To Receive or To Reject: That Is The Question

good morning District well well see this is a problem you give a preacher a microphone and you never know what's gonna happen but hey eight years somebody say Amen right there wooo man that's exciting stuff you know it's it's um it really is an amazing thing when you think about uh that you know you look out and you go Look What the Lord Has Done and uh years is really a milestone many Church plants don't make it past five and I can say that because I've been I've seen beginnings and ends and all those kind of things so it really is indeed uh a a

day to celebrate U so I just want to remind you or basically things today is I want you to remember what God has done amen so everybody say remember remember remember the good stuff and the bad stuff because man it's been highs and lows right amen it's been uh you know the you think about I was we were talking about when they first came up to do a vision tour we used to take them on Vision tours and uh that was 2014 right Wow 2014 so that's weird to think about but um I remember uh when I came up and drove them around and uh

somehow Kelsey we started talking about like Broadway tunes and like uh I you know because I I'm I'm a theater kind of a guy and so um we talked about that man if there was something to audition for that I'd be all in so let's let's go I mean the gauntlet still down there gal we got to we got to find a show we got audition um I remember being I I was I wasn't I wasn't like in the room but I came to visit you when you were giving birth to Ezra as I recall yeah yeah yeah that was yeah that was fun times

yeah that was good stuff but uh yeah and along the way you know you think about that kind of stuff so you know take this day take this time to remember that stuff I mean it's it's great in fact if you think about it especially the Old Testament prophets the recurring theme is that uh they would all say remember what God has done all the way through remember so you don't get off course remember so you don't fall into sin so remember uh the second thing is to appreciate take time to appreciate this there's not many times that you get to be in on the

very beginning of something right I mean you think about it that's that's pretty cool I mean most of us probably in our church life when we walked into a church building you know it wasn't from the beginning I mean you know you walk into any established church right now I mean it didn't just start yesterday but man you guys have been in on something from the beginning what a what a unique opportunity so many other people in fact I challenge people all where I go and say listen if you want to get if you want to have your faith walk tried tested and strengthened be

involved in the church plans and hopefully you've had some of that happen uh in your own heart in your own life so appreciate this moment uh and then lastly lean in um you know it's so easy uh you know I used to tell when I was when we were planting I'd tell everybody that used to come I'd say Hey listen I want you to understand something is that you kind of have to have a pilgrim mental other words we're not going to have all the bells and whistles that you know First Baptist you know whatever has we're not g to have all that cool stuff

but here you got to be a Pioneer you got to be a pilgrim you got to know that you got to be able to stick in and stay in and lean in because the hope is that eventually you're going to get down to a place you've built Legacy for another generation of people coming behind me what a glorious thing that would be that one day 25 years from now you can say I was there when I was there when yeah you you know especially you know you get to my age and it's like I'm the you know grumpy guy you know get off my lawn

guy you know and and sometimes you know people like me We go you know people come and well you know they start especially those kids these days you know and and they complain about well they don't have this or that like yeah I was in at the beginning buddy let me tell you what it was really like you know and so all I'm saying is lean into this time in fact I want to close that with a a scripture First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 58 1 Corinthians 15 verse 58 says this therefore my beloved Brethren be steadfast immovable always abounding in the work of

the Lord knowing that your labor is not in vain Lord be steadfast be inable lean in and see where God will take this Ministry in the future let's pray father we do want to take time today to remember uh good times and bads and the trials and the tribulations and all the things that you have uh taken this church through and guided them through and sustained them through father we do want to appreciate the uniqueness the opportunity that we have here that would not be any place else father Le in Father we know that so many times Satan uses the the greener grass oh something

something so much better somewhere else but father we know that with you all things are good all things are possible father thank you for the leadership of the district thank you for their faithfulness thank you for their stiven father I pray that you will continue to bless father as we've already seen you do amazing things in the lives of people Souls saves and lives changed and father just new things father we pray that you will help us to take time to look and see what you would have father that truly that we would leave a legacy behind father that there will be one day where

we can stand together and worship together with tears streaming down our eyes and we can say I remember when this first started and what an amazing trophy of Grace that God has given us so father we thank you we love you and praise you for this day in Jesus name amen amen thank you brother and uh I know there are times where people make fun of me for making up words but stick toess is that a is that is that I mean I don't usually call out other words but I mean I like it anyways well good morning everyone and happy birthday eth birthday um

