Rebuilding What Was Broken

Transcript

Week 2 of the series Rising From the Ashes. Transcribed from the service recording and lightly edited for readability.

Welcome: Rising From the Ashes, Week 2

Week two of our series, Rising From the Ashes: how God rebuilds, restores and resurrects what life has tried to destroy.

Last week we looked at Isaiah 61. We talked about the reality of the ashes, which is that life can break you. Then we looked at the reach of God, how God comes close to us when we're in pain. And then we looked at the promise of restoration: beauty is coming, because He gives us beauty for those ashes.

We learned that God doesn't wait for us to climb out of the ashes. He meets us right where we are. He comes to us and starts healing us right where we are.

God Doesn't Expect Us to Stay in the Ashes

But there's something we must understand. Just because God meets us in the ashes doesn't mean He expects us to stay there. At some point, you have to move from mourning what was destroyed to building what can be restored.

You know, we talked about that house being on fire. And — oh wait, before we go too far, I'm getting ahead of myself. I brought my stool a little closer so I can sit down and take my time. Let's do the declaration statement. Make sure we're ready, because we've got to get to work.

Declaration Statement

All right, read it with me:

I am a Christ chaser. I am here to be transformed. I am here to hear the voice of God. God, clear my mind and open my heart to receive Your word. Jesus, do not let me leave the same way I came. I am ready to be changed. Amen.

Putting Out the Fire Isn't Rebuilding the Home

All right, y'all don't mind me. I'm going to get a little comfortable for a second. I'm going to do my best not to stay too long, but we've got a little work to do this morning.

So we talked about the house being burned, right? After the house burns, you call the fire department, they come and put it out, and we're always grateful. Like I said, the house might be destroyed, but if your family is okay, everybody survived. But if you stand outside looking at the place you live in smoke, it can bring you down. Even though we're grateful the devastation is over, the damage still remains.

And here's the reality: putting out the fire is not the same as rebuilding the home. Each one has its purpose. You've got to put out the fire before you can rebuild. But some of us stay in that place.

People get divorced, and they've been divorced for a while, but they haven't started rebuilding. Emotionally, they're still living in that ruined place. A business failed five or six years ago, and you're afraid to start again because you're still in that place of failure. You were betrayed by a friend years ago, and you still feel like you can't trust anybody. You made mistakes a long time ago, but you still feel guilty, and that guilt is holding you back from moving forward.

You survived what happened, but in your heart, you haven't moved beyond it. Sometimes the greatest challenge isn't surviving the situation. The greatest challenge is finding the courage to move forward afterward.

Everybody Wants Restoration, Nobody Wants to Rebuild

But here's the problem. Everybody wants restoration, but nobody really wants the responsibility of rebuilding.

We want God to restore our relationship, but we don't want to do what's necessary to have the difficult conversation. We want to restore our finances and get that bank account looking right, but we don't want to change our spending. We want God to restore our spiritual life, to get back to that place where we feel deeply connected with the Father of all creation, but we don't want to take the time to develop the spiritual disciplines that get us there.

God wants to restore families. God wants to grow churches. But to do this, we have to get out of the patterns that caused the damage in the first place.

We want new lives without making new decisions. But rebuilding requires participation. You cannot continue to practice the old habits that contributed to the devastation and experience lasting restoration.

Now don't get me wrong. Not everybody did something to cause their situation. But regardless of how the damage occurred, moving forward requires intentional action.

Who Was Nehemiah? The King's Cupbearer

So that's where Nehemiah comes in. Let's look at who Nehemiah was first.

Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king. Naturally speaking, we'd say, "Oh, he's just a servant." No — this is what I call a top-dollar servant. It was his job to look out for the king's best interest. His job as cupbearer was to make sure that whatever was in the king's cup would not bring harm to the king. So he tasted everything, because if I taste it and I get sick, that's one thing. But if I don't taste it, give it to the king, and the king gets sick, next thing you know I'm in a bad situation.

We see a cupbearer earlier in the story of Joseph. When Joseph interpreted dreams in prison, one of the people he interpreted for was the king's cupbearer. This position was important. The king trusted his cupbearer and his baker, because those two determined what he put in his body — what could also destroy him.

Jerusalem's Walls Still in Ruins

So here's Nehemiah, and Nehemiah gets word that Jerusalem is still in ruins.

Nehemiah must have been a good dude, because the king says, "Nehemiah, I've never seen you downcast."

Now check the situation out. Nehemiah is an Israelite. The Israelites had been carried off to Babylon because they hadn't followed God's order. In 586 BC, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. In 538 BC, 48 years later, Cyrus authorized the return of the Jewish exiles. He said some of y'all can go back to Jerusalem. In 516 BC, 22 years after that — 70 years after all this had happened — the second temple was completed.

But here's what's crazy: all of this was prophesied. Daniel knew it was going to happen. Jeremiah talks about how God said, "I'm sending you to Babylon, and you're going to be there a long time." What does He mean? Build houses, have children, get jobs, settle in — and not just that, seek the prosperity of Babylon.

