1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,520 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,480 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:09,720 My name is Pastor Josh and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,480 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:14,680 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:16,080 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,160 Now come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:21,440 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:30,960 We are at the the last of the Messianic prophecies that we're going 10 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:32,880 to be looking at here in the month of December. 11 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,080 I said at the beginning of the December that all the Sunday nights 12 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,920 and Wednesday nights, we're going to be looking at various prophecies 13 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,319 that speak in the Old Testament to the coming Savior and 14 00:00:42,319 --> 00:00:43,760 fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 15 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,120 After this week, starting next Sunday night, we're going to get 16 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:49,960 back to our study in the Book of Joshua. 17 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,290 Some of you know that we were there and we had gotten four chapters 18 00:00:53,290 --> 00:00:53,610 through. 19 00:00:54,010 --> 00:00:57,610 Obviously Joshua was a lot bigger than four chapters, a lot, 20 00:00:57,610 --> 00:00:58,250 lot longer. 21 00:00:58,250 --> 00:01:00,570 But we took a little break here in the month of December. 22 00:01:00,570 --> 00:01:02,570 So we'll come back to that next week. 23 00:01:02,570 --> 00:01:07,010 But I was struggling this week thinking which, which prophecy do 24 00:01:07,010 --> 00:01:07,769 I want to talk about? 25 00:01:07,769 --> 00:01:09,010 Because there's so many. 26 00:01:09,010 --> 00:01:13,130 Obviously, if you know that the Old Testament at all, you know 27 00:01:13,130 --> 00:01:17,170 that it speaks about Jesus throughout, from Genesis all the 28 00:01:17,170 --> 00:01:21,920 way to Malachi and obviously fulfilled throughout the New Testament 29 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:22,360 as well. 30 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:24,360 So I just thought, well, you know what? 31 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,960 I want to go to one of my favorites, one of my favorite prophecies, 32 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:31,560 and it's actually in one of my favorite chapters in all of the Bible. 33 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:35,200 I have a lot of favorite chapters, but one that I have found 34 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:37,640 a lot of comfort and strength in is Psalm 118. 35 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,880 So if you have your Bibles, turn there with me to Psalm 118. 36 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:43,560 Many of you know Psalm 119. 37 00:01:44,270 --> 00:01:45,990 It's a very long passage. 38 00:01:45,990 --> 00:01:48,670 One hundred and fifty verses in Psalm 119. 39 00:01:49,630 --> 00:01:50,830 Actually more than 150. 40 00:01:51,710 --> 00:01:53,558 What's 170? 41 00:01:53,862 --> 00:01:55,230 176. 42 00:01:56,030 --> 00:01:58,830 So the longest book of the Bible or a chapter in the Bible, 43 00:01:58,830 --> 00:01:59,510 Psalm 119. 44 00:01:59,510 --> 00:02:04,070 But right before that, in Psalm 118, we have a great passage 45 00:02:04,070 --> 00:02:07,710 of Scripture that speaks to the type of confidence that we can 46 00:02:07,710 --> 00:02:09,310 have when the Lord is on our side. 47 00:02:09,749 --> 00:02:14,309 But in the midst of Psalm 118, we actually see a Messianic prophecy 48 00:02:14,469 --> 00:02:17,029 that is quoted many times in the New Testament. 49 00:02:17,029 --> 00:02:20,429 It's actually quoted in the Book of Acts, it's quoted in the 50 00:02:20,429 --> 00:02:25,589 Gospels, it's quoted in First Peter, and it's quoted in Ephesians. 51 00:02:25,909 --> 00:02:29,669 And so if it's quoted so many times in the New Testament, it's 52 00:02:29,669 --> 00:02:33,269 obviously a very important prophecy for us to understand and 53 00:02:33,429 --> 00:02:35,589 to know that it's fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 54 00:02:35,589 --> 00:02:39,430 And so I want to take you to verse number 19 in Psalm 118, verse 55 00:02:39,430 --> 00:02:39,750 19. 56 00:02:39,830 --> 00:02:43,110 It kind of leads up to this prophecy, and then we're going to 57 00:02:43,110 --> 00:02:46,150 look at the New Testament and how it's fulfilled in Jesus Christ 58 00:02:46,150 --> 00:02:47,350 and what it means for us. 59 00:02:47,590 --> 00:02:50,390 So Psalm 118, verse 19, it says this. 60 00:02:50,550 --> 00:02:52,790 Open to me the gates of righteousness. 61 00:02:53,190 --> 00:02:56,910 I will go into them and I will praise the Lord, this gate of the 62 00:02:56,910 --> 00:02:59,110 Lord into which the righteous shall enter. 63 00:02:59,190 --> 00:03:01,270 So this is speaking of salvation. 64 00:03:01,270 --> 00:03:04,330 This is speaking to knowing the righteousness of God. 65 00:03:04,330 --> 00:03:05,930 Then he says, I will praise thee. 66 00:03:06,090 --> 00:03:08,570 So, so there's praise that comes with this salvation. 67 00:03:09,050 --> 00:03:12,490 For thou has heard me and art become my salvation. 68 00:03:12,570 --> 00:03:16,450 So in this case, the psalmist is speaking of the salvation that 69 00:03:16,450 --> 00:03:17,770 he finds in the Lord. 70 00:03:17,850 --> 00:03:22,050 And then we see in verse 22 it says, and the stone which the builders 71 00:03:22,050 --> 00:03:25,850 refuse is become the headstone of the corner. 72 00:03:26,490 --> 00:03:29,250 Now, if you're reading that and kind of just glazing over it, 73 00:03:29,250 --> 00:03:31,050 you might not understand the implications here. 74 00:03:31,050 --> 00:03:36,510 But he references some type of stone which the builders refuse. 75 00:03:36,750 --> 00:03:38,870 Now, we're going to talk about what that means here in a little 76 00:03:38,870 --> 00:03:39,030 bit. 77 00:03:39,030 --> 00:03:42,870 But he says that there's this stone that the people that are the 78 00:03:42,870 --> 00:03:45,310 religious builders of the day are going to refuse. 79 00:03:45,870 --> 00:03:48,630 Now, we know that this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, but at 80 00:03:48,630 --> 00:03:51,830 this time, we don't know if the psalmist has something in mind 81 00:03:51,830 --> 00:03:53,390 that he has in his own life. 82 00:03:53,630 --> 00:03:57,230 And then obviously it's a dual meaning, or he's just prophetically 83 00:03:57,230 --> 00:03:59,430 speaking, here of a messianic prophecy. 84 00:03:59,430 --> 00:04:02,910 But he says here that there is this stone that the builders refused, 85 00:04:02,910 --> 00:04:06,430 but that very stone will be the headstone of the corner, meaning 86 00:04:06,430 --> 00:04:09,790 that stone will be the cornerstone, it will be the foundation. 87 00:04:10,590 --> 00:04:13,990 Verse 23 says, this is the Lord's doing, meaning this is a work 88 00:04:13,990 --> 00:04:14,590 of God. 89 00:04:14,590 --> 00:04:15,950 This is not a work of man. 90 00:04:16,270 --> 00:04:18,590 It is a marvelous in our eyes. 91 00:04:19,390 --> 00:04:23,190 And so really the prophecy is found in verses 22 and 23. 92 00:04:23,190 --> 00:04:26,740 And it's this, that there will be one that is to come who is the 93 00:04:26,740 --> 00:04:30,380 stone that many people will reject, the builders will refuse. 94 00:04:30,380 --> 00:04:34,580 But that very stone will be the headstone of the corner, the 95 00:04:34,580 --> 00:04:36,180 cornerstone, the chief cornerstone. 96 00:04:36,180 --> 00:04:39,700 And so I want to look at some of the fulfillment of that in the 97 00:04:39,700 --> 00:04:40,500 New Testament. 98 00:04:40,500 --> 00:04:43,660 So if you have your Bibles ready, we're going to turn to A few 99 00:04:43,660 --> 00:04:44,140 passages. 