[Peter Eddington] In first-century society, building and construction began with a home by choosing the best stones, large, square, and stable, and setting those stones at the corners of where the house would be placed. Cornerstones have a dual function, defining the dimensions of the building and tying its walls together. We are compared to stones in a structure that God is building. And in the Bible, we read of this structure, made of stones, that God is building a magnificent temple of which we are part. At a basic level, stone is the most common and logically used building material. Even the most primitive culture would be expected to gather and arrange stones into some kind of shelter. A special characteristic of stone as a building material is its great strength when squeezed or compressed, as in the construction of a wall. But stone is weak when stretched or strained, like in a horizontal lintel. And because of this, when stone is used to span a horizontal space, the use of an arch is typically used. And the arch puts the stone into compression. And the horizontal span can then be much wider. And as you know, the arch remains an essential architectural and constructional element today. The centuries earlier during the time of King Solomon, much of the rock chosen for homes and public buildings was white limestone found near Jerusalem. But Solomon's builders also use many other beautiful stones, boulders, marble, and pillars from all over the known world. But then, in 70 AD, Jerusalem saw the destruction of the temple Herod had restored for the Jews. That was known as the second Temple. Some say, is it going to be a third temple built in Jerusalem? Well, think about this. A new temple is already being built. And I'm one of the stones, and you are the stones in that temple. We are part of the eternal temple God is building.

The Bible talks of us as living stones. We are part of a temple structure, but it's not an inanimate building. It's a living structure. And it's built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ as the rock, as the chief cornerstone of that building. So in the sermon today, we're going to look at our role as building blocks in the temple of God, in the spiritual temple of God. And I've titled today's message "A Church of Rocks." Hopefully, not a church of rock heads. A church of rocks. We are stones, pebbles, and rocks. In God's plan for a new temple, spiritual living rocks, a church of rocks.

Let's turn to Matthew 7 if you would. We'll read verses 24 and 25. Let's look into our role as stones in the temple of God. What can we learn? What type of stone are you? How am I being prepared? So in Matthew 7:24. Jesus Christ is speaking here, and he says, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them," so you've got to listen, and then do something, "I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended," verse 25, "when the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house; but it didn't fall, for it's founded on the rock.” So the foundation is essential when you're putting up a structure. What is the rock upon which we have founded? Well, perhaps I should ask, who is the rock upon whom we are founded? Jesus says, "If you are hearing and doing what I say, you are building a solid life, a solid future." Except for the roof structures, which included wood, the basic building material in first-century Jerusalem was stone. And the limestone provided excellent building material. And as the stones were fashioned into a wall, they would be coated with a stucco-like material and smoothed over. And the foundations were dug with great care so that the building would stand the test of time so that it wouldn't be washed away when the floods came when the rains descended. So, Jesus said, "Build your foundation on a rock rather than sand.”

And as you look back into Old Testament times, God was leading the children of Israel. He began by leading them out of Egypt, as we remembered a few weeks ago during the Passover season. Look at 1 Corinthians 10, the first 4 verses because as He was leading them out of Egypt, He was also supporting them from behind, from the rear. He was their rear God, too. And He led them through the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night but also came up behind them to protect their rear. 1 Corinthians 10:1, "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all of our fathers were under the cloud, or passed through the sea, or were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food."

Look at verse 4, "and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them," He was their rear God, you see, "that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." When I think of that Rock, which was Christ, I don't think of some little, you know, stone out in the garden somewhere. I think more like the Rock of Gibraltar, or Mount Rushmore, or Stone Mountain in Georgia, something big, right, something strong, something formidable. By contrast, we are much smaller rocks than Jesus Christ, just pebbles often in the sight of God. But it says in verse 4, "They drank of the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock." Here's another way to think of a rock. Remember when Moses hit the rock and water flowed out? But the second time he was supposed to speak to the rock for the water to come out, but he didn't. He hit it with his rod, right? He was supposed to speak to the rock. Why speak to a rock? What did that rock represent?

There's a spiritual analogy there. Think about it. That rock represented the rock that they were following. And that rock would deliver them and give them water if Moses spoke to it. Verse 4 says, "They drank of that spiritual rock." So it's both physically drinking water out of the rock, but also spiritually drinking of that rock. There's an analogy there. The Logos. The Word of God led them in the wilderness. The pre-incarnate Jesus Christ was the Word, that rock. But the builders of our world and the builders of the Jesus' world have rejected that rock that Israel followed.

