Tuesday August 19, 2025 - Cornerstone, Capstone

 Chapter 12: Cornerstone, Capstone Day 3

Praying the Name:

Luke 20:13-18 - “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ 14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” 17 Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone’? 18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” 

Romans 9:30-32 - What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.

Father, 

    I praise You for Your plans that are set to endure forever, that no matter what we do You are still in control and working in our lives as we mess it up or do well either one.  You have a purpose for our lives and we need to walk down that road. 

    THANK YOU GOD for not giving up on us, we sure do deserve to be given up on but I thank You that You do not do that. 

    I do not think I water it down but maybe I do when I do not go to church, but I do not like the do and do not of those things. I am sorry if I have been off for You Lord but I am trying to do the best I can. 

    Please give me a new faith in Jesus, not through bad things but through the love of You in good things. I cannot handle the bad anymore, we are struggling as it is and we need You to shine in our lives. 

    Thank You for this study and being our cornerstone. 

In Jesus Name, 
    Amen 

    

   Iasiah 5:7, 9 - For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. In my hearing the Lord of hosts said, “Truly, many houses shall be desolate, Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.

    Jesus was pointing a finger at the chief priests and teachers of the law, that had highjacked the faith and led God's people astray by their hypercritical behavior and legalistic teaching instead of acting like the servant leaders they were supposed to be they had created a form of religion that did not advance God's Words but their own. In His love and mercy God had already sent many prophets to call them back but they rejected each one. In a final act of mercy God sent His Son, but they hated Him seeing not a savior but someone who was threatening their power, who undermined their control Jesus became what they feared. Finally aware of their desire to kill them, Jesus provoked them further by quoting the words of 

Psalm 118:22 - The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.

Luke 20:18 - Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

    

    He Himself was the cornerstone of what God was doing in the world. He was also a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence for those who failed to believe in Him, for a time He would seem to be the one that would be broken but His brokenness would result in triumph and sooner or later those who opposed Him would be brought to ruin. 

    The same is true today many forces are at work in the world, and within our own fallen nature that would twist and distort the gospel, there are those who highjack it for our own purposes, use it as a bully pulpit making it a caricature that is easily rejected by the world. Or watering it down, how sad when Christians themselves reduce the faith to a set of rules and regulations. Conforming outwardly to religious conventions while their hearts are filled with unbelief, how sad when believers do not preach the whole gospel for the fear of offending someone. If we really believe that we needed saving and that we have been saved our lives should say so because faith has led a revolution in our souls, of all people we have the most to be grateful for, the most to be excited about the most to celebrate, for Christ the cornerstone on which God is building up His kingdom is leading His church He is our Rock Forever!!