04.19. SHADOW: Cornerstone- Foundation for the future

SHADOW: The Chief Cornerstone - Foundation for the Future Ephesians 2:19-22 AUDIO http://www.exposingtheword.com/SHADOWS/MP3s%20Shadows/18%20Shadow-Chief%20Cornerstone.mp3

We are a few days into the New Year. Most resolutions have been broken or at least bent by this time. The future if you listen to the talking heads on the TV is bleak and the very foundation of our economy is shaken, and we all know "it’s the economy stupid" as James Carvel said. But what about the future for the Christian? Should we be so soon shaken? Should we throw up our hands and declare that all is hopeless? What is the foundation on which we can stand. I have told Dakota Hill many times as he has faced things in life to simply say, "I’m standing on the Rock and the Rock won’t roll." Today we are going to see the foundation for the future, the immediate future as well as long term. Today we look at the Shadow of the Chief Cornerstone, the foundation for the future. When builders build anything, the most important thing is the foundation on which the building will rest. If the foundation is faulty then the building will not stand over time. Ephesians 2:19-22 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

I- The Chief Cornerstone As we begin our look at the Chief Cornerstone we must first begin with the rejected stone. Psalms 118:22-23 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. 23 This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. The stone here certainly is the Lord Jesus and the Jews are the builders that rejected the stone. They refused to accept Him and cast Him aside but God made Him the Chief Cornerstone. The cornerstone in ancient time was the stone on which all of the foundation would be tied to and laid upon. It literally gave support to the entire building. There were at least four cornerstones in most buildings but notice that the foreshadowing further defined as being "Chief" Cornerstone. The beginning of the foundation. There is not doubt that Jesus is this Chief Cornerstone. Peter preaching to the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:10-11 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Others see this Chief Cornerstone as being the capstone that finished off the top of the wall. This stone linked the entire wall together at the top. Deduction from this we see that Jesus is literally pictured for us as the beginning and the end, the Bibles says, "the Alpha and Omega." He is the Beginning of Creation as Creator. He is the head of the church. He is the one on which all of our faith rests as well as the one exalted above all others. He is the one who is the foundation of our hope for eternity by faith in Him. Peter when on to say in Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. We need not worry about the future if our foundation is the Lord Jesus. We are told that there is no other foundation that is sure and that our foundation should be Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. Our text says in Ephesians 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. It is upon the foundation of Christ that the church stands together in Christ. I remind us that we, not the building are the church. Our spiritual building is anchored and foundational in Christ.

II- Old Testament Foundation:

I called this second point Old Testament Foundation without any intent of a pun. The foundation, the base the groundwork for Christ being the Chief Cornerstone is found in the Old Testament. Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Isaiah 28:16 is quoted two different times in the New Testament. 1 Peter 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. The Old Testament foretold or foreshadowed the one who would come and told us that faith was the key to resting on the foundation. When the Old Testament temple foundation was laid for the second temple, remember Solomon’s had been destroyed they celebrated. Ezra 3:10-11 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. Now allow me to make an important observation. We need to celebrate and not sit on our hands when the Chief Cornerstone is laid as a foundation of someone’s life. We need to celebrate when someone comes to Christ. The celebration here was for the foundation of the temple being laid. When someone accepts Christ, they become the temple of God.

III- The Stumbling Stone: The second place that Isaiah 28:16 is quoted is in Romans 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Isaiah also spoke of the stumbling stone in Isaiah 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Oh, yes we know that the world has rejected Christ and Him being the one sure foundation of life as true but that does not diminish the truthfulness of it. It’s kind of like the little boy building castles in the sand. On the East Coast there was a boy who spent many Summer hours on the shore working on intricate sand castles; whole cities would appear beneath his hands. One year, for several days in a row, he was bothered by bullies who smashed his creations. Finally he tried an experiment: he placed cinder blocks, rocks, and chunks of concrete in the base of his castles. Then he built his sand kingdoms on top of the rocks. When the local toughs appeared, he disappeared and watched from behind a sand dune as they swung their bare feet at his creations. You should have heard those bullies howl in pain. But from then on, because of the foundation, his sand castles were safe from those bullies. Many people see the church in grave peril from a variety of dangers: secular humanism, worldliness, heresy, or plain old sin. They decry her condition and worry about her state. But they forget that the church is built upon a rock, a secure foundation - and that Rock is Christ . Therefore, not even the gates of hell can prevail against her. Christ is going to stand when all are done kicking the sand castles down. As a matter of fact this Stone is going to crush all the other kingdoms of the world. Jesus said in Luke 20:18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. This is a prophetic statement as we see from Daniel. Nebuchanezzar the King of Babylon had a dream of a giant statue. Daniel 2:32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. ....35 and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. The stone that the builders rejects has indeed become the Chief Cornerstone. The one who will ultimately rule over all the kingdoms of men. To reject the Cornerstone is to resist any future building upon it. Beloved we must be certain that we are building on Him and not on us. We must be certain we do things within His power and not our own. We must build on Him and not us. To reject the Cornerstone is to reject the only foundation for salvation given by God. To reject the Cornerstone to reject the foundation for the future. Have you placed your trust for the future on the rock, are you standing on the Rock that won’t role?