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  SPIRITUAL HOUSE - PART 3
  by Stephen Kaung
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Summary: The sermon emphasizes the church as a spiritual house built on
Christ, highlighting the transformation of believers into living stones
through divine revelation and unity.

Duration: 1:18:30 Topics: "Spiritual Growth", "Unity In Christ"
Scripture References: Romans 12:1

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DESCRIPTION
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In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes that Jesus came to seek and save
the lost, as mentioned in the Gospel according to Luke. The forgiveness
of sins is a central theme in the Gospel of Luke. However, the Gospel of
John delves deeper into the meaning of Jesus' coming, focusing on the
beginning and the depths. The preacher also highlights the importance of
presenting our bodies as living sacrifices to God, as mentioned in
Romans chapter 12. The sermon concludes by acknowledging the gathering
of believers from all over the world and the unity they experience as
they are built up into a spiritual house for God.

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CONTENT
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Will you please turn to Matthew Chapter 16. 请翻开马太福音第十六章。 We'll read from
verse 13. 我们由十三节开始读。 To verse 18.

到十八节。 Matthew Chapter 16. 马太福音第十六章。 Verse 13. 十三节。 But when Jesus was
come into the paths of Caesarea Philippi, He demanded of His disciples
saying, Who do men say that I the Son of Man am? 耶稣到了盖撒尼亚菲律宾的井内,就问门徒说,
人说我人子是谁? And they said some John the Baptist, and others Elias, and
others, again Jeremiah, are one of the prophets.

他们说有人说是施洗的约翰, 有人说是以利亚, 又有人说是耶律米, 或是先知米的一位。 He says to them that ye, who
do ye say that I am? 耶稣说,你们说我是谁? And Simon Peter answering said, Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 西门彼得回答说, 你是基督是永生神的儿子。 And
Jesus answering and said to him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for
flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the
heavens. 耶稣对他说,西门巴悦纳, 你是有福的, 因为这不是属血肉的指示你的, 乃是我在天上的父指示的。 And I also I
say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church, and Hades gates shall not prevail against it.

我还告诉你,你是彼得, 我要把我的教会建造在这盘石上, 阴间的全病不能胜过它。 The Letter to the Ephesians,
以佛所书, Chapter 2, 以佛所书第二章, We begin with verse 19, 从第十九节开始, through verse
22, 十九到二十二节。 So then ye are no longer strangers and foreigners, but ye
are fellow citizens of the saints, and of the household of God.
这样你们不再做外人和客旅, 是与圣徒同国,是神家里的人了。 Being built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the God-consortium,
并且被建造在使徒和先知的根基上, 有基督耶稣自己为防角石。 In whom all the building fitted together
increases to a holy temple in the Lord. 各房靠他联络的和室, 渐渐成为主的圣殿。 In whom ye
also are built together for habitation of God in the Spirit.

你们也靠他同辈建造, 成为神借着圣灵居住的所在。 1 Peter, Chapter 2, 彼得前书第二章, Verses 4 and 5.
彼得前书第二章,第四第五两节 To homecoming a living stone cast away indeed as
worthless by man, but with God chosen, precious. 主乃是活实,固然是被人所弃的,
却是被神所拣选,所宝贵的。 Yourselves also as living stones are being built up a
spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 你们来到主面前, 也就像活实被建造成为灵弓, 做圣洁的祭司,
借着耶稣基督奉献神所悦纳的灵迹。 And finally, Hebrews, Chapter 3, 希伯来书第三章, Verse 6, 第六节,
But Christ has sun over His house, whose house are we? If indeed we hold
fast the boldness and the boast of hope firm to the end.

但基督为儿子至美神的家, 我们若将可夸的盼望和胆量坚持到底, 便是祂的家了。 Let's have a word of prayer.
我们再有一点的祷告。 Dear Lord, our hearts are most grateful. 亲爱的主,我们心里面满了感谢的心。
That Thou should gather us together these days to Thyself.

这几天里面,祢把我们聚在祢自己的面前。 We thank Thee for crowning the days with the Lord's
table. 我们感谢祢早上, 祢用祢的桌子来成为今日的冠冕。 Truly, Thou art the beginning and Thou
art the end. 祢实在是始,祢是终。 Everything comes from Thee, through Thee, and
unto Thee.

