Sunday 1st Service Worship
Title/Scripture: The Stone the Builders Rejected (Matthew 21:33-46)
Speaker: Rev. Ryu Kwang-soo
Date/Place: May 22, 2022, Immanuel Church (Busan)
Matthew 21:33-46
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.
34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.
37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son,” he said.
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.”
39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them.
46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Summary
If the foundation is not firm, it shakes and collapses. Today Jesus said that the stone which many builders rejected has become the cornerstone of the corner. The cornerstone means the foundation stone. It is not the answer that is important, but the source of the fundamental answer that is important. More important than healing is the fundamental strength of the body.
▣ Intro_ On what foundation will you build your life? Set the cornerstone that makes the foundation of your life firm, correctly.
1. Unbeliever – because they do not believe in God, they go to a person possessed by a demon for fortune-telling or shamanistic rituals, and that becomes the foundation stone of their life.
2. Church members whose foundation stone is wrong – they distort the gospel so that unbelievers cannot receive help.
3. Believers who have set Christ, the Rock, as the foundation of their life – from that point on, the answers keep coming.
1) Satan, who tries to destroy you, is afraid only of Christ.
2) What Satan likes most is that people who attend church do not know the value of the gospel.
▣ Main_ What to confirm – “Have you never read that the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?” (verse 42)
1. David, who held on to this covenant (Psalm 118:1-22)
1) What Jesus quoted from what David said in Psalm 118:22 – “The stone the builders rejected will become the essential cornerstone.”
2) The reason David never collapsed – he set the foundation of his life on the Rock called Christ.
▷ Realizing the gospel is impossible without the grace of God.
3) One who truly knows God – God will deliver him from any crisis.
2. Jesus’ parable of the vineyard farmers (verses 33-42)
1) The owner entrusted the vineyard to the farmers, and when he sent servants and his son to ask for the fruit, they killed them, so the king brought his army and destroyed them.
2) When prophets are sent, they are killed; when someone comes speaking the word of salvation, they are killed; when an evangelist or a righteous organization engaged in gospel work arises, they are branded a heresy, and Jesus is opposed.
3) “The stone the builders rejected has truly become the foundational cornerstone.” (verse 42)
3. Peter, who held on to this covenant
1) Matthew 16:16 – what Jesus said when Peter made his confession of faith – Matthew 16:18 “You are Peter, and on this rock that will never be shaken I will build my church.”
2) Acts 4:11-12 – Peter’s confession when he stood in court after raising up the lame man – “Do you not know that the stone which many builders rejected has become the cornerstone? There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
▷ Hold on to this covenant. Any problem may come, it is fine. It is not a problem. It is rather a blessing.
3) 1 Peter 2:7-9 – “Do you not know that unbelievers, the stone the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone?”, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, called to proclaim this light.”
▷ God entrusted world evangelization to this Peter.
▣ Conclusion_ We must break free from religion. Christianity is not a religion but the gospel.
▷ A church that only fights has set that as its foundation. I decided to break free from that. So I do not fight. A church that relies too heavily on humanism has set humanism as its foundation. A church built on self-assertion and doing things its own way has set that as its foundation. Here, people who are prepared to preach the gospel are gathered, and people who preach the gospel come. That has become our foundation. Just think about it for one week. You will find yourself in a place of important answers.
Transcript
Last week we heard the lesson of the fig tree. Do not try to get a special answer; if you engrave it in your heart for one week, the answer will come on its own. Most people will not do it. Jesus said that if you do it, you could even move a mountain.
So then, what covenant should we hold on to this week? It is quite urgent.
Long ago, the Seongsu Bridge in Seoul collapsed. Inspectors had reportedly said several times that it was dangerous. Even so, it was somehow left neglected, and suddenly the bridge fell. When the bridge fell, the cars that were passing over it at the time all fell into the water. Also, long ago, the Sampoong Department Store collapsed. When it collapsed, many people died. There too, inspectors had reportedly said several times that the Sampoong Department Store was cracking. They had said it, but nothing was done. Then one day it collapsed and the accident happened. Many people died, and we heard many stories about those who died. One person had gone to Seoul just once and happened to enter that department store and died there. And not long ago, an apartment building collapsed in Gwangju as well.
Why did they collapse? It is not that the top of the Seongsu Bridge suddenly flew off and it collapsed. It is not that the Sampoong Department Store suddenly shook and collapsed. It seems as if it suddenly collapsed, but if you look into it, there is one cause. The pillars supporting that building had shaken. The pillars that were supposed to hold up the bridge shook, and so it collapsed. And what are those pillars related to? They are related to the foundation. If the foundation is not firm, it shakes and collapses.
