Rejecting the King, Part 2

Let's pray together. Father, we are grateful Lord for your word that reminds us of how we are to truly worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We're also reminded of how Israel did not worship you properly and how Lord they turned their back on their king. Today, Father, as we study your word, our prayer is that you'd open our eyes that we can be able to see those things that will enable us to live for your glory and honor. And that Lord our hearts would be captivated by your presence and that Lord we would want to worship you as you seek only true worshippers, those who will come in spirit and in truth.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. If you have your Bible, I would invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 20.

Luke chapter 20. As we continue our study of this parable concerning how Israel rejected their king. The parables are stories. There's around 40 of them in the scriptures and they are the searchlights for the soul. God gives them for the emphasis of penetration. They penetrate deeply into the heart and soul of a man and a woman that they might come under conviction using earthly stories to convey heavenly meaning. And that's what our Lord does here in Luke chapter 20. And it's a parable that takes Israel back into their future to help them understand the present that they might grasp back into the past, excuse me.

They might grasp the present that will take them into the future. So it's an all-encompassing parable that Christ gives on this day, Wednesday of Passion Week. Let me read it to you to set it once again in your mind.

Luke chapter 20 verse number 9. And he began to tell the people this parable. A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine growers and went on a journey for a long time. And at the harvest time, he sent a slave to the vine growers in order that they might give him some of the produce of the vineyard. The vine growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he proceeded to send another slave and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. And he proceeded to send a third and this one also they wounded and cast out.

And the owner of the vineyard said, what shall I do? I will send my beloved son, perhaps they will respect him. But when the vine growers saw him, they reasoned with one another saying, this is the heir. Let us kill him that the inheritance may be ours. And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these vine growers and will give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, may it never be. But he looked at them and said, what then is this that is written?

The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief cornerstone. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. But on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust. Wednesday of Passion Week. Our Lord has already cleansed the temple. He did that on Tuesday. On Monday, he arrived in the city of Jerusalem to the praise of scores of people. Singing his praises, hailing him as the son of David, Hosanna to the King. The crowd was into the arrival of the King, hoping that Jesus Christ is their Messiah, is their true long expected King.

So all of them, as they walk and follow Christ around the courtyard, listen to him as he speaks in anticipation of what he's going to say. And may this be the day he sets up his kingdom. And the Bible tells us in verse 1 of chapter 20 that he was teaching the people in the temple, preaching the gospel. He was telling them the truth. He had moved out the money changers. He had taken away all the superficiality that was taking place in the religion and was now going to give them the truth that they might be able to understand the true essence of the gospel.

At the same time, the Bible tells us that the chief priests and the scribes, the elders, confronted him because they wanted to catch him in a trap. So what Jesus does is he gives on this Wednesday of Passion Week three parables. Luke only records one of the three that Matthew records. And it's the middle parable. But you need to understand what Matthew says to understand the whole context of what's going on in this particular parable. And Christ gives them this one concerning how Israel has rejected their king.

And so he explains to them exactly what has happened in this parable. We talked to you about it last week. And everybody in Israel would know and understand what takes place in vineyards. And there was this landowner who had a vineyard. He planted it. He went away on a long journey. He put it under the direction of vine growers who would come in. They would take care of the land. And when the harvest time came, they would reap the produce. And they would give it to the owner of the vineyard. And the owner would send back his slaves to retrieve what was rightfully his.

But when they arrived, they were beaten. Matthew's account says some were stoned. Matthew's account also says some of them were even killed. So it says on three different occasions that this landowner would send back his slaves to collect what was rightfully his. And then he said, well, you know what, maybe they'll respect my son. So he sent his son to them. And when they saw the son coming, before he ever said a word, before he ever did anything, they knew the son was the heir. They reasoned among themselves on how they would kill him.

So they did. They killed him and threw him out of the city. And Christ asked the question in the parable that the landowner would ask, what then shall I do? And Matthew's account tells us that the people responded. Luke's account doesn't tell us that. Luke's account tells us that Christ affirms what the people have already said. So back in Matthew's account, it tells us exactly what the people said. It says in verse number 40 of Matthew 21. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do with those vine growers?

