Who Do You Think You Are?

You all just sang a mighty song just now.

Inviting the Lord to speak through His word to your hearts.

!

It's the kind of word that requires a response.

And so in that mighty song that we just sang, we invited the Lord to do something for us.

To speak through His word and to grab our hearts and to lead us into the kinds of truths that we all need this morning.

So that we can be the kinds of people that represent Him properly.

And the kinds of people that will be approved by Him as servants who are faithful.

It's a word that carries authority.

I wonder if you have any experiences like me.

Of people who have tried to speak into your life a word of authority.

But they have none.

Okay?

Okay?

Like for example, I'm thinking of a time back in the day when I was a high schooler.

And I was mowing lawns for the summer.

And I know that's kind of a lost art.

Any of you teens mow lawns for the summer?

Okay?

Except for David who mows here.

Okay?

Good.

Calvin.

I see one back there.

Great.

Mow lawns for the summer.

Okay?

It's kind of a lost art.

Well, I was like a junior or senior in high school.

And so it was towards the springtime.

And so because of being a junior or senior, I was taking accelerated classes.

And I was part of a sporting event.

And so all the practices kind of built into that.

And I was involved in church.

And all of the obligations on my time.

There was just one day a week I had to mow.

That was Saturday.

So I had to do five lawns on a Saturday back to back.

And then if there was any weekend where it rained and I couldn't do on a Saturday, I tried.

I had to fit it in to the rest of the week.

Okay?

All of that is background for the scenario that I'm going to share with you.

So I'm mowing this lawn.

Okay?

And it's a Saturday.

And I'm halfway through the front part of the lawn about ready to move my way into the back.

And somebody is taking a walk.

Somebody from the neighborhood.

He's coming around the corner.

And he gets my attention and asks me to turn off the mower.

Okay?

So I turn off the mower.

And he says, hey, do you live here?

I said, no, I don't live here.

He said, well, you realize, don't you, that you should be mowing much more often than you're mowing.

You realize that?

Now, my dad trained me well.

Okay?

He trained me well.

And so my response was, well, thank you for that.

Appreciate it.

I'm doing my best.

And I just can't get around to it more than just once a week.

But in reflection, what's really going on in my mind is, who do you think you are?

Like, obviously, this is not your yard.

Lord, obviously, you're not the one who's calling the shots.

And you're not the one who's paying me.

You don't even live next door.

What do you care?

Who do you think you are?

Or maybe for you younger ones that are still living at home, and you have a sibling that says,

you know you're not supposed to do that.

And you say, who do you think you are?

I'm sure none of you have ever done that.

That's very good of you.

That's good.

But there are occasions, are there not, when someone speaks into our life, and they carry

a measure of authority because of the position they have.

For example, I went to a parts store recently, and I got some parts for my car.

There was some work I needed to do.

And the guy at the counter says, hey, now, by the way, make sure that when you do this,

you do this in this order.

Don't do that first.

Do that second.

And he helped to lay out for me some of the order to make sure I wasn't going to ruin the

very thing I was trying to fix.

And then he stepped back and realized, oh, wait, wait a second.

You didn't ask for this advice.

I'm just giving it to you.

And so he kind of backtracked a little bit.

But I'm like, hey, no, listen, this is great.

Thank you very much.

I need the help.

You can speak into my life.

You can have some authority in this area.

It's okay.

Or those of you who've been to a doctor, and you've had maybe an event that's taken place,

and the doctor says, now, listen, this has happened.

Make sure that you stay away from this, and that you do this, and you take that, and they

carry some authority, some weight with the words that they say.

We understand that teaching and instruction is a way for us to exert a level of authority.

Right?

When someone asserts themself over you, they teach you like a teacher.

They instruct you.

They exhort you.

They rebuke you.

They confront you.

Chances are, if they're doing that, they have a level of authority.

When they have authority, it matters.

It carries force.

When they don't have authority, you're like, who do you think you are?

Why in the world are you opening your mouth?

You can just go away.

Hopefully, you're not responding that way.

But Jesus' public ministry from the very beginning is one that exerted this kind of authority.

Jesus taught wherever he went.

He's teaching in synagogues.

He's teaching in villages.

He's teaching in countrysides.

He's teaching along the shoreline.

