to 1st Kings. 1st Kings. 1st Kings chapter 6. The name of the message is Stones
Made Ready. Stones Made Ready. 1st Kings chapter 6. We're reading
verses 1 to 10. But our text is found in verse
6. And it came to pass in the 408th
year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of
Egypt in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel in the Mount
Ziph, which is the second month that he began to build the house
of the Lord. And the house which King Solomon built for the Lord,
the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof,
twenty cubits, and the height thereof, thirty cubits. And the
porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits, and the
length thereof according to the breadth of the house, and ten
cubits was the breadth thereof before the house. And for the
house he made windows of narrow lights, and against the wall
of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls
of the house roundabout, both of the temple and of the oracle.
He made chambers roundabout. The nethermost chamber was five
cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the
third was seven cubits broad. For without in the wall of the
house he made narrowed rests roundabout, and that the beams
should not be fastened in the walls of the house. And the house,
when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before
it was bought thither. So that there was neither hammer
nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was
in building. The door for the middle chamber
was in the right side of the house. And they went up with
winding stairs into the middle chamber and out of the middle
into the third. So he built the house and finished
it and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar. Then
he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high,
and they rested on the house with timber of cedar. Have you
ever wondered, you who are redeemed, have you ever wondered why we
go through things, why we go through trials and tribulations
Why we struggle all the time. Well, I think we might see an
answer in the scriptures today of why we go through various
things in life. Why we struggle. Why trials and
tribulations come upon us. And his brother Scott Richardson
said, and you've heard me mention it many times, the Christian's
either going into trouble, in trouble, or coming out of trouble,
right? It's true. And we can all relate to that
in our lives. And think of it. If one says,
well, no, that's not true of me. Do you struggle with sin
every day? Yeah, we all do, don't we? Every one of us. It's a struggle. It's a struggle. Now God's people
are a temple. God's people are a temple built
of stones. Stones that are made ready. Made
ready. And in this world, as we journey
in pilgrimage through this world, we are being conformed to the
image of the Son. God's people are being conformed
to the image of the Son. Look at our text again, it says,
when it was in building, was built with stone made ready before
it was bought thither. The stone was already made ready
before it was bought to the Temple Mount to be placed. It was made
ready so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of
iron heard in the house while it was in building. So there
was nothing done to hew that stone, to form that stone. It was ready. ready to be placed
exactly where it was supposed to be placed before it was even
taken to the Temple Mount. Now, our God is is a sovereign
God. He's in absolute control of all things. And beloved, he
is conforming us. Well, we pilgrimage through this
world by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is conforming us,
conforming us to the image of the sun. And well, we're on this earth
and we know that we are stones. Brother Tim read in 1 Peter that
we're stones, we're living stones. While we are on this earth, we're
being smoothed. We're being smoothed by trials
and tribulations so that when we enter into glory, beloved,
we are stones made ready. Stones made ready. Turn, if you would, to Philippians
3. Philippians 3. Scripture declares in Philippians
3, verses 20 and 21, For our conversation is in heaven,
from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall change our vile body, that's our sinful body, that
it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according
to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things
unto himself." Now note in the latter part of verse 20, the
Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned, right? Look for the Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ, and it ties in over at verse 21, who shall
change our vile body? It's Christ who does this, and
the believers being conformed to the image of Christ by the
Holy Spirit. And note the work fashioned,
that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body. In the
Greek it's defined as to come into existence, to be created,
exist by creation. And this is the Lord Jesus Christ
sovereignly working His will in our lives and fashioning us,
conforming us to His image. Note again in the verse, according
to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things
unto Himself. Verse 21, according to the working
whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto ourselves. We
can't subdue one of our sins, can we? But He can, and He works
in us. This is, again, the Lord Jesus
Christ working His sovereign will in our lives and fashioning
us like unto His glorious body. And this proclaims that our Lord
Jesus Christ and our Savior, our Redeemer, is absolutely sovereign. Because it's Him who's doing
the conforming. See, in religion they think they can conform themselves.
You can't. God is working in us. Now, it doesn't mean we can run
out the door and go crazy and do whatever we want. No, it doesn't
mean that. And if someone tells you that, they're an antinomian.