They said to him, he will bring those wretches to a wretched end and will rent out the vineyard to other vine growers who will pay in the proceeds at the proper time, at the proper season. The people knew exactly what to do. He has got to get rid of those vine growers. He's got to get rid of those contract farmers. They're wretched people. Get rid of them and rent that land out to someone else. That's what he needs to do. And Christ in Luke's account just affirms what the crowd has already said. When he says this, he says he will come and destroy these vine growers and will give the vineyard to others.

You're right. That's exactly what he will do. And as soon as he said that, the light went on and they all understood exactly what the parable was teaching. That's why they said these words when they heard it. The word there is akuo, which means to grasp, to comprehend. They had full knowledge. They understood exactly what Christ was saying. They said, no, no, no, this can never be. It can't happen this way. What did they know? They know what you and I know. That the landowner is God. The vine growers are the religious leaders who were given a stewardship to watch over Israel as a nation.

The slaves, according to Jeremiah and Isaiah, were the prophets. Remember, if you're a Jew and you grow up in Judaism, you understand Old Testament history. You understand what the Old Testament taught. You're in the synagogue every single day. You've heard it over and over again. They put two and two together. They understand that the slaves are the prophets sent by God. And they also know that the Son of God stands before them. They know this. There is no question about that. His messianic credentials were unmistakable.

And they understand that the landowner now is going to destroy the leaders. And he's going to give the land under the leadership of somebody else. They recognize that. They say, no, no, no, may it never be. And that's the point of the parable. Christ drives them to a point to help them to realize that they're in the story. He's drawn them into the parable. Every good preacher and teacher draws you into the story, so you become a part of that story. And they knew exactly what was happening. And they didn't want that to happen.

They couldn't understand why the Son would be destroyed, why the religious leaders would not lead the people properly. But they didn't. And that's the whole point of what Christ says.

And so then he says, listen, yes, they will be destroyed. And when did that take place? It would take place some 40 years later, under the direction of the Roman governor Titus, when Rome came into Jerusalem and plundered the city and destroyed it and leveled it to the ground. And that's exactly what took place. So Christ was taking them into the future based on what they were going to do in the present. They were going to take that Son, and in two days they were going to crucify that Son, and in two days he was going to be dead.

And yet there would be destruction in Jerusalem. And it would come because the landowner, God, would send a destruction. And you see, they began to put two and two together. And so God says, this is how it's going to happen.

And not only would there be a destruction, there would be a removal of those vine growers. And there would be another set of vine growers who would come in and oversee Israel and oversee God's vineyard. This is very important. Not only would there be a destruction, there would be a displacement of the religious establishment. And that's exactly how it all went down. Remember, Israel had been given so much. Remember back in the book of Romans, the ninth chapter, this is what Paul says. He says, to Israel, whom belongs the adoption of sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ, the Messiah.

Israel was given so many blessings. They were given the law, they were given the prophets, they were given the land, they were given the covenants, they were given the promises, they were given the Messiah. They had everything handed to them. And in spite of everything given to them, they still didn't respond properly. They responded improperly. And so what happens is that God says, because of all the blessings you have been given, and all the prophets who would come to you, because the prophets were designed to draw the people back to obedience to the law, and when they would come, they would kill them, they would destroy them, they would run them out.

That's why in Luke 13, 34, Christ says, Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her.

That's the placard on the outside of Jerusalem. You know when you go into a city, and there's a placard there to describe the city? That's the placard that Christ gave it to describe the city. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, because that's exactly what they did. That's why Stephen said way back in the book of Acts, Acts chapter 7, he said these words, You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit.

You are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, you who have received the law as ordained by angels, and yet do not keep it. In other words, Stephen says to them, Every prophet that was sent to you, you killed, you stoned, you murdered. You killed them all. And that's what made them so angry with him on that day. And they stoned Stephen and they killed him because he spoke to them the truth.

