The  Messiah’s Secret – Jesus the Cornerstone

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The Ladybird Its appearance is attractive it has this unusual outer shell that wards off predators                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                         The Ladybird is generally considered useful, as they feed on aphids. Gardeners like to see Ladybirds coming alongside their work in keeping plants free of greenfly and other tiny creatures that love the food we eat.

Underneath the Ladybird's shell (house) we see its fine delicate wings and its body.
Children's nursery rhyme:
"Ladybird, Ladybird fly away home, your house is on fire and your children are gone."
Children are encouraged not to hurt Ladybirds as they are God's creatures and they work hard in our gardens helping the gardener to keep plants healthy.

Sermon
In the gospel reading the disciples were admiring the beauty of the house of God, the Temple in Jerusalem. Luke 21: 5-19 RSV Bible.

Josephus a first Century Historian In his book 'War of the Jews' Chapter 5 verse 6 

 "Now the outward face of the temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either men's minds or their eyes; for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendour, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun's own rays. But this temple appeared to strangers, when they were coming to it at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow; for as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white. On its top it had spikes with sharp points, to prevent any pollution of it by birds sitting upon it. Of its stones, some of them were forty-five cubits in length, 21 metres,(approx) five in height, 2 1/2 metres, and six in breadth 2 metres.” 

Its appearance impressed the disciples which made it all the more shattering when Jesus prophesied its destruction.  

 “As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall be not left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Luke 21 v 6   

The Temple rituals and Sacrifices were to come to an end, with God providing a new temple in the risen body of Jesus. “Jesus said, ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up,’” John wrote, that he spoke of the temple of his body.’” John 2: 13-22   

In the temple of Jesus’ body it’s furnished with the empty cross and tomb, both speak of his death resurrection, a crown not bearing thorns, but a royal crown. Revelation 14: 14. We find there the living bread; his words are Spirit and life. His prayers, he is the intercessor between us and God, having the nature of God, the commandments written on his heart.  

Nathan gave King David a prophecy “He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son; I will not take my steadfast love from him.” 
1 Chronicles 17 v 12-15. 2 Samuel 7 v 11 – 16. 

The temple Jesus’ body made of living stones, Jesus himself being the chief corner stone.

 “But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. . . . So you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone.” 
Ephesians 2: 13-22   

A cornerstone is a huge stone built into the foundations at the corner of a building. It is where two walls come together built upon this foundation stone. It speaks of the joining together of the Jews and the Gentiles becoming fellow citizens as a result of the cross of Christ.   

“Come to him, to the living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves built up into a spiritual house” 1 Peter 2: 5   

 Each stone representing a believer who has been reconciled to God through his final sacrifice that Jesus made for our sin on the cross. We have eternal life through his resurrection, we are raised up with Christ and we take our place in this building of Christ’s Temple.     

In the Bible stones were witnesses.    

Joshua gathered the people around at Shechem where a stone was used as a witness, “And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak in the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, (take notice) this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the Lord which he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God. So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.” Joshua 24: 26-28   

Alfred Edershiem in his book ‘The Temple’ he writes, that a stone bore witness to the presence of God  in the Holy of Holies where once would have stood the ‘Ark of the Covenant.’  “The latter was now quite empty, a large stone, on which the high-priest sprinkled the blood on the Day of Atonement, occupying the place where the ark with the mercy-seat had stood.”    The ark had been lost or stolen before the building of the second Temple.  

The stones that make up Christ’s Temple are witnesses.  

We are witnesses for Christ and we are all equipped in some way to the work of building his temple, his church. 

When I look at the walls of our church building made up of a multitude of shapes and sizes of stones. It is like the people 'living stones' who over one hundred and seventy six years have witnessed their faith coming from all walks of life. Together part of the walls of Jesus’ Temple made up of different people, no two people being alike, all having a part in building Christ’s church.

On our Christian journey there is “A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together.” Ecclesiastes 3: 5 

False Christ's

 “Jesus said, ‘Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, “I am he!’ and ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.’” Luke 21: 8 

Paul in his letter to the church of the Thessalonians was casting away stones when he spoke of false teachers who were instructing the Christians that the day of the Lord had already come. Paul said that it was not true.                           2 Thessalonians 2: 2.

There must have been confusion among the church members and I thought that maybe some were so expectant of Jesus’ return that maybe they had given up their jobs to go out with the Gospel.   2 Thessalonians 3: 6-10

Our neighbour the late Bill Traverse did just that, he had been told that Jesus was going to return in the Autumn of 1975, he gave up his job and went out from door to door with his fellow misguided Jehovah Witnesses announcing Jesus’ return. But as we know that Jesus did not return. ( I commend him though for his willing response.) 

Christ’s Temple is not yet complete more living stones have yet to be built into its construction.

Gathering stones for Jesus. All those who believe in Jesus enter into fellowship with him in his temple in witnessing faith in Jesus will suffer persecution.  Luke 21: 12    

The other week I bought a book by Chinese Pastor Brother Yun. I had read his first book ‘The Heavenly Man’ in 2004.

Yun when he was 17 had a vision of Christ, Jesus told him to take the good news of the gospel to the east and west of China. In his first book he records how the Lord accompanied his message with miraculous signs, but he was persecuted by the Communist authorities. It was at great cost to himself, his wife and family and his fellow Christians that the gospel has been made known.

In his second book  ‘Living Waters’ in it he writes of the Lord sending Christians from the Church in  Henan Province to Sichuan Province to witness their faith. They came back with broken bones after being beaten by the ruling authorities in that Province. Undeterred more Christians volunteered to go again, they returned beaten and bruised and still more Christians went and shared their faith in open defiance of the authorities, eventually the gospel news broke down the opposition and Sichuan Province has thousands of Christians. Yun makes the point that each returning Christian forgave those who had beaten and treated them badly. There are in China today 100,000,000 million Christians.

Yun sees the church in the West were Christians are in the boat in the storm on Galilee. The water is filling the boat and the disciples in the Western Church are in fear of drowning and Jesus is asleep. He urges us to fulfil the churches commission to take out the Gospel regardless of the consequences.

To pray and seek the Lord’s way forward for his church to spread the good news. Yun reminds us that Jesus is alive and he loves us and to tell the people who we know and meet.

When the last Christian comes to faith, the cap stone put in place and Jesus returns.

Jesus is also the Cap Stone. A cap stone is one of the finishing or protective stones that form the top of an exterior masonry wall or building. 

Zechariah's prophecy, “The he (The Messiah) will bring out the cap stone to shouts of “God bless it! God bless it.”  Zechariah 4: 7 NIV Bible.

Christ’s Temple will be complete.