I'll probably share some tonight and so in regards to that I lots of thoughts when it comes around that but for this morning I want to open up God's word because that's the reason we're here eight years let's turn our Bibles to Luke Chapter 20 we're going to continue on walking through the Book of Luke if you were with us last week you'll see that Jesus um since Luke chapter 9 around verse 5152 he has set his face towards Jerusalem and so he is um been heading there ultimately to come and accomplish the very reason why he was s sent to the Earth to begin

with and that is to execute the good news the gospel message that he came to live the perfect life we could not live to Die the death that we deserve because we could not live a perfect life that he then paid our penalty for us in our place he substituted himself there that he was crucified that he was tortured that he was beaten bruised that he broke his body shed his blood he died was buried and then Rose from the grave three days later uh to give us the commission and then to ascend into heaven and eventually come back I mean that's the that's the

story that is everything that Jesus has come to accomplish and is all about and since Luke 9ine he has been heading to Jerusalem working through all these Villages healing and preaching and teaching good news and Performing Miracles and he's finally here he's finally in Jerusalem and so where we are going to be covering chapters 20- 24 over the next couple of months it's it's literally just the final week of Jesus's life and we're going to be looking at that over these next months but we've been looking at specifically what was the first thing that he did when he entered into Jerusalem and and because we

saw the triumphal entry a couple of weeks ago last week he entered in and he didn't just you know hang out and kind of come in with like a chill Vibe or energy like he came in and he went to the temple which seemed appropriate I mean if you were going to bet on where Jesus goes I probably would have put all my money on him going to the temple and that's exactly what he did but he didn't enter the temple and just say like hey get your get your priest let's gather them let's huddle around let's see what's going on how can I help

now he came in and he started I mean he pulled together a whip full of cords and he started whipping people he started driving out money changers he started flipping and overturning tables because what they ultimately did was they had turned House of Prayer into a den of robbers they were performing hypocrisy on a grand scale and Jesus was just not going to have that happen he's not going to have that happen and so he came in and that was his first job that was his first role entering into Jerusalem and so that happened that took place and then now we're going to pick it

up with what he does next essentially on the next day and so Luke chap 20 starting in verse one one day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up now now that Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover which again we we really know is just the ceremonial foreshadowing of what I just explained his sacrificial death of Jesus we find him again here in the temple but we find him doing something that is very ordinary to what Jesus does he is teaching and preaching which is fitting because that's

exactly how he began his ministry so he's bookending his ministry with teaching and preaching and teaching and preaching which is a great reminder for us just out of the gate that the primary strategy of Jesus to win the World with the gospel is teaching and preaching teaching and preaching so for us that's not just something that's left to the professionals who are doing it to the vocational pastors for all of us we are called to go and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the father Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded us that's a that's given

to all of us and so there needs to be this ongoing learning as a disciple of Jesus so that we can teach others what it means to be a disciple of Jesus that that is just Great Commission 101 that is primary strategy of seeing the gospel Advance that's that's primary strategy for the district Church intentional discipleship that increases evangelism treasuring Jesus how do we treasure Jesus we have to learn who Jesus is so that we know what we're treasuring so so that we can then be able to teach others as well and so that's what Jesus is found here doing in the temple is that

he is teaching and preaching what the gospel the good news and it says here that Chief priests and scribes and Elders come up to him and so this is going to shift more towards the point of our passage while he was teaching he is confronted by three groups Chief priest scribes and the elders now these three groups combined make up what is called the Sanhedrin if you never have heard what the Sanhedrin is it's essentially the Jewish Supreme Court it is made up of these three groups the the chief priests who primarily have the function and duties and responsibilities of what goes on within the

temple and acting on behalf of the people when it comes to the purification of their sins and then you have the scribes which were essentially like your attorneys and lawyers who were the experts in interpreting the Mosaic law and so if anyone needed to know what to do they would go to the chief priest and if anyone needed to know what they need to know and learn they would go to the scribes and then you also have the elders these are the going to be literally the overseers of the Jewish people these are going to be those who are elderly but at the same time