See, that's what Christ was trying to get these people to understand. Take you back into your history to help you understand that you have been given these vine growers who come and are to oversee you and to be stewards of the people, my people. And they have not taken you down the right path. They've led you astray. So I sent prophets in over and over again to correct them, to teach them, to lead them. And they stoned them, they killed them, they threw them out of the city because that's not what they wanted to hear.

So Christ says, You will be destroyed. And sure enough, they would be. Isn't it interesting that in the destruction of Jerusalem, all of the records of the ancestry of Israel were destroyed as well. So there's not one Jew who knows which tribe they're from. All the priestly tribes have been destroyed. So no one knows if they're in the tribe of the priests that are not. It was all destroyed. Because God obliterated that whole system. He destroyed the whole thing. And so for 2,000 years, there hasn't been a temple.

For 2,000 years, nobody knows what tribe they're a part of because God says, You're going to be destroyed.

And I'm going to displace you as a nation. And I'm going to put other vine growers in charge of you. Others who will be wise stewards of what has been entrusted to them that they might lead you in the right way. The question comes is, Who are the others? It's very easy to say, Well, it's the Gentiles. Not so fast. You've got to be careful about that. Well, it's the church replacing Israel. No, you've got to be careful about that too. Who are the others? He says very clearly that He will come and destroy these vine growers and will give the vineyard to others.

And the question comes, Who are the others that Christ is referring to? You need to understand this because the others have already been established by this time. Go back with me if you would to Luke chapter 9. Luke chapter 9. It says in verse number 1, And He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. Verse 6, And a party that began going about among the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

In other words, they have been involved in a healing ministry, a preaching ministry. God has commissioned His apostles to go out and do exactly what He's doing. He's already setting the framework for the others because the others, listen, deals with the leadership of Israel and the oversight of God's vineyard. That's who the others are. You need to understand that because these others have already been prepared by God Himself as He has taken these men, trained these men and used them. If you go back to Matthew chapter 21, same parable given on the same day, Christ says in verse number 43, Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and be given to a nation producing the fruit thereof.

See, that was the problem with Israel. See, the essence in Christianity, the essence of following Christ is always evidenced by fruit bearing. Always is, unmistakably clear in Scripture. Therefore, there's got to be a people who bring forth fruit that demonstrates that they've repented of their sin. And when you go back to the Old Testament, the prophets were calling people to repentance that they might bear forth fruit for the sake of God's kingdom. They didn't do that. So God says now, I'm going to send some others in and these people now are going to produce the fruit that I've always wanted my people to produce.

Well, how's He going to get that to happen? He has to have these others in leadership to lead the people in the right way because the Sadducees, the Scribes, the Pharisees, the priests, the chief priests didn't do it that way. They led the people their way. You see, that's why the parable says, we'll kill the Son and we'll claim the inheritance for ourselves. What's the inheritance? The inheritance is Israel. We will lead the people of Israel the way we want to lead them. We don't want someone telling us how to lead Israel.

We're going to do it our way. We're going to worship God our way. We're going to do it the way we think is best. God says, no, you can't do it that way.

You've got to do it my way. It's my way or the highway, God says. You don't do it my way, you're done. So they didn't do it His way, they're done. He's moving them out. Because they didn't follow the prescribed pattern that the prophets had proclaimed that God had decreed from the beginning. So therefore, He moves them out. And so, these disciples, these apostles, Christ has already commissioned to go out and preach the gospel, to heal, to perform miraculous deeds so people will know of their confirming power.

And then if you go over to Luke chapter 10, Luke chapter 10, verse number 1, it says, And they went out. And it says in verse number 17, in your name. And Christ says to them in verse number 23, He says, In other words, listen, you have the 12 apostles, you have the 70 other unnamed individuals who went out and did things under the direction of God Himself and they were able to see what those in the Old Testament never saw.

And Christ says you are blessed because of that. So you have 12 apostles, the followers of Jesus. The others, the others in Luke chapter 20, verse number 16, the others are the followers of Christ. That's who they are. The apostles, the 70, who would begin to spread the good news of the kingdom so that there would be a fruit that would come forth from the people based on a repentant heart toward the gospel they would receive and they would hear. And so Christ sends them out and uses 12 men, undescript, disdained men who are followers of the Christ.