一切都是本于祢,依靠祢,也归于祢。 May glory be all unto Thee. 愿一切的荣耀都归给祢。 As we continue
in Thy presence, 当我们继续活在祢的同在当中, Lord, we want to ask Thee if Thou has a
last word for us. 我们求祢向我们说这最后的话。 We pray that our hearts are still open
and softened, tender before Thee.

我们求祢叫我们的心向祢仍然是打开,向祢的心仍然是柔软。 We pray that Thy love continues to constrain
us. 我们求祢的爱继续地在激励我们。 That we may give back to Thee all that Thou has
given to us. 我们把祢赏给我们的,我们献上给祢。 Dear Lord, we want Thy heart to be
satisfied.

我们愿意祢的心得着满足。 We want Thee to have what Thou does desire most to have.
我们要祢得到祢心中最要的。 Continue to work in us. 继续在我们里面动工。 Until Thy heart is
fully satisfied.

直到祢的心完全地满足。 We commit this time into Thy hands. 我们把这段时间交在祢的手中。 And ask
Thee to bless it. 求祢赐福。 In Thy precious name we pray.

奉祢宝贝的名祷告。 We do thank the Lord for bringing us to this last moment of
this conference. 我们感谢主把我们带到特会的最后一刻。 Indeed, God has made the impossible
possible. 主实在叫这不可能的事情成为可能。 We thank Him for gathering us together from
all corners of the world.

我们感谢祂从地的四面八方聚到这里。 How He has joined us together into one spirit, one
soul, one heart and one love. 祂把我们带到同一个心,同一个名,同一个爱,同一个旨意的里面。 We are here
not only to consider together a theme. 我们在这里不光光是来学习一个主题。 We are here to
demonstrate the reality of the Word of God.

我们在这里要彰显出神话语的实际。 Truly, as we come to the Lord, 当我们真正来到神的跟前, we are
built up together into a spiritual house. 我们是一同被造成为神的家。 A house for Him
and for us. 一个家是为了主也为了我们。 Truly, He has made us a holy priesthood.

祂实在把我们成为圣洁的祭司。 We are not only those for Him to dwell. 我们不单止成为祂的居所。 We
are also those who will serve Him with our whole hearts.
我们也是成为那些全心来侍奉祂的。 We do thank Him for giving Himself to us in such a way
我们实在感谢祂, 祂是这样把祂自己给了我们, that we may be able to offer Him back to the
Father.

我们能够再把我们献给我们的父。 And these will be our acceptable sacrifices.
这就是成为那被悦纳的灵祭。 Now, this morning, we will speak on the building of the
house of God. 今天早上我们要讲到神的家的建造。 When God created the heavens and the
earth, 当神造天地的时候, He did it all by Himself.

完全是祂自己所做成的。 None of us were there at that time. 那个时候我们都不在。 God, all
alone, by His wisdom and power, created all things in heaven and on
earth. 神,他自己用着他的全能跟智慧创造了天地。 He did not consult anybody.

他没有去询问任何人。 He did not ask the help of anyone. 他没有向任何人要求帮助。 He did it all
by Himself. 他完全是自己做成的。 But, in the new creation, in the building of the
house of God, 但是在新造的里面, 在神家的建造过程, He works with a different principle.

他有一个不同的做工的原则。 Instead of working all by Himself, 他不再是一个自己做。 He calls us
to work together with Him. 他召我们与他一同同工。 He wants to work in us and with
us. 他要在我们里面做工,也与我们同工。 Actually, in working this way, 当他这样做工的时候, it gives
him more problems than he should have.

那这样就给他增加了许多的难处。 But it pleases him to work in this way. 但是他的心是在喜悦这样的做工。
And he will refuse to build his house alone. 他不愿意单独的来建造他的家。 He wants to
build it together with us.

他要与我们一同在建造。 But of course we understand. 当然我们明白。 Actually, the work is
done by him alone. 我们知道其实这个工是他自己做成的。 And yet, he first does his work in
us.

