The Church’s Cornerstone: Discovering Jesus as the Foundation of Faith

Some stones are useful. Others are not. My house is constructed of useful mountain stone. On the other hand, I have removed more than 1,000 pounds of useless rocks from my garden in the last 25 years.

Jesus is God’s precious living stone because He rose from the dead (1 Peter 2:4). Some find Him useful. Most don’t consider the evidence that He is God.

But all must decide about Him. We are either built upon Him or stumble over Him, with consequences in this life and forever.

Stones have a prominent place in the Bible. Jacob used one as a pillow to sleep in a place where he met God (Genesis 28:11). Later, he set it up as a pillar and poured oil on it (Genesis 28:18). He said it would be God’s house (Genesis 28:22).

That is the first time God’s dwelling place is connected with stones. Some stones were useful to God. Others were not.

The Israelites often replaced God with and worshipped sacred stones (Deuteronomy 16:22). He hated that.

On the other hand, God’s people built many God-ordained stone altars and memorials to remind them of His awesome deeds and their duty to Him (Deuteronomy 27:8, Joshua 4:20, 7:26, 8:28-29, 8:30-32, 10:27, 22:34, 24:26-27).

The Israelites used high-grade stones to build the temple where God would dwell (1 Kings 5:17). David provided resources for it (1 Chronicles 29:2).

Solomon built and adorned it with precious stones (2 Chronicles 3:6). Psalm 118:22 represents Israel as a rejected stone because powerful nations thought them unimportant. Nevertheless, it became a cornerstone of God’s work in the world.

In the New Testament, Jesus replaced Israel as the cornerstone. Most first-century religious leaders rejected Him, but the Father exalted Him (Matthew 21:42).

Jesus is a sure foundation. He is the good news that God saves sinful human beings through trust in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice (Isaiah 28:16).

Those who come to Him receive a heart of flesh to live for God as they never could with a heart of stone (Ezekiel 11:19). God’s Spirit makes it happen (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Jesus came to His people, and they rejected Him (John 1:11). He was a stone they tripped over to their ruin (Matthew 21:44-45). They stumbled over Him, trying to impress God with their goodness (Romans 9:32).

The rejected stone became the cornerstone of God’s new temple (Acts 4:11). The Romans dismantled the former temple’s stones in A.D. 70, so it was no longer Israel’s worship center.

God replaced it with the living stones of believers as His new dwelling place (Matthew 24:2, Luke 19:44). Worship now occurs everywhere where living stones worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

The living stones and the new temple continually grow as believers mature in Christ and new believers connect to Jesus (Luke 3:8, John 15:5). They offer sacrifices to God as a royal priesthood (1 Peter 1:5, Romans 12:1, Phil 4:18, Heb 13:15-16).

Everyone is either built upon Jesus or stumbles over Him, with consequences in this life and forever. How are you relating to God’s living stone? What is your takeaway?

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God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 6,090 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 14,841 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting.   https://www.christiangrowthresources.com/his-power-for-your-weakness

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