The Precious Cornerstone

Well, let’s take our Bibles and turn again to 1 Peter chapter 2.

Well, last time we left it at 2:3, and we noticed that Christian growth begins with a taste—the taste he refers to in the third verse: “now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” That taste, we said, was a life-giving taste and also a life-changing taste. We noted that the taste was personal but that it wasn’t private. It was personal insofar as we must individually come to Christ. It was not private insofar as we have the responsibility, then, to speak for Christ.

And as he comes to the fourth verse, Peter changes metaphors. And as he begins to pick up on this new metaphor, he further reminds his readers that although they have come to Christ singly, that they do not live in him separately. And in this section, beginning with verse 4 and through to about the tenth verse, Peter provides for us another description of what it means to become a Christian and, at the same time, the implications of having done so.

And in this section, he also provides us with clear instruction as to the nature and function of the church. And that is, of course, very, very helpful. Because as we think of church and the notions which are prevalent in our society and even within the confines of those who regard themselves as members of a church, there is so much that is confusing. As children, one of the things we learn is that little hand movement about “Here’s the church, and here’s the steeple, and look inside, and see all the people.” And so we begin to grow up with the notion that the church is a building, and it has a certain architectural style, and it is located in a certain place. As we go on from that, we discover that that is not actually the case, but nevertheless, we often slip back into forgetfulness. And so it is that as the world looks on and thinks of the church, it thinks of buildings. And consequently, the phraseology that is used is misguided at best. People say, “Are you going to church?” or “Did you attend church this Sunday?” when in point of fact, those are really alien questions when you consider what Peter is saying here in these verses. And what we’re going to discover this morning is that Peter doesn’t speak about attending church; he speaks about being church. And he talks about a building which is very, very different from that which pervades most of our minds.

The Description of Jesus

Now, what I’d like to do is try and gather our study around three headings—first of all, by noticing the description of Jesus which these verses provide. As you go through this, you might do well to have your finger in the opening chapters of the Acts of the Apostles as well, because there’s a sense in which, as you listen to Peter here, it’s almost as though he’s quoting from his own early sermon material. And I’m going to illustrate that at least in passing.

First of all, Jesus is described here in verse 4 as “the living Stone.” “The living Stone.” We’re all aware of statues and great shrines that have been erected to religious figures in the past. And indeed, we can go throughout the world and find people embodied in marble. And yet the wonder of Christian proclamation is this: that unlike a Buddha, who may be enshrined in marble or in granite, Jesus Christ will never be found explained in those terms, because this Jesus, whom we worship this morning, is in fact “the living Stone.”

And it was this truth which transformed the disciples after the events of Calvary. You remember how John describes for us—and you can read it, actually, in John 20:19—that the disciples were so overcome and so discouraged by the events of Good Friday that they had gathered by themselves away from all the proceedings, away from everybody else. And in John 20:19, it’s recorded for us that “on the evening of [the] first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews…” So, here they were: Eastertime, and this band of people who had followed in the train of Christ, who had seen his miraculous powers, who had heard his words had all got together in a little group hidden away in case, just possibly, the same event should follow them as had impacted Jesus Christ.

Now, I ask you this morning, those of you who are on the questioning fringes of faith: To what do you attribute the radical transformation between the disciples’ cowardly hiding in a corner and Peter on the streets of Jerusalem in Acts chapter 2 declaring to these same Jews, of whom only days before he’d been afraid, in verse 24, “But God raised [Jesus] from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him”? Verse 15 of chapter 3: “You,” he says to these same Jewish people, “killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. [And] we are witnesses of this.” And since you’re so concerned about how this crippled man is walking and running and jumping all around Jerusalem, he said, “[You might as well know:] by faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” So the first thing that we discover here this morning—that we need to affirm, that ought to give courage and strength to us as we face the challenges of this Easter week—is that Jesus Christ is “the living Stone”; that he is living because he is resurrected from the dead. And this transformation was what put strength in the backbone of Peter.

Secondly, we’re told that he is “chosen by God” and that he is “precious to” God. That’s still in verse 4. We’ve already seen that the work of redemption was conceived in eternity. You’ll notice 1:20: “He”—Jesus—“was chosen before the creation of the world.” And now, again, Peter uses this same word: he’s “rejected by men,” but he’s “chosen by God.”

