#163 Lu. 20:17-18 THE STONE THAT WAS REJECTED Introduction: In our previous text Jesus gave The Parable of The Vineyard. In that parable He spoke of a landowner who planted a vineyard and rented it out to husbandmen. At harvest time the husbandmen were to use part of the harvest to pay the landowner for rent. When he sent servants to collect his rent, instead of paying the rent the husbandmen abused each servant and sent him away empty. Finally the landowner sent his son to collect the rent, but instead the husbandmen they killed him. They killed the landowner's son. This parable illustrates that God had sent His prophets to the nation of Israel to get them to do His will, but instead the leaders of Israel badly abused God's prophets. Finally, God sent His Son, but the leaders in Israel have decided to reject Him and put Him to death. In our text today Jesus makes reference to an Old Testament Scripture which throws light on what was taking place. I. The stone rejected by the builders V. 17, "And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?" The Old Testament Scripture which Jesus here quotes is Psalm 118:22. You will note that even though His quotation has moved through three different languages (Hebrew, Greek and English), yet it is still almost word for word here in the New Testament as it is in the Old Testament. Psalms 118:22, "The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner." This scripture speaks of certain builders who examined stones which were available to be used in the construction of a building. When they came to one certain stone they decided that it was not suitable for their purpose. So they laid that stone aside. They rejected it. They refused to use it. So they discarded that stone and laid it aside to get it out of their way. However, when the time came for the actual construction of the building, they discovered that this was the very stone which they needed for the head of the corner. In constructing a building out of stones, the cornerstone was the most important stone of the building. This stone was the very first stone to be set in place. It was set at the corner where two walls would meet. After the cornerstone was set in place all of the stones of both walls had to line up with the cornerstone. The stones of one wall had to line up with it going in one direction and the stones of the other wall going another direction had to line up with it. This stone had to be at a perfect right-angle stone in order for the two walls to be right. The problem was that this stone had at the first been rejected by the builders as being unfit. But when it was found that none of the other stones had the perfect right angle necessary for the corner, the builders took another look at this stone and it was used as the cornerstone to start the building. It was just exactly what they needed. Without it they would not have had straight walls in their building. Jesus used this stone to illustrate that the Jewish leaders had made this very same mistake in their dealings with Jesus. John the Baptist, a man sent from God, had the whole nation that Jesus is the very stone which was needed for the corner. He had identified Jesus as the Christ, the very Son of God. But the stubborn Jewish leaders would not take John's word for it. They made their own judgment of Jesus and they concluded that they did not like Him at all. They challenged the idea that He is the Christ. They refused to even consider that He might be the Son of God. That is why they challenged His authority to do what He was doing in the temple. That is why they used every opportunity they had to try to make Him look bad in the eyes of the public. That is why they had met in numerous counsel meetings to find a way to dispose of Him. In their minds they had already rejected Him. In their counsel meetings as they had already rejected Him. They had already decided that He must be put to death. They did not intend to ignore Him. They did not intend to allow Him to carry on His ministry. They did not intend to continue their debates with Him. They did not intend to keep on putting up with Him. They intended to eliminate Him and get Him completely out of the way. They intended to dispose of Him. They intended to kill Him. So right there before the Jewish leaders and before that great crowd of people gathered there in the temple, Jesus used the rejected stone to point out to them all what was being done to Him. He was rejected by the very men who were responsible for building the work of God. He used the stone to make His point and He used Scripture to prove His point. He quoted to them the very word of God as it is found in Psalm 118:12. Luke does not say if the multitude understood the point that Jesus was making or not. It's very likely that they did. But whether or not the multitude understood, we know, at least, that the Jewish leaders understood. They did not believe what He said, but they did understand what He was saying and they understood what He meant. Down in verse 19 Luke tells us that they understood that this was spoken against them. They knew that Jesus was claiming to be the Christ, the Son of God, and they knew that He was accusing them of rebelling against God in their rejection of Him. Jesus had drawn such a clear picture with His illustration about the rejected stone that they could hardly fail to get His message. Yet what Jesus merely implied in His conversation, the Apostle Peter would later state in plain words. Peter would make in plain words the same accusation that Jesus here made by implication. Later in Acts 4:11 we hear the Apostle Peter speak to them about Jesus. He said, "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner." II. The rejected stone chosen as the head of the corner You will note that Jesus did more than just point out to them that He really is the Christ of God and that by their rejection of Him they had rejected the very Christ of God. They had rejected the very Son of God. In addition to this, He pointed out to them that the time would come when He would be exalted. He was being rejected by them at this time, but the time would come when He will be exalted. He will be exalted to the very highest. The chief corner stone is the most important stone of the building. Even so God the Father intends to see that His beloved Son will be exalted above all. He will be exalted in the very nation that has rejected Him. When Jesus returns to this world, He will re- establish the throne of King David and He will sit upon that throne. He will rule the nation of Israel and they will gladly accept Him. He will rule the very nation that has rejected Him. He will not only be exalted to the position of rulership in the nation that had rejected Him, but He will be exalted to the position of rulership of the whole world. In that day, the people of Israel will acknowledge Him as the Christ. Even the Jewish leaders of that day will honor Him as the Christ. They will proudly proclaim Him to the whole nation that He is the Christ, the Son of God. They will proudly proclaim Him to the whole world as the Christ of God, the blessed Son of God. They will travel near and far throughout all the nations of the world just to proclaim Him as the Christ of God. They will tell everybody in the whole world that