Look at Psalm 118:22, this is a passage that's actually repeated a number of times in the Bible. Psalm 118:22, this verse 22 says, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing." Verse 23 says, "and it is marvelous in our eyes." So, this Cornerstone has been rejected by the world and actually even rejected by the Jews in the first century as we know. They didn't see Him as Messiah. They don’t to this day, the Jews are still looking for the Messiah to come. And so this verse is often read by Jews today to apply to the people of the State of Israel, over there in Middle East now. They say that the people of Israel have been rejected by the world, which is actually true. And upon Jesus' return, it will be the descendants of ancient Israel who will ultimately come to lead the world to God. But obviously, we understand the full meaning of this verse. It really points to Jesus Christ, not the modern nation of Israel. Christ is the rock upon which the entire structure of God's plan is built, which is a central message of the Holy Days. And I can mention… This verse is repeated in Scripture in a number of places. It's added to all three of the Synoptic Gospels. You'll find it in the writings of Peter. And, of course, Peter himself was called a rock.

And in one sense, Abraham is a rock on which the foundation is built. I mentioned that to someone in the office this week, and they said, "I hadn't heard that before, that Abraham was also considered a rock in Scripture." The promises that were given to Abraham became the basis of the Sinaitic Covenant and then of the New Covenant. Jesus Christ had to come from the seed of Abraham and most specifically from David of the tribe of Judah. When Israel declared independence in 1948, they said in their independence documents that they were going “to rely on The Rock of Israel." They didn't flat out say they were going to rely on God because there were those who were anti-religious on the team that declared independence. And, of course, a religious person would know that The Rock of Israel was referring to God, but others could interpret it some other way if they wished. The Rock of Israel is actually, as we understand from the apostle Paul, Jesus Christ. And when the State of Israel declared independence, they said they were going to be relying on The Rock of Israel. Of course, they don't really realize what they're saying, do they? They don't believe in Christ at this time. United States of America mentions God and the Creator in its Declaration of Independence. In fact, it's just Israel and the United States who are two countries who had a foundation in Scripture. Most don't. And it's interesting I find that these two countries have become closer and closer over time. From 2016 to 2020, the United States and Israel were probably… Well, the United States have probably the most pro-Israel administration it's ever had. Look at Isaiah 51 next. Here's Abraham mentioned here in regards to being a rock. Isaiah, not Israel, Isaiah 51:1 and 2 still in there for a moment. Isaiah 51:1, "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, into the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him.”

So we see here that Abraham and Sarah become the basis of the Church, the rock from which we are hewn. And as history shows, from this, came three Abrahamic religions even, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Romans 4, Abraham is listed as the father of all those who believe. He's the rock from which many in the Church, the truth were hewn. But ultimately, as we know, Abraham fails in importance to Jesus Christ, who is The Rock. In the gospel of Matthew, I might mention, where the genealogy of Jesus Christ is given, we see Jesus Christ as the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. And so, there's a lot of importance placed on the covenant that was made with Abraham by God. And in the Davidic Covenant, it was a covenant made with King David, saying the future King of all the world would come from his lineage.

Go back to Isaiah 8, if you would, for a moment while we're in Isaiah. Isaiah 8:13-15, Because here's a warning about not following the Rock. Isaiah 8:13, "The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hollow." You know, God is to be respected. "Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread." And verse 14, "He'll be as a sanctuary,” He'll provide you peace and protection. He'll be as a sanctuary if you fear Him and obey Him. “But,” verse 14, "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” if you don't. So He's “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken." So what it's saying here is God is our sanctuary, our rock. But yet those who rebel like both houses of Israel rebelled, the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom, they shall stumble and be broken by that stone, by that rock. So the sin is self-destructive. Ultimately, those who oppose the rock, The Rock of Israel, who oppose God have no future, you will stumble and fall.

And with that in mind, let's go to Matthew 3. Matthew 3, here we'll see a play on words that John the Baptist used. So in Matthew, the third chapter, he's talking to the scribes and Pharisees. That is John the Baptist is talking to the scribes and Pharisees because they thought they had what's called the merit of the fathers. They said, "We have Abraham as our father." And this is a very important doctrine in Judaism today. They believe they are different from Gentiles because they have the merit of the fathers. They say, "Abraham is where we come from." They say, "We're the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." But Jesus said, "Don't rely on that. Your character is what determines your relationship with God, not who your grandfather was."