No, the love of Christ, again, constrains us, right? But God
is working in us, conforming us to the image of Christ. What a joy and a comfort that
God's people can draw from this. that no matter what may come
our way, He is working. He is working. God's people are a temple of
stones made ready. Again, let's go back to our text.
And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone
made ready. Stone made ready before it was
bought thither. so that there was neither hammer
nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was
in building. Our God is a sovereign God. He's
in full, absolute control. Now, people may deny that, but
it's absolutely true. He does what He wills, when He
wills, and none can stay His hand. And by His sovereign almighty
power, by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, one day we will
be in glory conformed to the image of the Son. It's wonderful. We won't sin anymore. It won't
plague us anymore. And we'll be beholding the one
in whom we are conformed. Christ. Sinners saved by grace. Saved by grace. Now while we're
on this earth again, we're being smoothed by trials and tribulations. Trials and tribulations. So that
when we enter into glory, we'll be stones made ready. Stones
made ready. My. And it's all by his sovereign
hand. Our citizenship and our interest
is in heaven, isn't it? We who are redeemed. We're no
longer tied to this world like we used to be. And in Christ,
we are we are sons of God seated in him, heirs, heirs of eternal
glory. And we wait patiently for his
return, don't we? We wait patiently for his return. Turn, if you were the first Corinthians,
chapter 15. Now remember this too, that he is the author and
the finisher of our salvation. And he will complete the work
that he has begun by changing our vile bodies, which we looked
at in Philippians chapter three, our sinful bodies, into the glory
and majesty of his own body, exerting his sovereign power,
which enables him to be subject. He subjects everything to himself,
right? Everything in this universe, everything is subject to him.
Look at first Corinthians chapter 15 verses 51 to 57. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall be all changed in a moment
in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpet
shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we
shall be changed. Those who are still alive when
Christ returns for this corruptible must put on incorruption in this
mortal must put on immortality. The corruptible must put on incorruption
and the mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption and this mortal shall put on
immortality. then shall be bought to pass
the saying that is written death is swallowed up in light in victory.
Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. So he is going to change these
vile, sinful bodies of ours. And right now we are being conformed
to the image of Christ, we who believe. The image of the Son. And one day this corruptible
shall put on incorruption. That's good news, isn't it? That's
good news for we who believe. And this mortal shall put on
immortality. And it's all because and in and
through the Lord Jesus Christ in Him alone. Turn if you would
to Zechariah chapter 6. Zechariah chapter 6. We'll look at these scriptures
and then we'll go back to our text. A few scriptures and then
we'll go back to our text. And then put your finger in John
chapter 1. John chapter 1. Zechariah chapter 6 and John
chapter 1. Zechariah, chapter six, verse
12, and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts,
saying, Behold, the man whose name is the branch. And he shall
grow up out of his place and he shall build the temple of
the Lord. Zechariah, chapter six, verse
12, and speak unto him, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying,
Behold, the man whose name is the branch. and he shall grow
up out of his place. We know the branch is Christ,
and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Who builds it? Who builds the temple of the
Lord? Christ, the Lord himself. The branch here mentioned is
the Lord Jesus Christ, and he shall build the temple. This
temple will be built by him, by the branch. And in the next
verse, We see again it is mentioned that he shall build it and that
he shall bear the glory. He shall bear the glory and he
shall sit and rule upon his throne and he shall be a priest upon
his throne. He shall rule in her beloved. Again, he shall
build the temple. It's his work. Look at Zechariah
613. Even he shall build the temple
of the Lord and he shall bear the glory. He shall bear it all. Who do we give all the glory
to? Christ. To Christ and Him alone. And
He shall sit and rule upon His throne. He rules in the midst
of His people, doesn't He? He rules in the midst of His
people. And He shall be a priest upon His throne. Remember, He's
both the priest and He's also the offering, too. And a council of peace shall
be between them. Brother Drew Dietz commented on this, that
it is his responsibility to take us from ruin to redemption, to
resurrection, and to glory. It's his responsibility to do
that for his people. And he does. He does. Turn if you go to John chapter
1. It's Christ who builds the temple. And not we ourselves,
we are saved by the pure, free, and sovereign grace of God alone. Salvation is of the Lord. Look
at John 1, verses 12 to 14. But as many as received Him,
to them gave He power to become the sons of God. No, He gave
them power to become the sons of God. They couldn't do it on
their own. Thy people shall be made willing
in the day of his power. Even to them that believe on
his name, which were born not of blood. It's not just because
a person was born a Jew doesn't mean they're going to be saved. You hear people say, well, I
was born in church. No, you weren't. You were born a sinner. Dead
and trespasses and sins just like everyone else. Which were born not of blood
nor the will of the flesh. Well, there goes free willism.
nor the will of man, there it is again, but of God. We are born again of God. It's
his work. Ye must be born again. It's his
work. And the word, look at verse 14,
and the word which is spoken of in verse one, who was with
God and was God, the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
God himself, God himself entered into his creation. The one who
spoke the worlds into existence. The one who holds all things
by his power entered into his own creation. God himself, the
word became flesh and dwelt among us. And dwelt among us. And we
beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. He is full of grace
and truth. And then John 14.1 says this. Turn a few wood over
there. Turn a few wood over there. We
were in John chapter 14, six, but I want to look at the first
two verses for Sunday school. We were in John 14, six, but
let's look at the, the, a few verses here in John 14, John 14 versus one. We'll start
in verse one. We'll go to verse three. Let
not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me. So here's the master speaking to his people. We know he's speaking
to his disciples, but here he speaks to you and I who believe
in what sweet words these are. Because in this world we have
trouble, don't we? We have trouble, we have tribulation, we have
sickness, we go through all kinds of things. But he says to his
people here, let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God,
believe also in me. Trust in me, rest in me, no matter
what comes. speaks to His people in sweet
words, telling us not to be troubled, we who believe in Him. Look at
verse 2. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Now this place, spoken of, was prepared of old, in eternity. And those who shall be saved,
His elect, those He speaks of, were of old, ordained unto eternal
life, in eternity. The kingdom was prepared before
the foundation of the world, in the counsels and immutable
purpose of God. And He assures His people that
the purpose of His coming into this world and dying upon the
cross and ascending to the Father was to effect a perfect, permanent
reunion with all of His elect in glory. All those He chose
in glory. And remember, we looked in Sunday
School, not one of them will be left behind. Not one of them. And he would have them cease
to think of an earthly kingdom and think of a spiritual heavenly
kingdom. Brother Mahon makes a comment on this verse here.
He says, the father's house is not one one palace, but many
dwellings. The word mansion does not indicate
different degrees in glory. For all saints are loved with
the same love, bought with the same price. And are equally the
sons of God, we who believe are all equal in Christ. Their glory shall be the same.
Many mansions denote sufficiency of room. Sufficiency of room. It is certain,
it is my purpose and mission to go to the cross, to the tomb
and to the glory and to prepare a place for you. And He did it
for His people, didn't He? There's a place prepared for
us in heaven. And it's to be with Him. It's to be with Him. If this
were not true, I would have told you. Christ prepares us for the
place and He prepares the place for us. Heaven. Heaven. The Greek word for prepare means
to make ready. Prepare. And then look at verse
3. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that
where I am, there you may be also. Look at this. God in his
sovereign majesty and rule has prepared a place for his people.
Heaven. And heaven will never be heaven without Christ, right?
And the reason heaven is heaven is because Christ is there. It's a prepared place for people
who are prepared. By God. By God. A people who are qualified for
heaven, made fit for heaven, in and through Christ. A people
who are stones made ready. Through trials and tribulations
of this world. Now, one commentator said this,
the Temple of Solomon was the noblest structure ever built
by human hands. But the architect was God. The
architect was God. He devised it. In the materials
employed, in the labor bestowed, and in the costliness of work,
and in the grandeur of its whole design, it surpassed the proudest
constructions of the world. Nothing even came close to it. And Solomon, who reigned after
David, began the work of erecting the temple, which his father
David had planned in all parts by the Holy Spirit of God. and seven years were consumed
by an immense army of laborers in this gigantic work, beloved.
And before the temple was built, it was dedicated to the worship
of the one living and true God. Turn, if you would, to our text
again, 1 Kings 6-7. And so let us consider now this
verse. And the house, when it was in
building, was built of stone made ready. Stone made ready. Before it was bought thither.
So that well there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of
iron heard in the house while it was in building. And the house,
when it was in building, was built of stone made ready, before
it was bought thither, so that there was neither hammer nor
axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in
building." Now we see here before us a wonderful picture of how
the believer is conformed to the image of Christ. And consider
the nature and dimensions of the materials and of the stones
that were used for the building of the temple. These stones were
heavy stones. They were of stone or marble. And some of the great and costly
stones, one commentator said, blocks 80 feet long and 10 high
and 12 wide, and many of its pillars were socketed in solid
masonry. And all these stones were hewn
and squared and carved and fitted to their places before they were
bought to be placed on the Temple Mount. With such accuracy and with such
skill that Jophesus says the smallest Intersects were not perceivable
to the eye. You could not even see a fault. They fit perfectly. Perfectly. But look what the scripture says
here. That when they were placed, that not even a hammer or an
axe or a tool of iron was heard. They were already formed. They
were stones made ready to be placed in the exact place that
they were supposed to be. Brother John, you do construction
work. You know how hard that would be to fit perfect to have something that there's
not even a flaw. We who believe, beloved, are
stones fashioned for the Lord's temple. Fashioned for the Lord's
temple. And he makes us fit for heaven
by, you know why, how? By chiseling. And by hewing. And by molding us upon this earth. before we are stones made ready
for glory. And he does it through the trials
and tribulations of this life. And then when we're ready, we're placed
where we're to be. What great comfort this gives
to God's people as we go through trials and tribulations. God,
and think of this too. He's the one who builds it, right?
We saw that in Zachariah. So he's the one who persuades
over it. He's over it all, right? He watches over it all. He's
the architect. He's the wise master builder.
He's the one chiseling. He's the one healing us. This
is God's work. Salvation is of the Lord from
beginning to end, right? And Christ is the foundation
stone which we, as stones, are placed upon. Turn, if you would, to Ephesians
chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. Scripture says this in 1 Corinthians
3.9, that we are God's building. 1
Corinthians 3.9 says this, for we are laborers together with
God, ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. You're God's building. You're
lively stones, you who believe. And he's the wise master builder,
and these stones are fitly framed together for inhabitation of
God. Look at Ephesians chapter 2,
verses 19 to 21. Now therefore ye are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with saints in
the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of
the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief
cornerstone. He is the foundation. He's the
one who all the other stones are laid upon. Christ. Christ and Him alone, and look
at this, in whom all the building, now think of that, we're a temple,
we're being, we're stones made ready. Look what it says. In whom all the building fitly
framed together. My goodness. We're made, we're
stones made ready to fitly frame together. Groweth unto an holy
temple in the Lord. And look at verse 22, in whom
ye also are built together for inhabitation of God through the
Spirit. My goodness. This is a spiritual building,
and it will abide forever, beloved. It will abide forever. It's the
church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is a building built by
God himself. Salvation is of the Lord, and
He alone conforms us to the image of the Son. He alone hues and
molds and chisels away. He alone. But it grows, this temple. And
it's brought together as God calls out His elect. And it's not finished yet. Now
He finished the work. To redeem us, but the temple's
still being built, isn't it? God's still saving His people.
He's still moving and drawing His elect. But when that last
elect one is saved, it's over. It's done. And the temple will be complete
in glory, won't it? Complete in glory. Turn again, if you
would, to the passage Brother Tim read. 1 Timothy, chapter
2. And we'll look at verse 5. 1 Timothy 2, 5. Ye also, as lively
stones, are what? Built up a spiritual house. and holy priesthood to offer
up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Look
at what it says, ye also as lively stones were born again by the
Holy Spirit of God. 1 Peter 2.5. Ye also as lively
stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Now think of this. Believers
are stones found in the same quarry as all men. We're stones found, and he finds
us, right? He finds us. We're stones found
in the same quarry as all men. Never forget the rock you were
hewn from. Never forget where you came from.
Never. Don't ever forget where you were. Before the Lord saved you, don't
ever forget. We are believers of stones found
in the same quarry dug out by God's grace. Dug out by God's
grace and by God's grace alone. Can a stone dig itself out of
the ground? No. Separated by God's Spirit and
given life by the Lord Jesus Christ. And we are made a spiritual
building, it says in 1 Peter 2, 5. And we become the house
of God. And these stones mentioned in
1 King 6, 7, those stones made ready, they picture the church,
beloved, who are stones made ready before they were bought
thither. My. And in the New Testament,
the church is termed God's building. It's also termed the Temple of
God. It's also termed the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It's also
termed the Temple of the Living God. And it's also called the
Holy Temple in the Lord, a habitation of God through the Spirit. So let us consider a few points
about stones made ready. A few points. Again, 1 Peter,
you also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house and
holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ. So Peter here says that Christians
are lively stones. They're built up into a spiritual
house. Think of this, a stone, a stone,
a stone is a shapeless mass of rock. Right? It has a shape, but it
can be all different shapes, can't it? But it's a massive
rock. It's lifeless. It's lifeless. I was going to
get a stone and put it over here and we could see it through the
surface if it moved. It's lifeless. It can't do anything.
It's a rock. It's a stone. Right? It's a stone. Lifeless. And it can't fashion itself.
The scripture says that we're stones made ready. Could we ever
fashion ourselves into a stone made ready? Now, religion will
tell you you can, right? But they're wrong. They're deceiving
themselves, aren't they? We can never fashion ourselves into
a living stone. A stone's dead. A stone doesn't
move. But scripture says we're lively
stones. We're lively stones. So our state,
coming into this world, is like a stone. Lifeless, spiritually. Now we breathe air, we're alive
physically, but spiritually dead to the things of God, right? Natural man has no power to move,
to hear, to see, or feel, or believe on God. No power at all. We call that the total depravity
of man. And the reason man has no power
to move to God or hear God or see God or feel God is because
we're lifeless, hard, and insensible as the stones of this earth when
we're born into this world to the things of God. John 12, 40 says this, expressing
man's natural state, that they're in a hardened condition. It says
this, he hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. hardened
their hearts, that they should not see with their eyes, nor
understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should
heal them." John 12, 40. They're hardened. And that's the natural
state of all men who come into this world. Hardened. The Greek
word for hardened in John 12, 40 is defined as this, a kind
of stone to petrify, to render callous. Hardened. And again, believers are hewn
out of the quarry of humanity by the electing grace of God
in the Lord Jesus Christ, which was set upon us from eternity.
We were chosen in Christ, born again by the Holy Spirit of God,
and we are termed now living stones. Living stone, 1 Peter
2, 5. Living stones. And we only are living stones
in Christ, who's our cornerstone. He is the rock, our rock. He is our foundation. And the dead lifeless rock, which
is of his chosen, is turned into a living stone, a lively stone. And then, We're a stone made
ready. He conforms us. Preparing us
for glory to be with him forever. Let's go back to our text. 1st
Kings 6-7. And the house, when it was in
building, was built of stone made ready before it was bought
thither, so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of
iron heard in the house while it was in building. Now these
living stones are prepared for the temple. They're prepared
for the temple. And only the ones that were to
be used in Solomon's temple were prepared. They were carefully
prepared at a distance. At a distance. At a distance
from the place where the temple was to be built. And the sacred
house was planned out to the smallest detail by David. We
know under the direction of the Holy Spirit. We know that. Each
stone, each column, lentil beam, rafter, they all had a special
anointed place, right? But in the time of David, the
wood was still waving its branches in Lebanon. And the stone was
still in the quarry. It hadn't been dug out yet. And those who were to cut down
the trees and those who laid the axe and prepared it for the
temple from a distance, the stone cutter went and did his work
in the quarry, digging out the stone. When it was time, digging
out the stone, molding the stone, shearing it, chiseling it. It's molded and shaped from afar. From afar. And think of this,
many an axe and many a sharp edged tool passed over the tree
before it became a stately pillar. And many a hammer and many an
instrument of iron was used on that once unseemly looking block
of rock before as a polished stone it
was fitted for the exact place where it should be placed. What a picture of what we go
through in this world. And they cannot be any stones,
beloved. They are stones ordained of old in the decree of God from
eternity. The temple that God builds is
built of stones ordained in the decree of God from eternity. And they must be the stones of
His choosing. And not just any stone. My beloved. And there must be a change effected
upon those stones. There must be a change effected
