The Rebuild: Time to Be Better

u003c!u002du002d wp:heading u002du002du003enu003ch2u003eIntroductionu003c/h2u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennTypically, when one rebuilds, they have to rebuild (or restore) what has already been torn down and or been destroyed.  I think of some of the worst natural disasters that we have had in recent years and how they have left u003cemu003edesolation u003c/emu003ein their path.  Families end up losing precious things, their homes, and memories in those old homes – it’s saddening.  Yet, most of those who go through these disasters, while being somber, have a light of hope in their eyes.  These survivors often say that they will rebuild and they u003cemu003ewillu003c/emu003e rebuild with improvements in mind in order to be better.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennThe rebuild – I look around at our society and I feel there is a great need of rebuilding that needs to be done.  Now, I want you to understand that I am not talking about the rebuilding of buildings or highways.  No, I am talking about the other things that I see in our society that need to be fixed.  Hatred and wickedness continues to abound as our morals continue to crumble and fall apart.  Some believe that everything is just fine, yet, I would tell you that we cannot be so blind to the cracks in and u003cemu003estill u003c/emu003eforming in the foundation of our society!nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennAre we truly that u003cemu003eblind u003c/emu003eto the poor conditions in our society?  Are we truly that blind to the constant collapsing u003cemu003epillars u003c/emu003eof morality in our society?  Greed has led to the price of living being sky high.  The constant violence we say as blood is shed and lives are lost makes you wonder why we do not care.  Improvement is needed.  Repairs and restoration are required, and I believe that now is the time — it is time to build for the better.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading u002du002du003enu003ch2u003eLive in Desolation or Rebuildu003c/h2u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennThis past week, we saw that there was u003cemu003eanother u003c/emu003esenseless shooting that took place at a hospital in Tulsa.  This shooting followed up a couple of other mass u003cemu003ekillings u003c/emu003ein recent weeks with one being at an elementary school in Texas and another being at a supermarket in Buffalo.  These killings follow up a u003cemu003elong line u003c/emu003eof senseless mass killings with no changes being made to prevent these killings from continuing to happen.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennAfter these recent mass killings we heard the u003cemu003esame talking points u003c/emu003ewith the very same question being asked yet again:  “u003cemu003eWhy does this keep happeningu003c/emu003e?”  I have an answer to this question.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading {u0022levelu0022:3} u002du002du003enu003ch3u003eTolerating wickednessu003c/h3u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennMany that go about answering this question always seem to find a way to step around the u003cemu003etrue u003c/emu003eanswer but I will not step around the truth.  The truth of the matter is that these mass killings and other acts of hatred and wickedness continue to happen because we as a society u003cemu003etolerate u003c/emu003ethese things happening.  We have been tolerating such acts of wickedness and hatred to happen well before these mass shootings of recent times.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennI feel I must ask, what does this say about us as a society if we continue to tolerate these acts of hatred and wickedness?  I would suggest that because we continue to tolerate these acts of wickedness and hatred that we don’t truly love one another.  This is a tragedy because those who are of faith in Christ seem to be the ones tolerating it the u003cemu003emost.  u003c/emu003eThe u003cemu003epillar u003c/emu003eof our faith rests on loving the Lord and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.+22%3A37-40u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eMatt. 22:37-40u003c/au003e).nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennIn order for us to love one another, we have to first love ourselves.  If we love ourselves, then we would recognize our own faults, not tolerate those faults, and make the proper fixes in order to improve ourselves and be better.  When we love ourselves in this manner, we will u003cemu003enot tolerateu003c/emu003e such acts of hatred and wickedness that will harm and affect us to also harm and affect all of those around us.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennIn scripture, we have seen what happens when wickedness is tolerated in a society and justice is essentially nonexistent.  In the books of the kings and prophets, we saw that when wickedness abounded in Israel, the northern kingdom, the kingdom collapsed as it was conquered by the Assyrians.  When wickedness abounded in Judah, the southern kingdom, they were conquered by the Babylonians and they lost everything (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kgs.+25%3A1-21u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003e2 Kgs. 25:1-21u003c/au003e); Jerusalem and its walls were set aflame and the temple was utterly destroyed.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennIn their defeat, the Jews were carried  away to Babylon in exile.  