He's teaching along the way.

His disciples are coming along.

Wherever Jesus is going, he's teaching.

It's a way for him to demonstrate this measure of authority.

He not only has information to share.

He has authority in the things that he shares.

And of course, there's no place that carried as much authority and a center of authority as the temple.

In Jerusalem.

The very center of worship for the nation of Israel.

The heart and soul of the country was right there in Jerusalem.

And so, this is where the presence of God was.

And so, there's no other place that the force of teaching and authority would be present than in the temple.

And that's where we encounter Jesus today.

If you have your Bibles, please open them with me to Luke chapter 20.

Luke 20 · chapter mention

And if you're using the Pew Bible, you can find us on page 879.

879.

We find in this section, the religious leaders, the supposed authorities over Israel,

are confronting Jesus with the question that we're going to find in verse 2.

That is, tell us by what authority you do these things.

In other words, who do you think you are?

And if it wasn't clear throughout the whole of Jesus' public ministry,

in this last week of Jesus' life leading up to the cross,

it's going to come at rapid succession.

And the identity of Jesus is going to come through in the way that he speaks.

It's going to come through in the things that he does.

It's going to come through in the parables and the illustrations that he uses.

He's going to receive and promote his identity so that it is without question

who Jesus is and what he's come to do.

So, Jesus will respond to this question.

And he'll help in this passage, in verses 1 to 18,

to address four ways, four identities that Christ has

that he's going to provide for this group of religious leaders.

First, Jesus is the Savior.

Jesus is the Savior.

If you're there with me in Luke chapter 20,

Luke 20 · chapter mention

let me just read the first couple of verses to build the context for our study today.

It says,

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 and said to him,

Tell us by what authority you do these things.

Or who is it that gave you this authority?

Right here at the beginning, we notice that Jesus is teaching.

And we don't know what day this is,

but we do know this is the pattern of Jesus' life in ministry

over the stretch of these few days.

We saw that back in Luke chapter 19, verse 47.

Luke 19:47

And he was teaching daily in the temple.

This is what Jesus was going to do.

He was making himself accessible.

Having ridden into the city of Jerusalem,

this triumphal entry on a Sunday,

and having purged and cleansed the temple on a Monday,

here he is on a Tuesday, a Wednesday, or a Thursday.

We don't know.

Here he is again in the temple teaching.

Right at the center of it all.

Jesus is not hiding.

He's there in plain sight.

He's not running for cover.

He's not isolating outside of Jerusalem.

He's not biding his time.

And as the Passover festivities are taking place,

here the Passover lamb will teach and serve his people.

This Passover festivities,

they're all coming to find their Passover lamb,

and the Passover lamb is right there in front of them,

teaching them, serving them.

Here Jesus is preaching and teaching,

and likely teaching in the court of the Gentiles.

This is the outer court of this complex temple system.

Listen, this is the very place where Christ had just come the day before,

and he had purged it of the money changers.

He had purged it of those who were buying and selling animals.

Here he was again, having cleared it out,

and having reclaimed this space for its intended purpose,

that we find in chapter 19, verse 46.

My house shall be a house of prayer,

but you have made it a den of robbers.

And here Jesus is,

restoring it back to its original purpose,

the idea of worship and affection and devotion to God.

This would be the spot in the temple.

Of course, it had the greatest access,

being the court of the Gentiles.

Whether you were an outsider or an insider,

whether you were a male or a female,

the teaching ministry of Jesus is here.

And notice what he's teaching.

It says he's teaching and preaching the gospel.

This word for teaching and preaching are present participles,

which means this is an activity that has this ongoing sense

of Jesus' life throughout this week.

That is why Jesus is here in the temple.

He's confident in the plan of the Father.

His grace is extended to the people.

His example of self-sacrifice

and continuing to extend himself

and expend himself for these individuals.

This compassion to a people

who in just a few short days

are going to put him on the cross.

It's referred to throughout the gospel of Luke

as teaching this good news.

This gospel we find all the way at the beginning

in his public ministry in Luke chapter 4.

Luke 4 · chapter mention

He's preaching the good news of the kingdom.

Well, what was that?

Well, it was the good news of forgiveness of sin.

It was the good news of repentance

and salvation that was offered through Jesus.

