First Peter 2:3-10
3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Living Stones....
1Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Peter writes that Christians are living stones, or a type of building, a Spiritual building, for when we are called out of the world the Holy Spirit’s work is to make us an essential part of the Living Temple of the Lord. He does this by first making us His dwelling place when we take Jesus as our Savior and invite Him into our hearts. Then the Holy Spirit takes up residence in those who are sincere about letting Jesus into their hearts. By the Works of the Holy Spirit we are cut from the quarry of the world. He fills us with God’s Holy Word of Love and this filling of Love makes us to His specifics in clearing off the rough edges of the world’s debris of sin from us. We must be made clean and to the Righteous specifics that are set by Jesus to present Himself a spotless Spiritual House for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. To understand the association of why we, as Christians, are referred to as living stones, we should understand God’s planning of the building of Solomon’s Temple which represents the final Temple of the Lord in the New Jerusalem.
In the building of Solomon’s Temple we see that the large stones that went to make the foundations and walls of the Temple were made of great and costly stones drawn from the great quarry of the earth. These stones were carefully engineered and tooled to fit the specific pattern that the Lord had given to King David to give to his son Solomon before they were brought to be placed in this specific pattern of the building of what is called Solomon’s Temple. First Kings 5:17-18 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. 18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house. 1Kings 6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
Everything the Lord does He does with great care and His Word is brought forth in each of us and is in association of His other acts of slowly and silently bringing forth the Great Temple in which we who are made to His specifics will all be part of in the final Temple in the New Jerusalem in the New Heaven and the New Earth.
Jesus, the Great King, commands and by the Power of the Holy Spirit we are drawn from the quarries of the world. We are made, as stated before, clean and clear of the debris of the sin of the world, not by our own power, but by the Power of His Love that we allow the Holy Spirit to place in our hearts. In the building of this Spiritual House there is no tool lifted up unto us. For in the Spiritual building He silently works His Works in all who truly believe and want God’s Love to take hold of them to keep them in obedience unto the Great God. It is all done in Love as God is Love and imparts this Love to us and we let this Love silently take shape in our lives. His Word emphasizes the importance of keeping ourselves in obedience unto the Holy Spirit and following the pattern in which He has laid out for us to follow from His Word. We are to let this Holy Love take hold of our lives to keep the Spiritual building in the correct engineered structure that only the Master builder can do.
Yes, we who believe are built up, a Spiritual House in which we are made a Holy Priesthood, with Power in our lives to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices acceptable unto a Holy God. We can only be accepted as we are led by the Holy Spirit to follow God’s plan for the Holy Building and for the Holy Priesthood that Jesus made possible for all who believe in Him. It cannot be by our own planning and by our own building and by our own way of offering up a sacrifice unto the Great King. We must do it His way for It is Jesus that made it all possible for us and paid the price of His Precious Blood that God required to redeem us. For it is only by the redemptive Power of His shed blood that makes an atonement for our sin. It is the Holy Spirit that draws us out of the world and does all the building of our Spiritual life. Everyone should let the Great Spiritual Building take place in each of their lives. Yes, it is His Building and we must honor His dwelling Place within and offer up our Spiritual sacrifices in the correct way as He shows us the correct way. For the Word of God states that God is a Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
I have tasted of this goodness and graciousness of the Lord who has drawn me out of the world and made me a living stone cut from the world. I know to whom I belong, for Jesus is the Great Cornerstone who holds all of us together in His Great Love. He is precious to me as I know I am precious to Him. I cannot do anything less than worship the Great King of Glory who has brought down to me the Oneness of His Glory He has with the Father and the Father has with Him. The Glory is His Love that He has with the Father and the Father has with Him and He has given it also to us. I know I am a part of this Glory because I feel His presence of His Love deep within and all I want to do is please Him with following His Holy Spirit and letting His Holy Spirit have Power over my complete being. So let us Praise the Lord and let Him take our lives into the Great Spiritual House of Holy Love that He made possible for us all.
By Starre Steinmetz
Living Stones, The Workmanship of the Lord
I am one of many Living Stones,
The Workmanship of the Lord.
I am drawn from the earthly
To the Spiritual by God’s Word.
His Holy Spirit grinds away that which would not be right
And places in me God’s Holy Light.
Jesus bought me with His Precious Blood
And by His Holy Spirit He drew me out of sinful ground
And now I am His,
A Precious Stone of His Delight;
A Precious Stone made pure and White.
Thank you Lord for drawing me out
Of sinful ground,
And placing me where I now am found,
A stone of delight in your eyes;
One Living Stone in your Spiritual House here on earth,
A stone made by your hand silently, and just the right size.
Lord I want to fulfill Your desire for me
And one of Your Living Stones only be,
Consecrated to Your Life,
The Cornerstone that holds
All Your Precious stones together
In the Unity of the Spirit that ends all strife.
By Starre Steinmetz
