Who’s Winning?
Our Church, God’s Home    Part 3
1 Peter 2:6-8        8-4-2012 & 8-5-2012

Summary: The difference between mankind and God is our opposite assessments of Christ. Why this section on human rejection? It is to show that even in human rejection God wins. God always wins, and those who trust in the Cornerstone cannot lose. But those who reject Him cannot win. He is honored either way, but for us it is the difference between never being disappointed and coming to ruin.

Introduction:
Review
God Always Wins
The Difference between Man and God: Assessment of Christ
Rejected by Men
The World’s Approval is Worthless
Why Set a Stumbling Stone in the Path?
Destined for Destruction
The Connection with V.6
Sovereign over all actions
What about Free Will?
Trust in the Cornerstone and You Cannot Lose
Reject the Cornerstone and You Cannot Win
Conclusion: You Must Decide
Believe
1:25 Questions

1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- 5 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. 6 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." 7 Now the honor is to you who believe, but to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, 8 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. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
Introduction:

A group of friends are all gathered around a big screen TV watching the big game, and you really wanted to watch it with them, but you show up late. It’s halftime. When you walk into the room, what is the first question you ask?
“Who’s winning?”
And what is the next question?
“What’s the score?”
What would you say if someone asked that about the war between good and evil in the world right now? Who’s winning? And what is the score? Imagine if you were in charge of keeping score. Somebody becomes a Christian, chalk one up for God. Some pastor embezzles money from the church, chalk one up for the devil. What if Mitt Romney is elected President this year – which side would you award that point to? When we have our big family get-togethers on the holidays we usually spend a good part of the afternoon playing games.
And somehow I always end up being the one who is tasked with keeping score, which is odd, given the fact that I am notorious for putting the points in the wrong column and messing up the score. I believe one of the main purposes of today’s passage is to teach us how to avoid putting the tally marks in the wrong column as we keep score on God vs. the Devil.
Review
We have been studying verse by verse through the book of 1 Peter, and the last two weeks we have been learning all about the identity of the Church. That is vital information for you because you are a church, and the most important activity in the world is the activity of the Church, so nothing could be more relevant. We have learned that the Church is to function as the new Temple – the headquarters for the presence of God in the world. And we are also to function as priests, offering pleasing, acceptable sacrifices to God in our worship and service.
God Always Wins 
And Peter is not done. In verses 9-10 we get a whole bunch more information about what God expects the Church to be. But before we get there we have this section in verses 6, 7, and 8. And here the focus turns to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Cornerstone upon which the Church is built, and there are some very important things we need to know about that Cornerstone.
1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood… 
So he interrupts his comment about us being built into a spiritual house with this remark about the cornerstone.
4 … rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him
The Difference between Man and God: Assessment of Christ 
If someone asked you, “What’s the basic difference between man and God?” what would you say? Obviously there are a lot of accurate answers to that question, but the one Peter gives in today’s passage is one of the most important and fundamental, and it is one that probably none of us would think of if we were just going to mention one difference. The difference between God and man is the opposite assessments of Jesus Christ. Mankind has rejected Christ.
Rejected by Men
Take a look at verse 7.
7 … to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone
Remember last week when I was telling you about the amazing masonry that they had in ancient times – building stone structures with such amazing precision that we do not even know how they did it? Rome. Think about the guy whose job it is to inspect the cornerstone. How do you suppose a guy got that gig? That guy makes a mistake and you have got real problems. Spend 10 years cutting and transporting and lifting and setting in place 80- to 300-ton stones and after a decade of work the walls do not match up because somehow the angles on the cornerstone were off half a degree. I am guessing they did not give that job to a guy who is one year out of masonry school.
Imagine this scenario. The king commissions a giant temple to be built, and he rounds up the world’s greatest stone mason to manage the project. That expert has a lot of guys working under him, and a few of them are jockeying for the foreman position. So they are really trying to show off their skills and distinguish themselves. So one guy, who is really confident he is the best, goes out and inspects some of the stones out at the quarry.
