Come Back To Me

Our friends from the Bible Project introduce the book of Malachi this way: 

One hundred years after exile, the Israelites who had returned to Jerusalem were as evil and corrupt as their ancestors. The book of Malachi addresses their sins—they’ve corrupted the sacrificial system, hoarded their money, and worshiped foreign gods. But despite all of this, God does not forget his promises to deliver his people and establish a new Jerusalem.

The book of Malachi sums up what the whole Hebrew Bible has been pointing to—God’s people cannot be faithful to the covenant. They’ve failed again and again. And while God will deal with their sin, he will not abandon them. He promises to redeem a remnant and send a Messiah to fulfill his covenant promises.

For context, click on the link to the Bible Project video and then read the book of Malachi.

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/malachi/

1. After watching the video, and reading the text what do you learn about God’s character?

2. What does it tell you of the nature of God?

3. How do you see God’s love prevailing?

4. How does the text speak most personally to you? 

Read and reflect on the opening words of Malachi 1.1-5 and answer the following questions: 

5. God says, “I love you.” But, the Israelites want proof. “How have you loved us?” they reply. Do you know God loves you? How has He loved you? How and where are you currently experiencing His love?    

6. Describe a time when you believed in your head that God loved you, but questioned in your heart if He was actually loving you. 

7. In what ways are you loving God? How and where in your life are you expressing your full devotion to Him? 

Read and reflect on the words of Malachi 1.6-2.9 and 2.10-17, and answer the following questions: 

8. What’s God’s desire in our worship of Him?

9. How have you grown in honoring God in worship? 

10. Why is fidelity to God and to the marriage covenant so foundational to our lives as Christians? 

Read and reflect on the words of Malachi 3.1-12, and answer the following questions:  

11. How does God ultimately enact justice in our world? 

12. How does the way we steward His resources bless God, or “rob” God? What do you believe is the role of tithing in the Church today? How are you growing to trust Him with your finances…with all things? 

The message on Sunday included themes of exile. Though living through a painful season of exile, the people of God didn’t change. After the return to Jerusalem they hearts became hardened toward God.

13. How has God used seasons of exile to draw you closer to Him?

14. What’s been the long lasting change because of your experience in exile?

15. How did God deliver you from that season and bring you home, bring you back to a place of soul rest?

The message on Sunday closed with the prophecy of Malachi describing the return of Jesus. We’ll include it below. Spend some time reflecting His love and His healing for you. 

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays… 

“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

Malachi 4:2, 5-6

Our friends from the Bible Project introduce the book of Zechariah this way: 

Almost 70 years after the exile, the Israelites were experiencing hardships and wondered if the prophetic promises of a new Jerusalem would ever be fulfilled. The book of Zechariah answers this question through several dream visions, challenging God’s people  to remain faithful and hope in God’s promises.

These images remind God’s people that they must remain faithful to the covenant if they want the new Jerusalem, messianic Kingdom, and the end of evil to come to pass. Even though the book doesn’t follow a neat, orderly pattern and contains scary and bizarre images, it shows glimpses of God’s hand in guiding history toward his purposes. It’s a message that’s still relevant to us today—we can look above the chaos and hope for God’s Kingdom, which will motivate faithfulness in the present.

For context, click on the link to the Bible Project video and then read the book of Zechariah.

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/zechariah/

1. After watching the video, and reading the text what do you learn about God’s character?

2. What does it tell you of the nature of God?

3. How do you see God’s love prevailing?

4. How does the text speak most personally to you? 

Zechariah tells the story of the exiles return to Israel, it looks back into Israel’s disobedience which led them into exile and it looks ahead at the coming of the Messiah, and further ahead to the eternal reign of Jesus. The book begins with a call to “Come back to me.” 

Read and reflect on the opening words of Zechariah 1.1-4 and answer the following questions: 

5. What is the heart of God for His people?  

6. How do you sense God calling you, again, to “Come back to me”?

7. How are you responding to His invitation?  

Read and reflect on the words of Zechariah 4.6-10, and answer the following questions: 

8. God gives Zerubabbel and Joshua a clear posture in how they are to rebuild the Temple? How does the truth of vs. 6 differ from the ways of the world? Where in your life do you sense God desires to rebuild, or restore, or renew? How might the Spirit be at work in that specific place right now? How might you follow His Spirit? 

9.Vs. 7 references the power of God to move mountains. Describe a season when you witnessed God moving mountains on your behalf. How specifically did you sense the Spirit at work in you? 