They couldn't stand Christ anyway and now His followers are going to be the owners, not the owners, but the stewards of the vineyard. Not only are the religious establishments going to be moved aside, but the despised followers of the despicable so-called Messiah now will be the others who will be the stewards of God's people. And they didn't want that to happen at all because these men were trained men. They had no rabbinic credentials. They had no formal education. They couldn't have these men leading the nation, but God had designed it that way.

And so He's already given them the power in Luke 9. He sent out the 70. Remember over in Matthew chapter 16? Remember that great confession that Peter made in Matthew chapter 16? When Christ was in that place called, it's called Banias today, but it's Caesarea Philippi and you go up there and you're able to see where Christ would ask the question who do men say that I am? And Peter would respond by saying, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And what did Christ say to him? Christ said to him these words, Blessed are you, Simon of Arjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

And I also say to you that you, Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. To understand that within its context is overwhelming because you see in Caesarea Philippi there was this huge cave dedicated to the false god Pan that was called the gates to hell. Okay, you can go there today, you can still see what they called the gates to hell. It's a huge cave at the base of Mount Hermon that was relegated to the worship of the false god Pan. And Christ said in that area, listen, what God has revealed to you, Simon, is a revelation that I am the Christ, I am the Messiah, I am the living God, okay?

And based on that confession, the confession of the identity of Christ that he is God in the flesh, I will build my church. Upon this bedrock confession, Peter, I will build my church and the gates of hell will never be able to prevail against it. And the symbolism of that gateway to hell sitting right there in the bottom base of that Mount Hermon would exemplify in the minds of the apostles the power of the living God. And so Christ would say to them, listen, based on the revelation that you received, Peter, listen, this I'm going to build my church.

Based on this confession, that's why in Ephesians 2 verse number 20 it says what? That the church has been built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. What's the foundation? The foundation is that confession that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Messiah of Israel. And there is no other name in heaven given other men whereby you must be saved. And that's why Christ goes on to say in Matthew 16 these words. He says, I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What is the key to the kingdom of heaven?

It's the identity of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It says in Matthew chapter 23 that the religious establishment didn't make people the sons of heaven. They made them the sons of hell because the religious establishment of Israel did not have the keys to the kingdom. Didn't have them. But Peter did. The apostles did. All those who know the gospel have the keys. That's why he says this. He goes on in verse 19. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

In other words, based on the keys to the kingdom you can tell somebody whether or not they're still in their sins or released from their sins. Folks, that's power. That's power. Based on what someone does with Jesus Christ you can tell them forthright, black and white they are either in their sin bound to them or released from their sin. Based on the fact that you have the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Peter had that based on the revelation that God gave him concerning the identity of the Messiah.

You see, if Jesus Christ is Lord, Savior, Messiah when you embrace Him as Lord you completely submit to His Lordship. You completely follow Him. You serve Him. You obey Him. And if someone's not doing that you can tell them because you have the keys to the kingdom yes, you're either loosed from your sins or you're bound to your sins. See, that gives the church the authority it needs to preach the gospel and tell people the truth. And that's exactly what Peter was given. And so were the apostles that they might be able to spread the good news of the gospel so others will know who Jesus Christ is.

So these others that Christ is going to give the vineyard to are the followers of Jesus Christ. Those apostles. Those 70. As you go into the book of Acts you begin to read what happens they begin to preach the gospel and sure enough people begin to bear fruit for the sake of God's kingdom. And it says over in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 that Paul said that he was a steward of the mysteries of God. In Romans 16 he said the exact same thing that he was a steward of the mysteries of God. The mysteries are those things concealed in the Old Testament now revealed in the New Testament.

Okay? And that's why Christ said over in Matthew chapter 13 when he first began giving parables these words.

Matthew chapter 13 he said this. He said, In other words because you are followers of me and you serve me it has been granted to you to understand the mysteries that which was concealed in the Old Testament that even the Old Testament prophets did not understand. You now will see you now will understand and you will be able to proclaim loudly. That's why over in the book of Ephesians the third chapter Paul says this in verse number 1 Which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in his spirit.

