Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “Ezra 6: A Joyful Ending” by Josh Moody
• Article: “The Jews Complete the Temple” by Ligonier
• Sermon: “There Will Be Blood” by Jesse Johnson
• Sermon: “Dust to Glory” by R. C. Sproul

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training podcast. Today we are in Unit 17, Session 2, The Temple Rebuilt, with the core passage of Ezra 6:6-12, and 16-22; and with the key concept of God will restore worship of Him, resulting in a joyful celebration of His faithfulness.

We’ve learned that King Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and began rebuilding. They started with the altars, and they layed the foundation for the temple. From the timeline, we see that they were met with some opposition and had to pause rebuilding in Ezra 4. But then Haggai and Zechariah came along and encouraged them to resume building at the beginning of chapter 5. But there was a governor named Tattenai that was suspicious and unsure of what they were doing, so he inquired of the Israelites and their leaders, and they told him that they were allowed to rebuild under King Cyrus’s decree.

When has opposition discouraged you from obeying the Lord? Answers may include peer pressure or even formal laws that may be against how God has taught us to love others, to treat everyone with respect and kindness as all are created in the image of God. Maybe employers who tell us to cut corners, cheat, or do unethical tasks. Opposition may come through persecution or as orders or through other means throughout our lives.

Tattenai then sent a letter to King Darius to make him aware of what was going on (this is King Darius 1, not to be confused with Darius the Mede who many say is the same as King Cyrus who preceded him). Chapter 6 then begins with King Darius 1 searching the archives to check that what they said was true about Cyrus’s decree. And sure enough, the decree was found. So King Darius responded to Tattenai in today’s core passage.

Discovering the decree, King Darius told Tattenai to leave the people alone, but even more, he told that “the cost is to be paid in full to these men out of the royal revenues from the taxes of the region west of the Euphrates River, so the work will not stop. Whatever is needed… let it be given to them every day without fail.”  King Darius went above and beyond to allow the Israelites to rebuild the temple. And notice that Tattenai was the governor of the region west of the Euphrates River. It was from his region’s taxes that they were to supply the resources. And moreso, he told Tattenai that those who interfere will be punished. And we don’t know how Tattenai felt about these instructions, but we do know that he “diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed” in verse 13.

How does God’s sovereignty relate to His faithfulness, as seen in this passage? God was and always is at work. Even through opposition and persecution. Even through enemies and unbelieving leaders. God used Tattenai’s suspicions to make King Darius act in favor of the Israelites and the rebuilding of the temple. The Israelites were probably just praying for their opposition to go away. Yet God in His faithfulness was giving them more—taking away their opposition but also giving them all the resources they needed through the Babylonian king and his decree to resource them and protect them from further opposition. King Darius was a Babylonian king who wasn’t a believer, but he respected the faith of the people under his watch. In verse 12, he even states, “May the god who caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who dares to harm or interfere with this house of God in Jerusalem.” God was working through these pagan leaders for His glory. This is the Lord, our God, who goes above and beyond, and is able to, for His people.

Thus with this additional help, the Israelites were able to finish rebuilding the temple. And after doing so, they rightfully celebrated. And they celebrated with joy. And they celebrated with worship through offerings. They came back to an understanding of obedience as they appointed priest to God’s service “according to what is written in the book of Moses” in verse 18. And as the Gospel Project Commentary on page 80 states, “The temple was not just another building for the people of God. God gave the people the temple so that they might have a visible picture of His rule in their lives and their need to be brought into right relationship with Him. The writer of Hebrews described the temple as a copy and shadow of what was in heaven in Hebrews 8:5. Until Jesus Christ came to dwell with us, the temple in Jerusalem would point forward to God’s promises.”

Also, the Israelites went back to celebrating the festivals, back to remembering God’s faithfulness, through observing the Passover, and the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is symbolically comparative to their current exodus from Babylon, back to the promised land so to speak, a celebration of freedom and renewal and restoration because Yahweh God was good and faithful and doesn’t abandon His people.

What obstacles in your life might you need to address to worship God actively, corporately, and joyfully? Some answers may include doubt, unforgiveness, a critical spirit, a lack of love, a lack of remembrance and gratefulness, or sin of course. God wants us to return to joyful worship, worship of remembrance and thankfulness. If there is something that is preventing you from coming to that kind of worship, bring it to the Lord. Resolve it and restore yourself to right, joyful, grateful worship.