So Matthew 3:4, "So John," this is John the Baptist, "himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and” verse 6, "were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins." So, you have to confess your sins and repent to be baptized. Verse 7, "But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Who told you to come and get baptized?'" Verse 8, "Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance." He said, "You got to repent before I can baptize you, and you don't have the fruits of repentance." In verse 9, "Do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." So he said, "You think your sons were hewn from the rock of Abraham so that I can take stones instead. Your genealogy doesn't matter." It's a play on words here. I can take stones and make them into children of Abraham instead of you. And he was telling them, "Don't wallow in your ancestry and think that's good enough.”

And so it's interesting that God compares His people to stones. And we've just touched on the first three or four Scriptures here that show that. He's going to take us stones and build a beautiful temple. And the chief cornerstone is Jesus Christ. And we've seen in Psalm 118:22, talking of that, and, of course, the apostle Peter is referred to as a rock in Matthew 16.

So let's turn the next, Matthew 16, specifically starting in verse 18. Matthew 16:18, Peter's name is Cephas or Cephas in Aramaic, C-E-P-H-A-S. He was called Cephas, depending on how you pronounce it, or he was called a rock. Maybe his high school buddies called him Rocky, right? His name was originally Simeon or Simon. But Jesus called him Cephas. And in the Greek, they translate that as Petros. The word for rock is generally petra, which is feminine. Petra is a feminine form of the word in Greek. "But Peter," He says, "I'm going to call you Petros, the rock," which is the Greek masculine form for rock. Petra is actually a girl's name today, especially in Europe. It's a feminine form of Peter, meaning stone or rock. Today, Peta, P-E-T-A, which comes from Petra is a popular girl's name in Central Europe. In Australia, I knew of a couple of girls named Peta because you think I'm just saying it the same way. Right? That I'm Peter. And then there's Peta. You hear the difference, right? So, anyway, Peter the rock was Petras, which is the masculine form for the term stone. So Matthew 16:18, "And I say to you that you are Peter,” which is Petros, masculine for stone or rock. "And on this rock,” petra, which is feminine, "I will build My church," says Jesus. And this is the first time the word church is mentioned in the New Testament. And Christ said, "The gates of Hades,” so the grave “will not prevail against it. And I'll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth,” meaning whatever you prohibit on earth, will be prohibited in heaven. “And whatever you loose on earth, whatever you permit on earth will also be permitted in heaven." So certainly authority given to the Church to, you know, convey the Word of God and make decisions.

So Christ is the Rock upon which His Church is built. But Peter is a stone also, we read here. Peter is also a rock, a rock in the Church. And as we'll see in a moment in Scripture, we are all stones. We're all rocks, like Peter, in Christ's Church. Peter had a very prominent role in the early church. He is the one who preached the Pentecost sermon that really got things going. He was the one who first brought the gospel to the Gentiles. Well, they were a little reluctantly at first. Later on, we know the apostle Paul then took on that main role of going to the Gentiles. As it all panned out, Peter then went to the Israelitish people, the Jews, and the Israelites, and Paul went to the Gentiles. Look at Acts 4. We see the initial conversion of Gentiles was under Peter. And the initial conversion of Jews to the New Covenant also occurred after the sermon of Peter.

Look at Acts 4:10. What we are reading here is Peter and John have been put in prison for preaching about Jesus and the resurrection. And then they healed someone and said, "We didn't do that. Jesus did that, who by the way, has been resurrected, is in heaven now. Jesus healed this person." So, they got locked up for preaching heresy and for being a threat. So Acts 4:10, Peter said, "Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who, by the way, you just killed, you crucified, whom God actually raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you healed." Peter said, "This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’" So he's quoting Psalm 118:22, right, that we just read. It's another place in the New Testament where this is said. Verse 12, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there's no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." And as you read the rest of the story, they were commanded to stop preaching and teaching about Jesus or the resurrection or any of that stuff, or we'll lock you up again.

And that's when Peter said, "We have to obey God rather than man. Sorry." And so they kept preaching and got in more trouble as you read the next chapter. But here, Peter says, "This is a stone which you guys rejected, the chief cornerstone, and there's salvation in no other." So, let's read Matthew 21 next. Go back to Matthew 21 where Jesus Christ Himself raises this point. This is the parable of the vinedressers. It's the parable of the workers killing the son of the owner of the vineyard. We know who Jesus was really referring to. The Father in Heaven is the owner of the vineyard and the Son they killed was Himself, His own death to come at the hands of His own people.

