Faithfulness in the Ordinary: God's Perspective on Significance
Summary
In our journey through Nehemiah chapters 11 and 12, we encounter a seemingly mundane list of names, yet these names hold profound significance. These individuals, though ordinary and largely unknown, were commended for their faithfulness in moving to Jerusalem and serving in various capacities. This passage challenges our cultural perception that equates significance with fame, success, or extraordinary achievements. Instead, it highlights the beauty and importance of faithfulness in the ordinary aspects of life.
The people listed in Nehemiah were not renowned figures like Abraham or Noah; they were everyday individuals who chose to be faithful to God's call. They moved to Jerusalem, served in the temple, maintained the city gates, and led in thanksgiving and prayer. Their significance lies not in their fame but in their obedience and dedication to God's work. This teaches us that God values faithfulness over worldly recognition. Our culture often tells us that to be significant, we must achieve great things or be widely recognized. However, God's perspective is different. He sees the significance in our daily acts of faithfulness, in our commitment to live according to His word, and in our willingness to serve Him in whatever capacity we are called.
The ordinary acts of these individuals in Nehemiah remind us that our identity and significance come from being children of God. We are called to be faithful followers who make a difference in the kingdom of God through our everyday lives. Whether it's through our work, our relationships, or our service, God uses our ordinary actions to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. This is a powerful reminder that our worth is not determined by our achievements or recognition but by our faithfulness to God.
Key Takeaways:
1. Faithfulness in the Ordinary: The individuals in Nehemiah were ordinary people whose significance came from their faithfulness to God's call. This teaches us that God values our daily acts of obedience and dedication, even when they seem insignificant to the world. Our faithfulness in the ordinary is what makes us significant in God's eyes. [40:25]
2. Redefining Significance: Our culture often equates significance with fame and success, but God's perspective is different. He sees the value in our everyday actions and our commitment to live according to His word. Our identity and worth come from being children of God, not from worldly recognition. [45:10]
3. Impact of Faithfulness: The faithfulness of ordinary people can have a profound impact on the kingdom of God. Just as the individuals in Nehemiah contributed to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, our daily acts of faithfulness can influence and transform lives, even if we don't see the immediate results. [56:26]
4. God's Use of the Ordinary: Throughout scripture and history, God has consistently used ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. This reminds us that our significance comes from being part of God's plan and being willing to serve Him in whatever capacity we are called. [01:01:04]
5. Finding Contentment in Faithfulness: Our significance is not determined by our achievements or recognition but by our faithfulness to God. In the ordinary activities of life, we are called to live in a manner that glorifies God, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and loving others as He has loved us. [01:03:01]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Introduction and Prayer
[01:45] - Setting the Stage in Nehemiah
[03:20] - The Binding Agreement
[05:10] - The List of Names
[07:30] - The Significance of the Ordinary
[10:00] - Faithfulness in Everyday Life
[12:45] - Cultural Perceptions of Significance
[15:00] - God's Perspective on Significance
[17:30] - Impact of Faithfulness
[20:00] - God's Use of Ordinary People
[22:30] - Finding Contentment in Faithfulness
[25:00] - Closing Prayer and Reflection
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Nehemiah 11:1-2
- Nehemiah 12:27-30
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17
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Observation Questions:
1. In Nehemiah 11:1-2, what was the process used to determine who would live in Jerusalem, and how did the people respond to those who volunteered? [34:51]
2. According to Nehemiah 12:27-30, what roles did the individuals play during the dedication of the wall, and how does this reflect their faithfulness? [41:51]
3. The sermon mentions that the list of names in Nehemiah is filled with ordinary people. What does the pastor suggest is the reason for including these names in the scripture? [38:44]
4. How does 2 Timothy 3:16-17 relate to the significance of the ordinary people listed in Nehemiah? [38:44]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. Why might God choose to highlight the faithfulness of ordinary people in the Bible, as seen in Nehemiah 11 and 12? [40:25]
2. How does the cultural perception of significance differ from God's perspective, according to the sermon? [45:10]
3. What does the pastor mean when he says that our identity and significance come from being children of God? How does this contrast with seeking recognition from the world? [48:18]
4. How can the faithfulness of ordinary people have a profound impact on the kingdom of God, as illustrated by the examples given in the sermon? [56:26]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your daily life. In what ways can you demonstrate faithfulness in the ordinary tasks you perform each day? [49:23]
2. Consider the cultural pressures to achieve fame or success. How can you redefine significance in your life according to God's perspective? [45:10]
3. Identify a specific area in your life where you feel insignificant. How can you find contentment and purpose in that area by focusing on your identity in Christ? [50:38]
4. Think of a time when you felt your efforts were unnoticed or unappreciated. How can you remind yourself that God values your faithfulness, even when others do not? [47:09]
5. How can you encourage others in your community or church to see the value in their ordinary acts of service and faithfulness? [52:29]
6. Reflect on the impact of ordinary people in your life who have influenced your faith journey. How can you be that person for someone else? [56:26]
7. What practical steps can you take this week to serve God in the ordinary aspects of your life, such as work, relationships, or community involvement? [51:23]
Devotional
Day 1: Faithfulness in the Ordinary
In Nehemiah chapters 11 and 12, we see a list of names that might seem mundane at first glance. However, these individuals were commended for their faithfulness in moving to Jerusalem and serving in various roles. They were not famous figures, but their significance came from their obedience to God's call. This challenges the cultural notion that equates significance with fame or extraordinary achievements. Instead, it highlights the beauty and importance of faithfulness in the ordinary aspects of life. God values our daily acts of obedience and dedication, even when they seem insignificant to the world. Our faithfulness in the ordinary is what makes us significant in God's eyes. [40:25]
"Moreover, in Jerusalem lived certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez; and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, son of the Shilonite." (Nehemiah 11:4-5, ESV)
Reflection: What is one ordinary task in your daily routine where you can intentionally practice faithfulness to God today?
