TAKING CHRIST AS OUR PERSON AND LIVING HIM IN AND FOR THE CHURCH LIFE
Message Two
Becoming Pillars and Pillar Builders in and for the Building of God
Scripture Reading: Matt.16:18; Gen.28:10-22; Prov.4:18; 1 Kings 7:17-20; Rev.3:12
I. Jacob's dream unveils that God desires to have a house on earth,and His intention is to transform His called ones into stones,pillars,material for His building—Gen.28:10-22; Matt.16:18; 1 Pet.2:4-5; Rev.3:12:
A. In the book of Genesis there are two kinds of pillars—the pillar of salt (19:26),which indicates shame,and the pillar of stone (28:18; 35:14),which indicates building in strength (1 Kings 7:21).
B. In Genesis 28 Jacob was a supplanter,but by the time we come to chapter 48,this supplanter has been thoroughly transformed into a man of God; this man of God is the pillar—28:18,22a; cf.Prov.4:18.
C. "He who overcomes,him I will make a pillar in the temple of My God,and he shall by no means go out anymore,and I will write upon him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God,the New Jerusalem,which descends out of heaven from My God,and My new name"—Rev.3:12,cf.v.8:
1. The word make is very significant,meaning to constitute into something,to construct in a creative way; the Lord makes us pillars by transforming us,that is,by carrying away our natural element and by replacing it with His divine essence—2 Cor.3:18; Rom.12:2.
2. For the overcomers to be pillars in the temple means that they will be pillars in the Triune God,for the temple is "the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb"—Rev.21:22; cf.Psa.90:1; John 14:23.
II. The life and experience of Jacob reveal the way that we can be transformed into pillars for God's building:
A. Since our selection was according to God's mercy,we need to continually depend on His mercy,enjoying His new mercies day by day to become vessels of mercy,honor,and glory—Rom.9:11-13,16,21,23; Lam.3:21-24.
B. We need to enjoy Him as the All-sufficient God—Gen.48:3; 17:1; Phil.1:19.
C. We need to enjoy His continual shepherding until the end of our days—"the God who has shepherded me all my life to this day"—Gen.48:15b; Rev.3:8.
D. We need to behold God's face (Gen.32:30; 2 Cor.3:18; 4:6-7),seek His face (Psa.27:8,4),enjoy His face as our serving supply (Exo.25:30; 33:11a),doing everything in the face,the person,of Christ for our transformation from glory to glory (2 Cor.2:10; cf.13:14); when the Triune God is dispensed into us,we have the face of the Triune God as our grace and His countenance as our peace (Num.6:25-26):
1. Seeing God equals gaining God to be constituted with God—Job 42:5-7.
2. Seeing God transforms us because in seeing God,we receive His element into us,and our old element is discharged—2 Cor.3:18; Rom.12:2.
E. In the Scriptures the pillar is a sign,a testimony,of God's building through transformation in practicing the Body life—Gen.28:22a; 1 Kings 7:15-22; Gal.2:9; 1 Tim.3:15; Rev.3:12; Rom.12:2; Eph.4:11-12:
1. According to Genesis 28:18,Jacob took the stone that he had made his pillow and set it up for a pillar:
a. The stone becoming a pillow signifies that the divine element of Christ constituted into our being through our subjective experience of Him becomes a pillow for our rest—cf.Matt.11:28.
b. The pillow becoming a pillar signifies that the Christ whom we have experienced and on whom we rest becomes the material and the support for God's building,God's house—1 Kings 7:21; 1 Tim.3:15.
2. The pillars of the temple were built of bronze,signifying God's judgment—1 Kings 7:14-15; cf.John 3:14:
a. Those who are useful to God are constantly under God's judgment,realizing that they are men in the flesh,worthy of nothing but death and burial—Psa.51:5; Exo.4:1-9; Rom.7:18; Matt.3:16-17.
b. We must judge ourselves as nothing and being only qualified to be crucified; whatever we are,we are by the grace of God,and it is not we who labor but the grace of God—1 Cor.15:10; Gal.2:20; 1 Pet.5:5-7.
c. The reason for both division and fruitlessness among believers is that there is no bronze,nothing of God's judgment; instead,there is pride,self-boasting,self-vindication,self-justification,self-approval,self-excuse,self-righteousness,condemning others,and regulating others instead of shepherding and seeking them—Matt.16:24; Luke 9:54-55.
3. On the capitals of the pillars in the temple were "nets of checker work [like a trellis] with wreaths of chain work"; these signify the complicated and intermixed situation in which those who are pillars in God's building live and bear responsibility—1 Kings 7:17.