That is what Jesus was talking about today. You might pass over it lightly, but Jesus said something very important today. There was a stone that many builders rejected, and it became the cornerstone of the corner. That word “cornerstone” refers to the foundation stone. It is very important. Today you must grasp this covenant precisely.
You must grasp it well. Simply put, it is not the answer that matters, but the source of the fundamental answer that matters. Healing is important, but more important than healing is the fundamental strength within your body. Once you obtain this, the answers will keep coming from then on.
▣ Intro_ On what foundation will you build your life? Set the cornerstone that makes the foundation of your life firm, correctly.
Your life is like a building, so the question is on what foundation you will build. If that building shakes, quickly set the cornerstone that makes the foundation firm — that is the meaning. So for your bodies too, if you keep getting sick you will have to go to the hospital here and there, but if the body is fundamentally weak, it will keep hurting here and there. Those who are fundamentally healthy, for example, can overcome even COVID well and not get infected, and overcome sickness — that’s how it goes. The foundation of this building is important.
Today the district chief Kim Cheol-hun came to worship, and I thanked him. The chief said he was thankful to me, but no, I thanked him. Why? Because this building we are in was not built by us. We bought an existing one. In the meantime, the road disappeared, and this building is now in a situation where it could face an accident because a building permit cannot be issued. There could be a fire, this could collapse, and the building below us has been legally ordered to be unusable because it might collapse. So for a long time now, permission has not been granted to build. If this were to collapse or if a fire were to break out now, there would be no way to respond. In truth, we are barely holding on right now. It’s been this way for a long time. So even though many National Assembly members and the district chief were present in front, no matter how much we explained it, they wouldn’t listen. Understanding this danger and listening carefully to our explanation, so that this could get done — though it may not be strictly the right law, in principle there was just one person, our district chief. So I thanked him today. There is another vote coming up on June 1, and he must be re-elected. He must continue. What party matters to us? It doesn’t matter to us. For us, what matters is the person who helps people live well, for the sake of salvation. Even if it’s just this once, if he keeps doing it, keep doing it. That way Yeongdo can live. Why? Because the person who helps us and helps us live well is the important leader. Right? That’s why I thanked him today.
1. Unbeliever – because they do not believe in God, they go to a person possessed by a demon for fortune-telling or shamanistic rituals, and that becomes the foundation stone of their life.
If this building we’re in now were to collapse, that’s exactly what Jesus was talking about today. If the foundation is not firm right now, it becomes a big problem. Today, as you build your life, on what foundation should you set the base on which to erect the pillars completely? Without realizing it, unbelievers have no choice — they go to fortune-tellers. Because they don’t believe in God. That becomes their foundation stone. What will happen? Many people, being too exhausted, unknowingly go to shamanistic rituals. And a person possessed by a demon performs the ritual for them. That is where the foundation stone of that person’s life is laid. It is no small problem.
2. Church members whose foundation stone is wrong – they distort the gospel so that unbelievers cannot receive help.
I have attended church since I was young, and among all that, I’ve lived 70 years. I lived a life of faith. Churches have many problems. I’ve rarely seen church members receiving answers to prayer. Unbelievers see this and say, “Why do you even go to church?” I’ve made that my one regret. This enormous gospel gets distorted, so unbelievers cannot receive help.
Do you know what that means? A tremendous building is supposed to go up, but the foundation stone on which the pillars are set is wrong — that’s what it means. That is what Jesus was talking about. I tell you to lay the foundation of your health from the ground up too. Exercise, pray, breathe — what does that mean? It means laying the foundation from the ground up. If someone attends church while worshiping idols and ruins their life, that can’t be helped, but there are far too many people like that who go to church.
I’ve never been good at anything since I was young. But I am quick to notice things. I am very quick to sense things, so much so that if I worried my mother or the elders might have a hard time, I would keep quiet and endure the hardship myself rather than speak up. I couldn’t do other things well. But using that sense of perception, I watched the elders and thought, “They really live happily and rightly” — I never felt that. So although I never told an outright lie, I couldn’t help but live as if it were one.
3. Believers who have set Christ, the Rock, as the foundation of their life – from that point on, the answers keep coming.