Matthew 21:42, Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. That this was the Lord's doing, and it's marvelous in our eyes?’" Psalm 119, right, verses 22 and 23 says, "Have you never read that?" He basically is saying, "I am that stone.” “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it." So Jesus is actually prophesying here that He's going to have to offer salvation to the Gentiles because the Jews wouldn't accept him because they have rejected that stone. In verse 44, "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken." So he's quoting Isaiah 8:15 that we read a moment ago. "If you don't follow the Stone if you don't follow the Rock, it's going to break you.” “But on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." You don't want to resist the rock. Verse 45, "When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them." No kidding, right? The Jewish leadership rejected him. Yes. In fact, they eventually crucified Him, well, at the hands of the Romans, of course. However, many Jews did become a part of the early church. The apostles were all Jews. The disciples initially were all Jews.

Then Samaritans got added, and the Samaritans were a mixture of Jew and Gentile. The Samaritans actually had a strange mixed religion, part Jewish, part pagan. And then the Gentiles finally got involved, and the Gentiles became the majority in the Church. So what Christ said here came to pass. He said, "I'm going to give this to someone else." And He did, and the Gentiles became the majority. Non-Jews became the majority. As a nation, Jews did not accept Christ. And it went on, and it's still, to this day, functioning under the Old Covenant. They did not accept Jesus Christ. And so the Gentiles were offered salvation instead. This is one reason why the Jews were not given the task of preserving the New Testament. Like to head with the Old Testament. The New Testament Scriptures were preserved by the Greeks. So, yes, it switched.

So then through all history, the Church was almost overwhelmingly non-Jewish. And it's that way today. It will actually change when Christ returns. He's got to return to Jerusalem to liberate the Jews of the end time from severe problems they'll be facing in the Middle East. He'll be there as their liberator and then be finally reconciling them to Him. You can read about that in Zechariah 12 sometime if you want about the Jews in the end time finally turning to Christ, Zechariah 12. But at this time, in the story, the Jews and Jesus were starting to separate. Jews going one way and Jesus' disciples going another way. As verse 44 says, "Whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." So, yes, there's a high penalty to pay if you reject the gospel. And the Pharisees realized He was challenging them, as we read then in verse 45, verse 46. “But when they sought to lay hands on Jesus, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a profit.” So the general population kind of liked Jesus. He was healing people, performing miracles, but not the leadership. And so, now the Pharisees had to find a way to turn the people against Jesus, which they finally did, as we know. The people turned against Him, and the Romans were forced to crucify Him.

Christians are part of a structure that God is building. It's not just an inanimate building, but a living community. Let's turn to Ephesians 2 because in the city of Ephesus, there was a beautiful temple, a beautiful pagan temple, I might add. The Jerusalem temple, which Herod renovated for the Jews, was beautiful. It was magnificent. There was also a pagan temple, which was quite impressive at Ephesus. And so here in Ephesians 2, we see Paul talking about a temple. So in a way, the Ephesians would understand what the apostle Paul wrote here to the church. He told them about a temple that God was building. He told them about His building. Ephesians 2:19, "Now, therefore, you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners." He said, "This is now a church," primarily filled with Gentile converts now, not Jews. The Jews have gone their own way. "Therefore, you Gentiles are no longer strangers with foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." You see, you don't have to come from Abraham. You can raise up stones to replace descendants of Abraham.”

Verse 20 says, "You've been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." So Christ is the cornerstone for the Jewish converts, sorry, for the Gentile converts as well. Verse 21, "In whom the whole building, being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord,” verse 22, "in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." So, yes, the Church became more and more Gentile over time. These people at Ephesus didn't have the heritage of Abraham with a Sinaitic Covenant. No, they were coming directly from being Gentiles to the New Covenant. They are no longer foreigners but now part of the family of God. As verse 20 notes, the Old Testament books were written by or under the supervision of a prophet.

