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!!
In the Garden of Gethsemane...
When Christ prayed that He wouldn’t have to drink the bitter cup that was before Him...
But ultimately, Christ says, “However, Not My will, but YOUR will be done”...
Again, when Christ was hanging on the cross...
and all the mistreatment that He suffered beforehand...
Certainly, Christ was tested...
Certainly, He felt the weight upon His shoulders...
But praise the Lord, He faced it...
He did not crack and break...
God’s precious Cornerstone has become the Cornerstone of our faith!!
3. Cornerstone: 1 Peter 2:4-6
A. In this passage of Scripture...
Peter quotes the Isaiah Scripture and shows Christ as the fulfillment of that verse...
He says that we are all like stones...
only we are living...
and we are being built into a special house...
a spiritual house...
And, like an actual cornerstone serves as a good foundation for an actual house...
Jesus serves as the SPIRITUAL cornerstone for our SPIRITUAL house.
The church of today isn’t made of bricks and mortar...
The church of today is made of living stones...
with Jesus Christ as our Cornerstone.
When Paul portrays the church in Scripture...
He pictures it as a body...
With Christ as the Head....
Both metaphors paint the picture of Christ being the most important part of the body or the building...
But that we are all a part of it...
We are part of the body...
We are part of the building...
And when we are all working together to build God’s Kingdom...
There are no unimportant parts...
Just like all the parts of the body and building are important...
So, as we work together as the Church...
There are no important parts...
Just because I am the Pastor...
and someone else is a Teacher...
Doesn’t make me more or less important...
we all have an important part to play in the Kingdom.
Certainly we can count on Christ as the Head...
And we can count on Christ as the Cornerstone...
And hopefully, Christ can count on us too!
3. Capstone: Psalm 118:22-23
A. In Psalm 118:22, we see another engineering situation...
the reference is to a builder or architect building an arch...
And, as they are putting the stones, one on top of the other...
they come to one special stone...
but, the people who are making decisions decide to reject that stone...
they don’t feel that it is any good...
It doesn’t meet their criteria of how a building should be built...
However, This Stone is no ordinary stone!!
In fact, the Stone that these misinformed builders rejected...
This Stone has become the most important Stone in the whole building...
It has become the Capstone...
the Stone at the top of the arch...
It is the center stone that holds all the other stones into place.
B. We don’t have to wonder who this is referring to...
Because in Matthew 21:42...
And Mark 12:10...
And, Luke 20:17...
Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23 in those passages of Scripture...
And He tells us that the Jewish leaders KNEW that Jesus was talking about their rejection of Him as the Messiah!!
C. Jesus is the Capstone of our faith...
He is the One who makes the whole thing possible...
and yet, the Jewish leaders rejected Him...
They reject Christ.....
And yet, Jesus is the only thing that makes our foundation stable!
Without the capstone...the whole arch will fall.
Without Christ...the whole Church falls apart...
Conclusion
1. Well, here we are...learning our ABC’s...
When young children are starting to talk and learn new things...
The often learn their ABC’s...
Learning their ABCs is an important part of the growth and development of a child.
It sets the basis for much of what they will learn later.
2. Well, here in Scripture, we also have some ABCs...
And it doesn’t matter where you are in your spiritual walk with the Lord...
It is a good thing to know your ABC’s!!
The ABCs are foundational to a good education...
And Jesus is the foundation for a good building...
He’s been tried and tested...
He is a precious Cornerstone...
He is the cornerstone to our faith...
He is the Capstone that holds the Church together...
And if we will build our lives and our families upon the Rock of Christ Jesus...
We will see that our building with stand.
If we will place Christ as the Capstone to our home and to our lives...
We will see that our homes and our spiritual lives will stand firm and strong.
Abundant
Beginning
Capstone/Cornerstone...
Certainly a good way to start learning our ABCs!!
