A Time to Build Up

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to break down, and a time to build up.

I guess King Solomon, who wrote these words, loved remodel projects just as much as we do, right?

a) Who has taken on a remodel project?

Maybe it was a room in your house, or new décor for a living room or bedroom. 

Anyone who has taken on a project to remodel know that you cannot place something new on something old. You cannot bring a new look into a room that has an old look. 

Before you even begin, there’s a process of looking at new styles, Pinterest, going to stores. 

Then you have a good idea on how you want to rebuild this space. 

But soon after you have the plan and buy the new things, there’s a process of tearing down the old and make room for the new. 

And this is probably the least desirable part of the process. While it was fun to dream, plan, & shop. Now you are in the middle of a overwhelming mess. And perhaps, in this process, you have found yourself stuck. Not, knowing how to move forward. 

There are areas in our lives that need a remodel. The old things need to be broken down and removed to make room for the new things God has for our lives. 

It Doesn’t matter where you find yourself, God wants to rebuild an area in your life.

1. We all have that area in our lives that needs some spiritual repairations, some remodeling, or a complete over haul.

Because God’s people would not listen to His voice and because they had allowed other things to take root in their hearts. They had lost everything that made them who they were. 

They lost their land, they were taken away as slaves, they lost their religious freedom, the lost family, and their place of worship was destroyed. 

There are things that we have lost as a result of our disobedience to God. 

Then there are things we have lost because of the disobedience of others. 

Whether you find yourself picking up the pieces because of a direct result of something you did or because of something someone did to you, I want to let you know that God is not done with you and that He always has a plan to restore your life and give you something new. 

And what God did for Ezra in his day, he can do and will do for you if you allow Him to work in your life. 

It all begins with a “Stirring”

Ezra 1:1-2 ...the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem

We just read that the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia…to build the Temple

In verse 5, it says, “everyone who’s spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord”

This word (stir) means to have the eyes opened to the truth, TO WAKE UP, has anyone ever told you to WAKE UP?

When it says God stirred the hearts, it meant they were woken up by the Holy Spirit, to see the need for something to be done. 

Before God can rebuilding process, He is going to wake us up.

For a rebuild to be successful, we need a plan, structure, guardrails.

Chapter 3 verse 2 …and they built the altar of the God of Israel…

Why is that important. Shouldn’t we know that if they built an altar, automatically assume, it belongs to God, right?

Not exactly, we need to remember that at this point, they were heavily involved in all matter of pagan worship, either directly or indirectly.

The building of this altar, which belonged to the God of Israel was a “hinge or pivot” moment, where the course of history would change from this point on. 

If God was going to start anything new, there had to be a change in the way they worshipped in order to change the direction of their course.

1.   No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Mt. 6:24)

When God begins to rebuild in you that thing which has been destroyed or lost. He will always deal with things we worship and allow us to correct that first.

We cannot continue in our old habits, our old ways, and expect God to do a new thing in us. 

The old things we placed as idols must be removed for the rebuilding to commence. 

For the rebuilding process to be successful, we need to follow “the plan” not “a plan”.

From the begining of verse 1 through verse 10… we see there was a way to how they built the new temple.

Verse 2… they offered burnt offerings as it was written in the law of Moses.

Verse 4… they kept the feast of booths, as it was written…offered burnt offerings according to the rule.

Verse 10… And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priest in their vestments came forward with trumpets…according to the directions of David king of Israel. 

Up to this point, we see that God’s people began to establish the feasts, the daily sacrifices, and the worship according to the way it was instructed.

Let me tell you why I think this is so important.

Because, In order to God to rebuild those areas in our lives, WE NEED TO exchange “Busyness” for “Priorities”. 

So many times we fall into what “we can” and “cannot” do based on our convenience, schedules, or busyness of life. If it doesn’t fit any of the above, then its placed bottom of the totem pole. 

I know I should serve, I should pray, I should read my word, but my life is too busy.

Here is a word of encouragement for you...

Busyness is not the same as being productive.

And we can allow just about “anything” to make us busy but not productive.

We cure the busyness by creating priorities. Priorities sets boundaries and puts busyness in its place. Allowing for us to be more productive.

When something becomes a priority, nothing can come between you and that priority, its a must have, or a must do.

When the Jewish people starting following the plan God had for them, they started to see the fruit of their obedience.

Every project has its obstacles.

The work of the Lord is in full motion. But in Chapter 4 we are introduced to some opposition. 

There were some men who came to build along side with God’s people. They said in verse 2, “let us build with you, for we worship YOUR God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to Him…”

Let me just say that there are going to be people that the enemy will drop into your life to do the following: detract, distract, & discourage.

People who are not sent by God will only detract what God is doing in your life. Lessen the importance of the purpose. 

They will discourage you from achieving the purpose God has for your life.

And finally, they will distract you by introducing other things into your life. 

Chapter 4, verse 4 says, they “frustrated their purpose”. 

Be careful who you allow into your life. 

Schemes of the Devil.

The enemy will stop at nothing to influence you or others to hinder the work God is doing in your life.

Ephesians says, 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Verse 11 says,  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

The enemy has one objective, to stop the buiding project. He can’t stop it by his own will, but if you let him, he can influence things to take place that will stop the work God is doing in you.

Lets see what took place in Ezra 4

4:13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired.

4:14… if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”

4:24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

These men who came to the king introduced a scheme that would influence the king to stop the work.

Let me ask you a question, What schemes have we allowed to influence our lives, that ultimately stopped the work God has begun in us?

These men told the king, “these people are the same people who destroyed kingdoms and conquered land”. This is a wicked city”.

They took what God had done and twisted it to mean something else.

How many people we know, are not serving God today because they allowed a twisted truth into their lives?

How Can we restart the building project?

Rebuilding Begins Anew

5 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.