Scripture Reading: Deut. 8:9b; 1 Kings 6:7; 1 Pet. 2:4-7; Psa. 2:9; Rev. 19:15; 12:5; 2:27; Matt. 16:18-19; 18:18; 6:10; Rev. 12:10; 11:15
Ⅰ
We need to experience Christ as stone for the church as the house of God, the temple—Deut. 8:9b; 1 Kings 6:7; John 1:42; 1 Pet. 2:4-7:
A
Christ is a stone for God's building; this means that Christ is the material for God's building and that God's building is entirely of Christ—Acts 4:10-12; 1 Pet. 2:4-5.
B
In the Bible stone is a major item—Gen. 28:18; Zech. 3:9; 1 Pet. 2:4-5:
１
God created a man of clay; hence, the first man was a clay-man—Gen. 2:7.
２
In Christ, God Himself came to be a man, and this man was a stone-man— Acts 4:10-12.
３
At the end of the Bible, we have a stone-city—Rev. 21:10-11, 18a, 19-20.
４
The Bible begins with a clay-man, continues with a stone-man, and consum-mates in a stone-city; this is God's economy.
C
Christ as a stone for God's building is the One in whom we are saved; He is the Stone-Savior—solid, strong, and reliable—Acts 4:10-12.
D
The temple replaced the tabernacle as God's dwelling place on earth—1 Kings 6:2; 8:1-11:
１
The temple was designed for the kingdom—6:2; Matt. 16:18-19.
２
The temple typifies the church as Christ's unique Body—Eph. 1:22-23; 2:21; 1 Cor. 3:16; 12:12-13, 27.
E
Both Christ and His believers are stones for building the house of God, the temple—Matt. 21:42; John 1:42; 1 Pet. 2:4-5:
１
"The house, when it was being built, was built of finished stone"—1 Kings 6:7a:
ａ
The stones in the temple signify Christ's humanity in transformation; Christ was transformed in His human part to be the stone for God's build-ing—Isa. 28:16; 1 Cor. 3:11; 1 Pet. 2:4; Zech. 4:7.
ｂ
The stones in the temple also signify the believers in Christ who have been transformed by Christ as the stone—John 1:42; 1 Pet. 2:4-7.
２
In Christ and through Christ we are becoming living stones to be built up as a spiritual house; we are undergoing the process of transformation so that Christ, the living stone, may be constituted into us to make us living stones for God's house—v. 5; Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18.
Ⅱ
We need to experience Christ as iron for the church as the city of God, the kingdom—Deut. 8:9b; Psa. 2:9; Rev. 19:15; 12:5; 2:27:
A
Iron signifies the authority of Christ—Psa. 2:9; Rev. 12:5; Matt. 28:18:
１
The rod of iron with which Christ will rule the nations signifies His author-ity—7:29; 8:23—9:8; 21:23-24.
２
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the resurrected Christ—28:18:
ａ
In His divinity, as the only begotten Son of God, the Lord Jesus had authority over all.
ｂ
In His humanity, as the Son of Man and the King, authority in heaven and on earth was given to Him after His resurrection—v. 18.
ｃ
Because all authority was given to Him, the resurrected Christ sent His disciples to disciple the nations; they go with His authority—v. 19.
B
Spiritual authority is always in resurrection; therefore, in order to have authority we must be in the resurrection life of Christ—Rom. 6:4-5:
１
The authority of the church is absolutely in resurrection; if we live in resur-rection, we will have the right to claim His authority—Matt. 18:18-20.
２
When we are constituted with Christ as iron, we automatically share the authority of Christ—Deut. 8:9b; Matt. 6:10; 16:19; 18:18-19.
C
The city signifies the church as the kingdom of God—16:19:
１
When the church is enlarged and strengthened, the house of God becomes the city of God as the kingdom for the Lord to rule and reign—5:14.
２
As the house, the church is God's home, the place of His dwelling; as the city, the church is God's kingdom, the place of His ruling—Eph. 2:19-21:
ａ
The church is for the kingdom; that is, the house is for the city; eventually, the house of God becomes the holy city, the New Jerusalem—Rev. 21:2-3.
ｂ
The church is Christ's increase in life, and the kingdom is Christ's in-crease in administration—John 3:29a, 30a; Dan. 2:34-35.
ｃ
The church as the house of God must be enlarged to become the church as the city of God—1 Tim. 3:15; Rev. 5:9-10:
⑴
The first step of the enlargement of Christ is the church as the house of God, the temple of God—Eph. 2:21-22; 1 Tim. 3:15.
⑵
The second step of the enlargement of Christ is the church as the city of God, the kingdom of God—Rom. 14:17.
ｄ
The house is mainly with Christ as life; the city is mainly with Christ as the Head with His authority (iron)—Col. 3:4; 1:18; 2:19; Deut. 8:9b.
ｅ
When we realize that Christ is not only our life but also our Head, the church will be not only the house but also the city—Eph. 1:22-23; 4:15.
D
The church must live under the Lord's authority through His inner rule in life, must exercise His authority in binding and loosing prayer, and must engage in spiritual warfare to bring in the manifestation of the kingdom with the author-ity of Christ—Matt. 5:3, 8; 16:19; 18:18; Eph. 6:10-20; Rev. 12:10; 11:15.