So God sent them to make Babylon prosperous. Which means Nehemiah was what? On his job. He was in Babylon taking care of the king of Babylon, making sure Babylon prospered. And he must have been doing a good job, because the king liked him and said, "Nehemiah, what's going on? You don't look like yourself."

Because Nehemiah had gotten word that Jerusalem's wall had not been rebuilt. By 444 BC, 72 years after the temple had been rebuilt, the wall was still in ruins. Nehemiah says, "Hold up. Y'all built the house back up, but the city still isn't safe?" Seventy-two years later.

Why City Walls Mattered

For us, that's kind of difficult to fathom. We go from Houston to Dallas and never see a border. You might see a sign that says you've left the city limits. You leave the state and see a sign that says "Welcome to Oklahoma," and coming back you see "Welcome to Texas," so you know you're home. But there's no wall.

Back in this day, you knew you were outside the city when you walked out the city wall. You knew you'd made it to the city when you got to the wall. The wall was the protection of the city. And people who wanted to fight would tear the walls down. Why? So they could get in without any kind of barrier.

Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 2:17–20

Okay, now we're here. Let's jump into the scripture. We're looking at Nehemiah chapter 2, verses 17 through 20, and later chapter 4, verses 6 through 14.

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?" I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We His servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it."

These were some outsiders. They were hating. They were throwing shade.

Faith Doesn't Replace Responsibility

Nehemiah demonstrated that God's people must combine dependence on God with responsible action. Nehemiah prayed, he planned, he organized the work, and they defended themselves.

Faith does not replace responsibility. Faith gives us the courage to fulfill our responsibility.

You Must See the Ruins Before You Can Rebuild

This is what we have to do: you must see the ruins before you can rebuild.

When Nehemiah got there, he rode around to check out the walls and see everything that was going on. He studied the condition of the city. He evaluated the destruction, he assessed what needed to be done, and after examining the damage, he challenged the people to rebuild.

There's a lesson here: you cannot effectively rebuild what you refuse to honestly examine. Let me say it again. You cannot effectively rebuild what you refuse to honestly examine.

Acknowledge What's Broken

We're going to look at three principles. The first one: you must acknowledge what's broken.

When Nehemiah got to Jerusalem, he didn't pretend everything was in good condition. He didn't say, "Hmm, I'm walking through the wall, it's good, I made it to Jerusalem, I'm happy to be home." No, he said, "Brother, the wall is down over here, it's down over here, it's kind of messed up over here." He acknowledged it.

But how often do we go through life acting like everything is cool? Like nothing is broken?

It's so hard sometimes. We want to feel like we've got it all together. And I get it. You don't want to feel down. You don't want to feel like it isn't right. But we can't pretend it's all right.

When the Warning Light Stays On

It's easy to get in that car and drive it until the wheels come off, acting like we don't see the lights on the dashboard. "We got this." Somebody in the passenger seat says, "Your light's on." "Oh, that doesn't mean anything. That thing is always on. Nothing's wrong." I had a friend with a car like that. The light stayed on. It drove fine, but the light stayed on.

So often in life our light is on, and we act like it isn't. Maybe it isn't a car. Maybe it's a relationship. You and this person just don't get along, but we act like it's all right.

I took my shoes off so I wouldn't step on too many toes. But how can we be people of faith and not get along with other people — or worse, find it okay to treat people any kind of way? Sometimes you've got to stop and examine that thing.

Telling the Truth in Love

I'll tell you, I'm one of those people who doesn't believe in beating around the bush. Shoot straight with me. Tell me like it is. I was having a conversation with a gentleman, and he said that's how he was, and I thought, "Cool, we're on the same page." Then he said, "I realized I can't do that anymore."

I said, "What's wrong with that?" He said, "I'm 40-something years old and I just learned this." I said, "What's wrong with just telling people how it is?"

He said, "That's rude."

How we talk to people matters. Yes, I can tell the truth, but I've got to tell the truth in love. How I handle people matters. So often we grow up thinking it's all right: "I didn't lie, I told the truth, I shot straight." But are you handling that person with love? Sometimes we're not. We're just flat-out rude.

God might have told you to tell this person something, but He also told you how to handle people. We watch Jesus. Jesus told people the truth, but He had so much compassion with it that they wanted to hear more truth about themselves.

And here's the question too: if somebody talked to you the way you talk to other people, would you like that?

They try to point out your brokenness, and you act like it doesn't exist, and then you get all bent out of shape. Why? Because we're trying to act like it doesn't exist. But this is what we're talking about: we've got to acknowledge what's broken. Before we can move any further, we have to acknowledge what's broken.

You can keep that broken door shut all you want and act like you're fooling people. But if somebody walks up and checks it, they're going to walk right on in. That's what we do so often with our real lives and our real stuff. We act like it isn't broken. But if you know it's broken, you're going to do something about it.