“That one looks good. That one – the side is too rough – clean it up. And sharpen that angle a little bit. This one? Man, this one is really bad. I don’t see how it can even be salvaged. Throw it out.”
So they throw it into the junk pile.
The next day they get news that that master mason is coming in person to the quarry. It is time to pick out the cornerstone, and that is not a job he would delegate to anyone. It is so important, he does it himself. So he arrives and begins inspecting all the potential stones, and one by one he rejects them because of flaws that the other guys were not able to spot. Finally he comes across that stone that was thrown in the junk heap, and starts looking that over. And he says, “This is perfect! This will be our cornerstone.”
And the workers are shocked.
“What? Just yesterday that stone was rejected from the project as totally unsalvageable.”
And the master mason is furious.
“Who is the moron who thought this stone was no good?”
And just like that he goes from foreman to unemployed.
That is a pretty serious error in judgment. And millions of people make that error every day when they make their assessment of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Stone the builders examined and threw into the junk pile. And God made Him the Cornerstone. Now, who are these builders and what is it they are building? They considered Christ and then rejected Him as being useless for their purposes – what are their purposes? The answer is just that – their purposes. They all have different agendas. Everyone has a different set of desires and goals. One person wants to get rich, someone else wants fame, someone else wants to get married or have kids or get a book published or make a difference in society or whatever. For some people maybe it is nothing more than a life of happiness, or comfort. Everyone is striving after something. That is their building. And when they come across Jesus Christ, they look Him over the same way they examine everything else – “Will this be useful for helping me get what I want? Will Jesus be a useful stone for my structure – will He be useful for helping me get rich or successful or comfortable, or whatever?”
Now, very often they think the answer is yes because they have been lied to about who Jesus really is. They listened to Joyce Meyer or Joel Osteen or Benny Hinn, and they think Jesus exists to function as a tool to help them get money or comfort or whatever goals they have. The Jesus that those prosperity preachers peddle is a false Jesus. When people see that false Jesus, they love the idea.
But when people encounter the real Jesus, and see Him for what He actually is – they look Him over and it is an easy call for them – “No thanks.” He wants me to give up control of my life and entrust it to Him? I have to be willing to give up my wealth and comfort and family and dreams and my very life and in return all I get is … Jesus? And His promises? Let me think about that for two seconds … um, no thanks!” It is the easiest decision they make all day. 
“Jesus is like a treasure in a field, and to get it I would have to give up everything? And He promises me suffering and persecution and hardship and rejection by this world? Let me get this straight - He doesn’t promise to help me get what I want, and I have to give up my whole life to Him and in return I get to be an outsider and reject in this world along with suffering and persecution? I think I’ll pass.”
Now again – millions upon millions of people have accepted Jesus only because they were presented with a false Jesus – a Jesus who promises to be a useful tool to help them get the earthly things they want. The number of people in that category is one of the most tragic of all tragedies. But if we are honest and clear about what Jesus is really like, most people cannot say “no” fast enough, because He is just not a stone that can be made to fit into the structure they are trying to build. They may claim to be Christians because that is somewhat fashionable in our culture, but they live as though Jesus does not exist. He has no impact at all on the way they live, which amounts to total rejection of Him.
The World’s Approval is Worthless 
Think about that. Jesus Christ – the only perfect human being to ever live. He was the most loving person who has ever walked the face of the earth. He was the kindest, gentlest, humblest, man who ever lived. He was wiser than Solomon, closer to God than David, more powerful than Elisha, holier and more righteous and more pleasing to God than Enoch. He was perfect in every way. And the people who met Him in person looked Him over and said, “Crucify Him!” And millions of people today go about their daily lives as though Jesus does not even exist – total rejection.