Day 2: Redefining Significance
Our culture often equates significance with fame and success, but God's perspective is different. The individuals in Nehemiah were ordinary people whose significance came from their faithfulness to God's call. This teaches us that our identity and worth come from being children of God, not from worldly recognition. God sees the value in our everyday actions and our commitment to live according to His word. Our worth is not determined by our achievements or recognition but by our faithfulness to God. [45:10]
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways have you been seeking significance through worldly recognition, and how can you shift your focus to finding your worth in being a child of God?
Day 3: Impact of Faithfulness
The faithfulness of ordinary people can have a profound impact on the kingdom of God. Just as the individuals in Nehemiah contributed to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, our daily acts of faithfulness can influence and transform lives, even if we don't see the immediate results. God uses our ordinary actions to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. This is a powerful reminder that our worth is not determined by our achievements or recognition but by our faithfulness to God. [56:26]
"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a small act of faithfulness you can commit to today that might have a lasting impact on someone else's life.
Day 4: God's Use of the Ordinary
Throughout scripture and history, God has consistently used ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. The individuals in Nehemiah remind us that our significance comes from being part of God's plan and being willing to serve Him in whatever capacity we are called. Our identity and significance come from being children of God. We are called to be faithful followers who make a difference in the kingdom of God through our everyday lives. [01:01:04]
"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel ordinary or inadequate, and how can you trust God to use you for His extraordinary purposes?
Day 5: Finding Contentment in Faithfulness
Our significance is not determined by our achievements or recognition but by our faithfulness to God. In the ordinary activities of life, we are called to live in a manner that glorifies God, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and loving others as He has loved us. The individuals in Nehemiah remind us that our identity and significance come from being children of God. We are called to be faithful followers who make a difference in the kingdom of God through our everyday lives. [01:03:01]
"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world." (1 Timothy 6:6-7, ESV)
Reflection: How can you find contentment in your current circumstances by focusing on faithfulness to God rather than seeking worldly achievements?
Quotes
"So I invite you this morning to open your Bibles with me to Nehemiah as we're going to tackle all of chapter 11 and chapter 12 together, most of chapter 12. And so let me set the stage. Many of you have been through this before with me as we have been making our way through Nehemiah. The word of God changed the people as they returned to Jerusalem, so much so that they made a binding agreement. They said, here's what we're going to do. We're not going to intermarry with foreigners. We're going to keep the Sabbath day holy and not buy merch. Dice or grain on the Sabbath. We'll take care of the house of our Lord. We'll bring the first fruits of everything we have to God. We'll tie the minimum of 10 % to the storehouse, to the church. And if you missed last week's message, I invite you to strongly go back and check that out. We will not neglect the house of the Lord. Now, this binding agreement is important because essentially, they were saying, we promise to be faithful to God Almighty. We promise to surrender ourselves and be faithful to God. And we will not pick and choose the parts of scripture that we like or that are comfortable, but rather we're going to submit to the entirety of the word of God." [00:32:23] (76 seconds)
"And there were some that volunteered and said, you know what? I will go into Jerusalem. I will live in this place. And they were commended for being willing to go. It was decided that out of these people, one in 10 would go. The other nine could stay in their hometowns. Now, the next thing you're gonna see on here is a list of people that as it scrolls through, you will see all, these are all the, wow. Hope someone can read that. Jack really went after it. Yeah, pretty fast. Everyone getting that? Someone try and read it. The gatekeepers, Echob, Talmon, their associates kept watching the gates. Can't do it. Okay, this is all, we're just going through chapter 11 here. Isn't this good stuff? Yep, these are all the people that made their way into Jerusalem. Yeah, a lot of people. Yep. Oh, we just went into chapter 12. Here we go." [00:36:24] (65 seconds)
"We know that all of us, all of scripture is God -breathed. It is useful for teaching and rebuke. And you can go through 2 Timothy in that space. We know that God's word is powerful and that it has a purpose. And this is God's word breathed out for us for learning and instruction and training and equipping. So why in the world would God take up a chapter and a half with all these ordinary names that we do not know? And we will not know. And you can read through it and be like, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, Rev, there's this one name that I know. No, you don't. We don't know these people. I don't know these people. Not because I don't, but they're not significant names. They're not historic names. They're not the names of people that are made monuments of. They're not the names of in the Catholic church where there are saints of. These are ordinary people." [00:39:09] (55 seconds)
