创世记二十八章十至二十二节是神启示中最重要的话语。我们若认识圣经，就会看见这里在神圣的启示中有一个根本的转变，一个新的开始。在创世记头二十七章里，没有用过神的家（或作神的殿，希伯来文，Bethel，伯特利）这辞。但在本章，却启示了神家的事。神的家不仅仅是地方，乃是活人的活组成。这些人在那里，神的家也在那里。因此，神的家不在于地方，乃在于人。一个地方怎能称为神的家？只因神实际的、活的家，活人的活组成在那里。
在创世记二章七节我们看到，照着神的形像所造的人，是用尘土构成的。按我们物质的构成，我们并不宝贵。在创世记二十八章，尘土改为石头。本章的石头，成了尘土所造之人的安息，因为石头现在托住了尘土。雅各，尘土所造的人，枕在石头上，这是很有意义的。想想创世记二十八章的图画。这里我们看到一个疲倦、孤单、失望、尘土所造的人，一个不确知未来的人。当太阳落下的时候，他需要休息一下，“便拾起那地方的一块石头，枕在头下，在那里躺卧睡了。”
认识圣经的方法，乃是凭着圣经。若我们用属天的光来读整本圣经，就知道本章石头的意义。当彼得第一次来到主面前，主改了他的名，说，“你是约翰的儿子西门，你要称为矶法。（矶法繙出来，就是彼得）”（约一42）。彼得的意思，就是石头。过了大约三年，彼得回答主所问的问题，说，“你是基督，是活神的儿子”（太十六16）。然后主耶稣对他说，“我还告诉你，你是彼得，我要把我的教会建造在这磐石上”（太十六18）。主似乎是说，“彼得，你记得你头一天到我这里来，我给你起名叫石头么？这不该只是名字－这必须是事实。彼得，你是石头，我要把我的教会建造在这磐石上。”因此，马太十六章十八节启示，石头是为着教会的建造。
教会是甚么？提前三章十五节说，教会是活神的家。至终，在永世里，活神的家将是新耶路撒冷。在启示录二十一章我们看见，新耶路撒冷不是用泥巴或尘土造的，乃是用宝石造的。论到新耶路撒冷，启示录二十一章十一节说，“城的光辉如同极贵的宝石，好像碧玉，明如水晶。”这是神圣的启示。
信息重点：神不仅拯救我们，更要变化我们。尘土无法建造神的家，唯有变化成为石头，才能成为神建造的材料。
应用祷告：主啊，我不愿永远停留在天然的光景。求你变化我，使我成为你建造中的活石。
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From Dust to Stone, Building God’s House (1) — 1 Tim. 3:15
Genesis 28:10-22 contains some of the most important words in divine revelation. If we know the Scripture, we will see that there is a fundamental turning point in the divine revelation — a new beginning. In the first 27 chapters of Genesis, the expression “God’s house” (or God’s temple; in Hebrew, Bethel) is never used. But in this chapter, the matter of God’s house is revealed. God’s house is not merely a place; it is the living composition of living people. Where these people are, God’s house is there. Therefore, God’s house is not a matter of location but of people. How can a place be called God’s house? Only because God’s actual, living house — the living composition of living people — is there.
In Genesis 2:7 we see that the man made in the image of God was constituted of dust. According to our physical composition, we are not precious. But in Genesis 28, the dust is replaced by stone. The stone in this chapter becomes the resting place for the one made of dust, because the stone now bears the dust. Jacob, a man made of dust, resting his head on a stone — this is very meaningful. Consider the picture of Genesis 28. Here we see a weary, lonely, despairing man made of dust — a man uncertain of his future. When the sun had set and he needed to rest, “he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.”
The way to understand the Scripture is through the Scripture itself. If we read the whole Bible in the light of heaven, we will understand the significance of the stone in this chapter. When Peter came to the Lord for the first time, the Lord changed his name, saying, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter) (John 1:42). Peter means stone. About three years later, Peter answered the Lord’s question, saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Then the Lord Jesus said to him, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). The Lord seemed to be saying, “Peter, do you remember the first day you came to Me, when I named you Stone? That should not be merely a name — it must be a reality. Peter, you are a stone, and upon this rock I will build My church”. Therefore, Matthew 16:18 reveals that the stone is for the building of the church.
What is the church? First Timothy 3:15 says the church is the house of the living God. Ultimately, in eternity, the house of the living God will be the New Jerusalem. In Revelation 21 we see that the New Jerusalem is not built of clay or dust, but of precious stones. Concerning the New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:11 says, “Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.” This is the divine revelation.
Message Focus: God not only saves us but also transforms us. Dust cannot build God’s house; only that which is transformed into stone can become material for God’s building.