It was this good news that most recently we saw

as Jesus is making his way through Jericho

and he makes a stop at Zacchaeus' house

and he says in Luke 19 verse 10,

Luke 19:10

the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.

That was good news.

And that's why Jesus was here.

And no doubt during the Passover,

as the people of Israel were celebrating

and taking part of these Passover festivities,

the remembrance of the blood

that had been painted on the doorposts

and this physical deliverance out of Egypt.

And here Jesus was just days away

from providing the greatest deliverance

that man would ever need,

the deliverance from sin.

No doubt providing greater urgency,

helping to provide a level of energy and power

for the word of the gospel that he was teaching

and preaching to these people today.

Jesus is here as the Lamb of God

who takes away the sin of the world.

Drawing the crowds who packed that space

and flocked to hear him,

here he is.

And they're eating out of the palm of his hand

as we saw in chapter 19.

They were hanging on every word.

But Jesus' teaching was not just gaining

the observation and the attention of the crowds.

It was gaining attention from another group as well.

This group of religious leaders

who approach him and ask this question.

Jesus.

Jesus was the Savior.

And now as the Pharisees will ask him,

by whose authority do you do this?

Jesus will launch into another form of his identity

by helping them understand

that Jesus is also sent from heaven.

He is the heaven-sent messenger.

He is the validated voice from God to men.

Notice at the end of verse 1 of chapter 20,

it says,

He answered them,

Now tell me,

was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?

And they discussed it with one another and said,

If we say from heaven,

he will say,

Why did you not believe him?

But if we say from man,

all the people will stone us to death,

for they are convinced that John was a prophet.

So they answered that they did not know

where it came from.

And Jesus said to them,

Neither will I tell you

by what authority I do these things.

In order to really understand

or appreciate what's taking place here,

we have to recognize that the temple

being a place that was primarily devoted

to worship and prayer and sacrifice,

it was also the center of teaching.

We saw this as a center of teaching

going all the way back

to the very beginning of the Gospel of Luke

where we find Jesus there.

He is learning from teachers.

In Luke chapter 2, verses 46 and 47,

Luke 2:46

it says that after three days,

they found him,

speaking of Mary and Joseph

who were Jesus' parents,

he was sitting among the teachers,

listening to them

and asking them questions.

All who heard him

were amazed at his understanding

and his answers.

Here Jesus is in the temple,

the center of worship,

but also a place of teaching and learning.

And Jesus is there,

learning there in the temple as a boy.

But this was not your run-of-the-mill

kind of worship center.

This was the center of Jewish religion,

the heart and soul of the nation.

And so just as local rabbis and teachers

would need the approval

of the synagogue leaders

in order to teach in a synagogue,

you can imagine that this place

of such notoriety

would also need validation

from somebody of interest

and authority within the temple structure,

a religious leader.

So this was not an invalid question.

This was a legitimate question

that they're asking.

The truth is,

these religious leaders

have been wanting to put Jesus to death

for some time now.

Ever since Lazarus was raised from the dead,

and this,

that event was the last straw in their mind.

We find from John chapter 11

John 11 · chapter mention

that it was because

of the raising of Lazarus from the dead,

they were all set on destroying him.

So here he is,

he's teaching again.

And it's abundantly clear

that the religious leaders

weren't the one who validated him

and authorized him to teach in this place.

Entire city knew

that those very people

were seeking to arrest him.

Well,

here he is,

carrying out ministry

in plain sight.

In direct view

of their normal activities,

on their home turf,

as it were,

it's a direct assault

to their supposed authority.

A direct competition

with their teaching.

You can imagine

that they're trying to carry out

their own little teaching venues,

but the person

who seems to be

attracting the most attention,

and it says in other places

that the entire city of Jerusalem

was drawn to the teaching of Christ.

And so,

Jesus is getting all of the attention,

drawing it away from them.

And here he is,

gaining favor with the people,

putting the religious leaders

in their place,

challenging their threat of arrest,

which, of course,

he had every reason to do.

They come into the temple

and they ask this question.

By what authority

do you do these things?

And Jesus will respond

as he does so often,

rather than with a direct answer,

he will now give them a question.

Jesus asks them

a question

related to

John the Baptist

and his ministry.

