"REMOVING THE RUBBISH (PART II) (Pastor Tom Henry) ~ 10/1/26

“…there is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build the wall.” (Nehemiah 4:10)

Before Nehemiah and his team of wall-builders could proceed with the important work of rebuilding the walls that once protected the holy city, there was much rubbish that had to be removed. Heaps of powdered bricks, charred wood, and other debris had been cleared for the rebuilding of the temple and other structures that were by this time completed, but the rubble still remained around the parameter. The footings of the original wall were buried beneath tons and tons of rubbish. “There is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build the wall.” Clearly, they could not build a wall on rubbish and expect it to stand.

Using this text metaphorically, we saw last week how that as Zion’s wall-builders, we too find that there is much rubbish that must first be cleared before we can build. From the beginning it was so. The Apostles found that false religion made up much of the rubbish that could not remain. Besides Judaism and Judaizers, they faced many other forms of false teachings, some with their false ‘christs’. In addition to false religion they contended with various heathen philosophies that were prominent throughout the Roman Empire. What was in the beginning is still true today. Rubbish cannot be a part of the wall, as ecumenists would have it. The false must be removed by preaching uncompromised truth. God will remove the rubbish by His prevailing Word, and by this same power will He appoint salvation for Zion’s walls and bulwarks. (Isa. 26:1) Let us gladly bear this burden. Let us have courage in removing the rubbish. Let us use our sword and our trowel, for the work is the Lord’s and it must be accomplished.

Thus, we have used Nehemiah’s complaint in a typical sense to depict the work that God’s people as wall-builders are to carry on in Christ’s name, and by the power of His Spirit in the world. But now let us change the subject to ourselves. There is a building going on in us. It is the Spirit’s work to edify us; that is, to build us up in grace; and that building is carried on in grace and love. “Knowledge puffeth up, but love buildeth up.” Is it not so with us that the building up in heavenly graces is hindered by the rubbish of our old corrupt nature? Some are so blinded by self-righteousness that they cannot see it, and others are simply too careless to notice, but Christians who are serious about growth in grace will notice almost every day some fresh heap of rubbish which we hardly knew was there.

What a fall the fall was! What a total ruin did it make of our moral nature! There is an infirmity from which we may have indulged the thought that we were clean. Points in which we thought ourselves strong turn out to be our weaknesses. There’s a fault for which we were rather severe on others that at last breaks out in ourselves. It has been hidden, but at length, the right provocation revealed the evil. Oh, the rubbish of pride, of unbelief, of evil lustings, of anger, of malice, of self-exaltation, and so on! These sins may lie dormant or hidden in us. And what a foul heap of rubbish it is. Sometimes a certain circumstance or occasion, some person or trial will stir the heap, and we get a whiff of the rottenness of our old self.

Sometimes memory can conjure up sins of the past and recollection comes over like a hideous dream. These are all painful reminders that sanctification and edification are a necessary and on-going work of the Spirit of God, and He must remove much rubble from our hearts. We are reminded of Paul’s words, “…having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” The “old man” still tries to domineer over the “new man,” as Paul could also affirm. Therefore, we are to be constantly on guard, praying, “cleanse thou me from secret faults; Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.” And while we thus pray, let us keep under our bodies, i.e. keep our old flesh pinned down, being aware of what it is capable.

Personal holiness is to be sought for with all our hearts. It can only be obtained by faith in Jesus Christ, and it can only be maintained by the Holy Spirit. He alone can remove the rubbish and sanctify us through the truth.