Denial Prevents Rebuilding

Some people know they're struggling in their marriage, but they keep telling you it's fine. They know their finances are unstable, but they refuse to examine their spending. They know their relationship with God has weakened, but they continue going through religious rituals. They know they're emotionally exhausted, but they insist they don't need any help.

Denial may protect your feelings temporarily, but it prevents you from addressing reality, and it will stop you from rebuilding successfully. You cannot begin repairing what you don't admit is broken.

Identify What Caused the Damage

So now that I know I must acknowledge what's broken, the next thing is: you must identify what caused the damage.

That's what Nehemiah did. He inspected the walls to understand their condition. For personal rebuilding, honest evaluation requires understanding what contributed to the damage.

Not every broken situation has the same cause. Some damage comes from decisions we make. Some comes from circumstances outside of us. And some comes from a combination of factors.

Some of what's going wrong in our lives is because we made a decision. Right, wrong or indifferent, we made a decision. Some things happen because of outside forces. If I don't have a job right now because my company laid me off, that has nothing to do with me. I didn't necessarily do something, but guess what? I'm in it. Some people's houses burned down because of natural disasters, lightning strikes, all kinds of things. It doesn't matter how it happened; it happened. Now what am I going to do?

And some of it is a combination of both. If I don't have homeowners insurance and my house catches on fire, half of it wasn't my fault, but the other half is my fault because I didn't have insurance. If I'd had insurance, I'd be sitting back with my feet up: "All right, insurance man, take care of this."

But once we figure out, "Man, this is broken," now: what caused this? What caused me to lose fellowship with God? What caused my marriage to break? What caused me to get out of whack financially? Once I begin to look at what caused these things, now I can do something about it.

More Money Won't Fix a Spending Problem

A lot of times we don't look at what happened. For instance, if I don't look at what caused my financial troubles, I'll say, "Man, I just need to make more money." So I make more money, and there's still more month at the end of my money.

Why? Because I didn't evaluate the whole picture. I didn't evaluate my spending habits. Just because I got more money didn't mean I was going to have more money in my bank account, because spending was my problem. I got more money, and I got more spending. You can't rebuild until you know exactly what's causing the damage.

You can't rebuild trust if you continue to lie. You can't rebuild financial stability while refusing to practice financial discipline. You can't rebuild healthy relationships while refusing to address destructive communication patterns.

"I'm going to be your friend, and we're going to build this friendship" — but I'm still talking to you crazy, still acting like what you say doesn't matter. We have to look at these things, break them down, and then begin to do something different.

Believe the Ruins Can Be Rebuilt

Once you realize what's causing the damage, you must believe that the ruins can be rebuilt. What does that mean? I have to believe that I can do something different.

This is what Nehemiah 2:18 says. They said, "Let us rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for this good work. They realized what they needed to do, and they went after it.

Notice the progression. Nehemiah examined the damage, he communicated the vision, he testified about God's favor, and the people committed themselves to the work.

Nehemiah's confidence was grounded in God's gracious hand upon him and the king's authorization. He didn't just encourage them with positive thinking. He testified about what God had already done to make the rebuilding possible. He said, "We've already rebuilt the temple, so God already showed us we can do this. Not only that, God gave me favor with the king. The king got all the supplies in place. He sent me here. He gave me time off work, so I've got time to get this project done."

So look around. If you look at your life, God is moving. When we acknowledge what God is doing, look at His handiwork and see how He's already blessed our lives, it should give us the encouragement we need to keep going.

But so often we think it's not possible. Why? "I've always been like this. I've always talked crazy to people. Some people like it, some people don't, but the people who know me know I don't mean anything by it." Sometimes you look at your children and say, "That one is never going to change." Or, "I guess I could try, but I've always been broke. Mama was broke. Grandma was broke. All of them were always pinching pennies." We always think we're never going to overcome. "I can try this, but will I really be happy?"

Nothing Is Too Hard for God

But Jeremiah 32:17 says:

Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.

That's one of the reasons I like reading the Word of God. When you read it, you see how God showed up for people in impossible situations. God can move in what seems impossible in your life. It reminds us that the current condition of something does not necessarily determine its future.

Faith doesn't guarantee that every situation will be restored exactly the way we want, but God can restore it. When we trust God, He's going to restore it the way He planned for it to be.

You can't rebuild what you've already decided is beyond hope. You have to know there's hope.

Somebody needs to hear this today: stop staring at broken walls and declaring that nothing can change. Stop looking at your circumstances as though God has run out of possibilities. Stop allowing yesterday's destruction to determine tomorrow's expectations. The fact that something is broken doesn't mean God is finished.

Rebuilding Doesn't Stop Opposition

But once you decide to rebuild, you need to understand something: deciding to rebuild is not going to stop your opposition. Sometimes opposition becomes more intense when you decide to do something about it.

That's just the reality. I want to preach this feel-good gospel and let people know everything is going to be all right — because it is. But that doesn't mean you won't go through something. You're going to go through something. Sometimes it's going to get harder before it gets better.

Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 4:6–14

Let's look at Nehemiah chapter 4, starting at verse 6:

So we built the wall, and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

So Nehemiah is saying, "We're starting to build this wall." I don't know how tall it was supposed to be, but say it's a six-foot wall, and now we're three feet off the ground. Imagine a three-foot wall all the way around the city. In your backyard you've got about a six-foot fence. So it's half. I can still see my enemy. You could probably step over it if you wanted to. But my acknowledgment is: we're making progress. We just aren't all the way there yet.

But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry.

Why Your Progress Makes Some People Mad

All the people who were used to coming in whenever they wanted realized, "Now there are obstacles in our way." They weren't happy about that. And of course they wouldn't be. Why would they be?

If you're in debt and you start paying off debt, your creditors stop calling your house — and they aren't happy. Why not? Because they want to keep making that interest. If you start cooking at home every day, McDonald's is going to be mad, because they aren't getting your money anymore. If you get healthier and start living better, the people selling you all that medicine aren't going to be happy.

So we have to expect opposition. When we start getting this thing right, there are going to be people who were used to finding us who can't find us anymore. You get off the drugs and the alcohol, and your dealers are looking for you — they don't have your money anymore. They aren't going to be happy. We wonder why people are hating on us. It's because we took away something they thought would always be there.

And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.

"We've got to stop this. We can't let them keep getting it right." Why? "Because we aren't getting what we want."

Pray, Then Set Up Safeguards

But we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.

They did something. They didn't just pray about it. They set up safeguards.

Well then, how do I set up safeguards in my situation? It's called an accountability partner — somebody who's going to check on you. "I'm going to stop spending so wild and crazy." It's called a budget. You get that budget, you look at it, and you say, "I said I was going to spend $20 on fast food, and I've spent $40. Okay, I'm out of bounds. If it came from here, it's got to come from somewhere else." Something to get you back in check.

Your accountability partner asks, "Bro, you been praying?" "Nah, man, I've been working hard, getting up early, going to that office." "No, bro. Come on. Let's tighten up."

In Judah it was said, "The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall." And our enemies said, "They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work." At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, "You must return to us." So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes."

Again, he's doing what we've already talked about. He's acknowledging the problem. Their fear was real. People were saying, "We're coming after you." So what did they do? They put guards out. They had some people watching and some people building. Why? Because they knew people were going to come after them.

Don't Let Criticism Cancel Your Commitment

Don't allow criticism to cancel your commitment.

People are always going to hate on you. "That boy is no good. He's never going to be right." That should light a fire inside of you to say, "You know what? I'm going to prove them wrong, because my God says otherwise." "That kid of yours is never going to get right." "No — my God says, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

You've got to know what God says, and you've got to know how God is going to move in these situations.

When you begin rebuilding your life, not everyone is going to understand your decision. Some people will question your motives. Some will remind you of your failures. Some will criticize your progress. Some will doubt your ability to change.

The Duffel Bag: Protecting My Conviction

I remember one time — I've told y'all I started preaching when I was 16, right? But I was still in high school. I was a kid, still trying to live it up and have fun, still trying to do what high school kids do. And I'm going to tell y'all the truth.

I worked at a restaurant, and most of the people I worked with were 20-plus. Some of them didn't have cars, and I had a car. So the fee to ride in my car — the fee for me to take you home after work — was that when I got back to my place and turned around and looked at my back seat, there needed to be something back there. A bottle of something.

I remember being in church one Sunday evening service, and the preacher was preaching — I don't remember what about — but it convicted me that I wasn't supposed to be drinking. So I got a duffel bag, put all the alcohol I'd collected in it and gave it to my mom. I told her to take it to work — "You can't waste it" — give it to those people and get rid of it.

The next day at school, I told my partner, because we worked together. First of all, he was upset: "You could've given all that alcohol to me, man! You gave it to your mom?" I said, "I can't contribute to this. We aren't supposed to be doing this."

So he criticized me at first. But once he saw my conviction, when we went to parties and people offered me alcohol, he'd say, "Nah, D don't drink. Leave him alone. He's doing his thing." He still drank. He was still doing his thing. But now he was protecting my conviction. Even though it might not have been his conviction, he was protecting mine.

People might not be all the way with you. But that doesn't mean you can't share with them, because once you begin to share where you are and what you're going through, they'll begin to see God active, real, alive and working in the lives of His people. Some of us say, "I'm not going to say anything. They'll think I'm weird, I'm corny." So be it. Let them see God working things out in your life, because when the time comes for them, you'll be a model. But we start worrying about what people think.

Don't Confuse Resistance With Defeat

The other thing we have to realize is that we can't confuse resistance with defeat. These things are going to push back on you, but that does not mean you're defeated.

Those people talked a bunch of noise: "We're going to come kill y'all. Y'all keep building those walls, we're going to take y'all out." But none of that happened. Why? Because they prayed, and then they set the watch. They trusted God, and then they took responsible action.

