May 31, 2026 Service - "Living Stones

May 31, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: From Barren Salt to Swarming Life: The River’s Transformative Power

Ezekiel’s vision of a river flowing from God’s temple turns death into life—saltwater becomes fresh, dead seas swarm with fish, and trees bear fruit year-round. This image offered exiles hope that God’s presence would restore their broken world. The river’s deepening waters invite surrender to currents beyond human control, trusting divine transformation even in desolate places. Where God’s life flows, healing follows. [27:28]

Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side. Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
(Ezekiel 47:1–12, ESV)

Reflection: What barren or “salty” area of your life or community needs the river of God’s healing? How might surrendering to His currents look different than forcing your own solutions?

Day 2: The Unseen Glory: When Temples Hold Empty Air

The rebuilt temple’s dedication ceremony ended in weeping—no fire from heaven, no cloud of glory. Stone walls stood hollow. For 500 years, God’s presence seemed absent until Jesus declared Himself the true temple. Sometimes what we build for God remains empty until Christ becomes the center. True worship flows not from human effort but divine indwelling. [30:50]

“Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking about the temple of his body.”
(John 2:19–21, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you expected God’s presence in human structures (programs, traditions, buildings) only to find emptiness? How does Jesus as the true temple reshape your approach to worship?

Day 3: Wind, Fire, and Foreign Tongues: God’s Presence Unleashed

Pentecost’s roaring wind and flaming tongues over ordinary people fulfilled Ezekiel’s vision—God’s river now flowed through human vessels. Fishermen declared Christ’s victory in languages they’d never learned. The Spirit turns timid hearts into bold witnesses, proving God dwells not in stone but surrendered lives. [35:07]

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
(Acts 2:1–4, ESV)

Reflection: What ordinary part of your life might the Spirit want to set ablaze with His purpose? How does Pentecost challenge your view of “qualified” witnesses?

Day 4: Living Stones Shaped by Pressure, Fit for Glory

Ancient temple stones were split from cliffs by water-expanded logs—pressure preparing them for sacred use. Peter calls believers “living stones” shaped through life’s fractures and strains. Our rough edges and scars become holy mortar when surrendered to the Master Builder’s design. [48:27]

“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
(1 Peter 2:5, ESV)

Reflection: What current pressure or past fracture in your story might God be using to shape you for His temple? How could your “rough edges” actually help another believer fit into Christ’s body?

Day 5: Bouncing Balls in Unison vs. Stones Alive with Love

The dystopian vision of identical boys bouncing balls in lockstep warns against mistaking uniformity for unity. God’s temple thrives on diversity—Republicans/Democrats, old/young, saints/skeptics—bound by love, not sameness. Unity celebrates how the Spirit fits incongruent lives into a mosaic of grace. [51:47]

“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
(1 Corinthians 3:16–17, NLT)

Reflection: Which relationship in your church family most stretches your capacity to love? How might embracing this “ill-fitting stone” actually strengthen Christ’s temple?

Sermon Summary

Ezekiel’s river stands in the foreground, a stream that starts at the temple threshold and deepens until it cannot be crossed, turning the Dead Sea fresh and planting fruit trees whose leaves heal. Exile hears that picture as a promise of abundance, transformation, nourishment, and healing. Yet the rebuilt temple in Ezra’s day draws no cloud, no fire, no visible glory, only the sob of those who remembered. The question rises and lingers. Where is the Lord, and where is that river supposed to flow?

Jesus answers by calling his own body the temple. John points to him as the dwelling of God, and Jesus calls himself the source of living water, a spring that becomes eternal life inside those who drink. The risen Christ meets Mary, Thomas, and Peter, then tells his friends to wait. The Father will send the promised gift. At Pentecost the wind roars, fire hovers, and many tongues tell one gospel. Jesus is alive. Jesus is Lord. Jesus forgives sins. Jesus offers abundant, eternal life.

Acts shows the temple growing, not by stones stacked in Jerusalem, but by the Spirit filling ordinary people and pushing living water outward to the ends of the earth. Paul says, y’all together are God’s temple. The Spirit dwells in y’all. Each believer is indwelt, yet something new is born together. A holy place forms where God lives, and God guards this temple fiercely. In Ephesians, Christ the cornerstone holds the structure true while the Spirit carefully joins Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, old and young into one house. The mission is connection to Jesus and to one another, not a club or a voting bloc, but a dwelling.

