TO OBSCURITY AND BEYOND (12 OF 13)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: Nehemiah 11:1-36, Nehemiah 12:1-47
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Sermon Title: "To Obscurity and Beyond"1
Sermon Series: Rebuild and Renew (12 of 13)
Scripture: Nehemiah 11:1-12:47
Contributor: Keith Krell
Have you ever dreamed of being famous? Perhaps you wanted to be an award-winning journalist. Perhaps your dream was to be a professional athlete. Or maybe you wanted to earn a recording contract. It's likely that at some point in your life you had a desire to be well-known and to have an impact. This desire is inbred in us.2
Back in the mid-90s while I was pastoring in Corvallis, OR, I thought a lot about my future: How was God going to use me? What should I do long-term? In what part or region of the world should I live? After months of wrestling with such questions, I came to a turning point, which served as a paradigm shift. One afternoon as I was walking across the church parking lot to my office, I sensed the Lord impress upon me: "Are you willing to be obscure for me? What if no one knows your name? What if your kingdom impact is nil? What if you don't accomplish many of your goals and dreams?" Initially, I thought to myself: "This can't be from God! No way!" However, as I reflected on the tenor of the message, I found that it resonated with my spirit. As a result, I began praying that the Lord would enable me to welcome obscurity.
What about you? Are you at a place in your life where you would welcome obscurity? The theme of Nehemiah 11-123 is simple: Embrace obscurity and worship God. These chapters are some of the most difficult to preach in the entire Bible.4 There are eighty-two verses and over 500 names.5 Consequently, most pastors skip right over them. It's easy to wonder: Why did God include these chapters in His inspired Word?6 Such an approach, however, reveals a low view of Scripture. Proverbs 30:5 declares: "Every word of God is perfect," and these chapters are no exception. So, we'll survey these lists of names and focus on the verses that emphasize the key truths about God. As we do so, we'll ...
Sermon Series: Rebuild and Renew (12 of 13)
Scripture: Nehemiah 11:1-12:47
Contributor: Keith Krell
Have you ever dreamed of being famous? Perhaps you wanted to be an award-winning journalist. Perhaps your dream was to be a professional athlete. Or maybe you wanted to earn a recording contract. It's likely that at some point in your life you had a desire to be well-known and to have an impact. This desire is inbred in us.2
Back in the mid-90s while I was pastoring in Corvallis, OR, I thought a lot about my future: How was God going to use me? What should I do long-term? In what part or region of the world should I live? After months of wrestling with such questions, I came to a turning point, which served as a paradigm shift. One afternoon as I was walking across the church parking lot to my office, I sensed the Lord impress upon me: "Are you willing to be obscure for me? What if no one knows your name? What if your kingdom impact is nil? What if you don't accomplish many of your goals and dreams?" Initially, I thought to myself: "This can't be from God! No way!" However, as I reflected on the tenor of the message, I found that it resonated with my spirit. As a result, I began praying that the Lord would enable me to welcome obscurity.
What about you? Are you at a place in your life where you would welcome obscurity? The theme of Nehemiah 11-123 is simple: Embrace obscurity and worship God. These chapters are some of the most difficult to preach in the entire Bible.4 There are eighty-two verses and over 500 names.5 Consequently, most pastors skip right over them. It's easy to wonder: Why did God include these chapters in His inspired Word?6 Such an approach, however, reveals a low view of Scripture. Proverbs 30:5 declares: "Every word of God is perfect," and these chapters are no exception. So, we'll survey these lists of names and focus on the verses that emphasize the key truths about God. As we do so, we'll ...
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