By
Shelby G. Floyd
That was a great song service! Let us all send the light. This praise to God inspires us to take the gospel into all the world. We have the September issue of House to House available in the foyer. Please pick up a copy and hand one to a friend or neighbor. It is good to see the large group of young people setting down here at the front of the auditorium. We do have a full house today, with only a few empty seats.
Today, I am speaking to you on the subject, “The Rejected Cornerstone!” The New Testament mentions “The Rejected Cornerstone” about five times. Including the Old Testament references it occurs about nine times. These references give us our topic today—The Rejected Cornerstone!
About two weeks ago we took a trip down to Bloomington, Indiana for a wedding. And
when we drove up to the place of the wedding, I noticed there was an old rusty factory that was not in use. And as we drove into the parking lot and I was amazed to see a lot of big stones eight feet long, six feet high and four feet wide! And they stacked them on top of each other three or four rows high. And I thought to myself, that is amazing. So, while we were at the wedding, I asked some of the people what the factory did before they shut it down. They said, “they cut those big stones you see that are stacked up all around the parking lot.”
When I returned home and did some research, I was amazed at what I found. I told you before that Indianapolis and the surrounding area is actually setting on top of a giant gravel pit. But when I did further research, I discovered that north of Bloomington there is a giant vein of limestone that runs under the city of Bloomington and under the city of Bedford, Indiana. Therefore, these two cities are sitting on top of an amazing bed of the best limestone in the country. Most of the buildings in Washington DC have Indiana limestone on the building. Builders used Indiana limestone to repair the Pentagon building after the attack on 9-11.
BIG ROCK BUILDING BLOCKS
Big rocks are the building blocks of the buildings here on earth. Big rocks are symbolic of things, people and objects that are strong and enduring! For instance, the Army just spent $11 million on a recruiting campaign with Duane “the Rock” Johnson. It did not reap much success. Also, I have a picture of Ray Sorenson, a young man from Iowa who repainted a Big Rock filled with graffiti into a beautiful Patriotic Rock. And when you visit San Francisco, California, you can go to Pier 39 and see the prison Alcatraz which is not too far away. And they called it “The Rock.” They advertised the Chevy truck for its power and stability “Like a Rock!”
ARCHITECTURE TERMS EXPLAINED
Now I will explain some terms we use in reference to some Big Rocks in the building trade.
We have pictures on the screen of “The Capstone.” The capstone ties the building together at the top. Then there is “The Keystone.” This ties together the stones in the building of an arch! And then of course we have “The Cornerstone” at the corner of the building. And there is another term used in the Bible, and that is “The Foundation Stone.” In building one must start somewhere, and when you lay the foundation, the first stone would be “the foundation stone.”
GEORGE WASHINGTON LAID THE CAPITAL CORNERSTONE
Now George Washington, the father of our country laid “the foundation stone” of our capital building. And according to the picture on the screen, it was at the underground level. So it would be “the foundation stone” more than a “cornerstone.” I have read that he put a map in there as to where the national treasure is! George Washington laid the stone of the capital on September 18, 1793.
THE CORNERSTONE
Now we focus on the cornerstone. It was an ancient practice to lay a cornerstone in a building. It was the last stone laid in the building. It became a symbol of completing the building. Often the cornerstone was of a different material to set it apart from the building. Some historians say that in ancient times, the cornerstone was twenty by seven feet!
In modern times, the cornerstone is also a symbol of completing the building. Today it is more of a decorative plaque put in the building at ground level where you can see it. It usually has the architectural name, the name of the firm, and the date of completion. I can remember as a boy my mother would take me to downtown Indianapolis. As we walked around, I always noticed those cornerstones, such as L. S. Ayres, Wm. H. Block, and W. P. Wasson! All of these buildings had cornerstones, and many other buildings did also. What is the purpose of the cornerstone? It unites the building, beautifies, and gives direction to the passerby.
THE LEGEND OF THE REJECTED CORNERSTONE
The idea of the rejected cornerstone is based on a legend that was handed down through the years from the building of Solomon’s Temple. God appointed Solomon to build the temple upon the ground that David purchased from Arunah. David offered up a sacrifice to the Lord when finally, the Ark of the Covenant came to Jerusalem. They tried to bring the ark the first time, but it was not successful because they brought it on a “new cart!” The cart hit a bump, and the ark was about to fall off. Then a man reached out to keep it from falling and the Lord struck him dead! King David was terribly upset over this incident. Later on, he decided to bring the ark to Jerusalem the right way. And when they brought it back the right way, it was acceptable at threshing floor of Arunah. And that became the site where Solomon built the beautiful temple on Mount Zion. Mount Zion can stand for the place where they built the temple or for the entire area of Jerusalem—the city of David.
When building the temple in Jerusalem, there were no sounds of the hammer or saw. They precut the stones used in that building according to the size on the blueprint. This took place at the stone quarry. They delivered them to Jerusalem like a prefabricated house. Every stone would fit perfectly where it was to go.
One day they cut and shaped a large stone to the proper size. Then they delivered it to the temple site. When it arrived, the builders could not find any place to put it. It did not seem to match their blueprint. Therefore, they placed it over to one side. After a while, the workers became tired of stumbling over it, so they pushed it to one side. And after some time, they finally pushed it over into the valley of Kidron. They rejected it! They got rid of it!