Peter calls the church living stones and holy priests. Living stones bear rough edges and odd angles, shaped by pressure and pain, trimmed to fit neighbors, held in place by love. Unity is not uniformity. Not brick-on-brick sameness, not the dead rhythm of a street where every door opens at the same second. The only power stronger than that kind of control is love. The Spirit’s fruit makes a people able to disagree honestly without devouring each other. Love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control turn a scattered pile into a temple that holds.

The temple’s unity is the testimony. A shrill world hears one clear song when living stones settle next to each other in grace. Holy priests become bridge builders. The river runs again. Dead things live. Living water flows, and a thirsty town learns that God is here.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus stands as the true temple Jesus, not a building, holds the glory and pours out living water that never runs dry. His body is the dwelling of God, and from him the river of life moves into people who come thirsty. Any return to mere place or nostalgia misses the Person who replaces the stone house. The way to that temple is faith, not geography. [32:27]
2. The Spirit forms a living temple The Spirit indwells individuals and also binds them together into one holy dwelling. Y’all together become the place where God is encountered, guarded by God’s own zeal. That togetherness is not sentimental; it is a Spirit-made reality that reshapes loyalties and habits. A people stitched by the Spirit becomes the sign that Jesus reigns. [40:31]
3. Unity rejects uniformity’s counterfeit Uniformity flattens difference and demands control, but unity receives difference and makes music out of it. The Spirit does not stamp bricks; he fits living stones. True unity protects space for honest conflict while refusing contempt. Love, not sameness, holds the lines true. [50:33]
4. Pressure shapes stones fit for love God uses weight, water, and time to form a people who can bear weight together. Personal pain becomes chiseling that helps a life interlock with neighbors for strength, not isolation. That shaping is not wasted; it becomes shelter for the weak and witness to the skeptical. The seams where lives meet are the places love is seen. [49:20]
5. Priests build bridges through witness A priest is a bridge builder, carrying living water into dry places. Unity and love give that bridge its span, so the gospel can travel across divides of politics, status, and story. When a church lives as one house, neighbors feel a door open to God. The message rides on the architecture. [55:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:17] - Recap and the big story
[26:58] - Ezekiel’s river and exile hope
[29:53] - Second temple without glory
[32:27] - Jesus the true temple, living water
[33:46] - Resurrection meetings and the wait
[34:52] - Pentecost wind, fire, many tongues
[36:27] - One gospel in every language
[37:49] - Spirit in ordinary people
[39:24] - Temple spreads to the nations
[40:31] - Y’all together are God’s temple
[44:12] - Christ the cornerstone, diverse house
[47:34] - Living stones shaped to fit
[50:33] - Unity, not uniformity
[55:49] - Priests as bridge builders and sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Peter 2:5 (ESV)
“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV)
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

Observation Questions

In Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 47), the river flowing from the temple brings life to the Dead Sea. What specific transformations does this river cause, and how does this connect to Jesus’ claim about being the source of “living water”? [32:27]
According to 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, who is included in “you” when Paul says, “you are God’s temple”? How does this differ from earlier understandings of God’s dwelling place? [40:31]
The sermon contrasts “unity” and “uniformity.” What examples or metaphors are used to explain this difference? [50:33]

Interpretation Questions

Why does the Holy Spirit’s work in forming the church as a temple require both individual believers and their collective unity? How does this reflect God’s character?
The metaphor of “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5) implies that believers are shaped by “pressure and pain” [49:20]. How might hardships prepare us to “fit together” with others in the church?
The sermon states, “Unity is not uniformity… Love, not sameness, holds the lines true.” How does this redefine what it means to be “one” as a church? [50:33]

Application Questions

The church is described as “living stones” with “rough edges” that must be shaped to fit others. What “rough edges” (habits, attitudes, or preferences) do you sense God might be smoothing in you to better love your church family? [49:20]
Think of a recent disagreement or tension in your relationships (in or outside the church). How could the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23) turn that moment into an opportunity to reflect God’s unity?
The sermon says holy priests are “bridge builders” who carry living water to dry places. What is one practical way you could build a bridge this week with someone who feels distant from God or the church? [55:49]
Reflect on your church community: Where do you see diversity (e.g., age, background, opinions) strengthening unity instead of weakening it? How can you celebrate that?
The rebuilt temple in Ezra’s day lacked visible glory, leaving people asking, “Where is the Lord?” How can your daily life or words help others see that “God is here” through His Spirit-filled church? [38:48]

