JESUS THE CARPENTER

&

WALLS THAT DIVIDE

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A Devotional In Two Parts Part One - Jesus The Carpenter

Part Two - Walls That Divide

Prepared by

James E. Barbush Thoughts Originated On August 4,1992

Made Into A Daily Devotional On January 1, 2003

Day One

JESUS THE CARPENTER

(This is Part One of a Devotional that is provided on two consecutive days.)

While driving in my car one day on the way home from work, the following questions occurred

to me (or were placed in my mind by the Lord):

In His physical life, why was Jesus employed as a CARPENTER?

In His physical life, why wasn't Jesus employed as a SHEPHERD?

I meditated on the questions and considered the following:

† Moses was a shepherd for 40 years in the desert.

† King David was a shepherd as a boy.

† A pastor in the Christian church is termed and tasked as a shepherd.

† The shepherd is a key Biblical figure.

† In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as a shepherd and Christians are referred to as

sheep (passages from the King James Version):

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that

great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory

that fades not away.

1 Peter 2:25 For you were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and

Bishop of your souls.

Moses and David of the Old Testament are types (representations) of Jesus of the New

Testament. So, why wasn't Jesus a shepherd in his physical employment on earth? Why was

Jesus a carpenter?

The answer occurred to me (or was placed there by the Lord).

Jesus was a CARPENTER by trade since He is THE BUILDER of the Church.

He is THE ONLY BUILDER of the Church.

As a Carpenter, the Master Builder shapes the pieces of wood so they will fit to make a sound

structure. There is a sequence to his operations in making a final product:

† The Carpenter has the trees cut down and the logs cut into beams and columns.

† The Carpenter cuts the beams into boards and blanks.

† The Carpenter mortises the ends of the members so they can be connected together.

† The Carpenter saws, chops, carves, shaves, and whittles the pieces so they can be fit together

tightly.

The Master Builder shapes us so we can be fit together into the Church of which He is the

cornerstone. (passages from the New Century Version):

1 Peter 2:5-6 You also are like living stones, so let yourselves be used to build a spiritual

temple - to be holy priests who offer spiritual sacrifices to God. He will accept

those sacrifices through Jesus Christ. The Scripture says:

"I will put a stone in the ground in Jerusalem. Everything will be built

on this important and precious rock. Anyone who trusts in him will

never be disappointed.”

Ephesians 2:20-21 You are like a building that was built on the foundation of the apostles and

prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in that building, and

that whole building is joined together in Christ. He makes it grow and become a

holy temple in the Lord.

Do you feel that you are being reshaped into something that God wants you to be? Do you feel

that God, in Christ, is cutting off certain aspects of your life, carving your life and changing it

from what He wants you to be? Do you feel that God is smoothing your rough edges so that you

can not be offensive to other people? Do you feel that God is making us into a fine piece of

finished work? Does the process hurt a bit?

Prayer: Lord, help us to be willing to be shaped into a building that is joined together in Christ.

Help us to endure the pruning as you shape us into the living stones that you want us to be. Help

us to be aware that all you work on us is for the purpose of building Your Holy Temple. We

look forward to being united in Your Holy Temple.

Day Two

WALLS THAT DIVIDE (This is Part Two of a Devotional that is provided on two consecutive days.)

We spoke yesterday that Jesus, the Carpenter, is the builder of the Church. But at times, there

are people in the church from which we seem to be disconnected. We can’t seem to develop a

meaningful relationship, though we may have tried. What keeps us separated?

In spite of the Carpenter's desire and goal to build a united Church, there are many Christians

who, along the way, become isolated members of the Church. They have a wall built around

them that keeps them separated from other members of the Church. When this wall is in place,

the Carpenter cannot shape the member to effectively fit with other members. Therefore, the

member stays isolated and might not be effectively used in the construction of God’s building.

The member is isolated by a wall that surrounds him. However, the member can be set free from

the wall that surrounds him and keeps him isolated from other church members.

The first step is to recognize the following: The wall is transparent. The wall has no substance.

The wall has no foundation. The wall is a lie placed there by Satan. The Christian can picture

this wall as a stone wall that he can see through to other Church members. The wall does not set

into the ground, since it has no foundation. Though the wall appears to be stone, the Christian

can see through it and does not have to beat on the wall to try and knock it down.

The next step is for the Christian to reach through the transparent wall with his arm and hand,

and touch the Christian that he feels separated from; then, confess that the wall separating the

two Christians is going to come down. The Christian then prays, believes God for freedom, and

waits. See if the wall is removed without a stressful, mental battle against a spiritual foe. Glory

to Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

After removal of the transparent wall that is a lie of Satan and is without substance and

foundation, the Carpenter can continue working (sawing, chopping, carving, shaving, chiseling,

and whittling) on the disciple, and connect the disciple to the other disciples that he was isolated

from. The Carpenter will continue to construct a Church that is united in Christ.

Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

The Carpenter will continue to construct a church that will ultimately be without spot or wrinkle.

Ephesians 5:24-27 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be subject to their

own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and

gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that

he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but

that it should be holy and without blemish. (King James Version)

Though this passage compares marriage to the relationship between Christ and the Church, it

also speaks of Christ’s completion of a Church that is glorious.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the walls that surround us and keep us from being united to other

Christians in the building of Your Church. Help us to see that the walls are made of Satan’s lies

and they have no substance, have no foundation, and are transparent. Help us to reach out to

other Christians so that the walls will come tumbling down and You will continue Your work in

placing us as living stones into Your Holy Temple. We look forward to being united in Your

Glorious and Holy Temple.