full of wisdom so they're going to be the ones that's like what do I need to do I go to the priests what do I need to know I go to the scribes how do I need to live I go to the elders so that it's kind of covering as the Supreme Court everything that it means to be a good Jew that's what the Sanhedrin is now the the something that's interesting is that they don't like each other all right they don't like each other at all that think about it in terms of um Republicans and Democrats do they get along no they don't there's

some moderates that maybe do but in this regard this would be some that that they have different stat St and different interpretations of how things should be done and so so there are times where they do not play well together but what's the old adage the enemy of my enemy is my friend and in this regard because of what Jesus is accomplishing and what he's come to establish and what he's doing in the temple and coming and overturning their livelihood essentially what they are realizing is that they are losing ground and Jesus is gaining ground and so essentially their Authority and whatever Authority they think

they have they feel Jesus is beginning to Rob them of and so they're all looking at this saying well he's coming after your priesthood he's coming after your interpretation of the law he's coming after your overseeing of the people like he's wanting to be literally priest prophet and King and we're not having that but Jesus is the one who actually comes to fulfill all three roles and so you got to imagine that in this moment this group the Sanhedrin believe that Jesus is coming as they as we saw a couple of weeks ago it says at the triumphal entry look at how all have gone

after him and then even last week it says how they are hanging on every word that he is teaching and so they feel threatened and because they feel threatened they need to do whatever they can to catch Jesus in a lie catch Jesus in a Hal truth catch Jesus in something that they can bring to the governors bring to the authorities in order to try him in order to get rid of him so that they can maintain their life maintain their status and posture now if anyone following Jesus was paying attention they would know that these three groups coming to Jesus is not going to

end well because of what Jesus said back in Luke 9:22 so right before he says I'm going to head towards Jerusalem I'm going to set my face towards it he gives this prediction he gives this prophecy about what's going to happen in Luke 9:22 it says this the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected and be killed and on the third day be raised rejected and suffered and killed by who the elders the chief priests and the scribes so Jesus has already said exactly what's going to happen and exactly what's about to take place but again many of them were not able

to understand it quite yet Jesus then continues on in saying this in verses 23 and 25 of Luke 9 he said to all that were around him if anyone would come after me basically following me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me for whoever would save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it for what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself now when we think about that in context of what Jesus is coming to accomplish and then also what these Chief priests

and scribes and Elders are trying to accomplish as well this is the deeper issue that's actually going on here are they willing to give up their life and their livelihood and their system of belief in order to follow Jesus or are they going to fight for their way of life and their system of belief and their their worldly gain and reject Jesus well let me show you what transpires between Jesus and this Sanhedrin we're going to read the majority of Luke 21- 26 with some pauses for context but again one day as Jesus was teaching teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel

the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and they said to him tell us by what Authority you do these things or who it is that gave you this Authority these things is likely a reference to Jesus again overturning the tables in the temple as well as Healing The Sick in the temple we didn't even get to that last week as Jesus is like going around whipping and overturning tables he's also like accomplishing these little side quests of just healing those who are sick with diseases as he's going through I mean again he's God he's he's miraculous things are always happening as

he is moving and working but then at the same time he's teaching with authority so he's he's coming in and he is posturing himself as if he is the authority of the temple I get to say what goes on in here that he's also the authority over what the people are doing in the temple by stopping them from their money changing and and selling livestock at a high premium and basically robbing people and then at the same time he is exercising Authority in what he is teaching and preaching in the Temple and so he's someone who comes in and is just saying I'm taking charge

and the chief priest describes the Sanhedrin they're coming to him saying on whose authority like who do you think you are essentially where do you get the right to do this because remember they're trying to get rid of Jesus so if he answers that he does it based on his own authority then what they're going to do is they're going to call him a lunatic they're going to say he's out of his mind and they're going to allow that to be enough to bring him to trial if he says God gave him the authority then they're going to accuse him of blasphemy they're going to

accuse him of being sent from God and they're basically saying like that that's not going to work for you either we're going to catch you in something because what they're trying to do is they're trying to find a strat strategy to get someone to reveal their evidence or their cards similar to kind of saying like these are my cards on the table and really it's an art of debate for those who didn't know in college I was on the Middle Tennessee State University debate team um so I studied I performed these types of situations where like a question's posed but then in posing the question