In other words that's why Peter says in 2 Peter 1, 20 and 21 that holy men of God were brought along by the spirit of God that we might understand the true word of God. And Paul is restating that by saying, listen that which was given to the apostles and the prophets by the spirit of God the mysteries of the kingdom of God I have now written to you I have now given it to you. And that's why the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 4 that God gives gifted men to the church apostles, prophets, evangelists pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry.

You see? And what God has done throughout all these years these 2,000 years is pass that legacy down from generation to generation to generation of people who will preach the truth of God's word that was given to these other men these apostles, these prophets to lead the church of Jesus Christ to explain to people the essence of the kingdom of God. And that's why I get so upset when you have guys in pulpits diluting the truth. You know, they come and they don't speak the truth. Paul says, listen Timothy, you ought to guard yourself pay close attention to yourself 1 Timothy 4, 16 and to your teaching.

Watch over your life and your teaching. Why? Because we have one mandate preach the word. Preach the word. And all these guys that come up and they tell stories and they get people to laugh you know, I would pray that God would destroy them and remove them. Okay, why? Because they are killing the church. They're killing the church. And you got people telling stories making everybody laugh nobody's opening the word no one's preaching the word and everybody's just leaving church feeling good about themselves.

God have mercy on that church and on the pastor of that church because I'm telling you that's not what God wants. That's why the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. The church is about the truth. It's about preaching the truth. It's about protecting the truth. It's about proclaiming the truth. It's about persisting and persevering in the truth. It's about portraying the truth. That's all the church is about. It's about the truth. And if you compromise that you don't have church. You got something else.

But you don't have church. And we got a lot of people going to buildings that say church on the outside but they're not church on the inside. You got to preach the truth. You got to give the people the essence of the gospel that they would know exactly what God requires of them. And the Lord God says that He would give the stewardship to the hand of others the followers of Himself.

He's already prepared them. They're ready to go. That's why in Matthew 28 He says all authority has been given unto me both in heaven and on earth. Go out now and preach the gospel. Make disciples. Because that's your mandate. You got to go do that. And once they begin to do that and fruit is produced what happens? The church of Jesus Christ is built. So it's not just a simple shift from Israel to the church or from Jews to Gentiles. It's a shift in the leadership that oversees God's vineyard. Now having said that having said that God's not done with Israel.

God's not done with Israel. Because what God's going to do in a place called the tribulation Revelation 6 and 19 is that the church is going to be gone. The church is not going to be here. So what God's going to do is He's going to raise up other leaders now.

144,000 Jewish evangelists. Revelation 7, Revelation chapter 14 and those 144,000 Jewish evangelists 12,000 from every tribe. They don't know what tribe they're from but guess what? God knows what tribe they're from. That's all that matters, right? So He's going to choose them. He's going to use them and they're going to preach the gospel for seven years. All throughout the tribulation. So people will come to saving faith because God is not done with Israel. He's displaced them for a moment. But come the tribulation which is called in Jeremiah chapter 30 the time of Jacob's trouble the tribulation is designed particularly for the nation of Israel.

The rest of the world will face the repercussions of it but the tribulation is designed specifically for the nation of Israel where God will weed out two-thirds of them and take one-third of them into His millennial kingdom.

And so God is going to use 144,000 Jewish evangelists now to become the stewards of God's vineyard to proclaim the truth of the gospel. And that's why God says in the book of Zechariah these words Zechariah chapter 8 verse number 1 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came saying thus says the Lord of hosts I am exceedingly jealous for Zion yes with great wrath I am jealous for her thus says the Lord I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem then Jerusalem will be called the city of truth.

Finally Jerusalem will be called the city of truth when the king returns again it will be called the city of truth.