Knowing that, why do we care so much about the world’s opinion of us? Why do we strive for their approval? One writer said, "I do not seek and I do not want the world's esteem after knowing that. It tells me how little it is worth for the world despises what God has chosen and hates what God loves most. So that which is highly esteemed by men is abomination in the sight of God. I don't want any acclaim from the world, it's worthless. They couldn't even recognize the value of the most precious person who ever lived and they chose a wicked thief and robber instead of Him."
Why Set a Stumbling Stone in the Path?
Now, let’s ask ourselves this question – What is the purpose of verses 7 and 8? It seems like it would flow so much better if he went right from verse 6 to verse 9.
6 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." … 9 you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Peter is talking about the identity and purpose and mission of the Church. He is telling us all kinds of wonderful truths about our identity as His people. Why interrupt all this marvelous celebration of the glorious Church with two verses about the people who reject Jesus? Isn’t that kind of an embarrassment to the purposes of God? Why interrupt the celebration of all God’s tally marks with two verses about the devil’s tally marks?
And that is not the only difficulty with this passage. Look at verse 6.
6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion… 7 to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become … a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall
Why would God do that? Why lay down a stone that will cause millions to stumble and fall and be destroyed? When God laid down that Stone in Zion He took away any chance that any human being could remain neutral.  You either embrace this Stone, or you become crushed by it – no other option. Why would God do that?
Destined for Destruction
And take a look down at verse 8.
8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble disobeying the message--which is also what they were destined for. 
What is that about? They were destined to disobey the message and come to ruin? Theologians debate over this verse. Some say it means God predestined them to disobey the gospel and be lost. Others argue that it just means God predestined the fact that all who disobey will fall. So God does not determine which people will disobey – just what will happen when they do. They want to say that because it just seems too harsh to think about God destining anyone to reject the gospel, and then punishing them for doing so.
So what are we to make of this? Grammatically, that first interpretation – the harsh one – is the most natural reading. You kind of have to do a few grammatical gymnastics to make it say that all God predestined was the consequence for unbelief. But even if you can make it say that, we are still stuck with the fact that God laid a stone in Zion that He knew would result in the falling of most of humanity. Why would He do that? And what is the point in mentioning it in this context? What does it have to do with the topic at hand? Why just come out of the blue with a statement about what theologians call double predestination? Is this just a random fit of Calvinism? Kind of a Calvinistic spasm that has no connection with the context?
The Connection with V.6
The answer is in that word “destined” in verse 8. It is the normal Greek word for “set,” but in a context like this it means to ordain or destine. But what is interesting is this – go back to verse 6. See the word “lay”? 
6 See, I lay a stone in Zion…
That is the same word translated destined in verse 8. That is significant because Peter is quoting Isaiah 28:16. But in the Greek translation of Isaiah 28:16 it is a different word for lay. Peter quotes that verse but replaces the regular word for setting a stone with a different word that has the idea of ordaining something. And then two verses later he uses that word again. So in the Greek it sounds like this:
See, I ordain a stone in Zion … that causes men to stumble … to which they were ordained.
However you interpret verse 8, one thing is clear - God’s ordaining is there from beginning to end. Why is that important?  Because the purpose of this passage is to teach us not to mess up with the way we assign the tally marks when we keep score on God vs. the world.
In the arrogance and pride of the human heart, man wants to thwart God’s purposes. They want to say, "I have chosen my own destiny. I will disobey and reject Christ to show God that I have the final and ultimate say in my life. I have the power of ultimate self-determination; and I can frustrate the purposes of God with my own self-determining will. I will put a tally mark on the side of the world.”
And over that person’s life Peter writes, “Unto this you were appointed by God.” The tally mark goes into God’s column. You reject the stone and God makes it the honored cornerstone. You cannot thwart His purposes. Human unbelief does not frustrate or defeat the ultimate purposes of God. If God plans for Jesus to be the chief corner stone, humans can betray him, desert him, deny him, mock him, strike him, spit on him, hit him with rods, crown him with thorns, strip him, crucify him, and bury him—but they cannot derail a single purpose of God. God always gets the last word. God gets a tally mark in His column for every single thing that ever happens.
