Nehemiah 2:17-18 (NLT) - 17 But now I said to them, "You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!" 18 Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me, and about my conversation with the king. They replied at once, "Yes, let's rebuild the wall!" So they began the good work.

The Condition of Jerusalem

Nehemiah 1:3 (NLT) - 3 They said to me, "Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire."

• Disgraced by the past
• Taunted by the enemy
• Raided by the enemy
• Despair about the future

Five Traps of the Rubble

1. There is a PLOT against me.

• Lies: "God is picking on me"; "Others are controlling my destiny."
• Truth: You have the favor of the King to rebuild.
• Psalm 56:9 (NLT) - My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!
• Hebrews 13:6 (NLT) - So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?"

2. There is too much RUBBLE.

• Nehemiah couldn't make it through the rubble because it was so thick. Nehemiah 2:14 (NLT) - Then I went to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but my donkey couldn't get through the rubble.
• When the devastation is overwhelming, you want to just sit in the rubble.
• Zechariah 4:6-7 (NLT) - 6 Then he said to me, "This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel's way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!'"

3. I don't have the ENERGY.

• Once you have given your heart to build something, it is hard to regain the strength and courage to rebuild.
• Isaiah 40:31 (NASB) - Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

4. I am ALL ALONE.

• Fact: IT DOES TAKE A TEAM TO REBUILD!
• Lie: You are all alone.
• Nehemiah 2:18 (NASB) - I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king's words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, "Let us arise and build." So they put their hands to the good work.
• If you want to rebuild, you must find people to build with.

5. It will NEVER BE what it was.

• Nehemiah 4:2-3 (NLT) - 2 "What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they're doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap-and charred ones at that?" 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, "That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!"
• Thank God for Haggai 2:7-9 (NASB) - 7 "I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory," says the Lord of hosts. 8 "The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine," declares the Lord of hosts. 9 "The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former," says the Lord of hosts, "and in this place I will give peace," declares the Lord of hosts.
• First comes the water; then comes the wine. Nehemiah 6:15-16 (NLT) - 15 So on October 2 the wall was finished-just fifty-two days after we had begun. 16 When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.