10. Vs. 10, includes this phrase, “Do not despise the day of small things.” Acts 1.8 tell us we will receive “power” when the Holy Spirit comes on us. How do you sense the Spirit’s work in the big things in life, and more importantly, how do you sense His presence in the small things? Consider the life of Jesus. Where do you see Jesus giving special care and attention to “small things.” 

Read and reflect on the words of Zechariah 9.9-12, and answer the following questions: 

11. How might this specific prophecy encourage the Israelites as they return from exile? Where in the Gospels do you see this prophecy fulfilled? How are you encouraged by seeing God’s prophecy fulfilled? 

12. Verse 12 references “prisoners of hope.” What does that mean to you? 

13. Verse 12 also includes a promise for those prisoners of hope, “even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you”.

The message on Sunday closed with Zechariah’s prophecy of the return of Jesus. We’ll include it below. Spend some time reflecting on the promise of that Day. What a day!  

What a Day that will be! No more cold nights—in fact, no more nights! The Day is coming—the timing is God’s—when it will be continuous day. Every evening will be a fresh morning. What a Day that will be! Fresh flowing rivers out of Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, half to the western sea, flowing year-round, summer and winter! God will be king over all the earth, one God and only one. What a Day that will be!

Zechariah 14.7-9

1. How was God speaking to you this morning?

2. Read Haggai 1:1-11. What was God saying to His people? 

3. What was the reason He wanted the temple rebuilt? And how would this fulfill that purpose?

4. Read Haggai 2:1-13. When God sees the rebuild, what does He notice? 

5. How does this prophecy about the temple speak to us today?

6. Now think about us as the new covenant temple of God…what does it look like for God to build His temple in us?

7. Discuss the CS Lewis quote…

8. What is our role in building Gods temple in our own lives?

9. How is the building of Gods temple going in your heart and life?

1.When was a time in your life when you found yourself struggling to understand what God was doing?

2. Habakkuk is unique in the sense that Habakkuk starts a dialogue with God instead of making a declaration on behalf of God. How does this encourage you in your relationship with God?

In this short book, we find three stages of Habakkuk’s faith journey:

• -Chapter 1: Faith Wavers => Perplexity
• -Chapter 2: Faith Waits => Perspective
• -Chapter 3: Faith Worships => Perseverance

3. Have you ever felt that “out of sight, out of mind” applied to your relationship with God?  What do you do when you can’t see God moving and feel distant from Him?

4. Habakkuk is honest with God in chapter 1:1-4. How do you resonate with Habakkuk’s complaint with God in these verses?

5. On Sunday, we pointed to how Jeremiah, Elijah, and David all questioned what God was doing at points in their lives. What other examples can you point to that were honest in their struggles with faith in God? How do these examples encourage you in your questions, doubts, and fears?

6. God responds to Habakkuk’s questions in Habakkuk 1:6-11. What is so astounding about what God says He is going to do?

7. Are you good with trusting a God who does things, orchestrates things, and accomplishes things that you would not have thought possible?

8. What are some examples of how God has worked through very surprising ways and events in the past?

9. Habakkuk addresses God for a second time in Habakkuk 1:12-13. What is central to how he describes his relationship with God? How do you see Habakkuk clinging to faith even in the midst of his questions?

10. In Habakkuk 2:1, we see that Habakkuk’s faith moves from wavering to waiting. What does he do as he waits? What do you do in your life to gain a better perspective in your waiting?

11. In Habakkuk 2:2-4, we are reminded that God’s timing is not often our timing. When have you found yourself waiting on God longer than you would have preferred?

12. The most famous verse in Habakkuk is found in 2:4, “The righteous shall live by his faith.” It is quoted in Romans 1:16-17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:36-39. Why do you think this verse was so important to the New Testament writers?

13. Habakkuk’s primary complaint was that God was not being just.  How does chapter 2:6-20 affirm that God’s justice will ultimately prevail?

14. In Habakkuk chapter 3, we find Habakkuk’s faith moves from wavering to waiting and ultimately worshiping. It does not appear any circumstances have changed from chapter 1 to chapter 3, but Habakkuk’s heart has changed as he chooses to trust God. What do you see in Habakkuk 3:16-19?

15. How do the following questions help you when you are in different stages of faith?

• What are you doing?  
• What have you done?
• What have you promised?

16. God is inviting all of us to grow in our faith. He has never asked us to be perfect but remember that we are trusting a perfect God.

Listen to Joy In The Morning as you ask God to grow your faith as you follow Him today.