God as the Constructor of the Church — Stephen Kaung

Christ Builds His Church

Will you please turn to Matthew chapter 16 verse 18. Matthew chapter 16 verse 18. I think by now everybody memorized that verse and I also I say unto thee that thou art Peter and on this rock I will build my church and Hades gates shall not prevail against it.

Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 10 for he Who is Abraham? waited for the city which has foundations of which God is the Artificer and Constructor. Psalms 127 verse 1 unless Jehovah build the house in vain Do its builders? labor in it.

Unless Jehovah keep the city the Keeper watches in vain. Let's have a word of prayer dear Lord. We want to thank thee for bringing us To this last full day of this conference. We thank thee for the past Thou has been so gracious Merciful faithful To us and we believe thou art the first and the last the beginning and the end the Alpha and the Omega.

So we ask thee Lord that During this last day of the conference may thy presence Be over us more than before. Dear Lord thou the only one that we need the only one that we worship and the only one that we desire to know so Lord we pray that By thy spirit Thou will open our understanding Bring us within the veil allow us to see thy glory and Transform us Conform us to thy own image Lord.

We want to thank thee because thy word is Power thy word is truth Thy word is light thy word is life. So we just turn to thee and pray That whatever needs yet to be done Will be done this day. Oh our hearts do long to see Thy kingdom come and I will be done on earth as it is in heaven That thou may be glorified.

We commit this time into thy hands Trusting thee to bless it. We ask in thy precious name. Amen, thank God for Bringing us to this last full day of ministry. The theme of this conference is taken from Matthew 1618 on this rock.

I will build my church and Hades gate shall not prevail Against it. This is the word of our Lord Jesus himself It is one of the greatest revelation Ever given to man as We say before the greatest of all the revelation is What a father has Revealed the Son to us without the revelation of the Heavenly Father No matter how clever we are.

We will not be able to know the Son. But thank God it pleased the Father to reveal his Son in us and We are most thankful That he has done it in our lives. And on the basis of the Father's revelation of the Son the Son is able to reveal Something that is very dear to his heart and that is the church.

So he said I also say the Father has said and now I also said You are Peter on This rock. I Will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail Against it. It is a statement Made by the Lord himself No matter how you feel No matter what you see around you what he said Is true and he will do it and it will be done.

God as the Originator and Planner of the Church

My responsibility on these Mornings is on who is the builder. Now, I feel is rather Strange that this question should be asked, of course God is the builder. Our Lord Jesus himself said I will build my church.

But why is it that his question has to be asked it is because instead of Mentally We acknowledge That God is the only one who is able to build his church and yet Somehow in our Consciousness We do not quite agree with that.

We feel that We are able to build a church and That's what you'll find in the 2 ,000 years of church history. How man ignore this statement of our Lord Jesus, I will build my church and instead we try to build his church and As we all have seen What we have built is the tower of Babel.

Confusion. God is the only builder we mentioned during the past two mornings that as the builder of the church He is the one who is the originator of The building that is to say it is he who has the idea of Having a church the concept does not come from man.

Before the foundation of the world Before the ages before God created a heavens and the earth God already Has conceived in his mind this thought. The Bible said he purposed a Purpose in his son. He loved his son so much.

He want to express his love towards his son and the best expression He can give to his son is the church because he knows his son Wants a companion a life companion. One who is his counterpart his like one who can be united with him in one one who can share with him in responsibility and in glory.

Brothers and sisters so God before the ages He conceived this thought of the church For his son now if this is the case You can see how important is the church. How important it is in the heart of God?

How important it is in the heart of our Lord Jesus and? Dear brothers and sisters We wonder how much is the place of the church in our heart. So this is something for us to really consider very carefully before the Lord.

We also mentioned that God as the builder of the church He is also the planner. This thought of the church Is so glorious. He will not allow anybody else To plan for it himself is the planner and the pattern the blueprint he has in mind for the church is none other Than his only begotten son our Lord Jesus.

Brothers and sisters the pattern of the church Is not technical is not organizational is not legal. It is not something external. God uses his only begotten son as the pattern for the church even in the type.

When God Built the woman he uses Adam as the pattern. None of the animals that were led to Adam Was his like His counterpart that could answer 100 To Adam's heart. He could name them But he could not be joined into one with him.

So finally God had to put Adam to sleep and out of his sight God took out something. Now in our Bible usually say took out a rib but actually in original God took out something of Adam and God used as something out of Adam and built a woman.