他首先在我们里面做工。 In order that we may be drawn to work together with him.
然后吸引我们,叫我们能够与他一同的同工。 This is the wonder of the building of the house of
God. 这是建造神家的奇妙的地方。 And for this, we are most grateful.

我们为了这一点,我们实在充满了感谢。 Our Lord Jesus retreated to the border of Caesarea
Philippi. 我们的主他退到Caesarea Philippi的境内。 We know that Caesarea Philippi is
a Gentile city. 我们知道Caesarea Philippi是一个外邦的城市。 Now why is it that our
Lord Jesus should withdraw himself to the border of the Gentile city?
为什么我们的主退到外邦的境内? Because it is a time when he is rejected by his own
people.

因为当时属于他的人拒绝了他。 But while he is in Caesarea Philippi, 当他在Caesarea
Philippi的时候, 他问他门徒一个问题。 Who do men say that I, the son of man, is?
他说人说我人子是谁? And of course his disciples tried to give him all the best
answers. 门徒就希望找到最好的答案给主。 Of course they have heard a lot. 当然他们听了许多的讲法。
But they do not report to the Lord all the bad reports.

他们不敢告诉主那些坏的报告。 They try to say everything that is good. 他们告诉他都是好的。 Oh,
they told the Lord Jesus said, some say you are John the Baptist.
他们对主说有人说你是施许约翰。 John the Baptist coming to life again.

哦,施许约翰复活了。 Others said you are Elijah, that great prophet. And some say
you are Jeremiah, because you are a man of sorrow and acquainted with
grief. And others said, well, you are one of the prophets.

Or you are the prophet, prophesied by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy.
And one day God will raise up among the brethren a prophet. And whoever
does not listen to him shall perish.

All these good reports. 哦,都是这些好的报告。 Now these reports will more than
satisfy anybody. 哦,这些的报告对于别人来讲一定很满意了。 But they do not satisfy our Lord.

但主并不满意。 Because the world does not know him. 因为世界不认识他。 All they can know
him is outward. 他们只能够从外面认识他。 So our Lord turned to his own disciples
that have been with him for more than three years.

The Lord said, now who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter, as usual,
the spokesman of the disciples, and he said, Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God. Thou art the anointed of God. Thou art the
Messiah.

Thou art the one sent out by God to accomplish a mission. A mission that
nobody else could accomplish. You are the Son of God.

That is your person. So far as your person is concerned, you are the Son
of God. The beloved, only begotten Son of God.

So far as your work is concerned, your ministry is concerned, you are
the Christ, the saint one of God. And when our Lord heard this, he says
to Simon, he says, Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed because this is
not flesh and blood that is able to tell you. It is my Father who is in
heaven reveals it to you.

Dear brothers and sisters, our knowledge of the Lord Jesus has to come
from the heavenly Father. Flesh and blood can only know Him as a great
prophet. But the Father in heaven alone can reveal the Son in us.

It is the Father in heaven who reveals His Son. We thank God that one
day it pleased the Father to reveal His Son in us. Before we have that
revelation, all we can know of the Lord Jesus is He is a good man.

He is a great man. Probably He is the greatest of men. But brothers and
sisters, we thank God that it pleased God to reveal His Son in us.

We know that He is the Christ. We know that He is the Son of God. And
because of this, we are saved, born again.

On the basis of the revelation of the Father, our Lord Jesus began to
reveal something more to us. Without the revelation of the Father
concerning the Son, we would never be able to have the revelation that
is coming through the Son to us. So our Lord Jesus began to reveal
something more to us.

And the Lord said, You are Peter. You are a stone. You remember,
brothers and sisters, the first time when Simon came to the Lord Jesus,
that is recorded in John chapter 1, his brother Andrew brought him to
the Lord Jesus.

And the Bible says the Lord looked at him. And the word look is a very
strong word. It means that our Lord looked him through.

The Lord looked into him and said, You are Simon. But you shall be
called Cephas, Peter. And Peter means a stone.

You know, originally we are all Simon. And we are all made of dust. We
are all of earth.

