Vision Sunday 2023 – Study Questions

Kyle Bartholic   -   September 7, 2023

True Purpose

Ezra 3:8-13

INTRODUCTION:  The book of Ezra begins where 2 Chronicles ends. As prophesied by Isaiah (Isa. 44:28), the Persian King Cyrus had sent exiles led by Zerubbabel back to Jerusalem in 538 b.c. (Persia had defeated Babylon in 539.) Despite opposition from the non-Jewish inhabitants of Judea, and after encouragement by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the Temple was rebuilt (515). Then in 458, Ezra led the second of three waves of returning exiles. By the time Ezra arrived, the people had again fallen into sin. Ezra preached God’s word and the people repented (10:9–17). Ezra succeeded because God’s hand was upon him (7:6, 9, 28; 8:18, 22, 31). This book, perhaps written by Ezra, shows God’s power in covenant faithfulness, moving even pagan kings to accomplish his redemptive purposes.[1]

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel are all leaders in a similar time period in the life of Israel. Specifically, they led the exiles back to Jerusalem under the reign of the Persian King Cyrus. Each leader had a unique role to play in the return. Zerubbabel would come first and lead the people into their first rounds of spiritual and social reform. Then, Ezra would arrive and pick up on the work of Zerubbabel, both leading the people spiritually and rebuilding the Temple that had been desecrated by the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar. Alongside Ezra, Nehemiah would famously lead the people to reconstruct the walls of the city and fortify its defenses against their enemies. See, all three operated under the authority of King Cyrus, but that did not mean they operated without opposition. They faced opposition both internally and externally. The exilic people of Israel were often divided in purpose and mission and had brought with them the religious baggage of their time in exile. Those that lived in the area were regional powers that didn’t want the people of Israel to resettle in their region so they opposed them both with slander and violence.

In Ezra 3, we get a glimpse at an amazing work the Lord was doing in the life of Israel, and unfortunately, there was a group that missed it. The Temple had been restored to a place where it could be used for right worship again after decades of devastation and ruin. But Ezra tells us that there were those who remembered the “glory” of Solomon’s Temple. That is, they remembered the size and grandeur and were keenly aware that this rebuilt Temple wasn’t nearly as “big or as beautiful” as the former one. Ezra tells us that they wept over this. We can be both sympathetic and sharpened by their example. Haggai would chastise this same group when he told them that the glory of this latter Temple would be greater than the former. This group that should have been rejoicing at the work of God wept because the prized form over function. We are sharpened by their example. We are not to prize form over function. If we want to be a healthy church over the next decade, we need to prioritize God’s mission and allow form and personal preferences to be secondary matters. Let’s not miss the work of God because it didn’t look like the way I expected it to look.

 

 

GETTING STARTED – As you begin your group time, share about a time in your life when you misplaced the value of form over function and came to regret it. It could be a time when you spent more money on something because of the way it looked only to find out that it didn’t work nearly as well as the cheaper but less appealing option. Or, could be a time when you prized a relationship with someone that you thought made you look better or gave you more standing, only to realize who your true friends were.

 

 

IN THE WORD –   Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.

First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)

 

Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.

 

 

Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?

 

 

 

Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?

 

 

 

 

Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions about the article of faith we are studying that week.

  1. What stands out to you from the text in Ezra?
  2. Is there a time in your life where you watched a church place a higher value on form than function (purpose) and pay dearly for it?
  3. How do you weigh the value of form over function? We recognize that they are both important. But how do you in your everyday life keep the two in their right place?
  4. We talked about how your identity informs your purpose, how do you see this being lived out in your everyday life? How does your identity in Christ inform every other sense of identity that you have? Ex. A spouse, an employee, a manager, a boss, a student, an athlete, a friend, etc.
  5. We talked about how keeping function (purpose) centered builds in us patience, persistence, and perspective. How have you seen that in your life? Or, what intentional steps in your spiritual walk do you need to take to see those things increase?

 

 

 

 

 

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ezr.