Finally, when they completed the building, the supervisor contacted the head of the stone quarry. He asked for the cornerstone. The head man at the quarry replied that they had sent it some time ago. And then they realized that this was the stone they rejected. They found it and it fit perfectly in the place designated—the cornerstone!
That is the legend handed down of “the rejected cornerstone.” That story is true, or one about like it would be true. Because the Bible mentions the rejected cornerstone several times. Therefore, the builders rejected the cornerstone at some time in Israel’s history.
THE REJECTED CORNERSTONE PROPHECIES
About six hundred years before Christ the prophet Isaiah predicted that the builders rejected the cornerstone and laid it aside. Isaiah’s prophecies usually have reference to Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came into our world at the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4-6). Therefore, we believe these prophecies about the rejected cornerstone refer to our Lord Jesus Christ who was rejected by his own people.
In Isaiah we read,
13 The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
14 He will be as a sanctuary,
But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (Isaiah 8:13-14).
And then we have another prophecy of Isaiah that refers to Jesus Christ,
Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,
A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
Whoever believes will not act hastily.
(Isaiah 28:16).
And once more King David prophesied that the builders would reject his Son, Jesus Christ, who would then become “the chief cornerstone:”
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalms 118:22-24).
We know these prophecies refer to Israel who rejected Jesus, but God selected him to be the chief cornerstone in the spiritual building of the kingdom of heaven or the church. How do we know that? We know that because the apostles quoted these prophecies and applied them to Jesus Christ after the church began. Then the same people who put Jesus on the cross of Calvary rejected Jesus—the chief cornerstone. For example, we notice how Jesus applied these prophecies when he instructed the people in one of his great parables!
THE PARABLE OF THE WICKED VINEDRESSERS
Now in the fullness of time Jesus came to Israel as the chief cornerstone, but they rejected him according to the parable of The Wicked Vine Dressers. We find this parable in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Today we look at Matthew 21:33-46. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, leased it to vine dressers, and went into a country far away. At vintage time he sent some servants to receive some fruit. He had made a big investment. He deserves some profit. But when they came to the vine dressers, they beat one man, killed another, and stoned another man. When word got back to the owner of the vineyard, he decided to send some more servants. And the wicked vine dressers did the same thing to them. They mistreated them, beat them, and killed them.
At last, the owner of the vineyard said, “I have a son left. I will send him. Surely they will respect my son. I will send my son back and ask for some fruit based on my investment. But since his son was the heir, they looked upon the opportunity to take control of the vineyard. They killed him and took over the inheritance. That is the kind of behavior that goes on in our world today. People will do about anything for “the love of money.”
Jesus told this story that I just related to you, and then he read a Scripture unto them:
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
23 this was the LORD’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes. (Psalms 118:22-23).
Then Jesus applied this parable of the wicked vine dressers to himself. God the Father is the man that created the vineyard. God the Father sent out the prophets, he sent John the Baptist, and others to the people. But Israel stoned them, killed them, and had John beheaded. Finally, God sent his “only begotten son” into the world. And him they rejected and nailed to a Roman cross! The application of this parable of the wicked vine dressers is that Jesus Christ is the precious cornerstone, the chief cornerstone that the builders rejected.
After this Jesus also applied this parable to the Chief Priests and Pharisees:
43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. (Matthew 21:43-44). Therefore, Israel forfeited their right to the kingdom of God or the church (Matthew 16:13-19). He then gave the kingdom to a nation bearing the fruits of the kingdom—he gave it to the Gentile people who advanced the church over the last two thousand years! This is not a good picture if you are going against the chief cornerstone Jesus Christ.
ISRAEL REJECTED CHRIST AND THE CHURCH!
This brings us to the last part of this lesson on “The Rejected Cornerstone.” The Heartland congregation has just concluded a study in Acts of apostles where this event took place (Acts 4:4-12).
In this reading we notice that Peter and John were arrested and put in jail until the next day because they were preaching to the people the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. They spent the night in jail, and I am sure they were reflecting on what would happen to them on the morrow when they went before the High priest and the High Court.
Therefore, the next day Peter and John appeared before the Rulers! The High Court asked them by what power and by what name they had healed the helpless man. And even the Jewish court could not deny that a great miracle had taken place.
Now my friends hear the answer that Peter gave to them,
“8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.” (Acts 4:8-10).
This was his answer. It was a great answer. Now at the crescendo of this meeting, Peter accused the High Court of fulfilling the prophecy of David who spoke of the builders rejecting the chief cornerstone of the spiritual building—the church:
“22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.” (Psalms 118:22).
Who is that stone? It is Jesus Christ who is ruling on high over his kingdom—the church! Finally, in Peter’s ringing exhortation to the people, he boldly states, that there is no salvation in any other name, “except in the name of Jesus whom you crucified.”
Will you come today and present yourself before and accept “The Chief Cornerstone,” our Lord Jesus Christ? *
* Copyright © 2024 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved
Shelby G. Floyd delivered this sermon, “The Rejected Cornerstone,” September 22, 2024, at the Heartland Church of Christ, 1693 West Main Street, Greenwood, Indiana 46142.