That is our nature. But when we come to the Lord Jesus, He will
transform us from dust to stone. He will put a new life into us.

A new nature into us. To develop a new character. Because our Lord
Himself is a stone.

You remember in 1 Peter chapter 2, our Lord Himself is a living stone.
Rejected by man. But precious, chosen by God.

Now as we confess Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, that
faith, that confession, that revelation, transform us from dust into
stone. We receive the same life from our Lord Himself. We begin to have
His same nature so that we can be transformed and conformed to His own
image.

So brothers and sisters, we thank God that by the revelation of the
Father and our confession of the Lord Jesus, we are all become stones,
living stones. On this rock, our Lord said, I will build my church. And
Hades' gates shall not prevail against it.

Here you'll find our Lord Jesus. He said, I will build my church. But He
will build it upon a rock.

We know a rock means a massive stone. On this massive rock, the Lord
will build His church with many living stones. The rock is the
foundation of the house of God.

And all these little stones are the materials for the building of the
house of God. Now of course, the rock refers to our Lord Himself. The
rock refers to the confession of our Lord Jesus.

That He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The rock refers to His
person and to His work. He is the foundation of the house of God.

You remember the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. He said, He is
like a master builder. Actually, the Chinese people in Chinese is
better. He is a foreman.

He is not a master builder. He is a foreman. And He laid the foundation
of the house of God.

And He said, there is no other foundation that anyone can lay but the
Lord Jesus Himself. So our Lord is the foundation of the church. He is
the rock.

And on this rock, our Lord will build His church. Thank God, Peter
understood it very well. Even though we find in this world many who had
misunderstood.

Some say that the church is built upon Peter. He is the rock. Now if
that's the case, you'll find before the building begins, the foundation
has already shaken.

Because you remember when our Lord began to reveal to His disciples that
He will go to Jerusalem. He will suffer. He will die.

But on the third day, He will be raised from the dead. And you know what
Peter did? Out of his good heart, he laid hold of the Lord. He shook the
Lord a little bit and said, Lord, forbid it.

You should never go to the cross. And our Lord turned around and Satan,
get behind you. Because you're mindful of man and not mindful of God.

Peter could not be the foundation. Our Lord Himself is the foundation.
And thank God, Peter understood it well.

Because in 1 Peter 2, he said, as we come to the Lord, as we come to the
living stone, we all become living stone. And then we are being built up
together into a spiritual house. Peter himself will be built into the
house.

And all of us who are living stones will be built into that house. And
our Lord Jesus said, I will build my church. Our Lord Jesus said, I will
build my church.

Who is the builder? Who is the master builder? None other but the Lord
Himself. You know, the house of God is so heavenly, spiritual and
glorious. It is to be the habitation of God in the Spirit.

It is to be the resting place of God. And it is also to be our eternal
home. If you realize what a house this will be.

Now, who will be the builder? Truly, there is only one who is able to
build such a spiritual house. And the Lord said, I will build the
church. He is the architect.

He is the engineer. He is the builder. Brothers and sisters, today we
hear people say, we are church planters.

And we are going to the world to plant the churches. But dear brothers
and sisters, remember, unless the Lord build the house, the builders
labor in vain. That is Psalm 127, verse 1. We may be able to build many,
many other houses.

We may be able to build even palaces. We may be able to build great
empire. But the Lord alone can build that spiritual house.

Unless He builds the house, the builders labor in vain. So this should
be a warning to us. And the Lord said, I will build my church.

This house is the church. Because it is the call of ones gathered
together. Where two or three are gathered together unto my name.

The Lord said, there am I in the midst of them. With the presence of the
Lord, among His own people. With the people gathered together unto His
name.

That is, put ourselves under His authority. You have His church. The
church belongs to Him.

It comes out of Him. And it goes back to Him. So, brothers and sisters,
sometimes we hear to say, this is my church.

This is my church that I am responsible for. But let us be warned. The
church belongs to the Lord alone.

And if it is His own work, then the gates of Hades shall not prevail
against it. As we look into Christianity today, it seems as if Hades'
gates have prevailed against it. Why? Because this is man's work.