4. On the top of the capitals were lilies and pomegranates—vv.18-20:
a. Lilies signify a life of faith in God,a life of living by what God is to us,not by what we are; the bronze means "not I," and the lily means "but Christ"—S.S.2:1-2; Matt.6:28,30; cf.2 Cor.5:4; Gal.2:20.
b. The pomegranates on the wreaths of the capitals signify the fullness,the abundance and beauty,and the expression of the riches of Christ as life—1 Kings 7:20; cf.Phil.1:19-21a.
c. Through the crossing out of the network and the restriction of the chain work,we can live a pure,simple life of trusting in God to express the riches of the divine life of Christ for God's building in life.
F. In spiritual significance the bowls of the capitals are a testimony (two) indicating that those who place themselves under God's judgment (bronze),counting themselves as nothing,are able to bear responsibility (five) in full (ten) and express the riches of the divine life (pomegranates) in the midst of a complicated and intermixed situation (the checker work and chain work) out of the process of resurrection (the base of the capitals,three cubits in height) because they do not live by themselves but by God (lilies).
III. Solomon,the builder of the temple,is a type of Christ (Matt.12:42),and Hiram,the builder of the pillars (1 Kings 7:13-15),is a type of the gifted persons in the New Testament,who perfect the saints for the building up of the Body of Christ (Eph.4:8,11-12,16):
A. That the work of building was not done by Solomon directly but by Solomon through Hiram indicates that Christ builds up the church not directly but through the gifted persons.
B. Second Chronicles 2:14 says that Hiram's mother was "a woman of the daughters of Dan"; the tribe of Dan is the tribe of idolatry that caused God's people to stumble and fall from God's way (Gen.49:17); the fact that Hiram's mother was of Dan indicates that Hiram's origin,like that of all men,was of sin (Psa.51:5; cf.John 8:44a).
C. Hiram "was the son of a widow and of the tribe of Naphtali,and his father was a man of Tyre,a bronze worker; and he was full of wisdom and understanding and skill to do all kinds of work in bronze"—1 Kings 7:14:
1. That Hiram became one who was "of the tribe of Naphtali" (v.14),the tribe of resurrection,that is,of transformation (Gen.49:21),signifies that in order to be a part of God's building and participate in its building work,we need to be transferred from the "tribe of Dan" into the "tribe of Naphtali" by being regenerated and transformed in Christ's resurrection (1 Pet.1:3; 2 Cor.3:15-18).
2. "Naphtali is a hind let loose; / He gives beautiful words"—Gen.49:21:
a. A hind is a person who trusts and rejoices in God in a desperate situation—Hab.3:17-18.
b. Habakkuk 3:19 says,"Jehovah the Lord is my strength; / And He makes my feet like hinds' feet / And will cause me to walk on my high places."
c. "The hind of the dawn" is also mentioned in the title of Psalm 22,which is on Christ in resurrection for the church (v.22; Heb.2:12; S.S.2:8-9); Naphtali is a tribe of the hind,signifying a regenerated and transformed person who trusts in God,walks on the mountaintops,and lives in resurrection for the church life.
d. Naphtali was in the land of Galilee (Matt.4:15),and the first group of apostles came from Galilee (Acts 1:11); the beautiful words that came out of these Galileans were the word of life (5:20),the word of grace (14:3),the word of salvation (13:26),the word of wisdom (1 Cor.12:8),the word of knowledge (v.8),and the word of building (Acts 20:32).
3. Tyre was a Gentile city noted for its commerce; hence,it was one with Satan—Ezek.28:12,16.
4. Hiram's father was the source of Hiram's skill in working with bronze; however,his father died,leaving his mother,the source of his existence,a widow:
a. This signifies that in order to be useful to God for the building of the church,God's dwelling place,we need to acquire the secular learning and skills but must allow our "Tyrian" father,the source of these things,to die.
b. Furthermore,our "Danite" mother must be "widowed" (separated from the worldly source),and we must be of the "tribe of Naphtali," the tribe of transformation.
c. Thus,we continue to possess the learning and the skills without the source,our existence (mother) is no longer linked to our worldly origin,and we are in resurrection; Moses and the apostle Paul are excellent examples of this principle.
D. Hiram was brought from Tyre to King Solomon in Jerusalem (1 Kings 7:13-14),the place where the temple was to be built; Jerusalem typifies the church:
1. Both today's Solomon (Christ) and God's present building are in the church.
2. Thus,in order to be useful to God for His building,we must gain secular skills,live in resurrection,and come to the proper ground,the ground of the church—Rev.1:10-11.
IV. The need in the church today is for the Lord to gain pillars and pillar builders; in order for this need to be met,we all must pray to the Lord,saying,"Lord,for the sake of Your building,make me a pillar and a pillar builder."