Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

This is the third installment in our Demolition series. This series is based on the Old Testament book of Ezra. It’s all about how God had to demolish certain things in the lives of the Israelites so he could truly rebuild them as his people. He had to demolish some things in their lives to make room for something far better. And that same divine wrecking ball still swinging today. God wants to rip through our lives, tearing us down so he can rebuild us his way.

We started this series by experiencing a God who demolishes the walls of fear. Last week, we saw a God who wants to demolish the walls of the past in our lives.

Today, God is going to demolish the walls of opposition in our lives.

We’re in Ezra 4 today. So far in this series, we’ve watched as God called his people, the Israelites, out of captivity and back to their homeland. We’ve seen the Israelites gather together to hear God’s call for them: rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The temple was critical to Jewish life because it represented the very presence of God. It was central to Jewish life and worship. Last week, we read that the temple construction had begun. They had laid the foundation for the house of the Lord. That’s where we’re picking things up today.

Ezra 4, pick it up in verse 1. “When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said,

"Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here."

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, "You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us."

Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (Ezra 4:1-5, NIV)

The Israelites are waist deep in this huge construction project, building a new temple in Jerusalem. Suddenly, a bunch of people from the surrounding areas show up and say, “You know what? We worship your God, too. Let us help you build the temple.”

That had to be attractive offer, given the magnitude of this construction project. You would think that any help would be welcome help. But the leaders of Israel wisely saw through this smokescreen. They knew that this offer to help came with ulterior motives attached. So they said, “No dice. We don’t trust you. We know that you aren’t completely sold-out for our God, so there’s no way you’re helping us build his temple.”

It was the right decision. And, as often happens when we make the right call in our lives, that decision was followed by opposition.

When the Israelites told these people to take a hike, the Bible tells us, “Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans...” (Ezra 4:4-5a, NIV)

We’re talking about opposition. And God is going to use this story from his people in the Old Testament to radically impact the lives of his people today. So let’s start unpacking God’s truth for us today.

Opposition is inevitable. Period. End of discussion. You can’t escape it. You can’t avoid it. It’s going to happen.

God’s purposes will always be met with intense opposition. Sometimes we forget that there is a battle raging. There is a war going on, and we’re not talking about Iraq or Afghanistan.

Listen to these words from the New Testament book of Ephesians. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12, ESV)

There is a battle raging between the forces of God and the forces of Satan. Between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. And you and I are caught in the middle of the battlefield.

This explains the absolute inevitability of opposition in our lives. If you are living out God’s purposes in your life, then be prepared for criticism, persecution, and opposition. There is a battle being fought, and if you have declared that you are on God’s side, then why should attacks from the enemy surprise you?

The apostle John wrote, “Don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.” (1 John 3:13, NLT)

Don’t be surprised if the world hates you. Don’t be shocked when you face opposition to your faith. You’ve got an enemy who wants nothing less than the very destruction of your soul. Do you expect him to fight fair?

In our story from Ezra, the people of God were following God’s call for their lives. God had called them to rebuild the temple. They were obediently living out his call. And so it’s no surprise that they faced some stiff opposition.

Look at these verses again. “Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans...” (Ezra 4:4-5a, NIV)

Not only did these people try to discourage the Israelites, they contracted it out. They paid people to join them. That probably means that they paid off some officials from Persia who were open to taking bribes. These people outsourced the opposition to those that could do an even better job discouraging the Jewish people. That’s some serious opposition!

Let’s stop and survey the situation for a second. Think about where the Israelites are in the process. They were in captivity, but they’ve been set free. They safely made the trek all the way back to their homeland. The blueprints for the temple were finished. They secured all the building permits. They were in compliance with all the zoning codes. The construction had begun. In fact, the entire foundation was now complete and the temple itself was beginning to take shape.

In other words, they were almost there! They were almost finished! They were a whisper away from victory! And that’s when they were nailed with intense opposition.

The closer you are to victory, the more intense your opposition will become.

I wrote about this in our email newsletter this week. If you don’t get our weekly email newsletter, you can sign up on our website.

When you are on the one-yard-line, ready to score the winning touchdown, you should expect your opponent to run the strongest goal line defense in their playbook.