Jesus really is the Son of God and that their forefathers made a mistake in rejecting Him. Jesus will also be exalted in the judgment of the saved. He will judge and reward all who are saved. I am not certain of the exact time at which Jesus will judge the saints in what is called in Scripture, "The Judgment Seat of Christ." I do know that this judgment will take place in connection with His second coming. Some say that He will judge the saints while He is in the air before He comes on down to the earth. That may be right, but I am not sure about that. I think that possibly it might be after He sits on the throne in Jerusalem. Be that as it may, at whatever point of time the Judgment Seat of Christ takes place, Jesus will be exalted in that judgment. He will be exalted to the position of Judge. He will sit upon the judgment seat and judge all who have ever been saved down through the ages. It will be up to Him to decide just what reward each child of God will receive for the service which they have rendered to God. No Christian will receive any reward that does not come from Him. Whatever any Christian receives, He will have Jesus to thank for it. Jesus will also be exalted in the judgment of the unsaved. When the millennium is over all of the unsaved of all the ages will be brought forth from their graves to stand before the Great White Throne of God. When they do come before that throne, it will be Jesus Christ who will sit upon that throne and it will be Jesus Christ who will judge them. Every person who has ever died unsaved will be judged by Jesus Christ. Even those Jewish leaders who have passed judgment on the Son of God and rejected Him will be judged by Him. They will be judged by Him and they will be rejected by Him. They will be judged by Him and they will be sentenced by Him. They judged Jesus and sent Him to the cross of Calvary. Jesus will judge them and will sentence them to the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. That is where every man will be sent who has never been saved. At one time or another all men will be judged by Him. John 5:22 says that God the Father has committed all judgment unto the Son. So Jesus will not only rule the world, but He will judge the world. He will judge the world and every person will acknowledge that He is the Son of God. In Romans 14:11 the Apostle Paul said that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. Every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Yet there be at least one other way in which He will be exalted. In the heaven ages after the this world has gone up in smoke and a new heaven and new earth have been made, the Holy City, New Jerusalem will come down from heaven to the new earth. The throne of God will be in that city and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will sit upon the throne of God. All of the saved of all the ages will frequently visit this city and come before this throne. There every man, woman, boy and girl who has ever been saved will come before His throne and every one of them will give Jesus the praise and glory for saving his soul and keeping him out of hell. Every soul will acknowledge before all that it is only by the grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ that he has made it into heaven. Not one person throughout that entire new earth would be there if Jesus Christ had not saved his soul. Thank God, I will be one of that number. Thank God for each and every one of you who will also be in that number. Thank God for Jesus who made it possible. Throughout all eternity we will come before His throne and give Him the praise and the glory for saving us. I am looking forward to that time. III. A warning about the danger of falling on the stone In verse 18 Jesus gives a warning about falling on the stone. V. 18, "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken..." Keep in mind that Jesus is the stone. He is the stone which the builders have rejected. Everyone who rejects Him as Savior stumbles upon this Stone and falls upon this throne. I think you can see what He is talking about by stumbling and falling on a stone or rock. One who experiences such a fall shall be broken. He will break the skin at least. Most likely he will break an arm or a leg. He could even break a bone in the head. He could fracture his skull or break his neck. One could be very seriously injured and hurt by such a fall on a hard rock. It could even be fatal. But in most instances it need not be fatal. One can heal. An arm or a leg or even a skull fracture or broken neck can heal if it doesn't kill you first. It is not necessarily fatal. Neither is being unsaved necessarily fatal. I was unsaved until I was sixteen years old, but I am not unsaved now. At the age of sixteen, I repented of my sin and I turned to God and sought to get saved. I called on the Lord Jesus Christ and asked Jesus to save my soul and when I did, I got saved. Jesus saved me. It is not too late for those who are lost in sin if they will only repent of their sin and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation before it is too late. If one waits until he dies it is, of course, too late. IV. An even stronger warning about having the stone fall on them Jesus then gave an even stronger warning about having the stone fall on them. (V. 18), "...but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." I said a moment ago that if one waits until he dies to call on Jesus and ask Him for salvation, he has waited too late. Hebrews 9:27 says that it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment. If one is unsaved when he dies, he will be unsaved when he stands before Jesus in judgment. That judgment will be a crushing experience. It will be like having a huge rock fall on you and crushing you to powder. If one waits until then to try to get saved, there will be no chance of ever getting saved. It will be too late. He will surely be sentenced to the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. Listen! If you are unsaved, please do not wait until you die to try to get saved. Please do not wait until you stand before the Lord in judgment to try to get saved. Listen to what the Apostle Peter said in I Peter 2:7. He said, "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, I Peter 2:7. Conclusion: Let me tell you what you can do. We are going to have an invitation hymn at this time. I am going to ask our musicians to come forward and be prepared for this hymn. While they are coming I am going to ask that you all bow your heads in prayer and I am going to lead in prayer. While I lead the prayer out loud, you can do your own praying silently. You who are lost and headed for the fires of hell can call on Jesus Christ right now and ask Jesus to save your soul. Will you do it? That's what I am going to ask you to do right now. While our heads are bowed, I am also going to ask that each of you who are saved pray to the Lord and ask Him to help you to live for His honor and glory. If think that it might be the Lord's will for you to come forward and uniting with this church then while our heads are bowed you can talk to Him and ask Him to lead you and guide you and help you to understand what He wants you to do. All He asks is for you to be willing to follow His leading and do His will.