Because Jesus wasn't

after just an answer.

These individuals

knew the answer.

They had the information.

They didn't need

any more added truth

to help them understand

who Jesus claimed to be.

This was an issue

of their heart.

And likely a question

that they were using

to draw Jesus out

into the open,

to help him

come to a place

of discrediting himself

in their minds

by committing blasphemy.

blasphemy.

This was a way

to trap him.

But Jesus wasn't going to

go for that.

So he asks them

this question

we see in verse 3.

Was the baptism

of John

from heaven

or from man?

Ultimately,

the answer was not

the issue.

It was an issue

of the heart.

Who is John?

Was he from heaven

or was he from man?

And if your heart

is aligned

in the right place,

then you'll be able

to recognize

who I am

and you'll be willing

to accept what I say.

Jesus was not unwilling

to disclose the truth

to this group.

On several occasions,

even recently,

Jesus was more than happy

to identify

who he was.

Just five months earlier,

we find at the feast

of dedication

in John chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

they ask a very pointed question,

the same group of men.

How long will you

keep us in suspense,

he says,

in John chapter 10,

John 10:24

verse 24.

If you are the Christ,

tell us plainly.

And Jesus answers,

I told you

and you do not believe.

The works that I do

in my Father's name

bear witness about me.

But you do not believe

because you are not

among my sheep.

I've already told you.

I've already made this clear.

It's very evident.

Your heart is set against me

because you do not belong to me.

You're not one of my sheep.

So this wasn't an issue

of needing more knowledge.

This was an issue

of a heart.

So Jesus poses this question

and it was clear

that the religious leaders

knew who John the Baptist was.

They had been present

at John the Baptist's ministry

going all the way back

to the beginning

as we find in John chapter 1,

John 1:19

verse 19.

It says,

and this is the testimony of John.

When the Jews

sent priests and Levites

from Jerusalem

to ask him,

who are you?

He confessed

and did not deny

but confessed,

I am not the Christ.

This is John the Baptist.

And the same group

of religious leaders

sending their own representatives

out to John the Baptist

to ask this pointed question.

But John will continue

to fill out the answer

in John chapter 1,

John 1:29–34

verses 29 to 34.

I'm not the Christ

but I'll tell you who is.

It says,

the next day,

he,

speaking of John the Baptist,

saw Jesus coming towards him

and said,

behold,

the Lamb of God

who takes away

the sin of the world.

There he is.

After me comes a man

who ranks before me

because he was before me.

For this purpose,

I came baptizing with water

that he might be revealed to Israel

and I have borne witness

that this is the Son of God.

There he is.

Without mistake,

as clearly

and as directly

as you could be,

John the Baptist

gave witness

of the fact

that Jesus was,

in fact,

the Son of God.

He was the Lamb of God.

And these religious leaders

knew it.

They knew from the very beginning

and they had challenged Jesus

throughout his ministry

and the identity of Christ

as being from heaven

was clear.

But they need to respond.

So they have a little huddle.

And in this little huddle,

they're negotiating their answers.

They're making sure

they come up with the right answer.

If we say he's from heaven,

he will say,

why did you not believe?

But if we say from man,

then all the people will stone us.

So the answer,

we do not know.

Which was the lesser

of two evils,

perhaps.

But the answer they give

still undermines

their credibility.

Because if the people

who are there,

the common folks,

as it were,

who know who Jesus is

and have appreciated

and come to understand

the ministry of John the Baptist,

if they know

where John came from,

how is it

that these spiritual

religious leaders

have no idea?

Their credibility

is gone.

And while Jesus

would not answer

their question directly,

now he will provide them

an answer

through this parable

that he shares

that provides

very clear information

again on his identity.

This parable,

we find in verses 9 to 16,

help us understand

that Jesus is claiming

to be the son,

the very son of God.

Jesus is the son.

Beginning in verse 9,

it says,

And he began to tell

the people this parable.

A man planted a vineyard

and led 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 they also wounded

and cast out.

Then the owner of the vineyard

said,

What 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.

When they heard this,

they said,

Surely not.

Of course,

the point of the parable

and the pieces of the story

are fairly clear.

The nation of Israel

was often related

to a vineyard

in the Old Testament.