Pray and Take Responsible Action

I can pray all day long, but I still have to take responsible action. If you're always getting speeding tickets, you can pray all you want for God not to let you get any more speeding tickets. But if you don't want any more speeding tickets, the responsible action is to slow down!

If I want to get healthy — and this is always kind of funny to me — people talk about their kids always eating all the snacks and all this junk food. Baby girl and baby boy can't eat any junk food if you don't buy any junk food! They can only eat what you put before them. If you don't want them to eat it, maybe you shouldn't buy it, because if you bring it into the house, they're going to find a way to get into it. That's what I mean by responsible action. And if it isn't good for them, it isn't good for me. If they shouldn't be watching it, maybe I shouldn't be watching it.

I took off my shoes. I didn't bring my combat boots. I'm trying not to step too hard.

Ain't Nothing Easy About the Cross

Some people assume that if God is involved, everything should be easy.

Now here's the thing. That's contradictory to our Christian faith, because part of the reason we're able to do what we do is that God gave His own Son so that we may have life. There's nothing easy about the cross. And then our Savior says, "Take up your cross and follow Me." We talked a few months ago about how carrying a cross means putting something to death. And putting something to death is never easy.

I honestly believe there's something on your soul about taking a life. People might grow numb to it or try to get away from it, but there's nothing easy about death. And Christ calls us to die to self daily. There's nothing easy about that.

So this rebuilding process is probably going to be difficult. And if it's difficult, you're probably moving in the right direction. Sometimes resistance means I'm moving in the right direction.

I don't know about y'all, but when God tells me to do something, the first thing I try to say is, "That isn't God. No, that couldn't be God. He couldn't want me to do that." We even have resistance to the Word of God. That's just naturally how it is.

I don't want to mess with anybody's Sunday, but going to McDonald's is easy. Stopping at the fast food restaurant is easy. But going home and cooking something? Anybody ever thought about going home to cook and said, "You know what, I'm just going to have some popcorn and a little water tonight"? Why? Because cooking feels like work. But if you thought, "Man, I'm stopping at that drive-thru," you'd be there before you knew it.

So doing what's healthy, doing what's right, doing what's good meets natural resistance. When you're doing this God thing, walking the way God wants you to walk, there's going to be resistance. And resistance doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

Don't Let Exhaustion Make You Quit

The other thing we have to realize is that we don't want to let our exhaustion make us abandon our assignment.

If you're doing work that requires physical labor — working in your yard, whatever it is — you're going to get tired. Even work that isn't manual can mess with your brain mentally. It can get tough. But don't let exhaustion make you quit on the assignment.

The other thing with Nehemiah: when he stationed them, one was working and the other was guarding. The cool thing about that is when the worker got tired, now the worker could hold the sword. He could rest a little. "I don't have to pull this sword on anybody. Hopefully if they see me standing here, they'll get the message and go back where they came from. But I can rest for a little bit."

Do Not Become Weary

In Galatians — and I keep this on my phone, I keep Galatians 6:9 as an image on my home screen — it says:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

It can be so easy sometimes to just want to throw in the towel. "I'm tired. I'm tired of saying the same thing over and over. This dude isn't going to get it. Why am I busting my head on this?"

I'm not going to lie to y'all. Sometimes I come in here and preach at 11:30 and think, "Man, it's not growing as fast as I need it to grow. It's not moving like I want it to move." And you want to throw in that towel. But if one soul gets saved, if one person gets this message, it's all good. And I know there's going to be a day when God has this place overflowing.

I know sometimes you get tired of praying. Tired of forgiving. Tired of working. Sometimes we just get tired of being disappointed, tired of being disrespected. "I'm just tired of being tired." Some of us are going through these things over and over. "I'm tired of starting over."

I told somebody the other day, "I've got to get this God thing right, because I can't keep starting over. I can't keep getting the same whooping and starting over every time."

But when you become exhausted, quitting can begin to feel like the only reasonable option. "You know what, I'm just going to let them have it."

Tired Doesn't Mean Finished: Rest, Support, Renewed Strategy

But here's something we must understand: being tired doesn't necessarily mean you're finished. Sometimes it means you need rest, or you need support, or you need a renewed strategy.

We get tired in this race, but we also have to rest. If we pay attention to the life of Jesus, He was always finding time to steal away and rest. Why? Because He knew it was crucial. So if the Son of God had to rest, we too must rest. We've got to stop running ourselves ragged all over the place.

Another thing: we need support. One thing I've realized in ministry is that I can't do it all by myself. If there's something around here you see that needs to be done and it hasn't been done, don't just ask me to do it — maybe you can do it. I can't do it all by myself, and I'm not going to try. There have been times I would, but I've learned I've got to get some rest. You've got to allow the people around you to support you. God put them there for a reason. A church full of people with the pastor doing everything doesn't make any sense. God put people with gifts and talents around you to support you through everything you're going through.