you're like I'm going to catch you with a question and it's just a form of debate it's an art of debate now don't don't let that like make you nervous that like when I talk to Dwayne's going to manipulate me and how we like talk about it like I went out of 16 debates I went one in 15 okay so like I'm not good at it all right like whatever the goat is I'm the opposite of whatever that is here the Sanhedrin is trying to win a debate with Jesus thinking they are being clever in the questions they're answering but no one is more clever

than Jesus they're playing checkers he's playing 40 chess over here with them and I'm going to show you that he answered them verse three I also will ask you a question now tell me was the baptism of John from heaven or from man and they discussed it with one another saying well if we say from Heaven he will say why did you not believe him because again if they're going to be good Jews who are the Jews they're supposed to be the people of God they're supposed to be following God's voice they're supposed to be believe in God's way and so if they say it's

from heaven then they should believe whatever it is but if we say from man all the people will Stone us to death for they are convinced that John was a prophet and so they answered that they did not know where it came from and so then Jesus said to them neither will I tell you by what Authority I do these things it's amazing that they can see that the people are convinced that John is a prophet and that Jesus is the rightful King of the Jews with the triumphal entry but they themselves will not consider it they themselves will not think about it cannot be

convinced of it in fact they all out reject it and therefore Jesus is going to reject their demand for an answer so there's this battle for Authority basically between the Sanhedrin and Jesus Jesus is exercised in Authority that is growing among the people the Sanhedrin feared that they are losing authority over the people fearing for their livelihoods and this puts everyone in a predicament do the people receive what the Sanhedrin is telling them and reject Jesus or do they receive what Jesus is teaching and preaching and therefore reject the Sanhedrin essentially rejecting man well Jesus decides to take this as an opportunity to do what

he always does and it's teach them show them and the way that he's going to show them what he is actually coming to accomplish is again in the form of a parable so that those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will believe and those who don't won't and so let's see what this Parable is that he shares with them verse n and he began to tell the people this Parable a man PL planted a Vineyard and led it out which is leasing it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while when the time came he sent a servant

to the tenants so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed and he sent another servant but they also beat and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed and he sent yet a third this one also they wounded and cast out then the owner of the vineyard saidwhat shall I do I will send my beloved Son perhaps they will respect him but when the tenants saw him they said to themselves this is the heir let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours and they threw him out of

the vineyard and killed him what then will the owner of the vineyard do to them he will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others now before I show you the response of the Sanhedrin as well as Jesus's response to them do you see the parallels of this Parable I mean is this not just the Bible that is that that's the Bible in a parable right there this is a parable about God's story throughout our entire history the man the owner of the vineyard represents God who leased out a Vineyard in which he expects a fruitful return after sending his servants to

collect a heart the tenants aka the Israelites they rejected the servants who were aka the prophets they persecuted them one after another until eventually the master of the vineyard sends his beloved Son AKA Jesus whom not only do they reject but they persecute torture and kill and then the parable then shares that God will reject those tenants destroy them and give the vineyard to others AKA Gentiles or those outside the Jewish community that are invited into the kingdom of Christ let's see the response of the Sanhedrin when they heard this they said surely not right because if they if they know their Bible well enough

they know Jesus is talking about them surely this is not how God would treat us we're his favorites we're his chosen but Jesus looked directly at them again just to make sure that they don't you know misinterpret who he's talking about what then is this that is written and so I love that Jesus just goes to like he's probably looking at the scribes as well hey you interpreters of the law you who know the Mosaic law let's go there what is this that is written the stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces

and when it falls on anyone it will crush him I'll get to that in a minute the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour now that wasn't them coming to be like hey we want to pray for you like that not what like we do for one another here their laying on of hands was yeah you're done here you're done we're going to take care of you they sought to lay hands on him that very hour for they perceived that he had told this Parable against them but they feared the people so they watched him and they

sent Spies all right they they couldn't figure it out themselves so now let's let's go a deceitful route let's let's hire some spies and get them in here who pretended to be sincere that they might again catch him in something he said so as to deliver him up to the authority and the jurisdiction of the governor so they asked him teacher we know that you speak and teach rightly and show no partiality but truly teach the way of God so now they're like buttering Jesus up instead of confronting him but again he knows their heart and what's going on here is it lawful for us

to give tribute to Caesar or not but again Jesus perceived their craftiness and said to them show me a Daenerys be like go like show me a quarter whose likeness and inscription does it have they said Caesars he said to them then render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are gods and they were not able in the Pres presence of the people to catch him in what he said again he's still faultless still sinless still speaking truth still living truth still is the truth and they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in

what he said but marveling at his answer these spies became silent so again the religious rulers are still seeking to trip Jesus up so that they can find something to justify bringing him to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor but Jesus is challenging them with something that's deeper than their laws and deeper than their questions simply about Authority in this moment as we unpack this narrative don't forget who else is still present as Jesus is in interacting with these Sanhedrin the Apostles of Jesus are still here they're still hearing everything and perceiving and watching and understanding everything that's going on in this moment when

