S4: Week 27 Day 4: Connecting Ezra 3:10-11 & Ephesians 2:11-22

Summary

A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace Episode Summary: Season 4, Week 27 Day 4 Title: Connecting Ezra 3:10-11 & Ephesians 2:11-22 Release Date: July 3, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of "A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace," hosted by The Daily Grace Co., Alexa and Emma delve into the profound connections between the Old Testament passage Ezra 3:10-11 and the New Testament passage Ephesians 2:11-22. This episode is part of Season 4 following the "Christ in All of Scripture" reading plan, aimed at uncovering how Jesus is intricately woven throughout the entire Biblical narrative.

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Exploring the Theme: Christ in All of Scripture

Alexa sets the stage by reiterating the podcast's mission:

"Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus."
[00:00-00:17]

Emma emphasizes the centrality of Christ in the Biblical story:

"We are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire Biblical story, but the center of it."
[00:17-00:32]

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Deep Dive into the Passages

Ezra 3:10-11: Rebuilding the Temple

Emma begins by highlighting the significance of the Ezra 3:10-11 passage:

"In the Old Testament, anyone that was not Jewish was separated from God... God had an intentional plan for all of redemption with every single person. And God sent Jesus to be the bridge between all people from all tribes that we can now be connected to the Lord."
[00:38-02:07]

She explains that the rebuilding of the temple by the Israelites was not just for their restoration but also served as a beacon to the Gentiles:

"As the Israelites worship God in the temple, the nations around them would witness their worship and have the opportunity to come worship God as well."
[02:07]

Ephesians 2:11-22: Unity in Christ

Alexa bridges the Old and New Testaments by connecting the rebuilding of the temple to the themes in Ephesians 2:11-22:

"Ephesians 2:11-22 speaks to God's plan of uniting both Jew and Gentile... Jesus brings wall down, not only bringing Gentiles into God's family and giving them peace with God, but also bringing peace between Jews and Gentiles, creating this unity."
[02:07-02:48]

She further elaborates on the concept of believers being built into a spiritual temple:

"Together as one people, God is building us up as a temple for his glory."
[02:48]

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Connecting the Passages: Temples and Unity

Emma expands on the metaphor of believers as temples:

"Our temples were destroyed because of the work of sin, but because of the work of Christ, we have the opportunity to be rebuilt... we get to be temples where the Holy Spirit dwells."
[02:48-03:42]

She reflects on the grace of Jesus enabling believers to serve as living temples:

"This is because of the kindness of Jesus, we get to be these... Truly because of the grace of Jesus."
[03:42]

Alexa underscores Jesus as the cornerstone, a fundamental element in building and maintaining unity among believers:

"Paul calls Jesus the cornerstone... It's Christ who is our foundation and the one holding us together as believers."
[03:42-04:24]

She emphasizes that Jesus empowers believers to worship God effectively:

"Jesus is our cornerstone that we're to rely on him to worship God... he gives us the power to do that."
[04:24]

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Conclusion and Looking Ahead

As the discussion wraps up, Alexa invites listeners to continue engaging with the Bible study:

"We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow."
[04:43-04:49]

The hosts encourage listeners to explore additional resources on the Daily Grace website and follow them on social media for further Bible study tools and encouragement.

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Key Takeaways

• Rebuilding the Temple: The reconstruction of the temple in Ezra symbolizes not only the restoration of Israel but also serves as a testament to the inclusive nature of God's redemption plan.

• Unity in Christ: Ephesians 2:11-22 illustrates how Jesus dismantles barriers between Jews and Gentiles, fostering a unified community of believers built upon Him as the cornerstone.

• Believers as Living Temples: Through Christ's work, individuals are transformed into temples housing the Holy Spirit, highlighting the honor and privilege bestowed upon believers.

• Centrality of Jesus: Both passages reinforce the theme that Jesus is at the heart of God's redemptive narrative, connecting the Old and New Testaments seamlessly.

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Final Thoughts

This episode elegantly ties together themes from both the Old and New Testaments, demonstrating the consistent thread of Christ's presence and redemptive work throughout the Bible. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their role as living temples and the unity they share in Christ, inspiring a deeper love and commitment to God and His Word.

For more studies, journals, and resources to help you love God and His Word, visit thedailygraceco.com.

Transcript

[Host 1]

Welcome to A Year in the Bible with daily grace. This year we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study Christ in All of Scripture. Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

[Host 2]

Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire Biblical story, but the center of it.

[Alexa]

Hey friends, welcome back to Year in the Bible. My name is Alexa and I'm here with my co host for the week, Emma.

[Emma]

Hi everyone.

[Alexa]

Today we're going to be making the Christ connection between the two passages that we studied this week, Ezra 3, 10 through 11 and Ephesians 2:11, 22. So Emma, do you want to start off our discussion?

[Emma]

I would love to. So these two passages are so beautiful because they share so much about Christ and what he is currently doing in us. A little bit of what we talked about yesterday. And to show where these two are connected, we probably need some refreshers to get us into that mental space. So back in the Old Testament, anyone that was not Jewish was separated from God. These are the Gentiles that are referred to a lot in the Old and even in the New Testament as well. These are foreigners that are away from God because of sin and because they were not in the covenantal family from Abraham's lineage. And so you may be saying to yourself that it isn't fair that these people were separated from God. But don't worry, God had an intentional plan for all of redemption with every single person. And God sent Jesus to be the bridge between all people from all tribes that we can now be connected to the Lord. So where do temples play into this? Well, the people in Israel were sent to rebuild the temple in Ezra because of its destruction, which was due to sin. And while the rebuilding was for the Israelites, it was also for the the Gentiles because as the Israelites worship God in the temple, the nations around them would witness their worship and have the opportunity to come worship God as well.

[Alexa]

Yeah, I love that. And I Love How Ephesians 2:11, 22 speaks to God's plan of uniting both Jew and Gentile. So Jews basically put up this wall of hostility between themselves and the Gentiles because the Gentiles weren't part of God's covenantal family. But through Jesus's sacrifice, Jesus brings wall down, not only bringing Gentiles into God's family and giving them peace with God, but also bringing peace between Jews and Gentiles, you know, creating this unity. And so I love that together as one people, God is building us up as a temple for his glory. Do you want to actually speak more about that, Emma?

[Emma]

Yeah. So you and I are also temples being rebuilt, which is so beautiful. Our temples were destroyed because of the work of sin, but because the work of Christ, we have the opportunity to be rebuilt because of his work on the cross. We get to be temples where the Holy Spirit dwells, which I think is so cool because we are so undeserving of this because of our sin. But because of the kindness of Jesus, we get to be these. You know, I just picture these just beautiful temples built to glorify God where the Holy Spirit just dwells and is. And so I think this is a privilege. This is an honor and something that we may not be aware of enough through our daily lives. And this is because of the work of Jesus, not because of anything that you or I did, but truly because of the grace of. Of Jesus.

[Alexa]

Yeah, it really is such a privilege. And I love how Paul calls Jesus the cornerstone. Emma, you mentioned that yesterday and in verses 21 and 22, the words in Him. And that just really shows us that it's Christ who is our foundation and the one holding us together as believers. And it's because we are in him that we are being built up as a people for God's glory. And it's also because Jesus is our cornerstone that we're to rely on him to worship God. You know, he gives us the power to do that. And so we're actually going to talk more about that tomorrow as we end our week by applying these two texts. So we hope that you join us then.

[Host 2]

Thank you for listening to today's episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. Be sure to check out our show notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode. And make sure you're following aalygrace podcast and hedaily Grace Co on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement.

[Alexa]

We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow.

[Host 2]

Bye.

[Alexa]

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