This is not something that we ought just to skim over. This is a reminder to us of the eternity of Christ—that he, along with the Father and the Spirit, are coequal in all of eternity and that, as we said a couple of Sundays ago, somehow, in the mystery of it all, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit entered into a covenant, as it were, with one another. And the Father said to the Son, “Now, Son, you are going to be the Savior.” And the Son, submitting to the Father’s purposes, proceeds down that road. And it is because of that that Peter is able to say of Jesus, “This Jesus is the chosen one.”

The Old Testament is replete with references to the chosen one of God. And the people of Israel used to look on and wonder how this would form up. And finally, in the one who came on that Palm Sunday, riding on a donkey, there was the answer to their question. The final piece in the jigsaw began to come together. And they saw this Jesus riding on a donkey. This was the one: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[1] This was the chosen one of God. And yet they rejected him. And make no mistake about it this morning, dear ones: if Jesus Christ were to ride down Euclid Avenue on a donkey this afternoon, people would not receive him any more than they did then. They would still reject him, even seeing him in all of his glory. But that does not alter his position before the Father, “chosen by God” and “precious to” God.

Precious to the Father. You’ve got children? You know what it is for them to be precious to you. Do not let us denude the familial relationship of the Trinity of its truth. When God looked from heaven and he saw his Son, Jesus, at his baptism, do you remember what he said? “That’s my boy! This is my beloved Son. Listen to him! This is my beloved Son. In him I am well pleased. I love him. He has been chosen by me, and he is precious to me.”[2]

All habits need not be bad habits. The forming of holy habits is vital to spiritual growth and maturity.

And you see, it was this truth which, of course, underpinned all that Christ was and did. When he arrives in Nazareth and he goes into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, Luke records for us, with great eye for detail—Doctor Luke, 4:18—that Jesus, having gone into the synagogue, “as was his custom…”[3] Yes, there was habit in Jesus’ life. It was his habit to go to the synagogue. All habits need not be bad habits. The forming of holy habits are vital to spiritual growth and maturity. And “as was his custom,” he arrived, “and he stood up to read.” Luke 4:17: “[And] the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.” We’re not told whether he asked for it. He likely didn’t. It would be in the process of their normal reading procedure. And so he takes it, and “unrolling it, he found the place where it is written”—quoting from Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
 because he has anointed me
 to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
 and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Well-known words to the group gathered in the synagogue that day. Yes, they knew that there was one who would come who would be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. How they must have marveled as they looked at one another and said, “Isn’t it interesting that Jesus would read this section from Isaiah [61]?”

Well, they hadn’t heard just the wonder of what was about to fall upon their ears. Verse 20: “Then he rolled up the scroll,” he “gave it back to the attendant,” and he “sat down.” Now, you see, the scribe always sat down to teach. He had stood up to read the Word. Now he sat down to teach. And they wondered what he’s going to say. And so Luke says, “[And] the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.” Great word! They were absolutely wired in: “Now what? Now what will he say?” Verse 21: “And he [said] to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in you hearing.’”

And the monotheistic Jew said, “The carpenter from Galilee? Jesus of Nazareth? Somebody who actually lived here?” And the only explanation is in Peter’s description of him this morning here in 1 Peter 2:4. He’s not only “the living Stone”; he is “chosen by God,” and he is “precious to” God. Let the world say what it likes about Christianity. Let the world pontificate in all of the stuff you’ll read this week in the Newsweeks and in the Time magazines. And someone will doubtless… You’ll read stuff about the fact that the resurrection is a mythology, and you’ll read stuff about the fact that the devil wasn’t real, and you’ll read all kinds of things that’ll tell us that, in point of fact, we’re involved in the greatest con trick the world has ever seen. But the Spirit of God takes the Word of God to the people of God this morning, and it says, “Don’t miss who Jesus is: the living Stone, chosen by God, precious to God.”