Peter hears Jesus say the stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone that caught Peter's attention that that did something in Peter because it Chang something about Peter as Peter is learning from Jesus as he begins studying the Old Testament because again again what do the scriptures say about the apostles they were uneducated they did not grow up learning and memorizing the Old Testament like like other Jewish boys would do as they processed through um bate Mitzvah and and and the the Jewish school for boys these guys were uneducated so as Peter is learning this and as he's growing in the scriptures this theme

of Jesus being a stone becomes one of the central themes for Peter's theology and even for his writing in other words the Sanhedrin didn't hear Jesus but Peter did Peter heard Jesus In This Moment now what did he hear maybe for the first time Peter's eyes got real big and he's recalling a moment when he had an interaction with Jesus in Matthew 1613 through1 18 I want you to see this when Jesus came into the District of cesaria Philippi he asked his disciples who do the people say the son of man is it's kind of like what's word on the street in regards to to

me who do they say that I am they said some say John the Baptist others say Elijah others Jeremiah or one of the prophets some of them were expecting literally just the spirit of a prophet to return as an embodied Messiah again that that you're you're you're starting to see some of the misinterpretation of the scribes and what they were teaching the people in the day in the day and in the time he said to them but who do you say that I am and Simon Peter replied you are the Christ the son of the Living God and Jesus answered him blessed are you Simon

bar Jonah which just means son of Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my father who is in heaven which again means like Peter was not able to understand who Christ is without the father revealing it to him and so then Jesus tells Peter I tell you you are Peter and on this Rock I will build my church and the Gates of Hell shall not Prevail against it that phrase on this rock is multifaceted in this meaning first there is the meaning of literally the name Peter which is similar to rock in other words Jesus is going to utilize the

ministry of the Apostles as a sort of blueprint and foundation for building the church that's absolutely true but second on this rock is a reference to the christological claim of Peter you are the Christ the son of the Living God that claim becomes a rock and a foundation for Jesus to build his church anyone who proclaims that he is the son of the Living God that he is Jesus the Christ and believes that they will be saved they join the church that's absolutely absolutely foundational in building the church C Lewis once stated the question isn't whether or not Jesus lived it's whether or not Jesus

was God and that claim is what says that third on this rock is a reference to Jesus being the stone the stone the living Stone the Cornerstone upon which the churches fitted and built upon I think those three realities and understandings changed Peter's life and I want to show you how it changed Peter's life to actually see the underlying situation that's actually going on between Jesus and these Sanhedrin I want you to all turn with me to First Peter chapter 2 we're going to look at verses 1-8 this is some 30 years later 30 years after Jesus is crucified after he raises from the grave

30 years after that moment Peter in a letter which reads very much like a sermon he declared this message and I hope we hear this today as if Peter were here preaching starting in verse one Peter says this put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander who does that sound like saying hedrin right see in hedrin like don't be malicious they hated Jesus don't be deceitful they sent spies after Jesus don't be hypocritical they turned the temple into a den of robbers don't envy they worried the people have gone after Jesus instead of themselves don't slander they call Jesus

a lunatic and a blasphemer all things that the Sanhedrin were embodying in their handling and rejection of Jesus is bearing fruit that they are simply sinners sinners they're bearing the fruit of a sinful identity and so Peter understanding what happened is now calling that out of people to say don't do that don't be that way don't live that way instead set it aside throw it off put it away and do what verse two like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk there's about 10 or 12 families in our church right now who can say Amen to that and understand it that by it you

may grow up into salvation if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good if you've tasted that the Lord is good then come to him for more long for desire hunger and thirst for Pure spiritual milk so that you might grow up into salvation so that you might be saved and forgiven of your sins now listen to this this is where I believe Peter Reveals His card and his evidence for what he believes verse four as you come to him a living Stone rejected by men but in the sight of God Chosen and precious you yourselves like living stones are being built up as

a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ for it stands in scripture behold like we're now seeing Peter's done some theology work he's done some study he's now gone to all the Old Testament scriptures and he's looking for some specific words Jesus said the stone that the builders rejected where else is Stone used for it stands in scripture behold I am laying in Zion a stone a Cornerstone that is chosen and precious and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame from Peter's Old Testament study that's a reference to Isaiah 28:16