Sovereign over all actions
This is very important to understand: Everything that happens is God’s doing except for evil. When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, that action had a good part and a bad part.
Genesis 50:20 You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
The bad part was obvious – it is bad to sell your brother into slavery. The good part was invisible until many years later. But eventually it came to light. The good part was that Joseph was being situated by God to be in the place he needed to be to save the lives of the family of Israel so that the people of God did not go extinct. That was the good part, and that good part was from God. The bad part was from men.
Was the crucifixion of Jesus good or bad? There was a good part and a bad part.
Acts 2:23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead 
Acts 4:27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
In the crucifixion of Jesus there was a good part and a bad part. The good part was that God was providing salvation and forgiveness of sins for mankind. The bad part was wicked human beings were murdering the purest, most holy, most innocent man who ever lived. God was the one who did the good part and man did the bad part.
When your spouse yells at you or your boss treats you like dirt or kids at school are mean to you or something unfair happens – there is a good part and a bad part – always. God is in control of everything that ever happens, including the outcome of human decision making.
Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 20:24 A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?	
Acts 4:28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
When some thieves and murderers came and of their own free will stole Job’s camels and took the lives of his servants, Job said, “The LORD has taken these things away from me” (Job 1:21).
What about Free Will?
Now I know passages like that grate on the ears of many people because we have been trained to think that only one person can be in control. And therefore if God is in control of human decision making, then there can be no free will. We are just robots, and God ends up being responsible for evil. But that is not the case. God’s sovereign control in no way negates human free will or human responsibility. There are countless places in Scripture where it says things happened because human beings decided to do them. Our decision making really is our decision making, and what we decide really does determine outcomes.
Ezekiel 18:31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!
When people reject God or make any other decision, that really is their free decision. God does not force them to make that decision. In fact, all of the influence God exerts on the human soul is good. He never shoves us in the direction of sin. The people who crucified Christ did what God ordained beforehand would happen, but how did God bring that to pass? Did He do it by enticing them toward that evil? No – God never entices anyone in the direction of sin (James 1:13). The only pressure God exerted on those people was pressure in the direction of goodness and love and righteousness. However, in His perfect wisdom, God does choose to sometimes let go and allow people to plunge themselves into sin by their own free choice. Other times God steps in and restrains them and exerts such strong influence toward righteousness that they repent. God decides how much influence He will exert and orchestrates all the outcomes that end up taking place, but never does He do so by generating or causing sin.
In everything that happens there is a good part that God is doing and a bad part that man is doing. And that is a wonderful comfort when bad things happen to you, right? You may never know all the details about the good part, but there is for sure a good part, and God is the one doing that. And the good part is so good it eclipses the bad part. The good part will ultimately have a way bigger impact than the bad part.
That is true of every sin that is ever committed – including the sin of rejecting Christ. There is a good part and a bad part when someone rejects Jesus. The good part is ordained and caused by God. The bad part is totally the responsibility of man – not God.
“What is the good part? What could possibly be good about someone rejecting Christ?”
Well, here is an idea:
Romans 9:21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? 22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath--prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory
What if it is ultimately for His glory? Are you going to argue with that? You see, it does not really matter if we understand all the ways it glorifies God to do things they way He is doing them. What is important is that we understand that God is perfect, and He can be trusted to only do good things. Whether or not we can see how those things are good does not have any impact at all on whether they are good. So we do not need to know how – we just need to trust Him that He only does good things.
Phillip Yancey and the other Open Theists are wrong when they say that the reason evil exists is because God did not see it coming. If God had it all to do over again He would do it exactly the same way. Nothing took Him by surprise. It was all planned by Him.
Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. 11 From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.
The man He is talking about was Cyrus, who was a Persian king who did not even know God. He thought he was just going about conquering the world for his own purposes. He had no idea that he was a tool in God’s hand. He just did whatever he chose to do by his own free will and choice, and it ended up being exactly what God planned.
Trust in the Cornerstone and You Cannot Lose
OK, so there are two sides: God’s side and man’s. Man rejects the Stone; God honors that Stone as the Cornerstone. So there are two sides, and the dividing line between them is Jesus Christ. But here is the amazing thing: not all human beings are on man’s side. Some of us are on God’s side!
6 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." 
All you have to do to be on God’s side is to trust in Jesus Christ. And if you do, you will never be disappointed.
If you trust Jesus Christ, your life will not crumble in the storm. No loss or hardship will be able to crush you. If your boss fires you or a client rips you off or you lose your home in a fire or you get terminal cancer, your life will not be ruined. Hide behind this stone and you will be safe. If you stand on the truth of this stone, you will not be ashamed. When Judgment Day comes and everything is brought to light and everything is made right, you will be beaming.
Look at verse 7. The NIV says, 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But a better translation would be this: Now to you who believe is the honor. It is true that Christ is precious to believers, but that is probably not what this verse is saying. It is taking the statement from verse 6 to the next level. You will not be ashamed, instead you will be honored.
It is the same concept that is applied to the Cornerstone twice.
4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him
The root word means “honored.” Jesus is highly regarded and honored by God.
6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious (honored) cornerstone
Christ is honored by the Father, and if you trust in Him you will be associated with Him, which means you will be commended and favored and even praised by God on Judgment Day.
That is an amazing promise. Jesus Christ will never let you down. Everyone else in life will. This is the one thing you can totally rely on. That is a promise that is worth any price to get in on. If you have been holding Jesus Christ at arm’s length, think about this. If there were a way that is guaranteed not to disappoint, wouldn't you want to know that way? No matter what else happens to you, you cannot lose. Trust in Him, and you cannot lose.
Reject the Cornerstone and You Cannot Win
But reject Him and you cannot win. God never loses, but everyone who rejects His cornerstone will for sure lose. Like C.S. Lewis said - Every human being will serve God’s purposes, but it makes a big difference if you serve them like Judas or like John. He is triumphant in our obedience and our disobedience. Human beings, whether good or evil, rejecting or accepting, believing or unbelieving, cannot thwart the ultimate purposes of God. So either way God wins, but whether or not you win depends on which side of the cornerstone you are on. If you believe on this stone, you cannot lose; and if you disbelieve on him, you cannot win. The Stone that you reject will be honored, and you will be destroyed.
Conclusion: You Must Decide
So how does all this fit into the context of what Peter has been talking about with the identity of the Church? Why is all this information so crucial for understanding our identity and mission as a church? It is crucial because everything that makes us a Church comes only from our relationship with that Cornerstone. We, as a church, have effectiveness only inasmuch as we are trusting in the Cornerstone. And you, as an individual, are a part of this house of God if and only if you are connected to the Cornerstone by faith. 
And that is a truth that very few people in our culture accept. Most people think remaining neutral is an option. They think they can say, “I’m not against Jesus. But I’m not a religious fanatic either. I don’t devote my life to living for Him, but I don’t hate Him either. I’m just neutral.” That would work if Jesus had not made the claims He made.
John 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
John 6:32 … it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." 35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.  
John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. … 53 I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  
John 8:12 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." 
John 14:6 I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son… 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 
When someone makes claims like that, you cannot remain neutral. If you hear those things and decide to just go about your life without bowing the knee to Him as your Lord and Master, you are calling Him a lunatic. Anyone who claims to be Almighty God and the Author of life and the only way of salvation, if it is not true, is a lunatic. Or a liar. Those are the only three possibilities: liar, lunatic, or Lord. 
There are some people in this world you can safely ignore. Maybe you are not into politics, and someone asks you, “What do you think about John Boehner?” You might say, “I have no opinion at all,” and you go about your daily life and everything is fine. But if you are 10 years old and someone says, “Hey, what do you think about your mom and dad?” and you say, “They claim they have authority over me, but I don’t know. I’m neutral on the whole issue of whether they are in charge of this house,” and then you just do whatever you please and ignore what mom and dad say – that is not an option for you. Why? Because to ignore their claims is to take a position against them. Ignoring their claims to be your parents is to take a position of disobedience. And that does not depose them from their position as your parents; it just puts them into a position of having to discipline you. 
And ignoring Christ does not depose Him from His position as the Cornerstone of all that God is doing in the world. It does not depose Him from His kingly throne. It does not take away His kingdom or His authority over all men and women. It only gives Him another traitor He has to deal with. 
One commentator put it very eloquently: “Christ is laid across the path of humanity on its course into the future. In the encounter with him each person is changed: one for salvation, another for destruction. … One cannot simply step over Jesus to go on about the daily routine and pass him by to build a future. Whoever encounters him is inescapably changed through the encounter: Either one sees and becomes “a living stone,” or one stumbles as a blind person over Christ and comes to ruin, falling short, i.e., of one’s Creator and Redeemer and thereby of one’s destiny.”
Believe
So, every human being has two options: take the side of humanity and be crushed by this Stone, or take the side of God and never be disappointed. 
“How do I take the side of God?”
What does it say?
6 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."
Trust. That is all – just place your faith in Him. And there are two parts to faith – believing and trusting. You believe information and you trust a person, and both are required. You must believe the truth of God’s Word. And you must entrust yourself to Jesus Christ. So when He points in the direction of godliness and says, “That’s the best path to take,” you trust Him and follow that path.
That is why obedience is always a part of saving faith. This passage is one of the strongest proofs that the “cheap grace,” “easy-believism” gospel is a false gospel. When people want to say, “I believe; I just haven’t surrendered my life in obedience to Him” – when people say that they do not understand what trust is. If you are not living in obedience to Jesus Christ then you do not believe. That is not to say you obey perfectly. We all sin, but a person who truly believes and trusts will repent of his sin and turn back to obedience. Just look at the two categories of humanity in this passage:
7 Now to you who believe is the honor…
8 … They stumble because they disobey the message
Two categories of people – those who believe, and those who disobey. So many people think they can disobey, and live the way they want to live and disregard the commands of God’s Word, but still be Christians and still claim to believe. That is a fantasy. Jesus was very clear – to believe in Him means to come to Him and follow Him.
Maybe you did not understand all that before, but now you have seen it in God’s Word, so now you have to make a choice. If you are not a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are living in unrepentant disobedience to the way He called us to live, you are going to be crushed by Him on Judgment Day. The path you are on is a path that you think will lead to happiness, but it won’t. It ends in disaster. But because of His incredible mercy and patience, you are still alive, which means it is not too late for you to switch sides. Resist Him and you cannot win, but trust in Him and you cannot lose. You will never be put to shame. Judgment Day will be the greatest day of your life. The moment you believe, all your sin will be wiped away. Your guilt will turn to innocence, your night will turn to day, and your destiny will change from eternal damnation to eternal happiness and joy and delight. Every day you put that off you run the risk of hardening your heart to the point where you will never have the willingness to repent. So it is very possible that if your eyes are opened to this truth right now, and you know what you need to do – it is possible this could be your last chance. Do not leave today without becoming a living stone in the temple of God.

Benediction: Matthew 16:24-28  Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 
1:25 Questions
1.	How certain are you that you are on the right side of the Cornerstone controversy (that is, how sure are you that you are saved)? 
2.	If you are certain of your salvation, how strong is your reliance on this stone? Are there areas in your life where you are tempted to put your trust or confidence or security in earthly things (bank account, insurance, paycheck, spouse, self, retirement, government, etc.)? What steps could you take to transfer your faith from those things to the Cornerstone?