Rock and Role

Eastford Baptist Church
April 13, 2007

As you come to him, the Living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him - 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. For in scripture it says, “See, I lay in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (Isaiah 28:16) Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.” (Psalm 118:22) and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” (Isaiah 8:14) They stumble because they disobey the message–which is also what they were destined for. 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. (1 Peter 2:4-8)

When you hear the word rock what comes to mind? For some our minds might immediately think of music, as in “Rock-and-Roll.” Others might immediately think of the rocks and stones that comprise much of New England’s soil. Still others might think of a popular actor known as “The Rock.” But long before professional wrestler Rocky Maivia started referring to himself “a rock” Jesus was already “The Rock.” Rocky Maivia is just borrowing that title temporarily–the real Rock is Jesus.

In the passage above Peter identifies Jesus as a living stone. Doesn’t that sound like an oxymoron? An oxymoron is a combination of two seemingly contradictory words, such as: jumbo shrimp; freezer burn; pretty ugly; Microsoft Works; living stone. A stone isn’t alive! But just as Jesus is a wounded healer; a meek master who gives us a light yoke, there is a width and depth to His character that is impossible to fully comprehend. Peter goes on to describe the rock-like character of Jesus by providing three powerful word pictures: (In the passage above I’ve interjected the locations of where these verses first appeared in the Old Testament.)

Jesus is the Foundation. Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised to choose and lay a precious cornerstone in Zion. Zion is a word for the temple area of Jerusalem. A cornerstone provided the foundation for a building. It was the first stone to be placed and all the other stones related to it. If the cornerstone was not perfectly square and perfectly laid, the entire building would be flawed. It’s totally amazing to consider the construction genius of ancient builders. They didn’t have computers and heavy equipment, but they built structures that are still standing today. A few years ago, as a project for PBS, some builders decided to try to duplicate the building of an Egyptian pyramid, using only the methods available 3,000 years ago. It was to be built on a 1/4 scale to the actual pyramids. The group took measurements and made calculations. They took great care in chiseling and laying the first stone, the cornerstone because they knew all the other stones would be cut and placed in relation to it. They were 25 days into the project when it was apparent they had miscalculated the angle of the cornerstone, and as a result, the project was a failure.

The Apostle Paul identifies Jesus as the foundation of life when he wrote, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 3:11) Are you building and measuring everything in your life against our cornerstone? Jesus is the Capstone. In verse 7 Peter quotes Psalm 118 to give us another rock picture of Jesus. In this description, Jesus is seen as the capstone. A capstone was different from a cornerstone. A cornerstone was used for a foundation guide, and was the first stone laid. In contrast, a capstone was the last stone laid.

By law, the tallest structure that will ever be built in our nation’s capitol is the Washington monument, which is 555 feet tall. On December 6, 1884 the capstone for the Washington Monument was set in place. A scaffold had been built so the dignitaries could participate. The winds were gusting to almost 60 mph that day which made the ceremony a dangerous endeavor. The capstone is a 9-inch pyramid containing 100 ounces of pure aluminum. In the 1880s aluminum was a rare metal, and it was installed as part of the monument’s lightning protection system. At the time, this capstone was the largest piece of aluminum produced and it was displayed in Tiffany’s jewelry store in New York City before it was installed. On the eastern face of this capstone are two words in Latin, “LAUS DEO” which means “Praise Be to God.” In other words, overlooking the 69 square miles of the most powerful city on earth is a capstone that offers praise to God!

Atheists and antagonists to the Gospel can try (will try) as hard as they like – but “Praise to God” will/can never be removed from our country. Jesus is both the cornerstone and the capstone. He is both the foundation of your life and the crowning achievement of life. He is the author and the finisher of our faith. He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.

Jesus is the stumbling stone. The third picture of Jesus, the Rock is that of a stumbling stone. Verse eight says to those of us who believe, the rock is precious. Jesus is more precious than diamonds, emeralds and gold to those of us who know Him. Peter quotes Isaiah 8 to show the other side of the rock. He says to those who disbelieve, Jesus is a stone which makes them stumble and a rock that makes them fall. Jesus will either be a precious stone to you, or a stumbling stone. That’s the way it’s always been. One of the early Christians, named Stephen, had the audacity to stand up and say that Jesus was alive and standing at the right hand of God, and what did they do? They stoned him to death. Some build their life on Him. Some stumble and refuse him. You can love Jesus and accept Him, or you can reject Jesus, but you can’t ignore Him. You can love Jesus and accept Jesus, or you can reject Jesus, but one thing is for sure – you’re never going to stop Him. Our Rock is going to keep His church rolling along.

OK, we know Jesus is the Rock – but what’s our Role? Well for that you’ll have to tune in again next week. For now, let’s just celebrate the fact that we stand on the firm foundation of a rock solid salvation.

Standing on the Solid Ground,
PT