Peter then goes on so the honor is for you who believe but for those who do not believe the stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone that's the reference to Psalm 18:22 that Peter heard Jesus quote to the Sanhedrin and then verse 8 and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense Peter pulls this reference from Isaiah 8:14 and he then adds they stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do the fact that Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22 and then Peter connects Psalm 118 to Jesus being a living Stone reveals that Jesus was telling the religious rulers that the

stone they are rejecting is indeed himself and even more as Psalm 118 tells us we find it marvelous that God would send Jesus to be rejected to be killed to be resurrected in order to become the Cornerstone of a new spiritual House of God so he didn't come to fix the temple that was present when he's coming to overturn the tables and cleanse the temple he wasn't doing it so that that Temple that specific location would be the only singular Church throughout the world it this was not going to be a Mecca that we all Pilgrim to and travel to once a year in order

to come into the court of gent Gentiles and walk around hoping that we get to touch something that Jesus touched that's not what Jesus was setting up when he came into the the temple what he actually came to do in the temple was literally create a new covenant and a new kingdom that is not built with um stone that that literally men uh fasten themselves and work themselves it was not going to be built by the hands of men it was going to be built by the hands of God that would be a spiritual Temple that was able to go from that place to All

Nations and be an organ anic spiritual House of God and so then Peter goes on to say this for the time that is pass the ficis for doing what the Gentiles want to do living in sensuality passions drunkenness orgies drinking parties and Lawless idolatry with respect to this they're surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery and they malign you essentially the reason for why Peter is writing this letter is because he knows outside of the people of God there is literally an elect Exiles as he says in 1 Peter 1-12 to those who are elect Exiles May Grace and

peace be multiplied to you in First Peter 2:11 I urge you as sojourners and Exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul he's trying to tell everybody that there is specifically a stone a Cornerstone that you need to believe believe in that is the start of a new Temple a spiritual household of God that we are all formed and fitted to Peter's asking the people to reject the world and receive Jesus and that people the world will actually be surprised by it that you no longer live a life of debauchery in the same flood of it and instead

they will actually begin rejecting you because you've received Jesus and that's why again I believe Jesus was telling us in Mark 8:36 what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul Peter wants you to lose the world and gain Christ that's the message that's the point and unfortunately the Sanhedrin rejected the message because they ultimately reject the Messiah what profit is it to gain Christ and lose the world look at Peter's message again in 1 Peter 2 verse 4 as you come to him that is as you receive Jesus as you surrender your life to him as you believe

in him as you trust in him as you submit to him as you abide in Christ as you come to him what is he who is he he's a living Stone Jesus is not a dead stone he's a living one because he rose from the grave after being rejected by men but in the sight of God not only is he a living Stone he is chosen and precious why is it important that Jesus is a living stone that is chosen and precious because as verse five says you are like living stones becoming like Jesus We Were Once Dead in our sin but through Christ we

too are resurrected to a new life to where him being the stone that the builders rejected and crushed and killed when he resurrects becomes a living Stone and the same thing is with us if we are in sin just like Jesus went to the cross and died because of our sin we in sin deserve death but if we believe that Jesus substituted himself in our place for our sin then our sin gets put to death with him at the cross and then when he resurrects three days later he brings us back to life a new birth as now living stones that are no longer dead

in our sins but are alive in Christ Jesus and then we are built up as a spiritual house you've heard me use the imagery of building a cathedral when it comes to the mission and vision of the district church we preached that back in January as we kind of walk through this idea of what what does that mean to to build a legacy that [Music] lasts this is the same type of imagery they would have imagery of a temple but the main idea is that you begin the structure with what's known as a Cornerstone the Cornerstone being would be the first stone that is set

