Building or Wailing

If any of you have built, remodeled, or renovated a house before you know that you will always run into obstacles‘. Even small repairs around the house usually turn into big repairs. I read once of Habitat for Humanity building a house in just a few hours yes everything worked, I’ve found out it doesn’t happen that way for me. It was no different with the rebuilding of the temple. We see in this scripture that a vision was born a commission given and a decision made. I also see a stark contrast between the two groups represented here. I see a group of builders, people working to rebuild the tabernacle, and I see a group of wailers, those who had seen the way things were and couldn’t catch the vision of what God wanted to do at that time because they were too busy bemoaning the fact things were not like they used to be. The builders seen only progress the wailers couldn’t see anything but the temple that was lost. The builders could only see what could be done, the wailers couldn’t see anything but what was once there.

To compare these two a little closer lets look at some of the things that happened.

A. The foundation was laid and things set in order, the builders began to have a good old fashioned shouting spell. The wailers when they seen this compared it with the way things used to look and could only mourn and weep.

1. This is the lesson I see here-

Wailers - Were looking to the past so much they couldn't see what God wanted to do right then. (Today is the day of salvation, Right now is the time God is working in)

1. Lost their vision of what God wanted to do

2. Constantly looking backward and what God has done

A. Keeps the church from going forward

B. Shows a lack of trust in God for today and carelessness for souls

When the Jesus prayed the pattern prayer for us he did not pray for a wheat field or a flour mill no he prayed just for daily bread. In other words, "Lord provide supply give me what I need TODAY"

Builders -

1. Caught a vision

A. Understood it may not have been like it used to be but they were still going to worship the One True "The sight must have been very affecting: a whole people, one part crying aloud with sorrow; the other shouting aloud for joy; and on the same occasion too, in which both sides felt an equal interest! The prophet Haggai comforted them on this occasion by assuring them that the glory of this latter house should exceed that of the former, because the Lord (Jesus Christ) was to come to this temple, and fill it with his glory. See Haggai, Hag_2:1-9." Clarke

2. Constantly looking forward to what God wants to do

3. Even though it was just a few with many obstacles they kept on building

1. God is attracted to weakness

A. Sis Gibbs

B. We can see because Ezra, Nehemiah and the other’s chose to be builders God’s glory filled this later house in a much greater way than he had before, no the post didn’t move, the smoke didn’t fill it so that the priest’s couldn’t go in and minister, it wasn’t a loud voice out of the fire speaking to the people, It was one day a young man the son of a carpenter from a little town called Nazareth who one day quietly walked forward took the scroll and began to read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4:18-21

1. God give us some builders.

A. We may not see hundreds of thousands, we may not have a mega church, but that God would help the glory of this our generation far surpass that of the good old days.

B. We may not see it like Dr. Brian Black in his book “The Holiness Heritage” wrote, "...The Kansas State Holiness Assosication conducted annual camp meetings to promote holiness. At Wichita in 1893, three to five thousand persons were in attendance. Eighty-nine people were saved and one hundred forty-nine were sanctified."

1. But I want to be a builder who has caught the vision of what God wants to do with us today, right now, with the BIBLE HOLINSS PEOPLE. YOU, ME, OUR TEENAGERS, AND CHILDREN. We are going to face our enemies, our frustrating counselors that try to bring gloom doom and doubt, but don't let go of your tools keep building. Don't loose your vision without a vision we perish

I INTEND TO BUILD. How about you?

Ezr 3:10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

Ezr 3:11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Ezr 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

Ezr 3:13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Ezr 6:3 In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;

Ezr 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

Ezr 8:22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

Ezr 8:23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

Ezr 8:30 So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem unto the house of our God.

Ezr 8:31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.

Neh 6:3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?

Neh 4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

Neh 4:7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

Neh 4:8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

Neh 4:9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

Neh 4:17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

Neh 4:18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

Neh 6:5 Then sent Sanballat his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand;

Neh 6:6 Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.

Neh 6:7 And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.

Neh 6:8 Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.

Neh 6:9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Neh 6:15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and tw