100 00:04:44,860 --> 00:04:48,580 The first one I want to take you to is actually Jesus quoting 101 00:04:48,580 --> 00:04:49,740 this very same passage. 102 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,080 And it's actually found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. 103 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:56,600 But we're going to go to Matthew's reference, and so turn 104 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,040 there with me to the book of Matthew. 105 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:01,360 And it's in Matthew, chapter 21. 106 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:05,760 And we're going to look at Matthew, chapter 21 and verse number 107 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:10,320 42, Matthew, chapter 21, verse 42. 108 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:14,920 And we actually see that here in this passage, Jesus is going to 109 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,070 actually reference this Old Testament passage. 110 00:05:18,070 --> 00:05:22,750 And in the context of him being that chief cornerstone and 111 00:05:22,750 --> 00:05:25,150 the one stone that the builders would reject. 112 00:05:25,150 --> 00:05:29,910 And so here in this passage of Scripture, we know that Jesus is. 113 00:05:29,910 --> 00:05:34,510 He's giving some parables, many of you know the parable of the 114 00:05:34,510 --> 00:05:37,270 two sons, the parable of the vineyard. 115 00:05:37,270 --> 00:05:41,750 And he says in verse number 42, Jesus saith unto them, did you 116 00:05:41,750 --> 00:05:45,510 never read in the Scriptures the stone which the builders rejected 117 00:05:45,590 --> 00:05:47,830 the same is become the head of the corner. 118 00:05:48,070 --> 00:05:52,390 This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 119 00:05:53,350 --> 00:05:55,750 So again, Jesus quotes that very same passage. 120 00:05:55,750 --> 00:05:59,870 And in this case, we know that he's speaking of the truth of him 121 00:05:59,870 --> 00:06:00,790 being the Messiah. 122 00:06:00,790 --> 00:06:03,470 And ultimately we know that it's fulfilled in him. 123 00:06:03,470 --> 00:06:06,270 And so I think it's important that Jesus quotes this passage. 124 00:06:06,270 --> 00:06:11,070 But then later on in other passages, we see it in Mark and in 125 00:06:11,070 --> 00:06:11,310 Luke. 126 00:06:11,310 --> 00:06:15,440 But then in Acts, chapter four, we see Peter, who walked with 127 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:19,520 Jesus, actually referencing this messianic prophecy fulfilled 128 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:20,200 in Jesus Christ. 129 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:23,040 And he's speaking to the Jewish people here. 130 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,080 And we went through a study in the book of Acts not too long ago. 131 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,800 And Peter quotes this in reference to Jesus in Acts, chapter 132 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:31,760 4, verse 11. 133 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:37,280 And this is Peter's famous sermon to the council there. 134 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:41,410 And he's giving them basically of the hope of the Gospel. 135 00:06:41,410 --> 00:06:44,890 And he's referencing this passage as, hey, look, you've missed 136 00:06:44,890 --> 00:06:45,330 the point. 137 00:06:46,130 --> 00:06:49,530 He says in verse number 10, be it known unto you and to all the 138 00:06:49,530 --> 00:06:52,930 people in Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, 139 00:06:52,930 --> 00:06:54,050 whom ye crucified. 140 00:06:54,210 --> 00:06:57,530 So he gives a scathing review of their actions. 141 00:06:57,530 --> 00:07:00,650 He says, you are the ones that crucified him, that by the name of 142 00:07:00,650 --> 00:07:04,010 Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom he crucified, whom God raised from 143 00:07:04,010 --> 00:07:07,810 the dead, even by him, that this man stand here before you hold 144 00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:13,180 this is the stone which was set and not of builders, which has 145 00:07:13,180 --> 00:07:14,540 become the head of the corner. 146 00:07:14,860 --> 00:07:19,780 And so here Peter references that passage in Psalm 118 as saying, 147 00:07:19,780 --> 00:07:24,620 Jesus is that stone which you builders rejected, which has become 148 00:07:24,620 --> 00:07:26,300 the Head of the corner. 149 00:07:26,940 --> 00:07:31,020 And, and so obviously we know that many people rejected Jesus and 150 00:07:31,180 --> 00:07:35,940 we, we don't necessarily know everyone's name that rejected Jesus, 151 00:07:35,940 --> 00:07:39,140 obviously in Scripture, but we know that those religious leaders 152 00:07:39,140 --> 00:07:41,340 of the day definitely rejected Jesus. 153 00:07:41,580 --> 00:07:41,980 Why? 154 00:07:41,980 --> 00:07:43,100 Because it was a. 155 00:07:43,100 --> 00:07:46,140 Is a rock of offense, which Peter is going to talk about later 156 00:07:46,140 --> 00:07:49,220 on in, in another passage of scripture that we're going to look 157 00:07:49,220 --> 00:07:50,460 at here this evening. 158 00:07:50,460 --> 00:07:54,900 So that's another reference to Jesus being this, this stone that 159 00:07:54,900 --> 00:07:56,060 the builders reject. 160 00:07:56,780 --> 00:08:01,020 Another passage of scripture that Paul alludes to this very same 161 00:08:01,020 --> 00:08:03,100 prophecy is in Ephesians chapter two. 162 00:08:03,830 --> 00:08:04,950 Ephesians chapter two. 163 00:08:04,950 --> 00:08:07,990 And I want you to follow along with me so you can see it. 164 00:08:09,190 --> 00:08:11,990 We're going to get to the application of all this here in a 165 00:08:11,990 --> 00:08:12,470 few moments. 166 00:08:12,470 --> 00:08:15,150 But I think it's important to see these different references because 167 00:08:15,150 --> 00:08:19,430 it's not just by happenstance that this was quoted, but many times 168 00:08:19,510 --> 00:08:23,430 Jesus has referred to this cornerstone, this sure foundation 169 00:08:23,830 --> 00:08:26,790 that was rejected by many and that's still rejected by many. 170 00:08:26,950 --> 00:08:28,790 So Ephesians chapter 2, verse 20. 171 00:08:30,140 --> 00:08:33,100 We'll start back up in verse number 19 to kind of understand context. 172 00:08:33,100 --> 00:08:35,940 But this is talking about Jesus being our chief cornerstone. 173 00:08:35,940 --> 00:08:39,220 It says, now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, 174 00:08:39,220 --> 00:08:42,220 but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. 175 00:08:42,220 --> 00:08:44,860 So we're seeing in context he's talking about those that are 176 00:08:44,860 --> 00:08:46,060 believers in Jesus Christ. 177 00:08:46,700 --> 00:08:49,780 He says, what are we built on and are built upon? 178 00:08:49,780 --> 00:08:52,140 The foundation of the apostles and prophets. 179 00:08:52,140 --> 00:08:57,950 Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all the 180 00:08:57,950 --> 00:09:01,910 building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the 181 00:09:01,910 --> 00:09:05,510 Lord, in whom ye are also builded together for habitation of 182 00:09:05,510 --> 00:09:06,430 God through the Spirit. 183 00:09:06,430 --> 00:09:09,550 Meaning this Jesus is the chief cornerstone that we build everything 184 00:09:09,550 --> 00:09:09,950 off of. 185 00:09:09,950 --> 00:09:12,550 The church is a building, but not a physical building. 186 00:09:12,950 --> 00:09:15,470 We know that this building is a blessing, and we call this our 187 00:09:15,470 --> 00:09:16,030 church building. 188 00:09:16,030 --> 00:09:17,270 But this is not the church. 189 00:09:17,430 --> 00:09:21,870 The church would be the people that are made up of the body, right? 190 00:09:21,870 --> 00:09:22,830 We are the believers. 191 00:09:22,830 --> 00:09:25,800 We are part of the body of Christ, therefore we are the church. 