In Position to Rebuild

Introduction

No matter who you are as you approach adulthood there are some things you have to rethink, and more importantly there are thoughts, habits and emotions that have to be rebuilt. As children and teenagers and young adults we have experienced trauma and walk into adulthood with broken pieces that have to be put back together. In effort to rebuild effectively you have to know that you cannot do it on your own. In order to be complete we have to have God as a focal point of the rebuilding process. Understand that everyone does not like you complete, they like the you that is tired, confused and frightened in the midst of the rubble. Everyone will never appreciate the whole and healthy you and you cannot submit yourselves to the influence of people that the enemy places around you to confuse you and destroy you.

Background

Remember rebuilding is all about position. Initially we see in the first chapter of Nehemiah that he is a high official in the Persian court of king Artaxerxes I. He served as the cupbearer for the king. Basically, this put him in position to speak to the king and request favors. Be mindful that God is always going to have an advocate in place for his people. Then it was Nehemiah for the children of God, now when it comes to our rebuild we have Jesus. After Nehemiah surveyed the city he saw it in it’s desolate and broken down state and requested to rebuild and fortify the city. So much so he is given letters from the king for safe passage and the ability to obtain resources to start the rebuild.

Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem in 445 B.C. as the provincial governor of Judah/Yehud. He immediately surveyed the damage to the entire city on his well-known night journey around the walls

Nehemiah 2:12-15 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.

He enlisted the help of the people to quickly repair the breaches in the wall. He also urged them to set up guards to defend against the constant threat of those who opposed their efforts, including the armies of Samaria, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites.

Understand The Point

The point of the matter is if we are going to rebuild we have to be mindful of the fact that the rebuild might look different than the original. We also have to be in the right position to rebuild and we have to have people around us that will protect what we are rebuilding.

New Year New Me

We know that biblically we are encouraged not to put things off because we do not know what tomorrow holds. Nonetheless we have to be courageous enough not to be stifled and held hostage by the past.

There is no better time to start your rebuild than today! Do not wait until January 1st! Start today. If the men of Israel can rebuild the wall in 52 days, we can get started on rebuilding our families, our communities and our congregations today! Nehemiah 6:15 “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.”

I need us to understand that God is a God of parameters, parameters are protections and as long as we have an enemy that wants to destroy us we have to build walls of protections for ourselves and our families. History states that the length of the walls is 4,018 meters (2.4966 mi), their average height is 12 meters (39.37 feet) and the average thickness is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet).

Understand that the rebuild will not look the same as the initial build. There’s trauma in the old walls, there is pain and heartbreak in the old wall. Nehemiah 4:6 “So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

What it’s going to take is that people have to have a mind to work. We have to be willing to take a chance to put the broken pieces of rubble back together! Putting broken pieces back together hurts sometimes. Imagine trying to put broken pottery back together or broken glass, in the rebuild build you might walk away with scrapes and cuts but I’d rather be whole with a few scars than broken with a fake smile on my face.

Right Position

You have to be in the right position to protect your family during your rebuilding process.

Nehemiah 4:7-17 “Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night. Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.” And our adversaries said, “They will neither know nor see anything, till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease.” So it was, when the Jews who dwelt near them came, that they told us ten times, “From whatever place you turn, they will be upon us.” Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked…”

Understand that everyone is not happy that you’re in the right position.

When you begin to close the gaps the enemy sees progress and is not pleased.

The goal of the enemy is to conspire against you to create confusion. When you are trying to do right the enemy loves to try to confuse you.

Being a parent is tiring, being a spouse is tiring, just being a human being trying to live for God is TIRING!

We have to be able to notice the trial of being halfway done. Halfway is that breaking point, most people quit when they get halfway done with something. The confusion that Satan gives us is that if we quit we believe it’s better than failure but in all actuality it’s the same thing.

We have to be able to overcome the halfway marks, we do this by really focusing on God. Think about the 400 meter dash typically where people blow leads if after the first 200 meters, think about a football game some of the greatest comebacks have happened in the second half. Listen to what the people told Nehemiah “there is so much rubble that we are not able to build”.

It’s rough and it’s unfortunate but if we are going to rebuild our families, our communities and our churches it’s going to take some sifting through the rubbish.

This is why we have to trust God, there is no rebuild that you can do by yourself, but with God all things are possible.

It’s Okay to Be Scared

It’s alright to be frightened, but know that the emotion of fear did not come from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

My position is scary sometimes. Becoming a father for the first time, becoming a mother for the first time, living on your own for the first time, dating after a traumatic break up. It can be frightening.

Just remember no matter how frightening it is, keep building and allow God to surround you with some people that will hold some spears while you put in the work. My position might be frightening but my protection in my position is encouragement enough to keep building.

Stay in the RIGHT POSITION!

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

We need the right armor and the right position! Men have to be armored up, because if Satan can’t fool you he will try to frighten you.

Nehemiah 4:15-17 15 And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. 16 So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. 17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

Even though the builders had a different task they were still armored up! This is what our friend group should look like, we all might play different positions but we are always in position to build each other up or protect each other!

It’s Time We Finish What We Started

There is no more giving up, there is no more quitting. Jesus came to this earth with one purpose and He finished His task. Nehemiah had one purpose and he finished his task. Paul said I have finished my course! There is NO GIVING UP! You want to really discourage the enemy finish what you start! Do Not GIVE UP, DO NOT GIVE IN!

Nehemiah 6:15 15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.