When it’s the bottom of the ninth, two outs, bases loaded, and you need a hit to win the game, you should expect the pitcher to throw the absolute nastiest pitches he has in his arsenal.

When you are a hairbreadth away from victory, that’s when you will face the strongest resistance, the most intense opposition. When you are pursuing God’s purposes for your life, and especially when you are close to a big Kingdom win, opposition is inevitable.

It’s our reaction to opposition that is critical. Resistance, criticism, opposition…if you’re following God’s call for your life, it’s just inevitably going to come. You can’t do anything about the reality of opposition. But you can control how you react to it. Your reaction to opposition is critical.

Let’s go back to our focus text. These verses tell us the goal of Israel’s opponents. Their goal was “to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building” the temple.

This text was originally written in Hebrew.

The Hebrew phrase that our Bible translates as “discourage” literally means “weaken hand.” These people set out to weaken the hand of Israel. To weaken their resolve. To weaken their commitment to follow God’s call. If they could do that, then the Jewish people would be overtaken by fear and they would stop building the temple.

When you face opposition in your walk with God, the goal is to make you stop pursuing God’s call for you. And it works.

It worked on the guy who left the ministry because he couldn’t take the constant criticism anymore.

The girl who gave in to her boyfriend’s advances because she got tired of people making fun of her virginity.

The author who gave up on the book that God called them to write because they received one too many rejection letters from publishers.

The man who walked away from his marriage because that was easier than working out the difficult issues in the relationship.

The person who knows God’s call for them in their life, but leaves it behind because the pressure, persecution, and opposition seem too strong.

When you face opposition in your faith walk, the goal is to make you leave God’s call, God’s mission, God’s purposes for you behind. And it is an incredibly effective strategy that Satan employs. It just flat out works.

It worked on the Israelites. This initial opposition that we’ve read about today was just the beginning. It grew bigger, got stronger, and lasted longer than anyone could have ever imagined. In fact, it went on for decades. And the people who opposed the Israelites were wildly successful. The temple construction stopped…for decades. Their resolve had been weakened, and they stopped pursuing God’s call for their lives. Instead of chasing after God, the Israelites shifted into a mode of self-preservation.

Look at what the Old Testament prophet, Haggai, wrote about this time period in Israel’s history.

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' "

Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" (Haggai 1:2-4, NIV)

The Israelites had come upon such intense opposition to the temple construction, that they simply stepped back and said, “Well, it’s not time yet. It’s not time to build the house of the Lord yet.”

And then God said, “Really? It’s not time to build my house yet? It’s not time to build my house, but it is time for you to build some pretty awesome houses for yourself.”

Then Haggai wrote, “Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill.

You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away.

Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house." (Haggai 1:5-6, 9, NIV)

The opposition to the temple construction was intense, so the Israelites walked away. Instead of pursuing God’s call, it was safer to withdraw and just focus on themselves. Building their own houses was a lot easier than building God’s house. There was a lot less opposition. A lot less resistance. It was a whole lot easier and a whole lot safer to pursue their own agenda instead of God’s.

But what is easy is rarely what is right. And ultimately, they paid a higher price by trying to duck the opposition. Sure, their opponents were appeased…but God was dishonored. And the Israelites wound up empty and broken because God withdrew his blessing from their lives.

Here is the key question: Who am I going to please?

The Israelites chose to please their opponents by leaving their God-given mission behind. What about you?

It is tragic that so many Christians are more afraid of upsetting people than they are of dishonoring God. They care more about the opinion of their critics than their Creator.

How do you know if you fall into that camp? Here are some questions to consider…

1. When you are weighing a particular decision, do you take a poll, asking everyone else’s opinion but never prayerfully seeking God’s?
2. Does criticism from a small handful of people have the power to sway your decisions?
3. When you are criticized, do you feel like you always have to respond?
4. Is it imperative that everyone likes you?
5. Is your self-worth built upon what other people think of you?
6. Have you ever felt God calling you to do something, but you didn’t pursue it because you were afraid of what someone else would think about it?