192 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,880 And so we are a spiritual building that Paul is going to talk 193 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,080 about here and he's going to amplify a little bit later. 194 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,960 And then also Peter talks about this, that we're all living 195 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:35,560 stones built up on a foundation. 196 00:09:35,560 --> 00:09:37,160 And that foundation is Jesus Christ. 197 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:42,760 So, so we know that Jesus is that stone that many reject, but 198 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:46,360 ultimately many do believe in and therefore have hope and find 199 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:47,160 salvation. 200 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:51,100 And so we see that reference in Matthew where Jesus a reference 201 00:09:51,100 --> 00:09:52,300 is Psalm 118. 202 00:09:52,700 --> 00:09:56,940 We see that reference in Acts chapter four, the reference in Ephesians, 203 00:09:56,940 --> 00:09:57,660 chapter two. 204 00:09:57,820 --> 00:10:00,940 And then I want to take you to what I believe is the most exhaustive 205 00:10:01,260 --> 00:10:03,540 look at this messianic prophecy. 206 00:10:03,540 --> 00:10:08,540 And that is in First Peter, Chapter 2, First Peter, Chapter 2. 207 00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:12,580 And I think that this teaches it very well because for many people 208 00:10:12,580 --> 00:10:13,980 there, there might be a. 209 00:10:13,980 --> 00:10:17,560 A struggle with understanding how these prophecies tied together. 210 00:10:17,560 --> 00:10:21,080 But I think Peter does a great job in explaining this in. 211 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,640 In First Peter, chapter two, verse number seven. 212 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:26,920 And we can go back a little bit farther because he's giving that 213 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:30,080 understanding of us being built up into a building. 214 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,880 And so let's go back to verse number four, actually, 1 Peter, chapter 215 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:34,640 two, verse four. 216 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,320 And this is where we're going to spend really most of the rest 217 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,840 of our time here, looking at this, because I want you to see why 218 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:42,640 this is so important. 219 00:10:43,300 --> 00:10:45,660 It's important, number one, because Jesus is the fulfillment 220 00:10:45,660 --> 00:10:46,740 of this prophecy. 221 00:10:46,740 --> 00:10:47,820 But then why is it important? 222 00:10:47,820 --> 00:10:50,580 What's the application of Jesus being the chief cornerstone? 223 00:10:50,740 --> 00:10:54,020 So it says in First Peter, chapter two, verse four, to whom 224 00:10:54,020 --> 00:10:59,179 coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen 225 00:10:59,179 --> 00:11:00,180 of God and precious. 226 00:11:01,220 --> 00:11:05,940 So obviously we know that Jesus is that stone, and many people 227 00:11:06,260 --> 00:11:07,100 reject it. 228 00:11:07,100 --> 00:11:09,770 But ultimately is a precious stone. 229 00:11:09,850 --> 00:11:13,010 And then he says, ye, also you, you Christians, you that have 230 00:11:13,010 --> 00:11:17,810 believed are lively stones, are living stone, are built up a 231 00:11:17,810 --> 00:11:18,650 spiritual house. 232 00:11:19,210 --> 00:11:21,570 And so there's a lot of analogies of what the church is. 233 00:11:21,570 --> 00:11:24,290 But one analogy that we can say is that the church is a building, 234 00:11:24,290 --> 00:11:27,610 but not a physical building, a building made up of living stones, 235 00:11:27,610 --> 00:11:28,170 made up of. 236 00:11:28,170 --> 00:11:29,410 Of people that are believers. 237 00:11:29,410 --> 00:11:33,090 And so he says, you are living stones or lively stones, are built 238 00:11:33,090 --> 00:11:36,860 up a spiritual house, the holy priesthood to offer up spiritual 239 00:11:36,860 --> 00:11:39,940 sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 240 00:11:39,940 --> 00:11:44,380 And so through Jesus Christ, we are able to build up a building, 241 00:11:44,780 --> 00:11:48,220 a spiritual building, which we can offer sacrifices to the Lord. 242 00:11:48,940 --> 00:11:53,100 But we know that God doesn't ask us to do animal sacrifice anymore, 243 00:11:53,100 --> 00:11:55,140 but we are called to give a living sacrifice. 244 00:11:55,140 --> 00:11:57,420 That's Romans, chapter 12, verse 6. 245 00:11:57,420 --> 00:11:59,900 Wherefore also it is contained in Scripture. 246 00:12:00,140 --> 00:12:04,840 Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone elect, precious. 247 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:08,200 And he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 248 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:13,080 So this speaks to the blessing and the clarity and the comfort and 249 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:16,680 the confidence of those who trust in that one who is the chief 250 00:12:16,680 --> 00:12:20,200 cornerstone, which we already know is Jesus Christ, verse 7. 251 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:23,920 Unto you, therefore, which believe he is precious, meaning the 252 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,760 stone is a precious stone to those who believe. 253 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:27,160 Why? 254 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:30,320 Because we understand the blessings of having a relationship 255 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:33,750 with Jesus Christ, the blessings of his presence, the blessings 256 00:12:33,750 --> 00:12:37,030 of his comfort, the blessings of his forgiveness, the blessings 257 00:12:37,030 --> 00:12:37,990 of his salvation. 258 00:12:38,070 --> 00:12:42,870 So for us who are believers, or for the believer, Jesus is precious. 259 00:12:42,870 --> 00:12:45,510 And that cornerstone is a precious thing. 260 00:12:45,670 --> 00:12:49,190 But then he says in verse number seven, unto you, therefore, 261 00:12:49,190 --> 00:12:53,910 which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient. 262 00:12:53,910 --> 00:12:57,630 So those who don't believe in Jesus, those that are in rebellion 263 00:12:57,630 --> 00:12:58,070 to him. 264 00:12:58,450 --> 00:13:01,290 The stone which the builders disallowed, that's a reference back 265 00:13:01,290 --> 00:13:03,250 to that passage in Psalm 118. 266 00:13:03,730 --> 00:13:06,210 The same is made the head of the corner. 267 00:13:07,090 --> 00:13:10,330 So doesn't matter if people reject him or believe in Him. 268 00:13:10,330 --> 00:13:11,970 He's still the chief cornerstone. 269 00:13:12,770 --> 00:13:15,490 He's still the King of Kings, he's still the Lord of Lords. 270 00:13:15,650 --> 00:13:18,530 And so he explains here that for some. 271 00:13:19,250 --> 00:13:23,370 For some people, verse 8, the stone of stumbling and a rock of 272 00:13:23,370 --> 00:13:23,770 offense. 273 00:13:23,770 --> 00:13:26,130 Even to them which stumble at the word meaning. 274 00:13:26,380 --> 00:13:29,500 For some people, Jesus is the stumbling block. 275 00:13:29,660 --> 00:13:31,460 There's a lot of people that like religion. 276 00:13:31,460 --> 00:13:33,940 There's a lot of people that want to be moral. 277 00:13:33,940 --> 00:13:36,740 There's a lot of people who want to have the blessings of some 278 00:13:36,740 --> 00:13:40,100 type of spirituality and might even believe that there is a God 279 00:13:40,100 --> 00:13:40,460 out there. 280 00:13:40,460 --> 00:13:44,660 But when we boil it down to Jesus being the way, the truth and 281 00:13:44,660 --> 00:13:47,260 the life, there are many people that that is the stumbling 282 00:13:47,260 --> 00:13:47,660 block. 283 00:13:48,380 --> 00:13:50,580 Well, I believe that there's a God, but Jesus is. 284 00:13:50,580 --> 00:13:52,690 No, no, no, that's that they can't be right. 