So when you get worn out, it means you need to call on somebody: "Hey, how do you do this? How do you do that?" Some people have already walked down that road, and they can help you down the road you're trying to walk. They know all the shortcuts. They know all the tricks.

And one thing my daddy taught me: sometimes you need the right tools for the job. I can go out all day long and try to work on that car with a little wrench, or I can go to Harbor Freight, get me a power tool and get that thing off a lot quicker. Some of us are trying to do things manually when there are power tools available.

And a renewed strategy. Sometimes we just have to remind ourselves why God put us here. What's our purpose?

If I'm trying to get my finances right just to get my pockets stacked, I can give up on that: "You know what, I'm just going to be broke. This isn't worth it." But if I know I need to be better with my finances — not just to be a better steward of God's resources, but so I can sow into the kingdom, so when I see people who are down I can put a little extra cash in their pocket for no reason — that's something worth getting out of broke for. Not just out of debt — out of broke. Some of us need to get out of broke so we can be a blessing to others, because the Bible says it's more blessed to give than to receive. We've had a taste of it, but God is saying, "I've got more than that, and I want to get you there." We need to remind ourselves why we're doing what we're doing.

Keep Building Until It's Complete

Let me try to get on through. I've probably been up here longer than I planned.

Nehemiah teaches us that rebuilding requires honest assessment, and it requires courage to face opposition. But there's one more thing we must understand: rebuilding requires consistent work until it's complete.

We must keep building until the vision becomes reality. Nehemiah didn't simply inspire the people to begin rebuilding. He organized them to continue the work, and eventually the walls were complete. The process required sustained effort. It required cooperation, perseverance and trust in God.

Rebuilding Happens One Decision at a Time

Rebuilding happens one decision at a time. I'm going to pick up one rock and put it here. I'm going to pick up another rock and put it here. Brick by brick by brick, and then the whole house gets built.

But so often we try to do it all at once. "I'm going to get healthy." Okay — does that mean I'm going to stop eating chocolate, stop drinking coffee, eat lettuce, eat salads, eat raw vegetables? We try to do all these things at one time, and the next week we aren't doing any of it. Why? Because we needed to take one small step. "Okay, today I'm just going to stop eating chocolate." Cool, go a week without it. Next week, add something else. "I'm going to go out there and run five miles!" No — just walk around the neighborhood. You don't even have to walk the whole block.

We try to do so much at once. We have to take one step at a time and gradually work our way into it. But as long as we're making consistent effort, we're going to be okay.

The reality is, we didn't get here overnight, so we aren't going to get out of it overnight. So often we want to get out way quicker than we got in. But we have to undo some things, and it takes a while to undo them. If we understand it's a process, I think we're more apt to stick with it.

Unity and Shared Responsibility

Rebuilding requires unity and shared responsibility. That's a whole lot right there.

If rebuilding requires unity, that means we can't be talking crazy. It means we have to be understanding of one another. If you're trying to rebuild your household, it isn't "my way or the highway." It's our way.

When God put the man and woman together, He said they are now one. Now you've got two people from different backgrounds. One grew up this way, one grew up that way. They've got a mama and daddy, you've got a mama and daddy. On top of that, we've got genes we have to fight with and deal with. Now God is bringing them together — but how do we bring about unity? Then you take all of that, bring all these people together, put them in a building and call them a church, and all these people have to be unified.

And shared responsibility. This is why this church thing isn't easy work. It's dirty work. Why? Because we've all got our own thing. But when we revolve around a single vision — making God alive, real and active for His people, and not just for us, but showing the world what God is capable of — then I begin to let go of some of my selfish ambition and vain conceit, which we talked about a few weeks ago. A lot of times we bump heads because of our selfish ambition and vain conceit, and we lose sight of the purpose God put us together for.

But where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there in the midst. We have to realize what we're here for. A lot of times we want to quit because it isn't going the way we thought it would go. That's why we have to go back and look at the vision. This is how the vision becomes a reality: we realize we've got to do this together. I can't do it by myself.

I haven't seen any billionaire do it by themselves. Nobody becomes a billionaire overnight by themselves. They've got a company of people doing all kinds of things, all working together to achieve a goal.

So we begin to understand who we are as a people, as a congregation. Nobody has to come in here and hide who they are, hide their struggles, isolate themselves or refuse help. Why? Because we're encouraging people. When you encourage me in the midst of my distress, I don't have to hide it. I can come here and let you know I'm down, because I know you're going to build me up. I'm not worried about you holding me accountable, because I know you're doing it not just for me, but for the glory of God. I know when I come here, you're going to tell me the truth. You aren't going to keep lying to me like all those people on the outside. You're going to tell me the truth, but you're going to do it in such a loving way that I feel the graciousness of God.

Faithfulness Beyond the Initial Excitement

Rebuilding requires faithfulness beyond the initial excitement.

