TITLES OF CHRIST
THE CORNERSTONE
DR. JIM DIXON
2 PETER 224-10
NOVEMBER 27, 1988
Well in 1905, in Pretoria, South Africa, a man named Thomas Cullinan made a discovery. He discovered a rock, but it wasn’t a normal rock. It was a diamond, but it wasn’t a normal diamond. It was, in fact, the largest diamond in the history of the world—more than 5 inches wide, more than 1-1/3 pounds in weight, 3,106 carats. That reminds me of the diamond that I gave to Barb on our engagement except for the fact that this diamond was 6,000 times as large. The diamond was called the Cullinan Diamond after Thomas Cullinan, and in the year 1907 the diamond was presented to King Edward VII, King of Great Britain, the British Empire.
He noticed that the Cullinan Diamond, though massive, had a minor flaw in it so he shipped it to Amsterdam to have a man named Jake Asher, who was one of the most famous diamond cutters in the world, cut this great stone. Well, Jake Asher studied the Cullinan Diamond for two months. It was a very precious stone and he didn’t want to make a mistake. He studied it and examined it for two months, and then he cut the Cullinan Diamond into 105 diamonds including the Star of Africa and three other diamonds that graced the crown jewels of Great Britain. The amazing thing was that Jake Asher, in that moment when he first split the Cullinan Diamond—when he split it in two—when he struck that blow, though he was one of the greatest diamond cutters in the world, he passed out. He fainted. He was so nervous because, you see, it was believed to be the most precious stone on the earth.
There are a lot of precious stones in this world—diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, opals and pearls—many precious stones, some more precious than others. But you see, the Bible tells us there is one stone more precious than all and that one stone is the cornerstone. God says, “Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious.” The testimony of the Bible is clear. This stone, this cornerstone, is Jesus Christ.
What does it mean to say that Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone? Well, I have two teachings this morning and the first is this: To say that Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone is to say that He is the very foundation of the Church of God. “The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.” Millions of Christians for many decades have sung those words and yet, incredibly, many Christians do not really understand them. Some Christians think the foundation of the church was the Apostle Peter or his successor. They base this on the testimony of Peter at Caesarea Philippi where he said “Though art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” and then the response of Christ when He said, “Blessed are you Simon Bar Jonah. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father, who is in heaven. And I say to you that you are ‘Petros,’ Peter, a rock, and upon this “petra,” upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
Was Jesus saying that Peter was the foundation of the church? Obviously a controversial passage. Some theologians look at that, and they say, “Well , no, when Jesus said ‘upon this rock I will build my church’ He was not referring to Peter himself but to Peter’s confession.” “Upon this confession that Jesus is Christ, the church will be built.” Others say, “Well, no, when Jesus said ‘upon this rock I will build my church’ He was really referring to all the apostles, not just Peter. He was saying you are ‘Petros,’ a little stone, but upon this ‘petra,’ upon this rock, all the apostles, I’ll build my church.” And other biblical scholars say “No, He was really referring to Himself. He was saying ‘You are ‘petras,’ you are little stones, but upon this rock, upon myself, I’ll build my church.’”
Well , obviously, none of the biblical scholars were there 7,000 years ago at Caesarea Philippi. Nobody alive today saw who Jesus pointed at—whether it was Peter or all the apostles or Himself, but this we know. On the basis of the Word of God as we look at the total testimony of scripture, it is clear Peter is not the foundation of the church. Now he was certainly, a stone, built into that foundation and after our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Peter was certainly the first stone. But all the apostles were stones built into the foundation of the church. That’s why in the Book of Revelation you see that great passage that describes the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city. Certainly it is a literal city to come but also a symbol of the Church of Christ. We’re told in Revelation that this new Jerusalem has on its foundation the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb because, you see, the church is, indeed, in some sense built on the foundation of the apostles. But the foundation would not be complete, it would not even exist, without Jesus Christ. That is why, in Ephesians, chapter 2, it says that the Church of Christ is founded on the foundation of the apostles—Christ Jesus, Himself, being the cornerstone.
Do you know what a cornerstone is? Cornerstone was generally used to refer to the first stone built into the foundation of a structure. Placed in the corner, it was the stone that joined the wall and it was viewed as the stone which completed the foundation, that summed up the foundation, and held the foundation together. It was believed that if that stone was taken out, the foundation itself would crumble and the structure upon it would fall.
Now that is why, in the Bible, oftentimes Jesus Christ is called the Cornerstone and sometimes He’s simply called the Foundation. He holds it all together. He’s the Rock of Ages upon which the Church of Christ is built, the one foundation of the church. He is the one foundation of this church, and He is the one foundation of every true church. Churches must be built on Christ.