"The New Testament books were written by or under the supervision of an apostle," it says, "with Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." The church as a family is a temple in which the Spirit of God dwells. Verse 22 says, "A dwelling place of God in the Spirit." And in the Bible, so often God is the rock of Israel. And here it's saying once again is a cornerstone, verse 20. So next, let's go to 1 Peter 2. Because in 1 Peter 2, the apostle Peter talks of the church as a priesthood. This means we as the church have responsibility to represent and teach God's way of life to the rest of the world. Priests were the ones who taught God's way to the people. The priests were the teachers, basically, teachers of the law. And we are being prepared to be priests or to be teachers. In the Messianic age, Christ returns. And we're being prepared to be kings as well in the Messianic age. So, we are a royal priesthood, a kingly priesthood of teachers. And this is how we're described by the apostle Peter. He himself is a rock, and the ultimate rock is Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:4, "Coming to Him, coming to Jesus as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious." So, Christ, the capital H here, Him, is a living stone that was rejected as we know. But verse 5, "you also," not just Jesus, "you also, are living stones, are being built up as spiritual house, a holy priesthood, holy teachers, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." Now, interestingly, the name Jesus gave to Peter, petros, means rock, right? But here in verse 5, Peter uses the Greek word lithos for stone, L-I-T-H-O-S. So he doesn't use petros or petra. He uses lithos for stone. "You also as living litho or lithos." Some commentary say he didn't want to draw undue attention to his own name here. So he used a different word for stone, rather than saying you also are petras, said no, you also are litho or lithos. He used a different word to take the attention away from himself, is what some commentators say.

"But here are we, we're all living stones in the temple in the family of God. We here, all of us, are a church of rocks, church of stones." And the analogy of us being stones in the house of God is fascinating. As I mentioned earlier, in the first-century Jewish and Roman world, the houses of poor people were generally built with such materials as timber, and mud, and primitive forms of concrete. These were not very strong houses and often were prone to fire, and collapse, and flood. Stone would have been a much better, stronger building material, but stone had to be quarried. Stone had to be transported often many miles. It was more costly to build a house out of stone. Building materials used in the larger homes of the rich were different. And during the early time to the Roman Republic, stone and unburned brick was extensively used for permanent buildings. Some of them have survived 2,000 years until today. Ever been to Greece or Athens and seeing the structures that are still standing 2,000 or more years later, built from marble, and stone, and rock? Structures of the homes of the elite class were very durable. And so, as building stones, we are part of a more precious home, not a poor people's home, a more enduring structure. We must be built from stone, not from timber and mud. We must be durable and endure in the Temple of God.

Notice verse 6 here, 1 Peter 2, "Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture…" And here he quotes Isaiah 28:16, that we already read, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Verse 7, “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; that that rock is precious;” to those of us who believe, “but to those who are disobedient," and now he quotes Psalm 118:22, “'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they were also appointed.”

So verse 8 says here, "The rock will cause you to stumble if you're disobedient. You don't want to go against the rock." Verse 9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood." So earlier in verse 5, he said, "You're a holy priesthood, holy teachers." Now, he says, "You're royal teachers, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." And Peter was predominantly writing to Gentiles as well here, those who have been called out of darkness into light. Verse 10, "Who once were not a people" so the Jews thought they were people, "who once were not a people but now are the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."

So the Gentiles have become converted and now will become part of the royal priesthood as well. So, we are to be leaders and teachers, kings and priests. Being a king or a priest sounds, you know, a bit hard to relate to sometimes. "Christ says I'm going to be a king. I'm going to be a priest." Well, it just means you're going to be a leader teaching people God's way of life, setting the standard, royal teachers, a royal priesthood. So, what kind of living stone are you? Verse 5 says we're all living stones. What kind of stone are you? A pretty rounded rock from a mountain stream or a rough jagged gray piece of stone from the rock slide at the side of the freeway? You've seen those, right? You go down to 275, all these rocks that have fallen out of the side of the hill and just piles of them along the side of the road. We actually got someone trying to put some in a backyard to put around the garden bed. Yeah, they're just a big pile of rocks that are sharp and jagged, gray, and kind of haphazardly fallen by the side of the freeway. Or are you one of those beautiful mountain stream rocks, colorful and well-honed? I like to think each of us are having our rough edges refined and sanded down by the waters of time. We are becoming polished and made smooth.

The jagged and rough edges removed. Blocks of stone, granite or marble, are not hewn out of the side of a mountain easily. If rocks could speak, they'd probably complain bitterly about the harshness of the chisel and that diamond blade saw that cut them into shape. We too are required to endure hardship and setbacks. Suffering is part of the process of quarrying, sizing, polishing, and preparing us, the living stones, for our role in God's Kingdom. And as I noted at the beginning, a special characteristic of stone as a building material is its great strength when compressed or squeezed, very hard to compress a rock. It holds up. And we've been ground, polished, squeezed, and compressed ready for inclusion in God's building, in God's temple. God is fashioning each of us for a place in His building.