285 00:13:52,850 --> 00:13:55,530 We all can believe in some higher power and be okay. 286 00:13:55,530 --> 00:13:57,770 We don't have to be narrowed down to the One. 287 00:13:57,770 --> 00:14:00,690 And that's what we see here is that too many people. 288 00:14:01,170 --> 00:14:02,930 Jesus is the rock of stumbling. 289 00:14:02,930 --> 00:14:03,890 It's the offense. 290 00:14:04,610 --> 00:14:06,170 Even go back to the book of Acts. 291 00:14:06,170 --> 00:14:09,810 Remember, there were people that believed in God, but the fact 292 00:14:09,810 --> 00:14:13,090 that the apostles were saying that Jesus is God, that was the stumbling 293 00:14:13,090 --> 00:14:13,730 block for them. 294 00:14:13,810 --> 00:14:16,050 That's what led them to persecute those apostles. 295 00:14:16,210 --> 00:14:18,370 That's what led them to get to a place of anger. 296 00:14:18,370 --> 00:14:20,460 Now we know that, that they didn't believe in God. 297 00:14:20,460 --> 00:14:20,700 They. 298 00:14:20,700 --> 00:14:23,540 They said that they believed in God, but the Jesus said, I am 299 00:14:23,540 --> 00:14:24,540 the way, the truth and the life. 300 00:14:24,540 --> 00:14:26,460 No man cometh unto the Father but by me. 301 00:14:27,180 --> 00:14:30,940 So there's a lot of people trying to reach God, but not through 302 00:14:30,940 --> 00:14:31,580 Jesus Christ. 303 00:14:31,660 --> 00:14:34,060 And we know that that's a vain task. 304 00:14:34,060 --> 00:14:37,500 That's an empty path that will ultimately lead to judgment. 305 00:14:37,820 --> 00:14:40,140 So he says, a stone of stumbling in a rock of offense. 306 00:14:40,220 --> 00:14:43,740 Even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient where 307 00:14:43,900 --> 00:14:46,060 unto also they were appointed. 308 00:14:46,060 --> 00:14:48,710 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a 309 00:14:48,710 --> 00:14:51,990 holy nation of peculiar people that ye should be show forth the 310 00:14:51,990 --> 00:14:56,110 praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous 311 00:14:56,110 --> 00:14:56,430 light. 312 00:14:57,150 --> 00:15:00,590 So the Bible says that those who believe can understand completely, 313 00:15:01,390 --> 00:15:05,070 maybe in some way completely, what it means to know Jesus and to 314 00:15:05,070 --> 00:15:07,550 walk in that marvelous light, that we can know that we're different, 315 00:15:07,870 --> 00:15:10,550 that we know that we're holy, that we know that we're separated, 316 00:15:10,550 --> 00:15:11,950 we know that we're distinct. 317 00:15:12,430 --> 00:15:15,790 And so when we go back to Psalm 118, we see that the. 318 00:15:16,260 --> 00:15:18,820 The stone in which the builders rejected is Jesus. 319 00:15:19,860 --> 00:15:20,580 A lot of. 320 00:15:20,820 --> 00:15:23,700 Of the people at the time did not approve of his origin. 321 00:15:23,700 --> 00:15:25,860 They did not approve of his. 322 00:15:25,940 --> 00:15:26,340 His. 323 00:15:26,420 --> 00:15:27,300 His upbringing. 324 00:15:27,300 --> 00:15:29,020 They did not approve of where he was from. 325 00:15:29,020 --> 00:15:32,500 Remember, they even scoffed at the fact that he was from Nazareth. 326 00:15:33,220 --> 00:15:33,540 They. 327 00:15:33,540 --> 00:15:35,460 They didn't like his teaching. 328 00:15:36,260 --> 00:15:38,380 What was so offensive about Jesus teaching? 329 00:15:38,380 --> 00:15:41,380 Well, it was contrary to the common norms of the day. 330 00:15:42,190 --> 00:15:43,950 The Pharisees were abusing people. 331 00:15:43,950 --> 00:15:45,790 The Pharisees were stuck in their legalism. 332 00:15:45,790 --> 00:15:48,830 The Pharisees thought that they were pious and that they were 333 00:15:48,830 --> 00:15:51,310 above everybody else and no one could reach their status. 334 00:15:51,630 --> 00:15:53,790 We know that they were abusing the widows. 335 00:15:53,790 --> 00:15:55,350 We know that they were loving money. 336 00:15:55,350 --> 00:15:56,990 There was all this corruption. 337 00:15:57,070 --> 00:16:00,270 And when Jesus came and preached the truth, there was a lot 338 00:16:00,270 --> 00:16:01,070 of offense there. 339 00:16:01,310 --> 00:16:02,510 And that's what happens today. 340 00:16:02,510 --> 00:16:05,710 If people call a Christian offensive, let's be Christians who 341 00:16:05,710 --> 00:16:07,090 are offensive for the right reasons. 342 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:09,880 Like there's some Christians that are offensive just to be offensive. 343 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:11,800 And I don't think that's a good testimony. 344 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,640 I don't think that we should stir the pot and be angry people. 345 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,040 There are a lot of Christians that wear the badge of honor to say, 346 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:21,080 you know what, I'm just going to stir the pot and try to get people 347 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:21,880 upset with me. 348 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:24,120 But we do need to be different. 349 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,560 And so the way that we offend people is by preaching the truth, 350 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:32,000 by loving them when they don't deserve love, by being forgiving, 351 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:36,360 being like Jesus and doing things that are against the cultural 352 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:37,320 norms of our day. 353 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:41,200 And so what we can see here in this passage is that Jesus is the 354 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:44,080 one who came and was offensive, but he wasn't offensive 355 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:45,800 because he was doing things that were wrong. 356 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,040 He was offensive because he was doing things that were right. 357 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:53,240 And so this is obviously true in the fact that now as a. 358 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:58,000 As a church, we don't build our actions and our reactions and 359 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:01,890 our plans and our purpose on anything outside of the cornerstone 360 00:17:01,890 --> 00:17:02,690 of Jesus Christ. 361 00:17:03,730 --> 00:17:06,290 So this chief cornerstone is fulfilled in Jesus. 362 00:17:07,570 --> 00:17:10,930 We see that many people rejected Jesus, but nonetheless he 363 00:17:10,930 --> 00:17:13,170 still is the one who is in control. 364 00:17:13,170 --> 00:17:16,450 And so him being the chief cornerstone simply means that we 365 00:17:16,450 --> 00:17:19,730 are to build everything that we do off of his truth, off of his 366 00:17:19,970 --> 00:17:21,890 sacrifice, off of his salvation. 367 00:17:23,010 --> 00:17:26,810 And so the psalmist here is writing in Psalm 118 that this is 368 00:17:26,810 --> 00:17:27,890 all the Lord's doing. 369 00:17:29,010 --> 00:17:31,930 So the fact that Jesus is the chief cornerstone is not a work of 370 00:17:31,930 --> 00:17:32,210 man. 371 00:17:32,770 --> 00:17:36,690 It's only something that we can do, is rejoice and realize how 372 00:17:36,690 --> 00:17:37,450 marvelous it is. 373 00:17:37,450 --> 00:17:42,570 And so if you go back to Psalm 118, we see really the proper response 374 00:17:42,570 --> 00:17:46,810 to understanding of who the chief cornerstone is. 375 00:17:46,810 --> 00:17:49,970 And the proper response is worship. 376 00:17:50,290 --> 00:17:52,130 The proper response is honor. 377 00:17:52,610 --> 00:17:57,730 The proper response is to align ourselves with his truth. 378 00:17:58,050 --> 00:18:01,090 And, and if you read Psalm 118, you can see essentially what 379 00:18:01,090 --> 00:18:05,610 the psalmist is talking about here is understanding that in times 380 00:18:05,610 --> 00:18:09,850 of difficulty God is with us and that he's with us not only in 381 00:18:09,850 --> 00:18:11,970 the physical, but in the spiritual and salvation. 