You remember the Apostle John? He was the only one of the Apostles Who stood at the foot of the cross of our Lord Jesus. He saw the soldier came. They broke the legs of the two robbers to speed them to death.

But when they came to the Lord Jesus, he was already dead. But to make sure that he was dead You remember a soldier? Took his spear and Thrust the spear into the side of our Lord Jesus. Open up that side.

It touches the heart and out of it comes out Blood and water. And John emphatically said I Witnessed to this. I saw this it is true. Now, why is it that John put such emphasis on this matter? Because out of the side of our Lord Jesus comes out blood and water.

Blood for the remission of our sins. Water to give us life. His life is poured out For us and to us and With that which comes out of him He builds the church. Now this morning We will like to consider God as the constructor of the church.

He not only conceives the idea He not only Plans for it. He actually Builds it now our dear brother John Saunders his responsibility is How is the church built? So I do not want to step into his area.

But when we talk about building actual constructing. Now what can you do? So I think probably I will deal this matter from a different angle and That is we will look at the building itself from the viewpoint of God himself.

In other words to see how in the building of the church. In the actual building of the church We will see the skillfulness of his hands. You know that word is found in Psalm 78 verse 72. And Somehow this word came to me the skillfulness of his head.

Now in the building of the church You do see the skillfulness of the hands of the Lord. Do you think that aside from God there is anyone? In the world That is so skillful That can build the church. So far as I understand God is the only one who has the skill.

Who has the power? Who has the ability to build the church? There is no one else. Now why? Because in building the church He is Exercising his creative Acts. God is the only creator in the universe. What is creation?

Strictly speaking creation is Calling something into being out of nothing. That's creation. When God created the heavens and the earth It was a creative act. Because He calls not being into being. There was nothing.

There was no material of any kind and yet out of nothing. God created the heavens and the earth. Wonderful. Now who else can do it. You may be able to make something out of something. We may be able to manufacture Something with raw materials and make it finished product.

But there is no one in the universe Not even the angels that can call nothing into something and Not only that when that something appears it was wonderful. Glorious. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament Shows his handiwork.

He is the only creator of him. By him and For him are all things to God. Be the glory now brothers and sisters in the building of the church. Do you think it will be less? creative than the creation of The old heavens and the earth it just cannot be.

How can God Build the church less than that creative skill of his hand in creating the old creation. That will make the old creation More excellent than the new creation, but thank God The new creation is far far more Glorious Than the old creation not only in the sense.

You know when God created the heavens and earth The Bible said in Colossians chapter 1 verse 16 in him all Things were created. It's all created in him and Because it was created in him therefore the whole creation reveals the power and the divinity of the Creator.

How divine he is no human can do that how powerful he is. I Remember when I was in China there was a sister Greatly used by the Lord as a matter of fact. He was one who began This work in China with our dear brother watch money.

She was an atheist an avowed atheist very Intelligent highly intelligent he even told people He will never Believe in God. There was no God, but one year there was a pestilence plague in 19 China and He was she was there as the dean of A girl school, and they had to send all the students back to their homes.

So he took she took some of the students and travel along the Yangtze River going downward To send the students to their different places. She was sitting at the front of that boat and as the boat went through Yangtze River he should look around and She saw the beautiful sceneries all around him somehow She was convicted That there was a God Who could create such beauty?

Who could create such massive mountains? No human can do that. It cannot come by chance. There must be a God and thank God that turned her completely around. She served the Lord many many years. Dear brothers and sisters why.

Because This is the creative act of God. It came out of the skillfulness of his hand. It demonstrates to us Who he is? His wisdom his power His glory, but when he created Man the Bible said he created man according to his own image.

After his own likeness when he created man He had in his mind That this man one day will be the life companion of his beloved son and That's the reason why he created man in his image and after his likeness To give them the capacity the potential of Receiving the life of God into them and thus be able to be united with Christ his son.

So when he created all things all things were created in Christ. But when he created man he created man as To be his like. Dear brothers and sisters Did it ever come into your mind That the church is a new creation if anyone be in Christ a new creation now brothers Fox Used to correct us He said if anyone be in Christ He is a new creation.

He said in the original you don't have he is there if anyone be in Christ a new creation There is a new creation. In other words God has exercised his creative act and By creation he means out of nothing bringing in something now.

