Voice Note:

Transcript: [00:00] Hi. Okay, thank you for listening today I was going to talk about some imagery that we can use in our meditation time.

It helps us to learn about, in terms of processing our environment, it helps us to have this imagery of where we are and what’s going on. And in the timeline of history, we’re living in between Jesus’ ascension and his return. And again, we can’t know when his return is going to happen. But this is the environment that we’re in, or this is imagery that can help us to know um So, there was one that was from a Spurgeon sermon I would have to find um which sermon it was it’s from it uses imagery from Song of Solomon where Jesus is riding in a royal carriage. um again, I think it was in the Spurgeon sermon where he was emphasizing that this world Remember, we’re living in nighttime, so it’s a world that’s still in darkness. We go through this life, it’s nighttime, and then heaven is the dawning of eternal day. He also uses the imagery from the Bible of this world being a wilderness. So when you become a Christian, it’s like getting into that royal carriage with Jesus and then he’s guiding you through or driving you through this world. It’s um Actually, the carriage I think is one that does not have wheels like that…it would have just those posts that people are carrying someone in a carriage. But when I was working with the imagery, I saw one, like a carriage with wheels on it. I think it’s okay to think of it that way. Just for the purpose of imagery. It would, uh…It’s important to be accurate, but I think also that like for this, just for some reason, if it has wheels on it, you feel that motion with that. And these are things that can help you.

Like for me, you can feel that motion, like movement, you’re going through life. Right now I’m having trouble with circulation, and I’m also physically limited, so…This imagery can help you get that energy flowing that you’re moving even if you can’t physically be moving around as much. So there’s that image that’s really helpful.

Um also remembering that we’re going through a wilderness.

The world is still largely in darkness. Jesus is that light shining into the darkness. So we’re in that carriage with him, that royal carriage. And He’s driving us through this world.

Another image is from John Gill’s book called Doctrinal Divinity.

I can’t remember exactly which section that’s in in that book He does a lot of chapters talking about the end times. It might be in there. As again, I’ve done other voice notes talking about feeling the stress of concern about the end of the world. Again, we can’t know when it will be. But the imagery that we’re working with now applies to all Christians that have lived since

Jesus ascension, this is how we’re supposed to be living this is imagery to work with, as we cannot know when those things will happen, when the end of the world will happen.

But this is how we’re supposed to be living. Seeing ourselves going through that wilderness with Jesus and proclaiming the gospel. And there’s this other process going on that John Gill was talking about of people being brought into the church. [05:00] He’s…um…There’s a Bible verse that talks about living stones. It’s 1 Peter 2:4 and 5, “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

So the imagery from that verse is that we are living stones.

being built up as a spiritual house of God. And I think it’s in John Gill’s book that he explains that you start out as a just a stone, then you’re made alive in Christ when you’re regenerated. you’re made into this living stone, and you’re put into this temple. So he’s using this imagery of God’s building a spiritual house or temple…It’s metaphorical or symbolic, not literal. So this is something where we’re envisioning a concept, it’s still not figments of our imagination. And I’m just clarifying that this one is symbolic in heaven so like when we’re on earth going through the world With Jesus in that carriage, if someone responds to the gospel…They’re saved. They’re turned into that. They go from being a stone to be a living stone and they’re put into that temple. and the imagery is there you can see that being built in the sky. What John Gill was saying is that… That temple’s being built, and then after the last stone is put in it,

The last person that’s going to believe in Jesus believes in Him, Then that temple’s complete, and Jesus returns sometime after that.

I’m talking from memory here from what I had read, so I hope I’m saying correctly what he had said. But there’s this imagery.

There. So what we’re doing, we’re in that carriage with Jesus going through the wilderness and the darkness of this world.

You’re shining the light. when people respond to it… They believe in Jesus. They’re transformed into the living stone, They’re regenerated, and they’re put into that temple. So it just helps give your mind A concept to think on. What am I doing today? Where are we? What are we? What are we here for? Well, you’re shining that light. When people believe, then they’re made into a living stone, put into that symbolic, you know, Temple. And when that’s completed…we can’t know when that will be or who the last person is that’s going to believe. But sometime after that, Jesus returns.

You’ve probably heard the hymn Blessed Assurance. In there, Fanny Crosby talks about, we’re watching and waiting, looking above. So that’s what we’re doing in the Christian life now with where we are on the timeline. We’re watching and waiting, looking above…waiting for His return. So it really helps to spend time meditating on that. Of just… Again, you’re seeing that temple being built. You think about how many stones are already there…everyone who’s ever believed in Jesus would be a part of that and that includes all of us that are still alive we’re living stones metaphorically in that temple. So it’s just powerful imagery to use. And again, it can help get that energy flowing that I’m having trouble with circulation, but it can help feel

motion, movement, what we’re working on, that process is taking place. and it can help us be comforted by it. Remembering that we know the verse saying that , “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” So remembering what that means as he’s saving us out of this world of darkness, this fallen world…That’s corrupted by that influence of sin. Where… Uh…people grow old and pass away or have illnesses and um that happens with animals and it happens in the creation, you know, that decaying influence where Plants die. Trees die. There’s death. Sin brought in death.

And so God’s saving us out of this world. We’re living stones in that spiritual house. And our reward is that we get to go to heaven to live with Jesus forever.

So, again, thank you for listening. I hope you find that imagery helpful, and I’ll post again sometime soon.