Again, I tell you that I often wonder how close we are to losing everything because of our tolerance of hatred and wickedness.  Israel and Judah were conquered from the outside, but our society is seemingly being set aflame from the inside.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading {u0022levelu0022:3} u002du002du003enu003ch3u003eA choice to makeu003c/h3u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennThere is a choice that we have to make and I believe that the time is u003cemu003enow u003c/emu003efor us to choose.  The Jews found they had this same choice to make when they u003cemu003esomberly u003c/emu003ereturned from their exile in Babylon to a desolated Jerusalem.  Though their return was a somber one, there was a new opportunity given to the Jews thanks to the Lord’s mercy.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennThe returning Jews were given the opportunity to either live in desolation or to rebuild.  Now, when I say rebuild, I want you to understand that I am not just referring to the buildings and walls that had been left in waste and needed to be restored.  The Jews also needed to rebuild themselves as a people because they had been a people that tolerated and was carried away in wickedness.  So, would they repeat their past mistakes or would they u003cemu003egrow u003c/emu003efrom them and be better?nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennI believe we share this same choice today both u003cemu003eindividually u003c/emu003eand as a society.  Will we live in desolation or will we choose to rebuild – that is to ask will we grow and be better people?  God blesses each of us with a brand new opportunity each and everyday we grace this world to be a u003cemu003ebetter person u003c/emu003etoday than we were yesterday.  Yet, I must ask, do we love ourselves enough to take advantage of this blessing and opportunity in order to grow and be better as a person and people?nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading u002du002du003enu003ch2u003eChoosing to Improveu003c/h2u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennIn the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, we will see that the Jews chose to take advantage of this blessing.  It would have been u003cemu003einsane u003c/emu003efor them to continue to do what led them to being conquered in the first place!  So, I would suggest that they had to love and humble themselves in order to see the u003cemu003eerroru003c/emu003e of their ways and make the proper change.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading {u0022levelu0022:3} u002du002du003enu003ch3u003eA mindset changeu003c/h3u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennIn the book of Ezra, the rebuild began with the Jews having a change of mindset; they desired to u003cemu003ereturn u003c/emu003eback to worshiping God (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezr.+3%3A1-6u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eEzr. 3:1-6u003c/au003e).  We are shown that they first built an altar and offered up burnt offerings to the Lord (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezr.+3%3A2u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eEzr. 3:2u003c/au003e).  The Jews then reinstated the holy feasts that they had stopped having in the past to show that they remembered all that the Lord had done for them (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezr.+3%3A4-5u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eEzr. 3:4-5u003c/au003e).nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennWe see their mindset change even further when they decided to rebuild the temple.  Again, some of us will think of the restoration of a physical building but I believe this reconstruction also represented their change of heart (mindset).  You see, the temple was a place for worship and spiritual u003cemu003egrowth.  u003c/emu003eSo, in their return to Jerusalem, the Jews were signaling that the days of wickedness and hatred were behind them as they sought to be better.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennNow, something I do want to point out to you is that the choice to rebuild and improve would not be an eu003cemu003easy u003c/emu003etask for them to carry out.  We will see that rebuilding was met with much adversity for the Jews!  As we know ourselves, improvement and growth – the desire to be better – is always met with adversity and is very difficult.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennWhy is improvement so difficult?  We can certainly make it difficult on ourselves but there is u003cemu003esomeone u003c/emu003eelse who will make improvement difficult for us as well.  As you have heard me say before, this one would much rather you stay in desolation than out of it.  This one desires for hatred and wickedness to abound so that not only do you remain in the pit of despair but others as well!  So, progress is always met with adversity because u003cemu003ethis one u003c/emu003eloves for us to be u003cemu003e“stuck in the mud”u003c/emu003e.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading {u0022levelu0022:3} u002du002du003enu003ch3u003eFearful of improvingu003c/h3u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennThe Jews were first met with the adversity of fear.  Scripture tells us that the Jews were fearful of the people from the countries surrounding them (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezr.+3%3A3u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eEzr. 3:3u003c/au003e); these people were their adversaries.  You see, they feared what their adversaries would u003cemu003ethinku003c/emu003e, say, or do about them being back in Jerusalem with a change of heart.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennI believe, again, that all of us are probably familiar with this feeling of fear.  Whether we admit it or not, we fear what others think or will say about what we do, especially when it comes to making changes to be better.  Should we let the fear of what others will think or say keep us from taking action, especially when that action will be to our betterment?  Absolutely not, however, some of us certainly let others hold us back from being better.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennWe cannot let what others may think or say keep us from growing and progressing forward!  The Jews, though they were fearful of their adversaries, this verse shows us that they pushed ahead and set the altar on its bases and offered up sacrifice anyway.  When we desire to make improvements and grow, we should not let our fear of what others think, say, or do, paralyze us.  We should push forward and u003ca href=u0022https://newfoundfaith.org/the-spirit-of-fear/u0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022 data-type=u0022postu0022 data-id=u00223329u0022u003ebe u003cemu003esteadfast u003c/emu003ein our faith in Godu003c/au003e.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading {u0022levelu0022:3} u002du002du003enu003ch3u003eComplacency in growingu003c/h3u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennAs the Jews began to lay the u003cemu003efoundation u003c/emu003eof the second temple, the adversaries the Jews feared came knocking on the door.  These adversaries, I want you to understand, saw the Jews trying to improve themselves and they did everything they possibly could to trouble the Jews and prevent them from building the temple (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezr.+4%3A4u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eEzr. 4:4u003c/au003e).nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennFor a period of time, those adversaries created enough fuss and prevented any progress being made on the rebuild.  Again, progress – growth – as we know, is often met with adversaries that will create so much fuss for the purpose of preventing any progress from happening!  Though the adversaries were successful in preventing the rebuild for a short period of time, scripture shows us that through their steadfast faith, the temple was successfully restored.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennHowever, by the time of Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem, the rebuilding was left uncompleted as the walls were still in rubble.  The brief joy in completing the rebuild of the temple had given way to u003cemu003ecomplacencyu003c/emu003e.  Complacency, I want you to understand, is one of the greatest threats to growth and improvement.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennIn our society, we suffer individually and collectively a great deal from complacency as some are happy with the way things are.  Yet, nobody and nothing is perfect and growth (change) is always necessary.  So, our desire for growth must u003cemu003eexceed u003c/emu003eany complacency that we may have.  Nehemiah’s desire to complete the rebuild far exceeded the complacency of others and he was ready to push ahead!nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading {u0022levelu0022:3} u002du002du003enu003ch3u003eTactics of adversaries to prevent growthu003c/h3u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennYet, the overcoming of complacency was met, again, by the same adversaries.  Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab u003cemu003elaughed u003c/emu003eat the mere plan of the walls being rebuilt and they u003cemu003edespised u003c/emu003eNehemiah and the Jews (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Neh.+2%3A19u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eNeh. 2:19u003c/au003e).  Again, we have seen it for ourselves that adversaries of progress will always laugh at the mere idea of progress.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennWhen the Jews began to lay the stones to rebuild the wall, these same adversaries heard of it and they u003cemu003emockedu003c/emu003e and joked about the progress.  The adversaries said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Neh.+4%3A3u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eNeh. 4:3u003c/au003e).”nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennu003cemu003e’Progress can’t be done, it will fail – you will fail’u003c/emu003e, is what the adversaries of progress love to shout!  Again, we have seen such mocking over progress in our society since before you and I were ever born!nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennI think back to the fight against slavery.  I think back to the civil rights movements when the Birmingham church was bombed.  I think about how many pioneers for u003cemu003epeace u003c/emu003ehave been assassinated and murdered by wickedness and hatred because they dreamed and sought what was just!  I think about how people who seek for the fair treatment of others are mocked and laughed at today!  Do we let these adversaries stop us or do we push forward?nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennThe Jews, we will see, did not let the mockery of their adversaries hinder them from rebuilding.  