"It's funny, because we start to think that way, and God doesn't necessarily raise, up everybody to be seen. In fact, he loves the ordinary. He loves the ordinary, the faithful, those that are able to stay where they are. Now, as we look at these things, and you were to go through these names, I really have broken them down into five different positions. First, from the descendants of Judah, we have these people, yada, yada, yada, yada, yada, and we go all the way down, and what do we know about these people? They just live there. It doesn't say they provided any value. These are the folks that were faithful by just doing what God said and move into Jerusalem. That's all they did. They just came and lived in Jerusalem. 468 men of standing. Next slide." [00:41:10] (53 seconds)
"This group worked there from the priests, the son of yada, yada, yada, yada, the son of yada, yada, who carried on work for the temple. These are the ones that went and served there. They were faithful in their work there. They worked, and they worked. And they worked at the temple. The next slide. The next list. Those who served there, who had charge of the outside work of the house of the God, of God. So we look at this, and we find, okay, so God is taking the significance of ordinary people and saying what makes them significant is that they were faithful. And the first batch is faithful just because they lived there. The second batch is faithful because they worked at the temple. The third batch is that they were serving outside of the temple and maintaining. The grounds around it. Next group." [00:41:51] (49 seconds)
"This group was responsible for keeping watch over the gates. Now think about this. None of these tasks are significant in themselves. Okay, so listen. Your job in Jerusalem is going to be give thanksgiving and prayer. Awesome. Hey, your job over here, you're going to take care of what's outside the temple gates. Got it. You are going to serve inside the temple. Got it. You are going to keep watch over the gates. Super. Next slide. What about this group? These guys are responsible for the service of the house of God. Now, this is something you say, well, this is how this might work. And what this person really is, is Asaph's descendants. So basically, this would be the great -grandchildren of David is what this group looks like. And their responsibility were for the service of the house of God. The musicians, the music leaders, the worship band. Next slide. Think about this. What is the significance of the ordinary?" [00:42:56] (66 seconds)
"And through our lenses, we tend to make snap judgments about the significance of people that we encounter. We see them and we make a determination whether or not they are significant or whether they are not. It starts in school at a young age where kids start to realize, boy, this kid is different. And so they may be insignificant in my mind. I wanna play with this person who is significant and it begins to fester all the way through junior high and high school because we determine significance. We look and we determine, well, this person is less than this way or this person is less than this way. And so that means they're just really not that significant. That's how we do it with our earthly minds. But every one of us is significant to God for he uniquely and beautifully made us. He created us with a plan and a purpose in mind." [00:44:23] (54 seconds)
"Unfortunately, in our culture today, we believe ordinary equals insignificant. We think unless you're doing something amazing, something powerful, something life altering, well, then you're just, you're insignificant. And the difficulty of that is really important for the body of believers because we see significance through the lens of accomplishments and success and fame. We tend to think, well, I'm not that significant. We tend to see significant in terms of traits, of looks or personality or intelligence and talents. And we beat ourselves up for not being more significant. Boy, I wish I was this. I wish I was that. I wish I was smarter. I wish I was better looking. I wish I was, and we go through this litany of things because we think significance comes from such things because our culture, our world has told us that significance is not just a thing. It is predicated on success, on fame. And it's not. These people were just ordinary people." [00:45:16] (76 seconds)
"And so if I've lost you, if I've lost you for just a minute, no one can fall asleep because I can see everybody pretty clearly here. But think about what is in terms of a self -preoccupation. Think about how much time we spend in a self -preoccupation with significance rather than acknowledging the significance that happens by way of the lenses of God the Father and our identity being in him. For those who feel like you have a real significance, and I'm an important person, and I'm kind of a big deal, you're missing it. And for those on the other side that says, boy, I have no significance, I have no value, I am an ordinary person that's valueless, that provides nothing, that too is not what God desires. Significance doesn't come from earthly recognition." [00:46:50] (57 seconds)
"Faithful followers of God who work for the kingdom of God in the ordinary, in the everyday things, in the going to the store, in the going to the work, in the going to, and all these pieces, as we are going, we are seeking to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the ordinary, spaces. Faithful followers who make a difference in the kingdom of God in the ordinary. These are just ordinary followers of God. And we juxtapose this with the earthly recognition and the desire to be significant in this world. Seeking the approval of man. Think about how social media has changed this drastically. We have kids who are having tremendous anxiety because they don't get the number of likes that they want. We have people who have to keep their threads going because if they don't keep their threads going, they're going to be inconsistent and that means insignificant." [00:51:23] (66 seconds)
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