Sermon Clips

42s

#TempleNotASocialClub

“We are the temple, the church, and this temple is holy. We are not accidental. We are not a social club. We are not a special interest group. We are not a political voting bloc. We are a holy temple sealed together by the spirit of God. Paul says, and God will destroy anyone who destroys the temple. Buyer beware. That is serious language that indicates how protective God feels about his church.”

38s

#PentecostFilledPresence

“How would we now answer the question we've been asking about Ezekiel's temple, the place where God lives, the place where people can encounter God's actual presence? At one point, it was the tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. Later, it was the temple in Jerusalem. In first century Palestine, it was Jesus, the son of God. And when Jesus ascends into the heavens, he sends his spirit at Pentecost to fill his people, his new temple.”

50s

#SpiritUnityWitness

“Our unity as a church body of believers filled with the spirit is our testimony to the shrill, screaming, outraged world around us that Jesus is alive. Jesus is Lord. Jesus forgives our sins. Jesus offers abundant eternal life. The same message that the believers received and passed on at Pentecost two thousand years ago. Peter, who spoke to the crowds at Pentecost and preached with such conviction that 3,000 people gave their lives that day to following Jesus. Peter writes that we are holy priests in this temple of living stones.”

58s

#BridgeBuildersInCommunity

“The Latin word for priest is pontifex, and it means bridge builder. We are called to be bridge builders in Reedsport and Gardner and Winchester Bay and Lakeside through the unity and love that binds us together in this holy temple beyond all odds and all human expectations. Jesus came to make dead things live. Living water, living stones, this living temple created by the Holy Spirit, the church that connects us together in a way which defies human expectations. May we now preserve and deepen our unity so that we can test ify as holy priests to the amazing love of Jesus that holds us together.”

58s

#FruitOfTheSpiritLiving

“But unity does mean that every interaction must be infused with the fruit of the Holy Spirit that Paul writes about in Galatians. Love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Brothers and sisters, fellow living stones in this holy temple, this is not what we are taught on cable news. is not what we soak up on social media. Our culture is screaming the opposite at us from all sides, But God's holy spirit is speaking to us today in tongues of fire, in a rushing wind, in a still small voice.”

49s

#DiverseHolyTemple

“These aren't all necessarily the people you would choose to spend all your spare time with, And yet, still, here we are, mysteriously joined together by the spirit to form a holy temple of God. Not a social club, not a special interest group, not a voting block, a holy temple of God brought together by the spirit that descended on Pentecost. Our spring cleaning day yesterday blessed me with the same kind of diversity we've been talking about, older and younger. I think we had 18 to 88 years, probably, male and female, a beautiful snapshot of this holy temple.”

41s

#PressedIntoLivingStones

“We can probably all testify to similar shaping in our lives, pressure and pain, both external and internal, that have made us who we are, that have shaped us into the kind of living stones God can use to create his holy temple alongside the other living stones that have also gone through their own pressure and pain. Living stones that must tilt and angle and accommodate to our neighbors to form this intricate cohesive structure of his temple.”

44s

#CollectivelyGodsTemple

“Let's just think about that for a moment. At Pentecost, each believer received the Holy Spirit, the very spirit of God. These ordinary people were empowered. They are suddenly each a temple of the living God. But Paul is saying, yes, each of you individually receives the spirit, but something else happens collectively when individuals receive the spirit. They, we, y'all, are now collectively the temple of God, the place where God lives. It is a holy place, and we together are that temple.”

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May 31, 2026 Service - "Living Stones

Devotional

Day 1: From Barren Salt to Swarming Life: The River’s Transformative Power

Day 2: The Unseen Glory: When Temples Hold Empty Air

Day 3: Wind, Fire, and Foreign Tongues: God’s Presence Unleashed

Day 4: Living Stones Shaped by Pressure, Fit for Glory

Day 5: Bouncing Balls in Unison vs. Stones Alive with Love

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

May 31, 2026 Service - "Living Stones

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