It is not the work of our Lord Himself. We thank God in one sense. That
we find the so-called churches today are being shaken.

That the unshakable may remain. So here you find our Lord Jesus for the
first time mentioned the word church. Our Lord came into this world for
this very purpose.

When we read the gospel according to Luke, we may get the impression
that the reason why our Lord came into this earth is to seek to save the
lost. Truly, that's what He did. We are the lost.

And our Lord came to this earth. He came to seek us. And He came to save
us.

So the gospel according to Luke is the gospel of the forgiveness of our
sins. The remission of our sins. The dear brothers and sisters, of the
four gospels, only the gospel according to John give us the deep meaning
of the coming of the Lord.

Because John always goes back to the beginning. He always goes to the
depths. Our Lord does come to save the lost.

That is very true. But that is the beginning. That is not the end.

Our Lord comes into the world. According to the gospel, according to
John, He came as a bridegroom. He came to seek for His bride.

But when He came to this earth, He could not find His bride. So He had
to make His bride. He has to call people out of the world.

And gather them unto Himself. In other words, He has to build His wife.
That is the reason of His coming.

Because the house, the church, is His wife. Today it is the body, His
body. One day it will be His bride.

When this body is fully grown. So the real reason for His coming is to
build the church. That is His motive.

So we can see how important this is concerning the building of the house
of God. We would like to go back to the Old Testament. As our brother
mentioned last night, the Old Testament gave us pictures.

The New Testament gave us the Word. We have the Word. But we need to go
back to the picture.

Because the picture will give us more details. And with visual aid, it
will help us to understand deeper. It is true, the Old Testament is
shadow.

But on the other hand, it is picture. It is easier for us to understand.
So how does the Lord build His church? We go back to the Old Testament
pictures and learn some principles about it.

You know when God called the children of Israel out of Egypt, He brought
them to Himself, to Mount Sinai. We already mentioned that He gave them
the Law so that they may be sanctified. And then God began to reveal His
mind to the people.

He said, Make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among you. Here you find
God does not give them a sanctuary. God said, Build Me a sanctuary.

But how are they going to build it? First of all, in Exodus chapter 25,
God said, Let the people bring heave offering unto Me. All whose hearts
have prompted Him, let them bring Me a love offering. Gold, silver,
brass, and wood, and all these materials.

Brothers and sisters, you remember the children of Israel were slaves in
Egypt. They were slaves for hundreds of years. Now, a slave owns
nothing.

A slave does not even own his own life. So, as slaves in Egypt, they
were destitute. They have nothing that they can claim as their own.

So, where came all these gold and silver and precious stones? Now, you
remember, when God sent Moses to Egypt, He told Moses, I will deliver My
people out of Egypt. And, when I'm doing that, all the children of
Israel will ask of their neighbors. Egyptians.

For gold, silver, and all these things. So, when the children of Israel
came out of Egypt, they asked their neighbors for all these precious
things. And the Bible said, they're actually deprived of Egypt, of all
Israel.

Now, in a sense, God is righteous. Because they have been slave laborers
for hundreds of years. Without any wages.

So, God not only delivered them, but gave them all the wages of the
past. When God delivers a people, His deliverance is so complete. Not
only men, but also women and children.

You remember Pharaoh said, let the men go, but let the children stay
behind. Pharaoh said, let the men go, but let the children stay behind.
But no.

All will go. Not only men and women and children, whole families, even
all the cattle and the sheep. Not only all the cattle and the sheep, but
all the wealth of Egypt.

When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they were a wealthy
people. All given to them by God. And now God said, give me a love
offering.

Whoever's heart have prompted Him. Brothers and sisters, this is the way
of God. He gave us everything.

And when He asked for a love offering, He said, if your heart prompts
you. If you want to hold back as your own. Thinking that you are the
owner, the possessors of it.

Even though they do not belong to you. They are given to you by God. But
if you want to hold it back for your own.

God said, you can do it. But it's to your own heart. God wants a willing
sacrifice.

Out of the abundance of His grace. He asks us to give Him back
something. Brothers and sisters, this is the way of God.

And then when you come to the building of the temple. You remember David
wanted to build God a temple. He was not allowed to do it.

