Building Back Better From the Inside Out

Acknowledging the Need to Be Better

January 19, 2022 • Pastor Arthur Jackson III

“Building Better From The Inside Out”
Acknowledging The Need To Be Better
Psalms 51:1-3
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.”

As we continue examining our theme for the year, “BUILDING BACK BETTER”, I want to suggest tonight that the best way to implement that particular strategy, is by building back from the inside out.

 The Primary Concern When Reconstructing Must Be Our Internal Not Our External.

 A Fractured Person Whose Focus is External, Is Like Putting A Band-Aid On A Bullet Wound.




To that end, over the next several weeks I want to share 10 WAYS TO HELP BUILD BETTER FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

1) ACKNOWLEDGE THE NEED TO BE BUILT BACK BETTER
2) FIND A NETWORK OF FAITHFUL SUPPORTERS
3) FIND PATHWAY FOR FORGIVENESS
4) CREATE AN AVENUE TO TRUST AGAIN
5) PRACTICE POSITIVE SELF TALK
6) CREATE A SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING PROGRESS
7) PLACE LIMITATIONS ON SELF-PITY
8) LEARN THE LESSON AND PURPOSE NOT TO REPEAT IT
9) DISCERN WHAT YOU CAN’T LIVE WITH…DECIDE WHAT YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
10) FOCUS ON LIVING

This evening I would like to focus on the first of these 10 steps, which is ACKNOWLEDGING THE NEED TO BE REBUILT BETTER.

• “Acknowledge” - acknowledgment is very powerful!

Yāḏa‘: A verb meaning to know.

 to learn  to perceive
 to discern  to experience
 to confess, to consider  to know people relationally
 to know how  to be skillful
 to be made known  to make oneself known
 to make to know

The simple meaning, “to know”, is its most common translation out of the eight hundred or more uses of the word “yāḏa” in the Bible. One of the primary uses of the word however, means to know INTIMATELY, RELATIONALLY, and EXPERIENTIALLY:

 Genesis 4:1 - The word yāḏa is used in an INTIMATE CONTEXT. - “Adam KNEW Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.”

 Genesis 29:4-6 - The word yāḏa is used in a RELATIONAL CONTEXT - “And Jacob said unto them, my brethren, whence be ye? And they said, of Haran are we. And he said unto them, KNOW ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, we KNOW him. And he said unto them, is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.

 Exodus 1:7-8 - The word yāḏa is used in an EXPERIENTIAL CONTEXT - “And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which KNEW not Joseph”.

ONE OF ITS MOST IMPORTANT USES IS DEPICTING GOD’S KNOWLEDGE OF PEOPLE:
 GOD KNOWS THE SUFFERING OF HIS PEOPLE - Ex.3:7 –
And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.

 GOD KNOWS THE ESSENCE OF HIS PEOPLE - 2 Samuel 7:18-20 (KJV)
Then went King David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? And what can David say more unto thee? For thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.

 GOD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF HIS PEOPLE - Psalm 139:1-4 (KJV)
O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

 GOD KNOWS THE ACTIVITY OF HIS PEOPLE - Hosea 5:1-3 (NIV)
"Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, O royal house! This judgment is against you: You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor. The rebels are deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them. I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt.

I wanted to begin with a thorough understanding of the word “acknowledgment”, because a part of the problem we experience as a relates to SELF HEALING/ BUILDING BACK BETTER, is that so many of us never acknowledge the injury. We never acknowledge the trauma. We never acknowledge the terrorism. We never acknowledge the disruption.

• THE FAILURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IS LIKE BUILDING A HOUSE ON A FRACTURED FOUNDATION



 Acknowledgement is linked to “Identifying The Problem”.

Many times a person going through recovery would be asked, “What is your problem?” and the typical response might be, “Well I’m struggling with a drug addiction” or they’ll say, “my problem is alcohol abuse”. But in reality drugs and or alcohol are really not the problem! The drugs and alcohol are ways in which the individual is choosing to solve the problem!

The question is...

WHAT ARE THE INTERNAL CONDITIONS THAT’S CAUSING YOU TO DO WHAT YOU’RE DOING?

THE PROMBLEM IS…
 The breakup / divorce has left me scarred
 I’m wrestling with my sexual identity
 I’m battling against a spirit of heaviness/ depression
 I don’t have good financial management skills
 I’m constantly struggling with insecurities
 I’m struggling with abandonment issues
 I’m traumatized by an abusive situation
 I succumb easily to the pressure of my peers
 I judge myself by unrealistic expectations
 I’m often stagnated by the fear of failure
 I’m being haunted by the mistakes of my past
 I’m struggling with forgiving myself and others

In the 51st number of Psalm, David has a desire to be built back better. After he appeals to God based on God’s loving-kindness and tender mercies,
He then makes an “acknowledgement”.

 He says, “…For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.”

What makes this acknowledgment of David so powerful is that he is keenly aware that it is his own conduct that has caused the complications in his life!
– V.V. 2, 3 - David uses the phrase “my sin”
– V.V. 1, 3 - David uses the phrase “my transgressions“
– V.4 - David said, “I sinned and done this evil in thy sight”

4 TRUISMS ABOUT ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

o Acknowledgment is NOT a sign of weakness
o Acknowledgment speaks of thorough assessment of self
o Acknowledgment speaks of a desire to move beyond where you are
o Acknowledgment is the first step to being build back better