Do you believe that the church is a creation new creation now probably? This idea even though we know the Bible said you know if anyone be in Christ there is a new creation and Even though in Ephesians chapter 2 he said God has put the Gentiles and the Jews together to be a new man now even though we do have some kind of idea that the church is a new creation, but Does it ever occur to you?

That this new creation Is all new is all created. It is truly a creative act of God now. Do you believe that well you may say I don't see so why because She already have this Poor man as the material so he's not out of nothing into something.

But dear brothers and sisters. Let me tell you this creative of God is even more Marvelous than out of nothing into something. When God created man He did have in his heart That man should be the like of our Lord Jesus To be his bride one with him.

That's why we are created in his in his image after his likeness but unfortunately Man see man was cast out of the garden eater. That material that God had in mind for the building of the church Was a waste it was broken on the wheels cast out totally Useless.

Not only that Sin has entered into man the enemy of God has a foothold In man his dominion is over man. As our brother said his hatred Against God and against God's purpose is Implanted in the mind and heart of man for no reason Man hated God.

Sinful Humanity and the Need for New Birth

I have another co-worker in China. When he was young his family sent him to Russia To study. He became an atheist. He participated in the Russian Revolution and got award. When he came back to China.

What was his mission? His family was very rich. The Japanese took some of their property and make an airfield out of it, so he didn't need to work. He had nothing to do. But he told me He had one job anti-Christianity.

He went up from house to house to preach against Christianity. There was only one Church building in his city and He was the one who closed That building. He was very clever. He employed a number of children.

When people stood up to pray. These children were going and took all the seats out and they when they were singing these children were throw sands into their mouth and It was so Difficult to meet again, so finally the door was closed.

He was that kind of a person. He didn't know why. But he hated. One day it was raining. He was in his own his brother's shop. His brother had a gold shop. He had nothing to do so he tried to look around for some book to read and Strangely he found under the counter a book so he took it up open it and read it.

Yeah, he said there's something there. The good man is like a tree planted by the river. The bad man is like a chaff Blowing away by the wind. Well, that's reasonable. He couldn't sleep that night the next morning He got up.

He went to that church building. It was of course closed. He pushed the door it opened. He went in and going to the puppet. He saw a big book there. He didn't know what that was he opened the book. It was Psalm 1.

Oh he said it's from this book, so he took the book and took it home. That was the first time he steal. He started to read the book. He was convicted. He was the leader in Manchuria. During the second revolution in China when he was escaping for his life the Japanese wanted him one day.

In the morning he knelt down and prayed his tears. Wetted the carpets then the Word of God came to him one after another. He was wonderfully saved he served the Lord Until he died. But brothers and sisters this man when he persecuted Christianity he didn't know why.

The hatred is dear death brothers and sisters. Do you think we the natural man. The sinful man could be the material for the building of the house of God less than nothing worse than nothing. Because there is opposition there the natural man does not understand God.

There is no desire for it. There is a natural opposition to it. So brothers and sisters the Bible says All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The religious the moral the high class the sinful degraded are the same no material.

For the building of the house of God when our Lord Jesus came to this earth according to the gospel of John. Why did he come to this earth? He came as a bridegroom. He came to seek for his bride. But the bride was nowhere to be seen.

All he saw the desperate The blind the deaf the cripple the dead. He must be born again. He told Nicodemus the moral the religious the teacher of the Jews. He must be born again. Do not think because you are religious your moral.

Therefore you are Almost in the kingdom of God. That's what Nicodemus thought one more step one more instruction little more education and you are in but the Lord said Very late very late. I said unto you Unless you're born of her from above you cannot see the kingdom of God.

Not only you cannot enter ye you cannot see. You do not even know anything about the kingdom of God. You haven't seen it. You must be born of the water and of the Spirit. For that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

So brothers and sisters Let us see in the building of the church the Lord said I Will build my church. Now, why did he not say that in the beginning of his ministry? Why did he say it towards the end of his ministry?

Because in the beginning of his ministry there was no ready material. No material available to build the church. He has to redeem to deliver to save people out of sin out of the world deliver them. Set them free.

Give them new life. It is a new creation. Nothing old if anyone being in Christ. There is a new creation. All things have passed away everything is new and Everything is of God. So brothers and sisters, you know That in the building of the church the skillfulness of the hand of God surpasses that In building the heavens and the earth worse than nothing and yet he is able to build something a Glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any of such sort Holy.

Do you see the skill of his hand? But that's only the beginning. We think that after we are saved and God can just go ahead and work and Finish it quick. Not so our Lord Jesus says Simon by Jonah. You are blessed.