And yet David prepared all the materials for the house of God. In 1
Chronicles chapter 22, verse 14. He said, David said, in all my
affliction, I have prepared abundance of material for the building of
the house of God.

In other words, in all the wars that David engaged in. He separated the
spoils for God. And also in 1 Chronicles chapter 29.

And here you'll find in verses 2 and 3. 1 Chronicles chapter 29 verses 2
and 3. He said, and I have prepared according to all my power for the
house of my God. According to all my power. And verse 3. And moreover in
my affections for the house of my God, I have given of my own property
of gold and silver for the house of my God over and above all that I
have prepared for the house of the sanctuary.

Out of his affliction. Out of his affliction. According to all my power.

Out of my affections for the house of God. He gave the best to God.
Brothers and sisters, this is how the house of God is built.

Now, if this is true in the Old Testament time, now, how much more true
it should be with the reality. Brothers and sisters, that's the reason
why you'll find in Romans chapter 12. Therefore, brethren, by the
compassions of God, I beseech you to present your bodies a living
sacrifice.

Totally acceptable to God, it is your reasonable service. In Romans,
you'll find from chapter 1 to chapter 11, tells us of the manifold
mercies of God. How He saves us from death.

How He delivers us from our sins. Forgives our sins. Delivers from the
power of sin.

Gives us His Holy Spirit. Not only justifies us, but sanctifies us. And
glorifies us.

You know, brothers and sisters, when you read Romans 1 to 11, you'll see
all the compassions of God. How He graces us with many graces. Now, what
should be our response? Therefore, brethren, present your bodies a
living sacrifice.

Our love offering is not gold and silver. Because we are not building a
physical building. Our love offering is ourselves.

This body that has been redeemed by a great price. We do not belong to
ourselves. We are bought with a price.

We are not our own. We have no right to live for ourselves. We belong to
Him.

And yet, God will force us. If we want to live our own lives with all
that He has given us, like the prodigal son, we could do that. He will
not force us.

But what a loss! Loss to the father and loss to the son. By His love, He
beseeches us. By His Spirit, He prompts us.

He wants us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. And this living
sacrifice is the material for the building of the house of God. How can
our Lord Jesus build us into a spiritual house? To be saved alone is not
enough.

We have to consecrate our lives to Him. We have to give our right, as it
were, to Him. Actually, we have no right to Him.

Our right belongs to Him. And yet, in another sense, He wants to give up
what we consider as our right back to Him. So that He can work in us and
with us.

The reason why the house of God is not built. Why is it so delayed? It
is because those who are redeemed hold themselves back. They hold
themselves back.

They do not give themselves completely as burnt offering to God. So we
say consecration is the beginning of our Christian experience. The Lord
cannot do anything with you until you present your body as a living
sacrifice.

Then you'll find the Lord will begin to work to build His house. And
then, of course, you'll find in the Old Testament you'll find in the Old
Testament after the Lord called them to bring in the love offering. Then
He called certain people to come and work with this material.

In the case of the building of the tabernacle, you'll find in chapter
thirty-five of Exodus and the beginning of thirty-six, God called
Basilio and Aholiot these two men. God called Basilio and Aholiot these
two men. These two men are filled with the Spirit.

God gave them wisdom and understanding. God gave them skill to work with
all these various materials. And together with them all those people who
have wise and understanding heart and all those who are moved to come
and work.

So you'll find these people they come together to work with the
material. Of course. All under the direction of Moses.

And then again you'll find when you go to the building of the temple,
the same thing. Solomon is the man of wisdom. And you'll find that he
gathered tens of thousands of people to come and build the temple.

Brothers and sisters, when you come to the reality, the building of the
church, of the house of God, you'll find that the master builder is our
Lord Himself. But He does not build all by Himself. He called us to come
and work under Him and with Him.

He gave us wisdom and understanding not according to our human wisdom
and human knowledge. On our natural ability. But He gave us spiritual
gifts.

He gave us spiritual grace. And with all these we are able to work under
Him. And that is the reason why you'll find in Ephesians chapter four
that after our Lord ascended up on high, He gave gifts to man.