It says down in Zechariah chapter 8 that in the kingdom it says this Thus says the Lord of hosts it will yet be that peoples will come even the inhabitants of many cities and the inhabitants of one will go to another let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts I will also go so many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord thus says the Lord of hosts in those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying let us go with you for we have heard that God is with you in that millennial kingdom Israel will once again be the stewards of God's vineyard and every Gentile will hang on the robe of a Jew telling us take us to your king take us to your redeemer because God although he has displaced them for a time being has not removed them entirely they will be used by God in the tribulation they will be used by God all throughout the millennial kingdom because God has promised Davidic, Abrahamic and new covenant to the nation of Israel that they might experience the blessings of that land the blessings of the Lord who reigns in that land because the blessings that come because of the love of that Lord who reigns in that land and Israel will reap the benefits of that but that's not the end of this story in Luke 20 because you can't end with a dead son if you end the story here you have a dead son son comes he's killed so what do you do?

you give the vineyard into the stewardship of others no, no may never be that can't happen listen to what Jesus says go back with me to Luke chapter 20 you still there?

okay good you still awake? anybody hot? I'm hot okay Luke 20, here we go verse 17 he looked at them and said what then is this that is what? see God is so good because Christ always takes them back to what has already been said he takes them back you gotta know this you have to understand this what is this that is written? and he quotes to them Psalm 118 which is one of the Halal Psalms that they will sing two days from now they will sing it two days from now when they celebrate Passover so Christ only as he can do it he takes something that they should have already known from the past that they're gonna participate in in two days at Passover that sings about the Messiah because as you go through the Old Testament we understand the Messiah to be seen several ways we see him to be seen as the seed in Genesis 3.15 the seer in Numbers chapter 24 we see him as a scepter in Genesis chapter 49 he's also seen as the stone in Psalm 118 verse number 22 so Christ says don't you remember what's written?

the stone which the builders rejected this became the chief cornerstone don't you remember this? you see you can't end with the dead son because the son the dead son is the living stone they have to understand that this speaks of the resurrection of the Messiah remember he takes them back into their history brings them up to their present when they kill the son to the future where there is a resurrection of that living stone have you not read this in Psalm 118? you're going to sing about it in two days don't you remember what you read?

you've got to remember this and every Jew would know Psalm 118 most of the rabbis they would know it by heart they'd have to recite it so he knew exactly what it said he takes them back to understand that this is not the end of the story but the stone that was rejected becomes the chief stone and realizing that that son that was rejected is the stone that was rejected which becomes the chief cornerstone now remember the cornerstone was the key stone in any building it had to be set properly on the bottom, on the sides, on the top because every other angle was based on the angle of the cornerstone had to be perfect and they would go and they'd build the building and they'd try to hew the stone if it didn't come out right they'd discard the stone and get a new stone and make sure that one fit if it didn't fit they'd discard that one and get a new one okay?

and Christ says what you've done is you have rejected the perfect one because Christ is the perfect cornerstone he is the Son of God the Messiah of Israel what you've done is you've rejected the perfect stone because the perfect stone did not fit your religious system it didn't fit the way you wanted to do things it didn't come out the way you wanted it to come out to fit your building not God's building you see you're too busy building your own kingdom building your own building and because that perfect cornerstone doesn't fit your imperfect religion you've casted it away you've got to read about this you've got to know exactly what the Bible says Christ says and that rejected stone is the perfect cornerstone is the chief stone is the Messiah of Israel see they just were having trouble connecting the dots and so Christ just spells it out for them the Son no the Son is that's me I'm going to die no no may never be why?

because you're our Messiah but the stone that you're going to reject is the living stone the chief cornerstone where God's kingdom is built upon the Messiah of Israel and they had a hard time grasping that so what does Christ say? oh by the way this was used several times Peter used it in Acts chapter 4 in Acts chapter 4 Peter said these words he said this let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazarene whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead by this name this man stands here before you in good health speaking of the man that was healed the lion man at the city gate he is a stone which was rejected by you the builders but which became the very cornerstone and there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby you must be saved how was this man healed?