382 00:18:12,370 --> 00:18:15,970 In verses 19, all the way to the end of the chapter is essentially 383 00:18:16,290 --> 00:18:17,890 a, a passage of praise. 384 00:18:19,090 --> 00:18:21,970 And so the, the stone in which the builders refused has become the 385 00:18:21,970 --> 00:18:23,370 head stone of the corner. 386 00:18:23,370 --> 00:18:24,330 This is the Lord's doing. 387 00:18:24,330 --> 00:18:26,250 It is marvelous in our eyes. 388 00:18:27,370 --> 00:18:31,490 So our response to recognizing that Jesus is the chief cornerstone 389 00:18:31,490 --> 00:18:33,450 means that we are to marvel at it. 390 00:18:33,530 --> 00:18:34,890 Verse 24. 391 00:18:34,970 --> 00:18:37,370 This is the day which the Lord hath made. 392 00:18:37,610 --> 00:18:42,090 We will rejoice and be glad in it that that's the proper response. 393 00:18:42,090 --> 00:18:45,850 We say, okay, no matter what's going on, Jesus is the chief cornerstone. 394 00:18:45,850 --> 00:18:48,890 So I'm going to rejoice because the Lord has made this day. 395 00:18:49,370 --> 00:18:50,450 I'm going to be glad in it. 396 00:18:50,450 --> 00:18:51,050 I'm going to be. 397 00:18:51,050 --> 00:18:55,770 And I can tell you that Psalm 118 is a passage of Scripture. 398 00:18:56,250 --> 00:19:00,530 In one of the more difficult periods of my life, I needed to go 399 00:19:00,530 --> 00:19:02,410 to every single day because. 400 00:19:02,410 --> 00:19:05,570 And if I can be transparent with you here this evening, there 401 00:19:05,570 --> 00:19:09,930 were times and days in my Christian walk that I was tempted 402 00:19:09,930 --> 00:19:11,570 not to be thankful for that day. 403 00:19:11,570 --> 00:19:14,930 Actually wake up in the morning and go, really, again, this 404 00:19:14,930 --> 00:19:15,450 is happening. 405 00:19:15,450 --> 00:19:19,290 And, and the way that we can get victory over some of the struggles 406 00:19:19,290 --> 00:19:21,530 in our life is just to meditate upon scripture. 407 00:19:22,010 --> 00:19:24,690 And Psalm 118 was one of those passages of Scripture. 408 00:19:24,690 --> 00:19:27,610 I remember one night in particular, I could not sleep. 409 00:19:27,610 --> 00:19:30,770 I was really wrestling with some things and I went downstairs 410 00:19:30,770 --> 00:19:34,610 into my living room and I just got down on my hands and knees and 411 00:19:34,610 --> 00:19:38,090 I was just Asking the Lord to give me some type of peace and clarity. 412 00:19:38,650 --> 00:19:41,170 And for some reason, God led me to Psalm 118. 413 00:19:41,170 --> 00:19:43,370 And I just read through this passage over and over again. 414 00:19:43,370 --> 00:19:49,030 And when I got to verse number 24, it was just a reminder that this 415 00:19:49,030 --> 00:19:51,110 is not just on the days that are good. 416 00:19:51,590 --> 00:19:54,350 He says, this is the day that the Lord hath made. 417 00:19:54,350 --> 00:19:55,270 Today is the day. 418 00:19:55,670 --> 00:19:57,910 No matter what you've gone through, today is the day which the 419 00:19:57,910 --> 00:19:58,630 Lord hath made. 420 00:19:58,790 --> 00:20:00,590 We will rejoice and be glad in it. 421 00:20:00,590 --> 00:20:03,790 Save now, I beseech the O Lord, oh, Lord, I beseech thee, Send 422 00:20:03,790 --> 00:20:04,630 now prosperity. 423 00:20:04,630 --> 00:20:07,390 And a lot of times we think of that word prosperity, and we think 424 00:20:07,390 --> 00:20:08,590 of, like, material blessings. 425 00:20:08,590 --> 00:20:12,030 But I believe in this case, obviously, it's talking more on the 426 00:20:12,030 --> 00:20:13,300 level of spiritual prosperity. 427 00:20:13,930 --> 00:20:16,010 And spiritual prosperity is promised to us. 428 00:20:16,010 --> 00:20:17,210 That's the book of Ephesians. 429 00:20:17,610 --> 00:20:17,930 We. 430 00:20:17,930 --> 00:20:21,690 We do have that depth of endless riches in Christ Jesus when 431 00:20:21,690 --> 00:20:23,130 it comes to the spiritual side of things. 432 00:20:23,610 --> 00:20:25,050 And when we think about it that way. 433 00:20:25,050 --> 00:20:25,690 Verse 26. 434 00:20:25,690 --> 00:20:28,330 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 435 00:20:28,330 --> 00:20:30,170 We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. 436 00:20:30,170 --> 00:20:32,810 God is the Lord which has showed us light. 437 00:20:33,610 --> 00:20:36,210 Find the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. 438 00:20:36,210 --> 00:20:38,050 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee. 439 00:20:38,050 --> 00:20:40,010 Thou art my God, and I will exalt thee. 440 00:20:40,010 --> 00:20:43,590 Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good for his mercy endureth 441 00:20:43,590 --> 00:20:43,990 forever. 442 00:20:43,990 --> 00:20:48,110 So I think the proper response to understanding that Jesus is the 443 00:20:48,110 --> 00:20:50,150 chief cornerstone is that he is in control. 444 00:20:51,830 --> 00:20:56,430 He ultimately has ordained certain things to happen in my life, 445 00:20:56,430 --> 00:20:58,950 or at least allow certain things to happen in my life. 446 00:20:59,510 --> 00:21:04,030 And I must, at some point in time, recognize that I have to submit 447 00:21:04,030 --> 00:21:04,790 myself to him. 448 00:21:04,790 --> 00:21:07,990 No matter if it's an easy situation or difficult situation, 449 00:21:07,990 --> 00:21:09,460 say, lord, you are in control. 450 00:21:09,460 --> 00:21:11,020 I'm building my life off of you. 451 00:21:11,660 --> 00:21:12,420 If I would have. 452 00:21:12,420 --> 00:21:18,020 If you would have asked me, let's say, even 20 years ago, draw 453 00:21:18,020 --> 00:21:18,620 up your life. 454 00:21:18,620 --> 00:21:19,980 Draw up your dream life. 455 00:21:20,380 --> 00:21:21,660 Draw up your plans. 456 00:21:21,660 --> 00:21:23,260 And by the way, I am a planner. 457 00:21:23,260 --> 00:21:26,740 So I remember back when I was in school, high school, I had written 458 00:21:26,740 --> 00:21:29,900 this big, long letter about what I wanted my life to be one day. 459 00:21:30,380 --> 00:21:33,620 And I had, you know, where I was going to live, what I was going 460 00:21:33,620 --> 00:21:38,300 to do, what I thought I would be doing at that time for work. 461 00:21:38,460 --> 00:21:40,820 And I can tell you I went back to read that not too long ago. 462 00:21:40,820 --> 00:21:45,140 And I'm like, almost none of this is what I planned, other than 463 00:21:45,140 --> 00:21:47,060 I wanted to be married and I wanted to have children. 464 00:21:47,060 --> 00:21:49,500 Okay, so those two things came to pass, but everything else was 465 00:21:49,500 --> 00:21:49,820 different. 466 00:21:51,020 --> 00:21:53,660 And I think all of us at some point in our lives would recognize 467 00:21:53,660 --> 00:21:56,620 that we had certain agendas or plans that we might have. 468 00:21:56,620 --> 00:21:59,340 And then God comes in and he might change that script completely. 469 00:22:00,070 --> 00:22:03,630 And I know for me, it wasn't until I said, lord, you are in control 470 00:22:03,630 --> 00:22:04,150 of my life. 471 00:22:04,150 --> 00:22:05,310 I'm going to give this over to you. 472 00:22:05,310 --> 00:22:07,790 And then that's when he started doing things in my life and 473 00:22:07,790 --> 00:22:09,750 directing me in certain areas that I never thought. 474 00:22:10,870 --> 00:22:15,190 And I think that we look at all these different Bible individuals, 475 00:22:15,510 --> 00:22:20,390 David, Jacob, Abraham, all the way through, even into the New Testament, 476 00:22:20,390 --> 00:22:21,270 Paul and Peter. 477 00:22:21,350 --> 00:22:23,990 I guarantee you their plans were not to do those things that 478 00:22:23,990 --> 00:22:24,390 they were doing. 479 00:22:24,390 --> 00:22:26,550 But God came in and intervened and changed their life. 480 00:22:27,300 --> 00:22:27,980 And so for. 481 00:22:27,980 --> 00:22:31,740 For us to have the Lord as our chief cornerstone means, okay, there's 482 00:22:31,740 --> 00:22:34,100 a certain part where I am no longer the foundation. 483 00:22:34,100 --> 00:22:36,020 I am no longer the source of hope. 484 00:22:36,260 --> 00:22:39,180 Now I go to Jesus and I say, lord, what can I build upon what 485 00:22:39,180 --> 00:22:39,780 you have given? 486 00:22:40,740 --> 00:22:43,140 And in that case, God's going to build a different type of building. 