And thirdly, he is a “precious cornerstone.” Verse 6, quoting the Old Testament again: “See, I lay … in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone.” Those of you who are the building trade here this morning will know much more about these things than ever I could learn from reading books. You know how vitally important it is that in the construction of homes or whatever buildings they might be, that the foundational elements—that the pieces that go in first—need to be set absolutely correctly, need to be in line, because everything else will take the line from that. And that is exactly the picture that is given here. In the architecture of this time, the foundational cornerstone would be the first to be put in place. If you ever go to Jerusalem, and you go to the Wailing Wall, and you go over to the left-hand side of the Wailing Wall, and you look down into the foundations there of the original Solomonic Temple, you will discover that way down in the depths there are these huge, huge stones. And one of them was that initial cornerstone for that structure which was raised. And that stone was placed in first, and it was put absolutely accurately so that all the other stones might be flowing out from the line and foundation that was given. The angle of the walls and the nature of what was built were on the basis of this.

And that is exactly the vital truth that we need to hear this morning as we think of the church. It’s the church of Jesus Christ, right? It’s the church of Jesus. He is the foundation—“precious cornerstone.” And for those of us who have made much in the past of Peter’s response to Jesus’ words in Matthew—remember, where Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,”[4] and Jesus turns to Peter, and he says, “Hey! This is phenomenal! Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but only my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.”[5] Right? Now what does “this rock” have to say about this rock. This is Peter of the “this rock” fame writing about what the rock is upon which the church is built. And what is it built upon? Jesus Christ. Peter didn’t get it wrong, even if two thousand years of church history got it wrong. He wasn’t in any doubt.

How could the church be built on Peter? What a crazy guy to build a church upon! Why would you build a church on Peter? One minute on the water, the next minute in the water.[6] One minute being obedient, the next minute chopping people’s ears off.[7] Oh yes, Peter was vital in the purposes of God. That’s why we find him on the streets of Jerusalem—Acts 2, 3, 4, 5, and on. He was vital, but he was only symbolic of the declaration that he made—the foundational truth of the Christ of the living God. He—he alone—is the “precious cornerstone.” Never mind all this jazz about “Get your Mormon book.” Man am I ticked with that advertisement on TV! I’ve got to tell you. What a skillful piece of work by the Mormon Church: “And here is the Bible! And how important the Bible is—if you only have the explanatory piece, the Book of Mormon.” Loved ones, Jesus Christ alone, in and of himself, is the “precious cornerstone.” We need look for no other around him, before him, or after him. And it is to Christ we must bow in obedience, irrespective of those who war against his worth.

Verse 7: he is not only a “precious cornerstone,” but he is “the capstone.” Now, the picture changes here a little bit, because the capstone in the architecture of this day was in the middle of an archway, so that you built the archway, and right there in the center piece of it was the capstone, which was vitally and strategically put in place—a reminder to us of a simple, vital truth: that Jesus is not only the cornerstone upon which and from which the whole church is developed, but he is also the key piece in the archway; that he is the head of the church; that to him goes all the glory, to him belongs all the power, in his words lie all the significance. And so, this morning, our gaze must be drawn to him. Above his name there is no other name at all.

He is, fifthly, a stumbling stone—verse 8. He’s not only the cornerstone and the capstone, but he is a stumbling stone. To whom? To those who meet him and who reject him. Once a man or a woman has come face-to-face with the claims of Jesus Christ, they can never be the same again. Once a man or a woman has been confronted by Jesus—not confronted just by church, not confronted by religion, but confronted by Christ—Jesus will become to them either the precious stone to whom they run, or he will become the stumbling stone over which they trip. Because they will never, ever be able to say again, “I didn’t understand the gospel.” They will never, ever be able to say, “I’m not sure I understand what it means—the good news and the story of his death and of his resurrection.”

And so it is that today, Jesus Christ is “a stone that causes men to stumble.” He’s “a rock that makes them fall.” Do you ever wonder why it is that it’s only Jesus’ name that’s used in profanity? Do you ever wonder why it is that you don’t go to work on a Monday and hear people trip over their briefcase and say, “Oh, Muhammad!” Or they bang their heads on a door and say, “Krishna!” Do you know why it is? It’s because Jesus alone is the stone that makes men stumble and a rock that makes them trip. Somehow, having confronted him, they know this Jesus they will one day deal with. The description of him is clear for us to read.

The Reaction to Jesus

Secondly, I want you to notice the reaction to him. The reaction to him.