in place and when that first stone is set in place every other stone that is cut and fitted connects to that Cornerstone so that the direction and the design is all based on literally that first stone and him being the Cornerstone is why scripture also refers to him as the firstborn among many brothers he is the first resurrection in this new spiritual household of God and that's why again the Sanhedrin couldn't see is that Jesus was the stone laid in z on a Cornerstone Chosen and precious as Isaiah 28:16 says and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame believing in Jesus you

will not be put to shame because of your sin your sin is paid for your sin is Forgiven and they couldn't see that they couldn't see that the spiritual household of God was intending to build in the New Kingdom was to begin with Jesus and then as Jesus redeems and saves and forgives Sinners who believe in him they too become living stones that make up this new Temple this new cathedral this new spiritual house where the presence of God resides and you and I get to dwell in day and night with the presence of the Lord like this is when when you go back to

David in the Psalms and he says one thing I asked for one thing that I long for is to be able to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life he had a physical place he had to go to in order to do that us as the spiritual household of God make the temple where the presence of God resides means wherever we go we get to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our life we don't have to wait for Sunday morning we don't have to wait for Community groups we are in Christ as Christ is

in us that's literally what it means to abide in him is that he is a place that we abide in Abode means room basically we are in him as he is also in us so that we are united and Inseparable and always able to dwell in a place where we have no shame because we have no sin he has forgiven it and cleansed us of it just as he has showed us in the cleansing of the temple last week in addition he's building us to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ you see not only do we function

as the new temple of God the spiritual house but we also also function inside the house of God with duties and responsibilities for our joy and for God's glory now what are these spiritual sacrifices well there are thousands of them like you just read through the New Testament every other verse is a duty and responsibility that you have in the spiritual household of God there's not just an exhaustive list of this to give you a few in Philippians it's the generosity and collection of the people sent to Paul for Ministry in Hebrews it's praise and worship because it's given to God in Romans 12 it's

offering your bodies as living sacrifices to God in service in 1 Peter 2 1-3 it's again love instead of malice it's truth instead of Deceit it's authenticity instead of hypocrisy it's contentment instead of Envy it's encouragement instead of slander and ultimately by coming to him you are being a accepted by God through Jesus Christ he is receiving you as you are receiving him and that's the greatest thing in the world greatest thing in the world Tim Tim Keller had a quote one time that says to be known and rejected is our greatest fear to be unknown and accepted isn't much better but to be known

and accepted only God offers that type of love and grace we receive Christ as he receives us the question at the end of the day is this they were offered they were all about Authority and who has Authority what Jesus is showing them in the parable is that time and time and time again he stretched his arm out to them and they swatted it away we don't want it we don't want it we don't want it it was rejection the question Jesus is really posing them underneath the surface is do you receive me or do you reject me do you receive me or do you

reject me the measure of that question is whether or not your life reflects whether you have received or rejected him are you chasing the world for your own gain and therefore rejecting Jesus or are you rejecting the world receiving Jesus and then using the world to advance his kingdom and continue building the spiritual household of God are we building the cathedral and offering our lives as living stones and living sacrifices for the sake of Christ as the district turns eight are we continuing to reject the world are we continuing to receive Jesus and are we continuing to live like living stones that preach and teach

the gospel and as a result more living stones are cut and fitted into the household of God and therefore the cathedral that Jesus is being is building continues Among Us let's pray God we thank you we thank you for the church that you're building God as we look at this interaction between Jesus and the Sanhedrin and we pray that we do not fall and be blinded like they were we pray that we see you and we see that God has been stretching his arm out time and time and time again sending his son Jesus in order to collect a harvest that is rightfully his God

I pray that we respect his son that comes that we treasure his son that we Treasure You Jesus that we long for and desire that pure spiritual milk that you offer us in your word and that our lives would be marked by the gospel that we were once dead in our sins with no hope completely helpless unable to fix it ourselves but you being rich in Mercy sent your son Jesus to die on the cross in our place substituting our death that we deserve to give to you he took it and in so doing is able to pay our debt in full and bring us

into relationship with you for giving us of all we've ever done and will do God there's no greater message than that we thank you so much for your glory Your Glory we pray our lives are like living stones trusting in the Cornerstone that is your son Jesus Christ for it's in his name that we pray amen if you go ahead and please stand with me as we come to our time of communion Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected