The Lord’s Doing

Psalm 118:19-24 / Acts 4:5-12

Grumbling about the Apostolic ministry

A question about power / authority

An indictment and exclusive profession about Jesus

The Prophetic Stone

1 Kings 6:7 “When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.”

Psalm 118:22 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

Acts 4:11–12 “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

Beginning with this Old Testament reference from the Temple building, and working through to the ramifications of Peter’s statement we will see the Sovereignty of God over all things, the faithfulness of God in bringing about the fulfillment, and the surpassing excellencies of Christ Jesus as substitute and savior.

Substitution

Our Stumbling Substitution

Romans 9:32–33 “Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.””

The builders of the temple stumbled at the stone prepared for them. They attempted to substitute in a stone of their choosing.

The Jewish religious leadership in the 1st century treated Jesus the same. He was sent of God. He was the only one prepared to be a suitable savior.

So too we continue to make the same substitution by nature. We want the savior of our choosing. We want the religion of our choosing. We want to fit together the pieces of God’s plan in a way that suits our own preferences, which then makes it not God’s plan, but our own.

God’s Saving Substitution

Acts 4:10 “let it be known to all of you 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 is standing before you well.”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

The Lord’s Doing

The circumstance, design, and building of the temple

The specific hewing of the cornerstone

The awareness of the event

The inspiration and preservation of the Psalm

The life of Jesus

The ministry of the Apostles

The healing of this paralytic

The arrest of Peter and John to deliver this message

The salvation of every soul that has been rescued from the curse of Hell

Psalm 118:23 “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”

What Shall We DO?

Confess:

1. We sometimes stumble over Christ and God’s plans, not unlike the builders in 1 Kings, Psalm 118, and Acts 4.

2. it is not our doing or design that leads to souls saved and churches renewed in strength.

More than ever renew our commitment to the reading, study, and application of God’s Word on our own, in our homes, and in the church to better KNOW what is God’s plan.

Seek to learn the HOW of making application of God’s truth in and with the local church family.