“Foundation Stone”
“Now,
therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with
the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone,
in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in
the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God
in the Spirit.” (Eph.
2: 19-22 NKJV)
Dear
family of friends,
Foundation
stones are mighty, upon which much can be built. More solid than your standard rock,
they can withstand pressures that others would crumble under. They were created
by God, for both practical and spiritual purposes.
There is
one particular large stone in Jerusalem, which is called the Foundation Stone,
located on Mount Moriah. I touched that stone in 1988, when non-Muslims were
still permitted to go into the Dome of the Rock. Someday the Jewish nation of
Israel will build the temple there again, where previously two others had
stood, in Solomon’s time and then again when the Lord, the Only Begotten Son of
God, Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach) walked on this sacred land. It is the very
place where His Name is written in stone upon the earth.
Wikipedia
has this entry in regards to this holy place.
The Foundation
Stone (Hebrew: אבן השתייה, translit. Even
haShetiya) or Rock (Arabic: صخرة translit. Sakhrah, Hebrew: סלע translit.:Sela) is the name of the
rock at the heart of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
It is also known as the Pierced
Stone because it has a small
hole on the southeastern corner that enters a cavern beneath the rock, known as
the Well of Souls. It is the holiest site in
Judaism (Midrash Tanhuma, chapter 10); Jewish tradition views it as the
spiritual junction of Heaven and Earth. Jews traditionally face it
while praying, in the belief that it was the location of the Holy of Holies in the Temple.
The rock is located towards the centre of the Temple Mount, an artificial platform built
and expanded over many centuries. The current shape is the result of an
expansion by Herod the Great on top of vaults over a hill,
generally believed to be Mount
Moriah. The rock constitutes the peak of this now hidden hill, which
is also the highest in early biblical Jerusalem, looming over the City of David.
Several years ago I prepared a
teaching, sharing how upon the very solid, spiritual foundation stone of Jesus Christ
Himself, Whom we are being built on, stands for us. Here is the outline, which
I entitled “Built Together in Him”.
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and
foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of
God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being
fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are
being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Eph. 2: 19-22
NKJV)
THE BIG IDEA: After the two temples of stone had
been built in Jerusalem, the Lord says we are now to be the temple where His
Spirit will dwell, being fit together.
THE PURPOSE: Each one of us is to part of this new
spiritual temple, with Jesus Himself being the Chief Cornerstone.
THE INTRODUCTION: After
the death of King David, King Solomon built the first temple on Mount Zion, as
promised to David by the Lord. It was a grand sight, and remained for years
until destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
2. Herod’s
Temple was started in 20 B.C and completed in 64 A.D, only to be destroyed in
70 A.D. The only remains today is the Western Wall, part of the retaining wall,
and the Southern Steps which lead up to the temple courtyard.
3. The
Jews are looking to build the Third Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, on
the same location where the second temple was built. Preparing now with the
utensils, high priest garments, and the golden menorah (seen just outside the
Jewish temple Institute.)
4. But
the Lord desires to build His temple, made up of living stones, the believers
from among the Jews and Gentiles, who make up the “One New Man.”
THE PREVIEW: How are we to be “fitted together”, to
make up this new temple, to become the dwelling place of God in the Spirit? Let’s
consider how this will be done.
THE BODY:
I.
People from all ages, tribes and tongues are
saved from the nations. Matt. 28:19
A. “Go
and make disciples of all the nations…”
B. Many
tribes and cultures will make up this body of Christ
1. Adds
beauty and diversity
2. Shows
the splendor of the Lord and His creation
II.
Jews and Gentiles come together, as one family,
to live together. We will be the One New Man, the Bride of Christ.
III.
Jesus is putting the temple together. He places
each of us in the part of the building where we have our purpose and function.
IV.
Day to day interaction causes the “stones” to
fit together, rub together, and build the walls.
V.
As more stones are added, the building grows in
size and grandeur.
VI.
The Lord’s Spirit is able to dwell within this
temple, the Body of Christ, the Messiah.
THE CONCLUSION: It takes time to build a structure – both in the
natural and the spiritual. It takes a willing group of people to be joined
together, and take their place. It is time for us to give ourselves to that
purpose.
At the beginning verse I used for this Ahava Love
Letter reads, God created the heavens and the earth. Being His Word, which
spoke into existence all creation, is the solid rock of all, that which follows
in the Old and New Testaments is what we can and need to stand on.
Jesus Christ Himself is the Foundation Stone. His
truth spoken, out of His very Being, will fulfill the prophetic words spoken
through the prophets and apostles.
We have a solid rock upon which we can stand. And we
shall, because of Him.
Ahava to
my family of friends,
Steve
Martin
Founder/President
Love
For His People, Inc. is
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Ahava
Love Letter #81 “Foundation Stone.” ©2013
Steve Martin
Date:
In the year of our Lord 2013 (10/14/13 Monday at 7:00 am in Charlotte, NC)
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Temple Mount and the Western Wall
in Jerusalem, Israel
Western Wall
The Third Temple
