Rebuilding Your World #1 | You Gotta Want It! – All In Wins

The story of Nehemiah is a story of rebuilding. When Nehemiah discovers the deplorable condition of the walls around Jerusalem, God puts it into his heart to go all in on rebuilding. 

Ezra was his contemporary and was Rebuilding their heart for God’s Word.

Rebuilding the walls matter. Restoring our hearts matter. Don’t make it an either/or situation. It’s a both/and situation.

This past Covid season may have brought desolation to your life:

• Work
• Family
• Finances
• Mental or Emotional health
• Spiritual life

There may have even been areas that were falling apart long before Covid struck.

We’re going to talk about rebuilding your world. Did you know… the walls around Jerusalem had been down for 90 years?

The amazing thing is that God is a God of:

• Restoration
• Rebuilding
• Redemption 

Just like with Job. When God restores it’s better than before!

Job 42:10 The LORD  restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold

Job 42:12  The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning

Many utilize the book of Nehemiah as a set of leadership principles. Some see Nehemiah as a type of the Holy Spirit. Both are good and true. Nehemiah’s story is a story of restoration.

Nehemiah 1:1 The words of  Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in  the month Chislev,  in the twentieth year, while I was in  Susa the  capitol,

Nehemiah 1:2 that  Hanani, one of my brothers, and  some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the  province who survived the captivity are in great distress and  reproach, and  the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and  its gates are burned with fire.”

Nehemiah 1:4 When I heard these words,  I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before  the God of heaven.

Many times you can discover your calling by what really bothers you.

Nehemiah 2:1 And it came about in the month Nisan,  in the twentieth year of King  Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and  I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.

Nehemiah 2:2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick?  This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.

Nehemiah 2:3 I said to the king, “ Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad  when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?”

To be sad in the presence of the king was dangerous. No debbie downers were allowed in the king’s presence. Nehemiah felt the need to the core of his being.

Concept #1 to Rebuilding Your World: You gotta want it! All In Wins!

Something in your heart has to go beyond. It has to take more than new techniques or “Life Hacks”.

It doesn’t matter what it is… 

• If you want a great marriage
• A strong walk with God
• To lose weight
• Build a career
• Build your finances 

More than anything… you’ve got to want it! Life works best when you go all in.

The big idea is that life works when we go all in. Total immersion!

Your greatest life doesn’t require more than you have, but it does require the best that you have.

Whatever you do – go all in. All in wins.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men;

Colossians 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

Do it heartily, (psuche – soul). Do it from your soul. Pour your whole soul into it

Whatever you do – do it with all your heart:

• Work
• Fun
• Worship
• Love

Live Life with all your Heart. Wholehearted is an ingredient that makes life work best. We can’t do anything half hearted and expect it to be great. Something powerful happens when we start to pour our whole heart into things.

Don’t live a half hearted life!!!!!

When you really love something you treat it differently. It will surpass greater talent that is half hearted. You’ll never do anything great just seeking for the minimum: “What’s the least I can do?”

Revelation 3:15-16 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth

• Hot or cold – extreme
• Lukewarm – mediocre, average, beige

There is a religious idea that would want to tend people toward a tepid, mediocre, bland, lukewarm life.

You know, like…

• Not too much color
• Not too much life
• Not too loud
• Not too all in

You don’t have to be fanatical about it…

Giving your whole heart: It’s not an effort to earn, it’s a reach to develop, to become… to fully live!

Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,

Matthew 13:46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Total buy in gets you there. Total buy in moves you to a new zone. There is an anointing released to abandonment.

Get the full measure by going after it wholeheartedly. People who have changed the world have done so by complete dedication.

We can go further with total buy in and less ability than one who has great ability and who is half hearted.

Aim to be: single minded – focused – dedicated – whole hearted.

There are some things you can get to by total buy in that you can’t get to any other way:

• Marriage – takes a total buy in
• Children – take a total buy in
• God – takes a total buy in
• Church – takes a total buy in
• Healthy – takes a total buy in
• Work – takes a total buy in
• School takes a total buy in

Total buy in is an emotional commitment. When you buy in – you have to buy the whole field to get the treasure. 

There are things in the field that are not the treasure, they are just part of the field that goes with the treasure.

There are always things about the field you don’t care for and unfortunately, they are just part of the deal.

• Marriage: your time and money are not your own anymore
• Children: they’re messy and get attitudes
• Church: there’s stuff about the church you have to deal with and put up with

I don’t know about you, but I love to get a good deal when I’m shopping for anything.

Many people want to get God’s best, life’s best, on a half off sale.

The secret to getting the best deal? Greatness actually costs something! It costs:

• Some prayer time
• Word time

You don’t get a good marriage on sale. You don’t get good kids on sale. You don’t get a great walk with God on sale. It takes all your heart. You have to throw your whole heart into it.

Enthusiasm can make up for a lack of knowledge or experience. Eventually your head needs to catch up with your heart.

Give me a wholehearted person over a person who’s always in their head any time!

This is not a half hearted church. We throw our whole heart into everything we do.

Rebuilding Your World takes full recognition! You can’t go half in and make your walk with Christ work. 

Early on, I realized that this was going to take a full on dive in.

I couldn’t have one foot in the world… one foot in my old ways, and one foot in the kingdom of God.

It’s like getting in a boat from a pier. You’ve got to decide!

My full commit moment was during a Brian Rudd service. It was as powerful as my moment of forgiveness.

Maybe what needs rebuilding is:

• Your marriage
• Your family
• Your finances
• Your walk with God
• Your relationship with your church

Whatever needs rebuilding in your world: You Gotta Want It! All In Wins!