Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-22
Jesus was not
only a carpenter working with wood but a stone mason as well!
Matthew 16:15-19
“But what about you?" he asked. "Who do
you say I am?" Simon Peter answered,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not
revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will
build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
Matthew 16:19-20
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Peter is the first stone of the
church built on the foundation of “Christ” and it was he who preached on
Pentecost – birthday of the church.
[1] petra [2] = [3] rock – [4] A small detachment of the massive ledge [5] petros. [6] (cliff picture) [6] (cliff picture 2)
oikodomhsw = to
build. future tense. [7]
(rock church picture) ekklhsia =
assembly/church. [8]
(Petros Picture)
hades = the underworld/death. katiscusousin = to overpower, to have strength against, to
gain mastery over (also future tense).
Ephesians 2:19-22
Consequently, (2:14-18) you are no
longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members
of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21
In him the whole building is joined together and
rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And
in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives
by his Spirit.
24 elders around the throne
Rev 21:12 On the gates were written the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel.
Rev 21:14 twelve foundations, and on them were the
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb
Ephesians 2:14-18
Back to ‘Consequently,’
For he himself is our peace, who has made
the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15
by abolishing in his flesh the law with its
commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man
out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and
in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which
he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and
preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
18 For through him we both have access to the
Father by one Spirit.
Coming to Jesus is not JUST an
individual exercise. Yes, it is personal! Yes, you must profess your own faith.
But that faith is found and exercised in community – the language Jesus uses is
the language of a carpenter – of one who is a builder. He is “building” His
church. Not Zapping it into place – Not painting it – Not sculpting it – but
building it which means he has been doing it, is doing it and will continue
doing it. Each of us is a part of His building process, and though individual
rocks, we are a part of His building joined with others in unity for our
strength and His glory.
Everyone
of us is connected to every other one of us. As the building Jesus is building
we are the manifestation of his social network – living in unity – not a choice
but the essential nature of His church. It cannot be any other way. The parts
of the building must be joined together or it is nothing more than a stack of
lumber or a pile of rocks.
ILLUSTRATIONS
"A Southern California
minister reports a neighboring CHURCH had just completed a large
addition, including a new sanctuary, to house their growing congregation. They
then discovered that 250 housing units were going In right behind them—they
would share a property line. Their pastor said he had two conversations
within a three-hour time period. The first individual said: 'We need to BUILD a fence so their kids don’t
wander onto our property.' The second person asked: 'Do we have the money to BUILD a sidewalk and
steps up to our CHURCH so their kids can come to our ministries?'”
When it was built for an
international exposition in the last century, the structure was called
monstrous by the citizens of the city, who demanded it be torn down as soon as
the exposition was over. Yet from the moment its architect first conceived it,
he took pride in it and loyally defended it from those who wished to destroy
it. He knew it was destined for greatness. Today it is one of the architectural
wonders of the modern world and stands as the primary landmark of Paris,
France. The architect, of course, was Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. His famous
tower was built in 1889. In the same way we are struck by Jesus' loyalty to
another structure--the church--which he entrusted to an unlikely band of
disciples, whom he defended, prayed for, and prepared to spread the gospel. To
outsiders they (and we) must seem like incapable blunderers. But Jesus, the
architect of the church, knows this structure is destined for greatness when he
returns.
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