Now, when the adversaries realized that their mocking did not work and the Jews were serious about completing their work, they became angry.  Scripture shows us that in this anger, the adversaries u003cemu003econspired u003c/emu003eto attack Jerusalem.  The desire to attack Jerusalem was for the purpose of u003cemu003ecreating confusion u003c/emu003eand killing the Jews (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Neh.+4%3A7-8u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eNeh. 4:7-8u003c/au003e).nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:pullquote u002du002du003enu003cfigure class=u0022wp-block-pullquoteu0022u003enu003cblockquoteu003eu003csupu003e14 u003c/supu003eAnd I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”nnu003cciteu003eKEY VERSE – NEHEMIAH 4:14 NKJVu003c/citeu003eu003c/blockquoteu003enu003c/figureu003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:pullquote u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennThis, again, sadly sounds very familiar to me.  What are we to do when the adversaries act in such a way?  Do we give up?  In our key verse, we will see that Nehemiah called on the people to not be afraid but to remember the Lord and u003cemu003efightu003c/emu003e!  Faith, genuine faith, does not give up – it does not sit still!  Genuine faith continues to push ahead regardless of the adversaries!nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading u002du002du003enu003ch2u003eBeing Steadfast and Pushing Aheadu003c/h2u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennWe would not be here today if the faith of others was a faith that gives up in the face of adversity!  So, what do we do when someone laughs at us for trying to improve and be better?  What do we do when we want better for our society but adversaries do nothing but create mass confusion for the purpose of stopping progress?nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:heading {u0022levelu0022:3} u002du002du003enu003ch3u003eSteadfast in the face of adversityu003c/h3u003enu003c!u002du002d /wp:heading u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennWe have already seen that the answer to these questions is to keep pushing forward.  When the Jews were fearful of what the adversaries would think, say, or do about them setting up the altar, we saw the Jews push forward and set the altar up anyway.  You see, they were being u003cemu003esteadfast u003c/emu003ein their renewed faith in the Lord.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennIn the face of adversity, u003cemu003eespecially u003c/emu003ewhen you are trying to grow and improve, you should always be u003cemu003esteadfast u003c/emu003ein your faith in God.  Follow what the Jews did in this moment in time when they sought to rebuild and be better.  When the adversaries mocked Nehemiah and the Jews for his u003cemu003econvictionu003c/emu003e to complete the rebuild, Nehemiah and the Jews did not respond with fear – they prayed!  After praying to the Lord, they then pushed forward and continued to rebuild (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Neh.+4%3A4-6u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eNeh. 4:4-6u003c/au003e).nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennTo stand against adversity, we must, again, u003cemu003emove firmly and fully convictedu003c/emu003e in our faith so that we can u003cemu003eovercomeu003c/emu003e those that would stand against us.  So, when you are fearful of making improvements because of what someone else may think or say, be firm in your faith, trust in God, and u003cemu003epush u003c/emu003eahead.  When those around you may mock you for choosing to grow – let them mock while you remain prayerful and continue to push forward.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennI tell you today that when you stand firm in your efforts to grow, you will indeed grow and be better – you will be blessed.  Jesus, I want you to hear, said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.+5%3A10u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eMatt. 5:10u003c/au003e).”  Let your adversaries continue to do what they are going to do, but you, remain firm in your faith in God!nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennThere are many that are pushing for progress – that is for growth and for a better place.  Again, this progress has been met with a lot of adversity, but I share a word of encouragement to these peacemakers – do not be discouraged, you will be blessed in your efforts.  Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the u003cemu003esons u003c/emu003eof God (u003ca href=u0022https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt.+5%3A9u0026amp;version=NKJVu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003eMatt. 5:9u003c/au003e).”nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e u003c!u002du002d wp:paragraph u002du002du003ennThe Lord loves justice and what is right.  I believe that God loves to see us fighting to improve ourselves.  Not only does the Lord love to see us trying to improve ourselves but He loves to see us work to edify one another.  You see, it is never a bad thing to desire to improve for the better.  I truly believe that the Lord will bless us when it comes to the work of improvement – edification – and I certainly believe that now is the time for us to rebuild and be better.nnu003c!u002du002d /wp:paragraph u002du002du003e