How can remembering God’s past and present faithfulness help you worship God more deeply today? When we remember God’s past and present faithfulness, we need to remember what He has done throughout Scripture, throughout history, throughout the life of the church, throughout the lives of people we know, as well as throughout our own life. Doing so should help us see the goodness of God and the faithfulness of God more.

As the Church Connection states, “God made the rebuilding of the temple possible so the people could see His faithfulness to them, resulting in joy and celebration. God’s faithfulness is revealed ultimately in His provision of His Son, Jesus Christ, which results in ultimate joy and celebration for believers today.”

On to the Group Experience, then, start with the icebreaker question as people arrive. Move to the Context and display Pack Item 9: Persia and the Return Map to visualize the path and distance the Israelites took to return to Jerusalem and cover the information given there.

Recap with highlights of the core passage and asking the group to share one truth learned through their preparation of the lesson.

For the Group Activity, direct your group to page 66 of their Personal Study Guide. Form 4 smaller groups and assign each group a passage from the first 4 boxes on the chart. In each smaller group, have teams read the passage and write down ways God showed His faithfulness. After some minutes, have each group summarize and share their findings, writing down their findings on the chart. Ask, “What methods did God use to show His faithfulness?” In the Exodus passage, God was faithful in a few ways. He showed His presence through the pillar of cloud, He empowered Moses to split the sea, He empowered the Egyptians to all follow the Israelites into the sea, He made them confused and their chariot wheels to swerve. He did all this for the Israelites’ rescue and salvation. So His method was through His power, through miracles and through Moses’s obedience. For Daniel, God gave him wisdom to interpret the king’s dream so that he may save the wise men (for extra credit, in verses 46-49, we also see that the king acknowledged Daniel’s God and promoted Daniel, gave him gifts, and promoted his friends as well). God’s method was through giving His people wisdom and discernment and knowledge. In the Acts 2 passage, God displayed His faithfulness by growing the number of people saved through the message of the gospel. And believing, the people lived in unity and love. God used the message of the gospel and His people living out that message of sacrificial love to bring about unity and mutual devotion among His people. In the Acts 5 passage, God displayed His faithfulness by continuing to inspire the disciples to be bold in their evangelism and using Gamaliel to reason with the people not to kill them. And even through a flogging, the disciples were joyful and God gave them the strength and courage to be so.

Then have 2 people read the Ezra passages and identify ways God showed His faithfulness—namely, by using pagan leaders to support His cause, by using Tattenai’s suspicions to make King Darius aware of what was going on, by letting Darius find the decree and then supporting the cause further by supplying resources and decreeing punishment to those who interfere. Then discuss and write down how the people responded—they celebrated, they worshiped, they remembered God’s word and His faithfulness through the festivals, and they were joyful.

Then discuss, “How does recalling God’s faithfulness fuel our worship and joy? How might our worship and joy for God’s faithfulness appear to those who are not yet part of the family of faith?” When we recall God’s faithfulness, it reminds us that even if we currently are going through something difficult, God is at work and He has always been faithful. That leads us to worship and praise Him and experience the joy we have in knowing such a good and faithful God. When we are joyful, there is something different about us that the world around sees—someone who lives in joy and hope and love, to God and to others, and this is an expression of our gratefulness to God.

Debrief with, “How did God use unexpected means to restore worship in the passages we examined?” He used the actions of pagan leaders to help finish the rebuilding of the temple and restoring hope in the Israelites as they saw God at work. “What part do we play in the restoration of God’s worship in the world today?” We play a big part as the world sees what worship of God should be. Our example can be a positive one or a negative one. As God commands us to worship in Spirit and truth, our task to do so with love and joy and unity which isn’t always the case. As humans, we will sometimes fail at this in all honesty. But if our hearts strive for God’s glory and praise and not merely our preferences and convenience, the world can see a heart that’s after God’s own heart, one full of gratefulness and joy when we worship for Him alone.

Summarize and head into the Head, Heart, Hands section, focusing on the Head question if time is limited. “What are some ways you can regularly remind yourself that you exist for God’s glory?” Keeping a praise journal or consistently praising and thanking God in our times of prayer. Sharing and living out the gospel message on a daily basis when possible. Turning moments of negativity into times of repentance and listening for the Holy Spirit to guide us toward joy and truth.

These are all things mentioned in the Next Steps section as well so feel free to highlight those as additional application points. End with prayer requests and praises. And if time permits, pray through Psalm 20. The resource suggests verses 6-9, but I prefer 5-6, “5 Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfill all your requests. 6 Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories from his right hand.” God will always be victorious as He restores worship in our hearts that we may live with joy, celebrating His faithfulness.

Hey, thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Write me at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!