Then one day, though I was young and immature, I set Christ, the Rock, completely as the foundation at the bottom of my life. From that point on, it became real. The answers kept coming. Many people say, “Do this, do that,” but I don’t think that’s it. The answers kept coming. For example, in a nation, suppose there is a great king. The nation’s prosperity keeps coming, right? It’s not that it changes back and forth. It’s been 30 years since I came to this town. To what extent? The answers came pouring in without pause. Now it’s not just all of you, but the whole world — that is why our broadcast matters, because now the whole world hears the message together.
1) Satan, who tries to destroy you, is afraid only of Christ.
So Satan, who tries to destroy you, is afraid of only one thing. It is not your ability. He is not afraid of that. He is not afraid of the small amount of money you have. This Satan is afraid of only one thing. What is it? It is Christ. That is the word he hates most. There are unbelievers who, when you even mention Christ, foam at the mouth out of fear.
2) What Satan likes most is that people who attend church do not know the value of the gospel.
What Satan likes most is that people who attend church do not know the value of the gospel — he likes that very much.
Now, do you understand? Your life is like a building — don’t you have to set up many pillars and rise up? Make the foundation something that will not collapse. People did not know and rejected it, but today’s Scripture tells us that the stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone.
▣ Main_ What to confirm – “Have you never heard that the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?” (verse 42)
1. David, who held on to this covenant (Psalm 118:1-22)
Now then, since you have gotten the answer today, let’s confirm it a little. Jesus said this: “Have you never read that the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?” He asked this. Who said this? It’s asking who said it.
1) What Jesus quoted from what David said in Psalm 118:22 – “The stone the builders rejected will become the essential cornerstone.”
As you know, this is what David, the King of kings, said. In Psalm 118, David made an important statement in verse 22. “The stone the builders rejected will become the essential cornerstone.” That is what David said. Jesus is now quoting what David said. That means David knew this.
2) The reason David never collapsed – he set the foundation of his life on the Rock called Christ.
Why did David never collapse? It’s because the foundation of his life was firmly set on the covenant of Christ. “Most people will see it as worthless and throw it away. But it became the cornerstone.” That is what David said.
Realizing the gospel this deeply is so important. How difficult it is to realize the gospel truly! Right? In some sense, it is impossible without the grace of God. I still remember this. When I went to America, a pastor named Kang greeted me and said, “Ah, thank you so much for helping me realize the gospel.” He said this to me, pastor to pastor. And then he said something interesting. “Ha, for a pastor to realize the gospel is like getting struck by lightning while walking down the road. It’s that hard.” He said that. “That’s right. That’s right. I got struck by lightning.” It’s hard.
Have those pastors truly realized the gospel and laid it as the foundation of their building? They never use or exploit church members or make it into a problem. They simply cannot do it. How could they exploit the church and the members like that? That’s absolutely impossible. Right? It’s also hard for them to fail, because once the foundation is firmly set on the Rock called Christ, the building never shakes no matter how high it rises. David saw this. Amazing, isn’t it?
3) One who truly knows God – God will deliver him from any crisis.
Let me read Psalm 118 that David wrote. This is what David said. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: ‘His love endures forever.'” This is the praise David is offering now. In verse 3, “Let the house of Aaron say: ‘His love endures forever.’ Let those who fear the Lord say: ‘His love endures forever.'” This is the psalm David is writing now. “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.” David never once took revenge. He never once got back at his enemies. He kept fleeing while winning victory in a high position. One who truly knows God — especially our district chief here who truly knows God. God will deliver him from any crisis. That is David’s confession.
He also said this. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” He said, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: ‘The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!’ I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. You answered me and have become my salvation.” That is what he said. Then in verse 22, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Jesus is now quoting this. Amazing, isn’t it?
I hope you will think about this over the coming week. Almost all unbelievers have no choice, but even believers, when building an enormous structure, imagine that its foundation is shaking. They fail to realize that part at all, and keep blaming others. That’s it. David is the witness.
2. Jesus’ parable of the vineyard farmers (verses 33-42)
1) The owner entrusted the vineyard to the farmers, and when he sent servants and his son to ask for the fruit, they killed them, so the king brought his army and destroyed them.
And Jesus spoke directly about this. You heard the parable today. The owner went far away and entrusted the vineyard, and when he sent a servant to the workers in the vineyard asking for the fruit, they killed the servant. How wicked they were — later, when he sent his son, they killed him too. And this is what Jesus said next — the king himself brought his army and told them to destroy those farmers.
