YOU ARE A STONE
Pastor Scott Olin, SW
Washington
This is probably the
greatest time in history to be alive. I
believe in the same way Jesus said to the disciples that they were witnessing
things that Kings and prophets longed to see when He walked the earth, that the
saints dead and gone are peering over the balconies of heaven to get a glimpse
of what is getting ready to unfold in this hour on planet earth. God is preparing His bride for the fourth
quarter, and He's getting ready to hand her the ball!
If you’re like me, you've
probably been guilty of praying stupid prayers over the years. "Lord, whatever it takes to get me
into destiny, do it!"
"Refine me with heavens
fire!" “Purge my mind and
my heart!" "Help me to
understand the sufferings of Jesus, to be intimately acquainted
with them!" STUPID, STUPID, and again I say STUPID! Oh well, He planned on doing all that stuff anyway. What's amazing is we pray it, He does it,
and we are surprised when it happens. Of course He's refining us, shaping us,
molding us into the image of His Son!
It's right at the top somewhere of His list of "things to do."
Let me give you a
verse:
I Kings 6:7 (KJV) "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 ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in
building."
I'm not going to take a long
time here but I want to use this verse to paint a picture for us today. This house that is under construction, is
the same house in I Kings 8. It's the
house that the glory of God fell on with such power that no priest could stand
to minister to the Lord. Now, I don't
know about you, but that sounds like havin' church to me.
When the presence of
Almighty God is so thick that the preacher can't preach, the worship leader
can't lead, and the only place the congregation can congregate is on their
face!
THAT'S CHURCH YA'LL!
In order to build this
house, the materials were being prepared in the wilderness. That's where the Father has us today. We are in the wilderness being prepared as
living stones, (I Peter 2:5) to fit properly into the spiritual house He's
presently in the process of building.
The
Bible says that the material
used was stone that had been, "made ready." Now, because the beams and timbers were being prepared as well, I
have to conclude that it was the same type of preparation for them. In the Hebrew language the words "made
ready,” mean complete, perfect, and whole.
The wilderness time and the wilderness preparation were essential for
the materials, stone and timber, to properly fit into this house that the KING
was building. Now, there is a King who
is today building a house that He intends on overwhelming with His Glory. And in the same way, there is a preparation
happening in us. God longs to use
you. He longs to fit you into this
house that
He's building. The materials, stone and timber, were so
perfectly prepared in the wilderness, that the bible says that they were taken
out of the wilderness of Lebanon, into the city and slipped into place. The workers didn't have to force them; there
wasn't a struggle to get them to fit.
Why? Because what the materials
didn't know or understand is that the King held in his hand the blue print of
this house and He had already purposed where every board and stone and timber
would fit. They were cut, chipped,
sawed, ripped and hewn to fit perfectly into the house, and they took no effort
to fit. They were properly prepared in
the wilderness.
Jesus knows where and how He
wants you to fit into the house that He's building today. He knows how to fit and frame you into the
place that He, “from the foundation of this world," has intended for
you to fit. And everything in your
wilderness experience is preparing you to fit.
All the chipping away at unwanted and unnecessary stuff in your heart,
all the ripping and hewing away at the things that won't bring Him glory, all
the cutting away at that which will bear no fruit, is all for the purpose of
getting you into shape to help you step into your place in this house. To help you step into your destiny.
Two thoughts, as I said
earlier: These materials didn't know that the King held the blue prints of
where every piece needed to fit. You
know why? Because they were stone and timber!!!! They don't think or feel! But we do!
Put yourself in the position that these materials were in: cut, ripped, hewn, chipped, sawed etc. The materials may not have felt it, but we
sure do! It's OK to put yourselves into that position, that's where you
are! In the wilderness, isolated, going
through what is very clearly painful and uncomfortable, being cut on, and maybe
not knowing what it's for or where you'll end up.
And here is the kicker. Feeling separated from the King, and the joy
of the kingdom! While all this preparation
was going on in the wilderness,
there was great joy and
expectation going on in the kingdom.
People excited and expectant about what was happening in the wilderness!
I suspect that there is today a great cloud of witnesses excited and expectant
about what they are seeing happening in the world today! But while we go through this process, OFTEN,
it's difficult to feel the joy of the kingdom.
What's more, this time can seem so heavy, so weighty, that we even feel
separated from the King himself. It's
tempting to ask Jesus where He's at in the wilderness times.
Don't worry - He's near, for
it is He who is personally overseeing your preparation time. It is He who is dictating every cut, every
rip and every chip that is happening to you to prepare you to be properly
positioned in this house. He knows
exactly where you’re at, and you beloved are right on time!
"Stone made ready"
- again, complete, perfect, whole. But,
the word also means Peaceful! In the
midst of the process, you can live in peace knowing the great architect knows
exactly where you fit, and exactly how to get you there. Heaven looks at your life, trials, and the
hour art hand, and rejoices. They know
what the master builder is about to do!
So, walk through this season in peace.
Yes, you can! Isaiah 26:3.
The second thing you must
know is this. These materials for the most part came from the territory of
Lebanon. Whether stone from the
wilderness, or timber from the mountains, it was pulled from the place of
Lebanon. It's a great picture for us
because Jesus is doing the same thing today. He's pulling from Lebanon what is
needed to build this house.
Now, we're the materials,
but watch this…
Lebanon
means: "white” - Probably named for the snowcaps. What's the first thing you think of when you hear white? Yeah, me too - Pure. White is equated to pure. But, the word Lebanon comes from a root that
means: heart.
WHITE, OR PURE HEART! That's where God is going to get what is
essential to build this house. He's pulling
materials from the purity of hearts.
It's where true life comes from.
Proverbs. 4:23 "Keep
your heart with all diligence, for out of IT flow the issues of life."
Bride of Christ, He knows
what He's doing, and He's big enough to get you through and into the place that
He has ultimately called you to be.
