C Is For Capstone Series

Introduction

1. (email funny)

2. ABC’s and XYZ’s of the Bible....

Does anyone remember what A was for? (Abundant)

B is for Beginning

C is for Cornerstone/Capstone...

Someone requested “commitment”...

But, did you realize that the word “commitment” is not in the Bible (NIV or KJV)?

3. From Wikipedia.com:

A cornerstone is a ceremonial masonry stone, or facsimile, set in a prominent location on the outside of a building, with an inscription on the stone indicating the construction dates of the building and the names of architect, builder and other significant individuals. The ceremony of laying a cornerstone is an important cultural component of western architecture (See also foundation stone).

Some cornerstones include time capsules from the time a particular building was built. The origins of this tradition are vague but its presence in Judeo-Christian countries can be associated with one quotation from the Old Testament (Ps 118:22) cited four times in the New Testament (Mt 21:42,Mk 12:10, Act 4:11 and 1Pe 2:7).

Also from Wikipedia:

The capstone is the highest rock or mount of a structure. Often they have "doorways", the capstone would lock or wedge the rest of the rocks tightly together, giving strength, much like a wedge when driven into a tight spot. In an arch, the capstone, or sometimes called the keystone, holds the arch together. It is a key formation in the structure of megalithic tombs.

4. Show photos of cornerstones and capstones.

Body

1. Cornerstone: Job 38:1-6

A. Here, God is speaking to Job...

in a sense, He is reprimanding him for his attitude...

He asks Job a bunch of questions that there is no way that Job could know the answers...

And in verse 6, God asks Job...”Who laid the cornerstone of the earth’s foundation?”...

Which is a rhetorical question...

Because both Job...

and, you and I know who laid the cornerstone of the earth’s foundation...

God did.

B. One of the points that God seems to be making here is...

when we find ourselves faced with difficult times in life...

and we all have those times at one time or another...

certainly it is okay to ask God questions...

We see throughout Scripture where people asked God questions about what they were facing...and it was okay...

Even Jesus Himself asked God why He had forsaken Him...

But, the point is...what is our ATTITUDE during those difficult times...

Even in the midst of the difficulties of life...

we need to remember our position to God...

God is high, holy, Creator of heaven and earth...

and we are NOT God...

Just like Job...We weren’t there when God laid the cornerstone of the earth.

So, even in the midst of difficulty...

even in the midst of our questions and our uncertainty...

there are some things that we CAN be certain of...

one of those is “God is in control”...

Like we looked at last week...

God was there in the beginning...

He didn’t begin, at the beginning...

He was already there...

He holds this world together...

So, if God can lay the cornerstone upon which the whole world depends for its support...

God can certainly hold together your life and your situation.

2. Cornerstone: Isaiah 28:16

A. In this verse, again, God is speaking...

He make 5 statements about the cornerstone in this verse.

First, He says that He laid a stone in Zion...

2nd, It was a tested stone...

3rd, It was a precious cornerstone...

4th, This cornerstone provides a sure foundation...

5th, And if you trust in this “cornerstone” you will never be dismayed...

Certainly it should come as no surprise that commentators indicate that this is prophesy about Jesus Christ...the Messiah.

B. If you were going to build a building...

you would want to build on a strong foundation...

Picture the cheerleaders at some college football game...

when they are building pyramid...

do they put the smallest girls on the bottom?...

putting the bigger girls and men on the top?...

No...that would be a recipe for disaster!!

They start with the biggest and strongest people on the bottom...

and putting the smallest person at the top...

In the same way, God says that He lays a Cornerstone that is strong and sure...

That’s Jesus...

God also says He is a PRECIOUS Cornerstone...

Obviously, Jesus is very precious to God...

God says that He is a TESTED Cornerstone...

I imagine that the bottom of that pyramid is TESTED...

It has the weight of all the rest of the people above bearing down upon those people on the bottom row...

in the same way, I would think an architect would start with the strongest brick and block when he is designing a building...

Christ was tested...

He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders...

We see glimpses when the pressure was almost too great!!