THE STONES CUT OUT WITHOUT HANDS (Part 2)
“You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV)
The Kingdom of God is presently here on earth amidst many kingdoms. It is a spiritual and superior Kingdom that will eventually overthrow, break in pieces, and swallow up all other kingdoms or governments of this world (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
The Great Commission of the Church is to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe and walk according to the doctrines, values and principles of God’s Kingdom taught and demonstrated by Christ and His early apostles (Matt. 28:19-10).
The Church is in the world to invade, permeate, penetrate, overtake and overturn the kingdoms of this world with the culture, values, doctrines, and principles of the Kingdom of heaven.
The early Church did that very well!
They were rightly referred to as “men who turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6 NKJV).
Unfortunately, today’s Church is no threat to the world, for she has become a friend of the world and thus conformed to its fashion.
The arrival of Jesus Christ to overthrow and overturn all the kingdoms of this world and set up His everlasting Kingdom on the earth was revealed and depicted to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream as “a stone cut out without hands,” which struck the image representing a succession of the kingdoms and rulers of this world on its feet of iron and clay, and broke it in pieces (Dan. 2:34).
Similarly, it is only “stones cut out without hands” that God will use today to overthrow wickedness and expand His spiritual kingdom on earth.
How do you become a cut out stone after Christ?
Let us examine how God cut out the first stone He sent into the world to establish His Kingdom on earth!
First, Daniel revealed to us that the stone which broke in pieces the image of the world kingdoms was cut out of the mountain.
Daniel testifies, “Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold…” (Dan. 2:45).
This implies that the stone was of the same type, nature, quality, character and strength with the mountain.
The Scripture clearly reveals that Jesus Christ was one with God and proceeded forth or came from God. He was said to come from the bosom of God the Father (John 1:18).
Therefore, like a stone cut out of the mountain or rock, Christ shared the same divine nature, character, glory, wisdom and power with His Father.
The Lord Jesus boldly declared this truth to the Jews.
John 8:
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. (NKJV).
Jesus also clearly said, “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30 NKJV).
Everyone who is born of God shares the nature of God!
The Scripture clearly states this truth.
1 John 3:
9 No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. (RSV).
When you are born again through faith in Christ, you are one spirit with Christ, a joint-heir with Christ. You share with Christ His nature, riches, resources, position, authority, and dominion (1 Cor. 6:17, Rom. 8:17).
The Scripture states, “as He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17 NKJV).
Therefore, like Christ, you also possess all that it takes to make a significant difference or impact in the world for God. God can use you to overthrow and overturn the kingdoms of this world, for you are of same stock with Christ.
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Second, the stone was said to be “a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands…” (Dan. 2:45).
This implies that the coming of Christ as the King to set up His Kingdom on earth would be purely divine and supernatural. Undoubtedly, Jesus’ conception was purely divine and supernatural, without any input from man.
Matthew 1:
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (NKJV).
Likewise, the spiritual birth of the believers is purely divine and supernatural.
John 1:
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (NKJV).
Like Christ, you are born-again supernaturally – born of the incorruptible seed (the Word of God) and of the Spirit of God (John 3:5.
1 Peter 1:
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. (NKJV).
Therefore, you are a living stone cut out of the Living God, the Rock of your salvation (Psa. 95:1).
Third, the stone, Jesus Christ, was cut out in the form of a bondservant.
The Scripture speaks of Jesus “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” (Philip. 2:6-7 NKJV).
Strangely, though Jesus Christ is the King of kings, yet He manifested in the form of a servant at His first coming to set up His spiritual kingdom on earth.
Christ emptied Himself of His divine attributes. He humbled Himself, suffered and endured humiliation and persecution from men, and eventually died a shameful and painful death on the cross for our sins (Phil. 2:5-10).
Obviously, our Lord Jesus Christ paid huge sacrifices for His kingdom to be set up and established on the earth.
Therefore, it is simply a self deception and delusion to think that you can be actively involved in manifesting, promoting and advancing the Kingdom of heaven on earth at no cost, without any sacrifice.
Christ set up His Kingdom on earth through His humility, selfless love, service, and sacrificial death. It will also take all these to manifest, promote, expand and advance His Kingdom by us.
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The Lord Jesus clearly pointed out this truth to His disciples.
Matthew 20:
27 “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave–
28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (NKJV).
Beloved, like the Lord Jesus Christ, you also are a living stone cut out without hands and sent by God into the world to overthrow anti-Christ kingdoms, rules, systems, principles, or values, and to enthrone, demonstrate, or manifest the love, joy, righteousness, authority, principles, or values of God’s Kingdom in your sphere of influence.
1 Peter 2:
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” (NKJV).
Therefore, arise today to begin to confront and overthrow wickedness, crime, injustice, corruption, immorality, and such ills in your community, city and nation, and to begin to spread, manifest, promote and advance the values and virtues of God’s Kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
As God said to Jeremiah, God is saying to you today, “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” (Jer. 1:10 NKJV).
The Lord Jesus is saying to you today, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21 NKJV).
This is your calling in Christ and you have been divinely furnished, equipped and empowered to fulfil this calling!
Prayer: My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making me of the same stock with Christ Jesus. My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me to appropriate all that God has given me in Christ to manifest, promote, expand and advance the Kingdom of heaven on earth, in Jesus’ name.
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Amen.