The first phrase of verse 4 describes for us a coming to him. Simple little phrase: “As you come to him…” There’s a wealth wrapped up in this. Remember Jesus in Matthew 11? He gives that lovely invitation. He says, “Come to me.” “Come to me, all you [that] are weary and [heavy laden], and I will give you rest.”[8] And there are people in worship this morning, and that’s just you. You didn’t come in with carrier bags jammed full of stuff—not literally, but metaphorically so. You brought your baggage to worship this morning. You’re burdened. You’re weary. You’re pressed down. You got more questions than you have answers. You’re trailing it behind you. People don’t know why it is that your smile seems so insincere, but it’s because deep in your heart, you cannot deal with this.

Well, I’ve got good news for you this morning: the “precious cornerstone” has issued an invitation. It’s broad, it’s general, and it’s open. You do not need a special card printed by a special press with a special number on the back. But rather, he is calling out to individuals, “Hey! Come to me. Come to me. And you know what I’ll do? I’ll take your carrier bags, filled with your burdens, and filled with your sins, and filled with your rebellions, and filled with your identity crisis, and I will give you rest. I’ll show you what life is really all about. I will answer the insoluble questions that you face.” Did you ever come to Jesus Christ?

Now, clearly, coming to him means more than walking up to him. There were plenty of people who walked up to Jesus. They’re described all throughout the pages of the Gospels. They came up to him, but their life was not changed by him, because their coming was immediately followed by their going, and without a changing event in between. And here, this phrase, “As you come to him,” is given explanation by two further words—one that you will find in verse 6 and one that you will find in verse 7. The coming to him conveys the notion of an intention to stay and a desire to enjoy fellowship. The word in verse 6 is the word “trust”: “The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” The word in verse 7 is “believe”: the one who believes will find the stone to be precious. If you don’t believe, you’ll never say, “Jesus is precious.” It is belief which makes him precious!

So, one reaction to Jesus is to come to him. To come to him is to trust in him. To come to him is to believe in him: not simply to believe that he existed but to put all my weight and my confidence and my trust on the fact that when he said that—recorded in Luke chapter 4, which we read a little bit earlier, that he came to give sight to the blind, that he came to heal, that he came to do all these things—that it was actually true. When I come to Jesus, I am saying, “Lord Jesus, I rest my life, my destiny, my eternity in this truth.” That’s what it means to become a Christian: coming to Jesus, coming to trust him, coming to believe into him. And when a man or a woman comes to trust solely in Christ, then it involves no longer trusting in other things. It means that I no longer trust in my good reputation, or I no longer trust in my creedal ability to observe truth, that I no longer trust in my righteous deeds, but I recognize that I must lay aside all that trust in order to trust in him.

The hymn writer… And it’s used, I think almost without exception, at Billy Graham crusades. And its familiarity has, for some, bred a measure of contempt. But the hymn writer put it absolutely perfectly in this great hymn, “Just as I Am,” right? Remember how it goes? “Just as I am”—this morning, with my carrier bags and my mess and my confusion and my failure. “Just as I am, without one plea”—without anything else to say—“save”—except for the fact—

That, Jesus, your blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidd’st me come to thee;
Lord Jesus Christ, I come.[9]

“That’s it. Nothing else! I have nothing else to commend myself with. I have no reason that you should even issue the invitation. I am amazed this morning.”

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene
And wonder how he could love me,
A sinner, condemned, [and] unclean.[10]

That is salvation. That is coming to Christ. That is trusting. That is believing. That’s good news! That’s the reaction—one.

It is a coming to Christ that leads to being built into the church, will you notice? We do not become joined to Christ simply by entering the church. Notice that in passing: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” So in other words, first we come to “the living Stone,” and our lives are changed, and then he builds us into his church. That’s why it’s interesting that some people have this notion that the corporate dimension of worship and of fellowship and of praise is somehow a triviality.

Now, he writes to those who believe and to whom Jesus becomes precious. But not all did that. There was another reaction to Jesus, and there remains so. Verse 4: “As you come to him, the living Stone”—here’s the other reaction—“rejected by men…”

Wasn’t this the great sadness of Jesus on the occasion of his triumphal entry—on that Palm Sunday event that, this morning, our history books give credence to and we rejoice in? Jesus comes, explains to his disciples what’s going on. They don’t fully grasp the picture. He gets the donkey. He starts to ride on it, and it goes nuts in Jerusalem. And the people come, and they lay down the palm branches, and they wave, and they shout, and they sing. But Jesus saw beyond that.[11] He saw a few days beyond that. He saw to the fact that many of the cries of praise were hollow. And there was great sadness in his heart to realize that many who today said, “Hail him who comes King of the Jews,”[12] were also going to join, a matter of a week later, and shout, “Crucify him! We wouldn’t have this man. We’d rather have Barabbas.”[13] The rejection was about to come from the lips of some who praised, and it was already in the lips of some who should have known better. Remember the Pharisees, who said to Jesus, “Hey, you tell your disciples to stop all this singing here”? And remember, Jesus said to them, “If I told them to stop, the stones would start to sing.”[14] Because God, in Christ, will be greatly praised.