I know you’ve all heard of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Some of you have seen it. A lot of people do not realize that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is really part of a church. That’s why it was built. It’s part of a complex of buildings which include a cathedral and a baptistry. The leaning Tower of Pisa was really the church’s bell tower and, of course, it is considered to be one of the seven wonders of the modern world. It’s 177 feet tall. It took 199 years to build, beginning in 1173 and completed in 1372. Incredibly, the walls of that Tower—those walls are 13 feet thick at the bottom, 7 feet thick at the top. The tower weighs 14,500 tons and it is made of pure marble. It is said that in the 16th century, Galileo himself climbed that tower and from there he conducted his experiments on gravity. Day after day he would climb those 300 steps and he would ascend to the top of the bell tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But of course, this tower has a big problem and that problem is of course that it leans. In fact, it appears to lean so much that it would appear that it could not stand. And indeed, the lean today has reached a point where the lean is 17 feet, and the lean is increasing every year by one millimeter—one millimeter a year. They’ve conducted experiments on the lean since 1911. Most structural engineers believe that ultimately, unless something is done, the Leaning Tower of Pisa will fall and it will fall for one reason. Its foundation is faulty. The foundation in the first 20 years of its construction—part of that foundation—sunk. It fell, and subsequent builders, as they continued to build the tower, instead of repairing the foundation, tried to rectify the problem by straightening its vertical climb. But you see, we’re told by scientists today that ultimately someone is going to have to go back and somehow repair that foundation or else the Leaning Tower of Pisa will fall.
Well, there are a lot of churches in the United States of America… There’s a lot of churches in the world that are really just like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. A lot of churches in this country and around the world are going to fall. Some of them are in mainline protestant denominations—they are going to fall because they have faulty foundations and they are not built on the Rock of Ages. They are not centered on the cornerstone. They are not founded on Jesus Christ. Some churches are founded on personalities, or people, or programs, but personalities change. People leave. Programs fail. Jesus never fails. He is the Rock of Ages and He is the only true foundation of the church.
Three hundred and forty-seven people joined our church this morning. They were really all asked to make one confession above all else: Who is your Lord and Savior? “Jesus Christ.” We ask that question because, above all else, we want this church to be founded on Jesus Christ. The preaching, the teaching, the programs all exist to exalt Christ.
The first Sunday this church opened on March 7, 1982, this song was sung: “Jesus is the Cornerstone.” The first Sunday we moved into this building, the choir sang that same song, “Jesus is the Cornerstone.” We sang it today because we believe with all of our heart that if the name of Jesus be lifted up, He will draw all people unto Himself.” Sometimes people say, “Well, you know, we’re going to be moving. We’re going to move to L.A . or San Francisco or New York or Boston. We want to know… could you suggest a church to us?” Well, we don’t know all the churches that exist out there. I’m sure God has hundreds and thousands of wonderful churches, but what you need to do—wherever you live—is attend a church and make sure the church truly has Jesus Christ as its cornerstone. Make sure that the church exalts the person of Christ, calls people to personal commitment to Christ as Lord and Savior, and that His name is to be exalted. “The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.”
Well, secondly and finally, to say that Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone is not simply to say that He is the foundation of the church, but it is to say that He is the foundation of life and He must be the foundation of your life. Is Jesus Christ the Cornerstone of your life? Is your life founded on Christ? Is He the rock upon which your life is built?
In 1897 a man named Edward Mortenson was born in Norway. We are told that he grew up to be tall and handsome and he became a baker’s assistant. Then in his early 20’s, he opened a bakery of his own and he baked bread and pastries and cookies. He married and he had three children, but Edward Mortenson developed a lust for fast women and fast motorcycles. One day he got on his motorcycle and he rode and he never came back. He abandoned his wife and he abandoned his children. In 1923 Edward Mortenson came here to the United States of America at the age of 26, and he began to kind of float about from city to city. He took a job in one bakery and then he would move and take a job in another bakery. He would have an affair with one woman and then he would move and he would have another affair with another woman. The women loved his Norwegian accent and he was kind of a Don Juan doughboy from Norway.
Well, one day Edward Mortenson met a woman whose name was Gladys. They began to date and they went out for weeks and months and Gladys loved his Norwegian accent and she loved Edward. She thought that somehow she was going to be different. She could not possibly have known that all of the women before had thought the same thing. She thought that Edward was probably ready to settle down now and somehow they could make a life together. One day she came to Edward with an announcement. She said “Edward, I’m pregnant and I’m carrying your child.” Edward Mortensen didn’t say anything. He just stared. She said, “You know, Edward, maybe we ought to get married. Maybe we ought to give our child a proper start.” And he didn’t say anything. He just stood. He went outside of the house. He got on his motorcycle and he rode and he never came back. He never saw Gladys again. He never saw his child. He went from village to village and he went from town to town, and he would take jobs, again, in bakeries, and there would be woman after woman—a kind of cookie Casanova. That’s what they called him.
