神的救赎是为着祂的建造
在很多基督徒的观念中，救恩就是一切。有许多诗歌赞美主是羔羊，说，“羔羊是配。”但几乎没有一首诗歌说，“石头是配。”你若在基督徒的聚会中站起来赞美基督，说，“石头是配，”他们会以为你疯了，或者你接受了甚么特别的观念。这是今天的光景。但在主的恢复里，主已经带我们往前了。神的经纶不是为着救赎，乃是藉着救赎使祂与人同住。因着人堕落了，所以需要救赎。救赎是过程，为着把堕落的人带回到神面前，以完成神建造祂居所的经纶。
马太二十一章九节说，“前行后随的群众喊着说，和散那归与大卫的子孙！在主名里来的，是当受颂赞的！至高之处的和散那！”本节是众人热烈欢迎主耶稣时所发的，引自诗篇一百一十八篇二十六节，那里说，“在耶和华名里来的，是当受颂赞的。”（另译。）本节所题在耶和华名里来的是谁？答案是在同篇二十二节：“匠人所弃的石头，已成了房角的头块石头。”主耶稣在马太二十一章四十二节引用了诗篇一百一十八篇二十二、二十三节。诗篇一百一十八篇二十三、二十四节说，“这是耶和华所作的，在我们眼中看为希奇。这是耶和华所定的日子；我们在其中要高兴欢喜。”耶和华所定的日子，就是复活的日子。在复活的日子，耶和华神将拿撒勒人耶稣作成了房角石。这是耶和华所定的日子，我们在其中该高兴欢喜。每个主日我们都该高兴欢喜。
犹太匠人因着主耶稣所受的欢迎感到搅扰，并且妒忌祂，主就在马太二十一章四十二节对他们说，“‘匠人所弃的石头，已成了房角的头块石头；这是主所作的，在我们眼中看为希奇。’你们在经上从来没有念过么？”主从诗篇一百一十八篇引用这一节，指明犹太人是神建造的匠人，他们不仅弃绝了救主，也弃绝了建造的石头。结果，他们就在神的建造里无分。我们必须有深刻的印象，我们得救不是仅仅为着得救。我们得救是要成为神建造的一部分。我们传福音的时候，不该只传救恩与救赎，也该传神的建造，告诉人如果他们不接受主耶稣，他们就没有建造的主要石头，也就在神的建造里无分了。神救恩的目标乃是祂的居所，新耶路撒冷。我们必须像彼得一样告诉人，神在基督里的救赎是要他们成为神居所的一部分。
信息重点：彼得不仅传基督是救主，也传基督是房角石，是神建造中的中心石头。
应用祷告：主耶稣，谢谢你不仅救赎我，也把我联于你的身体，使我成为建造中的活石。
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A Bird’s-Eye View of God’s Building in the Bible (2) — 1 Pet. 2:6-7
God’s Redemption Is for His Building
In the minds of many Christians, salvation is everything. There are many hymns that praise the Lord as the Lamb, saying, “Worthy is the Lamb”. But there is hardly a hymn that says, “Worthy is the Stone”. If you were to stand up in a Christian meeting and praise Christ by saying, “Worthy is the Stone”, they would think you had gone mad or had received some peculiar notion. This is the condition today. But in the Lord’s recovery, the Lord has brought us forward. God’s economy is not for redemption; rather, it is through redemption to bring Him to dwell with man. Because man fell, redemption became necessary. Redemption is the process — to bring fallen man back to God — in order to complete God’s economy of building His dwelling place.
Matthew 21:9 says, “The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!’” This verse, spoken by the crowds welcoming the Lord Jesus, is quoted from Psalm 118:26, which says, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (alt. trans.). Who is the one in that verse who comes in the name of the Lord? The answer is found in verse 22 of the same psalm: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone,” The Lord Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23 in Matthew 21:42. Psalm 118:23-24 says, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it,” The day which the Lord has made is the day of resurrection. On the day of resurrection, the Lord God made Jesus of Nazareth the corner stone. This is the day which the Lord has made; we should rejoice and be glad in it. Every Lord’s Day we should rejoice and be glad.
The Jewish builders were troubled and envious of the welcome the Lord Jesus received, and the Lord said to them in Matthew 21:42, “‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’ Did you never read in the Scriptures…?” The Lord quoted this verse from Psalm 118 to show that the Jews, as God’s builders, rejected not only the Savior but also the building stone. As a result, they had no share in God’s building. We must have a deep impression of this: we are saved not merely to be saved. We are saved to become part of God’s building. When we preach the gospel, we should not only preach salvation and redemption, but also God’s building — telling people that if they do not receive the Lord Jesus, they have no chief building stone and therefore no share in God’s building. The goal of God’s salvation is His dwelling place, the New Jerusalem. We must tell people, as Peter did, that God’s redemption in Christ is so that they might become part of God’s dwelling place.
Message Focus: Peter not only preached Christ as the Savior, but also Christ as the corner stone — the central stone in God’s building.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for not only redeeming me but also uniting me with Your Body, making me a living stone in the building.