen to godly wisdom from

        God's people?

✞   The people succeed because of divine intervention.

     * How should we live knowing that God is infinite?

✞   The people rejoice because of divine sovereignty.     

     * What are some commands for how we are to worship 

        God because of our salvation in Jesus Christ?

     * How should belief in God's power to rescue us bring 

        joy in your life?

week of 1/8

Unit 17  Session 2

A PEOPLE CLEANSED

ZECHARIAH 13-14

A day is coming when God will win the victory for His people and reign over them forevermore.

God had set His people free from captivity in Babylon. Yet the people still needed spiritual renewal and repentance. Having returned to the land, the prophet Zechariah called God's people to mourn over their sins. The Lord promised to give His people a new spirit, one of grace so they would be able to see the One who was coming to be "pierced" for their sins (Zech. 12:10). In the face of dark times, the Lord will remind His people that just as He won previous battles, He will win the future battle so that their future will be secure forever with Him.

Points to consider:

✞   The Lord will cleanse the impurities of His people.

     * What responses should people have to God's 

        offer of forgiveness and cleansing from sin?

✞   The Lord will fight and win the victory for His people.

     * What are some ways we can remind ourselves 

        of God's faithfulness and eternal victory in the 

        midst of our trials?

✞   The Lord will reign with provision and security for 

     His people.     

     * What are some ways you can show the world 

        that Jesus is King over your life?

     * How should the promise of Christ's coming 

        kingdom cause you to live today?

week of 1/1

Unit 17  Session 1

A PEOPLE RETURNED

EZRA 1-2

God is faithful to fulfill His promises and will bring restoration.

After spending seventy years in exile, away from their homeland, the Lord brought upheaval to kingdoms of the world, resulting in His people going home. Belshazzar and the Babylonians were overthrown by the Persians, and the result was a change in policy towards those who had been deported from Judah. God would bring His chosen people back to the land of promise - the land that He had given to Abraham and that Israel had settled during the days of Joshua.

Points to consider:

✞   The Lord moved a leader to fulfill His Word.

     * How should knowing the Lord fulfills His 

        promises cause us to read His Word?

     * What difference should God's providence, 

        His control of all things, make in how we 

        view history?

✞   The Lord roused the people to rebuild His house.

     * How should God's care for the details of His 

        worship move our hearts to worship Him 

        better?

✞   The Lord restored the families to their homes.     

     * How might God's unchanging nature 

        encourage you during hard times?

week of 12/25

Unit 16  Session 4

GOD'S PRESENCE IN ALL PLACES

1 KINGS 8-9 ; PSALM 33 ; ISAIAH 7

God is present in all times and places for His people's good, most clearly evidenced in His dwelling with His people in Christ.

We have seen the devestating effect of sin and judgment in the destruction the Lord brought upon Judah and Jerusalem. He used the Babylonians to crush His own temple, conquer His own people, and to take many of them captive into exile. It would have been easy for the exiles to see themselves in a foreign land, under a foreign king, and surrounded by foreign gods and believe that God was no longer with them. But nothing could be further from the truth. God is present everywhere; God hears, cares for, and promises to dwell with His people.

Points to consider:

✞   God is present to hear from His people.

     * What are some ways we experience the 

        presence of God now that are mere 

        reflections of what is to come?

✞   God is present to care for His people.

     * How do we sometimes reveal that we 

        think we can save ourselves by our 

        own merit?

✞   God is present to dwell with His people.     

     * What are some reasons we might find 

        it difficult to trust God?

     * How should understanding that God 

        sent His Son as our Savior to save and 

        be with us affect our view of God?

week of 12/18

Unit 16  Session 3

GOD'S JUDGMENT OF THE PRIDEFUL

DANIEL 5

God stands against the proud and will humble them.

Previously, we looked at Daniel 1, where we saw young Daniel and his three friends resolve to be faithful to God. In this session, we jump ahead a few decades to Daniel as an older man. Because of his resolve to remain faithful to the Lord, God blessed him and his time in exile. Here we will see God once again use Daniel as the conduit of His revelation as he pronounces judgment on King Belshazzar for his stubborn and foolish pride.

Points to consider:

✞   The Lord confronts those who profane 

     that which is holy.

     * What are some ways you see an attitude 

        of pride in our world today?

✞   The Lord rebukes those who exalt 

     themselves instead of Him.

     * How can all sin be connected to the idea 

        that we exalt ourselves above God?

     * What are some ways we can grow in our 

        efforts to reflect God's holiness?

✞   The Lord judges those who are found 

     to be deficient.     

     * How should our own deficiency apart 

        from Christ affect the way we see the 

        sin of the people around us?

week of 12/11

Unit 16  Session 2

GOD'S REWARD FOR THE FAITHFUL

DANIEL 1

Faithfulness to God is not easy, but it is rewarded.

In our last session, we saw the people of Judah at the very beginning of the Babylonian captivity. God had warned them time and time again that if they worshiped and served other gods, He would remove them from the land. And that's exactly what God did. In today's session, we still find ourselves at the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, but instead of hearing God speak through a prophet from outside Babylon, we will see God work through the lives of four young men in Babylon as they resolved to remain faithful to the Lord in a seemingly impossible situation.

Points to consider:

✞   Faithfulness to God is tested.

     * What opportunities from the world tempt 

        believers today to defile themselves?

     * How should the reality that we can't work 

        to justify ourselves before God change the 

        way we see our work for God?

✞   Faithfulness to God is affirmed.

     * What are some ways God affirms faithfulness 

        even if He doesn't provide for or rescue His 

        people from trials?

✞   Faithfulness to God is rewarded.      

     * Why should we see God's using us with our 

        gifts and talents as a reward?

week of 12/4

Unit 16  Session 1

GOD'S PROMISE TO HIS PEOPLE

JEREMIAH 29 - 30

A day will come when God will bring ultimate freedom, healing, and restoration.

The history of Israel, in both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, contains many ups and downs. God would do wonders in the sight of His people. They would love God and worship Him. But soon they would forget. Go sent godly leaders, judges, kings, and prophets to woo them back. But as the people continue to stray from Him, God eventually allowed their enemies to take His people into exile and captivity because He is a holy and just God. But in His love and faithfulness, He continued to speak though prophets, like Jeremiah, to encourage His people because He was still with them and freedom was coming.

Points to consider:

✞   The day of the Lord will bring freedom.

     * How should the doctrine of glorification 

        affect the way we live now?

✞   The day of the Lord will bring healing.

     * How does sin affect a person's relationship 

        with God?

     * Why might we find it difficult to rest in God's 

        promise of healing?

✞   The day of the Lord will bring restoration.      

     * How have you seen God's restoration in your 

        life and in the lives of those around you?