MAIN IDEA
When we return to Christ, we learn from our mistakes. God calls us to…

RETURN TO THE HOUSE OF GOD
After the edict of Cyrus (539BC) that allowed the  Jews to return home and rebuild the temple, the work was stalled for almost twenty years because of opposition from foreigners and mostly because of the complacency of the people of  Israel. So God sent two prophets (Haggai and Zechariah) and a priest (Ezra) with a strong  message to complete the work (Ezra 5:1-2). For the Israelites, the temple represented the very  home for the presence of God. For Christians, the church is any place defined by a community  with the expressed purpose of receiving and reflecting the glory of God in Jesus’s name  intentionally and exclusively through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 4:21-24). And so  church can happen anywhere. But what a blessing it is to have a consistent time and place to  worship together in the communion of saints. Regardless, Jesus’s passion and love for His  church has never changed. That is why the people of God are called to build up the body of  Christ in love (Ephesians 4:16). So may God’s calling for us be our greatest joy. 

RETURN TO THE WORD OF GOD
The mention of the reign of Darius, a foreign king, in  verse 1 would have been a stark reminder of the failure of the people of Israel to fulfill their  election and calling. How so? “The exile had been due to the [ancestor’s] rejection of God’s  word to turn from their evil ways” (Ralph L. Smith). In order to learn from the mistakes of the  past, we have to obey the word of God. Obeying God’s word is not easy, but are we giving  obedience to God’s word the attention that it deserves (Hebrews 4:11)? The stakes are high,  because the fruit of disobedience is always a lost soul—maybe even a lost generation. Perhaps  the biggest mistake that churches make is to train its members to be spiritual without training its  members to obey the word of God, especially the command to love one another (2 John 1:5-6).  Loving one another is the first and foremost application of our salvation! If we are not loving one  another, nothing else matters! And so the warnings in the Bible about obedience are not to  discourage us, but to motivate us toward the glory of God that obedience brings. 

RETURN TO THE POWER OF GOD
The name LORD Almighty is used 53 times in the  Book of Zechariah and five time in verses 1-6. The name LORD Almighty has military  overtones. Our God is the glorious King of the universe who leads His people into battle, and so victory is guaranteed! Victory is guaranteed because God is sovereign over all things! God is the  One who is in control, not us. If God were not in control, this whole universe would unravel into  chaos because of sin. But since God is in control, and we are His children—if indeed we are His  children through faith—then we can call on His name for help whenever we need Him, and the  Lord Almighty will come and save us. Sometimes we might feel like the evil of this world has  overtaken our life. But through faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord Almighty, the evil of this world  will never overtake our life (John 3:16). Therefore, we can “be strong in the Lord and His mighty  power” (Ephesian 6:10), and we can “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers  and requests” (Ephesians 6:18). Because there is power in the name of Jesus, our Lord Almighty! 

DISCUSSION QUESTION
Some people may want to experience the power of God, but also want to bypass obedience to God’s word or building up the body of Christ. Why is that thinking wrong?