Luke 20:17-19

Luke 20:17-19 But [Jesus] looked at them and said, What then is this that is written: The very Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Stone of the corner [Cornerstone]. Everyone who falls on that Stone will be broken [in pieces]; but upon whomever It falls, It will crush him [winnow him and scatter him as dust].

Ephesian 2:20-22 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

1 Peter 2:4-8 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message — which is also what they were destined for.

The cornerstone is the first stone set in the construction of a building made from stones. All other stones will be set in reference to the cornerstone. This stone determines the position of the entire structure. Jesus is the chosen and precious cornerstone in the house of the Lord. In the Luke passage, Jesus warns the Jewish religious and secular leaders that if they fail to recognize him as the Messiah and do not build upon him as Lord and Master they will be crushed by God. However, if they allow themselves to be broken on the cornerstone, their lives will be useful in the construction of the house of the Lord and blessed by God.

Peter tells us that if our self-willed, rebellious lives are broken, we will become living stones built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Paul says that IN HIM we are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. In other words, we collectively are a living, vibrant dwelling place of the MOST HIGH. Our place in the house of the Lord is secure because of Jesus Christ's work, not ours. When we trust and rely on his work, we place our faith in the one who is the true cornerstone. He alone orients us correctly to God. No other philosophy, ideology, theology or man is acceptable to God; only Jesus Christ and his works open the door to God's dwelling place. When we place our full trust and faith in Jesus Christ, we are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. We are home at last!

But Jesus warned the elite of that day: if they did not build on him and his words, judgment would follow. If they rejected him as their Messiah, God's Son, they would be smashed and their residue scattered as ashes. His warning was fulfilled a short time later, for the Romans smashed the rebellion of the Jews thirty years later and scattered them throughout the world. The Jewish elite could not accept Jesus as the chosen one because if they had, their lives would have been broken; they would have lost their position as leaders. They would have had to come under the authority of Jesus. Because they were unwilling to have their lives broken on the cornerstone, they lost out with God, and judgment befell them. Consequently, what they feared came upon them, a lack of power and a loss of position and authority.

For each of us, we must repent of our sins and build our lives on Jesus and HIS LIFE, not ours. We must be willing to be broken, to die to ourselves and come alive unto him. If we are willing to yield completely, we will find acceptance by the LORD, and He will use us in his household. In Christ, we will find rest from our struggles as we cease for our own works and accept his finished work at the cross. We will find joy and peace. In his household the purpose of our lives will be realized: bringing glory to God. As we sit at this breakfast table today, may we seek him while He can be found. Place your trust in THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE--build on him today. He will bless you and make your life worth living.