We find that really prominently

prominently in Isaiah chapter 5.

Isaiah 5 · chapter mention

Isaiah 5 verses 1 and 5 and 7

Isaiah 5:1

says this,

Let me sing for my beloved

my love song

concerning his vineyard.

My beloved had a vineyard

on a very fertile hill

and now I will tell you

what I will do to my vineyard.

I will remove its hedges

and it shall be devoured.

I will break down its walls

and it shall be trampled down.

For the vineyard

of the Lord of hosts

is the house of Israel.

And those religious leaders

knew exactly

when Jesus is speaking

about this vineyard

that he is relating

this picture

to the nation of Israel.

And of course,

the tenants

of that vineyard

were these religious leaders

that God entrusted

this vineyard to.

They were supposed to care for it.

They were supposed to tend it.

And the servants

who were sent to gather

some of the fruit

were the prophets.

Those prophets

that carried the instructions

and commands of God.

They came to yield

or to benefit

from the fruit

of the vineyard.

This life

of the nation

of Israel

and the affections

and the fruit

of that nation.

They came with a word

from the owner.

His instructions,

his demands,

but the tenants

pushed them away.

It's exactly

what Jesus

refers to

throughout his public ministry

about the normal response

of the people

of Israel,

the tenants,

as it were,

of the nation of Israel

to the instructions

and words

from the prophets.

Kind of crystallizes

for us

in Luke chapter 13

Luke 13:34

verse 34

where Jesus cries

over the city.

Oh Jerusalem,

Jerusalem,

the city that kills

the prophets

and stones those

who are sent to it.

How often

I would have gathered

your children together

as a hen

gathers her brood

under her wings

and you were

not willing.

This is not only

the testimony

of Jerusalem,

but Jerusalem

that kind of

represents the nation

in totality,

the heart and soul

as it were

of the people

of Israel

and the response

especially here

in the center

where the religious leaders

were helping

to provide

their leadership

and authority.

This was the center

of resistance

as it were

from the word

from the prophets.

And finally,

the owner

sends the son

and Jesus refers

to this son

in the final part

of this parable.

And there's some

enlightening things,

some elements

that we find

in this final section

about the response

of the tenants

to the son.

Notice,

first of all,

that the tenants

recognize the son.

They recognize the son.

This is the heir,

they say.

They know who it is.

They realize

that he's not

just another servant.

It's clear to them.

And so the plan

that they have

to remove him

and to kill him

is not a plan

devised out of ignorance

but out of knowledge.

Out of knowing identity,

they know the son

and they're still

going to carry out

this plan.

Next,

secondly,

notice the insanity

of their plan.

let us kill him

so that the inheritance

may be ours.

Now,

in what universe

would that actually

be true?

But that's what

depraved minds do.

Depraved minds

and hearts

turn reality

and truth

upside down.

Rationality

is removed.

They convince themselves

of an alternate reality

reality.

And by the way,

that's what

depraved hearts

and minds

do consistently.

We think,

we're going to do

our own thing.

I want to have

this inheritance

for myself.

I'm going to reject

the clear

marching orders

of the Lord himself.

And I'll be able

to have what I want

and I'll be able

to get it

and enjoy it.

And our depraved minds

create an alternate

reality

for us

just like it did

for the tenets

of this parable.

No, actually,

the opposite

is going to happen.

You're not going

to be able

to have the inheritance.

There are consequences

that are coming.

And so Jesus poses

the question

to the crowd.

He says,

what then will

the owner

of the vineyard do?

And in our passage

here in

the Gospel of Luke,

Jesus will answer

that question,

provide the answer

to that question

in verse 19.

Excuse me.

Verse 16.

He will come

and destroy

those tenants

and give the vineyard

to others.

In Matthew's account,

we find that the crowd

actually responds

to the question.

Matthew chapter 21,

Matthew 21:41

verse 41,

it says,

they said to him,

he will put those

wretches to a miserable

death

and let out the vineyard

to other tenants

who will give him

the fruits of the season.

Now, which is it?

The answer is,

both.

Jesus asks the question

to the crowd

and the answer

is so obvious,

the crowd responds.

And Jesus reinforces

the truth

by reiterating it

and saying,

yes,

that's exactly

what's going to happen.

