Acts 4:8-12 | Counter Structural

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Bulletins - Guests

Screen - Decals - Mixer (Schaefer!) - Crammed Media Deck! - New Piano!

Practiced guitars in PA with family - had a blast - thank God for godly family

Youth activity Jan 30, 4:00-7:30 PM—”Battle”

PRAYER

Visited Kenny & Nancy Matheny - spoke with Charles Brader - Martha’s kept up with Alicia Krytzke

SPECIAL

Acts 4:8–12 KJV

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

INTRO

Acts 4:11 KJV

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

The stone which was despised by the builders.

BUILDERS OF OUR WORLD

These religious rulers were the builders who disdained Jesus and rather chose to build their own kingdoms and power structures.

Their actions align with most of humanity through the ages—too focused on building their own kingdoms to give attention to God’s.

Tower of Babel | Pyramids | Greek Temples | Thai Temples | Modern Structures

The structures are not evil, but they represent our building kingdoms and life structures on our own without God. Humanity aims to ascend as high as we can and as far as we can reach!

Tower of Babel!

Genesis 11:1–4 KJV

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

This was Satan’s temptation to both the first and second Adam—Genesis 3 & Matthew 4.

Genesis 11:1-4; 3:4-5; Matthew 4:8-10

Genesis 3:4–5 KJV

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Matthew 4:8–10 KJV

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Satan tempts us to consume ourselves in building our own kingdoms and the kingdoms of our world.

We can be and build anything we want!

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Be Anything You Want to Be

Meg F. Quijano relates the following incident that happened upon her return from a meeting of the National Organization for Women. Her five-year-old daughter, Lisa, greeted her with the news that when she grew up she wanted to be a nurse. There was a time when nursing was thought by many to be a “woman’s job.” Quijano told Lisa she could be anything she wanted to be. “You can be a lawyer, a surgeon, a banker, President of the United States—you can be anything.” Lisa looked a little dubious.

“Anything? Anything at all?” She thought about it, and then her face lit up with ambition. “All right,” she said. “I’ll be a horse.”

Bits & Pieces (New Jersey: The Economics Press, January 6, 1994), p. 17

Today, our world is busy building what they want. Economies, nations, movements, technologies, etc, and most are building these all without God (at least they think).

As the religious rulers of Peter’s day, why “slow down” for a baby Jesus, a teacher from Nazareth, or a carpenter’s son?

Or for much of our world, why follow a God you cannot see? Build your own! Chase your dreams! Be your own king!

Jesus and God’s kingdom are counter-structural to the builders of our world. The Gospel according to Luke shows Jesus’ kingdom to be upside down from the world.

GOD’S BUILDING

Then, there’s God’s building. The structures God has and will put in place.

Now, God doesn’t want us to simply think of what He builds; He wants us to think of Him. He is our building, structure, refuge, hiding place, destination. He is our Rock!

God is the only necessary Rock for His people.

Deuteronomy 32:4, 15, 18, 31; 2 Samuel 22:2; Psalm 18:2; Isaiah 28:16.

Deuteronomy 32:4 KJV

4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: For all his ways are judgment: A God of truth and without iniquity, Just and right is he.

Deuteronomy 32:18 KJV

18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, And hast forgotten God that formed thee.

Deuteronomy 32:31 KJV

31 For their rock is not as our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges.

2 Samuel 22:2 KJV

2 And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

Psalm 18:2 KJV

2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Isaiah 28:16 KJV

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, A tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: He that believeth shall not make haste.

The LORD is our Rock! He is our purpose, destination, foundation, deliverance, and salvation!

Those who believe in Him will not be ashamed, disappointed, or confounded.

This Scripture is ultimately and fully fulfilled in the Messiah!

The Messiah is the Rock Who fills the earth and rules all kingdoms.

Daniel 2:31-45

Daniel 2:31–45 KJV

31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

God reveals through Daniel of future kingdoms to come. Worldly kingdoms will believe themselves to be powerful, but they will all be overcome by God’s kingdom.

Babylon, Medes & Persians, Greece, Rome, the kingdom of God through His Messiah.

God’s kingdom has come! It is upon us. At Christ’s return, Jesus will fully implement it.

Jesus is that Rock.

Crushing Stone, Stumbling Stone, Cornerstone

Acts 4:11; Matthew 21:41-46; Psalm 118:22; Romans 9:32; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Peter 2:4-8; Ephesians 2:19-22.

Acts 4:11 KJV

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Jesus was despised by the religious rulers, and now Jesus is the cornerstone of the church and the kingdom of God on earth.

Peter is saying what Jesus already said of Himself. After telling the parable of the wicked husbandmen who killed the lord’s son, Jesus spoke of the rejected stone.

Matthew 21:41–46 KJV

41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

Jesus asks if they never read this in Scripture. He is obviously pointing Psalm 118 to Himself.

Psalm 118:22 KJV

22 The stone which the builders refused Is become the head stone of the corner.

Most of Peter’s audience stumbled over this Stone, Jesus. Jesus was not what they were anticipating because they were busy building their own version of God’s kingdom.

Rather than trusting God, they were building law upon law and building religious systems. They praised God with their lips but not their heart.

Their heart and ears were far from God so that they would not trust Him.

Romans 9:32 KJV

32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

The love of Jesus is merely considered an offense and foolish to those building their own kingdoms.

1 Corinthians 1:23 KJV

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

To the disobedient and unbelieving, Jesus is disapproved, but eventually their judge.

To those who trust and believe, Jesus is precious—a living stone! He is our Cornerstone!

1 Peter 2:4–8 KJV

4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

When we trust in Jesus and become His converted followers in His church, we become a part of the kingdom He is constructing. We become little stones built on Him—our pattern and foundation.

Ephesians 2:19–22 KJV

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

STRUCTURE FOR OUR LIFE

Architectural wisdom through the ages has utilized cornerstones—a pattern, large stone to guide the construction and orientation of a building.

Ancient and modern ceremonies often memorialized foundation stones. Ancient ones sometimes even included animal sacrifices to be buried under the cornerstone. The cornerstone was understood as foundational and determining.

Peter is saying Jesus is to be trusted and obeyed as the pattern and foundation for our life. Jesus is the only lasting structure for our lives.

No lasting life or kingdom will be built on anything else.

Jesus is our Rock. He is our salvation.

Yet, Peter’s audience and much of our world attempt to build their lives and kingdoms without faith in and obedience to Christ. They stumble over Him and will be crushed by Him.

To us, this Rock brings living water and a sure foundation.

Please ask yourself and discuss with others today:

What are some ways kingdoms in our world are in opposition to Christ’s kingdom?

Can you think of structures in your life that are not submitted to Jesus’ rule?

Do you have any structures you are building in your life that you prioritize before God’s kingdom?

Jesus is our Cornerstone.

His person, kingdom, church, and plan is counter structural to all the schemes of our world.

Don’t get swept away in the luring structures of our world!

They might seem spectacular, but they only end in confusion.

Live counter cultural by following Jesus, the only Savior.

And build counter structural by choosing Jesus’ kingdom over the structures of our world.