He called some apostles, some prophets, some shepherds and teachers, and
some evangelists for the perfecting of the saints. These ministers of
the Word of God, they are the gifts of God to His church because the
church is built with the Word of God. But their work is to perfect the
saints.

They are not the ones who build the church. They are building directly.
They are building indirectly.

Their work is to perfect the saints in two ways. One is to mature the
spiritual life of the saints because the Word of God will nurture us. On
the other hand, to equip the saints to help the saints to develop their
gifts.

And then the whole body will minister one to another. It is the body
ministry. All the members of the body, all are gifted in one or other
way by the Holy Spirit.

All who have received grace from God, we function together. We work
together. And as we work together, in the Bible it says, Ephesians 4,
16, it shows the self-building up in love.

We love one another. We encourage one another. We supply one another.

Brothers and sisters, through such fellowshipping, the church is built.
Then thirdly, you find also all these materials that are to be built
into the house. Lots of work has to be done to these materials.

You do not just take the raw materials and then just display them. You
have to make them furniture. So you find there is lots of beating in the
Old Testament tabernacle.

The gold has to beat and beat and beat into form, beautiful form of the
golden tabernacle. So lots of work has to be done upon the material. The
same thing is true with the temple.

These massive stones, they have to cut from the quarry. And in the
quarry they are to be chiseled according to measure and to be smooth.
And every stone is given a number so that these stones when they are
transported to Mount Moriah, they can just fit one to another.

The Bible said during the building of the temple there is no sound of
iron. No sound of hammer. Because everything was done in the quarry.

Done in darkness. Lots of work has to be done. When you come to the
building of the house of God today, are you surprised that the Holy
Spirit has to do lots of work to your life? There's lots of cutting to
be done.

Lots of chiseling, lots of smoothing. Lots of reducing. Lots of the work
of the Holy Spirit by using the cross upon our life.

Without the cross there can be no church. Not only individually we have
to bear the cross. Because to fit us with our brothers and sisters there
is much cross to be borne.

The Lord is not building a monument. The Lord is building a house. So
you'll find that's the reason why there's lots of work to be done.

But thank God if everything is done according to pattern, when it is
finished, the glory of the Lord will fill the house. Brothers and
sisters, it takes less than a year to build a tabernacle. It takes seven
years to build a temple.

It takes probably around four years to build a second temple. And of
course, King Herod enlarged it for forty-six years. But how many years
is the house of God built? For two thousand years already our Lord is
still building His house.

Can you find any house on the earth that takes so long? What does it
tell you? It tells you on the one hand it is a house that God built. It
is no man's work. It will be a glorious church.

It will be an eternal home. That's why it takes so long. But on the
other hand, does it say anything to us? We have delayed and delayed the
finishing of that house.

How anxious our Lord must be to enter into His rest. How anxious He
wants us to enter into rest. But we do not understand.

Our heart is not one with Him. We do not cooperate. We do not yield to
Him.

He is the master builder. How skillful is His hand. He can turn these
base materials into noble vessels.

If only we will put ourselves completely in His hands. So our prayer is,
Lord, hasten this work. Begin it with me.

That our Lord may enter into His rest. We will not give ourselves to
rest. Until the Lord can rest among His people.

Let us pray. Dear Lord, we want to thank Thee for these days. We thank
Thee for the fellowship of the saints.

We thank Thee for giving us Thy Word. And we thank Thee for all that
Thou has bestowed upon us. Dear Lord, we pray that all these will not be
in vain.

By the working of Thy Holy Spirit, pray that Thou will turn it into
value. Eternal value to Thyself. Bless all Thy people.

Wherever we go, may Thy work continue until that glorious church without
spot or wrinkle may be ready for Thy Beloved Son. We ask in Thy precious
name. Before we depart, I believe I can represent all the brothers and
sisters from abroad.

We are very thankful for the brethren in Singapore. We thank You for
Your love. We thank You for the labor of Your love.

May the Lord bless you.

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Audio: https://sermonindex1.b-cdn.net/5/SID5334.mp3
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/stephen-kaung/spiritual-house-part-3/
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