Remember, He said that, "I'll build a place for you in My house where there are many rooms." He's building a place for us in His building, in His wall. The stones have to be organized by size and shape. Without all fingers or all toes or all heads or all shoulders, each has its place in the building, in the Body. It has to be organized by size and shape so as to fit together like a giant 3D jigsaw puzzle. And the mortar between the stones is not clay or crushed seashells like in the past, but the Holy Spirit. The mortar between the bricks and stones and rock is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit binds us together in this great building, in this great temple. With Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone, it's a dwelling place of God in the Spirit, like we read earlier.

Let's turn to our final passage in Malachi 3, Malachi 3:16-17. Malachi 3:16, "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,” some translations say, "spoke often one to another, and the Lord listened and heard them,” He hears our fellowship. He hears us talking amongst ourselves. “So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.” The book of remembrance so that the resurrection will be remembered. Verse 17, “'They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, 'those who fear Me, on that day that I make them My jewels. I will spare them as a man spares His own son who serves him.’”

So those who fear the Lord will be spared, spared of, you know, eternal death, for the most part, but even of other struggles, and He'll make us His jewels. So the stones of God's spiritual temple can be likened to beautiful gems, beautiful jewels. And if we do not feel the shaping going on, we must to become a jewel. Many valuable stones lose as much as 60% of their initial size and mass before they are considered finished and polished as beautiful jewels. So many valuable stones lose as much as 60% of their initial size and mass. That's a lot of wearing down to get to the jewel underneath. And so, we must sacrifice significant parts of our lives. We've got to have the rough edges polished off, don't we? It'd be 60% of who we are has to go, leaving the best 40%. We must sacrifice our lives, our habits, our cultures, our reasoning, our own values to be transformed into one of God's jewels, a gem fit for a Master's temple. So as we conclude here today, think about what it's like to be a Christian, a stone in the building of the family of God. Jesus Christ was persecuted terribly, as we know. And throughout history, the church has been persecuted. And I'm very grateful that in most countries today we can still observe the Sabbath, the commandments, and meet as Christians in most countries today. But as the church grows in power in the end time, it's going to draw upon itself some notoriety and persecution, and we'll need this deliverance from the head of the Church, we'll need sparing as we read in Malachi 3. And the head of the Church, Jesus Christ, will deliver His people and will make of them kings and priests in the world to come. Not everybody is being chosen to be part of the holy nation just yet. The first to be called the name the firstfruits, and that's the lesson of the meaning of the Day of Pentecost that we'll be observing in just two weeks. But it doesn't mean the rest of the world is lost. It means most of the world has yet to have the opportunity for salvation, which is given to some now.

So we must thank God for that privilege and take it seriously, our calling. Remember, we have the opportunity to serve mankind in the future, to help bring the vast multitude of humanity into a relationship with God as leaders and teachers, as kings and priests, and judges, by the way. Also said we'll be judges. We will share eternity with them as we have shared eternity with God as His sons and daughters. Those of us who are the firstfruits have a wonderful privilege to help bring others into the family.

In verse 9 of 1 Peter 2 that we read a moment ago, the apostle Peter said, "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people." Obviously, we didn't start out that way. And so now we have to maintain the standards that Jesus Christ has set before us, every day of our life, live differently. Polish off those rough edges and become more like Christ. God has not chosen the important, rich VIPs of the world for the most part. Most of the people He has chosen are people like us, rather humble roots initially. But now we proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, which is also from verse 9, 1 Peter 2. So now we proclaim Him, who called us out of darkness.

Take this opportunity and make sure you're making the most of it every day. Be very grateful for the rock or pebble you are in the temple that the Father is building. We are part of a structure, a living structure. That's one part of the analogy. But we're also living stones being fashioned into precious gems, who are to become ultimately royal priesthood under Jesus Christ when He returns. So, we must pray daily, "Thy kingdom come." Pray for Christ's return. Pray for God's Kingdom to be here, for Christ to descend upon the Mount of Olives, set up a new city in Jerusalem, a whole new way of life for this world. We are living stones, and God is building a metaphorical temple. He's building a family, a royal priesthood, a holy temple.