487 00:22:43,140 --> 00:22:44,580 He's going to build a different path. 488 00:22:44,580 --> 00:22:46,620 And for different people, it means different things. 489 00:22:46,620 --> 00:22:49,460 But what I can tell you is that the response should be, oh, 490 00:22:49,460 --> 00:22:52,920 give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures 491 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:53,440 forever. 492 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,720 And so to know that Jesus is the chief cornerstone, and to know 493 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:01,640 that if we live for him, the Bible says that there will be people 494 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:04,400 who are against him, and if we are for him, they will be against 495 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:04,800 us. 496 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:06,160 And. 497 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:09,880 And the reality is, is that most of us want to be loved, want 498 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:11,840 to be accepted, want to be celebrated. 499 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,000 But if we live for Jesus, there will be people who are against 500 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,320 what we say and what we do. 501 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:19,440 And I don't want that to offend you. 502 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:20,960 I don't want that to scare you. 503 00:23:21,630 --> 00:23:24,430 But what I will say is that when Jesus is our chief cornerstone, 504 00:23:24,430 --> 00:23:26,030 it really doesn't matter what other people think. 505 00:23:26,750 --> 00:23:32,150 If you go back in Psalm 118, there's a verse here that struck 506 00:23:32,150 --> 00:23:33,390 a chord in my life. 507 00:23:34,030 --> 00:23:37,790 Verse 6 says, the Lord is on my side. 508 00:23:38,750 --> 00:23:42,270 I will not fear what can man do unto me. 509 00:23:43,230 --> 00:23:46,110 That's the type of perspective that we have when we understand Jesus 510 00:23:46,510 --> 00:23:47,230 order stuff. 511 00:23:48,020 --> 00:23:50,260 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me. 512 00:23:50,660 --> 00:23:53,500 Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. 513 00:23:53,500 --> 00:23:57,060 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 514 00:23:57,780 --> 00:24:00,380 It is better to put the trust in the Lord than put confidence in 515 00:24:00,380 --> 00:24:00,900 princes. 516 00:24:01,700 --> 00:24:04,980 I think that that's a great testimony to have in our life. 517 00:24:05,540 --> 00:24:08,100 It's better to put our faith in God than anything else. 518 00:24:08,820 --> 00:24:11,900 And when we understand that Jesus is our chief cornerstone, it's 519 00:24:11,900 --> 00:24:13,540 more than just a prophecy fulfilled. 520 00:24:13,540 --> 00:24:14,820 It changes the way that we live. 521 00:24:14,820 --> 00:24:16,420 It changes the way that we respond. 522 00:24:16,900 --> 00:24:20,020 It changes the way that we plan our lives. 523 00:24:21,140 --> 00:24:26,300 You know, for me, and I'm not saying that I'm perfect, but at the 524 00:24:26,300 --> 00:24:28,940 stage of life that I'm in right now, when we're trying to make 525 00:24:28,940 --> 00:24:33,220 a family decision, we put it through not just what we want, what 526 00:24:33,220 --> 00:24:37,860 makes sense to us, but we put it through the prayer, put it through 527 00:24:37,860 --> 00:24:38,340 prayer. 528 00:24:38,740 --> 00:24:41,740 We put it through the word of God, and we say, okay, is there peace 529 00:24:41,740 --> 00:24:41,940 here? 530 00:24:41,940 --> 00:24:42,980 Is there confidence here? 531 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:45,240 Is this something that we want our children to understand? 532 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:50,320 Do we want our children, and this is just way of testimony. 533 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:54,480 Do we want our children to see us making impulsive decisions, or 534 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,640 do we want us to see our children to see us making decisions 535 00:24:57,640 --> 00:24:59,160 based in the will of God? 536 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,640 Sometimes the will of God is not in our time. 537 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:04,920 And so for me, one of the things that I'm trying to work on 538 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,520 when it comes to understanding Jesus as my chief cornerstone is 539 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,120 to say, lord, I'm not going to move until you tell me to move. 540 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:13,480 But then when he tells you to move, then. 541 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:14,440 Then you got to move. 542 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:15,760 And that's sometimes what happens. 543 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:16,920 Sometimes we're the opposite. 544 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,120 Sometimes we're ready to go, and then God bless me when I do. 545 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,720 And sometimes when God tells us to move, we're like, no, no, no, 546 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:23,880 that's not what I'm ready for. 547 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:26,200 But biblically speaking, it should be the other way around. 548 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:30,200 I need to wait upon the Lord, and when the Lord spurs me to move, 549 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,840 when he sets me forward, I need to take action right away. 550 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,450 You know, we're working with our kids on obedience, right? 551 00:25:37,410 --> 00:25:40,530 Proper obedience is not, okay, I'll do that tomorrow. 552 00:25:41,650 --> 00:25:42,810 Proper obedience is not. 553 00:25:42,810 --> 00:25:45,330 Well, I'll get to that when it's comfortable for me or when it's 554 00:25:45,330 --> 00:25:46,130 convenient for me. 555 00:25:46,210 --> 00:25:49,090 Proper obedience is obeying right away with the right spirit, 556 00:25:49,090 --> 00:25:49,890 with the right heart. 557 00:25:50,290 --> 00:25:53,330 And that's sometimes for us as Christians, we reluctantly do what 558 00:25:53,330 --> 00:25:56,810 God tells us to do and almost wear it as a badge of honor that 559 00:25:56,810 --> 00:25:58,130 we're struggling for Jesus. 560 00:25:58,450 --> 00:26:01,450 But at the other side of things, biblically speaking, biblical 561 00:26:01,450 --> 00:26:04,670 obedience and Christlike obedience is to say, yes, I'm going 562 00:26:04,670 --> 00:26:05,030 to do it. 563 00:26:05,030 --> 00:26:06,030 I'm going to do it right away. 564 00:26:06,030 --> 00:26:09,070 I'm going to do it with joy, and I'm going to do it With Thanksgiving. 565 00:26:09,870 --> 00:26:12,550 You know, there are days where I wake up and there are certain things 566 00:26:12,550 --> 00:26:15,630 that I'm called to do in my life that are a struggle. 567 00:26:15,630 --> 00:26:19,350 I think all of us understand that to love your neighbor is sometimes 568 00:26:19,350 --> 00:26:21,310 a difficult thing to. 569 00:26:21,310 --> 00:26:25,350 To be patient with others, to not respond with evil is sometimes 570 00:26:25,350 --> 00:26:26,350 a hard thing to do. 571 00:26:27,310 --> 00:26:31,410 But at the end of the day, we do it out of the abundance of joy 572 00:26:31,410 --> 00:26:33,490 that we have in walking with Jesus Christ. 573 00:26:34,050 --> 00:26:36,810 None of us are going to be perfect, but all of us can check 574 00:26:36,810 --> 00:26:40,090 ourselves to say, you know, what, what does this prophecy mean 575 00:26:40,090 --> 00:26:40,410 for me? 576 00:26:40,410 --> 00:26:42,450 What, what, what do any of these prophecies. 577 00:26:43,250 --> 00:26:45,010 Jesus was supposed to be born in Bethlehem. 578 00:26:45,010 --> 00:26:45,890 He was born in Bethlehem. 