But then we get

this response

from another group

of individuals.

And while the text

in Luke is not clear,

I think this group

of representatives

that says,

certainly not,

is the group

of religious leaders

who understands

that this parable

is exactly directed

to them.

Notice in verse 19

of Luke chapter 20,

Luke 20 · chapter mention

the scribes

and the chief priests

sought to lay hands

on him

at that very hour

for they perceived

that he had told

this parable

against them.

Have you ever had

somebody share a story?

And you knew

that they built you

into that story

to prove a point?

You ever have that happen?

I used to go

to a church

where the pastor

would often

share little stories

and you wonder,

okay,

I wonder who he

talked to this week.

I wonder who

that was about.

And that's what

Jesus is doing here,

by the way.

Jesus is telling

this story

and as Jesus,

as this story

is unfolding,

these scribes

and these Pharisees

know exactly

who he's talking about.

And so their response

is surely not,

which was different

from the obvious response

of what the crowd says,

he's going to kill

those wretches.

He's going to turn this over

to a new group of tenants.

That's the obvious answer.

And in this response,

surely not,

this is the strongest negative

in the Greek language.

Certainly not.

This cannot happen.

They reject

the parable

and the parable giver,

his authority to teach,

his authority

to claim

this instructional

authority over them.

And this emphatic

rejection

from this religious group

now turns

into this final response

we find from Jesus

in verses 17 to 18

where the son

becomes a stone.

Jesus is

the stone.

He's the stone.

Notice

verse 17.

He looked directly

at them.

Their response,

certainly not.

Jesus looks at them.

You can see

this look of intensity.

You can see

this look of authority.

You can see

this look of urgency.

Jesus wants

to get the message

through

because if they don't

get this message,

they're not going

to be getting anything.

He says,

what then

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 them.

Jesus is

creating this

strong rebuke

and warning

for this group

of religious leaders.

This inescapable

reality

of the son's

presence

who is here.

And Jesus

will use

and draw

this verse

out of Psalm 118

Psalms 118:22

verses 22

and 23

which says,

the stone

that the builders

rejected

has become

the cornerstone.

This is the Lord's

doing.

It is marvelous

in our eyes.

And what's fascinating

about the Hebrew

of this verse

is the word stone

is the word eben.

The word son

is the word ben.

like Benjamin.

It's a play on words

I really believe

where Jesus

as the son

as ben the son

is helping them

understand

he's also the stone

of ben.

He's the one

who will crush them.

He's the stone

who will come

and ultimately

be the force

that destroys them

if they continue

to reject.

Jesus wants them

to understand

the seriousness

of the decisions

that they're making.

And interestingly

he draws this

out of Psalm 118

which had just

been spoken

two days before

in his triumphal entry.

In Psalm 118

notice in verse 26

it says

blessed is he

who comes

in the name

of the Lord.

We have blessed you

from the house

of the Lord.

This verse

that comes

after the stone

that the builders

rejected.

Jesus I believe

is trying to help

realign

and reassemble

this chronology

in the minds

of the hearers

so they understand

the stone

will first

be rejected

before the stone

will ever come

in triumph.

Similar to what

we find

in 1 Peter

1 Peter 1:10

chapter 1

verses 10

and 11

concerning the salvation

the prophets

who prophesied

about the grace

that was to be yours

searched inquired

carefully inquiring

what person

or time

the spirit

of Christ

in them

was indicating

when he predicted

the sufferings

of Christ

and the subsequent

glories.

The suffering

would come first

the rejection

would come first

and then the conquering

then the victory

then the triumph.

Jesus is trying

to help them

understand

he is the son

but he's also

this stone.

The implications

of course

are inescapable

and this has been

taken

a couple

of different ways

but I think

it's best to see

that both

the stumbling

on the stone

and the falling

of the stone

refer to the same thing

and that is

the rejection

of the stone.

The stone

that the builders

rejected

and then Jesus

phrases it

in this way

about stumbling

on the stone

you'll be broken

to pieces

and the stone

falling on you

you'll be crushed

to pieces.

Both this active

and passive

rejection

rejection

of Christ

the stone

the stone

both an active

and passive

rejection

of the stone

will lead

to destruction.