Every once in awhile there would be a twinge of guilt. He would think about Gladys and he would think about the child. He would think, “Maybe I ought to go back,” but he never did go back. On June 18, 1929, on a road between Youngstown and Akron, Ohio, Edward Mortenson decided to pass a truck and he ran head on into a Hudson sedan. His motorcycle was shattered and broken in pieces and so was he. A few hours later he died in a Youngstown hospital. Today his body lies in a pauper’s grave outside of Youngstown. He never did see that child, but that child grew up, and the child became one of the most famous people in the world—one of the most famous actresses Hollywood has ever known—Norma Jean Mortenson, better known as Marilyn Monroe.
Of course, Edward Mortenson never had a foundation in his life. He just kind of roamed from place to place. It appears he never wanted a foundation and he never looked for one. There are millions of people in the world just like him. Marilyn Monroe … She never had a foundation in her life—like her father. But to her credit, I think it has to be said that she sought a foundation. She tried everything the world said that would make a good foundation. She tried wealth. She tried fame. She tried materialism and she tried hedonism. But it was all sinking sand, and in the end, all she had was despair.
The Bible tells us that no one on this earth has a foundation unless they have Jesus Christ. There’s only one foundation for life: Jesus Christ. When we come to Christ and when we receive Him as Lord and as Savior, in that moment, we have purpose in living and we have hope in dying. In this moment, we have a kingdom to live for, a kingdom to die for, and a promise in the life to come of never-ending life. In that moment we embrace Christ we are founded on a rock and He says, “I’ll never fail you.” He says, “I’ll never forsake you though I am with you always.” The Rock of Ages.
In our passage of scripture f or today, God gives a promise to all people who found their lives on Christ. God says, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” That’s the promise of God. If your life is founded on Jesus Christ, your life will not be put to shame. The Greek word is “ahteemis” and it means “without honor.” If you’re truly founded on Christ, your life will not be without honor. Indeed, the Bible says, “If our lives are founded on Christ, then at the consummation, we will know we did not live in vain.” Christ will honor us. He will exalt us if we’re founded on the Rock.
Of course, even as Christians, there are times when we feel like we have been put to shame or dishonored, and those are times that test the foundation upon which our life is built. I know when I came back from sabbatical, after three months of being away, I received a letter from someone in the church. It was an anonymous letter. When I was in seminary, I remember a professor said that all of you are going to be pastors… Ignore anonymous letters. They’re not worth the paper they’re written on. He said you know when you get an anonymous letter, you just ought to throw it away and don’t even read it. I really haven’t found that to be terribly practical advice because normally I don’t know the letter is anonymous until I’ve read it. Even if I were to start by turning to the end and see that there’s no name there, I probably would go ahead and read the letter just out of curiosity.
This particular letter… It kind of said that they wished I hadn’t come back. It said that after I left, the Holy Spirit was no longer restrained and the Holy Spirit was able to start to minister in the life of the church. It said that Bob’s preaching was not rooted on history and mythology but on the Word of God and was led of the Spirit. It said if I had to come back, they hoped that just somehow I wouldn’t block the Holy Spirit’s work.
You know, I’ve got to tell you the last thing in this world I would ever want to do is block the Holy Spirit’s work, because without the Holy Spirit, this church has no ministry. Without the Holy Spirit and the person and power of the Holy Spirit, this church has no life.
Bob and I have worked together for more than 10 years. We are partners in the gospel. I don’t think anybody respects our ministry and call more than we respect each other. Yet we really know that not everyone’s going to feel the same about all of us. I think it’s pretty obvious that whoever wrote me that letter was less than enraptured by my ministry. I’m sure that that person is not alone, and that’s really okay, because, you see, the ministry is not a popularity contest. I need to receive a letter like that every once in a while. It’s good for me. I need to take an inward look. I think the first thing you ought to do when you receive a letter like that is look inside yourself and see if there is any truth. If there isn’t, you should just discard it. But if there is you need to make changes. I need to take an inward look every day, and what’s true of me is true of you. We all need to take an inward look every single day to see whether our life is really founded on Jesus Christ—whether He’s really the Rock of our life and whether He’s really the purpose that we live for, and if His kingdom is really the goal that we strive for. We need to see that we’re honoring Him. We need to take an inner look and see. Are you really honoring Him? Am I really honoring Him as Cornerstone, as the head of the corner, as the foundation of life? Am I honoring Him in the way I use my money? Am honoring Him in the way I spend my time? Am I honoring Him in the way I treat people? Am I honoring Him at home and in my community and neighborhood? Am I honoring Him in the word and in prayer? Am I honoring Him with my mouth and the things that I say?
You see, we have this promise from Christ. If truly our lives daily are founded on Him… If we let Him truly be Cornerstone and we live to honor Him every day, we have this promise from Him. He will honor us. And when the day is done, and when our life is full, we will not have lived in vain. We shall not be put to shame. And one day He’ll say to us, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”
Jesus is the Cornerstone. He is the “church’s one foundation,” and He’s the only foundation for your life or mine. The Rock of Ages. Let’s close with a word of prayer.