579 00:26:45,890 --> 00:26:46,810 What does that mean for me? 580 00:26:46,810 --> 00:26:48,770 That's not just a cool fact that we have. 581 00:26:49,330 --> 00:26:52,690 It's confirmation after confirmation that God's word is true. 582 00:26:53,570 --> 00:26:56,810 And I want to tell you that that fulfilled prophecy is an amazing 583 00:26:56,810 --> 00:26:57,610 thing for us to see. 584 00:26:57,610 --> 00:27:00,560 And it should not only change what we think about, but it also 585 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:03,840 should change the way that we live our lives and what we do, how 586 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:04,520 we respond. 587 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:08,440 Folks, I'm just at a point in time right now, and we look around 588 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,600 in this world today and we see so much going on. 589 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:15,960 We see so many people with so many distractions, and I just, I 590 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:16,520 can't think. 591 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:19,840 Redeeming the time for the days are evil. 592 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:24,840 I think it's so much more clear today than it was maybe even 593 00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:25,640 five years ago. 594 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,240 Like, we, we only have so much time and we're called to do something 595 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:30,680 for the Lord in that time frame. 596 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:34,520 And I, I don't know about you, but I'm a professional time waster. 597 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:36,280 So good at procrastinating. 598 00:27:36,360 --> 00:27:40,760 I'm so good with coming up with excuses to do something tomorrow, 599 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:43,800 but then tomorrow something comes up, I'll get that another time. 600 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,040 I'm gonna reach out to that person another time. 601 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,000 I'm gonna start that ministry another time when it's more convenient. 602 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,720 If you remember there, there was an individual that said, you 603 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:53,960 know what? 604 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:55,320 In the Book of Acts, he says, you know what? 605 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:57,360 I'll believe in that at a more convenient time. 606 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:01,120 Folks, I'm going to tell you, that was like when we were thinking 607 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:03,560 about having children, you know, at one point in time. 608 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:07,919 And we were like, when we have enough money, we'll have children, 609 00:28:07,919 --> 00:28:09,280 or if we have enough time. 610 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:11,760 Someone came up to me and they said, you're never going to have 611 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:15,080 enough time, money, or patience, but just, just do it. 612 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:17,920 You know, the reality is, is that we can stay here and have every 613 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:19,480 excuse in the world not to serve the Lord. 614 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,570 Or we can say, today is the day the Lord hath made, we'll rejoice 615 00:28:22,570 --> 00:28:25,490 and be glad in it and just push forward to do what we need to 616 00:28:25,490 --> 00:28:26,370 do for Jesus Christ. 617 00:28:26,610 --> 00:28:28,530 And I'm going to encourage you to think about that. 618 00:28:28,530 --> 00:28:30,210 I'm going to encourage you to think about what it means to be in 619 00:28:30,210 --> 00:28:30,930 the will of God. 620 00:28:30,930 --> 00:28:33,730 This, and someone used to tell me this all the time, and I didn't 621 00:28:33,730 --> 00:28:35,890 really understand it until later on. 622 00:28:35,890 --> 00:28:39,130 But the safest place to be, the most rewarding place to be, the 623 00:28:39,130 --> 00:28:41,090 most joyful place to be, is in the will of God. 624 00:28:41,650 --> 00:28:43,090 Doesn't mean that everything's going to go well. 625 00:28:43,090 --> 00:28:45,210 But at the end of the day, we can have the peace that passeth all 626 00:28:45,210 --> 00:28:45,810 understanding. 627 00:28:46,460 --> 00:28:49,180 And even if people are against us, even if people are not happy 628 00:28:49,180 --> 00:28:52,700 with every decision that we make, even if the workplace is difficult, 629 00:28:52,700 --> 00:28:55,740 even if we're having struggles at home, what we can say is, that's 630 00:28:55,740 --> 00:28:58,740 okay, because I've got Jesus Christ, I can come home and I can 631 00:28:58,740 --> 00:29:01,340 have the joy of the Lord being my strength, as the book of Nehemiah 632 00:29:01,340 --> 00:29:01,660 says. 633 00:29:02,140 --> 00:29:04,660 But that all stems from an understanding that Jesus Christ is 634 00:29:04,660 --> 00:29:05,740 the chief forester. 635 00:29:06,460 --> 00:29:10,300 I don't want Jesus to be the stone of offense, the stone of stumbling. 636 00:29:10,300 --> 00:29:13,220 I want Jesus to be the stone that's precious in my life. 637 00:29:13,700 --> 00:29:16,420 And so build everything off of that sure foundation. 638 00:29:16,980 --> 00:29:19,020 Build your families off of that sure foundation. 639 00:29:19,020 --> 00:29:20,980 Build your life off of that sure foundation. 640 00:29:21,060 --> 00:29:23,140 Build your marriages off that sure foundation. 641 00:29:23,140 --> 00:29:25,140 Build your workplace and that sure foundation. 642 00:29:25,380 --> 00:29:28,060 And I can tell you that even though it might not always be easy, 643 00:29:28,060 --> 00:29:33,980 it's definitely going to be the safest, blessed, rewarding place 644 00:29:33,980 --> 00:29:36,020 to be, is when you're walking in the will of God. 645 00:29:36,420 --> 00:29:37,460 Cornerstone. 646 00:29:37,620 --> 00:29:39,820 And so that's the last prophecy. 647 00:29:39,820 --> 00:29:42,180 It's just one that I wanted to bring to your attention here. 648 00:29:42,340 --> 00:29:43,940 Many of you know that prophecy. 649 00:29:44,500 --> 00:29:47,220 It's one that I find very interesting because it's quoted. 650 00:29:47,940 --> 00:29:53,660 Jesus quotes it, Paul quotes it, Luke quotes it, as Peter quotes 651 00:29:53,660 --> 00:29:57,180 it there, and then Peter in Testament. 652 00:29:57,180 --> 00:29:59,420 So many different folks quote that passage. 653 00:29:59,420 --> 00:30:01,660 And I thought that it was a really interesting prophecy to look 654 00:30:01,660 --> 00:30:01,940 at. 655 00:30:02,500 --> 00:30:03,380 There's so many more. 656 00:30:03,380 --> 00:30:06,340 I would encourage you at some point in time, if you can, you want 657 00:30:06,340 --> 00:30:08,180 to do a different study, look into the prophecies. 658 00:30:08,180 --> 00:30:10,740 Look into the prophecies of the Old Testament, man. 659 00:30:10,740 --> 00:30:11,180 There's so much. 660 00:30:11,180 --> 00:30:15,660 If you want to look through the book of Isaiah, Jeremiah, if 661 00:30:15,660 --> 00:30:18,300 you really want to get interesting, you go Zechariah and 662 00:30:18,300 --> 00:30:21,060 Ezekiel, there's so many really awesome prophecies about things 663 00:30:21,300 --> 00:30:24,140 that have come, things that are happening now, and things that 664 00:30:24,140 --> 00:30:25,220 will come to pass. 665 00:30:26,020 --> 00:30:26,980 I think that's important. 