You will either

be broken

into pieces

by falling

onto the stone

or you'll be

crushed to pieces

by the stone

falling on you.

In both cases

there is rejection.

In both cases

there is

destruction.

This crushing

stone

of course

I believe

is also

drawn out

and symbolized

for us

in Daniel

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

the dream

of Nebuchadnezzar

and you remember

that it was Daniel

who talked about

Jesus

the son of man

who is seated

on his throne

and Jesus

has just

drawn that out

and applied that

to himself

in this march

up from Jericho

to Jerusalem

he's the son of man

and now

we find

this stone

that's pictured

here

a stone

that will

break in pieces

the image

of bronze

and gold

and the nations

that they represent

and we find

that Jesus

is that stone

just as you saw

that a stone

was cut from the mountain

it says

by no human hand

and that it broke

in pieces

the iron

the bronze

the clay

the silver

and the gold

a great God

has made known

to the king

what shall be

after this

the dream

is certain

and its interpretation

is sure

Jesus

son of man

is the breaking

crushing stone

submit

and yield

to the sun

to the stone

so we come

to this question

that we started with

who do you think

you are

who do you think

you are

and we all need

to ask

and answer

that question

for ourselves

is there another

solution

response to the stone

we can stumble

on the stone

the stone

can fall on us

is there another way

and I think

that is also clear

in 1 Peter chapter 2

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

1 Peter chapter 2

1 Peter 2:4–6

verses 4 to 6

says this

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

acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ

for it stands

in scripture

behold

I am laying

in Zion

a stone

a cornerstone

chosen and precious

and whoever believes

in him

will not be put

to shame

how are you responding

to the stone

the elect

and precious

and chosen

stone

the son

of God

are you

bowing

your heart

your life

your knee

to worship

the son

Jesus

have you

have you acknowledged

and confessed

your sin

have you submitted

to him

as the one

who is master

over your life

have you embraced

him as the

as the precious

stone

and then

what's

what's fascinating

about this

symbolism

that we find

in first Peter

is that

is now a

kingdom

becomes a household

a household

now

of living stones

that are assembled

together

and assembled

with Jesus

as the

living cornerstone

the chief

cornerstone

is your life

built on him

is your life

aligned to his

standards

is your life

understanding

the significance

of his

not only influence

but also

authority

over you

have you

believed in him

are you pursuing

him

are you seeking

to know

in love

in worship

in fellowship

with

the son

because this

assembled

household

is a

place

of worship

and so

as living

stones

we're being

assembled

as the

household

of God

which means

the

the

the center

of

of our

existence

is worship

and devotion

to him

is that how

you would

evaluate your

life

is it how

you would

provide a

an inventory

of this past

week

the things

that really

matter

for you

is it that

the worship

of God

and placing

him

as center

this living

stone

is that

how you can

be characterized

Jesus offers

for us

in this final

week

a

a beautiful

clear picture

of his

identity

he is

the son

he is

the stone

he is

the one

who is

sent from

heaven

so he has

all authority

but he's

also the

savior

have you

experienced

and enjoyed

the saving

power of

God

who came

to seek

and to

save

the lost

and

as those

who love

the savior

have a

mission

to make

the savior

known

may God

help us

this week

as we

grow in

our affection

for the

elect

and precious

chief

cornerstone

oh lord

we thank

you

for making

it so

clear

thank you

for your

bold

sacrificial

ministry

there in

Jerusalem

even in

this

final

week

of life

you did

not run

you did

not hide

you did

not bide

your time

out in

the outskirts

in the

the byways

and in

hills of

Jerusalem

but you

were right

in the

center

that

living

word

that

made

its

way

so

accessibly

to

your

people

and

God

I

pray

that

that

our

response

to

the

living

stone

would

not

be

to

stumble

on

it

would

not

be

for

it

to

crush

us

but

for

us

to

bow

our

hearts

before

you

to

be

broken

before

you

and

to

accept

and

receive

you

as

the

savior

to

believe

on

you

as

this

living

stone

and

may

we

as

your

people

be

characterized

by

worship

the

household

of

God

this

living

these

living

stones

together

with

purpose

of

devotion

and

worship

to

you

may

that

be

true

of

us

Lord

I

pray

in

Jesus

name

amen

God

bless

you

have

a

great

week