he was healed by the name that you rejected the chief cornerstone that you threw away it says over in Romans chapter 9 verse number 32 these words Romans 9 verse number 32 Paul says they stumbled over the stumbling stone just as it is written behold I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense and he who believes in him will not be disappointed Paul takes it back to Isaiah chapter 8 because there in Isaiah chapter 8 verses 13 to 17 the Lord God Jehovah says that he is the stone that becomes a stumbling to the land of Israel and Paul now quotes Isaiah 8 along with Isaiah 28 and brings everything into focus for them as he writes to those in Rome Christ says this in Luke chapter 20 he says everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces but on whomever it falls it will scatter him like dust this is the promise this is the promise that Christ gives you got to realize that the son that you rejected is the living stone the resurrected Christ the Messiah of Israel the chief cornerstone and you're right now on a collision course with the Christ you take a pot and you drop it on a stone what breaks?

the stone or the pot? the pot put the pot down take a stone throw the stone down the pot what breaks? the stone or the pot? the pot same is true with Christ if he falls on you he breaks you you fall on him you're broken you're on a collision course with the Messiah you can't afford to reject him you must embrace him you must accept him you must believe in him you must love him that's why Peter over in 1 Peter chapter 2 says these words I know my time is gone I know it is I know, I know, I know 1 Peter chapter 2 he says this verse 4 and coming to him as to a living stone rejected by men but choice and precious in the sight of God you also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ for this or for this is contained in scripture behold I lay in Zion a choice stone a precious cornerstone he who believes in him shall not be disappointed now listen if you go back to Isaiah 28 it says he who believes in him shall not be disturbed not disappointed the Hebrew says he who believes in him shall never be in a hurry so what does that mean if you believe in the chief cornerstone you will never be in a hurry to leave because you'll never be disappointed by what the chief cornerstone does folks that's crucial to understanding salvation when you are born again you are never ever disappointed in the son of man son of God the Messiah of Israel why?

because he never disappoints you're never in a hurry to leave you'll never be disturbed because he is that stone that brings to you security stability and you hang on to Peter will go on to say this precious value then is for you who believe but for those who disbelieve the stone which the builders rejected this became the very cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense listen if you don't believe in this stone this living stone this chief cornerstone this son of God this Messiah of Israel if you don't embrace him you'll be crushed by him you'll be destroyed by him if you embrace him you come into conviction and that's what happened on this day in Israel nobody came into conviction look what it says in the very next verse verse number 19 and the scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on him that very hour and they feared the people for they understood that he spoke this parable against who?

them they knew they knew exactly what was happening they knew exactly what Jesus was saying they knew that as Christ was speaking they were the vine growers who had rejected the chief cornerstone a verse of scripture Psalm 118-22 that all of it would sink in just two days they knew exactly what was happening but because what we read you last week in John chapter 12 verses 43, 44 and 45 they wanted to believe in him but for fear of man that they'd be ousted out of the synagogue and they would they would not be approved by man any longer they would not believe they just cared too much about what other people thought they cared too much about how other people would view them they just would not sell themselves out to the Messiah and embrace him because they were too busy building their own kingdom following their own desires they knew exactly what he said if you're here today you begin to understand if you're on a collision course with the Christ or not because if you don't come into conviction that Jesus Christ is the Messiah that there is no other name under heaven given above men whereby you must be saved then you are on this collision course that will destroy you either you'll fall on him or he'll fall on you either way you're a broken person you must embrace Christ as the son of God son of man Messiah of Israel Lord of your life Savior of your soul give your life to him and follow him with all that you have Christ is in this temple courtyard preaching to people remember these are his last sermons he's putting it all out on the line he's given everything he's given it all he has to help them come to grips with where they are where they stand with the Christ they must know because they're gonna crucify him in two days they must know and be without excuse and he makes them without excuse because everything he says opens their eyes their minds the light goes on and they realize that what they're doing is exactly what he's prophesied they're going to do what an amazing God we serve which tells us that he knows what's going on in your heart and mind today as well and I plead with you to make sure that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior that you've given your life to him and you follow him in obedience let's pray together Father we thank you Lord for today and a chance to be in your word we are grateful Lord for the chance to be able to study what it is you preached on that last week of your life and we ask you to open our hearts and minds to believe the truth of the gospel we pray in Jesus name Amen