I remember when we started the year, I was talking about "yes squared" — how my yes and God's yes were going to come together and we were going to be unimaginably blessed. I remember coming in at the beginning of the year talking about how we could be financially free and God was going to deliver us. But the work in that! It costs something. It requires something. It goes beyond the initial excitement.

Yeah, it sounds real good not being broke anymore. It sounds good being financially free. It feels real good seeing that the land next door is going to be ours and we're going to build on it. It sounds good. But the work it takes to get there doesn't feel good.

I wish I could go to McDonald's, but I know McDonald's is going to break my budget. That doesn't feel good. When you wake up in the morning and just want to roll over and go back to sleep, but you said you were going to walk around the neighborhood before work — that doesn't feel good.

Sometimes we've got to go through it, because we aren't as excited as we were on day one, but we know what the results are going to be. Sometimes we've got to get excited again, and sometimes we've got to excite ourselves. "I'm not as broke as I was before. I've changed some things. I see a difference in my attitude because I started spending 15 minutes with God every morning. I'm not as short-tempered as I could be because I'm spending more time in my Bible and in fellowship."

It isn't always exciting not cussing somebody out anymore. Sometimes you think, "Man, I had something to say to them, but I held my tongue." That's not exciting all the time. But when you sit back and look at where God has brought you from, that's something to get excited about. "I didn't throw in the towel." You can get excited about that.

When the Motivation Disappears

It's hard to remain committed when the excitement fades.

Everybody gets excited about the New Year. It's about to come around, and we're about to be excited again. "It's a new year. It's going to be my year." The Cowboys swear they're going to make it to the Super Bowl every year. They get excited. You get excited about new businesses and new opportunities. You even get excited about committing to God.

But what happens when the motivation disappears? What happens when the process becomes repetitive? What happens when progress is slower than expected? When discipline becomes more important than motivation?

Motivation helps you get started, but faithfulness helps you continue.

And here's the thing — we see this all the time and don't realize it. You say, "Yes, I'm motivated, I'm excited, but the motivation doesn't last." But you do something to motivate yourself again. You do this all the time. We ate yesterday, but guess what? We're going to get hungry again today. And what are we going to do? Something about it. You aren't going to stay hungry. So if you aren't motivated, guess what? We can do something about that too.

Part of the motivation process is remembering where we came from. "I stayed on budget this month." You can get excited about that. "I walked every day." You can get excited about that, especially when you think about what happened last time. "Last time I only walked three days and quit. This time I walked five days, and I'm ready to quit, but I'm going to walk one more day." Next time you're going to keep going.

You can motivate yourself. Don't be surprised when the motivation doesn't last. Just like we've got to feed ourselves, we can motivate ourselves. And that's what they call discipline.

"I'm reading the Word, but I'm really not getting much out of it. I think I'm just reading to be reading." Well, guess what? Don't stop the habit. If you're just reading to read, ask what you need to do to get more out of your reading. But don't stop reading because you feel like you aren't getting anything out of it.

I used to tell the children all the time when I worked in youth ministry: don't ask me to pray that God helps you pass this test if you haven't studied. If you went to class, paid attention, took notes and looked it over a little, He can bring something to your remembrance. But if nothing is in there, He can't bring it back to you. So keep reading this Book. You might not be getting much out of it right now, but there's going to be a time when He calls it to your remembrance and activates something.

You Didn't Come This Far to Stop Here

So I really want you to digest this: you didn't come this far to stop here.

You've already survived the fire. You've already acknowledged the damage — that's why you're trying to fix it. You've already started the rebuilding process. So don't abandon the work simply because it isn't finished yet.

Six Feet From Gold

There's a story I read about some men who went out and bought all this gold-mining equipment. They found some land, had a survey done, and were told there was gold on it. They dug month after month after month and didn't produce much of anything. They got a little bit, but they never hit the big strike they were looking for. They got frustrated and ended up selling everything to try to recoup some of their money.

The next people they sold it to had another survey done, and they were told they were six feet away. Six feet away from gold. That's maybe two or three more digs in the right direction. They were six feet away from everything they wanted, but they gave up because it wasn't finished yet.

I believe a lot of us are closer to where God wants us to be than we think we are.

Keep Building

So keep building. When you're tired, keep building. When progress is slow, keep building. When people criticize you, keep building. When you feel overwhelmed, keep building. When you need rest, rest wisely, and then continue to build.

The goal is still to remain faithful to what God has called you to do. Remember, we're doing this because of what God has called us to do. That's why we've got to know who we are and know our purpose, because we can walk it out when we know what God has called us to do.

The Wall Was Finished in 52 Days

Let's look at it again before we wrap this up. When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he found the city surrounded by broken walls. The gates had been burned, the people were discouraged, and the city was vulnerable. The destruction had existed for generations — we're talking about 72 years after the temple was rebuilt, and longer than that since everything was destroyed.

But Nehemiah refused to believe that the present condition of Jerusalem had to remain the same. He inspected the damage. He challenged the people. He organized the work. He prayed through opposition. He strengthened the discouraged. And the people built.