666 00:30:27,060 --> 00:30:31,300 And the other aspect of prophecy that really gives me a challenge 667 00:30:31,300 --> 00:30:31,780 is this. 668 00:30:31,970 --> 00:30:34,410 If God has been right about everything so far, he's right about 669 00:30:34,410 --> 00:30:35,170 what is to come. 670 00:30:35,730 --> 00:30:38,450 So if we're tempted to think that the future is going to be uncertain, 671 00:30:38,610 --> 00:30:39,290 hey, you know what? 672 00:30:39,290 --> 00:30:41,490 There might be like circumstantial uncertainty in this 673 00:30:41,490 --> 00:30:44,170 world, but there's certainty about what's going to happen at the 674 00:30:44,170 --> 00:30:48,089 end, comes out on top and what happens when it comes to the end 675 00:30:48,089 --> 00:30:48,450 of the world. 676 00:30:48,450 --> 00:30:49,770 And so I want you to just think about that. 677 00:30:49,770 --> 00:30:51,650 If God's been true about everything, he's going to be true 678 00:30:51,650 --> 00:30:53,490 about what he says about tomorrow. 679 00:30:53,650 --> 00:30:55,370 And so that gives peace and comfort. 680 00:30:55,370 --> 00:31:00,480 And I know that for a lot of people, like end times and thinking 681 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:05,120 about the country and politics and world, chaos kind of gives people 682 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:06,840 like an unsettling feeling as Christians. 683 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,000 And I can understand that to some degree. 684 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,120 But also what we have to understand is that God has it under 685 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:12,440 control. 686 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:16,280 We know where we're going, we know what's happening, and all we 687 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:20,560 do is we just stay faithful and God will reveal to us the right 688 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:21,480 things at the right time. 689 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:24,460 You know, I often think, why didn't God address this in Scripture? 690 00:31:25,410 --> 00:31:26,610 So a random topic, I'll think. 691 00:31:26,610 --> 00:31:27,970 I didn't say this. 692 00:31:28,450 --> 00:31:29,490 Why didn't he say that? 693 00:31:29,570 --> 00:31:32,450 And I think that ultimately what the message that I. I've come 694 00:31:32,450 --> 00:31:33,330 away with is this. 695 00:31:33,490 --> 00:31:35,570 Everything that we need to know is right here. 696 00:31:36,210 --> 00:31:38,050 You know, there's a lot of things that I want to know. 697 00:31:38,290 --> 00:31:40,250 Maybe one day God will reveal those things to me. 698 00:31:40,250 --> 00:31:42,610 But there's everything that I need to know right here in the Word 699 00:31:42,610 --> 00:31:43,170 of God. 700 00:31:43,570 --> 00:31:46,450 And the more I love this, the more I love him, the more I'm able 701 00:31:46,450 --> 00:31:47,490 to walk in confidence. 702 00:31:47,650 --> 00:31:51,260 So I wanted you to think about that here this evening as we conclude. 703 00:31:51,500 --> 00:31:54,100 So we will come back on Sunday evenings and we're going to be looking 704 00:31:54,100 --> 00:31:55,260 at the Book of Joshua. 705 00:31:55,260 --> 00:31:58,980 If you want to have a somewhat of a refresher, just read through 706 00:31:58,980 --> 00:32:01,300 the first four chapters of the book of Joshua. 707 00:32:01,300 --> 00:32:02,140 It's not that long. 708 00:32:02,940 --> 00:32:06,340 So basically, in the book of Joshua, they've crossed the Jordan 709 00:32:06,340 --> 00:32:07,940 river, they're into the. 710 00:32:07,940 --> 00:32:09,100 The promised land. 711 00:32:09,740 --> 00:32:12,940 But there's going to be some more conflicts that they're going 712 00:32:12,940 --> 00:32:13,300 to face. 713 00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:14,940 And ultimately God's going to. 714 00:32:15,340 --> 00:32:18,060 So I'm excited to continue on in the Book of Joshua. 715 00:32:18,060 --> 00:32:19,620 It's one of my favorite books of the Bible. 716 00:32:19,860 --> 00:32:25,020 And also too, I will say this this summer, sight and sound is Joshua. 717 00:32:25,020 --> 00:32:28,780 So you can get prepared for the story there and we can see it 718 00:32:28,780 --> 00:32:29,820 and we, you guys can be like me. 719 00:32:29,820 --> 00:32:31,260 We can go in and we can critique it. 720 00:32:31,260 --> 00:32:32,780 Is it biblically accurate or not? 721 00:32:32,780 --> 00:32:34,820 Okay, most of the time they are. 722 00:32:35,220 --> 00:32:38,180 Of course, we know there's got to be those creative liberties, but 723 00:32:38,900 --> 00:32:43,950 you know, well, let's go ahead and close in a word of prayer and 724 00:32:43,950 --> 00:32:45,630 then I'll have a few announcements for you guys and then 725 00:32:45,630 --> 00:32:46,350 we'll be dismissed. 726 00:32:46,350 --> 00:32:47,830 Lord, I thank you for this time that you've given us. 727 00:32:47,830 --> 00:32:51,470 Thank you for this opportunity to come together here tonight to 728 00:32:51,470 --> 00:32:55,390 continue studying your Word and specifically in regards to prophecy. 729 00:32:55,390 --> 00:32:59,230 Lord, we thank you for many of the prophecies that we talked about 730 00:32:59,230 --> 00:33:00,670 and many that we haven't. 731 00:33:00,830 --> 00:33:04,630 Where the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of these things 732 00:33:04,630 --> 00:33:08,520 is such an amazing truth where we know that you sent your only begotten 733 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:10,440 Son for us as the chief cornerstone. 734 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:14,320 But we know many people, many people rejected, many people did 735 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:17,760 not understand, many people understood but did not want to follow 736 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:23,519 in faith, Lord, but help us as your church to follow, Lord, to trust 737 00:33:23,519 --> 00:33:27,560 and to build our lives upon the cheap cornerstone of Jesus Christ, 738 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:28,640 Lord. 739 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:29,800 Help us to have joy in that. 740 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:34,010 Help us to see him as something precious to our lives above 741 00:33:34,010 --> 00:33:34,330 all. 742 00:33:34,730 --> 00:33:37,610 And so, Lord, I pray that we can be the church as you called us 743 00:33:37,610 --> 00:33:38,810 to be, Lord. 744 00:33:38,810 --> 00:33:43,490 Help us to find that comfort and strength in the midst of chaotic 745 00:33:43,490 --> 00:33:43,770 world. 746 00:33:44,250 --> 00:33:45,690 Help us to turn to your truth. 747 00:33:46,330 --> 00:33:49,010 Help us to be sanctified by your truth, Lord. 748 00:33:49,010 --> 00:33:52,690 Help us to grow in our faith as your Word says, faith come with 749 00:33:52,690 --> 00:33:54,490 my hearing and hearing by the word of God. 750 00:33:54,730 --> 00:33:58,330 So help us to be so engrossed in your Word so that we can grow 751 00:33:58,330 --> 00:34:01,940 in our faith to know you in a more personal way. 752 00:34:01,940 --> 00:34:04,620 So Lord, I pray that you be with our our fellowship follow. 753 00:34:04,940 --> 00:34:07,820 I pray that you can encourage our hearts here coming into the new 754 00:34:08,220 --> 00:34:09,740 and we ask all these things of Jesus. 755 00:34:11,900 --> 00:34:14,460 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 756 00:34:14,460 --> 00:34:15,100 podcast. 757 00:34:15,340 --> 00:34:17,740 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 758 00:34:18,460 --> 00:34:20,660 You would like to find out more information about our church 759 00:34:20,660 --> 00:34:21,340 or this sermon? 760 00:34:21,340 --> 00:34:25,150 You can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org or find 761 00:34:25,219 --> 00:34:26,979 find us on Facebook or YouTube. 762 00:34:27,699 --> 00:34:32,259 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro at middletownbaptistchurch. 763 00:34:32,259 --> 00:34:32,659 Com. 764 00:34:33,139 --> 00:34:36,539 If you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 765 00:34:36,539 --> 00:34:39,459 along for future podcast and updates. 766 00:34:40,099 --> 00:34:40,979 Thank you so much. 767 00:34:41,218 --> 00:34:42,019 God Bless. 768 00:34:42,259 --> 00:34:43,539 Have a wonderful day.