upon those stones. They must be shaped. And they
must be cut. And they must be polished. And
they must eventually be placed in their ordained spot. See the great saw of the law cut through the stone. And then comes the chiseling of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And each spiritual stone is conformed
to exactly what the Lord wants to be. And the blood of Christ is the
cement, crimson cement, which holds us
all together, beloved. And we are built on Him. He's
the foundation stone. Vermilion cement. The blood of
Christ, drawn from his own sacred veins. So that each stone finds its
security and its strength in Christ alone, who is the cornerstone. The church is not a bunch of
stones tossed together, beloved. No, she is a building fitly framed,
fitly framed. And her architect is the one
who designed her from eternity. Here, says he, in his eternal
wisdom, shall be the cornerstone, Christ, which all the buildings shall
be built upon. And there's none other like the
Lord Jesus Christ. And He has ordained her length,
the length of the temple, and the breadth. He has appointed
her gates and her doors with matchless skill, beloved. And
He has devised every part of her and left no single portion
of the temple, His structure, to be unmapped. He knows every
single stone, every beam, And He has also chose for Himself
every stone of the building, ordaining its size, ordaining
its shape, and setting the stone in the position where according
to His mighty plan it was to be placed. Whether in front or hidden in
the back or buried in the very center of the wall, each stone
is placed where God ordains. And it is fit. it ready to be
placed where he pleases. And he places the stone, the
stone made ready when he has finished the work that he desires
to do upon it. Then we go home. Then we go home to be with him. Colossians says this in verse
12 of chapter one, giving thanks unto the Father who hath made
us meet, that means to be made fit, qualified to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in light. On earth, this is a
place where we are chiseled and hewn, because there's no noise, there's
no noise in glory. No noise of any axe or hammer
or tool of iron heard on the mount where the temple was being
built. So in the New Jerusalem, beloved,
so in the New Jerusalem, there will be heard no crushing strokes
of conviction, no sharp cueings of an awakened conscience. No,
heaven is a place prepared. A place prepared. And heaven is
not a place to prepare man for glory. Earth is. And He receives us in glory when
we are fully prepared by God, who is our great God and King.
Earth, then, is the preparing place for heaven, and the preparation
is done by the axe and the hammer, and the tools of iron of God's
wise, infinite wisdom, and His providence and His grace in our
lives. So when we go through things, remember that we're being
conformed, beloved. We're being conformed. He must break off the roughness.
He must chisel and hew away at us until we're fully conformed
to the image of the Son. Isaiah 48, 10 says this, behold,
I refine thee. but not with silver. I have chosen
thee in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48, 10. All the crooked lines must be
straight. We must be cut and hewn until we are conformed to
the image of Christ. So trials may come, afflictions
come, troubles come in our lives, but we are to look. We are to
look at those situations as the axe and the hammer. of God's
providence in our lives, preparing us for heaven. And this will bring God's people
great comfort, great comfort. Again, our text says in the house
when it was in building was built of stones made ready. Before
it was bought thither so that there was neither act or hammer
nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was
in building. All the materials were fitted
for the building. of the temple. And the temple
was a place set apart. Remember, the temple was a place
set apart for God's particular worship. The temple was a place
of God's special presence. God's special presence. And this
can be said of all God's elect. He's made us fit for glory, hasn't
he? And we are a people set apart
by God's choosing. And we are also the temple of
God. where he dwells. And he has chosen to place his
name amongst his people. He has chosen to do this. And
we have all spiritual blessings in Christ, don't we? All of them.
We're complete in him. We don't need anyone or anything
else. We are complete in Christ. We are the tabernacle of God,
holy priesthood, like the priests of old. We offer sacrifices of
faith, love, and praise. Faith, love, and praise acceptable
to God in and through Christ Jesus our Lord. Always through
Him. Always through Him. And when we get this glory, beloved,
we're stones made ready. And we'll be placed exactly where
He wants us to be placed. It's wonderful. Conformed to
the image of the Son and made fit for heaven by Christ in Him
alone. And by His perfect spotless righteousness
which was imputed to us What a Savior. What a Redeemer. What a Savior. Let us remember
this as we go through the daily troubles of life and trials.
He's conforming us. Praise His mighty name. Gracious
Heavenly Father, we come before Thee, thankful for the privilege
of being here in Your house. To be here to hear the Gospel
preached and proclaimed. Oh Lord, we pray you'd use it
for your glory, use it for your honor. May you draw your lost
sheep to thee, we pray. We love you and praise you. Give
us travel mercies as we head home and watch over us this week,
we pray in Jesus' name, amen.