Why? Because this is not something Show you by flesh and blood. It is my father who is in heaven who has revealed it to you. And I also said You are Peter on this rock. I will build my church. You know brothers and sisters when in the beginning Angel his brother took his older brother Simon to the Lord Jesus.

Now in John chapter 1 he said when Angel took his brother Simon to the Lord Jesus. Before Simon Was able to open his mouth now usually is the first one to open his mouth. But before he was able to open his mouth our Lord said You are Simon.

But you shall be called Peter a man made of dust Natural no matter how good your temper is. Or how bad it is. No matter who you are You are Simon the natural man the man of the flesh you shall be called Peter.

All your hope is in Peter not in Simon. He will deliver us From our natural and he will give us a new life a new creation make us a Peter a stone a different element not so loose as the earth but solid.

Something that God can build with so dear brothers and sisters. The Lord does not say you are Simon on this rock. I will build my church. He couldn't do that because Simon wouldn't be able to be Identical to that massive rock our Lord himself.

Simon is a different material polluted Defiled Sinful corrupted Opposing every step of God's Word. How can you use Simon? To build upon the rock Christ himself impossible but you are Peter and Because you're Peter.

There is something similar as our brother mentioned already last night. Our Lord himself is the Living Stone and as we come to him We all become living stones. Then build up together into a spiritual house a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, but dear brothers and sisters Even after our Lord said you are Peter.

Remember you are Peter. It is with Peter that I will build you into my church. But then in the same chapter 16 when our Lord began to reveal more To the disciples. He said I must go to Jerusalem. I will be rejected.

I Will be killed but on the third day. I will be raised from the dead. And here you are the Simon in Peter came out again. He took hold of the Lord as a Lord never. Don't do it. You don't need it. You don't need to go to the cross.

You can have the throne. It's yours and our Lord Jesus turned around and said Satan he said this were Satan. Not to Peter but to Simon because in Simon Satan has his route in Peter. There's no ground.

You're not mindful of God. You're mindful if anyone wants to follow me. Deny himself. Take up his cross and follow me dear brothers and sisters even after Simon came to the Lord. Even after he confessed the Lord and the Lord said you are now Peter but unfortunately the Simon in him still remains.

It takes more work to do you remember? Towards the very end when our Lord said I'm going to be delivered and to be killed. And you will all be scattered Simon Peter said no. Others may not I I'm willing to die with you.

And you remember our Lord Jesus said Simon he does not say Peter Peter. He says Simon. Satan wants to seek you, but I have prayed for you and when your faith is recovered. Strengthen your brethren. Dear brothers and sisters.

We do not know how much Simon we still have in us. We do not know how much of the flesh the natural that our ally of the enemy Is still in us for this to come out. For the Lord to deal with it until he could get rid of all the Simon in Peter.

All the self in Christ in us because You can never build the house of God. With Peter and Simon together. This is a spiritual principle that we need to understand. Brothers and sisters the building of the church is from the beginning to its end a Creation a new creation.

Nothing of the old Can be built into it. It is foreign. It will be rejected only that which is of Christ in us can be built Into the church how much We need to be dealt by the Spirit of God. That's why the Holy Spirit comes as our brother already mentioned The Holy Spirit who dwells in each one of us.

He is with us all the time. He would never leave us. You may grieve him you may quench him. You may disobey him. But you cannot drive him away. He is you there? Why? Because God's work has to be done.

The Holy Spirit is in charge of this work of Of Fulfilling the building of The church. That's the reason why dear brothers and sisters you find God Lead us. He allows us to enter into all kinds of situations things that we dread off.

We do not like to be in but somehow God in his wisdom Arranged our circumstances in such a way exposed to bring to our mind what we are naturally. That's the reason why God led the children of Israel into the wilderness.

His purpose is to lead them into the promised land. But when he led them out of Egypt He led them through the wilderness. Why he think that wilderness really is a waste of time in a sense it was Because they should Cross over the wilderness in two years, but unfortunately they wandered around 40 years.

But that two years was necessary. Deuteronomy 8 tell us why? Because God he test us. He knew us. But we do not know ourselves for so he test us and Bring what is within us out to the open. So we can see with our own eyes How ugly how totally?

Useless we are even Antagonistic to God and Be brought to the place Where we are willing is willing to deny himself We love ourselves. We hold on but the Lord said Let me be Everything To you because without this He is not able to build The church in the building of the church.