Opposition is inevitable. If you choose to please God, you will upset some people. Following God might cost you a relationship. It might cost you an opportunity. It will definitely cost you some of your comfort and your convenience.

When you choose to become a 100% committed, all in Christ-follower, understand that there is a price tag attached to that decision. You are inviting criticism, resistance, and opposition into your life. It’s the price you will pay for Jesus.

But, while it may be easier initially, the cost of not following God’s call on your life is far greater. Look again at what it cost the Israelites.

“Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill.

You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away.

Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house." (Haggai 1:5-6, 9, NIV)

The Israelites caved in to their opposition. It was easier at the time, but it ultimately cost them something far greater. God withdrew his blessing from their lives.

Who are you going to please? Are you going to please people or are you going to please God? There are a lot of times when it is impossible to please both. When those times come, who will you choose to follow? Whose opinion is going to matter most to you? Who will you please? Understand, either way you go, you’ll pay a price. Which price are you willing to pay?

Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians, “You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. (1 Thessalonians 2:1-2, NIV)

Paul said, “We dared to tell you the gospel in spite of strong opposition.” Faith will require you to be daring at times. It will require you to take a risk. It will require you to follow God’s call for your life, even in the face of incredible opposition.

Paul goes on: “For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.

We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.

We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. (1 Thessalonians 2:3-6, NIV)

We are not trying to please men, but God. We’re not looking for praise from people. Pleasing people doesn’t matter one iota compared to pleasing God.

And that’s tough for me…because I’m a recovering people-pleaser. It’s a weakness of mine. I want to please people. I want everyone to like me, because sometimes my self-esteem needs a boost. I want everyone to be pleased with me, because that makes me think I’m doing a good job. Anybody else with me on that? We base our self-worth, we gauge our success or failure all on the opinions of other people. And we forget that, in our lives, we’re called to play to an audience of One. There is one opinion that matters.

Perry Noble tells the story of when he was playing football in 6th grade. He wasn’t very good. During the season, he had made a grand total of one tackle.

But something more important than football was happening in Perry’s life…his mom had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Doctors gave her sixth months, tops.

Perry wrote, “I remember finding out one day at practice that the coach was going to let me start the next game–I guess he felt sorry for me or something. I was excited and went home and told my mom. They had allowed her to come home [from the hospital] so that she could be “comfortable.”

When she found out I was going to start she told my dad, “I am going to that game tomorrow.” He tried to tell her she could not go…but I guess she figured that she wanted to see my play one more time. So, my dad got a lounge chair and set it up for her…and when I ran out on the field I could hear her yelling my name.

I can tell you this…NOTHING else mattered to me that game. NOTHING! The only thing that I kept thinking was, “My mama is here…and I am going to do the very best I can!” I didn’t care about my fellow players or coaches…I played for an audience of one.

That game was the best game I ever played…I think I made something like 11 tackles…and I sacked the QB twice. I was out of my mind! And after every tackle I would get up and look at mama…and she would be smiling and cheering. I remember after the game her telling me how proud she was of me–and THAT is ALL that mattered.

She never saw me play again–but I will never forget that day & what it was like to play for an audience of one. I was consumed. I was focused. AND…the results were obvious.

We are called to play for an audience of One. Life is like a playing field…and there are people who scream this and yell that…but ultimately you and I will stand before ONE and answer for what we did and did not do. And I want to know that HE is cheering me on…and that I am doing what He has called me to do!”

Aristotle said, “Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”

To lead lives of significance, to actually do something to push the Kingdom of God forward, means that there will inevitably be something that pushes back. Criticism, resistance, and opposition are part of life for the committed Christ-follower.

It’s our reaction to that opposition that makes all the difference. Who are you trying to please in your life? Are you playing to an audience of One…or are you trying to please every single person in the stands?

Some of you need to repent of your people-pleasing ways. You used to live for an audience of One, but things have changed. Now, you’re living your life, trying to please everyone else but God.

Others of you have never known that you are called to play for an audience of One. You’ve never submitted your life and your eternity to Jesus. He is calling you to a life where his opinion is the only one that matters. Pleasing him is all that counts. He gave his life for you. Will you start to live your life for him today?

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Demolition, criticism, opposition, people pleasing