2) When prophets are sent, they are killed; when someone comes speaking the word of salvation, they are killed; when an evangelist or a righteous organization engaged in gospel work arises, they are branded a heresy, and Jesus is opposed.
And this is what Jesus said. What is this parable about? You send prophets, and they get killed. Even now, when someone comes speaking God’s word of salvation, they get killed. Strange, isn’t it? When someone comes just to evangelize, they get branded a heresy. It’s remarkable — it has happened without fail, every single time. Whenever a righteous organization rises up to do gospel work, it is unconditionally branded a heresy. They even opposed Jesus himself.
3) “The stone the builders rejected has truly become the foundational cornerstone.” (verse 42)
So the stone the builders rejected has truly become the foundational cornerstone. That is what Jesus said. You must remember this.
3. Peter, who held on to this covenant
1) Matthew 16:16 – what Jesus said when Peter made his confession of faith – “You are Peter, and on this rock that will never be shaken, I will build my church.”
Peter held onto this covenant, right? After that. When Peter had already made his confession of faith, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus said this: “You are Peter, and on this rock that will never be shaken I will build my church. On this rock that can hold the whole universe, I will build my church.”
2) Acts 4:11-12 – Peter’s confession when he stood in court after raising up the lame man – “Do you not know that the stone which many builders rejected has become the cornerstone? There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
After this, Peter, remember, raised up a lame man and then stood in court, right? You remember that. After raising up the lame man, he stood trial, and when Peter was being questioned, he answered — Jesus had asked him, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Go in the name of Jesus of Nazareth,’ or to heal the sick?” Both are difficult. Since this lame man is standing there, isn’t he a witness? The witness is right there. That’s when Peter said this: “Do you not know that the stone which many builders rejected has become the cornerstone?” That’s what Peter said then. And he added, “There is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” God entrusted world evangelization to this Peter. Right?
You must truly grasp this covenant today. There’s no need to worry about anything, and no need to worry even if problems come. That’s what I’ve realized after 40 years of evangelism. It doesn’t matter what problem comes, it’s fine. It’s not a problem. It’s rather a blessing. People say our nation has many problems, but I don’t see it that way. It is a nation that can evangelize the world. Right? Faith matters, but even the very character of Korea makes it a nation capable of world evangelization, like this. In the middle of COVID, churches still gather stubbornly — only in Korea. Only in Korea, I tell you. In fact, church members are the ones shouting because church construction isn’t happening fast enough. Only in Korea. It can only lead to world evangelization. Korea cannot fail. Hold onto this covenant firmly.
3) 1 Peter 2:7-9 – “Do you not know that unbelievers, the stone the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone?”, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, called to proclaim this light.”
Do you know what Peter eventually said? In 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 7, he said the same thing. What did he say? “Unto you who believe, this stone is precious, but to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” And he said, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, called to proclaim this light.” That is 1 Peter 2:7-9. God entrusted world evangelization to this insufficient Peter.
You must truly hold onto this covenant today. You must break free from religion. Religion creates all sorts of things and oppresses people — you must break free from that. Christianity? If misunderstood, it becomes a religion. Christianity is not a religion. It is the gospel. Right? You must break free from religion.
▣ Conclusion_ We must break free from religion. Christianity is not a religion but the gospel.
I have told you this many times. This is the first church where I have served as senior pastor. Before this, I was an associate pastor. There were five churches where I served as an associate. The first was my home church. And the seventh church, where I came last, may be my first and last, but this is where I came as senior pastor. In those seven churches I saw many things — our first home church had nothing but constant fighting, though there was nothing to fight over. That became its foundation. I decided to break free from that. So there are probably few people who fight with me. I don’t fight. Why? There’s no need to fight. At one church I went to, they relied too much on humanism. That became their foundation, laid in humanism. At another church, it was completely self-assertion and doing things their own way. That became their foundation. At the church I was at right before coming here, there was so much fighting that police had to come to stop it. That church had fighting as its foundation. And then I came straight here. People prepared to preach the gospel are gathered here. It’s a thankful thing. And people who preach the gospel come here. That has become our foundation. It’s tremendous. Just wait and see.
This week, just think about this one week. In some ways there will be another message next week, so just think about it for this one week. You will be in a place of important answers. May God’s blessing overflow upon Yeongdo and the whole world. Let us pray.
Prayer
We thank you, God. Let today be a precious day of laying the cornerstone. Let it be a timetable for setting the foundation on the Rock. Let it be the beginning of a new start for my life. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.