Nehemiah 6:15 says:

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Fifty-two days. After all those years, it only took 52 days to build the wall.

Same Walls, Same People

I want you to notice something. The walls that were rebuilt were the same walls that had been broken. The city that had experienced devastation became the location of restoration. The same people who had been living there vulnerable became participants in the rebuilding process. He didn't go find new people. He didn't go hire some outside workers. He took the same people who had been vulnerable all those years and said, "We can do something."

You can't go find a new you. You is you. But once you recognize, "I'm sitting in ashes," God says, "I've got to be here." So, God, how did I get here, and how do I get out? The condition of Jerusalem changed because God enabled His people to move from mourning to action.

It's time to stop being sad about what happened and get to the action of what God put me here to do. Yeah, you lost your friends. Yeah, you lost your job. Yeah, your situation isn't what you wanted it to be or expected it to be. God showed you a vision, but it isn't quite there yet.

Moses and Jonah: Still a Purpose for You

Come here, Moses. God showed you that you were going to lead your people out. You killed somebody, and you ran for 40 years, but your vision isn't done yet. Come on back. Now you realize what you did wrong. Now you're in touch with Me. You see this bush that's burning but isn't burning up — you know I'm real. All right, now go back to where you're supposed to be.

Come here, Jonah. You don't like those Ninevites too much. You want them to go to hell. But come here for a second. Let Me holler at you. Go back to Nineveh.

God can use you even though you ran from Him, even though you did things that were against His principles. He's saying, "Guess what? I still have a purpose for you. Go do what I have for you to do. Stop mourning what you've done. I know what you did. I was there. I saw you do it. But it still does not stop the purpose I placed in you. Now go."

It's Time to Build

It's time for us to build.

It's time for us to stop allowing our past to determine our future. It's time for us to stop allowing fear to dictate our decisions. It's time to stop allowing discouragement to deflate our faith. It's time to stop allowing the size of the problem to prevent us from taking the next step.

Now, rebuilding doesn't mean every relationship is going to be restored. It doesn't. Not every relationship is going to be restored. Everybody can't go where you're going. God is about to take you somewhere. He removed some people for a purpose, because He's about to take you somewhere.

And I'm not saying return to an unsafe situation. I'm not saying pretend none of this ever happened. It doesn't mean God guarantees the outcome you designed. But it means you can trust Him to guide you as you pursue His healing, wisdom and faithful action.

Broken Doesn't Mean Beyond Repair

I don't know what you're rebuilding in your life today. It could be your marriage. It could be your family. It could be your finances. It could be your confidence. It might even be your faith. Maybe your relationship with your children, or maybe your sense of purpose.

But here's what I want you to remember: broken does not always mean beyond repair. Broken does not mean it's beyond repair.

It means you may have to start small. You may have to make some difficult changes in your life. You may have to ask for help. It may mean you have to confront some uncomfortable truths. You may have to rebuild differently than you built before. But don't allow the ruins to convince you to abandon what God has already commanded you to do.

God is not going to abandon you. Just because it looks like destruction, He is not going to abandon you. We talked last week about how He's going to meet you in the ashes, right where you are. But when He meets you there, He's not meeting you there just to comfort you. He's meeting you there to restore you.

The walls may have fallen, but God is still faithful. The damage may be real, but restoration is still possible. And with God's help, you can rise from the ashes and begin to rebuild what was broken.

Prayer

Let us pray.

Most gracious heavenly Father, we come before You saying thank You. Father God, thank You for reminding us that we are in this process of rebuilding. Lord, we don't have to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, but we do have to allow You to pick us up.

Lord, You didn't bring us to this ash heap to leave us here. You brought us here to recognize that we are broken, that we might have fallen short. But You also reminded us that with Your help, all things are possible.

Father God, continue to remind us what our purpose is. Continue to motivate us and inspire us to achieve the purpose You've placed in our lives. As long as there is breath in our lungs, that means You aren't done with us yet. And Lord, since You're not done with us, I pray that You use us as You see fit.

Father God, we love You and praise You. In the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we ask all these things. Amen.

Weekly Challenge

Now for the weekly challenge.

Reflect: What areas in my life need rebuilding? What have I been avoiding because it feels overwhelming? Ask yourself: What habits or decisions may be contributing to the damage? What circumstances are beyond my control? What is one area where I believe God is calling me to take action?

Act: Take one intentional step toward rebuilding this week. You might need to schedule a needed conversation, create a budget, seek counseling, set a prayer and Bible study routine, or reconnect with someone who can hold you accountable.

Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank You for being a God who restores what has been broken. You know the areas of my life that need rebuilding. Give me the courage to honestly examine the damage, the wisdom to understand what needs to change, and the strength to take the necessary steps. Help me overcome discouragement, resist the temptation to quit, and remain faithful when progress is slow. Surround me with people who will encourage me and hold me accountable. Most importantly, help me trust You throughout the process. Let my restoration bring glory to Your name. In Jesus' name, Amen.