Ephesians 2.19-22 (3)
Pray Psalm 48.1-3.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God,
In His holy mountain.
Beautiful in elevation,
The joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
God is in her palaces;
He is known as her refuge.
Sing Psalm 48.1-3.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
Great is God, now greatly praise Him in the city of the LORD!
Holy she, His lovely mountain, great and glorious by His Word!
God her King is great within her, He, her Stronghold ever sure!
He, her Stronghold ever sure!
Read Ephesians 2.19-22; meditate on the word “built”.
Look around you. What kind of materials go into building a house? How are they used? Ask the Lord to guide you.
Preparation
1. What did Jesus break down?
2. What has been the effect of that?
Meditation
The story is told of two medieval masons, making bricks in a work yard, who were approached by a curious lad, asking what they were doing. The one man, gruff and impatient, growled, “We’re making bricks. What does it look like?” The other man, gentle and friendly, smiled and said, “I’m building a cathedral.”
God is building a glorious temple, and we are the material of His craftsmanship. Jesus, from His throne in heaven, is building His Church, brick by brick, as each of us is made strong and shaped to fit in our place in this glorious edifice. Gathering together various elements from His Word and His creation, He shapes us to suit His purposes, know His loving touch, find our place of service and ministry, and firmly labor to bring out His glory in all our work.
Each of us is a brick in the temple of the Lord, established on a firm foundation with a sure and unchanging Cornerstone to guide the construction of Jesus’ Church. How can we allow ourselves to be so easily and consistently distracted from this great endeavor, wasting time, attention, mind-power, and the best of our affections on frivolous and unfruitful things?
We may just be bricks, but the overall plan of which we are a part is majestic and glorious beyond description. Let’s make sure we are the best bricks we can be.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Being a brick is mighty fine work. Bricks can be heroes, as seen in the English Fairy Tale, The Three Little Pigs.
The pig brothers and their mother had fallen on hard times, so they were sent out on their own. The first pig, a little lazy by nature, threw together a dwelling of straw. The second brother, equally lackadaisical, slapped one together entirely of sticks. The third brother, industrious as he was, cobbled together a home out of bricks.
Not too long afterward, a big bad wolf showed up. Said he to the first pig, “Little pig, little pig, let me in!”
Responded the pig, “No! No! No! Not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin!” So, the wolf huffed, and he puffed, and indeed, he blew the house down. Pig one escaped to pig two’s house, and the scene played out again. At which time they both sought refuge at brother Trey’s house. The scene replayed, only this time even huffing and puffing could not prevail. For their enemy was blowing against bricks. Subsequently, things ended poorly for the wolf, which is not the point; but the bricks are.
Jesus told a much better story: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matt. 7.24-27).
When the Chief Cornerstone of our life is Jesus Christ Himself, no matter who or what is huffing and puffing against us, we will not fall (Eph. 2.20).
“Because you have made the LORD, Who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling” (Ps. 91.9, 10).
We are to build our lives upon the foundation of the Word of God with Jesus as the Cornerstone.
In the Old and New Testaments we meet the One upon Whom all of Scripture is built.
It is where our hope is fostered and grows. Without it, we are building with sticks and straw.
“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is” (1 Cor. 3.11-13).
Let’s build with bricks—ourselves as one—on the sure foundation of God’s Word,
so that the whole building stands firm.
If we do, we will have the confidence to say to the enemy:
“You may not blow me down,
No! No! No! Not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin!
Regardless of how hard you blow.
For one Day, I will be revealed and tested,
and found to be the ‘best brick’ I could possibly be—
holding firm and filled with the Holy Spirit’s power.”
Reflection
1. Does being a brick in the Lord’s temple seem like a small thing to you? Explain.
2. What goes into the process of making a citizen and member of the household into a strong brick in Jesus’ Church? What does that require?
3. In the Lord’s temple, bricks have one of their sides in touch with the weather outside and other with the worship going on within. How is that also like the Christian faith?
The church is also compared to a building, founded on the doctrine of Christ; delivered by the prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles of the New. God dwells in all believers now; they become the temple of God through the working of the blessed Spirit.Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Epistle to the Ephesians 2.20
Pray Psalm 48.4-14.
Pray that God would bring revival and renewal to your church and churches everywhere, so that Jesus may be exalted, blessed, and known.
Sing Psalm 48.4-14.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
Earthly kings, amazed and wond’ring, look upon the Church with fear.
See them flee in dread and anguish, knowing that the LORD is near.
For the city of the Savior God will keep forevermore!
God will keep forevermore!
For Your grace and lovingkindness we proclaim Your matchless worth!
As Your Name is, great and boundless, let Your praise fill all the earth.
Let Your people sing rejoicing for the judgment of Your truth;
for the judgment of Your truth.
Walk about the blessèd city, see her beauty, see her power.
Count her ramparts, filled with glory, look on every mighty tower.
Tell her glory to the nations: God will guide her evermore;
God will guide her evermore!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15). For more insight to a brick-like life, order a copy of our book, Bricks and Rungs, by clicking here.
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are looking at ways the Law of God applies to our lives. This week our Read Moore podcast continues addressing the question raised by our book, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth? This week our Crosfigell teaching letter begins a study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