There is no foreign elements there very foreign element for an elephant will be rejected. Life rejects that which is Not like it. So there's so much work God has to do in each of our lives. Oh Brothers and sisters are we willing really?

To yield ourselves to the Lord and allowed him To speed up that work. So he may have the material fit To be built Into the house of God. More than that not only to each of us. There is so much work to be done To illuminate that which is of the natural of Simon and to increase That which is of Peter of Christ.

Not only a living stone all the character of our Lord Jesus is being built Into us. What a work that is. How skillful? Is he said but dear brothers and sisters There's more to that. Why because he's not building a monument with one stone?

He is building a house With all these pressure. So these stones have to fit in one with another. When Solomon built the temple in first King chapter 6 it said. During the building process there was no sound of the hammer.

Nor of X of iron. Why. Because all the materials had been pre-prepared In the quarry in the darkness a piece of these stones is cut smooth According to his number. Which stone will be On your right. Which stone will be on your left.

Which stone will be underneath you. Which stone will be above you. Every stone is prepared in Coordination with the other stones. So all those points That sticks out that will not fit in has to be cut and smooth.

Everything is done in darkness. So when they are brought to the Mount Moriah They just put one on another perfect fit. No sound. Brothers and sisters. The working of the cross is Not only Concerning each individual believer.

The working of the cross has to work in a corporate way. He it has to work in our lives so that Not only we be perfect by his grace but we be Perfected with our brothers and sisters. How much more work God has to do in us.

You know It is our strong points that we consider it is our strength. You know our spiritual strength spiritual gifts. Spirituality even that which is given to us by God it is of God. But brothers and sisters God never means That we should be independent.

He means that we have to be fitted together and work together as one needs John. John Needs Peter. No one can say I don't need The other one no matter how gifted you are. The more gifted the more dangerous you are.

And God has to deal with that. Joshua and Caleb They have an excellent spirit. They shall enter into the promised land 38 years ahead of the rest but by the grace of God They wander together With the rest so that they could go in with that new generation.

Oh brothers and sisters. That's what the overcomers are they overcome not for themselves. But for the whole church, we have to learn to bear and forbear with one another. We have to look our brother and sister as more excellent Than we are we have to humble ourselves Not only before the Lord But before our brothers and sisters.

Love Suffers long and it's kind so brothers and sisters you find Who can do such a work. God himself? Only the Lord can do it. Only the Spirit of God can do it. Nobody else can do this work. And finally there is one Phrase that came to me.

The Lord’s Patience and the Church’s Completion

2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 15. 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 15. And account the long suffering of our Lord to be Salvation. Dear brothers and sisters Think of the long suffering of our Lord. It is because of his long Suffering we have hope.

One day Brother T. Austin Sparks asked our dear brother watch money which passage in the Bible that is most difficult to fulfill and our brother said Ephesians chapter 5 a glorious church without spot or wrinkle of any of such sort Holy and without blameless.

Can you see it? Is it nearer in the eyes of the flesh? It is drifting further and farther away. No, but brothers and sisters Will he fail? He's working everywhere in this world. There are His hidden ones precious he is working silently secretly Hiddenly, but he never stopped work.

The longer I live The more I appreciate the patience of God. How he must suffer Over me all these years. If he should lose his patience I'm finished. But his grace Is still pursuing me. He will not let me go until He finishes work.

I believe with all my heart. The glorious church will appear so dear brothers and sisters We are living in a time. Everything is shaking. The Bible said not only the earth, but the heaven will be shaken.

All that can be shaken shall be shaken away So that that which is unshakable the kingdom of God Shall remain. The gates of Hades seem to swallow up, shake off. Break down What we see as the church of God He couldn't.

What he is able to break down is man's work. That which is natural of man and Brothers and sisters My cry is let it be shaken. Let it go. There's nothing To long for. That which is unshakable That which is of the new creation will appear.

Oh brothers and sisters We are approaching that day Suddenly out of nowhere. Out of almost nothing. The new Jerusalem. May we be there by his grace. Dear Heavenly Father What thou has Prepared for thy beloved son.

Thou has worked through the centuries. So is it. Oh we pray That it will be done Fulfilled Realized, finished. We acknowledge that we are the problem. Lord Will not thou take us in thy own hand Take away all the resistance oppositions foreign to thee from us and Filled us with our beloved son that he will speed up Thy work and may the bride be ready.

Come Lord Jesus.