Real Life. Real People. Real Jesus. 

1. When Good Things Distract Me From Great Things
Nehemiah 6:3 (ESV)
“And I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?’”

Question:
Where do you see good things competing with the things God has made most important in your life?

Go deeper:

• What makes it difficult for you to say no to a good opportunity?
• Where are you currently giving time or energy to something that may be pulling you away from a greater priority?
• What would it look like to say, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down” in that area?

Connection:
Nehemiah’s enemies invited him to a meeting that could have looked like a good opportunity, but Nehemiah recognized that it didn’t match the work God had called him to do. The sermon challenges us not to sacrifice a great thing God has entrusted to us—even for a good thing.

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2. What Are My God-Given Priorities?
Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Question:
What would it look like for the way you spend your time and attention to reflect what you believe your God-given priorities really are?

Go deeper:

• Where does your relationship with Jesus fit into the actual rhythm of your everyday life?
• Which relationships or responsibilities has God entrusted to you that need more of your presence right now?
• Where is there a gap between what you say is important and what your schedule says is important?

Connection:
The sermon argues that identifying the “great work” begins with God-given priorities: our relationship with Jesus, marriage and family, living like Jesus, making disciples, and advancing God’s Kingdom. When those priorities are clear, it becomes easier to recognize whether an opportunity is for the great work or a distraction from it.

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3. When Fear Makes Me Want to Come Down
Nehemiah 6:9 (ESV)
“For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.’ But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”

Question:
When have fear, criticism, or someone else’s opinion tempted you to back away from something you believed God wanted you to do?

Go deeper:

• Whose criticism or opinion tends to affect you the most?
• How does trying to protect yourself or your reputation distract you from what God is doing?
• Where do you need to pray Nehemiah’s prayer right now: “O God, strengthen my hands”?

Connection:
When Nehemiah wouldn’t come down from the wall, his enemies changed tactics and tried fear, rumors, and attacks on his character. The sermon points out that focusing on self-preservation makes it harder to focus on God’s Kingdom. Nehemiah’s answer was not to abandon the work but to pray for strength and keep building.

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4. When My Worst Critic Is Me
Romans 8:1 (ESV)
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Question:
Where do you find yourself allowing something from your past to define who you believe you are today?

Go deeper:

• What failure, regret, or weakness are you most likely to replay in your own mind?
• How can being your own worst critic keep you from becoming who Jesus is calling you to become?
• How would believing that Jesus has truly paid for your sin change the way you see yourself?

Connection:
The sermon points out that sometimes our greatest opposition isn’t another person—it’s ourselves. We remind ourselves of yesterday and act as though our lives are somehow the exception to the grace Jesus purchased with His blood. God’s grace allows us to stop living under condemnation and move forward with purpose and peace.

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5. Living With Resolve
1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Question:
What would it look like for you to live this coming week with enough resolve to say, “I’m doing a great work and I can’t come down”?

Go deeper:

• What God-given priority needs greater discipline from you right now?
• What distraction do you already know you need to say no to?
• What is one specific act of obedience you will take this week to protect what God has entrusted to you?

Connection:
The sermon ends with three immediate challenges: set your priorities in Christ, discipline your life to keep them, and stand strong. Nehemiah’s resolve wasn’t simply knowing what mattered; it was refusing to abandon it. Our “wall” is whatever God has entrusted to us, and discipleship requires the discipline to keep building.

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Closing Prayer Prompt
Ask God to show you what He has entrusted to you that you cannot afford to “come down” from. Pray for wisdom to recognize distractions, discipline to protect your priorities, grace when you fail, and courage to keep saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.”

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Take-Home Challenge
Identify the “great work” God has entrusted to you, protect it from distraction, and refuse to come down.

1. Set your priorities in Christ.
2. Discipline your life to keep them.
3. Stand strong and proclaim: “I’m doing a great work and I can’t come down.”