And Jesus gathers himself and looks over Jerusalem, and he weeps. And he says, “How often would I have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks, and you wouldn’t come to me.”[15] He says, “If only you, Jerusalem, had known today what it is that makes for peace.”[16] You know, there’s a sense in which Jesus still cries over Jerusalem, right? I mean, literally over the Jerusalem of the Middle East—that Jesus looks down on the scene this Eastertime, over that sacred city, and still he yearns for the salvation of those to whom he came, who rejected him. And one day, before he comes back, there will be a massive turning of Jewish people, even in the streets of Jerusalem, to faith in this same Jesus, and the streets will again cry out his praise. But in the meantime, he weeps over their rejection.

And notice what he says here: that once a man or a woman—verse 8—sets themself against Christ, they discover that he who had offered to be for them is now against them. And this is the outworking of judgment on unbelief. That’s the explanation of the phrase “which is also what they were destined for.” You are destined for salvation as you come and place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and you are destined for judgment as you turn against him in rejection. There is a divine consequence, if you like, to faith, and there is a divine consequence to unbelief.

And hence it is a reminder to us, lest when we hear the voice of God, we harden our hearts—that we grow resistant to his call; that we assume that some other Sunday, some other day when someone shares with us in the cafeteria about how we can come to Jesus Christ personally ourselves, we say, “Ach! Well, I’ll see about that tomorrow. I’ll see about that next week.” Loved ones, there may not be a tomorrow. There may not be a next week. That’s why the Bible says, “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”[17] “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”[18] For there could be no more tragic phrase to hear from the voice of God than this: “Have it your own way.”[19] And the Word says that God’s Spirit will not always strive with man.[20] That’s why when you hear the Word of God proclaimed or someone shares Christ with you, and in your heart there is a stirring and there is a desire to come to Christ, may I urge you to do that today?

The Transformation Wrought by Jesus

The description of Jesus, the reaction to Jesus, and finally, just in a moment, the transformation that is wrought by Jesus.

Let me give you four phrases in summary here. What happens when Jesus Christ comes to reign within our lives?

Number one, he puts us together. Verse 5: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” These individuals, we as individuals, were once without hope. We were without God.[21] We were without mercy. We didn’t belong. We were kind of lost. And when we came to Christ, we discovered that he put us together, brought us into a relationship with himself and into a relationship with one another. Let us, then, beware of those who describe themselves as freelance Christians. There are no freelance Christians. There is no solo flying to heaven. You come to Christ, you come to church, in this sense—1 Peter 2:4 sense. He puts us in relationship to “the living Stone,” and he builds us amongst the other stones who are belonging to him.

The story is told of a Spartan king who boasted to a visiting monarch about the walls of Sparta. And he stood up on the city at a vantage point, and he said, “See the walls of Sparta!” And the visiting monarch said, “I don’t understand. There aren’t any walls. Where are the walls?” And the king turned to his soldiers and his bodyguard, and he said, “These are the walls—every man a brick.” You go out in Solon, and people will say to you, “Where’s your church? I don’t see your church. Don’t you have a building yet?” The answer is “Yes, we jolly well do.” These are the walls, and every man and woman a brick. Don’t lose sight of that, loved ones. ’Cause I don’t think that there will be much that will attract our attention concerning buildings when we finally gather for that big praise service in heaven. Nobody’ll be walking around then going, “My, what a lovely place to be!” No, they will be walking around going, “My, what a lovely Savior to worship!” So, he brings us together. He puts us together.

Secondly, he puts us in place. He puts us in place to be something. Do you want to be something? God in Christ will make you be something. You’ll “be a holy priesthood.” Is that good? Let me tell you, that’s fantastic. To the Jewish mind, the priesthood was rarified, dignified, codified. There were only a few that could ever aspire to it. Jesus comes along and says, “Hey, you’re all priests. You can all do it. You can all come right in here. You can all worship me. You can all sacrifice.” That’s why when he died, the curtain, the veil, was torn right through:[22] so that access into the presence of God might be available to everyone; that holiness and priesthood is a privilege of all.

