Stephen’s recent DIY experiences in completely renovating the bathroom at home led to this sermon on broken walls, with Nehemiah 1:3 as the starting point for the sermon. In this book, Nehemiah is one of the people God uses to encourage and help Israel to rebuild Jerusalem on their return from captivity. God is the God of second chances and Nehemiah’s practical help in inspiring and overseeing the building work were essential to the restoration of Jersualem.
Using paving blocks as illustrations…
… Stephen talked about structure, how structure defines a space and how the simplest structure is to build 4 walls to create a room with inner and outer space. Our ‘spiritual space’ is defined as we build, one brick at a time – a manageable achievement.
He then went on to talk about accessibility, often achieved through a doorway, which can both keep things out and allow things in. There are things in our lives which we must shun in order to walk with God; there are other things which must be embraced.
Walls afford protection (think of any fortified city). A ceiling provides protection from the elements, for example, in a building. God’s Word offers us protection and He is our shield and defender.
Building also involves boundaries. There is a clear line separating one area from another. Boundaries are our guideliness, our limits, our rules. We need to heed the boundaries set in God’s Word if we are to live as He wants us to.
Building also implies ownership.
God has ownership of our lives (we are not our own; He has purchased us with the blood of Christ.) We can stand tall under His leadership.
Is our life behind a firm structure?
Has our spiritual life got divine space, accessibility, protection and boundaries? Does God have ownership of our lives?
Are our defences secure against the invasion of the enemy?
We have to remember that the devil seeks to find strongholds in our lives, but these quickly become strangleholds. We need to be attentive to build our spiritual lives, one brick at a time, building with the kind of vision that sees the end product even in the ruins and rubble. We need also to give God all we have and are.