Study Questions: Bible Discovery [31]

Date: March 6, 2005
Passage: Zechariah 4:1-10
Message: The Weakness of Strength
Theme Bible Discovery [31] – Majoring on Minors

Share a time when you started something with great enthusiasm but somewhere along the way it all went wrong or didn’t get completed. What happened? Is there anything you would do differently if you had your time again?

1. Read Zechariah 4:4-8 The Jewish people had returned from captivity and started re-building the temple with great enthusiasm. Then it all stopped as they became preoccupied and distracted by many things. Now there was a “mountain” [v7] of obstacles to the job getting done. What are some of the major obstacles we face in serving God as we really want to?

2. “…..not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord.” [v6] Describe how we try and do things by “might” and “power” How does doing God’s work “by His Spirit” make a difference?

3. One of the problems with these Jewish people was finding a healthy balance. They had become so preoccupied with life that God’s work had suffered. How do we avoid the extremes of “burning out” for Jesus “rusting out” for Jesus?

4. The are days when we want quick solutions. “ Feeling better has become more important to us than finding God”. Discuss.

5. “God makes BIG things SMALL” [v6] How does God’s Word help us to see things in perspective? [See also Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119]

6. “Death of a vision” reminds us that in reality is we can do nothing without him. In this DIY [Do It Yourself] day that we live in, how much do we struggle with this?

7. “God makes SMALL things BIG”. [v8-10] We love to see God do the big things but most of life he is at work in the ‘everyday’, the ‘small’ things of life. We need to sanctify smallness! Discuss.

8. “God’s work often seems incredibly slow”. Share your experience in this.