One of the words, at least in Latin—or the anglicized Latin—is the word pontifex, which is one of the words that is used in Latin to describe a priest. And pontifex simply means a bridge builder. Do you know this morning that if you are in Christ, you’re a bridge builder? Do you know that you are to go out this week and build bridges? Build bridges so that Jesus Christ may walk right over your life and may meet one of your friends? May walk right through your family room, as it were, and may meet one of your neighbors? He puts us together. He puts us in place.

God is into biological architecture. He is building a spiritual house with people—ordinary people just like you and me.

Thirdly, he puts us to work, so that we—still in verse 5—might offer “spiritual sacrifices.” What are the spiritual sacrifices? Well, first of all, your work is a spiritual sacrifice. Did you know that? “Ha,” you say. “Heh, heh. Wait, wait. Wait a minute! You don’t know where I work.” Well, I know where some of you work, and your work is a spiritual sacrifice. If you cut hair, it can be a spiritual sacrifice. If you’re a bank teller, it is to be a spiritual sacrifice. If you are an orderly in a hospital and push people down to that dreadful little room that you have to go in before they kiss you goodbye to the world, hopefully to return again—if you push those trolleys down there, your work tomorrow is to be a spiritual sacrifice. And when you wake up tomorrow morning and say, “Oh, good night, I got to go push that trolley again for another eight hours,” don’t forget this: you are offering up to God a spiritual sacrifice of worship in your work. That’s sacrifice! In your worship. That’s sacrifice! We can’t worship unless there is a sacrificial element to it. We don’t worship jingling the change in our pockets. We worship as we offer sacrifice! And our very lives are a sacrifice.

So, he puts us together. He puts us in place. He puts us to work. And finally, he puts us to witness, so that we might—back down in verses 9 and 10—“declare the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

And so, in these verses, Peter provides the answer to the believer who’s asking the question, “Where do I fit, and how do I function?” Do you know where you fit? Close to Jesus. Do you know how you function? In service to Jesus. Do you know that God’s architecture is biological? God is into biological architecture. He is building a spiritual house with people—ordinary people just like you and me. And he is building us into this “precious cornerstone.”

Let me finalize this by asking you a question: Are you trusting Jesus, or are you tripping over Jesus? You’re either trusting or you’re tripping. You’re either tight with him or you’re stumbling over him. There’s no halfway house. There’s no abstention on the ballot. You can’t write, “For,” “Against,” or “Abstain.” “Abstain” means “Against.” Have you come to him, the living Stone? Then go for him.

And so, this morning, I’m either a mission field or I’m a missionary. I’m either part of the problem or I’m part of the solution. I’m either coming to him or I’m going for him. And the one to whom I come and the one for whom I go is none other than Jesus Christ, the “precious cornerstone.” Unto you this morning who believe, he is precious.

[1] Matthew 21:9 (NIV 1984)

[2] Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22 (paraphrased). See also Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35.

[3] Luke 4:16 (NIV 1984).

[4] Matthew 16:16 (NIV 1984).

[5] Matthew 16:17–18 (paraphrased).

[6] See Matthew 14:22–33.

[7] See John 18:10–11.

[8] Matthew 11:28 (NIV 1984).

[9] Charlotte Elliott, “Just as I Am, without One Plea” (1836). Lyrics lightly altered.

[10] Charles H. Gabriel, “I Stand Amazed in the Presence (My Savior’s Love)” (1905).

[11] See Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22.

[12] Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9–10; Luke 19:38; John 12:13 (paraphrased).

[13] Matthew 27:21–23; Mark 15:11, 13–14; Luke 23:18, 21; John 18:40 (paraphrased).

[14] Luke 19:39–40 (paraphrased).

[15] Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34 (paraphrased).

[16] Luke 19:42 (paraphrased).

[17] 2 Corinthians 6:2 (KJV).

[18] Hebrews 3:7–8, 15 (NIV 1984).

[19] See C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce (1945) chap. 9.

[20] See Genesis 6:3.

[21] See Ephesians 2:12.

[22] See Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45.